[Welcome, Innkeeper! Let’s build something cozy~]
Finn looked around. He had quite a few notifications before, but there was no ’voice’. It was just like a line of text appearing at the edge of his line of sight; that was it.
In contrast, this one not only had a voice, but also intonation. It sounded like one of those six-year-old arrogant punks spoiled by their parents.
Before he could question the difference, his eyes caught sight of new notifications that followed.
[Please choose a name for your Hearth Inn]
He narrowed his eyes at the text notification floating magically in front of him.
A name, eh?
He looked at the dense forests around him, then he looked at the sky, and then at the slight slope that gave him a better vista of the surroundings. It would feel like whatever was built here was embraced by the wide blue skies and the beautiful floating clouds that seemed so nearby.
He wondered about a fitting name for such a setup. Sadly, he wasn’t famous for his naming sense, so he didn’t really think of anything decent (if it were him, he’d make a random name like ’Inn the Midst’, ’Settling Inn’, or some other pun).
Instead, the name of his family’s inn—the one they lost, and had been destroyed—came to mind.Content originally comes from N0veI.Fiɾe.net
The Wanderer’s Refuge
A flicker of nostalgia passed by his eyes, but he shook his head. This was not the time to reminisce.
Anyway, since there was no indication of the mission being completed yet, it was safe to assume that he had to name it first before anything.
There was no keyboard, so he simply uttered a name, and it seemed like the system understood.
[You chose the name The Wanderer’s Refuge . Note: Once confirmed, name cannot be changed. Please confirm. Yes | No]
Yes, of course.
[Hearth Mission "Establish a Safe Spot" Completed]
[Received +1000 Hearth points!]
[Hearth Tab: Activated]
[Bonus! Secret criteria met: Choose a good location!]
Parameters:
[/] Relatively Safe : Safety Rating of 50% Moderate - the average awakened fighting class can survive alone for a day within the vicinity
[/] Proximity to water source: 100 meters from nearest potable water source (Underground source detected). Additional access to streams slightly beyond this distance has also been considered.
[/] Proximity to food source: Good, Healthy variety readily available. Sustainability is also considered.
[/] Proximity to dungeons: Maximum distance of 100 kilometers from nearest dungeon.
-The Inn exists to help individuals balancing the scales. Proximity to sources of imbalance is imperative.]
Wait... what ?
[Received +1000 Bonus Hearth Points]
[New Hearth Quest Received]
Wait...wait!
[Active Mission: Build an Inn!]
[Information: Establish an operational inn to serve as a base of operations.
Minimum Requirements: Two serviceable sleeping areas, one food preparation zone, one registration point, and a magic barrier.
Time Limit: 00:11:51
Reward: 500 Hearth Points, Activation of Innkeeper Profession
Punishment: Death]
"..."
He felt dizzy with confusion, but he forced himself to focus again. Who cared about the dungeon? He had 11 minutes to build something!
Surely, he wouldn’t have to do it by hand?! He didn’t even have much carpentry skills! Even if he had, he was pretty sure he’d need much more than eleven minutes to build a shed , let alone a building!
He hurriedly clicked on the new icon that was made available to him, the [Hearth Tab]. It was the topmost icon that had once been greyed out.
When he clicked it, several tabs appeared. If he wasn’t pressed for time, he’d admire the magical circles that appeared and disappeared every time he clicked on an icon, but he could explore that later—assuming he wasn’t inside monsters’ stomachs by then, of course.
[INNKEEPER DASHBOARD]
[GUEST LOGBOOK]
[ROOMS]
[BUILD MODE]
[INN FEATURES]
[STAFF ROSTER]
[RECIPE CODEX]
[RESOURCE INVENTORY]
Obviously, he had no time to explore, and he went straight to [BUILD MODE].
He pressed the icon and he saw the overlay of one meter by one meter squares on the ground again. They were neatly laid out in what he’d later count to be 25 by 40 meters modules.
At the tabs, a list of rooms and their costs appeared in front of him. It was a massive wall of text that he just skimmed through. Fortunately, the most important one was right at the top options.
[Basic Building Shell]
[Information: Create a basic one-storey structure with wooden floor, walls, ceilings, and basic tile roofing. It can provide general protection from the weather and the environment. Includes basic utilities including water, electricity, and kitchen heating. Increases recovery of all stats within its walls by 15%.
Development Status: Upgradable
Maintenance/Utilities: 1 awakened essence core per month
Inclusions: Basic Bedroom x 3, Toilet x 1, Kitchen x 1, Living Room x 1, Dining Room x 1
Cost (Discounted): 300 gold, 300 Hearth Points
Building Time: 5 Minutes]
"Sounds decent," he said, his mind automatically glazing over terms that he didn’t know about. All he cared about was the list of rooms as well as the building duration of five minutes.
He clicked on [Purchase] without another thought.
Ding!
[You do not have enough gold.]
"..."