The Dungeon lord : Women, power and monsters

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Great powers

They continued through the city until the buildings around them began changing.

The streets became cleaner.

The buildings became larger.

The crowds became more organized.

They eventually reached an enormous intersection.

Five different roads stretched away from it.

Each road seemed to lead toward an important part of the city.

Akin looked around. "Where are we?"

Tolu didn’t know.

Then they noticed a large stone monument in the center of the intersection.

Names had been carved into it.

The three great families.

The three great academies.

The Royal Academy.

And the Army.

Temi stepped closer.

"What is this?"

A nearby passerby overheard her. "The great powers of this city."

Akin looked at him. " great powers?"

The man smiled. "You’re new here."

"Very."

The man pointed toward the distant buildings. "The Inaara Family."

He gestured toward one enormous compound.

Even from where they stood, Tolu could see walls surrounding an estate large enough to contain several streets.

"The Omimi Family."

Another enormous estate stood farther away.

"And the Ilepaja Family."

Akin whistled.

"Those are families?"

The man laughed.

"Great families."

He then pointed toward three distant structures.

"Ologunri Academy."

"Ile Agbede Academy."

"Osupa Dudu Academy."

Each was enormous.

Tolu could barely imagine how many students could fit inside them.

"And finally..."

The man pointed toward a much larger complex in the distance.

"Ilebi Royal Academy."

Then he pointed toward a fortified section of the city.

"The Army."

Temi stared.

"So those are the strongest forces in the city?"

"Among the strongest."

"Which is strongest?"

The man smiled. "Depends who you ask."

Akin laughed. "That’s a dangerous answer."

"It is the correct one."

The man looked toward the Inaara estate.

"If you’re talking about families, many would place Inaara at the top."

Tolu remembered the name.

Inaara.

He repeated it silently. "And the Royal Academy?"

"Different kind of power."

The man shrugged. "It has produced countless talented cultivators. Nobles, soldiers, researchers, commanders and people who went on to become influential throughout the kingdom."

Tolu nodded. "What about the other academies?"

"They aren’t weak."

The man smiled.

"Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because the Royal Academy is prestigious, the others are insignificant."

He pointed toward the distant academy buildings. "Ologunri, Osupa Dudu and Ile Agbede all have multiple Masters among their staff and elders."

Tolu’s eyes widened slightly.

Multiple Masters.

He remembered the Advanced cultivator they had encountered earlier.

Even that had felt extraordinary.

And these academies had people far beyond him.

The man continued. "The three great families are the same. Their current strength varies, but each possesses multiple Masters."

Akin scratched his head. "How many Masters are in this city?"

The man laughed. "If you’re planning to fight all of them, I’d suggest leaving."

Temi burst out laughing.

Akin frowned. "I wasn’t planning to."

"Good."

The man smiled. "Masters are rare but present. Don’t misunderstand. You won’t see them walking around every street corner."

Tolu nodded.

That made sense.

"But their influence reaches everywhere."

The man pointed toward the enormous estates. "The strongest families have old ancestors who reached even higher realms. Some of those ancestors are dead. Some disappeared. Some haven’t been seen for decades."

Tolu listened carefully. "Grandmasters?"

The man’s expression changed slightly.

"Yes." He lowered his voice. "People like that aren’t ordinary."

Tolu nodded.

He didn’t need to be told.

Grandmasters were already beyond anything he could imagine.

The man looked at them. "If you’re planning to stay in Ilebi, remember the names."

He pointed at them one by one. "Inaara."

"Omimi."

"Ilepaja."

"Ologunri."

"Osupa Dudu."

"Ile Agbede."

"Ilebi Royal Academy."

"And the Army."

He smiled.

"You’ll hear those names constantly."

The man continued walking with them.

They had expected him to leave after explaining the five great powers, but apparently he had nowhere urgent to be.

Tolu didn’t mind.

The more he talked, the more gaps in their knowledge he filled.

"So if there isn’t a guild," Temi asked, "how do adventurers get work?"

The man looked at her. "They don’t all work the same way."

"Then how?"

"Families hire people."

"Like guards?"

"Guards. Hunters. Expedition members. Scouts. Monster hunters. Researchers. Anything they need."

Akin nodded. "What about the academies?"

"Same thing, in a different way."

The man explained that academies constantly needed people for expeditions, monster research, gathering rare materials and exploring dangerous areas.

Some students joined expeditions.

Some teachers led them.

Some independent cultivators were hired for their expertise.

The army was another path.

"Some people simply join the Army and cultivate there."

Tolu nodded. "And independent people?"

"They make contracts."

"With who?"

"Anyone willing to pay them."

Akin smiled.

"That sounds more like us."

The man laughed.

"You’ll find plenty of people like yourselves."

Tolu looked around.

The city suddenly made more sense.

There wasn’t one organization controlling everything.

There were countless opportunities.

And countless people competing for them.

"What about monster materials?" Tolu asked.

The man nodded.

"Very profitable if you know what you’re doing."

"Where do they sell them?"

