He thought his joke was funny and that the fun would continue. But I felt sad. I wanted to go back to Ulia, to hear her laugh, her voice. To feel the warmth of her hands on my cheeks.

Fluffy caught the change in my mood, sat down next to me, and nuzzled his head against me. We sat and watched the rain, thinking it was our tears.

- You never told me about yourself, either, — Tush said. - I saw you by accident. I was looking for some burrow and, in the night's darkness, I saw an incomprehensible glow. Your fire was burning out, you were sleeping next to the dying embers, so lonely that I felt sorry for you. I figured you could use a little help from me. Tell me about yourself. You’re not from that village.

I stroked the little Ursi's furry head. I don’t think the little creature would understand civilization, mortgages, or computers. So I made up a simple story in which I was a resident of a plains village. At first, I helped my parents and did minor jobs in the house. And as I grew older, they designated me as an apprentice to a blacksmith. One day, a strong wind carried me far away from home. And now I want to go back.

- You’re lying! - Fluffy was indignant. - I told you the truth about me. And you? I can tell when people are telling the truth and when they are lying.

- I came from a faraway land and found myself in the clutches of Nix, a magician and wizard. I became a wizard too, and one day I made a dangerous move and ended up here. Does that explanation work for you?

- This story is more likely to be true.

Fluffy was suddenly alarmed. He wasn't interested in my story anymore.

- Something big and dangerous is approaching us.

Big and dangerous was a huge black bear. The rain had soaked him through, and water was dripping down his fur. He must have been looking for shelter and had stumbled into a cave. Or maybe the smoke from the fire and the smell of cooked meat attracted him. The unexpected visitor frightened everyone, even me. Jurion jumped out of the corner of the cave and was the first to attack the bear. The bear got up on his hind legs and responded with a menacing growl.

- Tell him that if he leaves we won’t hurt him, — I nudged the frozen fluffy one. - Or don’t you understand his language?

- Yes, I understand, but I'm prevented from talking to him by this mad horse.

- Jurion, — I called to the centaur. - Come to me!

The bear stood still, looking around the cave. In the dark cave, he saw a lot of food. Men, heavy bulls, a galloping horse. But he was a little intimidated by the fire. Unfortunately, the bear knew what he had to fear.

The centaur backed away and stopped, shuffling his hooves. Fluffy twisted his head around, trying to reach the mind of the forest giant. He patiently explained that we were superior to the guest and that peaceful fire could become hostile. As proof, Fluffy took a thin, burning twig out of the fire and waved it in the air. The bear reluctantly sank on all four paws, clumsily turned around, and left the cave. The charioteers breathed a sigh of relief.

- You did well, — I praised Jurion. - And you, my little friend, too!

- You all did well. - the merchant praised us. - I dread to think what would have happened to my caravan if you had not accompanied it.

- You forget, Hagar, you have other guards. We’re just traveling with the caravan and can leave at any time.

The merchant sweated instantly, his eyes filled with anxiety.

- We agreed that you would lead us to the city. It’s very far away.

- That was in the beginning, you forget. And then we renegotiated the deal. Instead of one guard, you have seven. No, not seven - six men.

- Even if there were twenty such guards, they all together are not worth you alone. Where were they when the bear came into the cave? Did you see one who dared to stand beside you? They all hid behind the wagons.

- That’s probably because you didn’t give them the right task. Or maybe you didn’t incentivize them enough. What is the fee for guarding the caravan?

- Ten large coins, — Hagar pulled a leather wallet from his belt, shaped like a pouch with a neck. He pulled out a single copper coin and held it out to me. It weighed about an ounce and a half and was perfectly circular. One side of the coin was decorated with a dragon’s head, the other with a dragon’s tail and sharp plumage.

- And who prints these coins?

- The one who owns all the country’s wealth. Whoever mines this precious metal.

- Copper is a precious metal?! - I could barely contain my chuckle. Yes, in my world, copper is not cheap either. However, gold is much more expensive.

- The monopoly on copper mining and smelting belongs to the dragon. Only the flames he breathes out can melt the ore.

- Why would a dragon want to do all this? Mining ore, making copper, printing money. He can take it all by force, can’t he?

- All of it, but not all of it. Dragons are somewhat of a gourmet, they eat livestock. A dragon won't eat a skinny cow that's skin and bones.

- From whom does the herdsman get animal feed? He can get it for free from the farmer. You can do it one time, and the next time you can’t.

- Why is that? - wondered the crybaby bandit.

- The earth does not give birth on its own, it needs the seed. If you take from the farmer the first time, there will be nothing left for the second time. Do you understand now?

Crybaby nodded his head.

- A peasant needs a tool to cultivate a field. You can work with a wooden one, but the harvest will be smaller and worse. The family needs something to feed. Some clothes to buy. You can’t just exchange one thing for another. Coins simplify the exchange process.

It was an interesting lecture. At school, the teacher explained the emergence of monetary and commodity relations differently to us. The same principles, but not so clear. After Hagar's clarification, there were no questions.

