"I don't mind hiring you, but…as what?" I scowled. "And no, I'm not hiring you as a combatant. Are you volunteering to be a scout?"
"Hmm, given that I'm experienced in exploring the Celestial Labyrinth, I can do that. But are you sure you don't want to just purchase information regarding the Celestial Labyrinth from the Merchants instead? They are more reliable."
"I mean, the same logic applies to hiring you as a warrior. It's not like you're…as strong as the summoned spirit beasts I already have guarding my dungeon."
Not only that, I couldn't establish a spirit contract with her or summon her to wherever I was like I could with Sylvie, Silvia and Long Wang. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a valid reason to hire her.
Then my eyes fluttered toward the bar where Xiao Jiu was hurriedly preparing a new batch of iced pumpkin coffees. His crab helpers were scurrying about, carrying trays of freshly baked pumpkin pies. A couple of pumpkin spiced latte lay untouched on the counter, with the harried Collector Crabs unable to serve them. The problem was the influx of new Mud Fish and Twig Turtle customers who had shown up in the bar, taking up seats and placing their orders. Even though I had increased the population in my dungeon once again, the number of the staff allocated to the bar hadn't changed.
An idea came to me and I smiled. Turning to Raquel, I asked, "do you like pumpkins?"
"Pumpkins?" Raquel repeated incredulously, caught off guard.
"Yeah. Have you eaten one before?" I paused and went to the kitchen to help out. A few minutes later, I produced a slice of pumpkin pie and pass it to her. She sniffed at it suspiciously before tentatively taking a bite with the fork I provided.
She had figured that if I wanted her dead, I wouldn't go through the trouble of poisoning her. This was my territory. I had several hundred ways of killing her. In fact, I could have just not spared her life when she challenged me earlier.
"How do you find it?" I asked almost eagerly. The pumpkin patch in my ghost forest was as bountiful as ever, producing a rich harvest that supplied a nearly endless stream of pumpkins for our culinary products. Sooner or later, I would have to change the name of my dungeon from Deep Sea Palace to Deep Pumpkin Palace, but that was another issue to think about in the far future.
"It's…delicious!" Raquel brightened up, nibbling away at another bite. She closed her eyes and savored the taste. "I don't believe it! I mean, I've heard of the rumors, and seen the Merchants selling pumpkin products for exorbitant prices in the Celestial Labyrinths, but I never would have thought the taste would be this…heavenly!"
"Yeah, the taste is…something to die for, isn't it?" I cringed inwardly at my attempt at a pun joke, given the ghostly origins of the pumpkins.
"Yes…" Raquel turned serious. "But…while I appreciate you giving me a sample, what exactly is the point of having me taste pumpkin?"
"I wish to hire you as a waitress in our Deep Sea Palace Bar," I explained. "Or a cook. A bartendress. Xiao Jiu and his helpers are being swamped by the increasing number of orders. They need more manpower. I was wondering if you would be interested in helping them? Unlike most of my spirit beasts, you actually have hands, so it'll be easier for you to make the orders and bake the pies."
Raquel was unable to conceal her dismay. "Forgive me, but I braved the Celestial Labyrinth and risked my life many times in order to become stronger and gain experience. Assigning me to a…service role where I brew drinks and bake pies hardly seems to algin with my goal."
"Oh, I understand. I think we can come to a nice compromise. Even if I hire you, it's not like you will be working all day – you will be working in shifts. Most likely, you'll just need to serve during peak hours, but by and large, you'll have the rest of the day and the weekends off. During your free time, you can do whatever you want, like training. You said you wanted to make use of the rich spiritual qi emitted by the World Tree fragment dungeon core, right?"
Raquel hesitated and nodded slowly.
"Follow me. Let me show you our newly constructed training fields."
I led Raquel out of the bar and toward the ghost forest. Sylvie, Silvia and Long Wang followed, probably to keep a close watch on the elf to ensure she didn't try anything funny. I doubted she had any intention of attacking me again. She had already learned that she was no match for me, and she had no reason to assassinate me.
