Chapter 78: New buisness
The room became quiet again.
Folami reached for the tea on the table but stopped when he realized it wasn’t his.
His grandfather watched him.
Then his expression changed.
There was something else.
Folami noticed immediately.
"What?"
His grandfather sighed.
"Tomorrow."
Folami waited.
"You will be meeting your fiancée."
Folami blinked once.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"The Oriyomi daughter."
"Adesewa."
"Right."
His grandfather studied his face.
"Do you remember what I told you about her?"
"Most of it."
"Most?"
"She’s twenty. Main branch. Good cultivation talent. Educated in the family businesses. Calm temperament."
His grandfather nodded.
"And beautiful."
Folami gave him a blank look.
"You already mentioned that."
"I mentioned it because it is relevant."
"How?"
His grandfather stared at him.
"You are going to marry her."
"I know."
"And you should at least know what she looks like."
Folami sighed.
"I’ve seen pictures."
"Pictures are not the same as meeting someone."
Folami leaned back.
"So tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."
"Where?"
"Her family has arranged a private meeting between the two of you."
Folami nodded.
His grandfather watched him carefully.
"You don’t seem bothered."
"I’m not."
"You aren’t excited either."
"I’m not."
The old man sighed.
"Folami."
"What?"
"She isn’t responsible for what happened between our families."
Folami’s expression didn’t change.
"I know."
"The marriage wasn’t her idea."
"I know."
"And she is apparently willing to make this work."
"I’ll treat her properly."
His grandfather looked relieved for half a second.
Then Folami continued.
"But I won’t pretend we’re already a married couple."
The old man sighed again.
"I didn’t ask you to."
"Good."
Folami stood.
His grandfather looked up.
"You’re leaving already?"
"You called me here to tell me I’m meeting my fiancée tomorrow."
"I also told you to recruit more talent."
"I heard that too."
Folami adjusted his clothing.
His grandfather shook his head.
"You’re remarkably indifferent about all of this."
Folami gave him a small smile.
"Would you prefer I panic?"
"No."
"Then we’re fine."
The old man couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Go."
Folami turned toward the door.
Then his grandfather called after him.
"Folami."
He stopped.
"Yes?"
"Take the meeting seriously."
Folami glanced over his shoulder.
"I will."
A pause.
"At least enough to remember her name."
His grandfather stared at him.
Folami smiled faintly.
Then walked out.
The old man watched him disappear through the doorway.
For a few moments, he remained silent.
Then he looked down at his untouched tea.
"That boy..."
He shook his head.
"At least he’s not angry."
Outside, Folami walked through the compound toward the gates.
Tomorrow.
He was finally going to meet the woman he was supposed to marry.
He couldn’t say he was looking forward to it.
But he couldn’t say he was dreading it either.
It was simply another thing waiting on his schedule.
And today, he still had four disciples to train.
...
The dungeon had changed.
Tolu knew that before he had even taken his second step.
The moment his body finished forming beside the dungeon’s core, he stood completely still, staring at the chamber around him.
For the first time since becoming a Dungeon Lord, he had entered his dungeon without physically walking through its entrance.
He had simply thought about it.
Focused on the connection.
And the dungeon had answered.
One moment he had been in Folami’s manor.
The next, he was here.
Tolu slowly turned in place.
The changes weren’t enormous.
Not yet.
But they were unmistakable.
The dungeon felt larger.
Not dramatically larger, but there were sections that hadn’t existed before. The passages connected more naturally now, and the earth itself seemed healthier. The faint glow that had always existed around the Dungeon Heart had spread farther into the surrounding stone.
Small veins of greenish energy ran through cracks in the walls like roots beneath soil.
Tolu crouched and placed his palm against the ground.
He could feel it.
The dungeon.
Not like a voice.
Not like another person.
Something deeper.
A connection.
He could sense the condition of the earth around him, the moisture in certain sections, the plants that had begun taking root, the creatures moving through the darker tunnels.
His awareness still had limits.
There were places he couldn’t clearly perceive.
But compared to before, it was like going from looking through a narrow window to standing inside the house.
"So this is what Level Two feels like."
He smiled.
Then he noticed something.
A cluster of plants had grown along the edge of one of the newly formed patches of fertile soil.
Tolu walked over.
They weren’t the same wild plants that had grown naturally in the dungeon before.
These had been deliberately cultivated.
His first real harvest.
He crouched beside them.
The plants were small, with slender green stems and three broad leaves arranged around each stalk. Tiny silver veins ran through the leaves, becoming more visible when the dungeon’s energy passed through them.
Tolu touched one carefully.
He immediately felt a faint warmth in his fingertips.
The Dungeon Heart’s knowledge surfaced in his mind.
**Emberleaf.**
Tolu smiled.
The name made sense.
