[CEO's Cheat Sheet]
Capital Expenditure (CapEx): A large outlay of funds by a company to purchase, maintain, or improve long-term assets (such as property or infrastructure).
Idle Cash: Cash held by a company that is not invested or earning interest. In a CEO's eyes, this is a total loss.
The journey home from Veridia felt much faster. Vortigern, the giant Frost Wolf, ran through the sea of snow with full vigor, as if knowing the empty sled behind him had just been converted into an invisible mountain of gold coins in his master's System.
Upon arriving at Winterhaven Castle, Stephanie was immediately greeted by the sight of a bustling factory. Hundreds of refugees were working in a steady, highly efficient rhythm. Smoke billowed from the brick chimneys built by Ornn, carrying the clean scent of soap and boiling salt vapor into the freezing air.
However, Stephanie's sharp eyes immediately caught a fatal flaw in her growing company.
This territory was far too exposed. There were no fences, no moats, let alone actual defensive walls. If Duke Malakor's spies or a large group of desperate bandits realized how valuable this open-air factory was, they could storm in at any time and seize her entire production chain.
Stephanie walked briskly toward her office on the second floor, followed by Revista who stuck behind her like a loyal, deadly shadow. The cursed prince had just received his "salary" in the form of extra hugs on the freezing sled ride, so his current mood was exceptionally good. The usual murderous aura around him was completely replaced by a smug, contented warmth.
"Boss! You're back!"
The office door was pushed open roughly. Ornn Coppervein marched in wearing a soot-stained leather apron, carrying a thick parchment scroll. The dwarf looked physically exhausted, but his eyes were gleaming with excitement.
"Our storage warehouse is almost full, Boss Lady!" Ornn reported with his booming voice. "But we have a major problem. The perimeter scouts reported that packs of wild wolves and ice bears have started sniffing around the factory's borders because of the smell of the meat broth. Titus and Rufus are too stupid for night watch. We need to hire mercenaries to guard the perimeter!"
Stephanie sat in her wooden chair, which was now comfortably lined with warm wolf fur. She tapped her fingers rhythmically on the desk, staring at the glowing blue System screen that only she could see.
[Current Balance: 48,500 WP]
Hiring mercenaries means a massive increase in monthly operational costs, Stephanie analyzed critically in her mind. Besides, human guards can be bribed, they can betray you, or they simply fall asleep on duty. I need a long-term asset with zero maintenance fees.
Idle cash sitting in a safe is dead money. It's time to make a major Capital Expenditure.
"Mercenaries bleed our gold reserves every single month, Ornn, and their loyalty is easily bought," Stephanie said calmly, looking up at the dwarf. "I prefer to buy something that doesn't sleep and doesn't eat."
Ornn furrowed his thick eyebrows, scratching his bald head. "Buy what? A golem?! We don't have a high-tier mage to power it, Boss!"
Stephanie didn't answer Ornn. She opened the [System Shop] and scrolled to the Tier 2 Infrastructure section that had just unlocked after her massive sales in Veridia. Her eyes immediately locked onto one blueprint radiating a majestic purplish glow.
[Obsidian Magic Wall Blueprint (Tier 2)]
[Features: 15-meter-high solid obsidian stone wall, immune to tier-3 physical and magical attacks, equipped with passive anti-blizzard insulation.]
[Original Price: 100,000 WP (100 Gold Coins)]
Too expensive for our current liquidity, Stephanie thought. However, her signature CEO smirk appeared when she noticed a blinking golden text right beneath the price tag.
[NEW USER PROMO: 90% OFF your first Major Infrastructure!]
[Discounted Price: 10,000 WP]
A System that perfectly understands the marketing trick of giving a massive initial discount to lock in its user, Stephanie mused. I like it. Buy and apply instantly.
[Transaction Successful! Balance: 38,500 WP]
[Initiating automatic construction in 3... 2... 1...]
RUMBLE!
The frozen ground beneath Winterhaven Castle shook violently. Ornn was thrown off balance and fell hard on his rear, clutching his head in sheer panic.
"An earthquake?! By my great-grandfather's beard, this rickety castle is going to collapse!" Ornn shrieked.
However, it wasn't the castle that collapsed.
Through the large office window, Stephanie and Revista witnessed a phenomenon that defied all laws of nature. Along the outer borders of the factory courtyard and the castle, the snowy ground violently split open.
Chunks of pitch-black obsidian stone—the hardest, most expensive building material on the continent—pierced out from deep underground like the growing teeth of a colossal earth dragon. The massive stones magically fused together, rising at an incredible speed, forming an intimidating, fifteen-meter-high wall that flawlessly encircled the entire Winterhaven territory.
At the very top of the wall, magical ice vines spread rapidly, forming sharp, impenetrable spikes that reflected the pale sunlight like deadly diamonds. At the main entrance, a thick black steel gate bearing the newly minted crest of Winterhaven—a hammer crossed over a gold coin—formed with a deafening metallic CLANG.
The tremors stopped. The howling blizzard outside the wall suddenly felt entirely muffled. The factory courtyard was now completely shielded from the freezing wind, as if the massive wall possessed its own climate-control shield.
Ornn crawled toward the window, his jaw dropping open until it nearly touched the floorboards.
"S-Solid obsidian... Instant construction without a single cement joint..." Ornn gulped hard, staring at Stephanie with a wild mix of horror and absolute, fanatical adoration. "B-Boss... what kind of god-tier magic did you just use?!"
Down in the courtyard, hundreds of refugees had dropped to their knees, bowing toward the towering black wall, fully convinced it was a divine miracle from the Guardian Goddess herself.
Stephanie merely gave a faint, elegant smile, casually dusting off her sleeves. "That wasn't magic, Ornn. That was simply the power of money spent in exactly the right place."
Behind her, Revista stepped forward, standing close beside Stephanie to look at the giant black wall. His red eyes narrowed in sharp assessment.
"A sturdy cage," Revista growled in a low, heavy voice, his abyssal aura radiating a thick, suffocating sense of ownership over the territory. He looked down at Stephanie, his gaze softening only for her. "No insects from the capital can enter and bother you now. You are... truly the absolute ruler of this place."
"A ruler doesn't work alone, Revista," Stephanie replied, leaning back slightly against his warm chest. She looked at her remaining balance, which still sat at a comfortable 38,500 WP.
"Our physical infrastructure is perfect. But this wall needs a magical security system so it cannot be bypassed by the flying magic of the Church or the Kingdom's elite guard. It is time we recruit some highly specialized talent."
Stephanie casually swiped her hand in the air, opening the golden System tab that had just unlocked: [S-Class Employee Gacha].
"Let's see," the CEO whispered, her eyes glinting with unadulterated capitalist ambition, "which unlucky genius I will exploit today."
[Nymphaearoot the Author]: The Wall of Winterhaven has risen! CEO-style wealth flexing hits different—buying a 15-meter obsidian wall in hard cash! In the next chapter, Stephanie will pull her first S-Class employee gacha. Get ready for the arrival of a new character who will make Revista incredibly jealous!