DMS Chapter 144
DMS Chapter 144
The staggering amount of money Flinx’s System Shopping Site now contained—simply because he had thrown in all the mana stones he gathered from solo delving into the fortieth floor of the Dungeon of Mara—still boggled his mind.
Looking at the 188,000 dollars in his account would have made Flinx unimaginably happy back before the Torbal Wizards kidnapped him and turned him into a dungeon miner slave.
Even now, simply browsing through the System Shopping Site while knowing he could afford almost anything he wanted was enough to keep him scrolling mindlessly for two straight hours. He looked through gadgets and all sorts of possibly useless items, indulging himself in the simple luxury of window shopping.
The problem was that most of the technology he found appealing could already be replicated through magic.
One example was when he started browsing for drones. His familiars and summons were hundreds of times superior to even the best drones available on the site.
The same applied to expandable homes. A meticulously designed Galder’s Tower was vastly better than any compact housing option sold through the System Shopping Site.
Still, there were things technology offered that magic could not replicate, such as console games and gaming laptops. His only regret was that none of the gadgets he purchased would ever connect to Earth’s internet.
After finally getting bored with browsing, Flinx reviewed his finances.
He possessed a total of 9,625 gold coins, 188,000 dollars in his System Shopping Site account, 846 high-level mana stones, 2,035 medium-level mana stones, and 4,196 low-level mana stones.
He also checked the status of his two classes and their respective experience levels.
His Wizard class was currently Level 11 with 21 percent experience, while his Cleric class was Level 4 with 11 percent experience.
As for the debuff caused by escaping the Torbal Slavers’ spatial lock using his Wish spell, it would still take another six weeks before it disappeared. The debuff prevented him from using his eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh spell slots, as well as all level eight and level nine spells.
When the sun set, Olivia, Christopher, Ambrose, and the four children arrived. Flinx could not help but laugh when Olivia’s younger brothers and the children looked visibly disappointed after realizing Samuel and his three friends still had not returned home.
The children had become completely enamored with the console and games Samuel had shown them earlier.
Since Flinx now possessed an enormous amount of money in his System Shopping Site account, yet had bought almost nothing, he suddenly felt an urge to spend. Indulging everyone a little, he purchased a large-screen television, an older console that did not require an internet connection, and several console games.
Afterward, he taught everyone how to connect the devices to the generator, repeatedly reminding them to monitor the fuel supply. He also explained how to operate both the television and the console.
Soon, the children were enthusiastically playing different games, their excited shouts echoing throughout the house.
Flinx spent around 5,000 dollars on everything, including enough generator fuel to keep the devices running for a long time.
Thankfully, the console supported up to four players using four separate controllers. However, there were six children in total if Olivia’s brothers were included, forcing Flinx to establish a strict rotation system where each group could play for only an hour at a time.
Had he not imposed that rule, the children—including the two older boys—would likely have ended up fighting over the controllers.
Eventually, Flinx had to put his foot down and announce that it was time for everyone to rest. It was already eleven in the evening.
He did, however, promise them that they would be allowed to play much longer during the weekends.
Around midnight, Flinx’s fellow Earthlings finally returned.
He met them at the gathering area outside the five Galder’s Towers. Everyone looked exhausted, but more importantly, they all appeared deeply discouraged.
“What happened?” Flinx asked.
“Based on our experiences dungeon delving over the past few days and our calculations, it would probably take us an entire year just to gain a single class level,” Emil said grimly. “If we had to rely solely on ourselves to return to Earth, it could take decades.”
“That’s not absolute,” Oscar added. “Once we level up further, our leveling speed should improve as well, so saying it would take decades is probably an exaggeration. Still, it’s definitely going to take a long time.”
“The mana stones we’re earning also aren’t nearly as much as we originally imagined,” Samuel said sadly.
“The increased experience rate Flinx has is an enormous advantage,” Merlo added forlornly. “And because he can delve into the dungeon alone, all the loot belongs entirely to him. Compared to what he earns, what we’re making feels like pennies.”
“Thankfully, Flinx is willing to level up as quickly as possible,” Mark said, glancing at him. “Most likely, after a few months, he’ll reach the minimum level required for us to return to Earth.”
Flinx nodded in agreement.
“What we’re doing right now is unhealthy,” Paul said. “Now that we know rushing won’t accomplish anything, we need to slow down a little and regain some balance.”
From what Flinx could see, everyone agreed with the doctor’s assessment.
Because of that, the group decided to take several days to rest and recuperate.
Soon afterward, conversations about exploring the city of Ilioven began circulating among them. Those interested in starting businesses—which, in Flinx’s opinion, was little more than playing business simulator games in real life—planned to research various commercial opportunities throughout the city and determine what ventures could best utilize their System Shopping Sites.
Others intended to visit the Adventurer Guild to examine the missions posted on its boards. Some also planned to explore the Mage Guild.
At the very least, Flinx was glad his fellow Earthlings were finally beginning to think about actually living their lives instead of focusing solely on returning to Earth.
For most of them, going home remained their highest priority. However, as Paul had pointed out, there was no way to rush the process. As a result, everyone had finally started to calm down.
More than anything, it was time for them to begin healing.
Flinx suspected his fellow Earthlings would inevitably cause a certain amount of chaos in Ilioven, but he honestly did not care. In the grand scheme of things, the impact they would have on the city was unlikely to be significant.
Some of them eventually began asking Flinx about Olivia’s scented soap and scented candle business.
He did not hide anything from them and openly explained everything he knew.
He shared his reasoning for choosing those specific products, explained the prices of the soaps, candles, and loofahs, and detailed how much Olivia sold them for.
He also told them about several discoveries he had made regarding gold coins. Converting mana stones into gold coins was relatively easy, but converting gold coins back into mana stones was far more difficult.
For Flinx, the primary purpose of gold coins was paying for ordinary necessities such as rent, food, and part of the taxes he owed the guild.
In short, he explained to his fellow Earthlings that gold coins still held tremendous value for them. Establishing businesses capable of generating steady gold coin income would greatly improve their chances of surviving and thriving in the city of Ilioven.