I quickly summarised the details of all the Resources the Dungeon produced, along with its layout and biomes. Timun didn't seem surprised but was happy to hear those details.
Timun paid close attention to the construction materials because Stone, Clay, Sand, Wood, and Metal Ores would be needed to build the Dwarven town.
I offered to give it away for free, but he suggested creating a trading system that doesn't require Land, Mana Crystals, or Golem Recipes.
I held off explaining my plans for the Imps and Triplets to focus on finalizing the Mana Contract. Timun and I spent an hour hashing out the first version. Luckily, the Mana Pen can erase words and lines by reabsorbing the Mana Ink. So, we were able to correct many misunderstandings and modify the language when needed.
[1) The Golem Dungeon Core Lord - Rai Dharani, will sell land ownership rights within his Dungeon to Monster Trader - Timun Trichur for Golem Recipes. However, the land within Levels 1, 9 and 10 of the Dungeon is not up for sale.
2) Rai Dharni has awarded Timun Trichur the title of Primarch within the territory of his Dungeon. The Dwarves who recognize Timun Trichur as their Primarch by swearing a Deity Oath to him can settle on his lands. The oath takers will hence be Timun Triichur's subjects. Those who betray their oath will be reverted to Clay Rank by the Mana Contract.
3) Golems, Imps or any creature that directly serves or belongs to Rai Dharani must not be harmed or killed by Timun Trichur and his subjects. Those who violate this rule will be investigated and receive judgment by Rai Dharani. Punishments will include reversion to Clay Rank, expulsion from the Dungeon or execution if they resist. This crime could be forgiven if Timun Trichur and his subjects had fought in self-defense against unprovoked attacks, in which the victims could claim compensation for injury, loss of life or property damage on Timun Trichur's land.
4) The resource nodes spawned daily by the Dungeon will remain Rai Dharani's exclusive property. Timun Trichur or his subjects cannot block access to them, and those who harvest the resources without permission from Rai Dharani will be instantly reverted to Clay Rank as punishment. The resources can be obtained through trade, mutually beneficial to Rai Dharani and Timun Trichur, or they can be gifted without being traded.
5) A 400-meter radius of Dungeon land can be exchanged for each Golem Recipe offered by Timun Trichur. Only the Recipes that interest Rai Dharani are eligible for exchange.
6) All Tunnels created by the Golems that serve Rai Dharani will be accessible to Timun Trichur and his subjects. However, upon dissolution of this agreement, the access will be revoked.
7) Timun Trichur and his subjects are forbidden from revealing details about the Dungeon's strength and resources to Humans unless they receive permission.
8) This Mana contract can be updated and dissolved at any time based on a mutual agreement between Rai Dharani and Timun Trichur. It will be nullified upon the Death of either Rai Dharani or Timun Trichu unless he appoints a new Primarch to succeed him. The successor's name must be added to the Mana Contract to recognize the transfer.
If both parties agree, sign this document on the dotted lines with a Mana Pen]
After proofreading the document, we both signed.
Immediately, the parchment levitated and glittered for a few seconds to signify that it would now enforce the agreed conditions. It landed on the table before splitting into two copies, which Timun and I placed in our storage jewelry. To update it, we would have to combine the copies so they can merge back into one for additions or editing.
Timun stored the contract in his storage ring and started packing away everything else on his plot that was on the ground since he decided to follow me.
"I wish we added more points to highlight the benefits my subjects will receive in the contract because it felt like punishment to be reverted to Clay Rank again after struggling for a hundred years to get to our current Ranks," Timun pointed out as he packed the furniture for customers to sit on during discussions.
"I wouldn't mind adding favorable conditions for you right now," I reply.
"What kind?" Timun asks with a curious tone.
"Once I return to the Dungeon, I will build a Monster Breeding farm to create new creatures from two different Monster Species. According to the Blueprints, getting ten offspring requires just one day. However, I will keep five out of the ten, and the rest will be given to you. But if you sell them outside the Dungeon, I expect 10% from the sales." I offered because I only wanted to keep the best ones to reduce the upkeep costs.
"A farm that can create new species? I must see its results before I agree to such an offer. But did you buy my Beetle and Scorpion to be the first experiment?" Timun asks.
