"A residential area," Pixia repeated, her tiny wings buzzing with a mixture of excitement and academic anxiety. She floated over to a newly manifested map table, a piece of furniture that had appeared during the library merger, and began pointing at it with a tiny, twig-like finger.
"The initial resource cost will be...substantial, my Lord. Extremely substantial."
Ragnar leaned over the table, studying the glowing map of his new, massive domain. It was huge. The unification had joined his two-floor dungeon with Pixia's three-story library, turning it into a sprawling, five-level underground maze that seemed to go on forever.
"Give me the bad news first, Pixia," Ragnar said, crossing his arms. "How much is this monster city going to cost me?"
"To create the basic facilities for a self-sustaining population of our core subordinate types," Pixia began, pulling up glowing numbers in the air next to her, "we will need a Slime Spawning Pool, Goblin Warrens, Kobold Kennels, and an Orc Barracks. The combined DP cost for the construction of these facilities is approximately 500 DP."
Ragnar winced. His new DP cap was 200. He didn't have that kind of magical cash on hand.
"And the CP cost, my Lord," she continued, her voice growing smaller, "to populate these facilities with the initial breeding stock… at least one hundred of each species… would be… significant."
Ragnar did the math in his head. 100 slimes at 1 CP each. 100 Goblins at 5 CP. 100 Kobolds at 10 CP. That was over 1,500 CP. And that wasn't even counting the Orcs. It was a king's ransom.
"So, you're telling me that to get free monsters later, I have to spend every point I have now, and then some?" Ragnar said, a vein pulsing in his temple. "That sounds like a terrible deal. It's like one of those free-to-play mobile games. 'Pay $100 now for 10 free gems a month!' It's a scam!"
"It is a long-term investment, my Lord," Pixia countered, her academic confidence returning. "I have run the calculations. Based on the standard breeding rates for F-Rank and E-Rank monsters, our residential area would pay for its initial CP investment within three months. After that, every monster born is pure profit. It would free up your personal CP generation for creating elite units, like Miss Chloe, or for your Alchemy. It transitions our economy from a constant drain to a self-sustaining engine of growth."
Ragnar listened, his cynical gamer brain processing the information. She was right. It was a massive upfront cost, but the long-term benefit was undeniable. An endless supply of disposable meat shields for his dungeon. It was the key to building a real army.
"Fine," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "We'll do it. Let's plan the layout. The entire third floor of the old library section can be the new residential zone. I want it separate from the main dungeon floors."
Just as they began to plan, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[Invaders have entered the Domain. Invader Count: 12.]
Ragnar glanced at the map. A party of students had just entered the first-floor "Goblin Playground." He felt a flicker of annoyance. "Grunt," he commanded his elite kobold captain through their mental link. "Take your squad. Clear them out. Try not to get blood on the rare first editions." He dismissed the invasion without a second thought. It was just business as usual. He had bigger things to think about now.
"Now, about this layout," he said, turning back to Pixia. "We need a proper Mess Hall, too. And a training ground…"
As they spoke, Pixia's eyes suddenly glazed over for a moment, as if she were reading a pop-up window only she could see. "My Lord… this is interesting. The Domain Unification has unlocked a new potential ability for you."
"Another one?" Ragnar asked, intrigued. "What is it?"
"It is a movement-based skill. It is called [Transfer]. Currently, at your level, it is only Rank C. It allows you to instantly teleport between two pre-designated points within your Domain."
Ragnar's eyes lit up. "Teleportation? Now that's what I'm talking about! I can zip around the dungeon, ambushing heroes from behind, reinforcing weak points… this is a game-changer!"
"There are… restrictions, my Lord," Pixia said carefully. "At Rank C, you can only have two transfer points active at a time. The teleportation requires a five-second channeling period where you must remain completely still. And after each use, there is a one-hour cooldown."
Ragnar's excitement deflated like a sad balloon. "So, it's not a cool teleport spell. It's a glorified, incredibly slow elevator that I can only use once an hour. Fantastic."
"It is still a significant tactical advantage, my Lord," Pixia insisted. "It would allow you to move from the Throne Room on the first floor to the new residential area on the third floor in seconds, rather than minutes. It is a tool for management and rapid redeployment."
He grumbled but saw her point. It was another piece on the chessboard. Another tool in his growing arsenal.
He stood up and looked around the vast, strange, and chaotic new space that was his kingdom. He had to pay off his debt, build an entire city for monsters, and prepare for a war with the strongest heroes in the region.
It was overwhelming. It was impossible. And it was the most fun he'd had in his entire life.
"Alright, Pixia," he said, a determined grin spreading across his face. "Let's get to work. We have a city to build." The 24-hour pseudo-peace granted by the unification was ticking down. They had a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it