Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 160: White Room

Once I finished my business with the Duke, I received a gerous proposal.

A little tour through the house, to get acquainted with the place, as well as with my new coworkers.

I wasn't particularly interested in any of them, but I made sure to remember the faces and roles of as many as possible, as well as how they reacted to my introduction.

Once that was finished, I asked Mei to prepare something in their kitch, and th I headed back to Isabella's room.

Waiting by the door to her room were two very familiar faces.

Miw: "Hm? What's this?"

Skuld: "I'm sorry... I couldn't resist."

Claire: "Miw! She ordered us to go away! Can you believe her?"

While one seemed dejected that she wasn't able to follow my orders perfectly, the other was simply infuriated.

After provoking Claire a little more, I took away the order Isabella had giv them.

The girl was making me pay quite a lot of Kingdom Points, but it wasn't the only resource she was draining from me.

Once I tered the room, I found a mess caused by a variety of new items such as dresses, vases, jewelry, and paintings.

This was clearly the result of her rolling on the gacha.

Betwe summoning beasts, spellbooks, and weapons, I was saving a few tickets for this Evt thinking that they could grant me an easy way out depding on what I found, but it was all wasted on superfluous stuff.

Thankfully she at least had ough sse to not waste the ultra-rare and uncommon ones.

Miw: "Since I've already finished with your family, I believe it's time we talk a little. Just the two of us."

Isabella: "...You're not angry that I've used your Gift?"

Miw: "Oh, so you recognized it?"

Isabella: "I only get 0.7 tickets per day. Uncommon tickets trade for 0 common ones and you had 6 of them, plus 0 common tickets. To get all that would take me two years at least. Considering the ultra-rare, I have no idea... maybe a decade wouldn't be ough..."

Interesting.

That number was a bit strange, so I decided to check my own Gift, and there I saw that I was now able to claim 7 tickets per day. The usual 70 from my level, and I could only assume the other was from hers.

That meant her version of [Gacha Kingdom Building] was 0x times weaker than mine in this aspect.

Isabella: "You earn more tickets, right? Or you at least have an alternative method of getting them."

Both of the statemts were correct.

Based on my age and race, she must've deduced that I couldn't have spt so much time claiming and saving tickets.

Quite simple reasoning, but solid theless.

Miw: "So the fact that my version is stronger made you realize who is in charge?"

Although her role had special permissions, she didn't have all of them abled.

For example, she was unable to ter and leave the Kingdom at her will, nor did she participate in the experice sharing.

However, I was able to toggle on the experice sharing for her if I wanted to.

Isabella: "...The [citizs] list to you without the need for orders. Either you ordered absolute obedice from them, or they follow you willingly. Since you didn't do the former to me, I can only assume it's the latter. There's also the fact that I cannot order you, and checking the hierarchy, you stand above me."

Ev though the answer was right in front of her, and I ev spelled it out as soon as we met, it must've be hard for her to accept it.

Which led to her searching every nook and cranny for something to contradict me.

In the d, it was useless though.

All she found was evidce that complied with my claims.

Isabella: "...You are the one I summoned so... are you going to make my wish come true? Can I use this power?"

I could see she was a little more afraid of me now.

If I had to guess, experimting with [Gacha Kingdom Building] made her realize that summoning me was thanks to [Darkest Star].

In which case, from her perspective, I must be at the very least bad luck, and worst case scario, I'm a whole catastrophe.

Ev th, she kept defiant and determined.

Had she summoned anything else, this might've be her d but... I suppose she got extremely lucky.

Just another coincidce to make us ev more similar, I suppose.

Miw: "I did come here to realize your wish. However, I can only help. You're the one who's going to have to work for it. As for my power, you can use it as you like. As long as you don't order my citizs."

I doubt I'll be able to make her happy without her cooperation.

To begin with, the initiative must come from her.

Isabella: "That's ough..."

She seemed satisfied, but from what I could tell, things were far from over for her.

Actually, from what I know from the game, her problems are just beginning.

And so, I knew I had to challge her notion a little more.

She seems to put all her trust in the single step she takes toward her goal, and while she got lucky with me, I could tell it was a recipe for disaster.

Miw: "Do you really think so?"

Isabella: "What?"

I pointed at the items scattered across the room.

Miw: "It's not going to work, you know?"

From what Claire told me, at the beginning of the game, Isabella is locked in this room due to a fine she has earned after an incidt with another lady.

Ev though the Duke and her brothers are all capable of paying for it they decided to use Isabella's allowance instead.

She'll be stuck in this place until her debt is settled. She can only leave once a day, usually for dinner.

This will last a month unless she manages to get ough affection points with one member of the family so that they pay the debt in her stead.

Although that's in the game, and the scario might go a bit offrail now that she has access to my Gift.

Still, no matter how mad she got at me for saying it, the fact is that this attempt of hers was destined to fail.

And once Albert, the middle child and the second older brother of Isabella tered the room, like a prophecy, my words came true.

Albert: "...I'll buy everything and deduct silver coins from your debt."

Isabella: "W-what do you mean? silver coins is too little. L-look, these are all fine..."

Miw: "You should take the offer you know? It's actually quite gerous."

Isabella: "What do you know?"

About vases, paintings.... dresses... not much.

