by Antony W. F. Chow
When Luka checked deeper into the cave, he cringed at the smell of raw feces drifting from a corner. The explorer covered his nose and used Spatial Sense to investigate. He discovered that the giant rats had designated the section to deposit their droppings. Since he sensed nothing of value, Luka didn't bother moving further. Instead, the mage relied on his magical ability to seek buried treasure.
Luka found a junkyard in the eastern section of the large cave. The items included bones of humans and animals along with metal such as broken blades and sword hilts. Moreover, he discovered distinct personal belongings like pins, rings, bracelets, medallions, and other jewelry. "Mom, I found something!" he called out.
Juliette slowly walked over. She still hadn't recovered from the effects of the berserker rage. Thus, her body felt stiff like a zombie. Nonetheless, the woman was curious to see what her son discovered. She saw the pile of refuse and noticed sparkles within, reflecting the illumination from the magical Light Ball.
The pair slowly dug through the garbage and painstakingly separated the valuable items.
The duchess frowned when she pulled out some jewelry because she recognized them as belonging to people presumed missing. "Luka, may I return these belongings to the deceased's families? Although we're supposed to split the loot 50-50, I'm asking you to give up your share of these items for the good of our subjects," she requested solemnly.
"Of course! If we could return these valuables to the rightful owners, that is the right thing to do," he agreed immediately.
"Thank you, Luka." The mother felt proud of her son because his answer showed that he didn't possess a greedy nature. Otherwise, Luka would demand an equivalent sum of money from her.
The two worked silently to collect all the valuables and pooled them into a pile. Then Luka used his dimensional storage to carry these items. "Mother, can we visit the right tunnel next? I want to examine the mineral vein," he said.
"Sure," she nodded.
The mage sent his Light Ball back through the tunnel, and Juliette followed the floating orb into the intersection. Then he chose the right opening and sent the glowing ball through it.
The woman held her mallet and slowly walked through the narrow passage while Luka activated his Spatial Sense periodically. Neither person encountered traps or monsters.
The tunnel emptied into a chamber sprinkled with gold!
Juliette used a knife to cut a flake from the wall. She used Appraisal to examine the small piece. "It's gold," she confirmed with a detached facial expression despite her heart beating faster.
Luka placed his hand on the wall and touched the gold vein. Then he used Spatial Sense to search for the metal and discovered that the vein ran beyond the limit of his survey and a few hundred feet deep. The son shared his findings with his mother.
"Once we capture this dungeon, we'll need to bring miners here to dig out the gold ore. We also need to hire guards," Juliette noted. The duchess felt both happy and annoyed at this unexpected windfall.
Although she welcomed this new revenue stream, the noble would also need to disclose the dungeon's discovery near her estate. Moreover, the mining operations would create noise and disturb the animals within the Grandlan Forest. The creatures may migrate and leave the woods; if this happens, then the hunters would lose their livelihood.
Hence, the duchess seriously entertained the idea of ignoring the gold vein. But nothing would prevent other people from finding and claiming the vein either. Therefore, Juliette decided to announce this discovery and hire miners to extract the gold.
While his mother made plans to extract the gold vein, Luka used his Spatial Sense to map it in his mind. When he finished, the mage set up a beacon to return later on. Luka sent his Light Ball back into the tunnel.
Juliette took the lead and returned to the intersection. Then she turned right and entered the middle corridor, which soon emptied into a large cavern full of mushrooms, grass, herbs, and flowers. Glowstones on the ceiling emitted bright yellow light comparable to sunlight. The explorer became mesmerized by the underground garden and lowered her guard as she wandered about like a carefree child.
Luka thought his mother's behavior was strange and out of character; he cast Dispel on her immediately!
A golden aura enveloped the woman before it faded a few seconds later. "What happened? What was I doing?" Juliette blurted out in confusion.
The mage cast Spatial Blade to cut loose the overhead glowstones. Then he sent the rubble into the shadow realm. "You became a victim of confusion magic, mother," he explained. The explorer became more vigilant after his party encountered the magical trap.
Luka created more Light Balls to illuminate the underground forest. He used Spatial Sense to investigate the area and received some unexpected information. "There are treants here!" he shouted in warning.
