Chapter 185: Fine Print

Words : 1285 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 185: Fine Print [INITIALIZING: AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM UPDATE...] The sound of CP vanishing filled the air. And Luca was pretty sure that if pain had a noise, it would be this. Now, you see, the little money grubber had accepted the damage of one million CP. In fact, he even accepted the damage of 150,000 CP because however he looked at it, they needed it. But then he was greeted by what seemed like a mandatory upgrade to Farmland II. Apparently, that farmland expansion came with a trade-off. Improvement in exchange for additional CP. Luca could just wonder what would’ve happened if he didn’t have spare funds after upgrading. Would they be locked out of using the farmlands until he could afford it? But thankfully, he had the funds and did not have to get to that point. Now, obviously, everyone who heard about the 20% increase in production and fertility rates nodded at the upgrade. And the bony elders were probably trying and definitely failing to make googly eyes at him considering the lack of actual eyeballs. It was 30,000 CP for the three farmlands. Acceptable, right? Right. It’s okay. Luca consoled himself because better farmlands meant more Star coins. And more Star coins meant a happier life. Everything is fine. But then he was punched in the gut by a sudden prompt from the left field. [PURCHASE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM UPDATE?] [COST: 200,000 CP] [YES] [NO] Luca felt cold. This was probably past the Five Stages of Financial Grief as he went through all of it only to end up numb to the expenses. If anything, all that the little chipmunk could do was look at everyone ominously and announce that, for the foreseeable future, no one was allowed to die. Not until they can farm more corruption. At 149,100 CP after this, and obviously, the possible costs arising from actually making the blueprints come to life, there was a very, very high possibility that he would be CP broke. And no CP meant no backups for Revive pills. The rest weren’t sure about how to respond, especially since only a few knew about how he actually had to use one. So, all they could do was nod as Luca pressed ’yes.’ His hands trembled, but he did it. And that was how they got to where they were. The Dungeon hummed as the newly purchased update activated. But unlike earlier, this was a rather silent update. But not for the once-still waters. From the depths of the expanding lakes and rivers, a change was taking place—one unseen by any of them. The waters began to stir, and beneath the surface, far beyond their reach, ancient chambers lined with crystalline frost began to crack. One by one, dark silhouettes stirred within their frozen containments. Their eyes flickered, dim at first, then glowing faintly as they began to break free. It seemed uneventful to everyone watching from above, but at this point, life was returning to the Dungeon’s waters. What had once been empty was now awakening. Then, the survivors began to move. The first creature emerged. A dark shape stirred just beneath the surface, its form sleek yet armored with shimmering scales. As it broke through the water, everyone instinctively tensed, prepared for an unknown threat—only for the creature to tilt its head, studying them curiously. A moment passed. "..." Then another. "..." The bony elders, watching from a safe distance, leaned forward as much as their skeletal bodies allowed. Ollie blinked. "...Is it staring at us?" The creature stared harder. From the recess of Luca’s consciousness, Sid remained vigilant at the sight of something he’d never seen before and wondered how to categorize these rather puny but slimy-looking creatures. But that wasn’t the only thing happening. Beneath the water, more shadows moved. Some larger, others small and nimble, forming a new ecosystem that wasn’t there before. Fish. They’ve got fish. But it seemed like everyone else wasn’t aware of what fish were like, while the elders seemed to be, yet were terrified. Why, of course, their fishes could gobble up beings! And who could guarantee that these weren’t the same species?! And that was when the problem started. As the waters stirred with the awakening of the newly emerged creatures, something else shifted—not in the physical landscape, but in the energy balance of the Dungeon. Luca felt it first. A sharp, almost hungry pull at the ambient spiritual energy, as if something unseen was siphoning it away. It wasn’t just the usual background fluctuations from the Dungeon expanding—it was deliberate, competitive. Then, the creatures reacted. The newly awakened aquatic beings stilled, their movements becoming almost synchronized like an entire ecosystem suddenly tuning into a frequency. The air itself grew thicker with energy, shifting between pockets of abundance and deprivation as different parts of the space competed for equilibrium. Jax immediately noticed. "I don’t think that’s normal." Ollie, who had been watching the creatures curiously, suddenly looked uneasy. "Brother, is it just me, or does it feel like the energy is pulsing?" Now, Ollie hasn’t trained for visual resonance and can only feel the changes, but if it was even apparent to someone like him, then what more for the others? Kyle, ever observant, frowned. "No... it’s being drawn unevenly." Duke Leander’s expression darkened. "They’re vying for energy." Luca’s mind raced. It wasn’t the creatures’ fault—they had just woken up in a new environment, and just like any newly introduced species, they were adjusting, fighting for survival. Like he did before. But if the energy flow wasn’t controlled... Then, everything else could be affected. But suddenly— The Energy Stabilizers activated. A soft hum resonated through the Dungeon as the 64 stabilizer pylons, previously dormant, came to life. Golden circuits flared, pulsing out steady waves of regulated energy. The moment the stabilizers fully engaged, the chaotic shifts in energy flow smoothed out. The creatures reacted instantly. Where before they had been tense, almost aggressive, they now relaxed, their movements shifting into something far more natural, fluid. Like they weren’t out to trample on each other anymore. The waters calmed. And the strange pull on spiritual energy faded—restoring the balance they initially took for granted. Butler Gary exhaled, feeling the pressure in the air settle. "Well... that was terrifying." And equally promising. Luca and Ollie looked at each other, and their senses tingled with the need to dismantle one like they did while studying. But obviously, it wasn’t going to happen with these installed pylons. What if they take one and destabilize an area randomly? Now, the beauty of having a blueprint is that you can readily see what you need and how the parts are supposed to connect with each other. But at the same time, the tragedy of having one meant knowing just how far off you are from affording it. Like right now. "My son, is it too bad?" Asked Duke Leander, who wasn’t sure how to interpret the blueprint, which had materials they hadn’t even seen before. For one, it wasn’t impossible. But the little money grubber had to look at his good brother to know because while he could tell how to handle the materials, he wasn’t sure about the market. The last time he tried assuming, he lost a lot of money, so now Luca hopes to hear from everyone else. "Brother, I’d have to check on these. I should know someone who knows someone who could get us that one who could probably hook us up with a few of these..." "But please make everyone promise not to arrest me?" "..." Ollie blinked. "..." Uhh. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that in front of one suspected Prince.

Chapter 185: Fine Print

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