- How much will you get when you sell one load of fuel stone? - I continued to ask the merchant about the prices. The merchant, not realizing the verbal trap I was leading him into, answered,

- Forty-five large copper coins on average. That’s if I want to get rid of them in bulk. If I sold each cartload, I might get more.

- You have ten wagons, so in the end you will earn about four hundred and fifty large coins.

- I’m not good at math. I know it should be a good sum. What’s your point?

- Are the guys hired to protect your stuff getting a pittance? If you divide ten coins into six, what do you get?

- You forget I still have to pay the cabmen, — Hagar shouted when he realized what all his mathematical research had led him to.

- Then pay the cabmen ten coins for security. You’ll save your money. How much is one tufton bull worth?

-It depends on the age and health of the bull,- the merchant looked anxiously at the guards and carriage drivers around us. If the charioteers listened quietly to our debate for the sake of interest, the guards listened more attentively and with excitement. They were desperate to make money, and the outcome of our argument boded well for them. - Fifteen to twenty large coins.

- How many tuftons will the guard buy with the one-and-a-half coins he received? The answer is a tufton tail. If you want them to protect you, - determine a reward. Trust me, you’ll win more than lose. Once people hear about your generosity, they’ll ask to join your caravan and then you can bring back more fuelstone. Pay each guard the value of a tufton and then they will stop hiding for fear of losing the reward.....

We argued for a long time. The merchant blushed with exertion, turned pale with excitement, and clutched at his heart. He did not want to part with the phantom profit. But the fear that he might lose the whole caravan overnight pushed him towards a favorable contract.

It was agreed that each guard would receive ten large copper coins with a dragon on them.

While the men were arguing around the fire, the rain that had been pouring down stopped. The merchant wanted to hit the road, so I had to convince him to stay. I spoke in a low voice so that neither the guards nor the coachmen could hear me:

- It’s the afternoon, and soon it will be dark. Do you want to spend the night in the open air? The ground is wet and soggy, your wagon wheels will get stuck in the mud. Reschedule for early morning. I'm going to step aside now, and you're going to pretend that a smart decision came into your head.

The merchant did so and postponed departure until the morning. We rekindled the fire and seated ourselves around the cauldron in a more friendly manner. Our caravan was no longer a collection of random people, but a more or less cohesive team. There were jokes and laughter in the air. By supper time one of the caravaners had found a bottle of honey drink, and the merchant ordered another from his stock. Someone took a flute out of his pocket, and someone else began to beat out a rhythm. Sadness and fear faded into the background.

The caravan master, taking a bite of the roast meat, suddenly asked:

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- Where is your friend Sylvan? Another one is an old rogue?

The sudden disappearance of two of the most experienced robbers alarmed the merchant - Sylvan ran away and took his friend with him. You said he had brothers? He could form a larger gang and attack us again, couldn’t he?

- Don’t worry, master, — Crybaby, a little tipsy, took his baton in his hand and shook it menacingly in the air. - If he dares to come back and try to harm you, he will have to deal with me. I will not allow him to hurt you.

- He won’t come back, you can calm down, — I shouted over the noise. - He’s a long way from this place now, isn’t he, Jurion?

The centaur laughed contentedly, remembering how the bandits I had shrunken had scattered through the vast forest. I didn’t tell him how I’d gotten rid of Sylvan and his brothers. No bandit, no problem.

No matter how attractive the company was, sooner or later there would come a time to go to sleep.

Everyone would have to wake up very early, and I still needed to regain the strength I'd lost in the fun.

I opened the door of my hiding place and took out the old sorcerer’s money purse, so as not to attract the attention of the people going to bed. I just counted the coins and figured out how many tuftons I could buy. I don’t need bulls at all. I’m used to traveling light. A toothbrush and that’s it! Here, by the way, no one bothered about dental hygiene, I noticed on my first day at Nix’s.

The coins were easy to count, even in the dark. The convex impressions of the head and tail were palpable with my fingers. I counted about two hundred large copper coins. Rich booty!

With this money, I can buy Ulia not just one beautiful dress, but several. And various jewelry. She’s already beautiful, and she’ll be even more beautiful.

Dreaming of ardent kisses, I dozed off. Fluffy woke me up:

- Are you sleepy?

- I wouldn’t say no, — I admitted that I was tired from long conversations.

- Do you want to go for a walk? I invite you to visit a place that is not quite ordinary.

My little friend intrigued me. I thought he was going to pull me into the forest, but Fluffy led me deeper into the cave. Our temporary shelter remained unexplored. Everyone was satisfied with their first examination.

While we were sitting by the fire, Fluffy managed to find a mysterious passageway.He didn't dare to go alone and invited me for a walk. I regretted I hadn’t left myself a single orbylight. We could use a light in this darkness.

- Ignis! - I whispered, the torch in my hand illuminating the passageway leading into the depths of the cave. The walls of the passage had been worked with some kind of sharp tool. We did not know we’d find something like this. A narrow stone corridor, like an invitation to a mysterious journey, led us deep into the earth. A staircase, as if seeking to drag us into a mysterious dive, descended downward. I counted thirty steps. By my reckoning, we had descended to the third-floor level of an ordinary apartment building.