The hidden monsters unveiled their presence and trampled on the garden to approach the intruders. The treant closest to Juliette slammed its branch at her head!
The fighter instinctively dove to her right and barely dodged the attack.
Luka slashed at the attacker with Spatial Blade and cut off a limb.
Juliette sucked her teeth as she backtracked across the field to reunite with her son. Her weaponry was ill-suited to fight tree monsters. Unfortunately, her blade was too thin to cut through the treant's limbs, while her mallet and its crushing blows wouldn't damage the monster either. Thus, the veteran warrior realized she needed to rely on Luka's magic to defeat these treants.
The valkyrie stood before Luka as his bodyguard while the mage attacked with his spatial magic. She was shocked when her son began to dual-cast Spatial Blade and attacked two treants simultaneously! Moreover, his magic proved superb in damaging these tree monsters quickly.
Luka methodically chopped off tree branches, trunks, and then roots in order. Even though the tree roots were underground, the mage could still reach them via spatial magic. Once he cut off the treants' links to the earth, they rapidly lost their health points; their deaths eventually became inevitable.
Four treants appeared in total. Although they identified Luka as the greatest threat and tried to disrupt his magic casting, Juliette stoically blocked them and thwarted their attacks with her mallet. However, the woman suffered scratches and bruises all over her body. Once Luka killed the last treant, Juliette relaxed her guard and dropped to the ground in exhaustion.
"Are you alright, mother?" he asked with alarm. The mage cast Medium Cure to mend her wounds.
The woman took deep breaths as she enjoyed the warmth in her body during its rapid recovery. "I'm feeling better now. Thank you, Luka."
"You're welcome, mother."
Juliette looked at the ruined flowers with pity. "Those treants trampled all over the garden," she noted with regret.
"Yes, they did," Luka agreed with a big sigh. He activated Spatial Sense to confirm that the treants' sudden rampage didn't damage a specific item. He walked over to a big tree standing at the center of the underground garden. The adventurer reached inside a hole in the tree trunk and pulled out a purple crystal the size of a fist. Upon contact with Luka's skin, the stone's pulsation synced to his heartbeat.
"That's a dungeon core! Destroy it!" Juliette cried out.
The crystal glowed brightly, and a spirit hovered over it. The newcomer took on a sprite's appearance similar to Alraune: a young girl with butterfly wings wearing a shiny purple dress. "My name is Alaife, master of the Alaife Dungeon," the creature introduced itself and curtsied.
"I'm Luka Heavensfell, and the lady is Juliette Silverblade."
"May I ask why my ancestor's aura is on you?" the sprite inquired.
In response, Luka took out his Staff of Alraune.
Alaife immediately prostrated before the relic. "I beg your pardon for sending my guards to attack you!" she said in a panic.
"It's fine. You were defending yourself," Luka responded.
"May I touch the staff?" Alaife requested meekly.
<
br /> "Sure!" Luka agreed.
The sprite gingerly touched the relic. Alaife's body spasmed as magic poured into her body. After ten seconds or so, Alaife released her hold and panted heavily. The sprite kowtowed thrice to the staff and then turned to face Luka. "My ancestor made a request. Alraune asked me to grant you administrator privilege to my dungeon, and I agreed," she announced.
