Moments later, Yara and Ivana emerged from the kitchen, carrying several glasses with drinks along with some snacks for everyone to munch on. They placed them on the table, and
everyone grew enthusiastic, knowing that Ivana had helped prepare the food. Her reputation as an excellent cook was well-known.
“I think we’ll need to spend a lot of money if we want to hire Ivana to cook for us too,” Maylock joked.
“Yes, she surpasses palace-class chefs,” Freya responded.
“Oh, no, no… I’m not worthy of that. I do it for fun, so please enjoy it without worrying about paying,” Ivana said hurriedly. “Actually, I just used the ingredients available in the kitchen and helped Yara.”
Yara then added, “I didn’t help with anything; it was all done by Ms. Ivana.”
The others chuckled at her modest response.
After everyone enjoyed the drinks and food, Yara spoke politely. “My Lord, would you like me to show you your room and study now?”
“Yeah, sure,” Broken replied as he stood up. “Please take me around the house, Yara.”
Freya also rose from her seat and followed Yara and Broken. As they walked toward the stairs, Freya called out, “Yara…”
“Yes, Ms. Freya.”
“Show us where the control room of this house is,” Freya said, pointing to a corner where two pairs of doors looked like an automated elevator. “I’m sure the elevator is still working, right?” she added.
“Yes, everything is still functioning in this house, but the resources aren’t enough to activate all of them,” Yara responded. She then led them to the room Freya had mentioned.
They ascended the staircase to the third floor, walked down the hall, and Yara pushed open a large door. In front of them was a unique sight, especially for Broken. Two tall tubes connected to several machines along the walls like veins and a gigantic glass cup resting patiently in the middle of a long table.
“What is that?” Broken asked.
“This,” Freya said, “is the control room. Magic is at work here, controlling things such as lights, elevators, heating systems, and more. It requires a tremendous amount of energy, so we use monster cores to keep them running.”
“Ah, okay, I’ve heard of things like this,” Broken said. “But this is the first time I’ve ever seen something like it!”
“My Lord, forgive me,” Yara said. “I’ve only activated a few minor functions of this house because we’ve run out of energy cores to activate them all.”
Broken nodded. “No need to apologize. Just tell me where I can put the monster cores, and I’ll make sure this place is ready for everyone in no time.”
Yara nodded and guided him to the center of the room, where a large stone table with a beautiful magic circle inscribed upon it was located. She gestured for Broken to take a closer look.
[Master Console of the House of Slumdon]
[Energy: 3%]
[Functionality: Very Limited – Only Providing Essential Facilities.]
[Administrator: Broken]
[Operator: Yara]
Broken took out several Monster cores from his Inventory.
[Would you like this Common – Wild Boar monster core Lv. 85 to power up the House?]
Broken gave a nod before tossing a Monster Core into the console. A warm glow filled the room as the energy slowly began to replenish itself. He added a few more cores for good measure until, finally, the energy level reached 100%.
[The Console has been integrated into your system. You can now remotely control the House of Slumdon.]
“I guess the house is fully operational now?” he asked, turning to Yara.
“Yes, my Lord,” Yara said enthusiastically. “I’ll make sure everything is in order so you can use all the facilities perfectly.”
Broken took some time to explore the features integrated into the Console. It included options like turning off lights automatically, setting schedules, disabling the elevator, and controlling the water heater. However, he was curious if a feature like security cameras could also be installed in such a system.
He turned to Freya. “Can we install something like security cameras, Freya?” “Yes,” Freya immediately replied. “We just need to purchase the items. Those are usually handled by Engineer production classes. But I’m not sure if such things are widely available on the South Continent. Most Engineer classes are in the Central Continent because the technology there is more advanced.”
Broken frowned. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to spread to other continents? Isn’t that an opportunity?”
“Why don’t you acquire an Engineer class yourself, then?” she said, smiling at him.
“I would if I had all the time, but, unfortunately, I already have too much on my plate for now,” he responded.
“No worries, I’ll look for suppliers to get more gadgets to install in the city,” she then said.
Broken then turned to Yara. “So, what’s next on the tour, Yara?”
“My Lord, I will take you to your private chamber and study.”
“Very good, let’s go,” he said.
The three of them departed the control room and continued to explore various rooms throughout the house. Most were empty, but there was also a library, a lounge, and a meeting room. With so many rooms available, he began envisioning how he would use each space. With its seven floors, this residence was incredibly luxurious-something he could only dream of having in the real world.
For now, the house would even be large enough to accommodate him and all the members of the Ass Guild who would be joining to help build the city. He was already imagining this place as the future headquarters for his own guild.
They finally reached the top floor, where Yara opened a door to reveal a spacious and
comfortable study room.
“My Lord, this is your study,” she said.
Broken was quite impressed as he took in the setup: a desk and chair at one end, bookcases lining the walls, and a large window that offered a panoramic view of the city. The walls were painted a light shade, and the floor was covered with an elegant carpet.
“My Lord, please let me know if you need anything. I will be there right away,” Yara said.
“Thank you, Yara. You’ve done an amazing job. I’ll let you know if I need anything.” Broken nodded slowly, genuinely pleased with Yara’s work. She had taken excellent care of the house, even while living there alone.
Initially, he had wondered if it might be appropriate to raise Yara’s salary, considering her responsibilities. After seeing her work firsthand, he was convinced she deserved extra
recognition.
“I can see that you do this housework perfectly,” he said.
“Thank you, my Lord. I’m glad you like it,” she responded.
“Therefore, I would like to raise your salary to 1 gold coin and make you the Head of the Maids
in this house.”
Yara was visibly stunned; her eyes and mouth opened wide in disbelief as she slowly shook her
head in astonishment.
In a trembling voice, she spoke, “My Lord, are you sure about giving me such a high salary and responsibility? You haven’t even seen how I work yet. I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Don’t worry,” he said with a smile. “I can judge how hard you’ve worked by the condition of this house. You’ve done an impressive job in taking care of it. If you maintain your performance, I’m sure it will be even better. Alright?”
Yara nodded enthusiastically. “Thank you, my Lord,” she said, bowing her head slightly. [Yara felt immense joy when she met the new Lord of Slumdon Town; he was a person who was incredibly kind and friendly, and he treated her with great respect.]
[Your Affinity with Yara has increased to 45%, meaning she will work more efficiently and
remain loyal to you.]
[Her talent will also experience a boost in rating if she continues to maintain this kind of motivation and work ethic.]
Yara quickly bowed her head in respect before turning and swiftly walking out of the room.
Freya walked to the center of the room, threw herself onto the plush sofa, and crossed her legs. “Are you sure you’re not overpaying Yara, Broken? Have you lost control over the wealth
you have now?”
“She has a lot of talents, including magic. And she works very well. I’ll train her in magic too,
later.”
Freya looked pleased. “She’s cute too, but remember that she’s still a teenager, okay? Don’t
do anything inappropriate.”
Broken just sighed at her remark.