Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Chapter 701- First Grade Countries (2)

Chapter 701- First Grade Countries (2)

Besides Simon had witnessed the tower town develop with his own eyes, he considered it a part of the dungeon now. As such, he needed to find some other ways, some form of influence over the tower town to keep them in check.

Though that said, what could he do? Without any laws or regulations, the tower town has become a den of vice and lawlessness.

"It's as I thought, I need to have Maya gather more information about the guilds and individuals causing trouble in the town." Simon spoke, he glanced towards Jarred and ordered—

"Continue doing what you have been doing up until now and be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. Also, inform Maya to be cautious in her investigations. Tell her that her safety is the utmost priority, We don't want her to get caught up in any dangerous situations".

Even if the [Helpers] have received the Gift from the dungeon and were now able to monitor the adventurers more stealthily, they were nevertheless from a rare race that was coveted by everyone for their cores that was a treasure like no other.

Because of this, Simon didn't want Maya to get caught or reveal her existence while trying to do her best. The reason why the Forest Spring Spirits were able to live this long is by isolating themselves from the other races.

It would be disastrous for them who have started to get back on their feet once again, if the news about them existing in this dungeon gets leaked. It was not only them, even the dungeon would be in huge danger.

Simon already had enough things on his plate, he didn't want to deal with things that can be avoided.

Jarred understanding the gravity of the situation nodded his head "Of course, My lord. I'll pass on your instructions to her."

 After bowing his head, the boy exited the room, leaving an absentminded Simon. As he leaned on his seat and glanced out of the window, Simon's mind spun with possible solutions to resolve the situation of the tower town.

However, seeing that even after a while he couldn't come up with any suitable solutions, he decided to put it at the back of his head and focus on the other tasks at hand.

Since he cannot come up with a solution at the moment, he could only let time solve it for him. Maybe he will have some inspiration later on… that's how it had worked for him up until now after all.

Thinking so, Simon put his attention on the heaves of documents in front of him. All of these were reports of various activities, progress, petitions made by his subordinates and detailed the various things that occurred inside the dungeon on a day to day basis.

"No matter where you go, you can't escape paperwork I guess" Simon laughed bitterly staring at the stack of documents. Although he had created a system of organisation and communication, he was inadvertently unable to escape from the paperwork.

Irene did help him from time to time; however, she was busy with her own tasks—training the Valkyries, looking after the dungeon, directing the [Helpers], looking after Cecilia and so on.

It was not only her, everybody in Laplace was busy with their own tasks. Besides, Simon was already thankful that he only had to deal with the paperwork unlike his subordinates who have to collect all of their data and observations and compile it into a report.

And so, one by one, Simon started going through the documents.

"Hm? A petition to shift the orc floors above? This report came from the [Helpers] that were tasked to monitor the Diluvian High Orcs. It looks the request was made by Berigard himself. He wants to move the orcs floors to train the new orcs that have mutated from the Bloodtrap plant".

"Hmm… moving floors above requires a lot of DP and besides if they want to train, they always have the Elder Lizardmen floor or the training Floor for use. Rejected".

 "Next, understaffed—need more personnel. This must be a report from Coleus. I did send him a few Forest Spring Spirits to assist him but it looks like he needs more. As of this moment, I do not have any free personnel, so let's put it at the back".

Next, next… As Simon went through all the documents, he came across one that was made by Fey. It detailed about all the new Danger Zones, Hidden Chambers and traps she created. What's more, she even included the new plans and traps she had been working on.

After reviewing Fey's plans, Simon began jotting down his own improvements and ideas. They flowed effortlessly from his mind onto paper, merging seamlessly with Fey's concepts.

As the Dungeon Master, and previously as the game developer, when it came to aspects like these, Simon was quite good at it. And so, after reading Fey's plans he included his own improvements and ideas that he thought would help her.

.

.

Finally, after a long ardous hours of work, Simon sighed a deep breath of relief. He was finally done with the paperwork for today.

 Leaning back in his seat, he took a moment to reflect on all the activities and reports that he had gone through. As the Dungeon Master, he needed to stay multiple steps ahead of the adventurers and be prepared for any unexpected contingency.

And so as he was going through all of his thoughts for the day, when something that Jarred told him suddenly struck his mind. Recalling the report the latter gave him, he soon found out what it was.

"The guild named Blades of Ascension from the kingdom of Eldoria… it looks like even the First Grade Empires are starting to notice my dungeon" Simon muttered.

The name Kingdom of Eldoria wasn't all that unfamiliar to him, in fact, he had heard that name on one of his trips to the human kingdom. At that time, when Simon was forcefully dragged over to the capital of the kingdom of Ellesmere by a willful Adalinda, he tried to make the most out of the trip by learning about the human kingdoms and the Central Continent.

 From what he learned, the countries in the Central Continent seemed to be divided into three grades—First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade.

Third grade countries are the bottom ranking countries that are disconnected from the Main Land. The average level of people there are very low and they lacked the resources and influence of higher-grade nations.

The Second grade countries are countires who were able to grow out from their status as a Third grade country. Their lands have large deposits of mana crystal quarries which significantly contributed to their growth and development.

 These countries maintained cordial relationships with First Grade nations, and as a result, the average level of their people was notably higher than that of Third Grade countries.

 First Grade countries on the other hand were powerful and influential countries in the Central Continent. They are advanced nations, boasting immense territories, abundant resources, and a high concentration of powerful individuals.

These countries were considered the heart of the continent, and their presence dictated the balance of power among the nations. The average level of its inhabitants was significantly higher than that of Second or Third Grade countries.

The presence of powerful adventurers, knights, and mages was common, and they were well-respected and revered for their prowess in these countries.

Additionally to all of these, a country's grade in the Central Continent was also determined by the presence of remarkable individuals known as Rankers.

The title of Ranker was a prestigious recognition awarded by the Adventurer's Association to the crème de la crème of adventurers who had achieved unparalleled levels of strength, skill, and potential for growth.

In the entire Central Continent, there were only a handful of adventurers who had reached the realm of Rankers. These extraordinary individuals were revered and respected for their unparalleled prowess and abilities. Their very presence could elevate a country's standing and reputation.

A country with a notable number of Rankers held a considerable advantage over others, not only in terms of their adventurers but also in shaping the balance of power across the continent.

First Grade countries were characterized for having a substantial number of Rankers, showcasing their ability to produce and nurture exceptional talents. These elite adventurers played a crucial role in upholding the country's influence and power on the continent.

Second Grade countries, while not as abundant in Rankers as First Grade countries, still possessed one or two of these exceptional individuals. These few Rankers were enough to set them apart from Third Grade countries and elevate their standing.

The presence of even a single Ranker could significantly boost the country's reputation and signal its potential for growth and advancement.

On the other hand, Third Grade countries were at a disadvantage in terms of their absence of Rankers. However, if a Third Grade country managed to produce a Ranker, it would be a momentous achievement that could potentially lead to their promotion to a Second Grade country.

Countries like the Kingdom of Ellesmere, the Kingdom of Blackthorn, and the Ingolf Kingdom were classified as Third Grade countries due to their lack of Rankers. While they might have their own strengths and resources, the absence of these exceptional adventurers put them at a disadvantage when compared to higher-grade nations.

In contrast, empires like the Sanguine Empire belonged to the prestigious First Grade countries, boasting a considerable number of Rankers among their ranks