Alistair gazed at the wide array of prizes displayed on the screens and shelves, each protected by seemingly impenetrable invisible barriers. He doubted he could breach them, even if he tried, as they were likely safeguarded by both the Dungeon and the System and would only open once the price had been paid in full. As it turned out, Riseth was right—meeting the Administrator was indeed an option, but it came at the steep price of 100 million Chips.

However, most of the other prizes were more reasonably priced. What really caught his attention was a large, whirring machine that resembled a slot machine, its screen displaying various symbols moving in erratic patterns as random as the symbols themselves. It had a lever with a glowing, runed orb at the end, and next to it was a plaque listing values—500, 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000—each representing the cost to play, with the promise of random treasure. The higher tiers offered better odds of rare prizes, and excluded the lower-tier rewards and less desirable outcomes.

"What kind of random prizes can you win with this machine?" Alistair asked.

"Anything!" P.A.L. responded enthusiastically. "Well, anything within reason. Not even the Administrator knows exactly what might come out of these rewards!"

Alistair scratched his chin, intrigued. "Do you know of any specific possible prizes?"

"You could potentially win keycards of different rewards based on tiers, allowing you to choose a prize from the list corresponding to your tier or lower! But most rewards correspond to the magic symbols the machine lands on," P.A.L explained. "But be warned, even the fixed prizes change periodically, so don’t hesitate too long on the ones you really want!"

"Nessyra would love this place," Riseth remarked, eyeing a jade-colored ring behind one of the protective barriers.

"You should invite her! The more, the merrier!" P.A.L chirped.

Alistair glanced at the drone, which continued to bob up and down enthusiastically while they walked around the massive, richly decorated dungeon shop. It had a similar aesthetic to the entrance, with red carpets, colorful lights, occasional fountains, and what looked to be a pool with a bar in its center in the corner of the room with another bar taking up a whole side of the room with bar stools and a robotic bartender on what sounded like a pair of tracks.

"We should question it to see if it would be willing to cooperate if we bring it to our planet," Riseth suggested over the link.

"Sure, but let’s play along with its space station story for now and see if it has any plans to leave the station," Alistair replied.

After exchanging a glance, Alistair leaned over to inspect another prize while Riseth made her way to the bar.

"So, P.A.L, tell me, do you get those treasures from outside your station? Do you send drones to fetch them, or do you get deliveries made? Or does your station make them itself?" Alistair asked casually.

There was a noticeable pause before P.A.L answered. "The station's programming prevents the AI from leaving the boundaries of the Platijum Lily due to the AI Core's integrated safety procedures. All these prizes are made in-house, but how we do this is a trade secret," P.A.L said with what Alistair thought was a wink, as the robotic eye flashed and the drone tilted slightly.

"I have to say, your station is in the middle of nowhere. But we could bring it to our planet, where we could have some of our citizens visit the Platijum Lily. Of course, we’d need to ensure this place is safe first with some safety inspections," Alistair offered.

"Test all you want! This place is as safe as can be! You have the ability to move the station to a more populated planet?! That would be excellent! The Administrator has informed me that it is within his permission from the station owner and even encouraged to relocate to a more populated site," P.A.L responded, almost buzzing with excitement.

Alistair struggled not to raise an eyebrow at the obvious lie and heard Riseth snort from the bar, though P.A.L seemed too excited to notice.

Alistair weighed the risks and benefits carefully. His primary concern was that eventually, some of his people might let slip the truth—that this was a dungeon, not an AI. Would opening up a dialogue now prevent a bigger headache later? As he consulted with Riseth over the Akashic Link, P.A.L. eagerly started asking questions about which orbit they would tug the station into and how many visitors he could expect.

Riseth speculated that the dungeon was either lonely or simply eager for more visitors. Like all dungeons, it would greatly benefit from the influx of people, allowing it to expand much faster compared to sustaining itself in isolation with only passive energy generation.

"What are the chances one of our people lets something slip? Should we instruct people to keep playing along, or is it better to try an open dialogue with it now?" Alistair mused, considering their options.

"We should at least try," Riseth suggested. "It just might resist the idea; Dungeon Cores can be quite stubborn about their identity and understanding of the world. That’s why some dungeons have such bizarre and otherworldly environments."

"Let’s hope it doesn’t react poorly," Alistair said cautiously. "But with its chipper and eager attitude, it might just wave us off."

Clearing his throat, Alistair addressed the drone, "Pal, there are some things we need to discuss. Riseth and I are the leaders of our Clan, and we have the authority to make decisions, but we'd like to speak with the Administrator."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The drone paused momentarily before responding, "Understood. High priority recognized. Connecting now." A cheery, unfamiliar jingle played as P.A.L. mimicked establishing a connection.

"Good day, Mr. Ryser and Mrs. Ryser! I am the Administrator, in charge of the Platijum Lily, and I'm eager to discuss terms with you!" The voice maintained its cheerful tone, but there was a subtle strain as it tried to sound more formal and professional. Riseth joined Alistair, sensing that this conversation could take a bad turn, and knowing it was unwise to be separated at such a critical moment.

Alistair exhaled slowly, knowing he had to address the elephant in the room. "Before we move forward with negotiations, there's something we need to clarify. From the perspective of the Ryser clan, the Platijum Lily is a Dungeon, and our people would naturally treat it as such."

