"Today, I'll be working inside the dungeon, so today's stream will be a Nukkonyan observation stream. Enjoy the cuteness to your heart's content. I'll pull the gacha after I'm done with dungeon work and return."
"I'm off now."
"Hassaku, Dango, Shinju, Sumomo, Ginnan, Kinako, I'm counting on you to hold the fort…"
"Meowww."
"Take care!"
"Got it! Observation stream acknowledged!"
"Safe travels!"
"See you soon!"
After briefly checking the stream and announcing the day's plan, I teleported into the dungeon, taking Oboro, Hisui, and the others with me.
"For now, I'll be building a floating city."
"You've just placed a bunch of plain boxes."
"Yeah… I wanted to work on the details directly, not through a screen."
"I understand. Some things can only be grasped by seeing them directly."
"Exactly. As I explained before, this path will lead straight to a palace floating on the lake. The design is inspired by the Rokujo-in from The Tale of Genji."
"That's quite an expansive structure. I like it. Having water flow beneath adds a sense of elegance. But you're still holding back on interior details due to DP limitations, right?"
"Yeah. Eventually, I'll fully decorate and open it to the public, but for now, it's just for looks. My dungeon will initially focus on food and plants. I want to create a green, lush city. Specifically, I'd like to decorate the walls and eaves with flowers and trees."
"That sounds wonderful. It'd be even better if the decorations were unique to the dungeon. It would help with promotion."
"Right. Here's a list of the plants I plan to use for decoration."
"I see. So, you'll change them with the seasons?"
"Yeah, but since we don't know the release date yet, I'll mix up the seasons for now. Once I gather enough DP, I'll adjust the decorations based on the current season. I'll also create presets for other seasons, like spring, summer, autumn, and winter. And not just the main seasons; I'd like to represent transitional times, like the rainy season."
For example, transitioning from wisteria in spring to hydrangeas in summer. Since the theme is Japanese, I want to incorporate the changing beauty of the seasons. But to save DP, I won't rotate the fields' plants or monsters by season. Those will remain consistent.
The goal is to enjoy the seasonal decorations in towns and cities, swapping them out with the changing seasons.
"Even though plants and flowers don't consume much DP for decoration, the costs will add up over time. Will you have enough DP?"
"No problem. I've already calculated the gathering points, target plants, resources, monster placements, respawn times, and such. After accounting for all that, the remaining DP is more than enough to cover the decorations, and I'll still have a surplus. Depending on my gacha luck, I might buy monsters with DP or spend it on rare gacha draws."
"That's good to hear."
"Alright, let's get started."
I held up my terminal, scanning the plain box floating on the lake. The screen filled with icons, lists, and options for building the exterior of the structure.
First, I overwrote the plain box with the pre-downloaded Rokujo-in data, setting it as the default. It was still too plain, so I adjusted it further. Originally, Rokujo-in had four main halls, each with its own garden. I removed the ground and positioned the entire structure to float on the lake. Then, I moved the four halls outward, rotating them to face inward. I connected them with corridors, creating an open space in the middle.
In the central area, I raised a few patches of land above the water and connected them with bridges and walkways, giving the place a floating palace feel. With that, the initial structure was complete.
"How's this?"
"I'll go check."
Oboro floated into the air, circling the newly constructed building.
Meanwhile, I used the terminal to rotate the view and check it from different angles.
"It looks good. Just add the vines and plants next, right?"
"Wait, hold on. This part isn't right… It needs to be like this. No, not that. The corridor is too long. Shorten it. The northern hall is misaligned. Move it a bit to the left. Oboro, can you check again?"
"Got it."
Oboro flew off again to inspect the corrections.
"The adjustments are done."
Oboro returned, nodding in approval after confirming the adjustments.
"Alright, let's move on to decorations… except I can't tell which plants are for which season. Also, we still don't know when the release is."
"Why not just go by color?"