When we reached the lower end of the stairs, we came to a huge stone hall. Unknown builders had removed the excess stone and smoothed the walls. The hall greeted us with its monumental splendor. There was enough light to illuminate all the darkened corners. The columns supporting the ceiling rose around us like guardians of ancient secrets. In the middle of the room was a huge stone table, its surface polished to a shine as if reflecting the eternal power of the terrain.

My eyes could not tear themselves away from the pattern on the table, so unusual and mysterious. Three spirals, intertwining with each other, kept the secrets of ancient times. Each spiral had a small ball. The pattern was the same as the one I’d seen on the medallion. Only here the balls didn’t move.

There was a recess in the wall that looked like a fireplace or a furnace, where only the ash reminded me of a warmth long gone. On shelves carved into the rock stood many glass and ceramic vessels. A layer of dust on all the objects indicated that the room had not been used for a long time.

We stood in amazement, as if immersed in a dream world where reality merged with myths and magic permeated every stone of this ancient room. I thought the furry man whistled. Could this room have belonged to an old sorcerer? Or maybe it was a secret meeting place for dark magic practitioners.

We didn’t find anything interesting. Fluffy and I weren’t interested in the vessels. The mystery of the drawing on the table was yet to be solved. Maybe when I met with Nyx I would tell him about the strange find and he would be able to explain what the strange drawing meant.

In addition to the hall, we found several other small rooms. Some kind of sleeping and cooking rooms. Wizards need to eat and rest, too.

If I guessed to take the medallion from the stash, I would have a chance to compare the two drawings and maybe I would learn something. Should I send Fluffy to get the locket?

He caught the direction of my thoughts and refused to leave me. He climbed onto my shoulder and whispered:

- There is a prison here. Someone is imprisoned in it. I can’t make out my senses, the prison is protected by strong magical spells. Let’s get out of here, — he asked me in a pitiful voice.

I wasn’t feeling well myself. Having invaded someone else’s guarded territory, what effect should we have expected? That welcome music would play, a generous table would be set for us, and we would hear applause?!

We were lucky in that no poisoned arrows flew from the walls in our direction. It could have been worse. Some creature could have met us and scared us to death. I wonder if the fuzzies are afraid of the unknown. I'll have to ask him when I get the chance.

As I walked up the stairs, I started counting the steps. I always do that when I don’t use the elevator. Just so for myself, for my peace of mind. Counting allows you to understand the height of the stairwell, which depends on the height of the ceilings in the rooms.

After the thirtieth step, there should have been a landing that would lead us into the cave. I thought I had lost count and climbed a few steps higher. There was no exit.

I didn’t hear any door close behind us. The staircase spiraling up had to end somewhere. Up or down. Turning a hundred and eighty degrees, I descended. I counted thirty steps and stopped. We were still on the stairs. I counted another thirty steps and another. I ran down, jumping over the steps, and still couldn’t reach the exit to the hall. We were trapped. A closed spatial ring. The running up or down could go on forever. I was exhausted. The fire in my hand was gone. We were left with Fluffy in the dark.

I sat down on the step and closed my eyes.

- The main thing is not to panic, — I reassured myself. -There will be a way out of this situation. Oceania! Oceania!

My mental call went unheard. Fluffy touched my hand, and I pulled it away.

- Look at this! What’s going on?

I opened my eyes. The darkness was fading, giving way to a soft emerald light. The outline of the walls, the outline of the spiral endless staircase were gone. I saw before me a huge square room, the size of a hall with columns. But there was no table, no fireplace, no built-in rack of vessels. A huge empty room. Perhaps this was the prison the little ursi told me about.

The prison cell was not empty! There was someone in the room. Huge and dark. Bigger than a visiting bear. Maybe ten times bigger. Two huge legs, fifty human heads, and a hundred restless arms.

I didn’t know what this giant was. How did he end up in the room? Why am I seeing him? The giant spoke, his voice muffled and droning, shaking the invisible walls and resembling distant peals of thunder.

- Human? Promise me you’ll help, or I won’t let you go.

- Yes, I promise, — at this moment it was easy to promise, a giant in an incomprehensible prison. There are some obstacles between us as magic spells and walls.

- Hold out your hand, — the giant commanded. I obeyed and felt my fingers digging into the stone wall. The giant rumbled like thunder again. All that was missing was the lightning.

- Your oath remains on your hand! If you do not fulfill your promise, you will turn to ash.

Something burned my hand at the wrist. The glow disappeared, taking the image of the giant with it, and Fluffy and I were back in the dark.

I didn't know if I could remove my hand, the pain shot through me. Extending my hand upward, I said:

- Ignis!

The stairs lit up, and I could see the steps again. After the fifteenth step down, we returned to an underground hall with columns and a table. Thirty steps up, we were back in the cave. By the light of the burning fire, I examined my wrist. The burn was natural as if a brand of red-hot iron had been applied to my arm.

- Why did you make the promise? - Tush's voice was low-pitched and sympathetic.

The charioteers and guards were asleep, Jurion snoring loudly in his corner. On his wagon, the merchant was dreaming sweet dreams. Outside the cave, it was beginning to lighten. We wandered with Fluffy up the endless stairs all night.