In the original work, clearing the 25th floor unlocked Neo-Hanyang of the Great Hwan Empire and the city of Hwibastan of the Pringolia Empire as visitable areas.
There wasn’t any special interaction, though.
It was just a place to visit taverns to find heroes that only respawned in that region.
But now, it’s not even in a state where the 25th floor has been cleared.
Moreover, it’s not just a simple visit—you can build shops and other structures to generate wealth and influence…!
When Her Highness the Princess said she would grant “various conveniences,”
I was honestly a bit skeptical.
But to give such a massive gift like this…
A 100% happy smile spread across my face.
Additionally, even though it has the special characteristic of being the 20.5th floor, there’s no need to move around with a full party.
In other words, you can come and go freely!
Unless something unexpected happens, there’s no need to drag around two parties of heroes.
Plus, the heroes all looked visibly tired.
Honestly, I’m not sure why Johanna, who was lying in a coffin muttering in her sleep, is so tired, but managing the heroes’ condition is still important.
I coolly sent back the heroes returning to Celestia.
“Uung, Tina wants to rest too…”
Of course, the vice shop manager, who was now tasked with running the Everything Store upon returning, whined a bit.
“Have some sense of responsibility, Tina. I’ll make you some tanghulu later.”
“!”
Tina cheered at the mention of tanghulu.
“Ahem, hmm. Neb is also annoyed, tired, and exhausted, but I’ll do a bit of alchemy and then rest.”
The lazy demon, with her cat ears perked up, subtly followed behind Tina.
Having reliable slaves—no, comrades—feels so reassuring.
Probably.
After those who were leaving had gone, only two remained.
“Hehe, if I accompany you, Lord Ark, you’ll feel a bit more at ease, right?”
“Rumi protects Master Juin, woof!”
It was Ellis, who volunteered to be the guide to Neo-Hanyang, and the loyal dog, the brilliant Rumi.
Two flowers in my hands!
…Well, that would’ve been nice, but there was also an uninvited guest.
《Warning. The candidate for the national letter must not leave the sight of Behind Cabinet No. 38. Especially, illegal interactions with the opposite sex are prohibited.》
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Argh…!”
《Warning. Rumi, please cease your illegal threatening behavior toward Behind Cabinet No. 38. Behind Cabinet No. 38 is not a dog chew toy.》
With the cyberpunk mother-in-law’s cabinet, whose title had subtly changed, included in this strange combination, we strolled through the streets of Hanyang.
Passing through the Yukjo Street outside the palace and walking a bit further, you’d find a riverside embankment that was clearly inspired by Cheonggyecheon.
Next to the majestic walls of traditional hanok houses were thatched cottages preserving the rustic charm, and beside them stood neatly stacked brick Western-style houses with neon signs flashing brightly.
Following the guidance of the navigation-equipped Behind Cabinet, we eventually came across a vast empty lot, seemingly designed for building construction, with a view of Cheonggyecheon.
《This is the territory bestowed upon the candidate for the national letter by the First Princess. Please be eternally grateful.》
“What’s a national letter?”
《Re-evaluating. Lowering the intelligence level of the candidate for the national letter by one tier. Further explanation is deemed unnecessary. Behind Cabinet No. 38 will exercise its right to remain silent.》
“…?”
How dare this hunk of scrap metal challenge my brilliant mind.
If only I had a smartphone with a search function, I wouldn’t have to suffer such humiliation.
“Rumi?”
“Woof!”
《Stop, stop!》
Leaving Rumi to leave bite marks on the surface of the cabinet, I checked the installed “Neo-Hanseong Add-on.”
There wasn’t much difference from the existing Everything Store program.
The only new feature, “Building Design,” when activated, displayed a UI reminiscent of a construction menu in a management simulation.
As a test, I placed a wall.
“Whoa.”
A holographic wall appeared out of nowhere on the empty field, and suddenly, a mysterious flying object zoomed in from afar and— whoosh, clang!
《Construction Engineer 108 of the Imperial Construction Corps. Commencing mission.》
A half-sized robot began constructing the wall following the hologram.
“Wow…”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the Great Hwan Empire’s cutting-edge architectural engineering system.
《Task complete. Material and labor cost: 1 Dangbaekjeon. Travel fee: 500 Dangbaekjeon. Total: 501 Dangbaekjeon.》
If it weren’t for this thieving tin can charging 500 times the material cost as a travel fee, my admiration would have lasted longer.
“What? You’re charging that much for building one wall?”
《Construction engineers are valuable strategic assets.》
I seriously considered smashing this shameless robot, but…
《Focus. This is Behind Cabinet No. 38. Requesting communication with Construction Engineer 108.》
Behind Cabinet No. 38, emerging from Rumi’s chest, attempted a thick and sticky communication between robots.
Beep boop. Boop beep.
