The day after the adventurer's death, Naomi started working on the eighth floor. Drinking with adventurers eased her worries, but for her, the best medicine was work. She chose a good old maze. First, she created the ruins of an ancient city. On stone walls made from the irregular blocks fitted together tightly, she created reliefs depicting the past glory of the ancient kingdom. Most of them show how they worship cats. But there weren't any ordinary cats. They were described as godlike creatures, wielding magic that could slay any monster and repel any invader. Streets were full of sculptures of cat guardians. In the central plaza, there was a step pyramid, and on every surface available, there were cats too. Cat warriors guarded the stairs to the top. Through the ruins, she hid four cat sculptures, which were needed to open the treasure chamber beneath the pyramid. Naomi decided to reward adventurers a little more than usual. She couldn't give gold just like that, but a puzzle and some traps will do. Traps were simple and predictable, straight from the Hollywood films - some spears from the wall, a shallow pit, and things like that. When everything was ready, Naomi covered everything with dense jungle.

  “Now it’s time for the cats.”

  Building one was easy, she has a lot of experience. But this time, she takes extra care of the exterior look. There were cats, and they needed to look accordingly. After a whole day of polishing and correcting small flaws, Naomi nodded in satisfaction, seeing a two-meter-long jaguar, with a long tail, and one meter high.

  “Now the hard part. Let's teach you a magic.”

  It took Naomi a whole week to design a proper array for her cats. And each elemental magic needed its modifications. However, the outcome was very satisfying for Naomi. Especially rewarding was the stack of scrolls with notes and sketches of arrays and enchantments.

  “Good morning, Dungeon Mistress!” Shouted a dwarf standing behind the counter. Beside him, there were three adventurers. Two of them looked like they were drinking all night.

  “Good morning, Chef. Anything left from yesterday?”

  “The usual. A stew.” He shrugs. “But give me a moment and I will make something fresh for you, Mistress.”

  “No, a yesterday stew will be good.” She shakes her head.

  “Then, give me a moment. I need to warm it.”

  “Thank you.”

  After breakfast, Naomi went on the surface and chose one of her favorite spots in the orchard as a place to rest for the whole day. After unfolding the picnic blanket and placing comfortable cushions, the goddess Tabitha appeared.

  “Nice spot, sister!” She smiled.

  “One of my favorites.” Naomi nodded, also smiling.

  “I saw your newest floor. Adventurers will have a lot of fun with those cats.”

  “I hope cats wouldn’t be too dangerous, and no one will die.”

  “Agree. Deadly pranks should be reserved for followers of twisted gods.”

  “I wonder if there is a chance to find a way without bloodshed,” Naomi sighed.

  “At the beginning, we thought that, too. Let them have a northern continent. With time, they see that having fun is a better way than killing each other. But then we saw how slowly the malice spreads through the world. If someone does not stop them, people will forget about happy and funny things.”

  “Then, I hope that you will find this legendary hero who will stop them soon. I also promise to help however I can in the meantime.”

  “Thanks, sister!” Goddess hugged her.

  “Now, however, I propose to stop doing anything serious and laze the whole day.”

  “Brilliant idea.” Goddess nodded.

  And both of them do that. They lay down on a blanket, told each other jokes, and even dozed off for a while.

  It was a late afternoon when the goddess said:

  “Someone is approaching us. That was a fun day.”

  “For me too. Thank you.” Naomi smiled, and the goddess disappeared.

  After a few minutes, she saw a person who was looking for her.

  “Selphie. Your shift ended?”

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress. Am I disturbing your rest?”

  “Don’t worry. I rested for a whole day already. How is your project going?”

  “I finished it, Dungeon Mistress.” She showed a thick scroll.

  “Already? What do you find?”

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  “Yes. I got help from Deputy Commander Neldor. Paladin mages are amazing. And about findings.” Selphie took a breath. “There is a pattern. Mana and intent are causing problems, but it’s there, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Let me take a quick look. Please sit.” Naomi started skimming through the main sections. Still, because she stopped at anything looking interesting or important, she needed half an hour to finish. “It’s great. I don’t see any big mistakes. I will have something interesting to read tonight.”

  “So it’s true?”

  “You're asking the wrong person,” Naomi laughed. “Remmeber, dungeons arent real. All around us, including me, are magical constructs. Solid, and respecting all the rules, but also working perfectly as intended. Outside, there is always uncertainty. Because of mana, or because we don't know all the rules, or things that we don't even know exist. However, you do a great job writing this scroll. And it’s exactly what I observed and suspected.”

  “Then, how can I be sure, Dungeon Mistress?”

  “Come with me. I think there is someone who could help.”

  Naomi went straight to the tent of Grand Scholar Vecto.

  “Hello, Grand Sholar. I see you are busy.” Naomi entered the open tent.

  “Good day, Dungeon Mistress.” He smiled, stopping to sort scrolls and notes. “It’s nothing important. The caravan will arrive in a week or two, and unfortunately, I will have to go back with them. Because of that, I started preparing everything.”

