Chapter 4: Creative Thinking Now Comes with a Price Tag

Chapter 4: Creative Thinking Now Comes with a Price Tag The large room on the first level, designated for the Lumber Yard, was no longer empty. Piles of rough stone and bleached bones, gathered from the dungeon’s depths, rose in haphazard mounds. Five skeletons, their bone frames gleaming faintly in the torchlight, stood idle amidst the piles, their initial task complete. Beyond the dungeon entrance, the sounds of saws and the faint creak of falling timber indicated the other skeletons were still diligently harvesting wood from the forest. Karl, observing the stillness of the dungeon-based gatherers, mentally shifted their assignments. No sense in wasted labor. The five idle skeletons turned as one, their empty eye sockets fixed on the dungeon entrance, then clattered off towards the forest to join their counterparts. Much later, the room was sufficiently filled. A System panel shimmered into existence: [ Lumber Yard: Raw Resource Requirements Met! ] [ 20x Wood Logs ] [ 10x Rough Stone ] [ 5x Bones ] Karl mentally reassigned five of the forest-bound skeletons back to "builders." They shuffled back into the room, their bony hands empty, awaiting instruction. Another panel appeared, its text a familiar, unwelcome surprise: [ Builders Needs Tools. (Hammers, Saw and Nails) ] Karl’s skeletal hand rose, a dry, rasping sound escaping his throat – the undead equivalent of a facepalm. "Ahhh... for f***’s sake, fine." He quickly opened the System Shop. His eye sockets scanned the "Tools" section. He selected 5 Hammers, 5 Saws, and 5 sets of Nails. The total: 180 NP. A faint, internal sigh accompanied the expenditure. He confirmed the purchase. With a soft pop, the tools materialized on the dusty stone floor in front of him: wooden handles, gleaming metal blades, and small, glinting piles of nails. The five builder skeletons, without a single command, stooped and picked up their assigned tools. Hammers were gripped, saws slung over bony shoulders, and small pouches of nails seemed to appear on their skeletal hips. They stood ready, awaiting the next order. Karl watched them, a new thought taking root in his strategic mind. This piecemeal acquisition of tools, the constant reassigning... inefficient. He pictured a central hub, a dedicated space where tools were stored, maintained, and assigned. A place for planning, for future expansions, for upgrades. Yes, a structure dedicated to building structures, maintenance, and such, as well as future expansions and upgrades. Each would have its own tools and could access the storages. Suddenly, a chime rang out, louder and more resonant than before. A new System notification, larger than the others, flared in his vision. [ You have created a new Custom Structure! ] [ ????️ Structure Name: Builder’s Yard ] [ Tier: Starter ] [ Type: Infrastructure / Construction ] [ ???? Description: ] [ The Builder’s Yard is the central hub for all manual and automated construction within the dungeon’s domain. It serves as the logistical and operational base for assembling structures, maintaining existing buildings, and planning expansions. While basic, it’s built to scale and can evolve alongside your growing industry. ] [ ????️ Functions: ] [ Construction Management: ] [ Allows the planning and execution of building projects. Construction orders are processed here, with teams deployed based on available tools and resources. ] [ Maintenance & Repairs: ] [ Handles upkeep checks and dispatches workers to perform manual fixes using stored spare parts and repair tools. ] [ Upgrade Installation: ] [ Stores blueprints and upgrade modules. Workers follow instructions to reinforce, improve, or expand existing buildings. ] [ Tool Depot: ] [ Contains racks of general tools like hammers, saws, spades, wheelbarrows, and tool belts. Workers automatically pick up assigned gear. ] [ Storage Access Point: ] [ Physically connected to nearby general and resource storage buildings via cart rails or hauling lines. ] [ Expansion Desk: ] [ A drafting table and board where new plots and layouts are planned. Accessible only by the overseer. ] [ ???? Starter Tool Inventory Includes: ] [ Wood-Handled Hammers ] [ Basic Measuring Ropes ] [ Crude Lifting Jacks ] [ Lumber Saws ] [ Iron Spades ] [ Repair Kits (nails, wooden planks, binding cord) ] [ Workshop Gloves and Hard Hats ] Another chime, and a new message: [ You earned +100 NP ] Karl’s eye sockets widened, a faint, almost imperceptible glow sparking within them. "Oooohhhh, very nice." A dry, satisfied chuckle rattled in his throat. "So it rewards me for creative suggestions." His mind raced, connecting this new discovery to his past life. Though that was quite obvious, if one played a realistic mode of workers and resources: Soviet Republic game, one would know, you would also need a distribution center, which is a logistics building, that distributes resources to a supply chain. It typically handles the delivery of resources from the storages