<br /><br /> "What does that mean?" Juliette interrupted.<br /><br /> "The administrator has free access to my dungeon and could modify it subject to my approval," Alaife explained. "Alraune granted me a portion of her power in exchange for your administrative privileges," she added.<br /><br /> "Luka, let's go back home and discuss what to do with this dungeon," the mother suggested.<br /><br /> "Okay," the son agreed.<br /><br /> Alaife pouted at his calm reaction. "I would expect you to be more excited about becoming a dungeon master!"<br /><br /> Luka chuckled. "Perhaps I'll feel that way once I figure out what to do with my special privileges."<br /><br /> "Could you not replace those Giant Rats?" Juliette interjected.<br /><br /> The sprite flew in a circle around the woman. "Ah, yes! You hate rodents with a passion! Sure, I'll use giant ants instead," Alaife agreed amicably.<br /><br /> "Thank you!"<br /><br /> "We'll be back soon!" Luka promised and teleported with his mother to the family mansion.<br /><br /> Chapter 46<br /><br /> Alaife Dungeon's Administrator<br /><br /> The spatial mage chose the driveway in front of his mansion as the target location for his return. His reason was that several persons stood on the front steps and blocked his path. Who were these people? James, Bianna, and Hanna.<br /><br /> When they saw Luka and Juliette reappear nearby, the servants expressed their unhappiness in various ways. Although the head butler remained calm, his eyebrows twitched slightly. The head maid openly glared at the young master while Luka's exclusive maid stomped her heel like an angry horse. However, the helpers declined to ask where the pair went so early in the morning. Instead, they greeted in unison with a cheerful tone, "Good morning, Your Excellency! Good morning, young master!"<br /><br /> Juliette raised her hand. "I apologize for leaving without notice and dragging my son along. Is breakfast ready? I'm starving."<br /><br /> Bianna curtsied. "Your Excellency, your brunch is ready," she corrected the employer.<br /><br /> "I see. Then let's eat before the food gets cold." The duchess walked toward the steps in a leisurely manner.<br /><br /> "I'll ask the cook to warm up your meal," the head maid noted. She hiked her long skirt with her hands and half-raced through the mansion to enter the kitchen.<br /><br /> James and Hanna took their positions behind Juliette and Luka, respectively, and matched the aristocrats' pace as the group walked through the manor and into the dining hall.<br /><br /> Although mother and son spent an arduous morning clearing out the Alaife Dungeon, Luka cast Cleanse on both members before he teleported back to the estate. Thus, the two adventurers didn't require to freshen up before eating their meals.<br /><br /> Ever since Luka returned home from his apprenticeship with Alectos, the heir became mindful of his appearance before the servants. From early childhood, he witnessed the helpers exchange gossip about the nobles living in the mansion. Indeed, some servants looked familiar to Luka from his toddler years at the residence, although he never learned their names.<br /><br /> The nobles sat in their customary seats and quietly waited for the food to arrive.<br /><br /> Bianna pushed a cart into the dining hall and served the duchess while Hanna took care of Luka. The two nobles were famished and used every ounce of willpower to avoid devouring the food immediately. Today's meal was delicious chicken breast with gravy, carrots, onions, and mashed potato; the food looked and smell delicious!<br /><br /> Juliette slowly cut the big chunk of poultry with her knife and fork to demonstrate a high-ranking noble's proper dining manners to her son.<br /><br /> Luka took the hint and copied her.<br /><br /> James watched with approval as the heir ate. The head butler worried that Luka forgot his etiquette lessons from early childhood. Fortunately, this concern proved wrong in the end.<br /><br /> After the pair finished the main entree, Bianna served a slice of apple crumb cake and a cup of tea to each person.<br /><br /> Once the nobles finished eating, Juliette began her discussion in earnest. "We went into the Grandlan Forest this morning. I caught my son trying to sneak home. He had gone to the field and started planting seeds. I asked him to show me his work."<br /><br /> "Afterward, I decided to investigate the reason behind those clusters of man-eating plants' appearance in the woods. We combed the forest and encountered additional clusters of monsters. Eventually, we discovered a boss version of the man-eater which served as a gatekeeper -- for a dungeon."<br /><br /> "There was a dungeon inside Grandlan Forest?" Hanna yelled out in shock. "I apologize for my outburst." The maid quickly bowed her head.<br /><br /> The annoyed duchess ignored the young maid and continued. "This dungeon was relatively young and had only one floor with three tunnels. The first one led to a giant rat nest, which we exterminated."<br /><br /> James' brows twitched because the butler learned of Juliette's background as part of his investigation under the previous duke's order when Tsunka disclosed his intention to marry her. Thus, the manservant knew about the duchess' hatred toward rodents.