Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil Red Storm Realm, Freedom Megapolis
"Wyatt!" she huffed. "Why did you set such high housing prices? Even the Freedom Fighters' finest don't have enough merits accumulated to buy a house in the top layer of the city!"
She gestured wildly as she continued, her frustration evident in her golden eyes.
"Most of the houses in the city mid-layer core and outer wall areas are still empty! Even the mid-layer's inner wall area and the core area of the bottom layer have plenty of vacancies! Not to mention the shops and commercial buildings—they're all empty! It's such a waste of space and resources!"
Dalie wasn't just complaining for the sake of it. As things stood, the Megapolis was a massive financial loss—not just for Wyatt, but for her too.
Her celestial array formation had lost a small piece of land where it could have buried meteorites or asteroids it caught. Sure, compared to the surface array of the entire realm, the area taken by the city was insignificant—but a loss was a loss.
After all, in a clothing shop, even a tiny, insignificant hole in a shirt could make customers refuse to buy it—some would even call out the shop for trying to sell damaged goods.
Wyatt, however, remained unbothered.
"If everything goes according to my plan, give it a month or two—you'll be complaining that the city is too small and that we need to expand," he said, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.
He didn't bother explaining his grand vision for Freedom Megapolis a futuristic metropolis that would rival that fictional city on Mars everyone back on Earth dreamed of living in.
"Forget about the city for now," he continued. "How far along are you in your study of the Dungeon Relocation Apparatus?"
"I've familiarized myself with the concept and principles behind how it works," Dalie said confidently, her tone brimming with pride. "With my understanding of the space rule, relocating even an SSS-rank dungeon wouldn't be hard for me."
She wasn't boasting—it was just a fact. After all, she was a Celestial Being, an Array Spirit, and a Daughter Gem hybrid.
Wyatt nodded, impressed but not surprised. "What about the Dungeon Summoning Apparatus I created by modifying the Dungeon Relocation Apparatus?" he asked, his voice genuinely hoping for a positive answer. As this was the key to jumpstarting the economy of the Freedom Megapolis, and he needed to know if it was ready. Updates are released by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
Dalie tilted her head, thinking for a moment before answering, "The concept and mechanics behind it make sense to me." Soon she dejectedly admitted, "But I'm still missing a few meanings of the space rule to pull it off completely. That said, no need to worry—I can compensate with my natural array formation to fill in the gaps." She straightened, confidence returning to her voice as she claimed, "So as long as you get me the coordinates, I'll be able to open a dungeon gate to connect the two realms. But the rank of the dungeon will still depend on the soul energy density of the other realm where the dungeon gate has connected my realm to—that part is beyond my control."
She wasn't making excuses—just being honest. Within a few months, she felt she could find and master space rule meanings she was missing to summon dungeons like the Card World but Wyatt didn't seem like the patient type, so she had to present him with the best possible alternative for now.
Wyatt's face lit up as he pulled her into a big bear hug.
"I knew you could do it! You're the best, Elder Sister," he praised her wholeheartedly. Meanwhile, his thoughts drifted—to Jill Norley. If he hadn't run into her, he wouldn't have figured out that the Dungeon Relocation Apparatus could be modified into a Dungeon Summoning Apparatus. He couldn't help but wonder what that curious but calculative woman was up to while father was busy building on the idea he stole from him. Dalie, clearly pleased with herself, pulled back slightly, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
"So?" she grinned. "Do you want to test it out?"
"How much resources do you need to set up the natural array formation to help you summon a dungeon?" Wyatt asked, his tone practical and measured.
He wasn't about to gamble away a fortune on something so unpredictable. The dungeon she summoned could be anywhere from E-rank to SSS-rank, and spending a ridiculous amount of resources just to end up with an E-rank dungeon would be a waste. He'd rather hold off until he found a way to tilt the odds in his favor.
Dalie's cheerful expression dimmed slightly. "A lot," she admitted, the smile fading from her face. For a Celestial to say "a lot", that alone painted a grim picture of how expensive this was going to be.
"Yeah… so let's not," Wyatt decided firmly. "I'll have Henricks scout the realms and find a location with SS or SSS-rank soul energy density. Once we have the right coordinates, you can use them to summon a high-level dungeon instead."
That was the best plan for now. But truth be told, he had no idea how much coordinates really mattered in dungeon summoning. They'd have to experiment a few times to find out, and he could already see his wealth dwindling in the near future.
Dalie nodded reluctantly, but Wyatt could tell she was blaming herself for not having a complete understanding of the space rule meanings yet. Just as he was about to reassure her, telling her it wasn't something she should worry about, a figure suddenly teleported into the room.
She had been hounding Dredre and Ceed nonstop, insisting that she needed to meet with Wyatt regarding the Empty Space Project. Originally, she and Wyatt were supposed to work on it together, but after her sudden betrayal and Wyatt's escape from the Yellow Plains, they never got the chance.
Now that the project was in its final stages, she figured a fresh perspective—especially Wyatt's unique eyes—might help her spot whatever she was missing.
And if all else failed, she was sure Wyatt could get Sansa to reveal how she had planned to assist with the project when she had approached them to take over the Freedom Fighters—back when Henricks was away and the World Leaders were knocking at their door.
One way or another, Luna believed wholeheartedly that the Empty Space Project would play a huge role in building Freedom Megapolis's economy.
Wyatt had to admit, when she framed it like that, it was worth hearing her out—especially since his own Dungeon Summoning plans using Dalie's celestial prowess had hit a few roadblocks and funding issues.
Luna hurriedly bowed to Dalie with utmost respect, but just as she was about to turn to Wyatt, she froze mid-motion—her body going rigid. Dalie suddenly spoke to her with a calm but piercing voice, asking, "Why does my brother hate you?"