Lilith unfurled the black scroll, allowing Lysandra to steal a glance at the intricate design pulsing with dark light. When the commander's eyes fell upon the building's name visible in the system window, her usually unflappable face expressed genuine astonishment.
The succubus's wings twitched nervously, and she exhaled loudly as she fully grasped what Lilith had just bartered for a few measly potatoes.
"Lilith… that wasn't a good trade. That was highway robbery," Lysandra murmured, a rare, admiring smile spreading across her lips. "This project is the foundation of true power. I think Mina and Kala will be ecstatic. Finally, those two chatterboxes will stop complaining about the wind and the grass when, instead of resting under the open sky, they get chambers worthy of their rank."
Lilith laughed briefly but immediately grew serious, analyzing the list of missing resources. "We're short on iron and a Darkness Gem. We already have the wood and stone on-site, but I need to procure those two ingredients immediately."
Wasting no time, Lilith sent out inquiries on the trade channel. After a few minutes, her interface flickered. The message came from a player with a rather specific ID: [Mountain Mole Durin].
Mountain Mole Durin: "Saw the post. I have high-purity iron. How much do you need?"
Lilith smiled, noting the speaker's race - apparently some type of dwarf or subterranean demon specialized in mining.
Lilith: "I need 100 units. Right now."
Mountain Mole Durin: "That'll be 300 gold pieces. First-class goods, straight from the vein."
Lilith winced slightly, feeling her inner cheapskate speak up again.
Lilith: "I'll give you 200 and we can start the transfer."
Mountain Mole Durin: "Don't be ridiculous, Lilith. We've all seen how much food you've been offloading lately. You're currently the most solvent person in this sector. 300 is a fair price for such raw material, but tell you what... 280 and not a copper less."
Lilith sighed heavily, massaging her temples. She knew that in this world, reputation had a price. Since everyone associated her as "the potato lady," no one would believe her fairy tale about an empty purse. The "poor student" card didn't work here.
Lilith: "Goodnight, you crook. 280, agreed."
Mountain Mole Durin: "A clean deal! Pleasure's all mine."
Lilith quickly configured the coordinates so that the golden pipe materialized next to the previously prepared piles of stones and logs. After a moment, the air rippled, and heavy, shimmering bars of raw iron began to drop to the ground with a soft clatter.
Mountain Mole Durin: "I recommend myself for the future. I also have access to several other rare ores!"
Lilith: "I'll remember that. Talk soon."
She closed the chat window, her heart beating faster. Another piece of the puzzle was in place. Now, all that remained was to obtain the Darkness Gem.
Despite Lilith refreshing the trade window every few seconds, there was tomb-like silence regarding the Darkness Gem. Half an hour passed without a single concrete offer. She was just about to give up and accept that her dream of a castle would have to wait when suddenly the interface flared blood-red.
The message came from a player with the handle [Bloody Giant Malakai].
Bloody Giant Malakai: "Hey, beautiful. I've got that Darkness Gem of yours. I'll offload it to you for a mere 2000 gold pieces. What do you say?"
Lilith practically jumped, her shout echoing off the valley walls. "How much?! Holy hell! I might have a bit of coin now, but don't overdo it! I'm not an ATM with an unlimited limit for you to dictate such fucked-up prices to me!"
Furious, she hammered the virtual keyboard with such force as if she wanted to crush the giant himself.
Lilith: "500 gold pieces. Not a copper more. If you don't like it, shove it in those big boots of yours and keep it as a souvenir!"
Bloody Giant Malakai: "Dear Lady, don't say such things! Darkness Gems are a rarity, a rank higher than the usual four elements. Finding this was a miracle. How about 1500? Let's call it the 'finding a friend' price, eh?"
The vein on Lilith's forehead pulsed dangerously at this sheer impudence. A friend? she hissed to herself. I found a friend in a nice lady Succubus, not some oversized, carrion-stinking meathead who can't even count honestly!