In any event, she wouldn't survive the attempt. It wasn't just Sylvie, Silvia and Long Wang. My other summoned spirit beasts were watching from the shadows as well, and the system would activate the automated defensive summoning protocol if necessary.
By now, the ghost forest had grown to encompass several kilometers across, a verdant landscape of tall trees, grass, ferns and other vegetation. The outskirts were all pumpkin patches, cultivated meticulously by the Ghost Pumpkins and Pumpkin Wraiths, while the Twig Turtles, Phantom Stumps and Tree Revenants, led by the Elder Tree Revenant, groomed the forest and expanded it. The newly added Mud Fishes were shaping the rivers, creating natural dams where necessary, and directing the flow toward the sea in the underwater cavern sections. In between the pumpkin patches, forests and rivers were wide, open fields that was exposed to the bioluminescent light ever present in my dungeon. A substitute for sunlight.
"The training fields," I declared, beckoning to it. The open fields were far from empty. Instead, they were filled by training spirit beasts right now. Xiao Huo and Xiao Huo Long were dueling with each other, unleashing flamethrower attacks or hurling fireballs. Da Hai was nearby, putting out fires with his hydro torrent while teaching a bunch of Mud Fishes to fight and use water attacks. Xiao Ke was drifting along the river and helping the other Mud Fishes with the dams with his freezing beam. Phantom Stumps and Ghost Pumpkins sparred, while Twig Turtles wrestled and practiced their wood type techniques under the watchful eye of a Tree Revenant and Pumpkin Wraith. A distance away, at the riverbank, the Colossal Crabs fenced with their pincers, occasionally joined by the King Crab who was determined not to let his skills become rusty.
"Incredible." Raquel was astonished by the sight. she grimaced and held up her hands in surrender. "I admit, when I first came here, I was appalled by what I thought was…sloppiness on your part. I saw plenty of your spirit beasts slacking off, like those Collector Crabs over there." She pointed at a few of the Collector Crabs basking on the shore, relaxing after their shift. "I wonder why they aren't doing their work."
"They are not slacking off. They work in shifts. An eight hour shift everyday. They theoretically should have eight hours of sleep, three meals a day, and the rest is their free time. If they finish their work early, they can take the day off. They also get weekends off. I told you about shifts, free time and weekends earlier, didn't I?"
"Yes, but I still cannot believe it. I didn't think you were serious."
"Oh, but I'm dead serious. Look, even the farmers work in shifts." I pointed to the Ghost Pumpkins who were taking a break and resting after harvesting a fresh batch of pumpkins from the pumpkin farm, which were then collected by Collector Crabs and ferried off to the storage house next to the bar.
It wasn't just the Ghost Pumpkins. The Little Anglers and Lantern Fishes also worked in shifts in the algae farm, with a good number of them resting while the others harvested edible seaweed and other seafood. Once again, Collector Crabs transported the seaweed to the storage bar as well. Raquel gaped at what seemed to be an unbelievable sight to her.
"Speaking of which, should I get the Construction Crabs to build an armory and a research lab?" Long Wang leaned in to whisper into my ear. "We have extra territory after the victory over the Flood Dragon Dungeon, and I was thinking of allocating some of the space for a smithy and a research lab."
"Uh…who's going to forge the weapons? You?"
"…good question. Can't we summon Naga smiths?"
"Dude, this isn't Dungeon Odyssey and I'm not Kim Jin Woo. Also, who's going to use the weapons? If you need one, I'll obtain a weapon for you, but I don't think the other spirit beasts need weapons? What kind of weapon do you want?"
"We don't need weapons," Sylvie said. "We rely on magic."
"I…actually don't need weapons either," Long Wang confessed. "I just thought…never mind. I've been reading too many webtoons lately. It isn't just Dungeon Odyssey. I was also reading Pick Me Up."
