[CEO's Cheat Sheet]
ROI (Return on Investment): A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment.
Basic Infrastructure: The fundamental physical facilities and systems required for an operation to function.
Asset Depreciation: The decrease in the value or quality of an asset over time.
Warm. Incredibly warm.
Amidst a room temperature that had plummeted to minus twenty-five degrees Celsius, Stephanie felt as if she were lounging in front of a luxurious fireplace. The scent of blood and sweat emanated from the broad chest of the man who was possessively hugging her waist.
"Revista…," Stephanie called out softly.
The man's large hand only tightened its grip, burying his face in Stephanie's hair. A low, heavy, purr-like snore rumbled from his chest, exactly like a massive wolf that had finally found its most comfortable spot.
However, Stephanie's CEO instincts immediately shattered the cozy moment. She glanced at the hall floor.
Vespera had already fainted, her lips turning blue. Titus and Rufus huddled together, shivering violently and barely breathing.
If they die now, the ROI on the effort it took to drag them here drops to an absolute zero, Stephanie thought, her analytical mind whirring. Employees are foundational assets. Letting them freeze to death before their first shift is an unacceptable depreciation of value.
"Revista, loosen your grip for a second," Stephanie patted the man's muscular arm. "We need to move. Bring all three of them to the second floor."
Revista let out a displeased growl. His red eyes glared sharply at the three miserable humans on the floor with pure, unadulterated hostility. To Revista, sharing his warmth with these weak creatures was a profound insult.
"They are my people now, Revista. And you know I hate it when my investments get damaged," Stephanie said in a commanding tone, yet she astutely reached up to trace his jawline to soothe him.
The gentle touch worked like magic. Revista scoffed in annoyance, the murderous intent in his eyes dimming.
With extreme reluctance, the silver-haired man bent down. Using just one hand, he grabbed Titus and Rufus by their thick collars, dragging the two hulking thugs as if they were light sacks of flour. He then unceremoniously threw the unconscious Vespera over his broad shoulder.
All the while, Revista's free arm remained wrapped securely around Stephanie's waist, ensuring the woman's body stayed pressed against his radiating heat as they ascended the dark stone stairs.
They arrived at the master bedroom on the second floor. The roof was still intact, though the floor was covered in a thick layer of dust and frost.
Revista tossed his three captives into the corner of the room. Vespera groaned softly from the impact, but at least she was still breathing.
"Enough, thank you," Stephanie nodded. She pulled away briefly from Revista's embrace, ignoring the man's protesting growl, and opened her system screen.
Time to build basic infrastructure.
[Activating Ondol Heating System Blueprint (Basic)...]
In an instant, bright blue holographic lines materialized from the screen, projecting a grid pattern and complex ducts directly onto the stone floor of the room.
Stephanie turned to her 'SSS-Class Asset'. "Revista. Do you see the glowing blue lines on this floor? Strike the stone exactly on those lines. Make the trenches a hand-span deep."
Revista stared at the floor, then looked at Stephanie with furrowed brows. As a Crown Prince feared across the continent for his destructive power, he had certainly never been ordered to work as a construction laborer.
"Do it," Stephanie ordered casually, a sly smirk playing on her lips, "and I'll let you hold me again until morning."
Revista's red eyes instantly gleamed with predatory motivation.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Using only his bare fists, Revista smashed the hard stone floor as if he were slicing through soft tofu. Chunks of rock went flying. In less than five minutes, neat trenches were formed perfectly, following Stephanie's precise holographic lines.
Titus and Rufus, who were just regaining half their consciousness due to the deafening sound of exploding rocks, could only gape at the monster's ridiculous physical strength.
Stephanie gathered the dry wood collected earlier and arranged it at the main hearth point near the wall. She also threw in one Frozen Magic Core from the wolves they had killed earlier.
"Light it," Stephanie pointed at the pile of wood.
Revista only needed to touch the timber. His incredibly high body temperature, combined with a slight abyssal magical residue on his hands, instantly sparked a massive blaze. The fire caught the Magic Core, sending a rush of hot, magical smoke surging through all the ducts beneath the stone floor of the room.
The floor slowly grew warm. The room temperature began to rise rapidly, driving away the freezing fog and replacing it with a comforting, toasty heat.
[Ding! Infrastructure: Basic Ondol (Level 1) successfully built!]
[Employee Happiness Index has increased drastically!]
Titus and Rufus crawled toward the warm floor, practically crying tears of joy. They looked at Stephanie as if she were a goddess of salvation descending from the heavens.
That night, the Winter Tide blizzard raged outside, threatening to bury the world in ice, but the master bedroom was as warm as spring. Stephanie slept soundly, leaning against Revista's broad chest as the cursed prince guarded her vigilantly throughout the night.
The next morning.
Pale sunlight pierced through the dirty windows. The blizzard had subsided.
Stephanie opened her eyes. She felt refreshed, her body perfectly rested. However, her relaxed smile instantly faded when a glaring red screen blinked aggressively in front of her face.
[Critical Warning Phase 2!]
[Infrastructure Status: Stable. Food Status: Critical.]
[Territory Food Supply: 0%.]
[Warning: Your employees (Titus, Rufus, Vespera) will begin starving to death in 24 hours. Employee deaths will lower the Happiness Index, triggering a severe pain penalty for the Host.]
Stephanie rose slowly, slipping out of the sleeping Revista's embrace. She walked to the window, staring at the expanse of white snow covering all of Winterhaven as far as the eye could see. The ground was frozen hard as iron, devoid of any life.
She let out a long, tired sigh.
"The heating infrastructure is done," she muttered, her brain already spinning at maximum capacity to devise a new strategy. "Now... how exactly does a CEO farm on solid ice?"
[Nymphaearoot the Author]: The heater is on, and the employees survived the freeze! But the problems don't stop there. How will Stephanie feed all of them with no money and no fertile soil? Guess in the comments!