Chapter 188: Billions of Gold [Bonus Chapter 2/10]

[Quest: VIP Customer]

[Sell a single item worth at least 10 million gold coins to a pavilion.]

[Reward: +500 Gacha Points]

Lukas smiled as he read it.

A single item selling for ten million gold coins? So there were beasts on this floor worth that much.

He hadn’t seen one yet, but the fact that he’d gotten this quest meant they were out there somewhere in the desert, and now he had a reason beyond experience to find them.

He closed the notification and turned away from the desk.

Karrakas appeared from the corridor a moment later, catching them with a wave. "Give me one moment."

He stepped up to the desk, presented his slip, and processed his payment quickly.

When he was done, he fell back into step with them and they walked out through the main hall, past the guards at the entrance, and back onto the street.

The city lamps had already been turned on, illuminating the streets as they made their way back to their inn.

"So... how was the service?" Karrakas asked as they walked.

"Good," Melody said. "Hardy was helpful."

"He knows what he’s doing," Akira added.

Karrakas nodded, satisfied. They walked in silence for a moment, then Karrakas spoke again, more casual this time, his eyes on the road.

"One day I’m going to own an inn out here," he said. "I don’t mean managing one for someone else, but my own."

"My plan is to save enough money, maybe buy an existing building or buy the land, build something small but good, marry someone worth settling with, and spend the rest of my years watching the money come in." He paused. "That’s the life."

Lukas glanced at him. "You’re not planning to climb higher on the Tower than this?"

Karrakas looked at him with an expression that was a mix of amusement and genuine contentment.

"Others are already doing the climbing. They’re better suited to it than I am, and they started earlier." He shrugged. "I’m not interested in competing with people like that. I want enough to live well. Everything beyond that is just more problems."

Lukas said nothing for a moment, picturing that life in his head.

Owning an inn on the Second Floor, and having a fixed income. Living a quiet life with his wives. That meant no dungeons, no hunts, and no beasts trying to kill you.

It genuinely sounded comfortable.

For just a moment, he understood the appeal of it completely.

Then he remembered the one thing that had been on his mind since he ascended to the Second Floor.

The wish.

Whoever reached the top of the Tower first received one wish. Anything they desired. That was what the Tower had told him, and he still hadn’t forgotten it.

Whoever got that wish would be in charge of deciding everyone else’s destiny.

The thought of leaving that to chance, of letting someone else get there first and spend it on something he’d never know about, just didn’t sit right with him.

What if the person wished for the death of everyone else? Isn’t that what the Brotherhood were Climbing for? Who knew what other factions were climbing the Tower too.

He couldn’t afford to stop climbing. Not for comfort, not for money, and not for anything.

"How much does land around a spatial gate cost?" Melody asked, looking at Karrakas.

"That depends on the gate," he said. "The land around spatial gates belongs to whichever city governs that gate. They sell plots, but they take a cut on any resale, so the value compounds over time."

He glanced at her. "Around a busy gate? Hundreds of millions of gold coins for a decent sized plot."

Melody’s eyes widened.

"In a place like the crystal caves, where you get a steady tourist crowd on top of the hunters, land can push into the billions."

"Billions," Melody repeated.

Karrakas laughed. "The profit that flows through the Second Floor is not like anything you’ve seen on the First. The Le Fay pavilion alone probably processes hundreds of millions in transactions every single day."

He nodded towards the building they’d just left. "An ordinary inn in a good location, run well, will clear millions in profit every month. Enough to live comfortably back in Salaria without ever having to work again." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Melody went quiet, working through the numbers in her head.

Lukas was doing the same, but from a different angle.

He needed money if he ever wanted to compete with the real powers climbing the Tower.

Not the kind of money spent on groceries or accomodation, but the kind of money capable of buying a healing [Item] as a novelty.

What if he built something of his own out here?

A business. Something that ran while he climbed, generating income whether he was in a dungeon or not.

He turned the idea over as they walked, saying nothing yet.

But it stayed with him.

They made their way back to the inn without much conversation, each one tired in their own way.

The moment they made their way upstairs and entered their room, Lukas went straight to the shower.

The hot water hit the back of his neck and he stood there for a long moment, letting the sand and sweat run off him before washing properly and stepping out.

He changed into something loose and comfortable and came back into the room feeling like a different person.

Melody and Akira took their turns, and when all three of them were clean and dressed, they pulled chairs around the small table and sat.

Melody folded her arms on the table. "The class change quest," she said. "Are we doing it tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we should do it tomorrow," Akira said. "There’s no reason to wait."

Melody tilted her head. "But if we do the quest now, Karrakas will see. And he’ll report back to Morgana."

Akira shrugged. "Let him tell her. Even if Karrakas watches him complete the class change quest, Lukas still has skills he hasn’t shown anyone. One less secret doesn’t change much."

Melody considered that, then nodded slowly.

Both of them turned to Lukas. "What’s your decision?"