Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
"So Lucius, is everything correct?" I asked my pawn. Lucius nodded with a smile.
"It is, it's impressive, my dear. Now that all the infrastructure, or most of it, is complete, the only thing left is installing basic services: electricity, water, internet, and gas. Luckily, this isn't a human city. Most of those things are done magically," Lucius said with a shrug.
"And how will we do it? I have no idea what exactly is required to install those things," I asked distractedly as one of my girls handed me more chocolate. I certainly knew they were magically made. It was why I hadn't built plumbing, wiring, or other things. But I had no idea how to even begin to do those things.
"I've already taken care of it, as I told you at lunch. I can send word for them to come immediately, though it might take them a few days to complete all the houses," Lucius said, wrinkling his nose and looking around. "We can have the devils move in immediately and ensure the occupied houses are the first to be worked on."
"How many people are we expecting?" Ravel asked curiously. I shrugged.
"Lucy?" I asked in his direction.
"About 15-20 thousand devils. A quarter of them succubi." Lucius said quickly.
"Oh? Much less than I expected, the city seems like it can hold more devils." Ravel said honestly, I nodded.
"And it will. That's just the first batch of devils; the succubi are in charge of spreading the word among the commoner devils of Lucifaad. They have been since the end of the engagement party last night. It would have been sooner, but I didn't want the information to leak, but at this point, it doesn't matter anymore."
"So, the limited time shouldn't reach that many devils, but we expect more to continue arriving in the coming days." I explained simply. Ravel nodded.
"Then Lucius's idea would be the best one to follow. There are many houses that may not be used, so it would be a waste of time if they weren't used immediately. It would be better to prioritize the infrastructures that are used. Is there... an order in which you will distribute the devils?" Ravel asked. I wrinkled my nose.
"Not really. The succubi will be going to the red-light district. They need to be together, and they don't mind all being in the same place, so the three brothels are placed there. I also prepared apartments for all of them. So they'll be the first to be occupied. The other devils... I guess we'll see." I said simply.
"You said Sirzechs has people ready to help us with this, right?" I asked in Lucius's direction. He nodded.
"Yes, Lord Lucifer must be expecting our summons. I suppose I'd better ask his opinion. I must admit the logistics behind this are certainly not my specialty," Lucius said with a grimace.
"Why don't we just let each devil take whatever house they want and be done with it? They're all the same," Enid asked, confused. Bella wrinkled her nose.
"There would be fights. The population tends to gravitate to important places. For example, the stadium, the devils love the Rating Games, so there will surely be a lot of devils fighting over that space. Or the more central places in the city."
"No matter how grateful the devils are for providing them with a new city and new homes, they'll still be selfish enough to prioritize their own benefits." Bella said dismissively. Enid pouted.
"Well, that's a terrible way to look at things," Enid complained.
"We're devils," Bella said with a shrug. Enid snorted.
"You only have been like that briefly," Enid replied.
"And yet my point still stands," Bella said amusedly.
"She's... right," Ravel chimed in with a grimace. "No matter how grateful they are, if they can get some benefits, or be close to something they like, they'll probably fight for it," Ravel said. Enid pouted again.
"Then we'll let the workers Sirzechs brings handle it. However, I suppose we can divide them by their current jobs so they're in their respective areas or near people who know each other for familiarity. If we can, perhaps we can accommodate their wishes as long as they're not unreasonable. There shouldn't be any problems." I said as I looked down at the city from the air. The others nodded.
"By the way… did you notice there's no public transportation track or anything?" Ravel asked, frowning. The others looked down.
"I'm sure they were in the model. Did you forget them, Sera?" Narcissa asked, confused. I smiled widely.
"No! I got them out of the way!" I said proudly. Everyone looked at me in confusion. It turns out that devils didn't fly or teleport everywhere if they could help it; they only did it if they wanted to go to another city, for example. They were almost lazy by nature, or they thought doing so was wasteful, or they just didn't do it for some reason I didn't know. Much to my great surprise, they used cars.
And not only that! Factories and buildings full of offices are also there for a reason. It turns out the devils had normal 8-hour jobs! It surprised me when I found out, but it made perfect sense. Although it was almost obvious, they had a community of their own, so most of them just lived their lives day to day.