She coldly replied with only one number:
Lilith: "800."
Bloody Giant Malakai: "1200! Listen, sister, I won't go lower. I nearly lost my life escaping the guardians of that cave to snag it. Have a heart!"
Lilith snorted loudly. She had seen this theater a thousand times - playing the victim and exaggerating difficulties is the oldest trade trick in the world. Instead of replying, she simply closed the chat window, letting him know the conversation was over.
The silence lasted maybe two minutes. Malakai, seeing her completely unmoved stance and fearing the loss of the only client who actually had cash, snapped.
Bloody Giant Malakai: "Fine, fine! Alright! Let it be 1000 gold! We have a deal. Let's call it... the price for finding a friend, okay? Please, look out for me in the future, sister! If I have something extra, I'm coming straight to you!"
Lilith rolled her eyes, but a shadow of satisfaction appeared on her lips.
Lilith: "Trade. And don't call me sister."
She confirmed the transaction. Her wealth was depleted by a flat thousand coins, but in return, a cool crystal pulsing with blackness materialized in her inventory, appearing to swallow the light around it.
Bloody Giant Malakai: "Thanks for the gold, boss! Off to squander it on slaughter and fun! Until next time!"
Lilith closed the menu with a sigh of relief. She had everything. Iron, wood, stone, and that wretched gem. She looked at Lysandra, holding the black blueprint scroll in her hands.
Although Malakai behaved like a typical huckster, he was entirely right on one point: Darkness Gems were extremely rare artifacts, far harder to obtain than fire or water crystals. The problem, however, was that at this stage of the game, most Demon Kings were struggling just to survive, and a rare stone couldn't feed or defend them. Gold was the universal resource, and finding someone who possessed enough of it to "freeze" 1000 coins in a gem bordered on a miracle. Lilith was one of the few people on the server who could afford such a luxury.
Lilith summoned the schematic once more, the blue light of the interface illuminating her face.
[Blueprint: Demon King's Castle]
Requirements: Darkness Gem (1/1), Iron (100/100), Wood (300/300), Stone (500/500), Gold (1800/1800).
[Do you wish to begin construction of the Demon King's Castle?]
With bated breath and fingers trembling with excitement, Lilith pressed [YES].
At that same moment, reality around them went wild. The Darkness Gem, the iron bars, the piles of wood, and the massive boulders she had gathered on the territory began to shudder, then violently dissolved into a thick, tarry black ooze. This strange substance seeped deep into the earth, and the Altar began to vibrate powerfully.
Lilith instinctively opened her Lord Map, wanting to choose the perfect spot for the foundations, but was surprised to discover that the system gave her no choice. The castle was inseparably linked to the heart of the territory.
"Lysandra, back away! Quickly!" Lilith shouted, feeling the ground beneath her feet begin to crack.
Both succubi took flight, landing a safe distance away as black obsidian spires suddenly shot from the earth. Magic molded matter from nothing - massive stone blocks settled into perfect Gothic arches, and the walls climbed upward with a deafening roar.
Before them rose the Demon King's Castle.
It was a monumental structure, black as a starless night, with a shimmering obsidian finish. Though not the size of a metropolis, the castle could easily house several thousand people. Soaring towers and ornate gargoyles gave it an ominous yet majestic appearance.
Lilith stood dazed, looking at this architectural marvel. "I still can't believe... it just forms in a few seconds," she whispered, pride swelling in her chest.
With a trembling heart, she used her identification skill on the building.
[Demon King's Castle]
Subordinate Stamina on Territory: +25%
Fortress Aura: All units within a 1000m radius gain +30% to all stats.
King's Throne: When the Demon King is inside the castle, regeneration increases by 100% and all stats by 50%.
Lilith stared at those numbers for a long moment, then let out her breath, cursing under her breath in disbelief:
"Holy shit... This isn't a castle, it's a goddamn generator. With stats like these... just let those 'Heroes' of theirs try to come in here. I'll tear them to shreds with my own hands."