I paid 187 Points for the Handsome Emperor statue.
As soon as I confirmed the purchase, the design displayed on the blue panel suddenly began to glow. The image shimmered for a few seconds before transforming into an actual item.
[Ding! Creation Completed.]
[-187 Points]
[Points Remaining: 149 Points]
[1x Custom Statue has been added to your Inventory!]
Of course, I didn’t waste any time.
I immediately retrieved the statue from my Inventory and placed it in my main hall, right in the center between the two grand staircases.
The 2.5-meter-tall statue materialized without a hitch.
I stared at it for a few seconds.
"Damn... this is really a work of art! Good job, me!"
The more I looked at it, the more I liked my decision.
It fit the castle’s atmosphere perfectly.
The imposing emperor sat upon his throne with an air of absolute authority, his crown, armor, sword, and scepter giving him an unmistakably royal presence. Against the stone walls and towering ceiling of the main hall, he looked like he belonged there.
Yeah...
This is good.
But still...
Something felt like it was missing.
A single statue standing in the middle of this enormous hall looked a little too plain. The emperor was impressive, but the surrounding space didn’t do him justice.
Hmm...
Wait!
An idea suddenly struck me.
I immediately spent another 30 Points on a simple but elegant red carpet.
The carpet appeared beneath the statue, stretching forward across the marble floor. Its deep red color contrasted beautifully with the statue’s pale stone and the surrounding gray-white marble, making the entire display look much more dramatic.
Much better!
But then I noticed something else.
The hall was still a little too dark.
So, naturally, I spent another 40 Points on several wooden torch stands and placed them around the statue.
Then I activated my Lighting Manipulation skill.
Fwoom!
The torches burst into life.
Warm flames danced above the stands, casting flickering light across the emperor’s statue and making the shadows around the hall stretch dramatically across the walls.
The entire atmosphere changed in an instant.
It no longer looked like an empty castle hall with a random statue in the middle.
It looked like some kind of sacred throne room.
A place where a powerful ruler was worshipped.
Now that’s more like it!
And yet, the moment I finished decorating, I felt another dangerous urge creeping into my mind.
Maybe I should add some banners...
And a few more statues...
Perhaps some pillars?
And maybe a giant chandelier...
The more I looked at the hall, the more I wanted to keep decorating it and make the whole place even more magnificent.
But I quickly suppressed that urge.
No.
That’s enough for now.
I had already spent 258 Points on the statue, carpet, and torches.
I only had 79 Points left. Those Points were far too precious to waste just because I suddenly felt like playing interior designer.
*****
Now that the statue had been built and placed perfectly, all I had to do was wait for my honored guests.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t like I could control when goblins decided to show up.
So I had to wait another three days before I finally saw those little green troublemakers again.
Day 57.
Early that morning, two goblins appeared at the edge of my territory.
They approached the castle cautiously, curiosity in their eyes. Just like the goblins before them, they spent some time inspecting my walls and testing their strength with their crude wooden clubs.
I let them explore for a while.
Then, just like every time before, I raised the portcullis and lured them inside with some delicious food.
This time, I only needed two apples.
The moment the goblins saw them, they rushed inside without hesitation, each grabbing an apple and sinking their teeth into it greedily.
Chomp!
Chomp!
Yep.
They really were creatures of greed and gluttony.
Anyway...
It was time.
I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I opened the doors to my main hall.
The two goblins heard the doors creak open and immediately turned toward the sound.
And then they saw it.
A magnificent emperor sitting upon a grand throne, illuminated by flickering torchlight.
And right in front of the statue was a small pile of fresh fruit.
The two goblins froze.
Their apples slipped from their hands and hit the floor.
"Hoho!"
I watched them excitedly.
Looks like they’re deeply impressed!
The plan is working!
Once they rushed forward and grabbed the food beneath the statue, I would try Citizenship Granting again and finally turn them into my very first citizens!
However...
What happened next was completely different from what I expected.
For some reason, the goblins’ eyes suddenly flashed with fury.
Their expressions twisted with anger, and their faces became so tense that I could practically feel their rage from across the hall.
Then they raised their clubs and screamed at the top of their lungs.
"YARRRRRR!"
"YARRRR!"
And charged straight toward the statue!
They completely ignored the pile of food.
They didn’t even spare it a glance.
The two goblins simply charged past it and rushed toward the emperor statue like they had just encountered their most hated enemy.
Then...
BANG!
BAM! BAM!
"YARRR!"
"RAAAARRR!"
Their clubs slammed repeatedly against the statue, the loud impacts echoing throughout my halls.
"What the fuck...?!"
I was completely flabbergasted.
"What the hell is going on?!"
The more I watched them furiously beat the statue, the more I began to suspect what had gone wrong.
Wait...
Could it be because they have a bad impression of humans?
The realization hit me like a lightning bolt.
Damn it! How could I not have thought of this?!
Goblins were monsters.
And if they were naturally hostile toward humans, then a statue depicting a powerful human emperor was probably the absolute worst symbol I could have chosen!
Fuck! I miscalculated!
Did I really waste all those Points for nothing?!
My carefully designed plan had backfired spectacularly.
The statue I’d created to make the goblins recognize their mighty ruler had instead made them see red!
At this point, Citizenship Granting was obviously out of the question.
So, with no other option, I dealt with the two goblins the same way as before, dropping spears from above and eliminating them.
Once everything was over, I retrieved the loot and all my decorations back into my Inventory.
The statue.
The carpet.
The torches.
Everything.
Well...
If anything, lesson learned.
It’s not the end of the world.
Now that my Point generation had reached Level 2, I could accumulate Points much faster than before. It wouldn’t take me too long to save up again.
Still...
Next time, perhaps I should try a statue of a handsome goblin.
Surely that can’t go wrong... right?