“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Come in.”
“Boss Su Yao?”
The day after subjugating the Crystal-Tailed Dragon Lizard, a certain blonde loli was standing in for Chlorel, handling all sorts of “Labyrinth Town” construction affairs.
As for why Chlorel hadn’t gotten up on time today—let’s not go into too much detail.
It’s only 2,500 Gold Coins, after all; who knows why she made such a big fuss over it.
The “Town Mayor’s Office” was currently set up on the top floor of the Adventurers’ Guild Branch.
Today, she would be neighbors with Will, the president of the Moravia Adventurers’ Guild, for a whole day.
When the knocking sounded, she hadn’t expected the first visitor to her office this morning to be this dwarf, who had nothing but booze on his mind… Wait a second?
“Did you knock on the wrong door? If you’re looking for Guildmaster Will, his office is right next door.”
“No, that’s not it. I heard the mayor of this little town is in here. I have something I’d like to ask of her. Never thought it would be an old friend, though.”
So what if we’re old friends? Just because we know each other, don’t think things will go easy for you! Su Qingtian here won’t bend the rules for anyone!
“Uzo, even though we’re close in private, I’m only the acting mayor for today, so there are things I might not be able to answer for you. I hope you’ll understand.”
Of course, turning him down flat would be too harsh, so this is the perfect time to use a classic modern bureaucratic skill: “passing the buck.”
“Ah, that’s really troublesome. Maybe I’ll just come back tomorrow to apply for the ‘workshop’ land.”
A dwarf’s workshop! That amazing building that combines a “smithy” with “tool-making”!
“Wait a sec! Don’t be so formal—just say what you need. I’m still in charge of ‘Commercial Land.’ Here’s a map of the available plots—just pick whichever you like, and the first two years’ rent is free!”
Don’t get the wrong idea—this isn’t “changing faces,” and it’s certainly not “playing favorites.”
It’s just a little preferential treatment for a “Key Enterprise.” In local development, this is a “commonly used tactic.”
“Oh, then I really appreciate it, Boss Su Yao. How about this plot?”
“Not ideal. It’s close to the dungeon, but a bit too out of the way. This one’s better.”
…
After some discussion, the location for the Uzo Workshop was decided: right next to the Adventurers’ Guild Branch.
That way, it would be convenient for both selling equipment and for Adventurers to maintain their weapons.
Before leaving, the dwarf had no shortage of praise for her. Of course, Su Yao already knew how amazing she was.
She wrote down what they’d just agreed upon in a prominent spot, then got back to handling today’s tasks.
However, it wasn’t long before the door sounded again…
“Come in.”
“Excuse me, Miss Su Yao?”
“Mm, what is it, Sofia?”
Since everyone had moved into the luxury suites at the inn, and she’d been busy these days with the opening of the dungeon’s third floor…
Su Yao and some of her key staff hadn’t seen each other in almost a week.
That said, the Sofia in front of her was a little too excited—her heartbeat, especially…
Wait a second, was she having those kinds of thoughts again? If this keeps up, she’d have to find a way to learn Memory Alteration Magic no matter what.
“It’s nothing, I just came to ask about the guards, no—about the ‘Police’ training and equipment.”
Thankfully, Sofia was an upright knight. She quickly switched back to “work mode.”
Or maybe? Maybe she was just excited because it had been so long since she’d sparred with a friend?
So the one with the dirty mind was actually me? No way! Must be my imagination—absolutely just my imagination!
“Miss Su Yao?”
“Ah? Right, their training and equipment—how are things going?”
“All going well. In some respects, they’re even stronger than the knights I once led. I’m overseeing their swordsmanship myself, and the Dorodori Sisters are handling their close-combat training. But according to the plan, they should be learning Magic by now…”
Magic, huh? Thirty sets of elemental Magic Scrolls would cost quite a bit of DP.
And aside from basic spells, anything higher-tier would require extra purchases. Adding it all up, patching up their weaknesses would cost at least a hundred thousand DP…
That stings a little.
“Sofia, why don’t you try teaching them yourself first?”
“I’m afraid that won’t work. We don’t know each person’s Magic Affinity or their talents. If they just start learning magic now, not only would it be twice the effort for half the result, but it might also affect their use in the future.”
So troublesome. She knew about Magic Affinity, too. The world’s magic was pretty diverse, but it generally broke down into two types.
One kind converted mana into Elemental Magic before casting; the other called upon mana directly to affect reality.
The former was slower to activate but could use small amounts of mana to impact large-scale reality in certain situations.
The latter was faster, but mana consumption was huge—and “Mental Magic,” “Blood Magic,” and the like were magic unique to certain races.
Getting off track. Just like how Chlorel only mastered Light Magic and Fire Magic, most people, counting some Non-attribute Magic, had just two or three types of Magic Affinity.
But Su Yao currently lacked a way to check people’s “Magic Affinity.” Using a Lv1 Magic Scroll of each attribute could test it, but that brought her right back to the original problem—it costs DP.
Forget it. Better to set this issue aside for now and deal with it later when establishing the “School.”
As far as maintaining the town’s security goes, “not knowing magic” isn’t a big problem right now.
“Let’s put off the ‘Police’ learning magic for now. We’ll find an opportunity later. As for equipment, I’ve already got a solution. When the ‘Police Station’ is up and running, everything will be handed out together. Anything else?”
“No, that’s all.”
“Wait a sec, Sofia. Tonight, gather everyone in the top-floor suites at the inn and have them come to my room with Chlorel for dinner. Unless something comes up, let’s make this our usual dinner from now on.”
“No problem!”
It had been a while since everyone ate together. Sofia happily agreed, then left the office.
Though living aboveground was much more comfortable now, something still felt missing compared to before.
She hadn’t noticed when she was busy, but when things were quiet, she realized she was actually a rather lonely person…
She wrote down the “Town Police equipment solution” just below “Uzo Workshop,” then continued processing all sorts of material lists and bills she hadn’t had time to look at.
Her eyes hadn’t lingered long on the paperwork before another knock sounded at the door…
“Come in.”
“Mayor… Lord Su Yao?”
Who was this again? Looked familiar…
“What brings you here?”
“The third batch of ‘Blue Bricks’ is finished. The mixing equipment needed for processing cement has been brought in and installed, but the ‘Cement Kiln’ is currently short on raw materials.”
Right, she remembered now. This man named Ron was in charge of the “large brick kiln” and the “cement plant.”
There was already a [Clay Golem] spawn point inside the “abandoned mine.” As for [Limestone Grem]…
“Send the ‘Blue Bricks’ to the ’employee dormitory’ and ‘Police Station’ construction sites. I’ll have the materials for firing cement delivered to you tomorrow.”
…
Not long after Ron left, the office door was knocked on once more.
People coming to discuss all sorts of town construction matters just kept coming.
The sun was almost setting, and there was still a stack of bills on her desk that she hadn’t gotten to…
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Another one? Whether she knew them or not, she’d already seen over twenty people today.
No wonder Chlorel was so stressed. Tonight, she’d definitely have to give her a good talking-to and make sure she understood what “delegation” really meant.
“Come in.”
Putting on a stiff smile, she once again called toward the door.
“Excuse me, Miss Su Yao. I have a very important matter and hope I can meet with the ‘Master of the Dungeon’…”