Beep? Bop.
Beep, boop.
Boop beep, beep.
“….”
After a while of incomprehensible machine language, the two finally reached an agreement and displayed [♡_♡] on their LEDs.
Did they just hit it off?
These things don’t even have reproductive capabilities.
《Following Behind Cabinet No. 38’s recommendation, additional travel fees will not be charged for any tasks within the next 4 hours.》
The compromise wasn’t bad, though.
The price of construction materials was quite high compared to Celestia, which was a bit concerning.
But the guild house there was also a result of extreme cost-cutting.
Only the visible parts were made fancy.
The hidden parts were done haphazardly.
Now, I didn’t even have to correct the human errors of the Yagada crew or deal with the meddling heroes’ complaints.
This was the optimal environment.
It was time to show off my 1,000 hours of RimWorld gameplay.
* * *
Pew—
《Warning. Anger levels rise with each hit from the toy gun. Please exercise restraint.》
I showed off a bit too much.
Reality isn’t a game.
After squandering my fortune, I sighed while fiddling with a gun that had lost its spiritual pressure.
Still, the results were quite satisfying.
First, the guild house.
I prepared perfect accommodations for the picky heroes, with one room per person.
I also invested in modern amenities not found in Celestia, like ovens, microwaves, and large refrigerators.
…It was a bit expensive, but in the long run, a cyberpunk city with electricity is much more livable than a fantasy rural town.
Heroes who prefer country life?
Once they taste the gooey, stretchy cheese from a freshly baked pizza, they’ll beg to stay here.
“Myaa myaa! Myaa myaa!”
“Ah… I’m so glad I quit being a demon…”
Even Rumi and Ellis, who stayed up late helping, looked half-asleep and dazed, proving my point.
Next, the shop.
One of the biggest flaws of Celestia’s Everything Store was its purchase function, which I boldly removed.
Economic circulation?
That only works in Celestia’s anarchic state.
This is the Great Hwan Empire.
With a government in place, there’s no need for us to take responsibility for the local economy.
So, I designed it purely for profit.
The first floor is a massive tavern.
I even installed kiosks to maximize turnover.
After some market research, I noticed that most of the alcohol sold in Neo-Hanyang was traditional rice wine.
Celestia’s Vision Vodka was perfectly positioned to dominate the market.
Lord Ark?
Why another tavern?
Earlier, Ellis had questioned my foresight, but it was a foolish question.
Throughout history, nothing beats the profitability of selling drinks.
At that point, my funds were running low, so construction halted, but I’m sure I’ll recoup the investment soon.
“Hehehe.”
Until the barbarians of Hanyang are completely drunk, my cultural invasion will not stop.
* * *
Progress up to the 22nd floor was smooth.
To shake off the stigma of being a parachuted appointee, I followed the First Princess’s orders to destroy malfunctioning robots in the outskirts of Hanyang and enlighten the troublemakers.
The heroes were satisfied with their slaughtering instincts,
and I was satisfied with the easy difficulty and the ability to replicate divine stones.
Although the volume of each area was larger, preventing us from clearing 10 areas a day like before, it allowed us to quickly farm materials from lower floors, which wasn’t too bad.
And the part I really liked:
“Haha! As expected, you’re amazing! Truly worthy of being noticed by Her Highness.”
“You flatter me. Hehe.”
After capturing the 22nd-floor boss, “Night Emperor Mungchi,” and his subordinates, tying them up, and delivering them to the Ministry of Justice,
Clink clink!
There was even a bounty!
You get items and experience from beating monsters, and if you package them nicely, you also get a hefty sum of money?
This is the livable Great Hwan Empire.
A land where justice lives.
The Neo-Hanyang where milk and honey flow.
Filled with satisfaction, I commended the heroes who worked hard in both the shadows (sewers) and the light (back alleys).
Then, holding Tina and Neb tightly, I headed to get new clothes.
“This is unjust!”
“This is tyranny!”
“Even migratory birds have nests, this can’t be allowed!”
“Hmm?”
A riot seemed imminent as a group of disgruntled people gathered.
“Master! Should I wipe them out?”
“Now, now.”
Tina, who had somehow picked up Rumi’s habits, was sparking flames of confusion at her fingertips, but I stopped her and quietly slipped into the crowd.
They were venting their anger at a notice.
[Prohibition]
[Due to the recent moral decay in Hanyang…]
…..
“This can’t be! Prohibition? Who do they think they are!”
“Well said!”
“Hey, this young man speaks well!”
Ah, damn.
The livable Great Hwan Empire.
I felt the urge to smoke a cigarette I’ve never even tried.
I need to actively petition Her Highness the Princess about this.
For the sake of my second shop’s profits—no, for the mental health of the Great Hwan Empire’s citizens, this tyranny must be stopped.
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