<br /><br /> James couldn't help but glance at Luka because the butler realized that Juliette would turn crazy when she fought the giant rats. However, the heir did not react to her discussion, leaving James to wonder how the duchess overcame her tribulation and remained calm during Juliette's ordeal.<br /><br /> The mother looked at Luka and said, "Place the loot we found in a corner." She waited until her son performed this task and piled up the items.<br /><br /> "Once we vanquished these pests, we searched for loot and found those valuables belonging to missing subjects in our duchy. James, in the name of the Heavensfell Duke House, I command you to return these items to their rightful families," the duchess ordered.<br /><br /> The head butler dropped to one knee and saluted. "I will do my best to return these belongings," he promised.<br /><br /> Juliette nodded in satisfaction at his response. "The second tunnel led to a gold vein. We'll need to mine them."<br /><br /> Luka raised his hand to interrupt her. "Instead of mining, I can use Displacement to bring the vein to the surface. However, this spatial magic requires an equivalent exchange of material in terms of volume," he noted.<br /><br /> The duchess thought for a moment and tried to understand the effect of Displacement. "In other words, if we place a pile of rocks on the ground, you could use this spell to exchange it for a similar amount of gold ore from deep within the earth."<br /><br /> "Yes, mother. But ideally, both sets of materials should be close to each other. For example, I cannot Displace rocks in our house here with those gold ore inside the Grandlan Forest. The distance for transposition is beyond the range of my spell," the mage explained.<br /><br /> Juliette felt delighted when she understand his application of this magic. Her son could reduce the risk of collapse inside tunnels while digging out ores by avoiding this task altogether. She imagined Luka using his dimensional storage to drop off rocks and collect gold ores conveniently. Nonetheless, the duchess would still require miners' assistance to break down the stones and accumulate the chips and specks of dust of gold for refinement into gold bars and other formats.<br /><br /> Juliette glanced at James, who nodded subtly; he will hire trustworthy miners and goldsmiths to process the gold ores without tipping off other aristocrats about a gold vein within the duchy. Otherwise, rival nobles may invade her domain to claim the vein for themselves.<br /><br /> The head butler fully appreciated the opportunities and dangers of this information. He made eye contact with the other servants in the room to warn them to keep this secret.<br /><br /> "Lastly, but most importantly, something happened to Luka. My son became an official administrator of this new dungeon through a confluence of strange and unique fact<br/>ors. This status means that he has free access to it and could also change parts of the dungeon subject to the dungeon core's approval," she revealed.<br /><br /> "Wait a minute! If Master Luka could control the dungeon, does this mean that he is no longer human?" Hanna cried out suddenly.<br /><br /> "Are you human, Luka?" Juliette glanced at him and asked in a teasing manner.<br /><br /> "Hum," the son responded with an exaggerated sense of befuddlement. "Let me check my status card." Luka nonchalantly checked his status and reported, "Unfortunately, I'm still a human being."<br /><br /> The young maid patted her chest loudly. "You scared me!" Hanna huffed.<br /><br /> "Oh? Does this mean that you're willing to become my son's night companion?" the duchess asked with a gleam in her eye.<br /><br /> The personal attendant fidgeted and looked down as her face turned red. "If the heir wishes me to join him in bed, I will perform my duty!" Hanna declared and looked at Juliette with defiance in her eyes.<br /><br /> The embarrassed Luka waved his hands desperately. "I don't need you to do that!" he said.<br /><br /> The maid pouted at his rejection. "Okay."<br /><br /> James cleared his voice. "Ahem. I must offer my heartfelt congratulations to Young Master Luka for obtaining control over a dungeon with an existing gold vein." The head butler bowed his head toward Luka. "If I may be bold to suggest that you should attempt to grow the mineral vein and create additional gold ores," he proposed.<br /><br /> Luka tilted his head and considered this idea. "If I could pull it off, then our duchy will control a renewable source of gold," he said excitedly. His head turned toward Juliette. "Mother, may I go back to the dungeon this afternoon to discuss the possibility of growing the gold vein?" he requested earnestly.<br /><br /> She frowned at this question because the mother wanted her son to begin his tutoring lessons with Lord Evans. Speaking of the nobleman, Juliette realized she hadn't seen him today! The duchess turned toward her butler and asked, "Where is Lord Evans?"<br /><br /> "His lordship planned to start tutoring young master Luka right after breakfast. But when the heir went missing, Lord Evans decided to return to Erz City and run errands. He also planned to bring Sanjiv when he returns to this manor," Marlorre replied. 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