A shared bath with the (formerly) opposite sex is not that difficult. All you have to do is hide your embarrassment. In which I do a terrible job. Chloe, in particular, has found her pleasure in teasing me.

"The strong Victoria of the High Mountain won't be shy at all, will she?"

Paula is just shaking her head in amusement. I don't think she's going to be much help. And Isgard isn't exactly helping either. She gives Chloe a dirty look, but she doesn't say anything else, just helps me wash my back in silence.

In the meantime, I'll try not to stare at Chloe's breasts. So, distract me by wiping my own with a damp cloth. This isn't exactly what I had in mind. Shouldn't it be like heaven when a man sees his new feminine body naked for the first time?

And all I'm doing here is trying not to seem like a pervert. I'm not confident enough to keep eye contact with the others. That's why I concentrate on myself. And even then, I'm more like a machine. I do not intend to touch myself in front of the others. So, I try a little too hard to control my movements...

After what felt like an eternity. We put our clothes back on and sat around the campfire. We definitely need a change of clothes. We've only been wearing these for a day, so it's not that bad. But in the long run, it doesn't work that way.

I will probably have to make some improvements in the living area regarding gender separation. The question is how I will manage it at all with an increasing population. Should I instead establish a village in front of the cave?

After all, I do not intend to lure adventurers to their doom like a normal dungeon. There are other safer ways to earn biomass and equipment. And just hiding is not my style. At the latest, when we start planting fields, it would be extremely suspicious if there were no houses here.

The others talk casually, so I try to ignore them. It's time for some dungeon stuff. I should have enough mana and biomass available.

So, Create Life!

Choose a category: Administration, Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Health, Industry, Justice, Military

Okay, I wasn't expecting this. I have several categories here, and each of them has a myriad of possible professions to choose from. I almost wish I didn't have a choice. At least it would be easier that way.

In this case, I'm gonna have to be logical about this. Why else did I play all those real-time strategies and city-building games in the past? Food is not an immediate problem. Usually, you start with building materials.

Although I have stone available in infinite quantities. However, I am the only one who can really do something with it. And whether I want to make weapons, tools or furniture, all of it requires wood.

The only problem is that the next forest is about an hour's walk away. So, to transport the wood here, I would need a cart. Which is also made of wood. So, I'll start with a lumberjack. I'll have to accompany him tomorrow and make the cart locally.

So, I'll choose lumberjack as the profession. The gender is fixed to male. Is it because of the job, or is the system trying to maintain a balance? I'll see about that next time.

The cost of biomass has increased significantly compared to goblins. While the goblins only needed 35 kg, I need 52 kilograms for the dwarf. Mana costs have doubled from 50 to 100, and instead of 5 minutes, I now need 8 hours. Besides, it seems that I am only able to create dwarfs.

At this cost, I should be able to create 10 dwarfs before I run out of biomass. But before I can do that, I have to create a stable food supply anyway. And then I also have a reliable source of biomass. The only question is whether grains or fruits also count as biomass.

Since it is already late, we are all going to bed. We decide that we don't have to post a guard. Since every intruder must pass through the Hidden Door. And even if someone finds it, we would hear it if someone opened it.

And as it turns out, sleeping is a very strange thing for me. My body needs sleep, but the dungeon does not. At least now I don't have to worry about the mana I regenerate at night. Since I only have a shared mana pool, I can make improvements to our living situation all night long.

The next morning, I finished two separate bathrooms and toilets. Additionally, three more bedrooms. So, I have now a total of 12 bunks in the cave. But I still have to improve the mattress situation a bit. With the pelts, it is better than nothing. But it is still a hard sleeping place.

Maybe I can take dry grass? But the grass in front of the cave was not very high. I guess it is spring now and it will take a while until it grows further.

I also extended my territory in front of the cave. I could erect stone buildings or something similar there now. But it is still too early for that.

My new dwarf is already ready too. And I have also started to create another lumberjack. This time it's a woman. So, the sex is always alternating? It's interesting that women need 10 kg less biomass. Which makes perfect sense.

My new lumberjack has light grey hair and is as tall as Siegward. However, he looks a bit more muscular. And his beard is fuller, too. Just as you would imagine a real dwarf.

Chloe and Paula are only slightly surprised by the presence of a new dwarf. They seem to be getting used to the fact that strange things keep happening. But that doesn't stop Chloe from questioning my intentions.

"So, what's your plan for the future? Are you raising an army now?"

"An army? I was thinking more of a village. You said the land here is unclaimed. So that shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

Chloe frowned when she thought about what she'd heard. So, I turn to Paula because she's usually more reasonable.

"Can I bother you two to go hunting? Birds would be best. I would like to make more arrows. Your supply is pretty limited at the moment, and who knows when we might need them."

"We can do that, fresh meat tastes better than the rations we carry anyway... But can you send Isgard along with us? The goblin nest here is defeated, but the Wildlands are still dangerous. And we usually only travel in groups."

"Yes, that's no problem. We'll be staying here for a few more days, by the way. I have a few things to prepare. However, I'd like to go to town soon. As you said yesterday, I should visit the temple. Maybe I can uncover some mysteries..."

Their eyes light up at the mention of the town. They'd probably go back sooner rather than later. But while I have no intention of harming them, I still have to make sure that they don't talk about the dungeon.

"What I wanted to ask you. Would it be possible to hire you two? As adventurers, that's what you do for a living anyway. How about 30 coppers a day? Room and board included.

Paula looks at Chloe, and after a short hesitation, she nods. Which only means that she agrees with the idea.

"40 coppers a day."

"35, and you may redeem the bounties with the Guild yourself. I can also help you repair your equipment. That should save you some money, too."

"It's a deal."

"You've learned to haggle. From now on, it will be easier for you to negotiate a price."

There's a skill to everything, right? Not that I'm complaining about it. Life is so much easier when you can put everything into numbers.

After a not very impressive breakfast, we'll be on our way. Isgard will accompany the two girls on the hunt. And I go together with Siegward and our lumberjack to the nearest forest. On the way there, I use my earth magic to compact the ground. That way, it should be easier for us to push the (future) cart.

I notice that I don't need much mana for that. Even if I have to do the same thing again on the way back. Since the others would have had to wait for me otherwise.

Apparently, I need much less mana for rough work than for precise work. Is this perhaps mainly due to the concentration required? I will have to explore the whole thing more closely. But at the moment I take everything as I can get it. There will be enough time for experiments later.

In the town, I will have to buy tools. Or at least iron. Our stone axes do their job, but they are not comparable to a real axe. Who would have thought that creating a village from nothing would be so much work? At least I have the possibility to get some money. Otherwise, it would be really hard.