Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 38: Melissa's Visit

Even though the arrival of the second prince and the landing of their troops is bad news, I decided not to be so taken by it as to lose all hope of winning.

So, If I want to win this war, what can I do? Well, the answer is...

Melissa: "...Rejected."

Miwen: "But... why?"

Melissa: "You can only land a single blow with that cloak before it loses its effect. Given their levels,I doubt you're capable of killing one of them with a single strike, and you wouldn't have the chance for a second one."

What I proposed to her was similar to the plan with the Angel Of The Night. But this time, I would try to infiltrate their ranks, and whenever possible, use the cloak to kill one of them.

I'd start with the Seven Rainbow Miracles, and then go for the second prince right after. By then, the third prince would probably retreat, but even if he didn't, within another night I would be capable of dealing with him.

Melissa: "What's more... having you interact with the second prince at all would be dangerous."

That's a fair point, given Normyu's level, even if my Gift was weakened, It's possible that it would be too overwhelming for us to deal with.

Maybe I am being a bit optimistic about it all after the last success, but if we don't make a move, our situation will only worsen. We can't afford to be passive at this time.

Miwen: "Do you have another suggestion then?"

I don't like pressuring her since Melissa already has a lot to deal with, but right now I don't see a better way out. It's true that the worst outcome results in utter disaster, but if it all works out, then victory would be assured.

Melissa: "...I do actually. Let me have a look at your Gift."

Miwen: "Hn? Haven't you seen plenty already? Both the items I bring and the girls are part of my Gift."

Melissa: "Sorry, I should have been more specific. Let me see your kingdom, please."

Oh, I see now. There are some risks with bringing someone to my kingdom, but there's no way I wouldn't trust Melissa after all this time.

Miwen: "I'm gonna have to register you as a [Citizen] though, is that alright with you?"

Melissa: "I'll treat it as a formality. Mia, you stay here. If I don't return, you can kill whatever comes out."

Mia: "...! Yes Mother!"

And here I thought they liked me at least one bit, the mother doesn't mind giving her daughter such an order, and Mia doesn't even flinch at the thought.

Well, if that's how it's gonna be, I might get back at them a little bit.

The moment Melissa accepts being my citizen, I allow her to enter the kingdom. I also follow close behind her, but a message stunts me for a second.

[Since you can now claim more than one hundred kingdom points, new buildings with special features have been unlocked. Please keep strengthening your kingdom.]

That was quite unexpected, but I'll check it later. For now, there's something I wanna test.

Melissa: "I see. Quite peaceful... or empty, would be a better word. I take it you've been living here without any problems?"

Miwen: "I come from another world, but ever since I began interacting with your world, this place became the only one I can travel to."

While Melissa looks at the scenery, I begin to take a look at her skills.

The first skill that catches my eye is her [Mark Of The Beast Lord], which I try to get for myself.

Sadly, my idea starts to show some cracks.

[The amount of kingdom points in your possession is not enough to share this skill at its level, the skill level is thus reduced to whatever level you can afford. Do you still want to proceed?]

I confirm it, and another window pops up, but before I can read it...

Melissa: "I'm sorry about that, I wanted to see the other world you came from. But tell me, that house looks quite similar to the ones we build, is that intentional?"

Miwen: "Yes, I believe it was unlocked when I saw the houses from your tribe..."

[The skill level surpasses that of the target citizen, the skill level is thus reduced. Do you still want to proceed?]

As if a repeating joke, after accepting these terms, another window pops up. But what Melissa says piques my interest, so I focus on her before seeing what's written on the newest screen.

Melissa: "I see, if that's the case... This might actually be perfect for what I had in mind."

Miwen: "What have you planned?"

Melissa: "I'll tell you at a later date. For now, can you bring the girls here? I'd like to ask them a few questions."

Miwen: "Alright, but it may take a while for them to come depending on what they are doing."

Melissa: "That's fine, I'm willing to wait a bit."

They usually come almost instantly whenever I call them, but since I already have a screen open, I'll first deal with it before calling the girls.

[The target citizen does not have the qualification to obtain this skill, thus the process is canceled.]

This should have been the first one you show!

Whatever, I'll just take something else.

But first I call the girls since there's no reason to keep Melissa waiting too long.

Claire: "Hey, you finished quite early today, how was it with your wolf girls ?"

Melissa: "I believe it was quite pleasant, although we are not finished yet."

Licia: "S-sorry... we weren't expecting any visits so we didn't bring anything. But if you want to we can-"

Melissa: "There's no need for it, I won't stay for long. You would help me quite a bit by answering some questions though."

Since the girls always bring me what I need from my home, I never thought of getting anything in this place, but it might be a good idea in the future.

Licia: "What do you want to know about?"

Melissa: "Mostly about how you're treated, and what he allows you to do. I'd also like to ask how you feel about him."

Licia: "W-well... about that..."

Her embarrassment speaks for itself, I guess I'll leave them be for a while.

Miwen: "If you prefer to talk about this in private, you can just enter the house. I think it would also be good for Melissa to see its interior."

