Chapter 51: ancient dungeon?

We walked down the corridor together, our step making a steady, matching sound against the smooth stone. The palace staff we passed immediately dropped to their knees, their eyes staying on the floor as they felt the double pressure of two Mid-Stage Ascendant experts moving past their stations.

Victor was waiting for us right outside the grand strategy room. When he saw our new looks, his eyes widened slightly in total surprise, but he quickly recovered his focus and gave a respectful bow.

"The entire inner garrison has been secured, sir," Victor said, turning his head toward the doors of the strategy chamber. "We have also rounded up the primary land registries and the city supply documents like you ordered."

"Good," I said, pushing the doors open. "Let’s see what the old administration left behind."

The strategy room was circular, dominated by a massive round table made of dark wood. Placed right in the center was an enormous map of the capital and the surrounding outer villages. Suzy stepped up to the table, her new tight tunic catching the low candlelight as she leaned forward, her long fingers tracing the black borders drawn across the parchment.

"Look at these numbers, Barry," Suzy said, her voice turning serious as her business mind took over. "The outer sectors have been completely cut off from the central grain market for months. The people in the farming districts are literally living on scraps because the old Prince was redirecting all the transport wagons to his military outposts."

"We need to fix that line item immediately," I said, walking around the table to stand right next to her The close warmth of her skin hit my arm, making my heart bit faster, but I kept my focus on the map. "A kingdom cannot produce real profit margins if the workforce is starving on the ground. Victor, how many transport wagons do we have available in the city stables right now?"

"We have fifty heavy cargo units, sir," Victor replied. "But we lack the funds to purchase grain from the independent northern merchants to fill them."

’System, open the inventory ledger,’ I thought.

[Inventory Balance: 700,000 Gold Coins.]

"We have plenty of cash in the reserve," I smiled, looking up at Suzy. "Queen, write up a central decree right now. We are buying out the northern merchants’ entire grain stock at full market value. I want those fifty wagons loaded and sent out to the outer villages by noon tomorrow. No taxes, no fees. Just straight relief to the people."

Suzy looked at my face, her eyes shining with a mix of absolute shock and pure pride. A beautiful smile formed on her lips. "You really are a strange partner, Barry. Most tyrants take the throne to steal the gold, but you are using your own wallet to balance the public books."

"It’s called long-term infrastructure investment," I said.

Before she could answer, my eyes caught a strange line on the edge of the palace map. Right beneath the foundation lines of the central council hall, there was a faint, hidden red ink stamp shaped like an interlocking gear lock. It wasn’t connected to the regular sewers or the gold vault we had just cleared out.

[System: Hidden asset detected, boss! That red seal indicates an ancient, high-tier restricted dungeon hidden directly under the palace foundations! The old King sealed it years ago because the monsters inside were too volatile, but the raw mana signature underneath is packed with ancient relic gear and hidden supply stashes!]

"A private store warehouse right under our feet," I thought, my eyes flashing with pure greed.

I pointed my finger directly at the red gear mark on the parchment. " look at this. The old royal family didn’t just hide cash; they locked a whole high-tier dungeon right underneath the building. Once we handle the food lines, we are going down there to inspection that inventory."

Suzy leaned closer to look at the seal, her long hair brushing against my neck, causing my face to turn a tiny bit warm from the sudden proximity. "An ancient dungeon? If we can clear that out, we can use the relic gear to equip our new guard force properly."

"Exactly," I said, turning away from the table and heading toward the high balcony doors at the back of the room. "But first, we need to show the staff who is running the budget now."

I threw the doors open and stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the main palace courtyard. Suzy stood right next to my side, her stunning tunic rippling in the fresh morning breeze as she looked down at the ground below.

The sight was massive. Two thousand elite palace guards stood in perfect, straight ranks across the white stone courtyard, their weapons held upright, their metal armour clean. Victor had organized them perfectly. The moment Suzy and I appeared at the railing in our new royal look, the entire two-thousand-man force went completely silent, every single face looking up at us with a mix of intense awe and complete submission.

Suzy stepped forward, her hand resting firmly on the guard of her father’s sword. Her voice boomed out across the open square, clear, powerful, and full of absolute authority.

"People of the capital garrison!" Suzy declared, looking at everyone . "The old dynasty that starved your families and cut your salary is officially finished! From this day forward, you do not answer to a corrupt prince. You answer to the new queen! Your base pay is increased by forty percent starting today, and your first mission is not to fight—it is to guard the grain wagons heading to the outer villages! We are rebuilding this kingdom from the ground up!"

The two thousand guards stood still for a split second, their minds short-circuiting from the sudden promise of a raise and a mission that actually helped their own people. Then, a massive roar of pure excitement exploded from the courtyard.

"Long live the Queen!" the guards shouted at the top of their lungs, raising their weapons high into the air. "Long live the Queen !Long live the Queen ! Long live the Queen !Long live the Queen ! Long live the new management!"

I stood right next to her, my hands casually into my new pockets, a confident smirk forming on my face. The common people were getting fed, the army was completely on our side, and our new enterprise was finally locked in for maximum growth.