to certain facilities. The System wasn’t just a game; it was a complex economic engine, waiting to be optimized. As Karl’s thought about distribution centers finished forming, another chime, even brighter than the last, resonated through the dungeon. [ Ding! You created a new Custom Structure! ] [ ???? Structure Name: Hauler’s Station ] [ Tier: Starter ] [ Type: Transport / Workforce Logistics ] [ Description: ] [ The Hauler’s Station is the central facility that manages transport units — carts, sleds, and skeletal haulers — across your dungeon and surrounding terrain. It organizes the workforce responsible for moving materials between buildings, ensures delivery priority, and streamlines the hauling routes for maximum efficiency. ] [ ???? Core Functions: ] [ Unit Assignment Center: ] [ Dispatches skeleton haulers or automated carts to collect and deliver goods based on system queue. ] [ Transport Route Manager: ] [ Optimizes resource routes between buildings. Reduces travel time and bottlenecks in production. ] [ Maintenance Garage: ] [ Stores and repairs carts, pulleys, crates, and other transport equipment. ] [ Workforce Resting Area: ] [ Where idle hauler skeletons "wait" until assigned tasks (visually: benches with skeletons slumped over like tired workers). ] [ Job Priority Board: ] [ Set high/low priorities — for example: "Move metal before food," or "Deliver trade goods first." ] [ ????️ Starter Equipment Stored: ] [ Wooden Pull Carts ] [ Rope Harnesses ] [ Crate Covers and Fasteners ] [ Grease Buckets (for wheels) ] [ Skeleton Gloves (leather, mostly aesthetic) ] [ ???? System Features: ] [ Hauler Queue Overview: ] [ Visual UI of who’s carrying what, to where, and when it’ll arrive. ] [ Auto-Restock Toggle: ] [ Automatically keeps specific workshops or buildings stocked with chosen resources. ] [ Dead Route Detector: ] [ Flags inefficient or inactive transport lines for rerouting or deletion. ] And with it, another reward notification: [ You earned +150 NP ] Karl’s skull tilted back, a wide, dry smirk stretching across his jaw. Huh, so I guess if I make something out of my own idea, then I’m rewarded. The higher NP gain for the Hauler’s Station compared to the Builder’s Yard didn’t escape him. And since it increased the reward, the rewards varied on its importance. Interesting, very interesting. The System wasn’t just reacting; it was evaluating the strategic value of his designs. This was more than just a game; it was a partnership, albeit one with an unfeeling, text-based interface. The rhythmic thwack-thwack of hammers and the rasp of saws filled the large room. The five builder skeletons, now properly equipped, moved with a surprising, if still somewhat clumsy, efficiency. Before Karl knew it, the transparent outline of the Lumber Yard solidified, its wooden beams and stone foundations snapping into place with a faint magical hum. [ Lumber Yard Construction finished +20 NP ] "Nice," Karl murmured, a rare sound of satisfaction escaping him. Another panel appeared, detailing the builders’ new status. [ 5 Minions Gained Profession: Noob Builder. ] [ 5 Minions gained +200 EXP ] Above the relevant skeletons’ heads, a small, glowing UI element materialized: [ Level 2 ]. Karl’s eye sockets widened slightly. His minions were leveling up. He watched them, a flicker of approval in his empty gaze. A new prompt appeared, directing his attention to the newly built Lumber Yard: [ Please Assign Workers. ][ Lumberjack 0/4 ][ Process Workers 0/2 ] Karl looked at the five skeletons, now standing idly in the corner of the completed Lumber Yard. He mentally assigned four of them to "Lumberjack" and one to "Process Worker." That left one Process Worker slot open. He summoned another skeleton, the familiar purple glow and mana drain accompanying its appearance. He assigned it to the remaining "Process Worker" slot. A familiar System prompt, a slight annoyance, appeared. [ Lumber Yard: Assign Resource Zone ] Karl sighed, a dry, almost inaudible exhalation. He opened the map and tapped the forest outside as the resource zone. The newly assigned lumberjacks, now equipped with saws, clattered off towards the dungeon entrance, their purpose clear. Now, his plans turned to the skeletons who had just gained the "Noob Builder" profession. He mentally pictured building the Builder’s Yard next, right beside the operational Lumber Yard. To his surprise, the builders, without a direct command, automatically assigned themselves to the task, their hammers already tapping against the stone where the new outline would be. Maybe it learns, or maybe the Level 2 is different, Karl thought, a faint, dry chuckle rattling in his chest. That’s what every boss likes about their employee: the initiative. Not the egotistical ones anyway, they hate initiative employees, it doesn’t feed their ego. Karl’s skeletal face seemed to sneer, a ghost of his old corporate personality lingering. The undead workforce was already proving more efficient than some of his past human teams.