Chapter 9: First lesson

"Now, I am by no means a master at this," Chavu said, as he pointed at their dungeon on the map. "But I have some ideas."

"Such as?" Alaric was sitting on the ground in the core room and looking intently at the screen. Was it still the core room if the dungeon core could move around freely? Or was the pedestal the dungeon core?

"Focus," Chavu snapped his fingers at the prince. Alaric blinked and blushed.

"Sorry. What are your ideas?" Alaric asked again. First, Chavu had shown him the ore vein and the geode. They were both impressive, but Alaric knew they would run out, eventually. With the rate that the Naga was mining them, sooner, rather than later.

"Well, toothpaste is something everybody needs," Chavu told him, pride at the fact that he had created something so basic, yet essential, seeping into his voice. "You can start advertising the toothpaste along the coastal towns."

"Why the coastal towns?" Alaric asked. They were sparsely populated, filling up only during the summer months. Surely, the towns in the Verdant Valley would be a better fit for the first advertising campaign?

"It is summer. Most of the population of the country, plus numerous foreigners, are now sunbathing in the coastal towns. We need them all as customers," Chavu tapped an icon on the screen, and a picture appeared. The picture had moving people in it. Alaric had never seen anything like it before.

"Can you spy on the entire world?" Alaric could think about a couple of things he could do if he could spy on the world.

"Yes, I can. Or, rather, the system can. She just told me to tell you she is awesome and, if you would like to hire her, you would have to hand over the kingdom as dungeon grounds to her. Silly, I know, but that is the deal," Chavu sighed and looked as if he was hearing someone yell at him. Judging by the pinched expression on his face, that is.

"I can't hand over the kingdom. If the system doesn't help me, I can't sell the toothpaste, either," Alaric retorted. He imagined being privy to people's homes. To be able to spy on their habits. Why, the things he could do…

"I'll make sure you get all the assistance you need," Chavu assured him. Then, he pointed at a particularly popular summer resort: Eagle's Wings Town.

"Start from there," Chavu began to trace a line with his finger from Eagle's Wings to the dungeon. "As you can see, it is only fifty kilometers from here. You will be able to resupply quickly. Now, for the payment. Do you accept garnets?"

Alaric blinked. He had not expected to be paid.

"There is no real need..." the prince began, but Chavu scrunched up his nose at him.

"No need? I'll have you know, I run a respectable dungeon here! My mobs have retirement funds and insurances! You will be on contract with the dungeon. Therefore, you will be treated the same," Chavu clicked a couple of more icons on the screen, and a screen appeared before Alaric.

Alaric didn't bother reading the contract. He pressed the nice, yellow, yes, and then looked expectantly at Chavu.

"You still have to teach me how to sell things," Alaric said.

 Chavu rubbed his chin.

"Well, I suppose that job hunting and sales are not that much different," Chavu mused. "When I applied for my position as a boss mob to this dungeon, I got denied."

Alaric nodded. Many mobs got denied when they applied for contracts.

"But I was raised with the words: No is not always a no!"

Alaric blinked.

"You mean, you shamelessly badgered the dungeon core until it hired you?" The young prince asked.

"Yes, I did! I was 19, at the time. The former core hired me as the housekeeper of the dungeon. Then, I showed it I can scare the adventurers by letting poison drip from my fangs. I got promoted to boss mob on my twentieth birthday," Chavu told him, a small smile on his lips.

"So, what you are saying is that I have to annoy the customers to death?" Alaric asked. Somehow, he could see fireballs, arrows and other projectiles aimed at him in the near future.

"No. You start off small. Make a tooth brushing pavilion, where people can try out the toothpaste. If they come the next day, charge them for an entire bottle," Chavu grinned when Alaric got an aha moment, that was clear to see on his face.

"Do I get a free bottle? To brush my own teeth?" Alaric began with a mischievous smile on his lips.

"No. You have to pay, just like everyone else," Chavu told him, deciding to play along.

"If my teeth are like this," Alaric opened his mouth to show that his teeth were indeed a bit yellow. Chavu nodded his approval. Clearly, the prince had some hygiene habits if the yellow tint was so faint. "I won't sell any toothpaste. What sort of seller doesn't try their wares?"

"I can place your bottle of toothpaste to be paid from your commissions," Chavu spoke, trying out the waters. If Alaric folded now, then Chavu was going to chew him out for it.

"My teeth will be the best ad you will have for your invention. It is in your best interest to give me the bottle for free and to keep me happy," Alaric argued, his smile widening.

Chavu bit his lower lip. Well, the prince had him there. Yet, Chavu had a last trump card.

"Have you never heard of loyalty to one's employer?" Chavu asked, faking disapproval in his voice.

"Have you never heard of giving your employees worker benefits? I can take this up with the worker unions if you'd like. Let them decide if I am not entitled to a toothpaste lifetime supply," Alaric's smirk was blinding, Chavu's eyes widened.

Oh, the last thing he wanted was to get a worker union involved.

"You can have a free toothpaste bottle per month. Use it wisely, I won't give you more than one," Chavu whispered, not playing anymore.

He just hoped that Alaric could twist the arms of the customers just as effectively, as he had twisted his.