Chapter 94: Hunger in the land.

Meanwhile, in the Jaun Land, the entire region had been going through rapid changes over the past few days.

It was as though the land itself was waking up from a long and dreamless sleep, stretching its limbs for the first time in centuries.

What was once a barren stretch of dry earth and scattered cliffs was slowly transforming into a huge city.

And at the heart of it all was the Nameless Dungeon.

The first significant development came from the business front.

The initial batch of Eye for Eye artifacts had sold remarkably well. Leo and Sophia had returned to the Nameless Dungeon bearing a full report, along with empty sacks that once held the merchandise.

Every single artifact had been bought. Not a single one remained on the shelf.

“My Lord, we have sold out completely,” Leo announced as he knelt before the throne, his voice carrying a hint of pride he was trying hard to suppress. “The final tally comes to roughly 100,000 Cens.”

Sophia, kneeling beside him, nodded in agreement.

“At first, we were selling them for 100 Cens each, as you instructed. But the demand grew so quickly that we had to raise the price to 1,000 Cens per artifact just to manage the crowd. Even then, people were fighting over the last few.”

Kai sat on his throne, one leg crossed over the other, listening to their report with his chin resting on his fist.

’100,000 Cens. Compared to the 800,000 I already have stashed, it is not a world-changing amount. But for a first batch? It is more than acceptable. The demand alone proves the product has legs. If I continue to flood the market at a controlled pace, the profits will snowball.’

“Good work, both of you,” Kai spoke, his voice calm. “I will have more prepared for you shortly. Five hundred units this time.”

Leo’s eyes widened at the number.

“F-five hundred? My Lord, that is five times what we just sold. Are you certain the supply can keep up?”

“Do not concern yourself with the supply. That is my burden to bear. Yours is to sell, and sell well.”

“Understood!” both of them responded in unison.

Shortly after Leo and Sophia departed back to the city to look after the building they had purchased for their trades, Kai summoned Fanny and Phera to the Throne Room.

Phera arrived first, practically sliding through the massive doors with an excited grin plastered on her face.

Her lioness tail wagged behind her as she skidded to a halt at the base of the throne.

“You called for me, Boss?”

Fanny arrived moments later, far more composed. The True Dragon walked in with her usual quiet grace, her pale blue eyes scanning the room before settling on Kai.

“Master.”

Kai pulled the five hundred artifacts from his inventory. They materialized in several large sacks at the foot of the stairs, each one filled to the brim with the small red marbles.

“I need these delivered to Leo and Sophia in Rambosa. Discreetly. Make sure you dont draw attention to yourself, and most important of all, do not fight with a single human there.”

Phera saluted with the wrong hand, her grin widening.

“Leave it to me, Boss! I will guard these with my life!”

Fanny simply bowed her head.

“It will be done, Master.”

The two of them grabbed the sacks and disappeared through the dungeon exit within minutes.

Of course, Kai still had doubts if it was the wise choice to send them, but then again, it wasn’t like he had any other person to send since the rest were busy.

….

The second major development was the construction happening outside the Nameless Dungeon.

Using the funds they had accumulated, Sanovere had dispatched several of his vampire agents to purchase building materials from the nearest human city. Sand, timber, stone, iron nails, and rope arrived in massive quantities, hauled by cart under the cover of night so as not to attract too much suspicion.

The Jaun Land, as Kai had noted long before, did not have many trees.

The terrain was mostly dry, rocky earth with sparse vegetation. Building anything from scratch required importing nearly everything, which was expensive and slow.

But what they lacked in natural resources, they made up for in labor.

Every single dungeon boss that had pledged fealty to Kai had sent their workers to assist in the construction.

The city was being built from nothing, and every monster in the region had a hand in it.

Kai stood at the edge of the dungeon entrance one afternoon, overlooking the progress from the elevated cliff face.

Below him, the skeletal framework of buildings stretched across the previously empty flatlands. Walls of grey stone were rising in rows, forming the outlines of streets and districts.

A crude but functional road had already been carved from the dungeon entrance down to the main construction site, wide enough for two carts to pass side by side.

“It is actually happening,” he muttered under his breath.

Lyra was standing beside him, her arms folded and her gaze fixed on the scene below. Even she, who rarely showed emotion beyond devotion and disdain, looked mildly impressed.

“I will admit,” she began, her voice softer than usual, “I did not expect the other dungeon bosses to cooperate this well. Monsters are prideful creatures by nature. To see them working alongside species they would normally slaughter on sight is rather extraordinary.”

Kai glanced at her.

“You give me too much credit. I did not plan for them to get along this well.”

Lyra turned her head sharply, her eyes widening in surprise.

“You did not?”

“No. I expected at least three territorial disputes by now. Perhaps a small war between the Goblins and the Orcs. Instead, they are sharing tools and eating at the same table. Truthfully, even I am surprised.”

He looked back at the construction site, watching as a group of Goblins passed iron beams up to a squad of Imps hovering above a half-finished wall.

’Perhaps it is because they have a common enemy for the first time. Humans. Nothing unites monsters faster than a shared threat. Or maybe they are simply too afraid of what I would do if they misbehaved.’

He smirked at the thought.

’Either way, it works.’

Lyra studied him for a moment longer, then looked away, the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.

“Whatever the reason, my Lord, the result speaks for itself. You are building something no monster has ever built before.”

Later that evening, Kai returned to his Throne Room.

Lucifer had prepared a pot of herbal tea, setting it on the small table beside the throne before retreating to her position near the door.

The Head Maid had been watching Kai more carefully than usual since the events at Rambosa. She noticed the small things, the way he rolled his shoulders after sitting too long, the way his eyes would glaze over when he was deep in thought.

She said nothing about it, of course. Her Lord would speak when he was ready. Until then, her job was to ensure he was comfortable.

Kai had barely taken his seat when Lyra arrived, her heels clicking against the obsidian floor with purpose.

“My Lord, I have two matters to report.”

“Go ahead.”

Lyra straightened her posture, her expression shifting into what Kai had come to recognize as her administrative face.

“First, Teriam has sent word from the Fifth Floor. During a routine mining operation in one of the unexplored caves, his workers discovered what appears to be a rare mineral deposit. He is requesting your presence to evaluate it personally.”

Kai raised a brow behind the mist of his form.

’A rare mineral? On my own floor? Interesting. Teriam is not the type to exaggerate, so if he says it is worth looking at, then it probably is. Then again, his floor is rich in mana, so this shouldnt really surprise me, i expected it to happen in one of the floors eventually.’

“Tell him I will come down shortly. There are things I have been meaning to inspect anyway.”

“The second matter is more urgent.” Lyra paused, choosing her words carefully. “There have been complaints from multiple floors. The monsters are running out of food.”

Kai’s fingers, which had been tapping rhythmically on the armrest, stopped.

“Running out?”

“Yes, my Lord. With the influx of monsters from the other dungeons and the construction workers outside, the demand for sustenance has increased dramatically. Demons can survive approximately five months without food before their combat ability begins to deteriorate, but many of the lesser species do not have that luxury. The Goblins, for instance, are already showing signs of malnourishment.”

Kai leaned back against the throne, staring at the ceiling.

’This was bound to happen. I expanded too fast without securing a reliable food source. The money we have will not last forever, especially with the construction eating into our reserves. If the food runs out before the city is finished, morale will collapse, and all of this will have been for nothing.’

He closed his eyes, processing the problem.

…

[A/N]

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