DMS Chapter 149

Flinx was greatly relieved when the debuff caused by using the Wish spell to escape the Spatial Lock cast by the Torbal Slavers finally disappeared after six weeks of waiting. He was now back at his peak condition and could begin delving into the final floor of the Dungeon of Mara several times a day.

He had received the shop's earnings for the last two months, bringing his gold coin savings up to 32,000. He received 60 percent of the total earnings and gave the remaining 40 percent to Olivia so she would have the funds needed to support the household.

The Earthlings eventually realized that using their savings to purchase daily necessities from the System Shopping Site was causing their funds to steadily dwindle. Their spending rate simply wasn't equal to the rate at which they earned mana stones from dungeon delving.

Someone like Flinx, who could clear the final floor of the Dungeon of Mara alone, had no issues spending freely. The others, however, had to form groups of four, and delving the upper floors did not generate the amount of mana stones they had initially expected.

As a result, everyone agreed that it would be best to convert some of their mana stones into gold coins so they could hire servants to cook for them.

Olivia finally gave in to everyone's requests for additional help in the kitchen since Christopher alone could no longer meet the food requirements of the entire group. She hired four cooks and four assistants to help prepare and serve meals.

Fortunately, the amount of gold coins Olivia had to spend to provide food for more than twenty people remained well within the funds Flinx had allocated to her from the shop's earnings.

Based on Flinx's calculations, Olivia had received a total of 34,800 gold coins from the shop. Even after accounting for household expenses, including food and the wages of the newly hired servants, the total spending would not amount to much. She would still have substantial savings available for any business ventures she might decide to pursue.

Flinx also cast another Galder's Tower to house the cooks and servants. The first and second floors were designated as the kitchen and food storage areas, while the third and fourth floors served as living quarters for the staff.

The tower's design was intentionally simple to avoid confusing the newly hired servants. Their responsibilities were straightforward: prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for everyone and serve the meals in a large tent that had been erected outside the six existing towers.

Flinx conjured the servants' tower behind his own, and the cooks and servants told Olivia that they had never imagined they would live in such a magical place.

As for the trust funds Flinx had established for the four children, he added another 2,000 gold coins to each account. Their balances now stood at 5,000 gold coins apiece, which they would be able to access upon reaching adulthood.

Flinx decided to stop adding more funds. He felt that if the amount became excessively large, it might tempt someone to interfere with it. At the very least, he believed that 5,000 gold coins was not enough money to make anyone risk the wrath of an established magic caster such as himself.

After restocking the shop's inventory for the following month, Flinx's finances stood at 32,000 gold coins and 175,000 dollars in his System Shopping Site account. His mana stone savings remained untouched.

He still planned to purchase all the spells he had yet to acquire, but he decided to postpone doing so for the time being.

The only issue was that his fellow Earthlings had caused considerable commotion throughout the surrounding area. Not because they were cruel or troublesome, but because of their cars.

Almost all of them had purchased their own vehicles and regularly drove them through the streets of Ilioven.

The main problem, which even Mark failed to prevent, was that some of them had begun selling cars to locals for considerable amounts of mana stones. Admittedly, most of the buyers were government officials and high-ranking members of the Adventurer Guild.

Those who sold cars also entered agreements to provide fuel, creating an additional source of income that did not require them to open shops like Flinx had.

Concerned about the potential consequences, Flinx sought out Semanor, the Diamond Rank Shield Warrior who had administered his rank advancement test and issued his Diamond Rank guild card. He wanted to discuss the impact of the Earthlings selling cars to the citizens of Ilioven.

Semanor assured him that there was little reason for concern.

Since the cars were entirely mechanical and contained no trace of magic, powerful wizards had no particular interest in pursuing their secrets. Furthermore, because the vehicles were openly available for purchase, anyone interested in studying them could simply buy one and dismantle it.

The Earthlings had also been completely transparent about what they knew. Those who inquired learned that the Earthlings were not the inventors of the cars. They were merely consumers who had purchased the vehicles in their homeland and transported them using spatial items.

To ensure they remained welcome in Ilioven, all of them had voluntarily submitted to questioning under a truth spell regarding the location of their homeland.

Each of them consistently stated that they did not know where their homeland was located. The truth spell confirmed that they were telling the truth. They maintained that they had been transported to another world against their will and had no means of returning.

Mark and Paul, the oldest among them, were immensely relieved that Ilioven was a remarkably tolerant kingdom. The authorities treated them as unwilling visitors from a distant land and allowed them to remain without issue.

Thankfully, everyone had followed Flinx's advice to pay their taxes diligently. Doing so demonstrated their willingness to abide by local laws and regulations.

Another factor working in their favor was their relatively low earning potential within the dungeon compared to Flinx's.

If all twenty Earthlings possessed power comparable to his, their presence might have raised concerns. Instead, they were viewed as average adventurers seeking opportunities in Ilioven's dungeons.

As long as they continued paying their taxes and obeying local laws, they would remain welcome.

Over the last two months, they had finally accepted that their rate of gaining experience would be painfully slow.

Most of them had only earned three to four percent experience despite delving almost every day.

Flinx himself had gained a mere three percent, with two percent going toward his Cleric class and one percent toward his Wizard class. However, he had only delved a handful of times during the past several weeks.

The mana stones he earned during those expeditions were quickly spent on various purchases, including food from the franchises available through the System Shopping Site.

He had also purchased a second game console and a second television because Christopher, Ambrose, and the four children constantly argued over whose turn it was to play.

What Flinx and his fellow Earthlings did not realize was that their residence had developed a growing reputation throughout the area.

The seven towers, each possessing an otherworldly design, along with the pond and the numerous cars parked within the estate, had become a source of fascination.

The rumors began with stories shared by the cooks and servants, who eagerly described the wonders they witnessed every day.

One of their neighbors, having finally given up on complaining about the noise and activity, decided to sell their property.

Mark and several of the others purchased the adjacent estate. After cleaning and restoring the manor located there, the towers were now spread across three separate properties.

As a result, the entire compound appeared far less crowded than before.