They almost seemed like normal humans, with a few notable exceptions. Magic helped a lot with some tasks.
But back to cars. The devils used them, or well, the closest thing to them.
I discovered that they were self-driving golems in the form of cars, completely self-driving and requiring no fuel. They were truly bizarre but efficient, and they worked. So, I decided to go a step further and create efficient public transportation.
I'd thought about laying tracks and setting up trains, subways, or something similar, as Narcissa mentioned. But I quickly remembered something useful from the wizarding world and replicated it. It wasn't complicated to create and reproduce them. The enchantments were simple, and I simply took them to the extreme.
"I was thinking about the Knight Bus!" I announced cheerfully. Everyone froze at once and looked at me in surprise.
"That's an excellent idea," Lucius said, surprised. "Instead of having one of them, getting a group of Knight Buses moving around the city would be ridiculously efficient and much faster than any other public transport."
"Good idea, Sera!" Narcissa chirped.
"Wouldn't the Floo network work too?" Bella asked in surprise. I wrinkled my nose.
" Unfortunately, I still don't know how you reliably manufacture the powders, much less create a connected network between hundreds of houses. Also, I don't know how well they'll be received because, well, devils can already teleport. It would be kind of redundant." I said honestly. Bella hummed.
"We should do some sort of survey once you figure it out. The maintenance, installation, and powders would be a very welcome extra income for the city," Bella said simply. I snorted.
"Charging for something devils can do themselves much faster and more efficiently? Shame," I said mockingly. Bella smiled widely.
"You already created public transportation. Obviously, you'll charge a fare for it, so you're already doing it," Bella said mockingly. I laughed lightly.
"Um... excuse me for asking, but what are the... Knight Bus and the... floo network?" Ravel asked, terribly confused.
"Oh right, you haven't seen the movies yet." I muttered to myself. I pulled out my phone and quickly searched for the Knight Bus scene. I pulled Ravel closer and started the video. Ravel looked at it curiously; the context of the movie certainly wasn't clear at all, but Ravel ignored it and focused on the vehicle.
"Is that possible?" Ravel asked, surprised. "Honestly, that would solve many problems!" she exclaimed. I nodded.
"It wasn't difficult, really. And it works. This city is definitely not as big as London, or the whole of Great Britain, so the buses could travel from one end of the city to the other in just a few seconds. It was much easier since they don't have to hide from view."
"The only thing that was a bit of a problem was the ability to warp with everyone inside, but I eventually found and adapted the corresponding enchantment. Now, they can warp without any problem, although they are much safer than the real versions. Those things were a death trap." I explained happily. Ravel nodded in surprise.
"Incredible," Ravel murmured. I smiled and began manipulating the phone again to show her the chimneys. Ravel looked surprised once again.
"No… I don't deny their usefulness, but… why chimneys?" Ravel asked, confused. The four of us from the magical world snorted in amusement.
"Ravel, darling, never make sense of what the wizards of our world do. It never makes sense," I said playfully.
"I still remember the toilets used to enter the Ministry." Lucius visibly shuddered. I burst out laughing. Apparently, he had to suffer through it, too, even though he was a pureblood. Ravel looked terribly confused and slightly disgusted.
"So, what do you think about the Floo network?" I asked Ravel. Ravel frowned and started thinking about it.
"I... honestly, I have no idea. At first glance, it's completely useless, but it's because I've been teleporting my entire life when I needed to go somewhere, so I don't know what it's like for commoner devils." Ravel said, biting her lip uncertainly. I shrugged.
"Then it'll stay in the thought box for now." I said simply. "There are more important things than a floo network. Then, is it time to call Sirzechs and the others before bringing the new devils?" I asked lightly. Everyone nodded and got ready.
I moved my hand, and my patronus appeared in front of me.
"Go tell Sirzechs that everything is ready. He can come right away. He can teleport above my mansion with the rest." I told my Patronus. My spider spun around me several times before shooting off in one direction and disappearing. We had to wait a few seconds before a huge teleportation circle appeared below us.
I began to fly closer to the circle. The others immediately followed. Sirzechs and Grayfia appeared first, and finally, more than 30 people followed behind them. Sirzechs smiled as soon as he saw me and waved cheerfully. The pair broke away from the group and approached us.