This guy really had too much free time. Not that I was against it. If he spent his time indulging in webtoons, manhwa, manhua and web novels instead of scheming rebellion against me, then I was all for it. Popular culture was the best.
"Also, what are we using the research lab for?" I asked. "Do we have an alchemist or a scientist in our dungeon?"
"Not to my knowledge," Long Wang answered. I raised an eyebrow.
"You aren't?"
"No, I am neither an alchemist nor a researcher."
"So what do we need the lab for?"
"That's…a good question." Long Wang swallowed. "I just saw dungeon webtoons having research labs for their mage characters to develop new spells or concoct potions and elixirs, so i thought it would be useful."
"I mean, sure, if we actually have alchemists and researchers…" I turned to Sylvie and Silvia. "If there's a research lab, would you guys use it to develop new spells?"
"No," Silvia replied honestly. "If we want to practice our spells or develop new ones, we can try them out in the training fields. Why would we need a research lab?"
"Um, it's more for alchemy, I suppose." Long Wang scratched his head.
"How about a library?" Sylvie suggested after some thought. "If we can collect grimoires and store them in a library here, that might go some way in helping us develop new spells and spirit arrays. It won't just be about magic. You can also collect cultivation scrolls and martial arts manuals."
"…that's actually a good idea. Let's do that." I turned to a bunch of resting Construction Crabs. "When you guys finish a break, please go ahead and build a library…here." I waved a hand and conjured a holographic 3D map of my dungeon, and then expanded it. Using my fingers, I pinpointed a location and sketched a library. "Do you mind helping me build one? You don't need to do it right away. Take your time."
"Yes, boss!" The lead Construction Crab saluted with his pincer before he led his crew toward the area. I sighed.
"I said you don't have to do it right away! Finish your break!"
"We'll take a break after we finish the task you give us!"
"Um…thanks!"
I was about to chase after them, but I suddenly noticed a stunned Raquel. Damn, I forgot all about her.
"Oh, sorry for changing the topic. We were talking about your working conditions. As you can see, you can arrange your own shifts. Not only spirit stones, but you'll be provided food and housing if you stay here. We have a residential area right next to the palace. It's beside the bar we just came out of. And you can come here to train. I believe you will have opportunities to gain combat experience in the future. after all, I doubt the Flood Dragons will be the only ones eyeing our dungeon."
"You don't behave like any dungeon master I've met before," Raquel said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Most dungeon masters squeeze their subordinates and servants dry, forcing them to labor endlessly. They also expect total obedience. Yes, you have advisors, but the way you casually converse with your subordinates…most other dungeon masters will punish them for their insolence. You…you even thank your servants for carrying out tasks for you. Their obedience should be a given."
"What? They aren't my servants. They are my comrades. Friends. Partners. Employees, if you really want to get all pedantic." I shook my head. "I'm not going to treat them as below me. Our dungeon depends on all of us working together in harmony. I'm unworthy of acting like some tyrannical ruler."
"That's just how Jun Wen is," Sylvie told Raquel with a smile. "You'll get used to it."
"Yeah! We all love big bro because of how kind he is!" Silvia pumped a fist into the air.
The elf stared at the two fairy sisters skeptically, then glanced at Long Wang, who only gave a noncommittal shrug.
"You don't think this is weird?"
"Perhaps my lord is unique in the way he treats us, but I think that's his strength. I approve of it, and it's the only reason why I respect and serve him, even though I'm far more powerful than he is." He grimaced. "I've to say, the restriction on my strength is annoying. That said, I look forward to seeing my lord's growth. It has been an interesting journey."
"I…" Raquel trailed off speechlessly. Then she clenched her fists and nodded. "Fine, I'll give it a try. If I find something amiss…if something goes wrong, then I'll leave immediately."
"Sure, you can quit anytime," I assured her. Offering her my hand, I grinned. "Welcome to the Deep Sea Palace. I hope you will enjoy your time here."