When dried and brewed, Emberleaf could produce a mild warming effect throughout the body. It wasn’t powerful enough to be considered a high-grade cultivation herb, but it was useful for recovering from fatigue, easing the effects of cold environments, and making simple restorative medicines.
It was also common enough that adventurers and low-level cultivators regularly bought it.
"Not bad."
He moved farther into the garden.
Another plant caught his attention.
This one was shorter.
Its leaves were dark green, almost blue, and tiny droplets of clear liquid constantly formed along their edges.
**Clearroot.**
Tolu brushed the soil away from the base.
The roots were pale and translucent.
Clearroot could be used to make basic cleansing medicines and antidotes for weaker poisons.
It wasn’t rare.
It wasn’t valuable enough to make someone rich.
But it was useful.
And, more importantly, it was something people actually bought.
He continued.
A third plant grew beneath the shade of a broad-leafed tree.
Its flowers were tiny and white.
They gave off a faint sweet smell.
**Dreamgrass.**
Tolu stared at it.
That name sounded much more interesting.
The Heart’s knowledge explained that Dreamgrass could be used in low-grade sleeping medicines, calming mixtures, and certain meditation incense.
It wasn’t particularly powerful.
But cultivators who struggled to settle their minds after intense training often used it.
Tolu looked around.
Three useful plants.
Three products.
And they had cost him almost nothing beyond dungeon energy, soil, and time.
He carefully harvested the mature plants.
He didn’t pull everything from the ground.
That would defeat the purpose.
Instead, he removed only the portions that were ready.
The remaining roots and younger plants stayed behind.
If he handled the garden properly, it would continue producing.
That was what he wanted.
A source of income that didn’t disappear after one harvest.
He packed the herbs carefully.
Then he remembered the other resource the dungeon could produce.
Ore.
Tolu followed one of the darker tunnels until he reached a section where the stone had changed.
Small mineral veins crossed the walls.
He chipped away several pieces.
The first was ordinary iron-bearing stone.
Useful, but not especially valuable.
Then he found something different.
A dark grey mineral with tiny green specks scattered through it.
He examined it.
**Verdant Iron Ore.**
Tolu’s eyebrows rose.
It wasn’t exceptionally rare, but it was superior to ordinary iron when properly refined.
The green mineral impurities could hold a small amount of elemental energy, making weapons forged from it more receptive to reinforcement techniques.
Tolu broke off several pieces.
He stared at the small pile in his hands.
Herbs.
Ore.
Things that people needed.
Things he could produce.
And things he could potentially produce continuously.
His smile widened.
"Now we’re talking."
He spent the next hour harvesting only what was mature and collecting a modest amount of ore.
He didn’t want to strip the dungeon.
The whole point was to make the dungeon produce more tomorrow than it had today.
Eventually, he returned to the Dungeon Heart.
He looked at the crystal for several seconds.
"I’ll be back."
The familiar connection responded.
Tolu focused.
The world shifted.
And he disappeared.
---
Tolu returned to Folami’s manor with several carefully wrapped bundles.
He found Folami in one of the common rooms.
Folami looked up from what he was doing.
His eyes immediately went to the bundles.
"What are those?"
Tolu placed them on the table.
"Herbs."
Folami raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
Tolu unwrapped the first bundle.
"Emberleaf."
Another.
"Clearroot."
Another.
"Dreamgrass."
Then he placed several pieces of ore beside them.
"And some ore."
Folami leaned forward.
He picked up one of the herbs and examined it.
"Where did you get these?"
Tolu’s expression remained calm.
"Somewhere."
Folami stared at him.
Tolu stared back.
Folami eventually sighed.
"Fine."
He picked up another piece.
"The quality?"
"Good enough."
Folami examined it more closely.
"They’re not particularly high-grade."
"No."
"But they’re usable."
"Yes."
Folami placed the herb back down.
Tolu looked at him.
"Where’s the best place to sell them?"
Folami opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
An idea had apparently occurred to him.
He looked at the herbs again.
Then at Tolu.
Then at the ore.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
"Follow me."
Tolu frowned.
"Where?"
"The business district."
---
The business district was nothing like the streets surrounding Folami’s manor.
Large buildings lined the wide paved roads.
Merchants shouted from storefronts.
Cultivators walked past wearing expensive robes.
Carriages constantly moved through the streets, carrying goods between warehouses and shops.
Unlike the poorer parts of the city, nobody here looked as though they were worried about where their next meal was coming from.
Folami walked through the district without hesitation.
Tolu followed.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a three-story building.
It wasn’t the largest building on the street.
But it was clearly established.
The lower floor had large glass windows displaying various goods.
The upper floors appeared to be offices and storage rooms.
Folami opened the door.
Tolu followed him inside.
The place was empty.
No employees.
No customers.
Just shelves, counters, and a considerable amount of unused space.