Lord of the Oasis

The early morning sun rose on the eastern side of the desert.

The temperature gradually rose. Despite not having been freed of the chill of dawn just yet, the morning sun still brought warmth to the place.

It was a new day.

At the same time, it was also a new week for everyone at the Oasis Lookout.

Sunlight shone on the wooden window of the Council Hall. Several birds of unknown names chirped and flapped their wings. They were seemingly happy at the arrival of dawn as well.

Everything looked peaceful.

“It’s morning, eh?” Kant woke up.

He rubbed his face a little, gradually clearing his head of the dazed state of being half-asleep.

He lifted the woolen blanket. He grabbed the clothes at the top of his bed and put them on. He was no longer able to continue sleeping.

The system had given him a prompt.

[Ding… As the morning sun rises, a new week begins.]

[Income: Your Drondheim (village) collected 50 Denars in taxes.]

[Expenditure: You have paid 360 Denars to your forces as salary.]

All the sleepiness he had was immediately dispelled.

This really is a heavy blow. Kant was dumbfounded.

The System closed the account once a week. Kant did not have villages or regular forces before, so he had no taxes to collect or payments of any kind to settle.

As such, he had forgotten all about it.

He looked at the expenditure column. He frowned at the high amount of 360 Denars.

This isn’t just paying a lot…

It’s paying a hell of a lot!

Kant looked troubled and gritted his teeth. “This is terrible.”

Then again, there was nothing he could have done about it.

According to the size of his current forces, the weekly expenditure was important and hefty. It was so much so that it far exceeded the amount he had spent building the village’s buildings.

Swadian Recruit, one Denar per week.

Swadian Militia, four Denars per week.

Desert Bandit, 12 Denars per week.

Those were the weekly individual payouts.

With the number of troops thrown in, it had grown to be:

30 Denars for 30 Swadian Recruits

140 Denars for 35 Swadian Militias

192 Denars for 16 Desert Bandits

The total was 360 Denars.

The expenditure incurred by the weekly maintenance of his forces gave Kant quite a headache.

The numbers looked almost terrifying.

“System.” Kant sighed. “Display the remaining amount.”

[Capital: 20 Denars]

The system plainly listed the requested data.

Kant was unable to do anything but allow a bitter smirk to form. “I knew it.”

A week ago, Kant, who just arrived at the Oasis Lookout, had acquired 1000 Denars as a reward.

Seven days had quickly passed.

Now, 20 Denars were left in his account.

That bit of money left in the game in his previous life would have meant bankruptcy. Worse still, Kant was in a real world. Without Denars, the currency recognized by the system, getting around in the world was nearly impossible.

He was not able to maintain his forces, let alone develop the village.

At present, he sorely lacked the 360 Denars required to pay his forces for the upcoming week.

There was an option to disband his forces.

However, that meant digging his own grave.

The threat of the Jackalans loomed over him like the Sword of Damocles hanging over one’s head. If he disbanded his forces, the next time the ferocious primitive race hit, the Oasis Lookout would likely end up razed altogether.

The end of the line, eh.

Kant shook his head. He felt a surge of exhaustion overwhelm him.

He walked out of his room and went downstairs. He headed outside the Council Hall.

Many peasants were working by the side of the pond. They were digging up sand and mud.

“Good morning, My Lord.

“Good morning, Our Revered Lord.”

“My Lord, good morning.”

When they saw him, all of them greeted Kant.

Kant nodded and said, “Morning.”

He turned around and looked at the side of the Council Hall. The 26-foot-tall watchtower was finished.

The tower was completed the day before. The builders from Suno had all left the Oasis Lookout through the system.

There was little to nitpick about their construction skills.

The base was constructed from stone. The main body was constructed with wooden materials nailed together. The roof looked like that of a small house. All aspects of the structure looked as sturdy and reliable as they could have been. It looked finer than the usual workmanship of watchtowers found in common villages.

There was one Swadian Militia currently standing guard above. Holding his hunting crossbow, he was on high alert.

Four Swadian Recruits, who were armed with spears, stood at the base of the watchtower. They served as messengers. They relayed any news received from the tower to every corner of the oasis.

The 26-foot-tall watchtower had a great view.

Even if the Jackalans gathered and attacked again, the Swadian Militia was prepared. As long as there was ample light in their surroundings, their good view from the watchtower allowed them to detect anything before an attack.

It provided them enough time to get their defenses ready and give the Jackalans a run for their money.

“My Lord, good morning.”

The Desert Bandits had returned. They were still on their horses.

They currently served as scouts. They patrolled around the Oasis Lookout. They had found nothing unusual during their patrol.

That was good news.

However, the leading Desert Bandit frowned and looked at Kant before saying, “Please forgive the forthcoming tone, My Lord, but I seem to find you looking rather displeased.”

It was more than just being displeased. Everyone throughout the oasis noted Kant’s upset face.

It was all due to problems with capital.

Kant nodded slightly and did not bother denying. “Yeah, I’m not quite in the mood.”

The Desert Bandits were unable to do anything to solve that.

It was such that in that world. Solutions for certain problems were few and far between.

At the very least, Kant still had no idea of how to use the world’s currencies to exchange for the Denars required by the system.

Currencies like Great Silver and Gold did not elicit any reaction from the system. Kant experimented back in the Dukedom of Leo. He had asked the system if the exchange was possible.

The system had given him a short, concise answer. “It is not possible.”

The acquisition of Denars was only possibly by finishing quests from the system.

Oh well. Kant sighed. It’s like I have System Quests to do every day.

It seemed as if the system realized what Kant was thinking.

A dialog box immediately appeared on his retina.

[Ding… Main Quest Assigned]

[Main Quest: Value of Denar]

[Reward: grocery store x 1]

[Introduction: Denar is the only currency, but it is not something that cannot be exchanged. Find an area and deposit all of your current Denars. You will acquire the only building that can solve your current predicament.]

Huh? Kant read the message on the retina and frowned.

This is a main quest…

It looks rather simple.

No. It isn’t just simple. It looks almost free!

A grocery store?

Kant gulped. He was reminded of the game from his previous life. There were four types of shops in the markets of cities and towns.

A grocery store was one of them.

He turned his eyes toward the Council Hall.

To the east, there was the watchtower and Desert Bandit Lair, but there was nothing to the west.

“System, build the place there.”

Kant had made a quick decision.

Data streams instantly surged. On the western side of the Council Hall, where he had just had his eyes on, a typical Swadian building of stone and wood appeared within mere seconds.