Ranus was reading several documents supplied by Amya in his bedroom. He was sprawled out across his bed, surrounded by sheets of vellum. Several candles and the fireplace illuminated his room as it was nearly midnight. The shadows from the flames danced across the walls.

"It is worse than I thought." He muttered to himself.

According to these figures, he would need to spend all his surplus money for the next ten years to afford the sewers and water systems required by the city. That did not factor into the buildings he owned that would need upgrading. Or any additional problems that would appear knowing this Dungeon. To all intents and purposes, it was beyond him at this time.

"Could I phase the construction?" he asked himself. It was a pleasant lie he had in his mind, but he knew the truth. The city would be swept by plague if he did not act soon. He had heard stories of other communities never recovering from such outbreaks. He sighed and sat up on the bed.

"And this will not do." In his hand was the newest loan agreement that Amy had sourced. He had spent several hours carefully reading and analysing each line. He had concluded it was another honeyed trap. He throws it away as frustration grows in his chest.

"What to do?" He looked around, exasperated. His eyes fell onto the hidden lockbox located in his room. That could be the answer, but it comes with its own problems.

"What have I to lose?" He got up, opened the box's hidden location and unlocked it, pulling the black speaking crystal from it. He then went to the chair in the room and sat down. He breathed deeply and prepared himself before activating the crystal.

"Hello?" He spoke into it.

There was a moment of silence before an annoyed voice replied. "You again? I am busy. What do you want?"

"I apologise for the sudden impact on your duties," Ranus spoke carefully, knowing the being on the other side was temperamental at the best of times. "I wish to speak with you about an issue that might soon come to affect you."

Another moment of silence.

"… Very well." His voice was hesitant.

"Due to the popularity of your Dungeon, the town has developed into a full city." Ranus decided to honey his words and bend the truth a bit. "We have an arrangement in place, and I would like to call on it to help with the problem arising from the growth."

"And that would be?" The voice was getting annoyed again.

"The city needs a sewer and freshwater system." Ranus controlled his fear as he spoke. "If not, the plague will come, and the number of adventurers that will enter the Dungeon will be reduced."

There was more silence before he spoke again. "Plumbing, eh?"

"Plumbing?" Ranus never heard that term before. But the voice continued ignoring his confused question.

"You're right. That will be costly. How much are you looking for?"

The question, with its speed, slightly threw him. "Er…. I will need the equivalent of ten platinum coins."

He was asking for a lot, expected it to be rejected and was ready to negotiate for a lower amount. The silence was telling.

"Ten… Is that all?"

That question confused Ranus. He had expected many things, but not this. He had just asked for enough money to keep a family of four in luxury for the rest of the parents' lives and most of the children's lives as well. It was the equal of a thousand gold coins.

"…That is what I will need to complete the building project." Ranus wondered what was happening.

"In return, I will need a few things…. No, I need a lot of things. In return for the money, you will supply them as quickly as you can. Agreed?"

"What…things?" Ranus asked cautiously. "I will need to know before agreeing to anything. There are some things that I will not traffic in."

"Fair enough. Can you write my list down?"

Ranus scrambled around for a clean sheet of vellum, quill and inkpot. "I am ready. Please proceed."

"Right, let's start with…"

"… That can be arranged…"

"...Oh, add these as well…"

"…That will take time, but it is something I can find…"

"…. Wait, better get more. Make it double…"

Over the next ten minutes of speaking, a list of thirty-five items to find was compiled. It ranged from easy items to problematic items, but there was nothing that Ranus had an issue with.

"Some of these will be costly to get here," Ranus admitted.

"Tell you what. I will supply you with as many as you can as fast as you can, and I will increase it to fifteen platinum coins… What was that sound?"

That sound was Ranus falling off his chair in shock. The Dungeon was offering an amount many Lords dream about getting in one payment. The cynical part of his mind asked what the catch was.

"N-nothing…" He got back up and sat down, trying to salvage his dignity. "I am honoured by your generosity…"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"I can hear the "but"."

"…. But this cannot be all you are seeking?" Ranus asked.

"In that, you are right. I want five more things, but I have yet to decide on them."

"Very well. If these are your terms, I think we have an accord on this." Ranus sought to get this deal done as it would save the city.

"If you are willing, you can collect the money right now."

"Thank you for this. It will help many people."

Things were finally looking better for Shadow Vale. The crystal connection was cut. It was then Ranus thought to himself.

Maybe I should have asked for the amount in gold coins.

## ## ## ## ##

"Excellent, Amya, enter, enter." Ranus was in a good mood, immediately putting Amya into a suspicious mindset.

"You called for me, Ranus?" She asked when entering.

"Indeed. I will need you to get together with Vulus and arrange for the sewer and freshwater system construction to start."

"Have you agreed to the terms of the loan I supplied?" She was suddenly hopeful.

"No. I was not happy with it. I did, however, supply another loan with far more favourable conditions." He was delighted and walked around the room.

"Oh, that is good to hear. With whom and how much?" Amya felt sick but needed more information.

"A private arrangement and the pouch on the table is the total sum." He waved at a pouch on the desk.

She reached out and picked it up. It was not heavy and had maybe twenty coins inside it. Frowning, she opened it and gasped in shock at the condense.

"Fifteen platinum coins of the old empire quality," Ranus said, beaming. "That will pay for all the work and give the city a fair emergency reserve."

