NOVEL SIMPLE 18. Running out of Funds
First, Fragmented Brain at Level three. For 2700 Gold.
I have now round 7000 Gold.
Is the Golem doing fine? Can I skip Connected Minds?
No, it is like a feared, or rather slightly different.
The Mana now is a firm line connecting single peace’s. I can feel from hear how it drains Mana.
Okay, Connected Minds at Level one. For 1200 Gold.
5800 Gold. And I probably need another Level.
The lines thinned out but are still there.
Level two cost additional 1300. It doesn’t get cheaper. 4500 Gold.
Confusion Level one. I would really like to have it Level two, but it would be too expensive.
950 Gold for level one. It would be 1150 more for Level two.
3550 Gold left and four other skills.
Visual Impairment first. A Normal Fog was good enough, so a Fog even harder to see through would be better.
Everything else was Bonus. So Level one would be 400 Gold.
Is it because only certain Monster can draw so much use out of it like a Fog?
3150 Gold left.
Dampen Sound next. Also level one for 800 Gold.
2350 Left. The other two will probably be expensive.
Disorder Sense (Distance) is for Level one… 1250 Gold.
1100 Gold left. Will it be in?
Disorientation at level one… for 1400 Gold.
Dammit! At least i know I would have been unsatisfied.
Everything Level one, even tough I planned more for it!
…
*inhales* *exhales* *inhales* *exhales*
I Wonder how much will the Golem cost?
It’s already very expensive, so can Layla even afford it?
I planned to name it Fog of the Lost, but it feels unsatisfactory.
It just isn’t what I wanted for the Name.
Hmm hmm. Mysterious?
A fog in woch you can get Lost, even tough you prepared yourself, and is different then any other Fog.
Yeah, Mysterious it is. I don’t have any better Idea.
I am whole unsatisfied. I know that.
But I grumble already since a Time. I should stop by now.
But I feel like being grumpy. Did I get a bit more childish?
I don’t know and don’t know how to find out.
Maybe i should send the Notification that I have Laylas order.
Some Time Later, Layla came. She looks a bit excited at the prospect of having a Monster wich could solve so many problems of her.
”Hey, did you finally completed the Monster? How is it? Can it really help me?”
”First, it’s not you, but Chloe. Second, look at the brochure, then you can gauge it’s usefulness.”
”Ohh, okay. Sorry? And where is the brochure?”
”Move your head slightly to your left and find it yourself.”
Layla rushed to Chloe at the beginning of her Questions. She slammed both hands at the table and looked intently at Chloe.
Chloe, meanwhile, was sitting comfortably at the chair, legs crossed and decided it what she should do after having talked to Layla.
At Chloe’s right, at the End of the not-very-big are the brochure at a holder made for them.
”Okay. So, the Fog can regenerate itself and spread itself. Also flow back at places it was blown away from.
Thats Perfect. They won’t now what awaits them!”
After Layla found the pretty obvious placed brochure she began to read and exclaim.
”It mainly regenerates through absorbing humidity from the Air.
I Can Control It To A Certain Extent, That’s Perfect!”
Sometimes very loud, without actually yelling.
”Wow, so the fog inhibits Vision even better. And it can dampen sound?”
Or being pretty quiet.
It like she is going through an emotional roller coaster by reading the brochure.
”WHAAAAA?!”
”My Ears! Did I you have to be that loud?”
At Laylas shriek, Chloe began to cover her Ears and glare at Layla.
”sorry.”
”What?”
”I said that I am sorry.”
”So what? You shrieked right next to me as if you would like to announce the world that you saw something unbelievable?”
… “Sorry.”
At that, Layla could just let her head hang low.
”Can I ask something?”
Layla began to say it very softly. As if not waking up a sleeping bird (or dog).
”Hmm?”
”Is the Fog a Monster?”
”? What’s with the stupid Question?”
”Well eh ahh uhmmm. Fogs aren’t living beings.”
”…. Well this Fig is alive.”
”Really?”
”Well yes. It’s from inorganic material, but it’s alive.”
“But how? I only heard about Golems and similar! Everything having a Core or being made from Mana.
That the only way for inorganic beings to be alive!”
Layla still did it raise her Voice, but it was obvious that she wanted to exclaim.
”Because that’s my Job. I found a way and used the Methods.”
”But how?!”
”I am pioneer in this field, so it shouldn’t be unexpected to find out new things.”
”That isn’t an Answer!”
”Well, yes. I more or less politely said that it isn’t your business.”
”… Ohh.”
After that, they are silent for a bit.
”To your information, the fog also has some minor abilities to make people get lost.
Also, it can only get so big. It will cover quite the Area when it reached its maximum size, but will not be infinite.
Also, the Fog can get damaged by AOE attacks or similar, which will mainly drain its maximum size.
At a certain point, the Fog will be less effective in confusing and even begins shrinking.”
”It can regenerate from that, but only very slowly.
As a Dungeon, you more or less resist things, right?
Dint neglect the Fig just because it can regenerate.
When the intruders find out how to weaken or even kill the fog, you will lose an Advantage.”
”Thanks. I will watch out.”
”And I am very Sorry for what I did earlier.”
This Time, Layla begins to bow her Head.
Something unimaginable for a Dungeon Master, since most Monster are very hierarchical and most Dungeon Master are Monster.
But Layla isn’t a Monster and this is private, so she doesn’t fear any retaliation.
Especially since she heard rumours if the Monster Res… Chloe is some kind of being even higher in the hierarchy.
No one would openly fault her, some might even follow suit and treat her as someone superior.
Layla herself is unsure about Chloe. She did something unimaginable and shrugs it off.
But she also isn't as haughty and prideful as most high ranked being.
Impolite, brash and unwelcoming? Yes, she is. But not tyrannical.
She got only lectured when she was in the wrong, not when she didn’t bring her like all the treasure of the world.
It’s not like any high ranked being is like that, some might be like Chloe.
But they wouldn’t be able to listen to request like that.
They either wouldn’t listen or begin to stick the nose into things which they shouldn’t.
She already got lectured about one about how she messed up her dungeon.
She knows it, but the words used indicated more of talking her down than anything else.
And she tries to curry Favour for a Discount.
16500 Gold for the so-called Mysterious Fog Blueprint.
She can barely muster 20000 Gold, so it will nearly Bankrot her.
And Monster who Cover a wide Range are super expensive.
From what she got told, she can expect a minimum of a third more than what one can expect from a Monster with intense Effect at “normal” Range, like 10 Metres or so.
And this are super expensive.
Since a normal Floor, or even a big can be covered, she can expect 4500 to 7000 Gold.
And that’s a low pricing since it can’t exhibit its full use!
It will be even more expensive in a big floor which was build to get lost!
Heck, she even experienced the price for the Fog Machine!
So please, give me a Discount!