"Hey, Serena! I thought you'd never call! How's the... the construction going..." Sirzechs trailed off as he looked around in disbelief. "You... you actually built a city in less than a day." I could hear the amazement in his voice, and I smiled proudly. Grayfia seemed to notice the city as well, her eyes widening.
"It's just a small town," I said, not at all humbly.
"All… all those buildings are ready to be used?" Sirzechs asked, still incredulous, I nodded.
"I mean, it's still missing those basic services and all that. Plumbing, electricity, water, those basic things, or their equivalent, but all the buildings are habitable, they're all fully furnished, and so on. Although we already have staff to take care of that," I said honestly.
"This… this is truly incredible, Serena." Sirzechs said seriously. "Much more than I originally expected," he added honestly. I wrinkled my nose.
"I hope you weren't thinking it was going to be some kind of medieval village or something," I said dryly. Sirzechs smiled sheepishly. I snorted loudly. "I specialize in creation, and I've already been preparing for today, so this is the result of many days of preparation," I said honestly. Sirzechs nodded.
"Still, it's amazing," Sirzechs said honestly. I took the praise for what it was and nodded proudly. "You said you were lacking... amenities, right? Let me take care of it, or at least pay for it myself," Sirzechs said with a smile. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Is this some kind of bribe? Or do you want more potions?" I asked mockingly. Sirzechs pouted. I almost wanted to snort at the sight of a Satan making that face.
"None, I really want to help with all of this. This… is amazing." Sirzechs said honestly. I nodded and looked at Lucius.
"Then, with your permission, Lord Lucifer, should I call my contact?" Lucius asked calmly. He nodded.
"Of course, I think I know who you're about to contact. Use my name to expedite the whole thing. Tell them to send as many workers as they can. Whether they're working on something else or not, I'll pay for the delay in their other work. This is more important." Sirzechs said simply. Lucius nodded and smiled widely.
"I will do it immediately, Lord Lucifer. Thank you for your help," Lucius said with a slight bow before disappearing.
"Very well then, we need to prepare for the wave of new Devils! Come, I want to introduce you to someone." Sirzechs chirped and approached the group of Devils. We approached a woman in a black suit with red eyes, white hair, and a tail who was staring at the city.
"Sirzechs, where the hell did this city come from?" the woman asked incredulously.
"Lucy-chan! I want you to meet Serena Prince, who just created this city in less than a day!" Sirzechs said happily. My eyes widened slightly,
"Don't call me that!" the woman growled, glaring at Sirzechs. Sirzechs just laughed happily.
"Serena, this is Lucifer! Call her Lucy-chan, or it will be confusing for all of us!" Sirzechs said shamelessly.
"Don't call me that." Lucifer growled. My eyes widened slightly. Lucifer from Helltaker, the CEO of Hell, stood before me. "Nice to meet you, Lady Prince. Perhaps you can be of more help than that idiot of a Satan and tell me why I'm here with my best employees. In fact, why he kept me waiting for hours." Lucifer said with a frown.
"I was getting to that!" Sirzechs interrupted with a smile. "You're all reassigned to this city!" Sirzechs chirped. We all fell deathly silent, and the group of 30 devils stared at Sirzechs in disbelief. I hadn't noticed, but Pandemonica was among the group.
"You're reassigning us!? Why !? How dare you?!" Lucifer growled furiously. Sirzechs raised his hands defensively while smiling nervously.
"Now, now, Lucy-chan, there's no need to get angry." Sirzechs said shakily.
"No reason?!" Lucifer growled as she slowly approached Sirzechs.
" Okay! This is good stuff, really! Let me explain!" Sirzechs squeaked, almost panicking. I raised an eyebrow. Was Sirzechs afraid of Lucifer, or was it all an act? I really couldn't tell.
"Explain it, and I hope the answer satisfies me." Lucifer growled. Sirzechs nodded quickly.
"Okay! I'll give you a rundown! As you know, Serena is a succubus! It turns out one of the succubi from the brothel where she grew up was kidnapped by a relative of Honest, but absolutely nothing came of the complaint filed, so-"
"I remember that. The succubi complained many times, and Judgement was furious at having her hands tied." Lucifer said with a frown as she interrupted Sirzechs. He certainly didn't mind being interrupted. He just nodded.
