*slurp*

"Mmm! So good!"

"But Mommy! Why can't I want one!"

"We can't afford it right now. I'm sorry, sweetie. Maybe we can save up for one and we can all share one together in a few days."

Veronica listened to the sounds of people chattering throughout the tavern as she helped Elora carry out some more dishes. Things were starting to get too busy around here and it was almost impossible to keep up with everything. She couldn't really complain since these people were of no threat to her and it was worth the hard work since it meant she didn't have to worry about having the resources to continue building her dungeon. At least, that was what she was trying to tell herself.

When she made it back to the kitchen, she poured herself another glass of rum, swallowed it back, and then got back to work. There were more orders to be filled and she couldn't waste time if she was going to get them done in a timely manner. Somehow, she'd also have to find the time to wash the dishes that were quickly piling up. Then there was the matter of the alcohol, which needed to be poured and brought to the next batch of customers. She didn't like Elora and Eldrin doing it because they were underage by her old world's standards.

"One of the guys at table three is complaining about how long he has to wait to receive his drink, Lady Veronica."

Elora called from the doorway of the kitchen. She had another stack full of papers with orders that needed to be filled. Sighing, Veronica looked at the stove she was cooking at. She was already doing everything she could as she had multiple puffball and boar burgers cooking on a cast iron grill and some soup boiling away on another burner. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes tightly. This was more than she could handle.

Finally, deciding enough was enough, she turned the heat off on the stove and followed Elora into the dining room. Eldrin came up to her looking worried, but she just held up one hand to signal for him to wait. Then, she turned to the room and raised her voice over the loud clamor as she announced

"Sorry folks, but we're going to have to wrap things up for the night. We won't be taking any more orders, but we will fulfill all of the orders that have already been placed in the order I received them. I'd also appreciate it if you could spread the word that the Dungeon Master expects everyone to clear out of the inn by noon tomorrow."

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

At first, there was some disagreement among the murmurs in the room, but, ultimately, most folks didn't want to upset the Dungeon Master, so they didn't complain. Veronica was grateful about that as she didn't want to get into an argument with anyone. Most of her customers weren't aware that she was the Dungeon Master, but that was fine too. It just meant she was less likely to have to deal with their complaints.

A painter had already been sent by the guild to take her portrait. How they could afford it when the local Lord didn't seem capable of paying for anything else, she didn't know or care. Regardless, the last she had heard, the artist needed a few weeks to work after doing the initial sketch. Then it would be brought back to get her approval before being hung up in the guild. That would change how well-known she was, but she was hopeful that she'd be able to figure out some sort of solution before then.

It wouldn't be much longer before she'd be starting work on the second floor's tavern and kitchen as well. When that happened, she wouldn't be able to cook for both the first floor and second floor kitchens. Shaking her head, she headed back into the kitchen to finish cooking the rest of the food. Elora didn't have anything else to do, so she started working on the dishes while Eldrin was left to deal with any customers who got too rowdy.

The next day, Veronica ended up having to take Eldrin around and force some of the guests to leave the inn rooms a bit early. While she could understand that the homeless individuals didn't have anywhere else to stay, it was problematic if they didn't leave. She needed the inn and tavern area to be empty so she could access her system and take care of the problem so there wouldn't be a repeat of last night.

With 100 MP spawners unlocked, she could now add two brownies to each of the staff rooms. It was fortunate that the system made a special exception for the dungeon [Monsters] meant for use in her inn. She could add them to any floor regardless of which floor she unlocked them on. The ones on the dungeon half could only be added to the floor they were unlocked on or a higher level floor. In exchange, she couldn't send any of her [Monsters] outside of the dungeon, regardless of whether they were contracted or not and her [Monsters] couldn't cross over to the other half of the dungeon or even into the main hallway. Still, she didn't mind her dungeon working this way rather than the way most other dungeons do because it is far more convenient this way.

Veronica ended up adding two brownies to the kitchen, two to the tavern, two to the cleaning closet, and one to the reception room on the first floor. The one in the reception would be able to help move the ingredients she summoned on the upper floors to the kitchen on the first floor alongside Eldrin. The ones assigned to the cleaning room would help Elora with the cleaning, which certainly required more time and effort now that most of the rooms were being used every night. As for the tavern and kitchen brownies, they'd be in charge of washing dishes, helping with food prep, and serving alcohol. They simply lacked the knowledge and skills needed to cook the dishes and she wasn't certain they'd be able to communicate with customers and write down the orders as effectively as Elora could. As for Eldrin, he was becoming quite good at his job as a bouncer, even if he still had a long way to go in terms of swordsmanship training.