Lucas stumbled and quickly found a seat in the expanse of the park.

“I thought you wouldn’t be online for another 12 hours or so.”

Things changed. I’ve been upgraded. I’m now a Dungeon Master; the AI’s have been repaired and replaced. I have complete control of the dungeon. I can even expand the dungeon. We did lose the shield since management changed. I don’t have that unlocked yet, but I gained the ability to spawn robots. Hopefully, I can unlock the dungeon shield soon, I will get new powers as I purchase them from the Dungeon Tech Tree using experience.

“So, do we still need metal and people to help clear the roof?”

We still need metal. As much metal as we can get, so I can make robots. I don’t need limestone anymore since I can dig it out myself now. But we don’t so much need anybody to help labor wise long term. Once I get a few robots spawned, we should be good. It might be a while, so a few days of help would probably be useful. I can divert Nanobots from tearing down the forest on my roof to digging out my new chambers and looking for required materials.

“Well, I purchased 12 slaves, and as much metal as around 400 gold pieces could buy me.”

Slaves! Why would you buy slaves! The history of our country was bad enough, did everyone forget?!?”

“Relax, they were purchased with the intent on feeding them and then freeing them. Once they carry some metal across a portal and pull a wagon back to the dungeon, I will give them the offer to come work with us, not as slaves, but as folks who can keep you company while I am gone. There are only two types of slaves in this kingdom, those who sold themselves into slavery so they could eat, and those who are slaves because of a criminal act. Apparently, Brown, which is the Kingdom we are located in, isn’t really for slavery so much, but they are against starving, and they are against prisons. I’m not so sure how the whole criminal slave thing works; if there is a sentence length or what not, but I am avoiding criminal slaves, and I am only getting folks who are slaves because they were hungry. As long as we can feed them, we are good.”

Well, with the food on hand, between you, the squirrels, and 12 other people I estimate a 3-month food supply if we stretch it. Significantly longer if we have the squirrels go off and forage instead of protecting the dungeon.

“I think we will be OK. We can hire a hero or two and go hunting once I get a bit more gold, or we can plant some crops on the roof. If trees can grow on the roof, crops should be able to grow there too. We can probably buy food from Esfield once the cave path into the dungeon is completed.”

What do you mean get some more gold? There aren’t any gold mines around here.

Lucas took a moment and filled Rose in on what he learned over his journey. What looting was, how you got random coins for every monster kill, what the surrounding looked like, what the village looked like, and every other detail he could think of.

You’ve had an exciting journey. I just wish you had taken a scan or two of the loot bags before you opened them. Please, pretty please, make sure you take a scan of the Gate when you go to the gate guild.

“I will try. While you are at it, do you think you could get a bridge thrown together from some of the trees on the roof? It needs to go over the river and into the Village fields. I don’t want to fight wolves again while I am escorting these folks to our home.”

That should be pretty easy to do. Is anyone going to complain if it just appears? Do I need to have it ready to “slide across” and you can pull it across with your magic? And if I wasn’t clear, by pulling it across with your magic, I mean tell me on the communicator, and I will have the Dungeon nanobots move it across the river.

“As long as the shield is gone, I think it is fine if it just appears. Just make sure to set up sentries of some sort. Do you have enough metal to get a single Robot operational and on guard duty? If not, maybe you want to make a path out from the river we can get to from sublevel six. That honestly may be the best idea. Then we can claim it has always been there if anyone asks.”

I like that idea too. I’ve already got some excavation going on in the area. I’ve got a few robots in the works, and I can get a path to the surface built. They will be small, but they can be guards.

“Great! The only thing I have left for you before I go into this tavern is can you search your sources and see if you can find out any details about the Mount Tippyton mine? The natives claim there is a mine there. If I can clear out the hostile monsters, we can start mining. Clearing the mine is probably in my quest log, but I don’t feel like looking for it right now.”

Before the System, there wasn’t any place around here with a mine. I wonder if it’s a system generated mine because there’s a town here. It might also be the old cities’ dump. I bet there is plenty of metal in the dump. I will dig around in my sources and see what I can’t find out. As a Dungeon Master, I have a limited amount of information I can pull out from the system, including a rough map of the area.

