Not long after leaving the dungeon core room, Veronica was taken by surprise by a strange elven woman who asked

"Are you the Dungeon Master?"

Seraphina asked in an uncertain tone. Veronica couldn't help but feel a bit excited to see someone she could ask for help, even if she knew she should be cautious.

"Well, I think so. I did get some sort of message that said I was bonded to a dungeon and that called me 'Master Veronica'. It seems to me that it should be a more feminine title like Madam, Mistress, or even Lady Veronica, though."

The face of the stranger in front of her lit up in amusement and Veronica couldn't help but admire how pretty she was. Her beautiful blonde hair hung down, framing her face, and almost covering her rather strange, pointed ears. Even her blue eyes seemed to scream she was of a fantasy race, probably an elf. Still laughing, the woman introduced herself.

"Well, Lady Veronica, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Seraphina, the dungeon diplomat assigned to help you settle in and ensure everything goes smoothly with your dungeon. Would you mind showing me to the dungeon core room?"

Veronica looked skeptically at the woman. While she was fine with exchanging pleasantries, she had the feeling she wasn't supposed to allow anyone near that particular room in the dungeon. It felt wrong and she couldn't help but feel on edge.

"I'm not comfortable with that."

She plainly stated, earning a frown from Seraphina. Sighing, the woman asked

"You look human. Would you be able to tell me if you're originally from this world? It's hard to know whether you're a reincarnated Dungeon Master without any memory or some adventurer who should know better when I can't access the dungeon core."

It was rather strange to have someone directly come out and ask her such a thing. This was nowhere near what she had expected from her journey to another world. Deciding the woman already knew enough that trying to hide things wouldn't help much, if at all, she decided to be honest.

"Actually, I wouldn't say I was so much reincarnated as I transmigrated. I didn't die. I just walked through a door and suddenly found myself here. Then, I was in the dark, so I ended up accidentally bonding to this dungeon. It really wasn't my intention to cause any issues."

Seraphina shook her head as she reassured her

"No worries about that. The dungeon wouldn't have opened its doors to let anyone else in until after you bonded with it. You didn't steal that opportunity from anyone. The dungeon core itself chose you for the job. As for why you were chosen to the extent of being stolen from another world, that isn't something anyone will be able to answer for you, I'm afraid.

I do have to say, though, that your dungeon and situation are quite unusual. Normally, there would just be a straight path from the entrance to the dungeon core room. You seem to have a really rare semi-open floor-plan dungeon. The last one like it was one with a navigator class adventurer a couple decades ago. Although, I'd dare say that reincarnated individuals who keep their memory are even more rare, I've only ever heard of one of those. The fact that you didn't even have to die to cross the divide between worlds is even more strange, though. The council is going to have a field day when they hear about this...

Regardless, I still need to see the dungeon core to ensure your dungeon is healthy. So, what's it going to take to convince you?"

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Veronica really didn't know how to make heads or tails of what the woman was going on about. Deciding that Seraphina clearly knew more about this world than she did and likely wasn't lying, she begrudgingly decided to start leading her in the direction she wanted.

"So, what exactly am I supposed to do with a dungeon?"

She asked, earning a small laugh from the elven woman.

"I suppose it would be confusing at first, wouldn't it? Most Dungeon Masters don't have previous memories to distract them from their instincts so using the system comes fairly naturally. Unfortunately, I've never been a Dungeon Master, so I can't tell you what options you will have to work with. Adventurers and Dungeon Diplomats have their own version of the system that relates to their roles in this life. Still, the basics should be fairly similar. Just think about what you want to do and will it to happen. Why don't you start by thinking about bringing up a status screen?"

Veronica really wasn't sure what the term "dungeon diplomat" was supposed to mean. The fact that Seraphina kept throwing it around as if it was supposed to mean something to her was a bit irritating. However, it seemed too impolite to actually ask about it, so she decided to just do what had been suggested to her instead.

Dungeon Status:

Current Mana 50/500

Current DP: 0

Current Floors: 1

Current Rooms: 0 | 0

Monsters

Critters

Construction

Research

Missions

She was a bit surprised when it worked right away. It would seem it really was rather intuitive. Most of the menu didn't really make sense right now, though, and she wasn't really wanting to start going through it when someone was here.

"Did it work? Just a fair warning, though, you might be able to pull up the information, but you won't be able to build or summon any new [Monsters] while non-dungeon entities are in the dungeon. It doesn't matter if it's adventurers or wild [Monsters] who want to steal your dungeon core. Technically, Dungeon Diplomats count as something between dungeon entities and non-dungeon entities, but you shouldn't be able to do anything while I'm here either."

Veronica's confused expression must have been obvious because Seraphina was quick to offer up an explanation.

"I get it, it's confusing right? However, if you have [Traps] or [Monsters] they won't attack Dungeon Diplomats. That's probably scary, but the dungeon accords do a lot to protect you and things are even more strict for us. Besides, I'm bonded to the dungeon and you and I can feel when you're nervous, happy, or anything else. Hurting you would likely hurt me as well, so it isn't something you need to worry about."

While Veronica was still nervous about trusting the strange woman, she couldn't help but find her rather comforting as well. Even when they arrived at the dungeon core room and Seraphina approached the dungeon core, she was gentle and never did anything that seemed to be a cause for concern. After confirming everything seemed to be working as it should, the two parted ways. Apparently, Seraphina had to talk with some sort of council of elders and would be returning the next day. In the meantime, she was meant to try and build her first room in the dungeon.

However, before leaving, she was issued one last warning.

"The area where your dungeon was created is near a rather large city. The previous dungeon decided to permanently retire and disappeared a few years back. So, a lot of adventurers and the richer merchants migrated elsewhere. There is still a local Lord and an adventurer's guild in the area, though, and I imagine they will want to send some people out right away to check out your dungeon. They won't be entering the dungeon today, but I'd expect company as early as tomorrow morning.

Also, if you get any contracted [Monsters], don't send them outside the dungeon. Your dungeon was created after a ton of earthquakes and a tsunami came through the area, creating a small island and land bridge. There isn't a forest or anything for you to forage from and it would be a shame for you to waste your mana only for them to die a premature death."