bookcurios Chapter 1077: The True Cash Cow
Chapter 1077: The True Cash Cow
Morning inside the dungeon space turned unusually lively after everyone realized D-29 had finally returned successfully.
"Host, did you hear that? They called me reliable!" D-29 chirped proudly.
"And they all said they missed having me around! Just like you said, maybe I really should’ve taken my time with the upgrade! There was no need to rush everything like that after all!"
"That’s true. And yes, we all missed you," the golden-eyed Host replied with complete sincerity.
And honestly, the warmth directed toward the hardworking manager of managers was more than deserved. Amid the relieved greetings, emotional reunions, and endless praise, the atmosphere inside the dungeon had become remarkably cheerful—a stark contrast to the anxious tension hanging over them the past few days.
Unfortunately, there was just one slight problem.
While everyone else looked relieved, there was also one person who appeared as though he had personally witnessed the collapse of civilization overnight.
Namely—
The dungeon owner himself.
See, breakfast came with a whopping price tag of two million CP, which was critical for one essential upgrade.
However, that hadn’t really been the issue, because after comparing the two, the number suddenly seemed extremely small compared to something far more ambitious.
Fifty million CP.
Not even counting the unheard-of materials that may have to be purchased from the Trove.
It was an amount that, even after passing out and waking up, didn’t disappear as just a nightmare.
Just where in the heavens were they even supposed to find that kind of amount when, after saving for so long and even conquering an MCZ, they’d only managed to accumulate a little over 40 million CP?
Oh, not to mention that even the remaining CP was about to vanish the moment they started the relegated updates that had once flashed before his traumatized eyes.
Thus, upon waking, Luca sat quietly at the edge of the bed, staring blankly at his own hands. His shoulders slumped heavily under the crushing weight of the looming expenses waiting for him outside.
But before he could completely succumb to the pressure of having to fork over CP they didn’t even have, the Imperial Crown Prince seated beside him quietly pulled him into a gentle embrace.
The knowing husband rubbed slow and comforting circles along Luca’s back before leaning closer.
"Everything’s going to be alright," Xavier reassured softly, his voice calm and steady enough to ground even someone spiraling over financial ruin. "There’s absolutely nothing to worry about."
"Even if it ends up costing more than that, we’ll still find a way."
He paused before adding gently,
"So just breathe in and out..."
And the sincere husband genuinely waited.
He matched his breathing with Luca’s until the tense rise and fall of the little chipmunk’s chest gradually eased into one long defeated sigh.
"I think I’m alright now. If it’s CP, then we can just earn more, right?"
"Yes, definitely. Doing that is even a good thing because it would mean ridding more places of corruption."
"So even if it doesn’t sound like it, the situation is actually a win-win for us."
Luca took a deep breath because that was true. Provided he didn’t think too hard about sending more people into dangerous situations—or what might happen once they managed to absorb all the corruption—then yes, things were technically fine.
__
In the end, it really became a matter of compartmentalization.
One step at a time.
One horrifying expense at a time.
Otherwise, the little money-grubber might genuinely lose his soul somewhere midway through spending such astronomical amounts of CP.
And so, after officially announcing that surveillance around the suspicious gate—now formally referred to as the Bridge—could be somewhat reduced now that they’d received confirmation it wasn’t something that would suddenly implode and take all of them with it anytime soon, they immediately proceeded with the first major order of business.
Reopening the Purification Chamber and, by association, the Day Care facility.
Why prioritize that above everything else?
Well...
Because three days inside the dungeon space unfortunately translated to roughly one day outside.
Meaning the business that they temporarily shut down for the dungeon upgrade urgently needed to resume unless they wanted the entire Empire—particularly the military personnel dependent on purification treatments—to begin panicking even harder than they already were.
As it turned out, Star Net had been just as busy, if not even busier, while Luca and the rest of the group handled their dungeon-related affairs.
More importantly—
The Purification Chamber was currently their single most stable source of income.
Their true cash cow.
In reality, while the enormous profits from conquering Zone Four had certainly helped tremendously, the majority of the dungeon’s steady earnings actually came from purifying corrupted soldiers sent over by the military.
And at their initial rate of roughly 600,000 CP per day...
The Purification Chamber had quietly become both the hidden savior of the Empire and the lifeblood of the dungeon itself.
Thus, despite Luca having an absolutely terrifying list of responsibilities awaiting him today, everyone agreed that upgrading the chamber should take priority.
After all, they needed to restart operations as soon as possible.
And naturally, that meant another heart-thumping prompt.
[PURCHASE PURIFICATION CHAMBER UPGRADE?]
[COST: 2,000,000 CP]
[YES] [NO]
It became an extremely unanimous yes.
Because, unlike certain suspicious prompts involving mysterious bridges and emotionally devastating progress bars, this was something Luca genuinely viewed as a worthwhile investment.
If anything, it was precisely the type of thing he refused to scrimp on because the benefits extended to everyone.
The moment the selection was confirmed, the upgrade immediately commenced.
Just as before, the area filled with towering purification pillars was engulfed in an otherworldly radiance so bright it forced everyone nearby to squint.
This time, however, the transformation looked even more dramatic.
The towering pillars slowly bent outward as though making way for something larger, forming what resembled a massive spiraling vortex that was somehow splitting into two. Meanwhile, the countless runes carved into the structures began radiating ethereal light that pulsed rhythmically throughout the area.
And when the blinding glow finally dimmed enough for everyone to properly see again—
What greeted them was an even larger and significantly more imposing Purification Chamber.