Thanks to the daily reset of Dungeon Resource Nodes, the Oak and Pine Trees have been restored to their original state after being cut down by the Warrior. But the forest felt empty without the song of birds, insects, and small animals. There were just trees waiting to be harvested. Only the rhythmic sounds of Miner whacking away in the stone quarry with his pickaxe rang loud. He had created a small hill of stone and a small pile of Mana Crystals, which Builder stored away in his Hover Chest before I brought the Triplets to the Second Level.
"500 hundred trees!" Whiterock pointed out to Blackrock.
"I can tell these trees aren't infused with Mana. So where are the Mana Trees you promised us?" Blackrock asked me.
"Yesterday, I instructed my Golem to chop down the forest. The trees yielded seeds that could grow into Mana Trees if planted near water sources within the Dungeon. It will take six more days before the seeds planted near the river above are ready for harvesting. If you wish for more proof, here is an Acron for each of you to hold." I explained, and Builder, who was accompanying us with his hover chest, handed over the seeds to them.
The triplets held the seeds and heard its instructions. I was worried it wouldn't be enough, but Blackrock didn't refute my claims.
"If the trees were chopped down yesterday, I don't see any stumps anywhere." Blackrock pointed out.
"The Dungeon can regrow 250 Oak and 250 Pine trees to full maturity daily after being chopped down," I explained, knowing the human lie detector would notice if I tried to claim it was my doing.
Whiterock and Redrock were surprised, but they looked to Blackrock to confirm the truth, to which he nodded.
"Are there more trees in the levels below?" Redrock asked.
"No, the regular Trees grow only here and respawn here. Though there are many other resources in each level below," I explain.
"As I mentioned earlier, I have reviewed almost all the reports concerning the Dungeon, and all of them have described the lower levels as barren caves that don't offer anything valuable to the Kingdom, except for the first level. Therefore, I must see the resources with my eyes," Blackrock explained.
"I understand your reasoning. However, I want to clarify that the Dungeon's resource spawning is connected to me. Please refrain from attempting to harm me in hopes of monopolizing these resources. I am sharing my secrets with you because I believe a mutually beneficial trade relationship between us will be advantageous in the long run," I explain while issuing a warning.
"Without your goodwill, there is no path ahead for us in the Dungeon. However, what will you do when the Kingsmen return here? Do you expect the Black Market to raise an army to protect the Dungeon and you?" asked Redrock.
"I was hoping for a steady supply of Imps your brother Redrock tamed in exchange for my resources." I request.
"They are all at Clay Rank! They must reach Steel Rank to defend this Dungeon from Falar's 50000 regular forces. Pray that the King will not send his Gold-Ranked Royal knights after you. Since Dungeon Lords serve the Demon King, the Falar Army will also receive assistance from the Crusader Army, led by the Pope of the Heroes Church and the other four Kingdoms. Even if we supply a thousand Imps, I do not see a way for you to survive," warned Blackrock.
When you put it like that, then it seems impossible to win. But Blackrock might be underestimating the defensive power of a Golem. Not to mention how easy it is to create them as long as I have a mountain's worth of Mana Crystals. Wait! A mountain?
"I need to speak to my Builder Golem for a minute." I request the Triplets and take Builder far enough out of earshot to ask a question.
"What's wrong, Boss?" He asks.
"Is it possible to make a tunnel connecting the Dungeon with the Imp territory under the Ruins?" I ask him.
"If possible, the Imps would have dug their way down here long ago. But it can't hurt to give it a try." Builder says before going towards the wall of the second level.
"What's going on?" Blackrock yells from his spot, and I return to him and his brothers.
"Everything hinges on preventing the Kingsmen from discovering the changes in the Dungeon or locating me and my Golems within it. To achieve this, we need to cover the Dungeon Entrance with a heap of debris by bringing down the Mountain on top of it. That will make it challenging to clear a path back to it. But I plan to build a tunnel towards the Imps under the Ruins. Since the Imps you brought me are willing to be my subordinates, I hope the rest of their kind might also agree to this. If they don't, I will try to subdue them, and then we can conduct our trade covertly through the Ruins. What do you think?" I explained.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"I don't know how you will bring the Mountain down, but blocking the entrance might work and give you more time! Can you build a new tunnel from inside the Dungeon? Many smugglers who wanted to hunt the livestock tried many times and failed. Even the Imps have to use the front door." Blackrock pointed out.
"That's why I asked my Builder if he can do it. But it might take some time." I point a finger back in the direction where the Builder went.
"Let's explore the rest of the dungeon's resources," Blackrock suggested. I nodded in agreement.
After three hours, the Triplets and I returned to the second level to conclude the trade negotiations.
"I'm sorry, but the Black Market has no customers interested in purchasing metal ores, coal, salt, stone, sand, clay, and normal trees. They are too common and cheap to buy from us. Therefore, we cannot include them in our trade. However, I have prepared a price list for all the other resources you have shown us and their worth in Mana Crystals since that is what you want the most right now." Blackrock explains as he presents me a small tablet-sized chalkboard that has the figures written on it with chalk. A screen appeared over it for me to read it in English.