Licia: "Can we please?"

Melissa: "You're asking me? I don't mind it."

And so the three of them went inside the house. Since it did feel like it would take a bit of time for them to finish, I started looking through Melissa's skills once again.

There's quite a lot in here, even one that seems to turn her berserk, which I don't think she even used during her fight.

Speaking of which, I don't think she even used her Gift. From what she told me before facing the Angel Of The Night, her Gift makes it so that she becomes stronger the further her health declines, but it works within a time limit, when her health is at its lowest, she gets the strongest buff, but it also stays for only 1 minute.

Hmm, from what I can see there's a bunch of things that would be useful, but there's one skill in particular that would help a bunch. Her [Ice Magic] has a higher level than I am currently, If I got it to myself, it would be a big boost. And since this is quite costly, it would be good to get it for Licia so that she doesn't have to spend points on it.

Both of us could get our magic to a higher level by training, but a jumpstart is always good. So yeah, I think I'm gonna go with this one, I'll later explain to Melissa what I did and ask for more skills, and if she shows resistance to the idea, I can make it part of the payment for the items I bring.

I also should not forget to claim my available kingdom points while Melissa is in here.

It basically doubled what I had previously, even though I had been saving up for a week by now.

And down the drain it goes, I had to spend almost everything just to get it at level 6, but I much rather spend kingdom points in it than anything else. These come easily after all.

Now. let me check that thing about the new buildings and whatnot.

[Quest Center

Allows [Citizens] to take on quests, these have often guaranteed drops.

Quests may vary depending on what creatures are currently living in the area.

Reward quality from quests may vary, even if they have the same requirements for completion.

Price: 1000 kingdom points.]

A thousand points? With Melissa in here, I'd have to save for 10 days straight to get it. I feel like my points are better spent sharing skills for now.

[Enhancement Facility

Allows special training for the [Citizens] which increases the speed at which they can learn and strengthen themselves.

Price: 5000 kingdom points.]

In comparison with the other one, this seems way more basic, and yet, the price is way higher. I'm guessing the effects must be worth it.

These two buildings sure are interesting. If I had enough points... I'd get Melissa's skills. But after that, I would go for these two.

It seems like the girls are taking their sweet time, so, there's another thing that I want to check, that being Melissa's loyalty.

I feel like we have a good relationship, and I have no fear of her betraying me, nor do I think she has any incentive to do so. Still, she keeps a lot of secrets from me, and it also seems like she has been planning something for quite a while now.

Looking at her loyalty, the bar is definitely in the green. It's a bit less than Claire's and Licia's, but that's to be expected. There's also the fact that she doesn't really see herself as part of my kingdom, so it might be affecting the results.

But wait, doesn't this mean that the girls probably don't see themselves as being part of a kingdom either?

It's a bit sad, but I can't even blame them. For now, this so-called kingdom consists of one house and three citizens. But everyone starts from somewhere right? I'll see to it that this becomes a great empire in the future.

Melissa: "Is it normal for him to daydream like this?"

Claire: "That's a first."

I didn't even notice them approaching while I was lying down in the grass. There's not much to do in this place, so I often lose myself in thought when I'm here. I guess this was just poor timing.

Miwen: "So, are you finished?"

Claire: "Yeah, we told her about how you overwork us and make us risk our lives in the dungeon. She said she'd protect us from now on, so we will be going with her, alright?"

Miwen: "Is that so? That's ok with me. I hope you like living on that icy island, with no movies and no one to cook for you..."

Claire: "Sorry, sorry, sorry! I was just kidding, right Licia?"

Licia: "Eh? But didn't you say that-."

Claire: "Must have been your imagination."

I'm glad they found someone they can talk about without having to hide anything. Back on Earth, I'm usually cautious about which information I let out, so all of us often have to restrict ourselves or outright lie.

It might be a bit hard for them, but it's not something I'm willing to change, after all, there are a lot of people who'd want to exploit me and my Gift if they knew everything it's capable of.

Melissa: "I have another question for you Miwen. Are you sure this place is truly safe?"

Miwen: "The fog is the only thing that might cause harm, I recommend not getting close to it. But yeah, outside of those I allow, there doesn't seem to be any other entity in here, so there's really nothing to worry about."

Melissa: "I see, then it's fine. So, how do I leave this place?"

Miwen: "Just focus on leaving, a popup will appear for me, if I accept it, you'll find yourself back in prison."

Melissa: "I see... I'll make a [Blood Contract] later so that you can't refuse when I wish to leave."

Miwen: "...? You don't need to waste your time with that, I have no intention of blocking you from coming and going."

This feels a bit strange, I thought we trusted each other more than that. And what would I even gain by kidnapping her? Well, if she wants to feel a little bit more safe or in control, then I guess it's fine.

Melissa: "I know. But I feel like it is necessary."

Letting her come and go as she pleases is something I was already gonna do either way, so if she insists, I'll sign that contract with her.

And so, after taking Melissa back home and teasing Mia about it, it was time for me to go back and end the day in my own kingdom/house.