Chapter 4: Trona ore

Chavu woke up around midday, which was not strange for him. He rose from the water of the still pond, from which the dungeon got its name, and looked around.

Before coming to this dungeon, he had not known much about caves.

Naga lived in huts, thank you very much.

Yet even he couldn't ignore the fact that the walls of the pond cavern had a beige color, almost bordering on orange.

"System, what can be mined from the walls of the pond cavern?" Chavu asked.

the system sighed, and pulled out a screen before Chavu.

Chavu saw a kobold, goblin, even a gnome. He rubbed his chin. Goblins could get out of control, kobolds wanted too much meat, or they would start burning down the dungeon.

 That left the gnomes.

"How many gnomes can I make with 990 mana points? System, we can't let something like soda ash just stay unused. Backing soda is practically used in everything," Chavu was ready to argue, but the system showed him a prompt.

Create 99 gnomes?

Yes/No?

Chavu grinned. If they were just 10 points each, and ate grass and other greenery, then he could create himself an army of them!

The system was amused, but not trying to talk him out of it.

"Nothing a good training regimen can't fix," Chavu pressed the yes, and the pond cavern was littered with gnomes. They looked around, and then loudly began to protest.

"We demand a formal contract!"

"Health insurance, life insurance..."

"Retirement funds, young man! If we don't get retirement funds, we are leaving!"

Chavu raised his hand, and the gnomes quieted down. They were no bigger than fifty centimeters. With green hair that looked like moss, and big, brown, eyes. They looked as if they were cloned, which unnerved Chavu.

"People of whatever backwards village you are from. This is a backwards cave in need of a revolution. A spark, so to speak. You will mine trona ore the entire day and train in the art of fighting in the evenings. Those that refuse will be beaten with a bloody sandal," Chavu finished it all in one breath. He looked at the gnomes, who were frowning, but not protesting.

"System, craft them each a contract. With the basics," Chavu said. He was feeling generous.

The gnomes each got a screen in front of them. One by one, they clicked the yes. Chavu looked at the beige wall of the cavern. The gnomes were tiny. There were simply no pickaxes small enough in the store for them.

"Your first task is to train," Chavu commanded. Chavu couldn't go into the village anymore, as he was stuck at the Still Pond cave. Marcy, on the other hand, could easily go.

The gnomes looked up at him, confused.

"Train how?" One gnome with a thick, white, beard asked.

"You start by running around the tunnels. First, we will build up your endurance. By the time the pickaxes are done, you will be able to run for longer distances. Now, go," Chavu waved them away, and the gnomes got into a line and jogged out of the cavern.

The still waters of the pond called out to Chavu. They were pleasantly cool, and he loved them for it. Yet, he knew that there was work to be done.

The Naga slithered to the core room, where Marcellus had taken to sleeping that day. The vampire was indeed asleep. Chavu furrowed his brows.

"System, wake him up, please," Chavu added the last word hastily. He knew that Marcellus would be agitated once he woke. There was no need to add an agitated system to the mix.

Alarms blazed in the core room. Chavu winced. Marcellus woke with a start, brandishing his sword around. Eyes scanning the cavern for threats.

"Oh, it is just you," Marcellus sat back down, closing his eyes.

"Marcellus, none of that. You have to make a run to the village and get 99 gnome-sized pickaxes. We will be mining the trona ore vein," Chavu stood away from the long sword's reach. Not trusting that the vampire wouldn't skewer him with it just to get more sleep.

"Do you have any money left?" Marcellus cracked an eye open. He doubted it, but he still needed to ask.

"No, I gave everything to the pedestal," Chavu pointed at the now pure white pedestal. The more money he had let it absorb, the whiter it had become. Now, it was a pleasant pearly color.

"Fine, I will go. But I will loan you the money, not gift it to you. With twenty percent interest," the vampire said, standing up.

 Chavu was ready to argue. Marcellus raised his sword again. The Naga gulped.

"If what I have in mind works, you will get more than that," Chavu decided to play it safe and butter up the vampire. There was no harm in promising a good return, especially since he knew that his invention was going to be a success.

"I better," Marcellus stood, heading out. On his way out, he looked around to see if Chavu was following, then, when he could not see the Naga, he pressed a rock on the wall of the tunnel.

A small compartment appeared in the wall, and he took out his bottomless bag from it.

Ninety-nine small pickaxes wouldn't cost him a lot. Still, he did not want to leave his money in there, in case Chavu was searching for more.

With the bottomless bag in his backpack, the vampire went outside and hoped that the village he remembered was still around and not leveled to the ground after a plague, or something similar.

Inside the dungeon, Chavu went back to the still pond cavern. He took a regularly sized pickaxe and began chipping away at the ore vein. He was not going to wait for Marcellus.

His experiments needed to start as soon as possible!