After all, he only had 150 soul crystals at the moment, and running the Dungeon required consuming soul crystals, as did allowing Adventurers to operate within it.
To prevent his soul crystals from depleting and causing his demise, he had to control the number of Adventurers entering.
However, he was very satisfied with the current income, as this was just the early stage.
Later, as the number of Adventurers attracted increased, the profits would naturally grow.
"Paying off the debt is just around the corner!"
Lu Xuan was very happy.
The debt repayment date was three months later, and at the current rate of earning soul crystals, he felt he would have more than enough.
In addition to the soul crystal harvest, his Dungeon also received many positive reviews from Adventurers.
These were directly conveyed to him by Adventurers through messages.
This was an extremely rare occurrence in this era.
It was well-known that there was a deep barrier between Dungeon Lords and Adventurers.
The two sides were no longer able to understand each other.
Leaving a message for a Lord cost soul crystals!
After all, Lords and Adventurers essentially existed in two different dimensions; they didn't exactly never meet, but rather were as far apart as heaven and earth.
In the past, Lords might have listened to some Adventurers' messages, but current Lords completely ignored them, so Adventurers no longer wanted to waste soul crystals on messages.
But now, some Adventurers who entered his Stardew Valley Dungeon left him messages!
Their willingness to spend soul crystals to leave messages indicated their great appreciation for his Stardew Valley Dungeon.
He read every single message.
"Lord, your Dungeon is too wonderful.
I truly wish I could settle down in it!"
Lu Xuan was delighted when he saw this, and the Adventurer's desire to settle in the Dungeon was actually quite normal.
If some Adventurers found a Dungeon they considered their fated one, they would form a contract with the Lord, becoming the Lord's exclusive Adventurers and working for the Lord, thus gaining the right to enter the Dungeon at will, which was what it meant for them to settle in the Dungeon.
However, his current Dungeon was too small, and he also lacked the resources to allow Adventurers to settle.
It might be possible after further development.
Besides this, there were over a dozen other messages, with a total value of at least 100 soul crystals.
"Lord! You are truly a genius.
Such a simple Dungeon actually allowed me to experience a long-lost joy; exploring the Dungeon was like a vacation, so much fun!"
...
"Lord!
It's wonderful, but one hour per person isn't enough!"
Speaking of this limit of one hour per person per day, it was also a last resort; if there were no restrictions, someone might truly get addicted for an entire day.
After all, there was only one Dungeon currently, and he needed to attract more Adventurers' attention, giving all attracted Adventurers the chance to experience the joy of Stardew Valley.
The joy of farming!
"Lord!
The rewards you give are too good; this parsnip can actually add attributes! And it's a Bronze-level reward! I firmly believe you can become a great Lord, and I will come more often in the future!"
...
Lu Xuan carefully read through each message, all of them filled with praise for him and astonishment at the Stardew Valley Dungeon.
It felt amazing!
It seemed his idea was successful.
Adventurers, having endured so much hardship, would undoubtedly love this kind of casual Dungeon.
Given this.
For the next plan, he intended to replicate the Dungeon, making a copy of the existing Dungeon to allow more Adventurers to enter.
Copying an existing Dungeon was much simpler than building a new one.
After all, the template was already there; he just needed to add materials directly.
Soon, Lu Xuan purchased the materials from the Lord Material Market, spending a total of 100 soul crystals.
Stardew Valley's materials were all simple and very cheap.
Afterward, replicating the Stardew Valley Dungeon (Initial Version) consumed 30 points of soul crystals.
His recently recovered 150 soul crystals were reduced by another 30, leaving him feeling a bit tired.
But thinking about the considerable income this new Dungeon would bring him, he couldn't help but feel excited.
This brand new Stardew Valley Dungeon (Initial Version) was born, and it could be called Stardew Valley No. 02.
Now, his territory only had one thousand square meters left, with two Dungeons occupying two thousand square meters.
On this remaining one thousand square meters of land, his Lord's castle occupied over 200 square meters, leaving less than 800 square meters of usable space.
To build more Dungeons, he would have to expand and purchase land.
That would also cost money.
"Sigh, there are so many things that cost money!" Lu Xuan said helplessly.
But the continuous stream of income notifications in his ear filled him with confidence.
The future path was bright!
Subsequently, Lu Xuan put the new Stardew Valley (Initial Version) No. 02 into use and left it alone.
The popularity of a Dungeon accumulated slowly; there was no need to rush, let it brew first, and he had great faith in the playability of Stardew Valley.
Although the content was relatively incomplete, even less than one-tenth of its full form, its gameplay style and novel experience were completely sufficient to attract these Adventurers.
Later, he could slowly supplement the content of Stardew Valley; after all, it involved the residents of Stardew Valley, which was a very troublesome element for a Dungeon.
The biological elements of a Dungeon were always the most expensive.
Intelligent creatures were even more expensive.
Therefore, to fully complete the village structure of Stardew Valley and its villagers, he would need to earn a large sum of soul crystals.
This was also a significant expense.
So, to completely recreate the full Stardew Valley here was a long and arduous journey!
Afterward, Lu Xuan stopped focusing on the Dungeon's operation and went to another place.
He was also able to move about; he wasn't trapped in the Dungeon.
Humans had their human markets, elves had their elven markets… and they, the Lords, also had their own Lord Market.
Of course, the nicer name for it was Lord Central City.
To be honest, he had never been to Lord Central City.
Before he awakened and became a Lord, he was basically like an ordinary person.
The world he lived in was just one of many ordinary worlds.
However, that world contained all sorts of creatures: elves, rat-men, treants, orcs… Humans were just one of them.
Ordinary yet special, special because of their sheer numbers.
Without a doubt, he was fortunate to possess the qualifications of a Lord and to have become a true Lord, acquiring his own territory and gaining the right to go to Lord Central City.
Otherwise, he would only be an ordinary person, or become an Adventurer, or live a mediocre life.
Now, with his Dungeon achieving great success and earning a large amount of soul crystals, he was filled with confidence, and he decided to go and see it.
With anticipation in his heart, Lu Xuan stepped onto the magical teleportation array within the Lord City, activated the array, and was instantly enveloped by light.
"Mysterious Lord Central City, here I come!"
His figure vanished in an instant, then reappeared, finding himself inside a magnificent palace.
The palace before him looked as if it had stepped out of a fairy tale; its glazed tiles shimmered with iridescent light, and its golden carved doors gleamed under the sun.
Towering pillars were adorned with ornate, glowing bas-reliefs, and the surrounding walls were covered with vivid murals, each depicting a legendary Lord and the great Dungeon they ruled.