Three weeks passed swiftly in Slumdon Town, and each day was brimming with hectic and strenuous activities. Broken found himself working closely with numerous people, particularly the NPCs, who often caused chaos due to their lack of work ethic. He quickly realized that even in this world, control couldn’t be maintained by money alone.
He frequently stepped in to oversee the construction processes across various parts of the town. He also had to deal with city security issues, such as thefts and other criminal activities. Additionally, he occasionally had to handle unruly players who purposely caused disturbances in the town.
The golem he had stationed within the city wall near the city gate now stood proudly on a platform, looking every bit like a grand statue-an icon of the town. Because of this impressive golem, players traveling through the desert to reach Keseon Kingdom often detoured to Slumdon Town just to snap a photo with the now-famous town icon, which had gone viral on the internet.
They had no idea it was an actual golem capable of movement and combat. The thought made Broken chuckle to himself.
The construction of the renovated homes was showing visible progress, with many nearing completion. New residential buildings were still being polished up. The city wall was also undergoing improvements, though it was still not sturdy enough and would require significant upgrades to effectively serve its purpose of protecting the town from potential monster attacks.
Occasionally, Broken took the time to stroll through the now more vibrant streets of the town. This time, he was accompanied by Yara, who kept pace with his long strides with quick steps of her own.
“The town is really starting to attract more visitors, My Lord,” Yara said.
“Yes, I can see that. But the construction is far from finished, Yara. They’re mostly here to take pictures with the gorilla statue, and then they leave shortly after,” he replied, a slight frown creasing his brow.
“But at least it shows positive development, My Lord, and I love it. I truly do,” she said.
“Really?” Broken turned to her. “Thanks, Yara.”
“Uh,” Yara’s face suddenly flushed with embarrassment. “No, My Lord, that’s not what I meant. I meant, uh, the city.”
“Oh, not me?” he teased.
“My Lord, yes, you too. But, uh, no, that’s not what I meant,” she stammered, trying to correct herself. “Yes I love it, no, you. no, I mean.”
Broken chuckled softly and gave a gentle pat on her back, urging her to keep up the pace. Despite her shorter stature, only reaching his shoulder, she did her best to match his stride. “Let’s go,” he said with a smile.
They made their way towards the golem, an impressive sight that had drawn a noticeable crowd of players who were eagerly queuing for their turn to take photos. Anna, who was on duty, diligently tried to maintain order and ensure the line remained straight.
Broken realized he urgently needed to recruit more knights to protect the town. This became a top priority for him, especially considering that their current numbers were insufficient. He had previously recruited a few, but the number was still too small, and they were all undergoing training under Maylock, who took the role as the Security Captain.
He knew that he needed to conduct another selection process, giving the townspeople who missed the first opportunity a chance to participate. By doing so, he hoped to find more workers with quality talents.
“Yara, I need you to inform Igor that I want another recruitment drive in two days, at the same place as last time. This time, prioritize those with talent in guarding,” he instructed. “Yes, My Lord,” Yara nodded.
“Meet me again in my study later, okay?” he added.
“Understood, My Lord.”
Broken made his way back to the House of Slumdon, aware of the numerous priorities demanding his attention before their departure to Twisted Wood to hunt for the Eternal Flame.
One particularly pressing matter was his need to meet with Marlene from the Shadow Wolves guild to discuss the demon egg he had acquired after completing the Trial Domain. He had recently added Subaru to his friend list and was planning to meet them outside the city in a few days.
His schedule was relentless. Responsibilities and commitments consistently overlapped, creating an overwhelming workload. With so much on his plate, the thought of hiring someone to manage his schedule and administrative tasks began to seem like a necessity rather than a luxury.
His idle thoughts suggested he needed a personal secretary, someone dedicated to organizing his appointments and agenda-tasks Freya was already too occupied with to take on herself. After arriving at the House of Slumdon, Broken quickly turned and walked towards the back area of the house, where the blacksmith workshop was located. The building looked much better than before; the door had been repaired, and the damaged parts were now neatly fixed. Smoke billowed out of the small building’s window, indicating that Ingolf, the only blacksmith he had hired, was hard at work inside.
There were now two workstations set up in separate rooms. This arrangement allowed Ingolf to work without interruption, while Broken could also carry out his blacksmith activities in the other room.
He opened the door and stepped in. Ingolf immediately noticed him and paused his work.
“No, please continue,” Broken said.
“Yes, My Lord,” Ingolf replied, resuming his task.
Broken had been postponing something for a long time-upgrading all of his equipment. Although the Enchantment Stones needed for upgrades could be easily purchased from the equipment store or auctions, he needed them in large quantities. So he had asked Ingolf to assist him and handle the work.
He planned to focus on upgrading the equipment to +6 or +9, aiming to play it safe, which would require a substantial amount of materials.
In reality, equipment could be upgraded up to +18, which could increase the status value of the gear by 63%. That was a massive boost, especially for a Legendary-grade piece of equipment. However, the higher the grade, the more difficult the upgrade process became, with a higher chance of failure.
They needed something called Enchantment Stones to upgrade the equipment from +1 to +9, and they needed Blessed Stones to upgrade from +10 to +18. The difference in their creation lay mainly in the materials required. Enchantment Stones only needed iron, while Blessed Stones required both iron and steel.
But before Broken had a chance to check how many Enchantment Stones Ingolf had
completed, he received a private message from Freya.
[Freya: The guest you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.]
[Broken: Guest? Who?]
[Freya: A guest from the palace.]
Palace? No way.
[Broken: Princess Alora?]
[Freya: Hahaha, I knew that’s what you’d think. No, it’s Knight Lionell. He brought your order. Blueprints, right? They are waiting inside the House of Slumdon.]
[Broken: Wait, I’ll be there.]
Blueprints! These were the blueprints he had asked Princess Alora to help him find. He was
curious about what Knight Lionell had brought. Hearing this, he realized he might need to adjust his schedule, as he could end up locking himself in for several weeks or months to work on new projects. He sighed but couldn’t help smiling.