“I really wish to see the sky inside the dungeon. You know, without needing to go out.” I said to Lilith, expecting some sort of response.

“Yes, that would be good. Some fresh air also would be nice.”

“Yeah, the ventilation here is not really good. I wish the ceiling did not exist and we could see the sky.”

Soon the shape of the cave started to change. It was as if the entire dungeon was as malleable as clay. The ceiling slowly disintegrated into particles, making way to a clear blue sky, stained with cotton white clouds.

“No fucking way.”

Lilith was mesmerized by what just happened while I was still trying to digest it. I wished for the dungeon to change shape, and it did just like that. This was much different than using magic. I did not create any blueprint. Nor did I have to pour my magic power into something. I simply wished a change and it happened.

Before I was forced to sacrifice my skills, I was able to create rooms via the panel. Perhaps this is how it worked. The panel only facilitated the changes I wished to make. Maybe I did not need it.

To test this theory, I decided to wish for a room. Nonetheless, no matter how much I imagined and delineated the boundaries of the room, the shape of it, how big it is, it did not come to existence. Maybe this was just a theme setting and not an actual change.

To test the theory again with another experiment, I decided to try and summon someone. However, no matter how much I tried using, the same sensation I had when I was summoning monsters, nothing happened. Indeed, my theory went to pot.

“Dungeons connect the outer world to another plane of existence. This is why no matter how much you mine outside and try to dig into the earth, you will not get into the dungeon. The only way to enter a dungeon is through one of the dungeon’s entrances or through the tunnel system. So even if you can see the sky here, it is not the same sky of the outer world.”

“What if we tried to exit the dungeon by digging?”

“The same thing would happen. You would not be able to get out.”

“So, is what you mean no matter how much we roam the skies here, we still will not be able to reach the outer world too? How is that even possible? There seems to be no end to this sky.”

“It is something like an illusion, probably. There is an end to the sky. You cannot fly as much as you want. You probably cleared the air using some sort of dungeon master powers that I am unaware of. And your desire to have sky inside the dungeon manifested itself like this. You can also probably cultivate some sort of plants inside the dungeon, but not all the plants from the outer world. This is the appearance, but the appearances are always deceiving.”

“I see. So, I really have to expand the cave city outside. Now that I think about it, I did not even give a name to this city. This will be our capital, Harren. The two outposts will be named later.”

I initiated two projects. The first one was the expansion of Harren towards outside the cave. In essence, I wanted to build a fort city that protected the cave entrance. The dungeon itself was very important as it functioned as my heart. Well, I felt like the rest of my territory was also a part of me. What felt like the ‘core’ of the dungeon was definitely inside the cave though. There was of course not a single entity which could be called the core, but it was the concentration of my miasma. The place I was born was probably marked with it. I could move it inside the cave, but I could not move it outside the cave. I had an instinct to protect that place, which could be used as a command center. When I stepped into there, I could feel my territory, but it was not with ease.

My miasma collected the information concerning the condition of my territory and what enters it and relayed that onto me as it passed through that point. However, it had its own limits. I was not able to understand what was going on at the edges of my territory. While I was able to receive information from around the core, I was not able to receive any information from anywhere close to borders. This was because miasma concentrated in the core, but as it approached the borders it decreased in concentration. This would also mean, unfortunately, that as I keep expanding my territory, I will not be able to receive any information about intruders from the borders. If a war breaks out, I will need to depend on my fellow people.

The second project was to add floors to the dungeon. The ceiling of the top floor was now removed and in its place was a vast sky. Below it, the mining projects went on. Since the cities outside the dungeon were going to be outdoors, I wanted the city inside the dungeon to be underground. This way, not only would it resemble a proper dungeon but also would require much less resources to build. What’s more, instead of requiring resources, building an underground city would help us get some as we will be essentially mining to build it.

As months passed by, the outposts came to final stages. We continued trading with the first goblin village. With the second goblin village, it was almost the time to collect the produce tax - It has been nearly six months since we captured the city, unofficially annexing it.

Elves now are much more comfortable with the monsters, and so are the monsters with the elves. Even Lilith is conversing with the elves as a part of her daily life from time to time. I would not expect anything so much akin to a close friendship, of course, keeping in mind the animosity accumulated for hundreds of years. Regardless, this is a great improvement in only half a year. The elves are low in numbers but are successful members of the New World. They sometimes visit the outposts to help dryads oversee farming and teach herding and husbandry. They are also fast learners as many of them learned a monster language to the extent of being able to hold daily conversations.

Echese scripture was also finalized, and we had an alphabet. However, the written system was a bit complicated, so I gave it back to our philologists for them to simplify it. I am not sure about the overall education level in this world, but simpler language is always better to convince people to learn it. Also, if a simpler script is possible to invent, it would mean less work to learn the language and more time to improve other critical skills. Our philologists are enthusiastic about languages and studied many monster languages to get a better grasp of the structure of different tongues. I hope their studies become effective in simplifying our language.

In the meantime, I ordered the cooks to experiment with any edible thing to broaden our cuisine. Eating slime or bland meat or herbs every day is just mentally tiring. I want to be able to sit down and adore the savory taste of my meal. They are working on new recipes; however, I must admit, it is not so easy with limited resources. That is why I asked undines to find and create water bodies inside the forest. Fishing is one efficient way to improve our cuisine. Dryads, on the other hand, are leading search parties of goblins and hobgoblins to collect vegetables and fruit seeds.

Also, many wargs and wolves mated, and many are pregnant. I do not know how long we have left until their gestation periods end, but it seems to be not too far into the future. Frankly, I am looking forward to being greeted by a a horde of puppies. What cuteness!

For three months we have not engaged in any sort of interaction with the other goblin villages inside the forest. We were still recovering from the last fight and since many wanted to become soldiers, I made it mandatory to join in daily trainings. However, tomorrow noon we are going to the second goblin village to collect dues. This time, some of the elves are also coming with us.