So that's [Lord's Blessing Lv. 2].
Anyone who had spent even a little time as a gamer would immediately recognize how broken this skill truly was. These were all game-changing boosts. The only real drawback was the massive amount of Points required to maintain them. I wouldn't be able to keep any blessing active all the time.
But… that wasn't really the point of this skill anyway.
Most likely, it was designed to be used in critical, life-or-death moments.
Like when a citizen's HP was rapidly dropping toward zero, a well-timed [Blessing of Life] could keep them alive just long enough for danger to pass or for help to arrive.
Or when they suddenly encountered a powerful enemy far beyond their level, [Blessing of Haste] could give them the sudden burst of speed needed to escape with their life.
I instantly placed this skill near the very top of my "must-have" list.
For now, though, I didn't have any immediate use for any kind of blessing. And furthermore, I couldn't afford it yet. 500 Points was no small amount. It would drain my wallet completely dry.
But at least I knew I wanted this skill as soon as possible.
****
But then, the next morning…
My Net Worth: 66 Points remaining.
Back to being completely broke.
My wood stockpile… gone. The wolf fangs, claws, and fur… also gone. Even the valuable Gray Horned Wolf Pelt had been sold off.
Did I buy [Lord's Blessing Lv. 2]?
No.
But I had needed those Points for other important purchases. Upgrading [Goblish] to Intermediate level cost 100 Points, while upgrading the [Item Shop] to Level 2 cost another 100 Points. The remaining Points had been spent inside the Item Shop itself.
Luckily, it wasn't wasted. I had managed to get something quite nice out of it.
I couldn't wait for the goblins to wake up and try them.
...
Moments later…
"Hnnnngghh!!!"
Gopuran woke up first, stretching her arms wide with a big yawn.
Next to her, Gopuro was still fast asleep, snoring loudly like a horse, wearing nothing but a simple loincloth.
She stared at the guy's big, round ass for a moment, her eyes narrowing mischievously.
Then—
PLAP!
She slapped his fat butt cheeks so hard it made a loud, explosive sound that echoed through the hall and scared the shit out of the sleeping birds!
"AAAA!"
Gopuro jolted awake, flailing on the floor like a fish out of water, frantically rubbing his stinging ass with both hands. A bright red handprint was clearly visible on his green skin. He sat up, staring at Gopuran in complete confusion while the girl just giggled innocently.
"P-Puran? Why?! WHY?!!" the dude asked in disbelief, his eyes already swelling with dramatic tears.
"Come on, Puro! Time for quest! Big Boss is waiting!" Gopuran grinned widely.
"Sure. But why slap my ass?!"
"Why? Revenge for last night!"
"But it's you who told me to slap it!"
"What? Me no remember!"
"Grrrrr…" Gopuro growled, still rubbing his sore backside.
(Haha, seems like things are already getting lively this early in the morning!)
I hadn't wanted to interrupt them while they were having sex yesterday, so I hadn't spoken to them yet.
But now, it was finally time.
"Good morning, guys," I began, using [Ruler's Voice] to send the message directly into both of their heads in fluent Goblish. "How was your sleep? Good?"
The moment they heard my voice, both goblins froze on the spot, their faces twisting into expressions of pure shock, as if they had just seen a ghost.
"Come on! It's me!"
"B-B-Big Boss…?" Gopuro muttered, his lips trembling.
"What? You speak?!" Gopuran's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Of course I speak!" I replied.
"UWOOOOHHHH!" Gopuro suddenly shouted, pumping his fist wildly in the air with unrestrained excitement. "Big Boss speak Goblish! And Big Boss speak MANLY VOICE!"
"YEAH! So sexy voice!" Gopuran cheered right along with him, her eyes sparkling.
****
And just like that, their first real impression of me was quite intense.
For the next few moments, these two silly goblins kept worshiping me with exaggerated enthusiasm, showering me with a nonstop stream of praises like "Big Boss so strong!", "Big Boss is the smartest!", "Big Boss voice so manly and powerful!".
Anyway, regarding my voice… it wasn't even my original voice though.
It was the voice I had carefully configured when I first set up the [Ruler's Voice] skill.
While they were still fast asleep last night, I had spent some time messing around with the settings. The skill let me change my voice however I wanted. Whether it was a super deep, rumbling demonic voice, a high-pitched kawaii anime loli girl voice, or even a sultry, sexy hot-mommy voice, everything was possible through the power of the System.
But of course, I would cringe so hard if I actually used any of those exaggerated voices in real conversation.
So I had settled on something more… tamed, yet still carrying enough natural authority and gravitas. That was when I suddenly remembered a certain God of Rock from the gacha game Fantasy Impact that I used to play.
But… I had totally forgotten just how manly and irresistibly sexy Morax's voice actually was. The kind of raspy, manly ASMR voice that could make even the straightest man question his own sexuality for a second.
Either way, it felt incredibly nice to finally be able to talk with someone after so long. A warm wave of joy washed over me.
It was also pretty interesting how naturally they referred to me as "Big Boss."
Compared to something more formal like "My Lord" or "My God," it felt a lot closer, friendlier, and honestly more fun.
****
As the initial greeting died down, I was once again showered with a barrage of eager questions.
"Big Boss, where are you?" Gopuro asked, turning his head left and right, scanning the hall with wide, curious eyes as if trying to spot a hidden figure somewhere in the shadows.
"Did you build this castle?" Gopuran followed up.
"Are you… a god?" Gopuro added.
Well, I was a castle. I had no flesh-and-blood body to show them. And as for who I truly was…
There was no point in telling them that I used to be a human who had reincarnated here as a castle.
First, it would only confuse them greatly. Second, if I revealed my human origins, I might even turn them hostile toward me. I was well aware that goblins in this world held no good impressions of humans.
Well, since they already seemed to think I was some kind of god, why not just go with that?
"Yes, I am a God! And I am the lord of this Magical Castle!"