Chapter 196

I Need More DP

“…Shit . ” I found myself moaning and groaning as I looked over the dungeon’s balance sheet just a few days after seeing off Lyuu’s people . The transaction history showed that we were in the red despite the all-time high my balance had been sitting at just a few weeks prior . In fact, we had been in the red for quite some time . My net balance, which was trending its way towards zero, sat at only a twentieth of its peak . Of course, that meant my wallet wasn’t completely empty just yet, but my funds were likely to run dry within the month .

I hadn’t been all that active in shifting the dungeon’s boundaries as of late, and I have made sure to go hunting every once in a while, so I had assumed that all would be fine . I hadn’t any real memory of doing anything that would lead to an increase in expenses . The only possible cause I could think of was the recent change in the dungeon’s resident count . There was, of course, also the fact that I had lost my biggest source of income in Lefi . Welp . This is basically all a result of poor planning on my part .

Managing my resource pool was something that I hadn’t exactly been doing . I didn’t bother keeping track of the numbers because it had seemed like more of a pain in the ass than it was worth . Evidently, I was wrong and my stupidity had once again reared its ugly head .

Upon re-evaluating my spendings, I realized that I had accidentally thrown the concept of frugality out the window . I had been far too caught up in setting up new gimmicks and contraptions to even look at the cost of each . Until now, of course . Shiiiiiiiiit . This must be what it’s like to win the lottery, live the high life, and then forget what it’s like to be poor, not curb your spending, and go broke .

Whatever the cause, I was going to have to do something about the state of our finances . Man, I swear I haven’t had to worry about DP in forever . Oh well, whatever . Time to get to fundraising, I guess .

***

After a good bit of consideration, I ultimately ended up choosing to resolve the situation at hand by playing the phone-a-friend card . The friend I happened to have in mind was situated within the true throne room .

“Lefi, the situation has turned sour, and it has unfortunately come to my understanding that I desperately require your assistance . ” I summarized the situation as I prostrated myself before her and the cushion she was seated atop of . My tone was abnormal, I had intentionally gone out of my way to speak as formally as one requesting a loan from a bank .

“I know not what you are talking about . You will need to explain yourself,” she said .

“I’m terribly sorry, ma’am . I’ll have the details explained to you immediately . The long and short of it is that I happened to encounter a bit of an issue, and I was hoping the legendary Supreme Dragon would consider aiding me in its resolution . ”

“I know that you choose only to speak in such a disgustingly polite manner when your goal is deception . What is it that you really want?”

Oh shit, she knows!

“Why, I would never,” I said . Though Lefi had already seen through me, I knew exactly which buttons to press to make her forget her suspicions . “You see, ma’am, I simply wanted you to hear out my woes and resolve them before I have no choice but to stop serving dessert . ”

“What!?” The dragon pushed herself up from her seated position and shoved her face right in mine .

“H-hold on,” I said, reverting to my usual tone . “Stop shouting and chill out . ”

Though a series of frustrated dragon noises followed, Lefi eventually managed to regain her calm and sit back down with her legs crossed . Unlike before, she was now giving me her undivided attention in order to ensure that she could best combat every threat to her daily intake of sugar . Just saying, sitting cross-legged with a one-piece on is a terrible idea . I can totally see your panties .

“What exactly is the matter?” she asked .

“Our finances,” I said . “My wallet is looking pretty empty right about now . I’m probably going to run out of DP within the month . ”

“Yup, you got it . We were in the green for a good while, so I wasn’t really paying much attention to it . Turns out, that was a mistake,” I said . “I’ve been using it the same way I always have, but apparently we’ve got too many people for that to be sustainable now . ”

“…And I take it that I no longer generate any of this substance for you now that we have become mates?”

“Well… yeah, that certainly is a part of it, but it’s not your fault . It’s mine . I should’ve planned ahead instead of forgetting about it . ”

While marrying Lefi certainly had changed our financial situation, I found it to be a trade well worth engaging in . I wouldn’t have changed my mind even if I had known that we would ultimately end up in financial distress as a result . She was worth more to me than any amount of cash could ever be . And although losing the Lefi bonus certainly did make a difference, it wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back in the first place . I was still in the green in the days following our marriage . The issues only started to appear after I bolstered the dungeon’s size, got us some new pets, and worked a bit on security, which meant it really was all my fault and none of hers .

“So, yeah, I figured I should probably do something before shit hits the fan . I came to you because I didn’t want to worry any of the others . Ideally, I’d like for them to never know that anything was ever wrong to begin with . ”

There were, of course, many sustainable options . I could always go hunting more often for active income or expand the dungeon’s boundaries for more passive income . But I needed a stop-gap for the time being in order to ease my concerns . That was why I wanted to borrow Lefi’s might .

“And that is why you have come to me, and me alone?”

“Yeah . You’re the only person I can trust when it comes to stuff like this . ”

“Y-Yes, I can see that . ” Her cheeks reddened as she muttered her words with joy and pride .

Wew . She’s so simple-minded that it’s adorable and I love her for it .

“…I understand the issue at hand,” she said after clearing her throat . “As your ever-reliable mate, I shall lend you my assistance . ”

Thanks Wifey, you’re the best . I knew I could count on you .

“So? What exactly is it that you wish for me to do?”