“Thanks’ Rose. I don’t want to look crazy so I am going to stop talking until after I’m back out of the Tavern. After the Tavern, I will need to hit up the Hero’s guild and sign up as a Hero.”

Oh. OHH. I have a contract I need you to sign too. It will let me earn experience for every mob you kill. And the part of the System that made me a Dungeon Master was very insistent that I get you to sign up under a contract for me.

“I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t interfere. If it is too onerous, I may skip it. With your ability to make robots, and me having purchased a few slaves, I don’t ultimately need day laborers from Esfield that much.”

As Lucas walked into the Tavern, he thought that the area was better kept than expected. He’d read about middle age taverns in school, and while it wasn’t really the middle ages, with the limits placed on technology Humanity had sunk quite a ways backward, so he had expected something more like a middle ages tavern.

The room was well lit, the floor was made of rough-hewn boards instead of dirt, and there were honest to goodness bathrooms off the seating area. The Tavern probably sat around 100 or so with all the nooks and crannies. There were a couple of barmaids in stereotypical clothing running drinks out to various locations. There was a sign up that said, ‘Please seat yourself.’ While the barmaid’s appearances varied greatly, it appeared that most if not all of them were dressed in a way to extract as many tips as possible from the guests of the tavern.

Lucas shambled over to the bar, he never really liked drinking, and when one of the barmaids looked his way, he said: “Excuse me, I’d like a room and dinner.”

The barmaid nodded and called out “Jerry! We’ve got somebody who wants a room at the bar.” Turning back towards Lucas, she followed up with, “Let me know when you’ve got settled into your room. I’ll bring you out a plate of tonight's special. Roast Wolf with garlic sauce tonight. The meat is very fresh, brought in by the guards defending the bridge.”

As she talked, Lucas noticed that she was around as tall as his 6 feet and change. Maybe a smidge shorter than he was. She looked reasonably athletic, probably from running beers around in the Tavern all day. She appeared to be a natural redhead with a mix between Curly and Wavy hair depending on the length of the hair. Her eyes were a very blue hazel.

Smiling, Lucas replied “I heard about that. I would love some. I don’t know what it costs yet. As soon as I get my room booked, I will let you know.”

The Barmaid turned and walked away, a man who seemed like he owned the place walked up to Lucas. “So, friend, I’m told you are looking for a room. Only one gold a night! It’s an outstanding deal,” said Jerry.

“Joe in the Traders’ Hall told me it would be one silver.”

“For a friend of Joe, I guess I can do a silver, but only for one night. Dinner is an extra three copper.”

“Sold,” replied Lucas.

“You have room number 9. Here’s the key” as Jerry grabbed a key out from underneath the bar. “Follow the signs on the wall.”

“Thanks, Jerry. Now I’ve got to ask, why the Holiday Inn sign?”

“That has been a symbol of Inns and Taverns in the city of Esfield since my great-grandfather’s father built this inn. I’m not quite sure where it comes from, but it has always brought my family luck.”

Thinking to himself, “I’ll bet that his family worked or owned a Holiday Inn around here before Hades conquered the area. If it’s good enough for him, then it’s good enough for me.”

Replying to Jerry, “Where I am from, a Holiday Inn was an Inn that had many amenities available. Does that apply to your inn as well?”

“It does!” exclaimed Jerry. “We have a Stable, a Tavern, a Sauna, and a full-service restaurant. Plus we offer complimentary hot bath’s drawn from the Tavern’s boiler.”

“Those are some impressive amenities,” replied Lucas. Smiling, Lucas thought to himself that without a large pool in the inn, the inn could be a Holiday Inn Express at best.

“Thank you for your praise” replied Jerry. “I must get back to my other customers. Please enjoy your stay and pay Sarah for the room when you pay her for dinner.”

“I will. Thanks!” replied Lucas.

Lucas watched Jerry as he walked back over to a booth in a corner and rejoined a game of cards.