While the arena is under construction, we should probably redesign the interior of the dungeon. Currently, almost every room except for the production workshops, the kitchen, and the arsenal, are used as all-purpose rooms. The barracks are crowded, and the resources are not allocated efficiently.

“If we are going to change the dungeon to that extent, we should prioritize your throne room master.”

“Lilith… It is by no means a priority.”

“No, I cannot accept that. No way!”

Should she not be this vocal about her discontent to my will if I am her lord?

“We have to prioritize more vital tasks.”

“This is as vital as it gets. The throne room affects the reputation of the dungeon. It is at least as important as the barracks.”

“It is not like there's anyone coming into our dungeon from outside for us to show off our throne room to. Not like reputation matters to anyone. Also wasn't it you who told me that we are the only dungeon still standing? If we are ultimately alone then why does it matter? "

“Master… It is not only about the reputation of the dungeon for outsiders. It is about your reputation! You are our master. A great dungeon must have a great throne room.”

“Lilith, I understand your concern. But I am no king now. We have to prioritize the facilities, the throne room can wait.”

“Just, let me manage that please. I promise you it will not take up much of the laborforce.”

I guess this is her way of respecting the dungeon lord.

“Do you think the others would also consider this a priority?”

“Of course!”

“I see then, please take care of it. But I do not want other tasks to be pushed back because of the throne room project, understand?”

“Yes master.”

A faint smile appears on her face although she tries to hide it. These types of requests are not easy to deal with. I am not a king of a kingdom now: our dungeon is small. I can receive news from anyone with no need for such structured and fancy bureaucracy. Throne room is important when we establish diplomatic ties with other parties. However, so far the only ties we established are with our sole trade partner: a small village of goblins. I doubt we would lose their respect because we lack a big-enough throne room. Still, because Lilith insisted on it so much, I just yielded to her determination on this one. It will eventually come in handy anyway, or so I would like to believe.

For the resource allocation and facilities, limiting the number of all-purpose rooms and attaining specific tasks to rooms come first. Then comes the task to build houses to accommodate the entire population - barracks are just too shabby if I want to develop this dungeon. To this end, I asked around 1500 citizens to help with constructions and another 1500 to help with mining to expand the dungeon area. Considering that 500 of all residents of the New World excluding slimes are three fanged wolves and wargs, we have around 5500 worth of manpower. After allocating 3000 of that into construction and expansion, and with approximately 500 other collecting and identifying plants and herbs, I am left with around 2000 worth of manpower.

Well, then, let me move on to the next step: I want to build small outposts outside the cave inside the dungeon territory. With this, we will be able to procure resources like wood, plants, and meat much more easily. It seems like now is a good time to start laying their foundations. 400 people for each one will do.

And we are left with around 1200 people. Around 500 of those are in vital positions or have other tasks like cooking, creating an alphabet, or tailoring. I am left with a mere 700.

I will wait until the construction of the arena is complete to establish a proper military, so I will skip that option for now. The optimal choice feels like making the last 700 explorers.

I will have 300 of them to explore the outer world. I will call them the runners.

The other 400 will explore the underworld. They will be called the archeologists.

We are ignorant of the outer world beyond the borders of the map we received from the goblins. Runners will broaden our sights under the sun. Lilith said that the underground tunnels connect dungeons and underworld cities to each other. With no knowledge of the underworld, we will have to rely on archeologists. With these two teams of explorers, we are bound to develop.

We have not found an entrance to an underworld tunnel system yet. According to Lilith, the stronger the dungeon gets, the deeper it reaches. And the deeper it reaches, more tunnel systems it will connect to. So, if I am understanding this correctly, the tunnel systems have levels. As a dungeon gets stronger, it will have more connections, and connecting to deeper tunnel systems will take us to stronger dungeons more directly.

I am really curious about what we can find in the other dungeons - long forgotten, abandoned by their masters. Will there solely be a bunch of bones and remnants of what once were summoned as monsters, or will there be something worth discovering? Like loot. I hope it’s the latter. Otherwise I do not know what would come from all this preparation.