[CEO's Cheat Sheet]
Feasibility Study: An initial assessment to determine if a building project or business is viable and safe to execute.
Division of Labor: Breaking down a large job into smaller tasks assigned to specialists for maximum efficiency.
Ornn Coppervein paced back and forth inside the second-floor master bedroom. The stocky dwarf tapped the freezing stone walls with a small steel hammer, pried at the dusty floorboards, and snorted loudly every five seconds.
Stephanie sat calmly on the only unbroken wooden chair, observing her new A-Class employee conduct his initial feasibility study. Behind her, Revista loomed like a massive, deadly shadow, crossing his scarred arms over his broad chest while glaring down at the dwarf with absolute, unadulterated distaste.
"Rotten. It's all rotten!" Ornn exclaimed with a booming voice, kicking a cracked stone pillar. "The foundation of this castle is crying! Whatever half-witted architect built this place hundreds of years ago must have been drunk on goblin piss!"
Ornn then crouched down, thoroughly inspecting the Ondol heating trenches Revista had made the night before. The dwarf furrowed his thick red eyebrows.
"And this! This sub-floor hot steam system is a brilliant concept, but the execution?!" Ornn traced the jagged, ruined edges of the shattered stone. "These aren't axe or pickaxe carvings. What brainless brute smashed this solid granite with their bare fists?! It completely ruined the surrounding structural integrity!"
The room temperature suddenly spiked by a terrifying ten degrees. Revista's glowing red eyes narrowed sharply into slits, emitting a suffocating Tier 1 Abyssal murderous aura aimed directly at the dwarf's thick neck.
Ornn, whose head only reached Revista's waist, shivered violently. He turned his head slowly and gulped audibly at the sight of the silver-haired monster looking absolutely ready to tear him to bloody shreds.
Time to manage internal conflict, Stephanie thought casually.
"That would be the handiwork of my personal vanguard, Mr. Ornn," Stephanie interjected smoothly, raising a hand to soothe Revista before the monster could actually snap her new architect's neck. "It was a crude emergency solution to prevent us from freezing to death. But now that you are here, I expect everything to be built to flawless professional standards."
Ornn cleared his throat loudly, trying desperately to regain his dwarven dignity even though his stubby legs were trembling slightly. "V-Very well, Boss Lady. Flawless professional standards. But I can't build a palace out of thin air and good intentions! I need bricks, mortar, sturdy timber, and most importantly... manual labor."
Stephanie smiled. She pointed toward the heavy bedroom door. Titus and Rufus had just finished carrying the rest of the butchered wolf meat and were peeking inside with terrified faces.
Time for a proper division of labor.
"Those two giants are Titus and Rufus," Stephanie declared, her voice ringing with unquestionable authority. "From this exact second, their sweat belongs to you. Work them to the bone until this castle has intact walls and a proper kitchen to cook in."
The two thugs turned deathly pale as Ornn grinned widely, showing off his yellowish teeth.
"Two dumb, muscular giants? Perfect," Ornn laughed, patting his massive forging hammer. He turned back to Stephanie. "One more thing, Boss. It's clearly stated in my summoning profile. I don't accept common coins. Where's my daily pay?"
Stephanie had anticipated this. She casually opened the glowing System screen. Her remaining balance from the previous gacha pull was 74.5 WP.
[Purchasing: One Small Keg of Medium-Quality Wheat Ale]
[Price: 10 WP]
[Current Balance: 64.5 WP.]
A small, frosty wooden keg materialized instantly in the corner of the room. Ornn's eyes immediately sparkled like a child seeing candy. He ran over, popped the wooden lid off, and immediately chugged the golden drink straight from the heavy keg.
"Ahhh! Tastes decent enough for a frozen dump like this!" Ornn wiped his wet, foam-covered beard, his eyes now blazing with intense, workaholic enthusiasm. "Let's move, you two lazy thugs! We start by tearing down the west wall on the ground floor to expand the kitchen area!"
Ornn marched out of the room, yelling colorful dwarven curses at Titus and Rufus, who could only resign themselves to following their super-strict new foreman.
Once the room was completely quiet, Revista let out a soft, highly displeased snort. The massive man looked down at Stephanie, his handsome, scarred face looking distinctly sour.
"I could destroy that west wall in one second," Revista grumbled, his low voice vibrating with poorly hidden jealousy. "You don't need him. I can break stones for you."
Stephanie raised an elegant eyebrow, perfectly catching the jealous tone from the terrifying Cursed Prince. He was sulking because his position as her 'most useful asset' had been slightly threatened by a grumpy dwarf.
Stephanie stood up gracefully, turning to face him. She reached up, her cool fingers gently adjusting the collar of Revista's torn shirt, lingering softly against his incredibly hot skin.
"Destroying things is easy, Revista. But building a lasting empire requires specialized tools," Stephanie murmured. She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a soft, incredibly intimate whisper. "...Besides, if you're busy carrying dirty bricks all day, who will protect me and keep me warm when I sleep tonight?"
Revista's red eyes widened a fraction. A highly visible, faint red flush quickly spread across his ears and thick neck. He quickly looked away, stubbornly trying to hide his flustered expression, but his large, muscular arm reflexively wrapped around Stephanie's waist, pulling her flush against his burning chest in a loose but deeply possessive hold.
"I... understand," Revista muttered, his voice sounding entirely tamed and obedient.
Ding!
Suddenly, an incredibly loud System chime shattered the romantic tension. But this time it wasn't the usual glaring red emergency screen; it was a brilliantly glittering golden screen.
At the exact same time, the deafening sound of a massive explosion and Ornn's frantic scream echoed from the ground floor.
"BOSS!! LADY BOSS!! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Stephanie immediately rushed down the stone stairs to the ground floor, Revista trailing right behind her, his murderous aura instantly returning to protect her.
In the far corner of the castle's west wall that Ornn had just smashed with his giant hammer, the thick stone wall had crumbled away, revealing a massive, cavernous secret passage hidden deep behind the castle's ancient foundation.
However, it wasn't the dark passage that made the veteran dwarf scream.
Embedded thickly along the walls and ceiling of the secret passage were massive chunks of raw, unrefined crystals. They emitted a breathtaking, blindingly bright blue light, pulsing slowly and rhythmically as if the very earth itself were breathing.
[Ding! Exclusive Discovery Triggered!]
[Hidden Asset Found: Raw Mana Stone Vein.]
[Estimated Valuation: Infinite.]
Ornn slowly turned to Stephanie with his jaw hanging wide open, his heavy hammer nearly slipping from his trembling grasp.
"By the sacred forge of my ancestors..." Ornn gulped hard, his eyes wide with sheer disbelief. "Boss... you said this place was poor and bankrupt? You just ordered me to tear down a wall that was hiding the largest, purest raw Mana Stone mine I have ever seen in my entire life!"
Stephanie stared at the sea of glowing blue wealth. Her lips slowly curved upward, forming the terrifyingly brilliant smile of a CEO who had just found a literal trillion-dollar oil well in her own backyard.
"Hehh... It seems," Stephanie whispered, her eyes sparkling dangerously as they reflected the blue crystal light, "we have just struck our first absolute monopoly."
[Nymphaearoot the Author]: BOOM! Plot twist! Winterhaven, the so-called land of death, actually holds a treasure worth trillions! How will the capital nobles react when they find out Stephanie is sitting on a Mana mine? Don't forget to vote and comment!