"That was the plan, but I bought the Bugs without checking their genders, though I wouldn't have been able to tell if I did since they are insects," I point out.
"The Beetle is Male, and the Scorpion is Female, according to what I learned from their gender dimorphism over the past century. But these two were sterilized by the Deity of mine who created them for me." Timun revealed.
"What! Why?" I ask in shock.
"Even I considered breeding these two with other Metal Beetles and Metal Scorpions to create offspring who inherit their parent's unique abilities. But the moment I thought of it, I heard the whisper from my Deity who made them, saying it would upset the balance of the world. Hence, the ability to reproduce or get duplicated was removed for all their unique creations." Timun explained.
"Damn! Then I have to buy two more monsters for the farm. Do you have the 1000 Mana Crystals you promised me for naming you Primarch?" I ask.
"I left them in the Gotiro Kingdom's vault for safekeeping. Their King offered to use his vault in gratitude for what I did to bring him the livestock from Falar." Timun explained.
"Can't you message your Dwarves who live there to collect it from the vault, store it in a ring and let your flying monsters bring it here to Rodwin? I don't mind waiting till tomorrow for it," I ask, hoping for a quick cash delivery.
"Even by flying, it would take at least several hours to get there and return. I think you should know why that idea is not practiced. There is a risk of someone on the ground or in the sky detecting the ring, capturing or killing my flying monsters for something valuable to be transported that way. However, letters are ignored unless the messages belong to the Human royalty and their armies. But the Gotiro King will only allow me to access the vault because he wanted to ensure I kept visiting him occasionally. To retrieve it will take at least a week." Timun points out.
"I see... But if he was so grateful, why didn't he give you any land for those Mana Crystals?" I ask.
"The Gotiro King considers me a friend, but that doesn't extend to all Dwarves. He also didn't want another Kingdom in the desert, which had limited resources for one alone." Timun explains.
"I still have Six Mana Crystals, but I only want Giant Metal Beetles because they would be great mounts for my small Golems," I explained.
"If that is why you need those Cheran Metal Bugs, I will offer their eggs for 1 Mana Crystal each. Normally, I would charge 5 Mana Crystals for one Egg, but think of it as a thank you for buying the Hidden Skill Bugs from me," Timun offers.
"Why didn't you offer them before?" I ask.
"I did mention my Deity altered two monster eggs produced by the Metal bugs of Cheran to hatch and sell for my Rank Up condition. But I didn't say they were my only eggs from Cheran. I avoided incubating and hatching the others because I wanted potential customers to consider only the two with hidden skills until they were sold." Timun explains.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"Then I will buy three Beetle Eggs and three Scorpion Eggs—for six Mana Crystals," I say before paying. The Scorpions would allow me to experiment with the Beetles in the Breeding Farm.
I am unsure if the Insect eggs would produce a 1:1 opposite-gender ratio, so getting six eggs increased the odds.
Timun accepts my offer and calls out 6 Giant Metal Eggs the size of footballs. All of them have smooth Iron surfaces. The eggs have red painted symbols to determine which are Scorpions or Beetles.
"How do I incubate them, and for how long?" I ask.
"They must be stored in a dark, cool place with plenty of Iron ores and Salt Bricks. It should take three days for them to hatch after absorbing the ores and salt around their eggs. The Beetles will eat Grass for sustenance, and the Scorpions will need meat. But they both will still require Iron ores in sufficient quantity to grow their bodies," Timun explained.
I slapped my Golem's face for forgetting that Scorpions would need meat.
"How much meat would they need daily?" I ask.
"It depends on their Rank. At Clay Rank, they need 10 KG daily, Stone Rank 50, Iron Rank 100, and Steel Rank 150, in that pattern," Timun explained.
I will run out of livestock to feed them. I wish I could grow meat-like plants like the Imps... wait!
"Timun! Do you know if Rodwin has any Trader selling seeds to make the meat plants that Imps farm in the Underworld?" I ask.
"You planning on growing meat plants to feed the Scorpions?" Timun asked.
"The Imps as well, though I will have to find Imp farmers to grow them." I point out.