  “What a shame.” Naomi became sad. “Promise me, you will send someone promising who will replace you. Maybe even someone interested in starting his library here.”

  “I will, Dungeon Mistress. It’s a splendid idea. Your dungeon is full of wonders. There are so many opportunities to discover something new. Just like our young sorceress here,” he pointed in the direction of Selphie.

  “We are here because of that. I think she discovered something, and more importantly, proved it. But things like that need to be tested by others. That's why I was hoping you might know someone who could discreetly give Selphie a first review. He will look through her essay, point out if she has missed anything or made a mistake, so that she can correct it.”

  “I know someone who would be happy to help. He stepped down from his office two years ago because of age. But contrary to his body, his mind is still young, and he is spending a lot of time in my library pestering me about something new to read. And being discreet was part of his duties in the office.”

  “What do you think?” Naomi asked Selphie.

  “I think I will try,” Selphie answered meekly. “But, sir. Please tell your friend that this is my first work.”

  “Of course. And you shouldn’t be worried. My friend is a man of great integrity. Oh, and I almost forgot.” He reached into his purse. “I want to order two copies of your essay. One for my library and one for my friend.” He gave Selphie two gold coins.

  “That’s too much.” She stammered.

  “It’s true that this is a little more than usual for the first work of an unknown mage or scholar. However, you were tutored by our Dungeon Mistress here. That means your essay can be important. My specialty is history, so we need to wait for my friend's opinion to see how exactly.”

  “Important?” Selphie looked with wide eyes at Naomi.

  “Your scroll will become a stepping stone for others and you too, to better understand the god's creations. Just like the essay of that mage you showed me back then. It inspired you to seek an answer to your doubts. You will also inspire others.”

  “Exactly, young sorceresses. In my library, there are hundreds of scrolls. Only a few are fundamental, one way or another. However, the rest of them are important too, because they also allow us to see a glimpse of new knowledge.”

  “Understood. I didn’t expect anything like that.”

  “You worked diligently, and hard work often pays.” Naomi smiled.

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress.” Selphie agrees.

  A few days later, Selphie was also approached by General Commander Serator.

  “Sir. I can’t take your money. My essay hasn’t been reviewed yet. It all could be false.” She protested.

  “Unlikely, sorceress. My head of the mage division, who tries to replicate your tests, is saying that you have indeed discovered something. Also, you were tutored by Dungeon Mistress. And because of those two factors, even if knowledge in your scroll could be superficial, it’s something that should be studied further.”

  “Understood. I agree, but if my essay turns out to be wrong, I will return your gold, sir.” Selphie decided.

  “Reasonable demand.” Serator agrees. He already knows it won't happen. His mages had already started improving their accuracy and efficiency, and they had only fragments of sorceress knowledge.

  As the gossip about Selphie’s essay spread, she began to be pestered by adventurers wanting to buy it. Elven sorceresses try to refuse and explain that it’s unproven knowledge. Finally, she gave up.

  “You don’t believe me, so be it. You will see for yourself. I will ask the guildmaster for a place to read it.”

  “I agree.” Lucius, who was standing nearby, said. “But not for free. One silver for one hour.” He added. No one complains. One fast ran through the dungeon, and they could easily have a few silver coins. It was also a standard fee in any library.

  Some time later, Selphie was sitting in a tavern with her friends. She was looking at her purse full of money. She was feeling as if she were daydreaming, but after pinching herself, she was sure it was reality.

  “I don’t know what to do.” She sighted again.

  “You can pay our bills in the tavern.” Proposed Stir. “It’s a joke, Abby. I swear.” He hastily added, seeing his girlfriend's angry eyes.

  “Sel. If I remember correctly, and sorry for not listening to you back then, you always dreamed about having a lot of scrolls to read. So maybe do that.” Abby suggested.

  “But that will mean I will need to settle down. And when you move to a different dungeon…” Her voice broke.

  “I'm not sure I'll settle here on my own.” Abbie sighted. “I got a great job, and real adventuring is not for me.”

  “I stay with Abby.” Stir shrugs.

  “And I am also thinking of staying. There are talks about forming city guards. Maybe I will enlist.”

  “But you hate working.” Billy was surprised.

  “Work? Here, in the middle of the desert? Once a month, you will need to check the caravan. The rest of the time, you will stand in the shade of the gate or take a stroll through the streets. And there is not even a single street yet.” Conor laughs.

  “And you, Billy?” Selphie asked.

  “I don’t know. This is a wonderful place. And, with some luck, anyone could become rich here. Just like you, Sel. But you know me. I can’t sit in one place too long.”

  “Just don’t disappear on us,” Abby said in a stern voice.

  “Don’t worry. I haven’t decided anything yet.” He assured her. And he didn’t want to, but on the other hand, it will be incredible to explore the dungeon in the City of the Adventurers. Or to sail across the ocean to the Auos continent. There was also a duty that every adventurer should fulfil. Stand side by side with others on the northern border to repel the invasion of the undead.