[20 Raw Spahire stones - 2 Mana Crystals
20 Raw Emerald stones - 2 Mana Crystals
20 Raw Ruby stones - 2 Mana Crystals
20 Raw Amber Stones - 2 Mana Crystals
5 Raw Diamonds - 2 Mana Crystals
1000 Blocks of Granite - 10 Mana Crystal
1000 Blocks of Marble - 10 Mana Crystal
1000 Blocks of Red Sandstone - 10 Mana Crystal
1000 Blocks of Limestone - 10 Mana Crystal
Mana Wood Oak & Pine Trees - 10 Mana Crystals per Tree]
"Whiterock wasn't kidding when he said you are making a small fortune with the 100 Mana Wood Trees I promised. I had expected the precious stones to be worth more than this. Could you please explain why the other resources are worth more?" I grumbled.
"You have undervalued the worth of a Mana Crystal. I would gladly offer 10 Gold coins for each precious gem, but since you do not require coins, it is useless to you. The rare block stones are in high demand by the Heroes Church, which desires them for its structures and statues across Arya. The Mana Trees take a century to mature and must be planted in ancient forests overflowing with Mana. It's a miracle that you can grow 500 of them in a week, but unfortunately, there isn't enough room to plant more near the river." Blackrock explained.
"So, in addition to the weekly revenue of 5000 Mana Crystals from my future Mana trees, I can expect 50 Mana Crystals a day if the rest are harvested before the Dungeon resets the resources," I calculate.
"I'm not sure how we're going to manage that," Blackrock said, half-jokingly, half-complainingly. "Your poor Miner Caste Imps will have to work without any break. My brothers and I must tirelessly transport the resources back to our warehouses. We may need to make a dozen daily trips because we can't let more people in on the deal without exposing you and the Dungeon to the authorities. I don't know how I will find the time to sell them to the clients without suffering from exhaustion."
As he spoke, I realized I needed to prioritize converting the Miner Caste Imps into Miner Golems to work without food or rest. However, even with three additional Golems, it wouldn't be enough to mine everything within a day. I estimated I needed at least six more Golem Miners for ten to mine everything before the daily reset. What could I offer Blackrock for those additional Miner Caste Imps?
As we stood there thinking about the issues with production and transportation, I saw the Builder approaching us from a distance with the Hover Chest. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head that could solve both of our problems.
When Builder introduced the Hover Chest, I figured it must be a standard tool because it was cheap to make with 1000 stones and 1 Mana Crystal. However, I noticed Blackrock and his brothers used crates and reserved storage rings for their most valuable items. The rings and pendants had weight limits, which the Hover Chest didn't have.
"You seem worried about transporting your resources quickly without drawing attention from the Kingsmen, right? I have a solution for you. My Hover Chest has ten storage slots that won't add weight to the chest, no matter what you store. Each slot can hold up to 9999 items of the same type. To move the Hover Chest, pull the Mana rope. It's small enough to fit ten of them inside the carriage you brought without adding extra strain on your horses to pull." I pointed out to Blackrock.
I could sense Blackrock's eyes lit up with the possibilities it offered him.
"How many can you sell?" Blackrock asked.
"That's the only one available in the Dungeon at the moment. However, I do have the blueprint to create more. I would appreciate it if you could pay for it with Imps instead of Mana Crystals. You can decide the value of the payment, but I require only six more Miner Caste Imps. The rest can be from the Warrior caste," I explained.
"Hmm... Using Hover Chests would greatly improve our mobility and reduce our workload in the long run. I am willing to offer 10 Imps for each Hover Chest. Since you mentioned that ten can fit inside the carriage, I would like to buy 10 Hover Chests. We will return to our warehouse and get the Imps to you before nightfall," Blackrock proposed.
100 Imps? For 10 Hover Chests that cost 10 Mana Crystals and 10000 stones? Didn't I pay him 2 Mana Crystals for 6 Imps? I have been scammed! Or am I the one scamming him now?
"Deal!" I replied. The Builder arrived with his hover chest, and I excused myself from Blackrock to receive the report privately.
"Boss, the Dungeon only allows the Lord's Builder-type minions to dig tunnels from within. Even if they have miners, nothing outside can dig into the Dungeon. However, I unlocked the 'Tunneler' and 'Excavator' skills by making a 100-meter-long tunnel that is 10-foot-tall and 10-foot-wide. I disposed of the soil debris by dumping it into a slot in the Hover Chest, which transformed every ton into a big block of highly compressed Earth," the Builder explained.
"That's great! It means we have a way out of the Dungeon even if we must bring down the Mountain to block the front entrance," I explained.
"Boss, how are we going to do that?" Builder asked.
"You must find a way to do it! Please build 10 Hover Chests for the Triplets now. They will provide us with 100 Imps in return". I instructed.
"A hundred Imps?" Builder asked in disbelief.