Venancijs entered the office of the Merchant Guild Mistress.

  “What a surprise!” Delen shouted, seeing him. “I was worried you would get stuck there.”

  “It’s good to see you, too. I needed to organize things, and until recently, there weren’t any important things to sell, just metal.” He hugged her gently.

  “Oh, what you got?”

  “Mostly luxury things. Mana stones, shards, or crystal clear glass panels.”

  “You are smiling, so you have something special. You will most likely send your assistant for these things.”

  “I have two fire mana stones.”

  “Better.”

  “Full of fire mana.” He added.

  “Are you crazy? How did you manage to bring them here in the first place?”

  “Dungeon Mistress built containers for elemental mana stones. Design is simple and easy to replicate, so it’s worth some gold too.”

  “Right, her.” Delen shakes her head.

  “I have one more thing. But I will need to travel to the capital to auction this.”

  “Can you show me what adventurers found?” She got curious. Frayharf was a small city, so there was a chance she could negotiate a change of plans with Venancijis.

  “I need a clear table.” He answered, pulling a scroll and something covered in cloth from his bag.

  Delen pointed to another table beside the wall. There was only a jug of water and a half-empty plate with sandwiches. Grand Merchant carefully unwrapped the bundle.

  “Statue of the golem rat. Nice, and yes, it has this tabard thing with the Dungeon Mistress crest. Something like that you can sell in my merchant house too.”

  “Normally, yes, my friend,” Venancijs answered, with his face serious. “But not this time. You need to know two things about this sculpture.” He took out the key and turned it twice. Then he released the toy, which then moved for a moment.

  “It moved!” The old lady squealed like a teenager, feeling the long-forgotten joy of finding a rare item. “And without magic!” She added.

  “Yes. Dungeon Mistress calls it a mechanical toy. As you said, it depicts the rat golem from the second floor.”

  “I admit that organizing an auction for such a wonder will take time, but you can trust me.”

  “I know. However, because of the second thing, I will need someone with a lot of authority.”

  “And that is?”

  “Please sit, then read this scroll.” He gave her a scroll pulled from the bag earlier.

  She did that, unfolded it, and started reading. The title was simple: ‘Testimony’. First was Grand Forge Master, next was Grand Priest of the Sun, Grand Priestess of the Lady, and Adventurers Guild Master. At the end, a few random adventurers. All of them were telling one thing. This moving sculpture wasn’t a reward from the dungeon. It was built by hand without using dungeon magic, by Dungeon Mistress herself.

  Delen with shaking hands, folded scroll.

  “You lucky fool.” She whispered.

  Ten days later, the Grand Merchant Venancijs arrived in Formia, capital of the Exeven kingdom. It was a moderate-sized kingdom with lands stretching for a distance of around one month traveling on horseback. There were plenty of lands for agriculture, forests grew tall, and a few mountains where stone and ore were acquired. There was also a dungeon on the border with its southern neighbour. This dungeon was dedicated to the goddess Iliana. It was not a particularly dangerous place and was a source of many materials for artists and craftsmen. One century ago, when it appeared, tensions were rising between the kingdoms over rights to govern the city, which was slowly being built next to it. To stop it, the dungeon master stepped in. He ordered both sides to leave town, and Grand Priestess of the Goddess Iliana was chosen to govern the city.

  “The art should be shared, not hoarded and sealed in vaults. If none of you can shear it with others, none of you will have it.” He said.

  Because dungeon masters are envoys of gods, both kings were forced to comply. The nobility was not particularly pleased, but as trade with the free city expanded, benefiting both kingdoms, the nobility calmed down.

  Venancijs found a decent guest house and rented three rooms to accommodate all his workers, who came with him. The next morning, he went to the merchants' guild hall. After a short wait, he met Guild Master Faeler. He was an elf, and something around five centuries old. He achieved his position one hundred years ago after the dungeon started emerging. His skills and instinct guided him well, and very fast, his name and wealth were known. After the previous guild master's retirement, he was unanimously chosen as the next one.

  “Please come in!” He smiled. “When my employee announced you, I asked twice to be sure. You are, indeed, the Grand Merchant Venancijs.”

  “Thank you for your welcome and time.” The Grand Merchant smiled and shook an extended hand.

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  “Only some fools could dismiss you. If someone chosen as the future Guild Master in the new dungeon town comes to you, that means a business opportunity. So what brings you to my merchant house?”

  “Dungeon Mistress is a hard-working woman, and her dungeon grows. The first valuable items can be acquired. So it’s prudent to find a proper place for selling them.”

  “Agree. So many young merchants forget about proper preparations. They appear out of nowhere and think some mana stones will impress anyone. Not mentioning that usually they had the wrong kind of stones.”

  “It’s a capital, so mana stones are a basic commodity here. Well, I brought one with me, as a token of goodwill.”

  “Appreciated. What kind is it? Can I see it?”

  “It’s just a fire mana stone. And because it's full of mana, I deposited it in the guild safe warehouse.”

  “It’s full? How did you manage to travel with it?” The guild master was shocked.

  “Dungeon Mistress devised a simple container for elemental mana stones. It allows relatively safe transport of stones. And most importantly, the design is simple. Any master craftsman could replicate it.”

  “Oh, my. What a generous gift.” Elf smiled. “I see our future cooperation in the bright colours. But I have a feeling that there is something more. And for some reason, I can’t stop looking at the chest held by your assistant.”