There was a brief, noticeable pause. The drone's eye swiveled slowly from side to side, as if carefully considering Alistair's words. When the Administrator finally responded, its voice retained its usual cheerfulness, though there was a slight, almost forced quality to its upbeat tone. "Ah, I see! Yes, yes, my System did mention something along those lines, but I’ve always considered it just a minor glitch—a bug, if you will! You see, I’m an AI Core, not a Dungeon Core, and my role is to manage this space station. But of course, you’re free to call it whatever you like. Though, ‘Dungeon’ does carry some rather negative connotations, doesn’t it? This is a place of entertainment and joy—why associate it with a term like that?" The Administrator let out a small, mechanical-sounding laugh, as if trying to lightly brush aside the concern and move on.

Alistair and Riseth exchanged a glance, recognizing the deflection but choosing not to push further for now as they got what they wanted. There was an undercurrent of something else in the Administrator’s tone—a mix of anxiety and determination to maintain its narrative.

"Well, as long as we’re on the same page about working together," Riseth said diplomatically, "that’s what matters most."

"Exactly!" the Administrator chirped, its tone noticeably lighter, as if relieved to move past the subject. "Now, let’s focus on how we can make this partnership truly shine!"

They began discussing their expectations, occasionally slipping in trick questions to gauge the dungeon’s reactions. The Administrator’s responses remained consistent with what they had observed so far, reassuring them that this place was less dangerous than most dungeons. Afterward, they suggested several new events, including Blackjack, Roulette, and some of Neshan’s more popular games like Pactflip and Red Gambit. The Administrator seemed pleased and, as a gesture of goodwill, provided them with a few thousand chips after they transmitted their information through their Akashic link to a panel that extended from P.A.L.'s mechanical body.

When they brought up the idea of combat events, however, the Administrator became noticeably more reserved. Although it acknowledged it could enforce a 'Life Guard' condition on any event to prevent serious harm, it was clear that violence among its guests clashed with its strict values.

"I do not wish to see my guests hurting each other or getting hurt under my care," the Administrator stated firmly, its usual cheery tone now tinged with an unyielding resolve. After a brief pause, it added, "However, I could host events where beasts fight each other, and you could place bets on which creature might win."

Alistair considered this for a moment. "What about our summons? Could they participate in those matches?" he asked, curious about the Administrator's response.

"Ooh! Pet battles, that sounds exciting!" the Administrator exclaimed, its enthusiasm palpable.

Riseth shook her head. "Many of them aren't pets; they're companions," she corrected.

"Bah, semantics! Who cares?" the Administrator replied dismissively. "I'll create some beasties to challenge your pets, and we can bet on them and have them earn prizes!" The Administrator’s surprisingly casual acceptance of this kind of violence, as long as it didn’t directly involve the delvers themselves, took them aback. "Of course, they would be life-guarded. I wouldn't want to harm my guests' pets!" it added cheerfully.

They tried to convince the Administrator to use the term "summons" instead of "pets," but the AI Core adamantly refused, much like when they attempted to persuade it that it was a Dungeon Core rather than an AI Core. The Administrator dismissed their objections with the same cheerful indifference, even sending them more chips as a reward for inspiring the idea of pet battles.

"I must tend to these new events now. It was a very productive talk, and if you wish to add any more games to my roster, please let your P.A.L know!" the Administrator said before withdrawing its focus.

As the Administrator's presence faded, Alistair noticed a subtle but distinct change—the core's attention seemed more fragmented, and while they were still interacting with its P.A.L. persona, its responses had become noticeably less sharp, even more so than before their discussion. Despite this, based on what they had learned, they realized they could technically finish the dungeon right then and there by spending the chips they had earned on any prize, which would be enough to meet the dungeon's conditions for a clear. However, the core seemed eager to encourage them to linger or return as much as possible, subtly nudging them toward extended engagement by enticing them into interacting with its events.

While they had earned a decent amount of points simply by sharing their ideas and suggestions, Alistair was eager to experience some of the events firsthand. However, once they started participating, it quickly became clear that many of the events were heavily skewed against them, making the experience less enjoyable. Most of these were little more than numbers games with minimal skill involved. They raised their concerns with P.A.L., who promptly put those events into maintenance—likely for good.

The skill-based events were far more enjoyable, but some of them suppressed their magic, leaving them feeling oddly vulnerable and off-balance, as if a vital part of themselves had been stripped away. This unsettling sensation prompted them to voice their discomfort. In response, the Core lifted the restrictions, allowing them to fully utilize their powers and easily dominate those events, particularly the obstacle courses and platforming events. However, this imbalance resulted in those events also being placed into maintenance until the Core could find a better compromise or implement a less severe magic suppression. Despite this, P.A.L. let them keep the substantial winnings they had earned, both as a reward for their efforts and as an apology for the discomfort.

As they continued exploring the list of events, they discovered a few that struck the perfect balance, challenging yet enjoyable, even with their magic in play. The events involving dungeon beasts were particularly engaging. Their affinities gave them an edge in most skill-based magic interactions, allowing them to excel and amass a small fortune in chips. By the end, they had more than enough to exchange for the prizes they wanted, concluding an enjoyable and rewarding experience as they made their way to the Prize Vault, which served as the Platijum Lily's Dungeon shop.