Several days passed, and the gold in Lilith's inventory began to take the shape of a shimmering, useless mountain.
Following another gigantic wave of Giga Potato sales, over 100,000 gold pieces flowed into her account, resulting in a total sum that other Demon Kings could only dream of.
The problem, however, was that Lilith began to grind her teeth out of pure irritation.
Standing in the field where the goblins were tilling the soil, Lilith looked at what the system grandiosely called her "domain." The sight was deplorable.
While her castle presented itself proudly and the walls were solid, everything else looked like a refugee camp. Goblins and werewolves lived in makeshift tents, and their clothes... were simply dirty rags wrapped around their hips. Even she and her succubi, though powerful, moved about practically naked in their demonic forms.
"Mistress! Forgive me!" a thud suddenly echoed behind her.
Graaz, the goblin leader, fell on all fours and began to wallow in the dust, begging for mercy.
"I am incompetent! I am stupid! My tribe are but lowly farmers!" he wailed, striking his forehead against the ground. "We... we do not know how to build houses of stone, Mistress. We cannot weave silk or sew clothes. The only thing we know is how to scratch at the earth!"
Lilith let out a heavy sigh, massaging her temples.
She knew that in the system exchange with other players, one could probably buy building blueprints, but she feared that one such plan would only erect a single hut, which was pointless with hundreds of subjects. She needed genuine craftsmen, not one-time schematics.
"Get up, Graaz. It's not your fault. Go back to your farming," she waved her hand, dismissing the goblin.
Frustrated, she soared into the air and flew toward the mine. She hoped that the sight of ore extraction would improve her mood, but what she found made her teeth grind even louder.
The golems and werewolves were working hard, but instead of pickaxes, they were using... old swords, sharpened stones, and broken spears taken from fallen enemies.
"We are below the Stone Age," she hissed to herself. "I have a hundred thousand gold, and my people are digging for ore with pieces of old scrap."
Then Varg appeared. The werewolf leader bowed low, the white patches on his shoulders moving along with his tensed muscles. Lilith got straight to the point.
"Varg, where did your tribe get tools, porcelain, or decent fabrics before you ended up here? You didn't dig plates out of the ground, did you?"
Varg lowered his head. "Unfortunately, Mistress, we only know how to hunt and fight. That is why once every few years, our village would send its strongest warriors with gifts to certain beings living deep in the mountains. They know blacksmithing, craftsmanship, and weaving like no one else."
Lilith nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope.
"So we are not self-sufficient. We need outside help..." she sighed. "Maybe I should meet them? The system may call me a Demon King, but to the indigenous inhabitants of this world, I don't have to be evil incarnate. I can be... a trading partner."
She looked at Varg expectantly. "Who are they? Where do they live?"
"They live in the bowels of the Steel Echo Mountains," Varg answered respectfully. "They are Dwarves."
Lilith's eyes opened wide. "Dwarves?"
Immediately, an image appeared in her mind: a short, stocky guy with a gigantic axe, encased in shining armor, with a beard so long and thick it covered half his face.
"Are they not the legendary masters of blacksmithing?"
"So the legends say, Mistress. And so their wares showed," the werewolf confirmed.
Lilith smiled to herself, her wings twitching with excitement. If she wanted her domain to look like a real kingdom and not a refugee camp, she had to win over these bearded masters.
"Dwarves..." she murmured. "I suppose I'll have to pay them a visit."
"We set out this afternoon for the Steel Echo Mountains. You will come with me; prepare three of your people as well."
Before the werewolf could even open his maw to confirm the order, Lilith had already pushed off the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
A moment later, she was over the other side of the Fields of Spirit Cultivation, which was bustling with new life. Thanks to Lysandra's escort, three thousand goblins had reached her territory safely and began settling in at a speed Lilith hadn't expected.
Gorgoth, seeing his mistress flying in, immediately stopped issuing orders and fell to his knees. "Greetings, Mistress!" his powerful voice thundered.
"Stand up, Gorgoth," she nodded, landing gracefully. "How is the relocation going?"
"Unexpectedly well!" The mutated goblin chief gestured with his hand toward the sea of tents. "Most already have a place to sleep. What's more, my people are delighted with this land. We have already started sowing the Giga Potato seeds. Look, Mistress."
Lilith looked in the indicated direction. Beside the newly formed settlement sat a gigantic heap of potatoes, from which a goblin would occasionally snatch one to toss into a cauldron. The smell of cooking food hung throughout the camp.
"Are you getting along with Graaz?" she asked.
"Yes, he is a wise goblin," Gorgoth nodded. "We have divided the fields to make the work as efficient as possible. There will be no quarreling between us as long as bellies are full."
Lilith smiled with satisfaction, then grew serious. "Tell me, what do you know of the dwarves of the Steel Echo Mountains?"
"Every so often, we sent our traders there for tools and homemade implements," Gorgoth replied. "Their city is hidden deep within the rock."
"Good. I need a few goblins who know the way. I want to head there this very day."
Gorgoth nodded and turned toward the camp, drawing air into his lungs. "BUNGO!" he roared, so loud that birds took flight from the trees.
Silence. No one came. The chief's face began to take on a purple shade of rage.
"BUNGO, YOU LAZY BEAST! TO ME!" he yelled even louder, but the effect was the same.
"Where has he gone to sleep again..." Gorgoth muttered, but then one of the smaller goblins approached him, shifting from foot to foot.
"Chief... it seems Bungo hasn't been with us for over a day. No one has seen him since the march from the ruins."
Gorgoth froze. His powerful shoulders slumped. "Don't tell me we left him on that cursed tree..." he whispered with horror.
Then Lilith sensed something. She turned abruptly toward the defensive wall. Sliding down the stone surface, almost vertically, was a small green silhouette.
Lilith smiled to herself. "I think he's just been found."
Bungo, for it was he, lost his grip halfway down and fell on his backside with a loud "thlap!" Immediately, however, he scrambled to his feet and, limping, ran toward the group with tears in his eyes.
"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?!" he shrieked, waving his fists. "You don't do that to a poor goblin who's just having a tasty nap! Do you know how many damn monsters chased me?! Do you know how hard it was to catch up with you by your tracks?! I almost spat out my lungs!"
Gorgoth only snorted, though deep down he breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're lucky to be alive at all. Since you're here, you have a task. You will show this Lady the way to the Steel Echo Mountains."
Bungo only now noticed Lilith standing nearby. His eyes widened, and he stiffened.
"Oh... good morning, Beautiful Demon Lady..." he stammered, before what Gorgoth said sank in. "STEEL ECHO MOUNTAINS?! No way! That's over three weeks of marching! Through the forest! I'll pass, I'm going to sleep!"
Gorgoth grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him up. "You have no choice. The Mistress needs a guide." He looked at Lilith. "This little one will help you reach your destination."
Lilith measured Bungo with a strange look, eyeing the dirty pillow he clutched tightly.
"Fine, so be it. We set out at noon along with the werewolves. Gorgoth, give him three of your most capable goblins to help."
With those words, Lilith didn't wait for Bungo's reply; she nodded and flew off toward the castle.
Bungo, meanwhile, stood rooted to the spot, watching the departing Monarch. He hugged his pillow tighter, feeling that his dream of a long, restorative sleep had just collapsed for the coming weeks.