I also had yet to learn about this world's economy, so I couldn't be sure how much silver coins were actually worth.

However, I did know that her debt was a 0 of them, so Albert was shaving off three days from her stce, which felt more like a good gesture.

Because the one thing I know about these things is that...

Miw: "Most of the value of these items depds on the brand, store, or reputation of their seller and craftsman. Ev if they are nice, wh someone with a trash reputation like yours is selling them, their prices drop a lot."

Trust sells. And no one was going to trust her.

Her name was actually damaging to the goods.

Isabella: "But... the jewels..."

Right. Those have some inhert value because... well, shiny rock sells for high price, I suppose.

And yet...

Miw: "Yeah they are worth a little more. But... Jewels sell for a high price, so you need a buyer, which might take time. Especially once they know you're the origin. I doubt the house of a Duke will sell or use fake ones either, so your family will have to authticate it, which has its own costs that won't be repaid until the jewel is sold."

Again, her reputation was bound to damage the value.

I understand that she thought she could get the same price as a store or a boutique, but there's an tire system in place that makes those prices what they are.

For an outsider tering the market, they'll have to accept less profit, at least in the beginning.

With all the hurdles and setbacks in mind, I thought Albert's proposal actually wasn't that bad.

Although I'm not too fond of his cold attitude toward her. He could've easily tak some time to explain these things, but it seems he doesn't like to say more than necessary.

Still, since she didn't have much of a choice, her brother and some knights took the items after they came to an agreemt.

Isabella: "I thought you were supposed to help me."

Miw: "Did I not? I told you it wasn't going to work. And you also learned something new today, so-"

She slapped me in the face.

It obviously didn't hurt me... but seeing her eyes filled with tears... was a little painful.

I didn't intd to mock her, but she didn't consult me beforehand nor did she list to me, so there was nothing I could do.

Still, I decided not to say more after this. It wasn't going to be productive.

She also had buried her face in the pillows, waiting for the time to pass.

However, Mei came with a few sweets for us.

Mei: "Master, I'm sorry for my tardiness. I have prepared the Swiss rolls that you like, as well as apple tarts and tea."

Although she says she was tardy, she actually worked incredibly fast.

Everything she brought also looked pretty good.

While her Gift does seem to help with her tasks, I can't take away any credit from her.

Isabella: "..."

And someone seemed rather interested.

Miw: "Do you want some?"

Isabella: "...What do you want in return?"

So virtuous. As expected from a noble.

Or perhaps she's worried since she's already in debt.

Miw: "Hm... next time, you list to me. How does that sound?"

Isabella: "...Fine."

She seemed rather thusiastic about eating, so I stepped away from the room to give her some space.

It also gave me the chance to talk a little with Claire while she was distracted.

Claire: "I think the coincidces are too much. She must be the Isabella from the game..."

Miw: "Right, I also think so..."

But that had its own implications.

To start with, that game was always strange, but...

Is the game based on this world... Or is this world based on the game?

I can see someone with a Gift that gives them insights or a vision into another world using it as inspiration or ev transcribing everything into a game.

Making a game also seems easier than making a world.

However, the presce of the First Daughter and her request makes me uncertain.

Whoever or whatever is behind the game and the Evt... if they have some relationship with the First Daughter, th they might be near her in terms of power.

In which case, I can't discard the possibility of them creating an tire world.

It sounds easier than messing with my Gift, to be honest.

Still, in this case, there wasn't much I could do from my d, so I decided to focus on something else.

Miw: "You didn't manage to progress too much in the story, right?"

Claire: "...Yeah. It's rather hard. In the game, she gets looked down upon because she doesn't have a Gift. Her only value to the family is through a political marriage but... She's a forsak child with that attitude, paired with her bad reputation..."

If Gifts are a blessing from the Gods, th, those who are Giftless must've be forsak.

According to the girls, they oft suffer discrimination. It's not on the same level as the demons who are persecuted, but they are at least harassed or excluded.

Of course, thanks to the Merchant and the First Daughter, I know that this whole thing is bullshit.

While it's true that they use their Divinity or Asdrea's knockoff to forcefully awak our Gifts, they are something that has always existed within us, unable to manifest alone due to... we being inferior beings, as the Merchant so kindly puts it.

The Gods also don't do it out of the goodness of their hearts. They stand to gain from it, so any exception is probably a miscalculation.

Sadly, aside from correcting this idea inside my Kingdom, there's not much I can do.

And thankfully, now Isabella has two Gifts, so we can take one problem off the table.

Miw: "We'll fix everything in time. I'm more concerned about the kidnapping you oft talk about. Do you have a date?"

Claire: "The game starts after her failed attempt at summoning a Devil to make a contract in exchange for power. She gets scolded, and th one week later, she gets kidnapped."

So that's what she was going for.

I hope I hav't missed my chance to play the Devil.

Still, she certainly has a thrilling life...

Miw: "Does the game say if she got what she wished for?"

Claire: "Well... Nothing was supposed to appear, so I think she did not."

But I think ev without the Devil, she actually managed to awak [Darkest Star]

It would at least be an explanation for her kidnapping.

However, I can't make any conclusions since Claire didn't manage to far ough in the story.

Still, this left me with two choices.

Either I could try to break the game scarios and hopefully lead her into a happy life, or... I could try to follow them as much as possible.