After we set up the appropriate defensive measures for the dungeon, Orai teleported us over to D2.
When we finally arrived, I noticed that it was a rather lively city. Gods, Dungeon Masters, Vendors, Mobs, builders, etc. were walking around the large, dimensional city. The city was also in the sky, with two islands connected to it by the use of bridges and mystical tree-like roots. I saw the currency of DP being exchanged in its physical form, which was golden coins with the face of a female Goddess on it. As I was taking in these strange sights, Orai began to talk to me.
“While we are here for the mattress, we need to start learning how to build a proper dungeon. Like I said earlier, the primary use of D2 is to gather knowledge and supplies. The first thing we should do is go to D2’s premier library to gather that knowledge”, Orai said.
As we walked around D2, the architecture seemed to be a mix of Modern and Fantasy. It was pleasing to look at and seemed to made of a material that I was unfamiliar with. The City Of D2 housed Bars, Vendors, Libraries, Rest areas, Training centers, etc. that was made for the Dungeon Masters. We passed by mobs that I’ve seen in the Market and more powerful mobs that I had yet to see. Some of the vendors were actually subordinates of the Gods they worshipped since some of the souls were reincarnated from Orune. As we walked towards the bookstore, we heard various vendors marketing their products and services:
“Need A Mob? Give A Job! Hire some High-Grade Demons to kill even the most stubborn adventurer! Get a B+ Demon for only 300 DP!”
“Need Some Custom Walls? Hire one of D2’s most trusted builders and make your dungeon the stuff of legend! Basic walls starting from 50 DP!”
“Want To Join In The Fight For Your Dungeon? Get some items to defend yourself! Bows, Swords, Magic Scrolls, and more are available for purchase! Starting from only 75 DP!”
There were many vendors marketing the different aspects of a dungeon. The items they made, compared to the marketplace, were either customizable or made by the vendors themselves. The quality of the vendor, evidenced by their assigned letter rank, usually influenced the quality of the items.
“We have around 470 DP so we should be able to get the books and have DP to spare. We should shop for things that can improve the dungeon”, I said.
“Yes. I wholeheartedly agree! After we get the books and the food, we will buy stuff for the dungeon!”, Orai said happily.
“Oi! That’s not what I said! We aren’t wasting our DP on food yet! Are you actually a foodie? Didn’t you say the dungeon comes first?”, I said.
In front of Orai and I was the ‘Premier Library Of Excellence’, also known as PLOE. PLOE was a large, mystical structure, which looked to be even larger from the inside. As we entered the building, we could see that the bookshelves in the library reached towards the heavens. We saw what looked to be angels, demons, and fairies casually carrying the books above us while we walked to the front desk.
“I thought Demons and Angels hated each other? How are they working together in here?”, I said.
“Remember when I said that Dungeon Masters can be good or evil? The God Of War wanted both types of dungeon masters to have the resources they need to run a successful dungeon. The library employees also act as endorsers of their party since Dungeon Masters come to the PLOE to become knowledgable”, Orai said.
When we got to the front desk, we were greeted with a divine looking woman. When she looked up from her book, she began to smile.
“Orai! How are you doing! I heard that you recently came online yesterday! The books tell me that you are looking for something specific?”, the woman said.
“Jordan. This is the Goddess of Wisdom, Mera. She is one of the smartest people in D2 and the person in charge of the PLOE. She also oversees the selection of Dungeon Cores with the God Of War”, Orai said.
“Hidarus may be more brute then brains but it looks like he chose a good Dungeon Master. Not many Dungeon Masters lean toward the cute side…”
“Hey! Mera! We are here to learn how to build a dungeon! Not to hear some old Goddess hit on a Dungeon Master!”, Orai pouted.
“You’re no fun, Orai! I’m only around 30 in Goddess terms! As for the books, I already have what you are looking for. They’re right here”, Mera said.
Mera reached under the massive front desk and gave us three books. The titles and prices were the following:
How To Build A Dungeon Like A Pro! by Hidarus [50 DP]Encyclopedia of Mobs and Monsters! by Mera [50 DP]99 Ways To Make The Best Food In D2! by Ambri [30 DP]
“That’ll be 130 DP, please”, Mera said.
Before I got to argue about the last book, Orai walked over to Mera and gave her 130 DP. It seemed that Orai was able to generate our DP on command since the DP was stored with the core.
“Thanks for being a member of the PLOE! We hope to see you again next time!”, Mera said peacefully.
As we walked out of the PLOE, Orai put 2 of the books in Dungeon Storage. Since we had 340 DP left to spend, we decided it was time to get stuff for the dungeon. We knew that another room would cost 100 DP and a hallway would cost 50 DP so we had to factor that in. That left us with 190 DP to spend on Dungeon items to fill those new spaces.
“According to this book by Hidarus, we need to hire a Dungeon Architect to effectively build out the dungeon. Do you have any idea where to find people like that?”, I said.
“Of course! We need to head to the Dwarven District and see who’s looking for work! If we are lucky, we’ll find one who is also good at carpentry so he can make a new bed for us”, Orai said confidently.
As we both aggressively nodded in agreement, we headed over the dwarven district to find our new architect.
————————————-
It took around 20 minutes but we made it over to the dwarven district. Every building in the district was exceptionally well made and shining in the sunlight. The craftsmanship of the dwarves was on full display for us to see.
“Luckily, after we hire the dwarf, he’ll only want food and booze as opposed to daily DP payments. This is part of the reason that architects are the people that Dungeon Masters buy first. However, this also means that the dwarves can deny rookie dungeon masters if they don’t like them”, Orai said.
As we walked along the dwarven district, we passed by the many bars and pubs that the dwarves built to satisfy their need for alcohol. We passed by many different vendors of dwarven products and services but couldn’t find what we were looking for. Either the vendor was too much, too little, too weak, too mean, too nice, or a variety of other faults that we encountered. We spent around 2 hours searching the dwarven district but was unable to find the dwarf that would solve our problems. Before we left D2, we headed towards one of the more popular pubs in the district: The Drunken Sprite.
“I’m so tired of searching for this damn dwarf, I don’t even care that this isn’t one of the restaurants I wanted to visit”, Orai said exhaustedly.
As we walked in, we saw a group of angry Dwarves teaming up against a single dwarf!
“Who the hell do you think you are, Briggs? You talk s*** all over our crafts, consistently insult us personally, and then you have the nerve to show your face in this pub? Is your brain as small as your pecker?”, one of the dwarves said. The dwarves had a unique, dwarven accent which was slightly slurred by their drunkenness.
As we watched the dwarves fight for a few minutes, Briggs was somehow holding his own. I’m guessing it was thanks to his muscles and quick reflexes since he was actually winning a 5 vs 1. Eventually, three D2 knights came into the pub and took the aggressors away. The dwarves were significantly more bruised than Briggs so the soldiers had to carry the dwarves on their backs. Since Briggs wasn’t the aggressor, he was only told off with a warning. Judging from how the pub reacted, it seemed that bar fights were common in the Dwarven District. It didn’t seem like anyone cared what happened.
After seeing that his letter rank was an A+, I decided to recruit him to the best of my ability. Even if the chances of him joining were small, we had nothing to lose at this point.
“Hey! Briggs! Let a Dungeon Master buy you a drink!”, I shouted.
“Buy me 10 and I’ll call you whatever you want!”, Briggs smiled.