"Yeah, that's probably the only way. For now, I'll mix up the seasons and adjust later."
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as I closed my eyes.
"Plant enthusiasts are going to have a field day criticizing this…"
"Let them complain to the gods. After all, it's fantasy."
"True… Anyway, let's start with something big. How about a symbolic tree…"
"Meow."
"A cherry blossom? Yeah, that's a good idea! Let's add a huge cherry blossom tree!"
Responding to Hisui's suggestion, I placed a massive cherry blossom tree on one of the small islands in the middle of the lake.
"What kind of cherry blossom is it?"
"It's a fantasy tree called the 'Sakura Divine Tree.' I'll add a few weeping cherry blossoms around it too. The view from outside looks great, so let's go with that."
"It might look good from outside, but it's a mess from above."
"No one can fly yet, so it's fine."
"Drones exist, you know."
"Let's pretend they don't! I'm saving DP!"
"Alright… How about adding vines along the walls, with light purple flowers and pearl-like fruits?"
"Oh, that sounds beautiful. Let's drape them from the top, reflecting in the water."
"Good idea. This plant is called 'Shinju-shi.' It might become popular with plant lovers. Should we add it to the dungeon's flora? It seems to have medicinal properties in its leaves and fruits."
"Perhaps we can make it rare, accessible only under certain conditions? It could fit in with the rare plant zones we've already planned, depending on the DP cost."
"Hmm… We could reduce some of the common medicinal herb areas to make room for it. That should work."
Since I'd already planned several medicinal herb areas, removing a few wouldn't be a problem. I replaced them with new Shinju-shi growth zones.
"We'll check it out later."
"Where did you place them?"
"In the forest on the eastern side of the map."
"Good spot. It'll be hard to reach for beginners."
"Exactly. And I set strict environmental conditions, so it won't be easy to find."
"Meow."
"Water lilies on the lake surface? Sure, let's add those!"
Inaho suggested adding water lilies, so I placed them on the lake.
"Don't worry about the seasons. I'll adjust it after release!"
As I fine-tuned the placement, I shouted about the lack of DP. Most of it had been consumed by the foundation and terrain, leaving little room for decorations.
"Oboro, can you check the placement of the Shinju-shi and water lilies from above?"
"Leave it to me. I'll adjust them to my liking since I suggested the Shinju-shi."
"Alright, I'm counting on you for the water lilies too. Here's the terminal."
"Got it."
I handed the terminal to Oboro, watching as he flew off for the final adjustments.
"Dungeon currency is now available for implementation! Check the dungeon creation page—there's a new section for it. By the way, the currency is called DM."
"Whoa!"
"God, please don't startle me like that! My master nearly jumped out of his skin!"
"That was an amusing reaction! Hilarious!"
"Could you at least pretend to be tactful?"
"You guys are seriously bad for my heart…"
As my heart began to calm, I glared at the terminal with teary eyes.
"By the way, DM stands for 'Dungeon Money.' Very straightforward, huh? Easy to understand, though."
"Not even a bit of shame…!"
"Gods sure do have a lot of freedom."
"Thanks for the compliment!"
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know. Anyway, currently, you're the only one in the world implementing DM. You're also the only one planning to turn a dungeon into a game."
"Knew that."
"Everyone else is building their dungeons seriously, huh?"
"Yeah, you're part of a small, eccentric minority. Well, to be fair, Masashi Kondo is a bit out there too, but not as far gone as you. Honestly, I struck gold with you! This is so fun!"
"Do you think of me as your toy?"
"Yes."
"Damn it…!"
"Well, once your dungeon is released, I'm betting Kondo will implement DM too. Consider that a leak. He's also planning to add entertainment to his dungeon, so DM will fit right in."
"You're just casually leaking that? Depending on the info, that could spark a war. In gaming, leaks are unforgivable… but thanks for now, I guess."
"The contrast between your dungeon and Kondo's is fascinating to watch."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart as I listened to the god continue.