"Y-yes, b-b-but who could give you such a sum on such short notice." Platinum coins were rare, and their use was noted both in and out of nation and city-states. Ranus dropping fifteen will attract a lot of attention.

"Like I said, it is a private arrangement. We need to keep the number hidden as long as possible. Go to the Merchant Guild and put them in the city accounts using someone you trust." He sat across from her. "Also, I need you to source a few odd things. Here, I have a list."

## ## ## ## ##

"Fifteen platinum coins of the old empire quality." Her voice was so hard and cold as she spoke that it could be classified as a weapon.

"Yes, mother." Marcia wanted to be anywhere but here, but she knew things would be far worse if she did not report what she had just learned from Amya.

"Where in all the God's names did he get fifteen old empire platinum coins?" She asked as her eyes narrowed as she thought.

"It mostly likely came from another nation probably…" Marcia started.

"Silence." The word cut like a blade through the air. "We will find out who supplied him with that money."

Elis stood and walked to the window overlooking the Goldwind estate.

"He has a backer with deep reserves. This might be part of a larger move against us."

"Who do you suspect?" Marcia asked.

"Many, but I want evidence. Striking out against the wrong target would be disastrous. Did Amya give any indication of who?"

"No, mother. Ranus only said it was a private arrangement with favourable terms that he had arranged." Marcia was getting concerned as she felt the room temperature dropping.

"Spread the word amongst the whisperers in our network. I want to know who has moved that many platinum coins." She turned to face her daughter. "Offer a good reward for confirmable information."

Marcia heard the emphasis on "confirmable," as her mother hated rumour and speculation. She lived and died by hard facts that she could use, control, or blackmail.

"At once, mother." Marcia turned and left the room, leaving Elis alone. She returned to her desk and sat. Instead of dealing with the reports on it, she looked out the window again. "What deals have you entered into, son?"

## ## ## ## ##

"Ranus visited the Dungeon again last night," Elian told Albrot.

"He did, did he? Any idea on the why?" Albrot asked.

"No. But our watcher was sure the temples watchers saw him too." Elian answered.

"And they have said nothing so far? I am getting concerned we should be aware of all interactions between Dungeons and others." Albrot thought out loud.

"Do you think they will try to blackmail him?"

"With what? He has not done anything."

There was a knock at the door, and a messenger entered, handing Elian a small strip of vellum. She read it as the boy left, closing the door. Albrot noted the change in her expression as she read.

"It's from the Merchant Guild. Ranus has started construction on a sewer and freshwater system." She spoke.

"Good news, things were getting a bit concerning around here, but I take it there more." He started to drink from a cup he was holding.

"Yes, he has. Through his treasurer, Amya deposited fifteen platinum coins at the Guild." The explosion of wine from Albrot's mouth covered her table and her to some degree.

"WHAT!" He yelled.

"I think we both know where he got those coins," Elian said, leaning back and wiping the wine off her.

Albrot recovered and became concerned. "That means he has some connection with the Dungeon."

"That is the only explanation. As there is no fairy, he must have a direct way to speak to the Core itself."

"There has never been a person who has directly spoken to a Core without a fairy present." Albrot was thinking.

"Another strange thing about this Dungeon." Elian looked at Albrot. "How are we going to approach this?"

"Now that is the question, is it not? I will need to consult with the boss."

"What will we do until then?"

"Nothing. It is the temples and churches that I am concerned about."

## ## ## ## ##

"The local lord is communicating with the Core!" Astraus yelled.

"Are you sure, Astraus?" Lawdrun asked.

"Yes, I am. Fifteen platinum cons do not just appear after he went into the Dungeons service building." She snarled at the other God.

"Come now, that was uncalled for," Xandus spoke.

Astraus was with Bhaldor's oversight group. She stormed into the meeting and started yelling straight away. The other divine beings quickly understood the source of her anger.

"We must investigate this, Astraus, and we will deal with this if true." Nictor sought to cut off her rants.

"Why were you not aware of this!" She demanded.

"There are no signs of this connection with his status sheets. How are we to be aware of this? There is no fairy or any other intelligence for us to work with." Nictor retorted. Astraus almost snapped back but stopped herself, remembering who she was talking to.

"Nictor is right. We need to investigate this to find out what means of communication exist between them." Xandus added.

"What will you do if you when you find the means?" Astraus asked.

The other Gods looked at each other, gauging each reaction to the question. Xandus spoke. "We will decide that at the time."

"That is not good enough," Astraus complained.

"It is all we can do right now until we learn more," Xandus replied.

"I have taken action to find that out," Lawdrun added.

## ## ## ## ##

Naru entered Ranus's office as he was working.

"Apologies, my Lord." She said as he looked up from what he was reading.

"What is it, Naru?"

"Arbiter Nextom is here to see you, and he claims it is urgent."

"Very well, hold my next appointment. If this takes too long, send him in." Naru turned and left as Ranus stood to greet the Arbiter.

He entered with a concerned and grim look on his face that worried Ranus right away.

"Tell me, Arbiter, what has happened?" Ranus asked, fearing the answer.

"I believe we should both sit for this, Lord Goldwind." Ranus motioned to an empty seat, and both men sat facing each other.

"I have been sent to you with a question from the pantheon." He started, and Ranus felt the dread growing within him. "Are you in contact with the Core of the Dungeon in the Shadows?"