The final stone settled into place. The last of the Whispering Chimes was hung by an unseen magical force, and a deep, resonant hum signaled the completion of my latest project. The Grand Antechamber—my dungeon's new lobby—was officially open for business.
It was, I had to admit, a masterpiece of cozy engineering. The high, vaulted ceiling gave a sense of open space, while the soft, ambient light from magical mosses kept it from feeling cold. The gentle, ever-changing melody from the chimes created a calming atmosphere. In one corner, the Bottomless Tea Urn steamed invitingly, its polished copper surface gleaming. In the others, the three stone capybaras that were my Listening Posts sat looking perfectly content, radiating an aura of profound patience.
FaeLina zipped through the new space, performing a meticulous final inspection. Her usual frantic energy had been replaced by that of a stern, focused manager on opening night.
"The capybaras are a bit lazy, but I suppose that's on-brand for this establishment," she conceded, tapping one of the stone creatures. "The tea urn is a stroke of genius, I'll admit. Free samples will keep the masses patient while they wait to spend money on the real tea."
I didn't bother to correct her business-focused interpretation. I was simply tired from the effort of the large-scale construction.
'There,' I thought, my consciousness already beginning to dim as I prepared for a well-deserved nap. 'A perfect waiting room. Now maybe everyone will finally be quiet.'
My blissful hope for peace lasted for approximately fifteen seconds.
A chime echoed from the entrance. And then another. And another. It wasn't a single alert; it was a cascade of them, a frantic, overlapping chorus of [Visitor Detected] [Visitor Detected] [Visitor Detected].
The first wave of tourists arrived.
Bartholomew the merchant stood proudly at the front, acting as the unofficial master of ceremonies. "Behold!" he announced to the crowd of about twenty people behind him. "The six-star sanctuary! The marvel of the age! Prepare to have your comfort levels completely redefined!"
The crowd that pushed into my new lobby was a chaotic mix of society. There were richly dressed merchants with their spouses, a few young nobles clearly looking for a unique thrill, a couple of off-duty adventurers wanting to see what all the fuss was about, and even a wizard's apprentice clutching a notebook, ready to study my ambient magic.
Their initial reaction was a collective gasp of awe. They loved the lobby. The free tea from the urn was an immediate sensation, and the Listening Post capybaras were instantly swarmed by people wanting to pet their smooth stone heads and tell them about their stressful day.
For a few minutes, everything was perfect. Then, the chaos began.
The line for the Tea Nook, which sold my special magical teas, quickly grew to a dozen people. Sloosh, my loyal slime waiter, was wobbling back and forth in a panic, trying to serve everyone at once.
In the main chamber, a group of young, rowdy visitors had discovered the Fluffy Moss Patch and were trying to see who could jump the furthest into it, their shouts echoing through my quiet sanctuary.
Meanwhile, a more sinister problem was developing on the second floor. A wealthy woman had smuggled in her small, yapping dog, which was now attempting to mark its territory on one of my precious Pillow Fiends.
Sir Crumplebuns had to abandon his post as the official greeter and become a polite but very firm bouncer. "HAVE FUN, MY VALUED GUESTS!" he boomed, gently herding the jumpers away from the moss. "BUT PRAY, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THE SACRED NAPPING GROUNDS AS A TRAMPOLINE!"
FaeLina was losing her mind. Her psychic voice was a constant stream of panicked reports in my head.
'The line for the lower floor is a bottleneck! That noblewoman's poodle is now trying to swim in the tea urn! Mochi, this is anarchy! Our six-star rating is flashing before my eyes!'
My core throbbed with a deep, powerful irritation. This was the exact opposite of a peaceful nap. This was customer service hell. I had to restore order. I needed a system.
I focused, pushing past the noise and chaos, and accessed the Dungeon Menu. My new 'Tourist Hotspot' status had unlocked a whole new branch of upgrades under a tab I'd never seen before: [Crowd Control].
My eyes scanned the options until I found the perfect one.
[Dungeon Management Upgrade: 'Queueing System & Digital Ticketing'? Allows the Core to establish orderly lines, set capacity limits for rooms, and issue magical 'tickets' to visitors for timed entry. Cost: 200 DP.]
It was expensive, but it was the price of sanity. 'Purchase and install. Immediately,' I commanded.
A soft, golden light filled the lobby. A beautiful, shimmering sign materialized in the air near the entrance, its glowing letters magically writing themselves. It read:
Welcome to The Comfy Corner! For your comfort and convenience, a queuing system is now in effect.
Current Wait Time for Hibernation Hollows: 15 Minutes.
Please take a number.
Beside it, a small pedestal appeared, dispensing glowing, floating orbs of light with numbers inside them. The chaotic crowd stopped and stared.
"Ooh, a magical ticketing system!" one of the nobles exclaimed with delight. "How wonderfully modern!"
The crowd, fascinated by the new magic, began to form a single, orderly line to take a number.
FaeLina stared at the restored order, her frantic energy finally calming. "It… it worked," she breathed.
I watched the queue form, a deep sense of exhaustion settling over me. I had solved the problem, but in doing so, I had just become the manager of a very popular, very busy magical theme park.
My dream of a quiet nap had never felt so far away.