"As I was saying, the succubus returned, but she was badly damaged, so they turned to Serena for protection. Our beloved new High-Class Devil was so moved that she decided to found a city for the commoners and low-class Devils. And here we are!" Sirzechs said with a smile. There were a lot of things wrong with that speech.
"A… city for commoner devils?" Lucifer asked incredulously. Sirzechs nodded several times.
"Yes! I've heard you complain about the Lucifaad Devils for decades, and your employees, too. All of them were selected because they either hate or can't tolerate the Pillar Devils of Lucifaad. I thought they'd be happier working here. The others, too." Sirzechs said with an honest smile. All the Devils fell silent.
"This... is this really a city for commoners, for low-class devils?" Lucifer asked.
"I mean... maybe." I shrugged. "It was mainly for the succubi, then... it just grew. The succubi will be in charge of spreading the word, so I have no idea who will come. But they'll probably be commoner devils, lower-class, or maybe middle-class. I doubt there will be any High-class devils among those moving in," I said honestly.
"... what's your game? What do you want in return from the devils? Are you going to sell them the land for an exorbitant price?" Lucifer asked, frowning. I tilted my head in confusion.
"Sell them? What? The houses are free for everyone." I said in confusion. All the visiting Devils froze, including Sirzechs and Grayfia, and looked at me in disbelief. Sirzechs was the first to break the silence and began to laugh out loud.
"You really are something else, Serena!" Sirzechs said with glee in his voice. I wrinkled my nose. Why did that sound like a damn insult coming from him?
"...are you an idiot?" Lucifer asked incredulously. Well, I guess that was the insult.
"I take offense at that statement," I said grimly. Lucifer just snorted.
"It's because you are. If what you say is true and you built all of this for low-class devils, with a succubus capable of defending them, they'd all come immediately. You may not want to charge the succubi a price to live here, but all the other devils? You could charge them an exorbitant price and put them in debt for decades, and they'd still agree." Lucifer pointed out. "Only an idiot would give all of this away and pass up the chance to be rich."
"What is money? Can you eat it?" I asked dryly. Lucifer looked at me flatly, very unimpressed, and Sirzechs had an amused smile. I just rolled my eyes. "Really, I don't care about money. I didn't even want to make this town. It just happened. I'd rather be in my lab making potions or studying magic. I don't need money for most of that," I said simply with a shrug.
Lucifer looked at me for a few seconds before sighing.
"You're truly amazing. I never expected to see a devil with as little greed as you," Lucifer finally said. Was that good?
"Your disinterest is sexy," Enid interrupted with a smile.
"I say she's an idiot," Bella replied with the same smile.
"Can't it be both?" Ravel chimed in with a shy, nervous smile. I rolled my eyes. Narcissa laughed at me from the side.
"Ha Ha, yeah, very funny." I snorted dryly. Sirzechs was laughing at me, and Grayfia was smiling. They were looking at me with a strange glint in their eyes. I wrinkled my nose, not wanting to know what they thought of me.
"Fine, I accept. Where do we start?" Lucifer finally asked with a wild smile.
"Actually, I had a question for you first," I said timidly. Lucifer's smile froze, and she looked at me angrily.
"Yes, my name is Lucifer. Yes, like the original Satan himself. No, I'm not that Satan. Yes, my parents named me that. And yes, my parents are stupid. Let's move on." Lucifer grunted. Apparently, she was really used to answering like that. Sirzechs burst out laughing. I smiled shyly at him.
"Well, then let's begin."
Author's Note : Okay... this is happening. I'll be honest, I don't even know how I got here, or even where I'm going from here. Building a city wasn't in my plans, but I don't regret it. >:c
Now, to the important stuff, I know absolutely nothing about city building, obviously, so the sizes and other things probably don't match up, so I apologize.
Finally, pictures! There were several cities I wanted to replicate, the first being Elendel City from Mistborn, but it was just too much. Finally, I landed on Pentagram City from Hazbin Hotel, and everything just clicked! So, here are pictures of Pentagram City and a crappy drawing I made of the area layouts!