Town did not change much. Same buildings, simir people and the same Adventurer guild that I was used to. Town was rebuild since the goblin attack and its popution also increased.

  I left my horse in the stables near the town gates and rented a room in Silver shield tavern. I was not pnning to stay there long, but before going to my coffee pntation I wanted to spend some time in the town.

  Next morning I started by visiting my old acquaintance bcksmith Ashurga. Dwarf was best bcksmith in Grimsburg, and his fame already spread far beyond the town.He was sitting behind his counter and sharpening one of his knives.

  - Have you learned some new tricks old man? - I asked him, entering his workshop.

  - Avone, - smiled old dwarf: - How many years has it been?

  - Fife or six. You have not changed much.

  - Neither have you. I missed you. Things were always more fun when you were around. Have not made anything as good as your equipment, even after I got myself Runesmith skill.

  - Have your skill increased tely?

  - Sure thing. I did not sit on my ass all the time, as you could think. Spend a year in the capitol and went dungeon hunting there. Now my Runesmith skill is at advance level.

  - That is perfect. Have some job for you then. First can you use your skill to improve my adamantium arrows? Draw runes on then that would make then sharper or something? Got some trouble with monsters with thick skin. Even adamantium arrows could not pierce some of them.

  - Let me think. I can engrave armor piercing rune on them. That should help. Even dragon scales will not protect from your arrows then. But it will cost you two gold coins for an arrow. How many arrows did you have in mind?

  - All of them. Still have a hundred and six.

  Dwarf pailed.

  - You sure? It will cost you. Also I'll need several weeks to finish the job.

  - Fine by me. Was pnning to spend some time in Grimsburg anyway. I pced two orichalcum coins and twelve gold ones on the table and took out my adamantium arrows from my magic purse.

  Dwarf sighed, but nodded.

  - I'll get to work as soon as possible. Send you a message to adventurer guild when they are ready.

  - Good. But that is not all. Also need you to keep quiet about it.

  - Sure thing. You know me. I keep my business with clients private.

  - Good, - I took out one of the ancient draugr's cws and showed it to Ashurga.

  - Think you can do something with this.

  Asurga carefully examined the cw and used small hammer to slightly hit it.

  - Will not be easy or cheep from the looks of it. What is it? Looks like nothing that I have ever saw.

  - Cw from a monster that evolved into an ancient monster.

  Ashurga almost dropped the cw and sat down.

  - Please worn me before saying things like that, - he examined cw again: - Would call anyone else a yer, but stopped being surprised by you long time ago. I might need some help from my alchemist friend, but I should be able to make something from it. What exactly have you in mind?

  - Was thinking about it. But I would like to know your opinion first.

  - I do not have any orichalcum or adamantium on me, so nothing big. Unless you have some adamantium on you?

  - No, - I shook my head: - Not this time.

  - Too bad. Well, if you have more than one of these cws, a dagger maybe?

  - Already have those. How about some arrows with those runes of yours.

  - You pn hunting high level floor guardians or high ranking dragons. Fine. One of these cws would get you one arrow and rune I should be able to engrave on them. Would be impossible on finished arrows, but can engrave the rune when I am making them.

  - Good. Then make me six such arrows.

  - Will coast you at least an orichalcum coin, - shook his head dwarf.

  - Agreed, - I put another coin on the table: - Use whatever you need, and let me know if I owe you more than that.

  - As always then, only the best for you. But all together will take me at least a month.

  - Take your time then. I will return in one month then. Leave message in adventurer guild if you need me earlier.

  - Sure thing.

  Next I visited Adventurer guild. Building did not change at all in all the years that I visited it, but there were new receptionists, working behind the desks.

  - Can I talk to guildmaster? - I asked one of the receptionists and showed her my silver adventurer tag.

  - You are B rank adventurer?

  - Yes. My name is Avone. Is Fiord still guild master.

  - Yes.

  - Then tell him that Avone needs to talk to him privately.

  - Of course, please follow me.

  She took me to a private room and soon guild master Fiord joined me. Being B rank adventurer had its privileges.

  - Miss Avone. It has been many years. I am gd to see that you are doing well.

  - It is nice to see you too guild master Fiord.

  - I was expecting you. I was told that you will be returning soon and was asked to give you some messages.

  - Who told you that I was returning? - that was strange. Except my party members no one was supposed to know, where I was going.

  - The priest from local Hermes temple visited me and said, that a man who gave you advance payment, will be expecting you in Hermes temple.

  Advance payment and Hermes temple. That expined a lot. I got a feeling that I will be entangled in another dangerous affair.

  - I see. What about other messages?

  - Master Mesmer from mages guild also wanted to talk to you.

  - Thank you. I will visit them ter. Now about my business here.

  - Yes, of course. How my I help you?

  I took out my for remaining cws that belonged to former king Gorragod.

  - I wish you to sell these in the auction. Without mentioning my name. They belonged to monster who evolved into an ancient one.Fiord's hands trembled.

  - Monster with ancient evolution rank? - he carefully examined the cws and nodded: - I will have to confirm that, but I will do as you ask, of course. Do you know how old this monster was?

  - Thousand years at least. Maybe older.

  - Then I would suggest selling each of these cws separately. That will earn you more.

  - Good. I would like to earn as much as possible this time.

  - It could take two month or so. Will you be staying in Grimsburg?

  - Yes. Even if I will not be staying in town, I will return here.

  - Are your party members also here?

  - No. I am alone. Their stayed in Tyco. I just came here because I had some things to attend in Grimsburg.

  - I see. Very well. I will arrange everything.