"Specialized markets. Shops. Family businesses. Researchers. Alchemists. Blacksmiths."

Tolu thought about the materials they had sold from the dungeon war.

Twenty-three silver.

Their small fortune.

He suddenly wondered how much the same materials would be worth here.

Probably less.

Probably not nearly as much as the things these people were accustomed to harvesting.

"What about dungeons?"

The man’s expression became more interested.

"Dungeons are another source of income."

Tolu’s heart skipped but he kept his face neutral. "How?"

"Monster cores. Materials. Treasures. Herbs. Minerals. Sometimes rare artifacts."

"Who controls them?"

The man shook his head.

"Nobody controls a Dungeon."

Tolu’s heart beat once.

Hard.

The man continued without noticing.

"People gain access to dungeons. Families can have long-standing agreements. Some have rights to certain areas. Some academies maintain expeditions. Some are open to independent cultivators."

Tolu listened carefully.

"So families can have multiple dungeons?"

"Access to multiple dungeons, yes."

He emphasized the distinction.

"The dungeon itself isn’t their property. It’s the right to use it."

Tolu said nothing.

The man continued.

"If a dungeon becomes stronger, the dungeon changes."

"And if it dies?"

"The dungeon dies with it."

Tolu’s fingers tightened slightly around the strap of his bag.

Nobody knew.

Nobody knew what he was.

Nobody knew the Heart could choose a human.

That knowledge was safer inside his head.

The man continued explaining the economy.

"Some people make fortunes from monster materials. Others sell potions. Others make weapons. Some specialize in cultivation pills. There are merchants who become richer than cultivators."

Akin looked interested.

"So being strong isn’t the only way to make money."

"Of course not."

The man laughed.

"Strength helps you protect your money."

Temi smiled. "That’s probably more useful."

Tolu nodded.

The more he learned, the more he understood why Ilebi had become so prosperous.

Everyone was connected.

Cultivators created demand.

Monsters provided resources.

Dungeons provided materials.

Families funded expeditions.

Academies produced talent.

Merchants moved everything.

The Army protected the city.

It was an enormous machine.

And they had just stepped into it.

That evening, they returned to the inn.

Akin and Temi were exhausted.

"I never want to walk again," Akin complained as he dropped his bag.

"You said that yesterday," Temi replied.

"I meant it more today."

Ore laughed.

Tolu smiled. "I need some air."

Ore looked at him. "Now?"

"Just for a little while."

She studied his face. "You’ve been distracted since we came back."

"I’m fine."

Ore didn’t look convinced.

But she nodded. "Don’t take too long."

Tolu left the room.

He walked through the inn and stepped outside.

The evening air was cooler.

Ilebi was still awake.

Latern lights filled the streets.

People continued moving between buildings.

Some shops remained open.

The city seemed incapable of sleeping.

Tolu walked until he found a quiet alley.

He made sure nobody was following him.

Then he looked down at his hand.

The ring.

His secret.

He closed his fingers around it.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the ring began to glow.

A faint light spread across his skin.

Tolu’s expression became serious.

The familiar sensation returned.

The connection.

The distant presence.

The Dungeon Heart.

He closed his eyes.

"My Lord."

The voice came quietly into his mind.

Tolu smiled.

"How is everything?"

"Developing."

"Any problems?"

"None that require your immediate attention."

Tolu exhaled.

He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until then.

"What about the creatures?"

"The dead continue to return."

Tolu nodded.

He already knew it would take time. "What about the dungeon?"

"It continues to grow."

Tolu opened his eyes.

"How far can I communicate with you?"

There was a brief silence.

"Distance does not presently sever our connection."

Tolu’s eyes widened slightly. "So I can communicate with you from here anytime?"

"Yes."

He looked toward the enormous city surrounding him.

That was a relief.

He had been afraid that leaving the dungeon physically would mean losing his connection.

"Good."

He paused. "Is there anything I need to worry about?"

The Dungeon Heart was silent for a moment.

Then:

"Your dungeon is safe."

Tolu smiled.

But before he could relax completely, the Heart continued.

"However, your absence limits your ability to directly interact with it."

Tolu frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Your influence over the dungeon remains. But you cannot physically inspect every change."

Tolu nodded.

That made sense.

He was still learning how this worked.

"I’ll return when I can."

"Understood, my Lord."

The glow faded.

The connection weakened.

Tolu looked down at the ring.

Then he looked up at Ilebi.

This city was enormous.

There were powerful families.

Powerful academies.

The Army.

Dungeons.

Monsters.

Opportunities everywhere.

And now he had a problem he hadn’t anticipated.

His dungeon was hundreds of kilometers away.

He couldn’t simply abandon it.

But he also couldn’t spend his entire life hidden inside a dungeon.

He needed to become stronger.

He needed money.

He needed information.

And somehow, he needed to manage both lives.

Tolu smiled faintly. "Looks like things are going to get complicated."

He slipped the ring back beneath his sleeve and returned to the inn.

Tomorrow would be another day in Ilebi.

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