"Well, the Ex-Warrior Dwarves who took up the farming profession in the Overworld can grow Underworld mushrooms with the same texture and taste as Beef if they grow them on cow dung, which you have in plenty. The Mushrooms won't have fat, cartilage, and bone, so some of those flavors will be missing. I will exchange them for wood, stone, salt, clay, sand, and metal ores. That should sort out the trade issue between us," Timun suggested.
"Yes, it does sound like a good exchange. How long does it take the Beef Mushrooms to grow until they are ready for harvest? And How much meat can they produce?" I ask.
"One Beef Mushroom can produce 10 KG of edible meat in ten long sausages. It grows best with at least 24 hours of Sunstone light, a little water, and lots of cow or bison dung."
"Sunstone light?" I ask.
"Since Underworld mushrooms don't see the sun. There is a particular rock called a Sunstone that mimics the heat and light from the sun. We placed them on the ceiling above the mushrooms, but I noticed the first level of your Dungeon had something similar. If the other levels have the exact light source, then we should be able to grow a new batch of mushrooms daily. However, I will leave it to the Mushroom Farmers to explain the quantities they can handle. The issue will be having enough farmland to grow them since I need to prioritize living space for the land I purchase." Timun points out.
"Have your Mushroom farmers pick the spots they think are best for growing mushrooms, and I will designate those areas as farming lands," I suggest.
"Before that, I must ask whether you will always be in this Golem or will you pick another one in the future?" Timun asks.
"Eventually, as I Rank up, I can have multiple Golems as my avatars. Why do you ask?"
"I am only saying this because my kind isn't as polite as me. But if they see a Dungeon Lord in a Dwarf-sized Golem.... something larger would be better for both sides regardless of the Rank. Or pretend that you are not the Dungeon Lord in this Golem body," Timun suggests.
I can't believe a Dwarf is making fun of my short height! Why do they care if I am not a huge scary Dung_ ah right! That's what everyone expects.
"I am told my Golems will increase in size as they Rank up." I point out.
"Warrior Golems will have the height of an Ogre by Bronze Rank, which might take a while unless you plan to kill an army of Clay-rank creatures soon," Timun replied.
"Hmm... since Golems are in the Monster category, I can have them breed with a Giant Metal Beetle to create a Huge Metal Bug Golem," I suggest, but Timun shakes his head.
"Golems have a Male or Female voice depending on their past life but don't have a gender. They don't reproduce like the other monsters, so I doubt you can toss a Golem into the Breeding farm and hope for an offspring when it's more rock than flesh," Timun pointed out.
I immediately recall Brock's Soul having the option to become the Soul of an Incubus. I entertained the idea of Golem Incubus, but not every Soul will have a Golem vessel.
"Any suggestion on how I can impress your Dwarves? If not, I don't mind letting them make fun of my height," I ask, but Timun claps his thick hands together with a smile.
"A Titan Golem will be the best pick. It can be the first recipe exchange between us, and the Dwarf who has it is in the Falar Kingdom. All you will need is a soul obtained from the Giant race or an Elemental beast with Titan in its name, and you should be able to create a Golem meant to fight Titans." Timun suggested.
"Do you think I have the strength to bring down a Giant or a Titan?" I ask.
"No, just buy it from a Soulmancer. There are a few who collect and sell them in Rodwin." Timun reveals.
"Who would buy Souls other than Summoners or other Soulmancers?" I ask.
"You are wrong to make that assumption.
Most Human Summoners focus on Elemental Beasts as their Summons. They consider those giant mutated beasts with elemental magic as house pets. However, the main appeal is that the elemental beasts are better than the fragile bodies of Elemental Mages. Also, if they lose one elemental beast, it's easier to replace than a Mage.
Since Non-Humans need a Slave Mana Tattoo to work for Humans, anyone can buy them at Rodwin and use them like the Human Imps for work or pleasure. So, Summoners skip them for summons.
As for Monster Summoners... very few choose those creatures because it is difficult to get one, feed one and clean up after one. Dragons, Ogres, Centaurs, Cyclops, Gryphons, Giants and Dinosaurs will financially ruin a Summoner if they have more than one.
Summoners want Golem recipes because the Golems don't need food, water, or sleep and will work like slaves without a complaint if the Soul in them enjoys its work. There are no upkeep costs and toilet breaks. Sorry... I went into a rant there. I spent too many years listening to their Golem fantasies.