  “You are right.” Venancijs nodded. “I need your auction house and connections to sell an item in this chest.”

  “What is it?” Faeler became serious.

  “Dari. Come closer.” The Grand Merchant told his servant to step next to him. Venancijs took out the key and opened the chest. Inside were three items. A sculpture of the rat made from brass, a scroll, and something looking like a sprout with two leaves.

  “Can I?” The elf asked, and Venancijs nodded. The guild master, not to dirty the sculpture with his fingers, took out a clean, white linen handkerchief.

  “Very interesting.” He said after inspecting it. “The crest means it came from the On Taram Dungeon. But it’s not a typical reward for completing the dungeon's challenges. Also, craftsmanship is just at the master level. However, my instinct tells me there is a big secret behind this sculpture. Can you tell me?”

  “There are two secrets. One small, one big.” Venancijs answered and reached for the sculpture. Once again, he turned the key with leevs twice and showed the Guild master how it walks.

  “Wonderful!” He laughed. “The noble children have similar toys. Puppets on strings moved by servants. They will love it!”

  “It’s indeed called a mechanical toy.”

  “What about the second secret? The great one."

  “Please read this scroll.” Venancijs gives him a scroll from the chest.

  “Dear gods.” The guild master whispered after reading it. “You are rich.”

  “Not me. Dungeon Mistress. This sculpture belongs to her. I’m just acting in her name.” Venancijs shakes his head.

  The guild master blinked in surprise. He looked at the artefact on the desk.

  “The crest. Because of the excitement, I forgot about the crest. Rewards from the dungeon will never have the markings of the dungeon master. And none of us can pay a real price for it. Only nobles, kings, most likely.”

  “Yes. However, Dungeon Mistress ordered me to ensure the price is fair for all. No one can go bankrupt, and in the case of the nobility, they cannot use the money necessary to maintain the land and people.”

  “It’s easier said than done. When nobles heard about it, they would start bidding like a madman. And you can’t set an upper limit.”

  “We can’t. But the king can.” Venancijs smiled conspiratorially.

  “You schemer!” Faeler laughed. “But you are right. There is a rule that no one can bid higher than the royals. Inviting the king will be a huge problem. Fortunately, the city is ruled by his third son. And inviting the city lord is easy.”

  “Then, I assume that we have a deal.”

  “Yes. I will need a few days to send invitations and prepare everything.”

  “Then let's talk about our future cooperation.” Venancijs smiled.

  Two days later, the Grand Master of the Forge was invited to the Merchant Guild to make an additional inspection. Both merchants agree that additional testimony from the priest of The Smith, who lives in the capital, could help.

  “Thank you for your arrival. I hope I don’t interrupt anything important.” The elf greeted the muscular female dwarf.

  “Nah. It’s a good distraction. For an hour or two, I will have a break. And also your letter intrigued me.” The dwarf answered.

  “Let me introduce you, Grand Merchant Venancijs. He is responsible for organizing merchants in the On Taram oasis. Grand Merchant, this is Konwala, our Grand Forge Master.”

  “Nice to meet you, Grand Forge Master.” Venancijs shakes an extended hand.

  “Right, something unusual was found in the new dungeon. I should have guessed that merchants from there would be involved. So what was found there? As intrigued as I am about the works of the new Dungeon Mistress, the sixth floor is a little too early for something big to be found.”

  “Let me show you.” The guild master gestured to the table where the golem toy was waiting.

  The Grand Master of the Forge took it and examined it. She immediately found it wasn’t just a sculpture. On the belly of it was a rectangular hole, and the tool with leaves was fitting.

  “In which direction should it be turned?” She asked.

  “To the right. No more than five full rotations. And holding its leg while turning the key helps,” Venancijs explained.

  She turned the key once and released the legs, which started moving. Immediately, she turned the key once more and placed it on the table to see how it moved.

  “Nice toy. The craftsman who built it should improve his skills and get further training, as the exterior is only at a master level. But the machinery inside is splendid. Everything works smoothly and quietly. So, who built it?” Konwala said after inspection.

  “Dungeon Mistress herself.” Answered Venancijs. “I have testimonies with me.” He pointed to the scroll.

  “How many of them did she build?” She asked after a short read.

  “This is the first one. But she planned to build more. Each will represent a different floor.”

  “Good. Dungeon Mistress doesn’t over-rely on her magic. I deem her worthy. But I think both of you have a big problem here. Only the king, maybe one of the dukes, could pay for it.”

  “It’s true. However, Dungeon Mistress ordered me to set the price that doesn’t harm the buyer.” Venancijs answered.

  “Ordered you?”

  “Yes. Normally, I would do something similar, or reject the proposal of such a transaction, but money from this auction will go to the Dungeon Mistress. I merely represent her.”

  “Why does she need money? In her dungeon, she could have anything that she could imagine. She even showed us that by creating golems.”

  “To lend them to those who want to settle near the oasis. Also, for materials for building more toy golems, and who knows what else in the future.”

  “Don’t poach my people.” She warned.

  “Never, Grand Forge Master. I was hoping for a private talk about that after this meeting.”

  “Good. Come with me to my workshop to talk. Later, I will add my testimony to the list.”

  “Appreciate, Grand Forge Master.” Venancijs bowed.