He should also check the [Room] tab to see what those upgrades were as well.
While deciding what to do next, he also decided to skim through the rest of the [Hearth Market] Interface.
There was a [Special] Tab, and he was quick to be distracted by what was available to him.
It was something called Sprites. "Sprites?" he said out loud and, on cue, Pang excitedly jumped on his head. "Sprites! Sprites!"
"Are they so good?"
"Well, they’re helpful," he said. "They’re like additional functions all on their own, but adjustable. Only the two of us could see and order them around, though."
Interesting , he thought, and immediately opened the interface.
[Plant Sprite]
[Information: Sprite in-charge of plant health within the territory. Adds an additional 10-50% increase in plant health and survivability, depending on mood. Can work on any plant, but have increased synergy with plants growing on the Gardens.
Cost: 1000 Hearth Points upfront, 10 Hearth Points per day]
[Cleaning Sprite]
[Information: Sprite in-charge of cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces of the territory. Known to lessen chances of infections.
Cost: 1000 Hearth Points upfront, 10 Hearth Points per day]
[Thrower Sprite]
[Information: Sprite in-charge of helping defend the walls. Can create tiny spears made of mana to attack enemies outside or within the territory. Damage of each spear is limited for enemies beyond the Awakened level. Attacking rate: One (1) attack per minute - prioritize against the enemy causing the greatest damage regardless of level.
Cost: 1000 Hearth Points upfront, 10 Hearth Points per day]
This was to say, if the enemy was a toughened level monster, they might not feel its effects, but oh well.
[Blessing Sprite]
[Information: Sprite who could bless guests with random buffs.
Buff Rate: One (1) buff per hour.
Priority buff: Innkeeper > Staff > Guests.
Cost: 2000 Hearth Points upfront, 20 Hearth Points per day, Per-use costs not included]
No wonder Pang was so excited. Plus, the consumption was all in Hearth Points, so they were relatively easy to maintain as long as he had customers. After his deals with the Guild, customers were pretty much a guarantee now!
And now that he didn’t lack money...splurge!
[Hired! Plant Sprite! -1000 Hearth Points]
[Hired! Cleaning Sprite! -1000 Hearth Points]
[Hired! Thrower Sprite! -1000 Hearth Points]
[Hired! Blessing Sprite! -2000 Hearth Points]
A magic circle appeared in front of him and floating bright lights of different colors appeared. Finn gaped in amazement, heart beating with anticipation as the lights soon congealed to a few forms, though it got too bright, he had to turn away slightly until things calmed.
Soon, he saw the light condensed into a form that looked chubbier and more colorful, and pudgy versions of gingerbread men. They were very cute, only as big as his palm, and seemed much more obedient than a certain fluffy spirit.
’Puru! Puru!’
They squealed, jumping in place. Seriously cute.
He watched as one of the little ones toddled to the nearest plant, and he could feel the air change a bit as it hugged the plant.
Finn’s sharper eyes and, with the help of his [Farming] skills, he found out that the plant sprite ’buffs’ the plants!
With this, not only did the plants here have extra essence just by being near the portal, but they also had the effects of the [Garden], and now they had the blessing of a plant sprite! There was no way the plants wouldn’t flourish!
Speaking of this, this was the perfect time to plant more in his new [Gardens]!
The territory multiplied in size and expanded relatively proportionally with the inn at its center. When it expanded, the monsters pounding on the barrier were pushed back, though the adventurers were mostly resting at the time.
Waking up now, they realized that the monsters were much farther away, which confused them. However, they adjusted quickly and were now fighting against them using the much larger barrier.
The adventurers would often look in his direction in curiosity, though all he could see was him bonding with the mysterious fluffy creature.
"Did the area of the barrier increase?" someone asked. He was one of the people who woke up later today. He was lucky to have gotten a room, and it was so incredibly comfortable in there!
He felt like he was sleeping on a cloud, unwilling to wake up again.
He was woken up by his roommate at some point, telling him that a single night of stay was worth a few cores, so he better not waste the resources the guild invested in them.
"Shi.. you’re right!" another late waker said (though to be fair, he was busy with his breakfast for a while).
"I think so, too," Finn said, pretending to be innocent. "My master left without explaining much... perhaps it would shrink back in time, I dunno."
Fortunately, the competitiveness was high, so whenever monsters were there (or even if they weren’t), adventurers tended to try to one-up others and fight. Afraid of being left behind, the rest would refocus on the fight, somehow forgetting about him.
Now that the area to fight was even bigger, this subtle competition intensified even more.
That said, he was not sure if he should even build anything when strangers were watching. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the adventurer guild, but they didn’t have a tight hold on every member, and he wasn’t sure what kind of trouble it would bring, so he ought to avoid it.
So...he decided to defer the upgrades until the adventurers left. Considering the sporadic nature of traffic in his inn, he should have at least a day of freedom after they left.
Or a week, but he didn’t wish for that for the sake of business.
Still, to maximize customer satisfaction, he spent the days cooking a lot of meals, placed strategically in the cellar, and using the rest of the time to absorb his mountain of cores (and spending time with his egg-sister).
This time, he really felt the difference in [Increased Absorption] functions.
His absorption was fast enough, but with the help of this function, which added a percentage ?
He smiled. He might really catch up to his peers soon.