4 Questions. I would be a waste to ask about that, wouldn't it? Yes. Yes, it would be. Come on. Focus. It's time for answers. What tot ask first? Actually, I know what I want to know. The Warlock took a calming breath and focussed back on the androgenous figure that lay in a couch formed from cloud stuff. My life got very weird, very fast. Time to adapt.

"What's with the titles and names?"

The Diviner looked at her and laughed. "Good question to start with I suppose. I can be rather strange from an outside perspective." They sat up straight seemingly taking it more seriously. The cloud-like structure they sat on moved with them, forming a chair instead of the couch. They began speaking in a voice that made her remember one of her older professors, maybe this person was older than they looked.

"The titles and names come from the international nature of the community. Initially, some of us tried to introduce ourselves but it seemed that the translation magic in place has a counterbalance, as we could not understand each other. I suppose it can also be seen as a privacy measure; you should be more careful with your identity. We are after all far more powerful than average. Anyway, it comes down to the fact that the titles are the only thing that seems to translate properly. You could wear a name badge if you really wanted, but I wouldn't. Whatever magic is at work here might take offense."

Something about that seemed wrong to The Warlock. It almost sounded like some kind of AI was behind this magic. The Diviner spoke as if the magic that allowed for translation and the delving process was alive. She supposed that with the tablets, an AI might not be so farfetched. It also brought up a second question, so she went and asked it.

"How do those tablets work? Also, please don't say magic."

The Diviner sighed. "Well. That is a bummer. I can honestly say that I have no idea. They seem to interact with our biology though. High level physical delvers are superhuman in ability. Even us spellcasters are significantly faster and stronger at high levels."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

That was something to consider. If what they said could be believed, she fell into the category of spellcaster. That alone could give her more information when speaking with others here. It also seemed that the levels not only increased her magical power, but also physically changed her. She really had to do a deep dive in the tablet and figure out if there was some kind of measurement or data she could look at. That was all for later though, for now she had two more questions to ask.

She had more than 2 questions though. She wanted to know more about this whole street, this delver community, the cash in her bank account and many more things. Deciding to prioritize, she discarded the questions about money. She probably wasn't the only one thinking about that and someone else in the community might know and they might not be weird about answering questions. That did bring something else to the forefront. The community. She was a part of it now and she had no idea how everything worked. She had to get some basic answers so she wouldn't be scammed by the first one with bad intentions. But what to ask? This person seemed to be the rules for all intends and purposes. Hell, The Rogue had listened to them, and she seemed to be the anti-authority type.

"Do I need to pay protection money or something?"

"Oh honey, no. It seems that I have made a wrong impression. While almost all listen to me in The Street, it is not out of fear. I am The Diviner; I have answers about the future and those answers come at the cost of favors."

Well, that is terrifying. How many favors must they own by now? Better stay on their good side. The Warlock had worked with plenty annoying bosses in her more mundane life, and it never paid to piss them off without a safety net. One question left. She had to think about this one. She could ask about the future or something similar. If they told her the stock market a day in advance, she could make a lot of money. Though that was a risk, maybe it would be impolite or show greed. Never a good idea to show that kind of weakness. Also, they might not even value money here.

Actually, that gave her an idea. From her name she could assume there was only one Warlock and while she couldn't do anything unique yet. It could be that eventually some of her powers could be extremely useful to others. If she was going to work here and delve more into dungeons it might be a good idea to network. It could also prove a good revenue stream for currency within and outside The Street. Yes, this could work. The added benefit of quitting her job didn't escape her notice either. Not that working in the service industry would be much better. With a sigh she asked her final question.

"How would I go about the process of opening a shop here?"