"What I meant was to enlarge the floors we currently have, ideally the top five that see the most activity." It was pointless to increase the number of floors if the amount they had was already sufficient, better to expand the floors already in use.

"As stated in your reports the majority of our current delvers are in the lower ranks i.e. F and E therefore we experience the most activity in the upper floors where the monsters cap out at D-rank." Frost brought up the Dungeon menu and displayed the 3D model of the Dungeon and its 17 floors so as to better support his reasoning.

"Even this early in the morning you can see that the upper five floors have several times the number of people than the ones beneath the floor of peace, a quantity that is so disproportionate that it makes up for lack in quality and therefore supplies us with more DP. This also isn’t new information as most of our room expansions and room addons have taken place on these floors to take advantage of this fact." The first floor alone was multiple times larger than any of the lower floors having experienced more than a couple room expansions and addons over the 18 months since it was first established.

"And although we’ve been steering away from these floors for the past few months, hoping to attract stronger more high quality prey into the lower floors the facts speak for themselves, the upper part of the Dungeon is where the most action is and to be honest I don’t see that changing anytime soon, if at all."

"At all Master?" Findley felt that was a bit of a stretch, once the Dungeon evolved to the point it could house several B-rank or even A-ranks then surely the flesh of an insect would no longer be comparable to that of a large beast.

"Yes, given our location there will always been a never-ending, unlimited supply of these low ranking individuals and as long as their numbers continue to grow then quite frankly in terms of strictly DP output we may never see floors more lucrative than the upper five." Several months ago Frost would have never said this, completely in line with Findley’s thinking but as time passed, as the camp grew into a city and its population quickly skyrocketed the masses became that much more enticing than the rare powerful individuals. He would frequently praise his own initiative to further the Dungeon’s influence to beyond the entrance, encapsulating the entirety of the city and therefore passively absorbing such extreme levels of DP, the adventurers didn’t even need risk their lives by entering the Dungeon just living atop the land would grant Frost a reduced portion of their life energy.

"So instead of focusing on attracting bigger fish you think it’d be best for us to focus on the smaller, more numerous fish."

"In terms of DP potential yes Khuno but at the same time we can’t ignore the bigger fish as they will naturally be drawn to us as we grow in strength." It was all well and good to maximise their DP income, but they couldn’t become entirely beholden to it either. Low ranking/weak monsters wouldn’t be able to protect the core during an invasion by high ranking adventurers or an army from Northrend nor could they hope to endure the rigours of a war between Dungeon cores, a good balance was key thus Frost opted to purchase 3 B-rank monsters and ensured that the ronsos under Khuno’s command numbered in the triple digits even if they weren’t strictly necessary at this exact point in time.

"But right now we need to increase our DP income and all we have are small fish." Yuna caught on quickly, a bird in hand was worth two in the bush.

"Exactly, short term goals for now until this storm either blows over or arrives at our doorstep." Only when they had the resources could they better outfit themselves for war.

"We’ll enlarge several rooms on these floors and spend a chunk of the remaining 90,000DP on low ranking monsters for the rookie adventurers to hunt or be hunted by. Plus set aside a portion of our income to be solely used for the war effort, 15% should be fine in the beginning but we’ll review it after a week."

"Understood Master." The group of four continued to discuss the future plans for the Dungeon over the course of a few hours and by the time they were satisfied with the outcome the sun and long risen beyond the horizon, adventurers were collecting their gear and heading into the Dungeon, restaurants were in the middle of the breakfast rush, merchants had opened up their stores, and the guilds were welcoming their usual bevvy of customers.

The Lunar maidens who had slept on soft beds, under the warmth of a solid roof and who had filled their bellies to the brim with food from the Sleeping Fenrir the night before all stared at their young Matriarch Neve as a couple of ronso guards fully kitted out in armour and halberds arrived at their door to escort her to the Lord of the territory, Sir Frost.

"Please take a seat Neve as we have much to discuss." Frost was sitting on a sofa in the Lord’s manor with his mighty ice troll commander standing stalwart behind him as Neve was brought in, anxiety clear in her expression despite her attempts to mask it. Today was the day the fate of her race would be decided, how entangled they would become with their saviour and to what extent they would serve him.

Neve looked at Frost and started to smile; her heart filled with gratitude but upon meeting eyes with Findley she shivered. His strength was beyond hers possibly even rivalling that of Valend’s, yet he appeared completely subservient to Frost.

"Don’t mind Findley he’s just a little stiff around the edges. Once you get to know him better you’ll see how kind and hardworking he is."

"Findley ma’am commander of my lord’s army, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." As if to disprove his master’s assumption about him being stiff around the edges Findley performed a very elegant and smooth noble introduction a skill he’d learned from accompanying both his master and Yuna in their duties.

"N...Neve charmed." Neve stuttered before performing a polite curtsey, Findley’s mannerisms were shocking to say the least, far beyond what she’d expect from someone with such a militant atmosphere.

"You’ve been practising in secret again haven’t you." Frost was no less impressed than Neve perhaps even more so.

"Always Master, it was the very first lesson you taught me after all." The day Findley was created, before he was given his name and before he was even an ice troll he was just your run of the mill early D-rank frost troll, weak and unskilled. Inspecting his new monster powerhouse Frost couldn’t help but find himself a little disappointed, Findley’s axe swings were clumsy and predictable, his reactions in battle slow and sluggish and he struggled to string more than few words together in the common tongue. He was far from what Frost was expecting but instead of wallowing in such disappointment Findley swung his axe over and over, determined to improve his lacking skills, an action that made his master smile.

"Hahaha that’s right if you’re not strong enough now then you can train and practise until you are hahahaha." Frost was inspired by his behaviour and immediately encouraged it, lavishing him with praise whenever he managed to break through his limits. Such words soon became a beacon to him, his purpose in life, what brought him the most joy.

"Good man hehehehe." Frost nodded his head with appreciation and laughed with pride. A father wasn’t supposed to have favourites but if he had to give an answer it would be Findley.

"How was your first night here in Niflheim Neve, were your accommodations adequate?" He asked after Neve took the seat opposite himself.

"Yes Lord Frost they were more than adequate, thank you." For the first time in weeks she and her kin were able to truly relax, to rest their weary bodies and even wearier minds. The natural lustre in their skin and eyes had even started to return at least in the younger members who only knew that the end of their suffering had come. For those older and those carrying the burden of their race’s future on their shoulders such as Neve it was impossible to let down their guard until this exact conversation with Frost had taken place, a conversation that would set the stage for their lives here in Niflheim.

"You and your kin have been through a lot, so I instructed Yuna to take special care of you, I’m glad it worked out." Along with private quarters brimming with creature comforts all their meals were prepared by the Sleeping Fenrir, Niflheim’s currently highest ranked inn and restaurant. Frost came out of the gate swinging, ensuring maximum gratitude before the negotiations even began.

"But this is of course a temporary arrangement, how you and your kin will live in the future well....that will depend on how this conversation between you and I plays out." His jovial and polite demeanour subtly shifted to something more serious and business oriented.

Neve visibly tensed in response before taking a deep breath. "Yes I am aware Lord Frost no....Master."