"…Shit." I found myself moaning and groaning as I looked over the dungeon's balance sheet just a few days after seeing off Lyuu's people. The transaction history showed that we were in the red despite the all-time high my balance had been sitting at just a few weeks prior. In fact, we had been in the red for quite some time. My net balance, which was trending its way towards zero, sat at only a twentieth of its peak. Of course, that meant my wallet wasn't completely empty just yet, but my funds were likely to run dry within the month.
I hadn't been all that active in shifting the dungeon's boundaries as of late, and I have made sure to go hunting every once in a while, so I had assumed that all would be fine. I hadn't any real memory of doing anything that would lead to an increase in expenses. The only possible cause I could think of was the recent change in the dungeon's resident count. There was, of course, also the fact that I had lost my biggest source of income in Lefi. Welp. This is basically all a result of poor planning on my part.
Managing my resource pool was something that I hadn't exactly been doing. I didn't bother keeping track of the numbers because it had seemed like more of a pain in the ass than it was worth. Evidently, I was wrong and my stupidity had once again reared its ugly head.
Upon re-evaluating my spendings, I realized that I had accidentally thrown the concept of frugality out the window. I had been far too caught up in setting up new gimmicks and contraptions to even look at the cost of each. Until now, of course. Shiiiiiiiiit. This must be what it's like to win the lottery, live the high life, and then forget what it's like to be poor, not curb your spending, and go broke.
Whatever the cause, I was going to have to do something about the state of our finances. Man, I swear I haven't had to worry about DP in forever. Oh well, whatever. Time to get to fundraising, I guess.
***
After a good bit of consideration, I ultimately ended up choosing to resolve the situation at hand by playing the phone-a-friend card. The friend I happened to have in mind was situated within the true throne room.
"Lefi, the situation has turned sour, and it has unfortunately come to my understanding that I desperately require your assistance." I summarized the situation as I prostrated myself before her and the cushion she was seated atop of. My tone was abnormal, I had intentionally gone out of my way to speak as formally as one requesting a loan from a bank.
"I know not what you are talking about. You will need to explain yourself," she said.
"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. I'll have the details explained to you immediately. The long and short of it is that I happened to encounter a bit of an issue, and I was hoping the legendary Supreme Dragon would consider aiding me in its resolution."
"I know that you choose only to speak in such a disgustingly polite manner when your goal is deception. What is it that you really want?"
Oh shit, she knows!
"Why, I would never," I said. Though Lefi had already seen through me, I knew exactly which buttons to press to make her forget her suspicions. "You see, ma'am, I simply wanted you to hear out my woes and resolve them before I have no choice but to stop serving dessert."
"What!?" The dragon pushed herself up from her seated position and shoved her face right in mine.
"H-hold on," I said, reverting to my usual tone. "Stop shouting and chill out."
Though a series of frustrated dragon noises followed, Lefi eventually managed to regain her calm and sit back down with her legs crossed. Unlike before, she was now giving me her undivided attention in order to ensure that she could best combat every threat to her daily intake of sugar. Just saying, sitting cross-legged with a one-piece on is a terrible idea. I can totally see your panties.
"What exactly is the matter?" she asked.
"Our finances," I said. "My wallet is looking pretty empty right about now. I'm probably going to run out of DP within the month."
"And I believe that you mentioned that this 'Deepee' happens to be the substance you employ in the fabrication of goods?"
"Yup, you got it. We were in the green for a good while, so I wasn't really paying much attention to it. Turns out, that was a mistake," I said. "I've been using it the same way I always have, but apparently we've got too many people for that to be sustainable now."
"…And I take it that I no longer generate any of this substance for you now that we have become mates?"
"Well… yeah, that certainly is a part of it, but it's not your fault. It's mine. I should've planned ahead instead of forgetting about it."
While marrying Lefi certainly had changed our financial situation, I found it to be a trade well worth engaging in. I wouldn't have changed my mind even if I had known that we would ultimately end up in financial distress as a result. She was worth more to me than any amount of cash could ever be. And although losing the Lefi bonus certainly did make a difference, it wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back in the first place. I was still in the green in the days following our marriage. The issues only started to appear after I bolstered the dungeon's size, got us some new pets, and worked a bit on security, which meant it really was all my fault and none of hers.
"So, yeah, I figured I should probably do something before shit hits the fan. I came to you because I didn't want to worry any of the others. Ideally, I'd like for them to never know that anything was ever wrong to begin with."
There were, of course, many sustainable options. I could always go hunting more often for active income or expand the dungeon's boundaries for more passive income. But I needed a stop-gap for the time being in order to ease my concerns. That was why I wanted to borrow Lefi's might.
"And that is why you have come to me, and me alone?"
"Yeah. You're the only person I can trust when it comes to stuff like this."
"Y-Yes, I can see that." Her cheeks reddened as she muttered her words with joy and pride.
Wew. She's so simple-minded that it's adorable and I love her for it.
"…I understand the issue at hand," she said after clearing her throat. "As your ever-reliable mate, I shall lend you my assistance."
Thanks Wifey, you're the best. I knew I could count on you.
"So? What exactly is it that you wish for me to do?"