No, the main customers for Soulmancers are Necromancers! They only need to put souls into dead bodies or skeletons belonging to any creature to turn them into their Summons, which will work like Golems. Thankfully, they don't operate during the daytime and are banned from summoning the Undead creatures within the Kingdom walls. So you will only see the Necromancer Summons at night wandering the forests and eating everything they come across to grow their strength," Timun points out.
"Necromancers? You make it sound like there are enough of them to be a large clientele. Aren't they supposed to be an ultra-rare class?" I ask because they were overpowered characters in all the stories and games. Usually, there were only one or two at most so as not to flood the world with Skeletons and Zombies.
"Ultra rare? Rodwin is famous for its Monster Market, but its best attraction was a Trader who sold 100 Spell Tomes for Necromancy a hundred years ago." Timun explained, and I recoiled as if slammed by a sledgehammer.
"100! For real?" I ask, wondering how that is possible unless someone finds a glitch in the game.
"The Deity of Death declared a Mage her Heroine by blessing her with a Necromancy Spell Tome. But one day, this Necromancer met someone in Rodwin who helped her with information that aided her Deity's Quest. As a reward, he asked for a look at her Spell Tome. It was an odd request for payment, but who would refuse to pay it? After it was given back, she went on her quest and was never seen again. But the one who read her Spell Tome created a hundred perfect copies. That trader sold each Tome for 500 Mana Crystals to earn 50000 before disappearing from Rodwin. So, a Hundred Necromancers were born in Arya. However, their numbers declined when they lost their Spell Tomes or were buried in their tombs." Timun explained, and I shivered. My mind only had the Silver Mask that Whiterock wore in it. His unique ability to copy documents was overpowered in that kind of scenario. But if this happened a hundred years ago, was it his ancestor? Or someone else with the same ability.
I should consider getting one of those Necromancy Spelltomes to use on those spirits in the Dungeon who don't have a Golem Recipe. Maybe I should ask Whiterock if he has a copy since it is not rare. But I wonder if that trader had a mask as well.
"Did anyone record the trader's face at the time?" I ask.
"No, he wore a Silver mask. But that was fashionable in Rodwin then, and it still exists in some areas where they conduct Black Market trade. Speaking of which, you mentioned you have some business partners. Are they the ones selling the Imps to you?" Timun asks.
"Oh god, it is him... sorry! Since we signed the contract, there is no harm in telling you that they are Agents of the Black Market who are paying for those 100 Imps as a thank-you gesture for agreeing to a trade agreement with me for the high-value resources that spawn in my Dungeon," I explain. It stuns Timun for a few seconds.
"I would have recommended you get them to sign a Mana Contract like we did. But the Black Market Agents aren't known for signing contracts. Everything is based on trust, and they will kill those who break it. But could you explain how you will sell the Dungeon resources to them?" Timun asks.
Kill those who break it? I guess I should not let that happen.
I explained the ability of the Hover Chests and how my Builder Golem would be building a tunnel to the Imp territory under the Ruins near the Dungeon.
"I think the other Dwarves would be interested in those hover chests. As for your trade route, 100 clay-rank Imps and a few Golems won't be enough to take them on. I sensed thousands when I passed the ruins to visit your Dungeon with the Falar King." Timun pointed out.
"I was hoping to get them to surrender to me," I reply, then share the prophecy of the Dungeon Lord's return that I learned through Nazrat. It stunned Timun again, but it was for a minute this time.
"I think you got lucky with Nazrat and the five other Imps you got before. The Leader Caste under the Ruins won't be willing to give up control just because a religious figure shows up. I suggest you choose a safer site to meet with your Black Market Agents—one with enough weak enemies to farm for experience and valuable resources and isn't patrolled by the Fallar Army." Timun suggested.
"You know of any?" I ask.
"You remember the Mines I mentioned, which the Falar King forced all the Dwarves to Mine? They were infested with aggressive Clay and Stone-Rank Bat and Gecko Monsters. The mines are a bit further away than the Imp towards the West, but the Falar Kingdom has abandoned them for over 60 years. I doubt their army even remembers it exists." Timun explained.
"What kind of Mine was it?" I ask.
"A Gemstone mine."