  - Thank you.We bowed to each other, and I went to visit Hermes temple. I lived in Grimsburg for a long time and was familiar with town. There was only one temple that belonged to Hermes worshippers. It was comparatively small. Just a little bigger than one of the surrounding houses.

  I went inside and smelled freshly cut flowers. They were inside the vases, on both sides of small altar, in front of human size statue of the god.

  I approached the altar and smoke enveloped me. When it disappeared, I found myself standing in familiar meadow. At the table in front of me were sitting Hermes and another unfamiliar to me man in a white robe.

  - Welcome Avone, - smiled Hermes: - I see that you are doing well. Let me introduce to you god Mithra. Another god of light. He is also the god of oaths, contracts, justice, friendship and even one of the sun gods.

  Mithra slightly bowed his head, and I sighed.

  - It is an honor to meet you.

  - And yet if feels like the opposite, - ughed Hermes: - You really should feel more surprised and honored when facing a god.

  - Yes, maybe next time. May I ask, why am I here?

  - I wanted to talk to you and asked Hermes for his assistance. It concerns king of Iron Mountains and his past story.

  - Can't we use his name? Or are we sticking with King of Iron Mountains?

  - His name was Herculian. We was the son of a mortal woman and god Hephaestus. As you know he died without having an heir. That was because goddess Aphrodite cursed him in her jealousy, but that is a different story. As a demi-god Herculian inherited great strength and some of his father's bcksmithing skills. His existence was without a purpose, and I asked him to become guardian of an ancient dungeon. You may not know that, but there are three oldest and biggest dungeons in this world. Some of the ones that appeared during millennia when dungeons first started to appear in this world. There is one such dungeon in all three continents. The ancient dungeon on this continent is located in Iron Mountains two days walking distance from Bcksmith cave - former castle of the King of Iron Mountains.

  I asked Herculian to guard that dungeon and exterminate monsters inside it, because Iron Mountains are home of my sacred beasts - birds Simurgh. In order to raise their young, they need seclusion and plenty of water. Iron Mountains are filled with many kes, and are perfect nesting ground for Simurghs. But countless monsters from the dungeon endangered Simurghs. Monsters killed their young and strongest among them even challenge my birds. They were almost brought to extinction, and so I asked Herculian for help.

  Back them he was obsessed with having children and asked me for high ranking alchemy skill. I also granted him Book of Light and Light magic skill so he could use light magic to battle the monsters. In time Herculian gathered royal followers and build a castle that he called Bcksmith cave. His followers married and had families and their numbers grew. They grew numerous and decred themselves a kingdom. Some of the more ambitious ones started fights with neighboring kingdoms and dragged Herculian into their battles. In time that led to Herculian's nd expansion, which ter became Kingdom of Iron Mountains. But as you know Herculian died of old age and his kingdom fell to ruin. For a thousand years his loyal follower, who was turned into monster, tried to keep monster popution in check, but he was not successful. Most monsters that pgue the kingdoms that surround Iron Mountains came originally from that dungeon or are descendants of those monsters. They are still escaping that dungeon and overflowing the mountains which endanger my simurghs.

  I want you to become the caretaker of that dungeon and, even if just a little, reduce the monster numbers in the dungeon. That, as you probably know, will diminish the chances of monster stampede, and in time could reduce monster numbers in Iron Mountains.

  I was pnning to ask one my champions to take that task, but they are still young, and I am also worried that their ambition could lead to another Iron Mountain kingdom and war.

  - I am sorry, but it is impossible. I have no intension to become a hermit who lives in that castle. And even if I would visit that dungeon once in a few years the journey there takes many months. In the future I pn to travel the nds of this world and journey there would take me many years. That is impossible.

  - You do not need to travel yourself. You did not know that, but behind the secret treasury there was another chamber. All you need to do is use the same Primordial magic spell on that wall and it will lead you to the magic circle, that Mage guild use for teleportation. That spell would take you to the castle and then back to the closest Mage guild.

  - Yes, but I cannot use that spell. It could take me decades to learn it. I could die long before that, and I have no intension to hasten my leveling. By that time your champions will be grown men, and you can chose one of them.

  - I see. But what if I can offer you another travel option. One of my simurgh, has long ago evolved into Simurgh king. You have master level Light magic skill. You can learn summoning spell and I will ask my bird to make a partial contract with you. Even without summoning skill you will be able to contract yourself with my bird and summon it in any pce of this continent. Simurgh king can travel days ride distance in less than an hour. It can take you to the Bcksmith cave if a few days.

  - Even if it does. Way back would still take me month or years.

  - You speak truth, - sighed Mithra: - I will also ask simurgh to take you back to the pce where you summoned him originally. It will be a risk, but the one that we will need to take.

  - Yes, but you do know that I do not know the summoning spell.

  - That will not be a problem. As a reward for taking this task I will give you Book of Light. It contains all Light magic spells. Well all spells, which humans knew thousand years ago. As your usual reward I will also grant you life force that will allow you to increase one level.

  - Seems we have an agreement, - smiled Hermes and robbed his hands.

  - Not yet, - I sighed: - I also want for my debt to Hermes to be settled if I agree.

  - That would be a little too much of the reward. Book of light is too valuable on its own. How about some information instead?

  I gritted my teeth.

  - Fine, but only if this information will be of value to me.

  - I am sure that it is. You remember the potion that Ni took from the King's of the Iron Mountains secret chamber?

  - Of course. You never bothered to find out what it was, but it was the most valuable item in the pace. Even more valuable that the Book of light. The potion turned Ni into divine human. Demi-god of sorts. She is just one step from becoming a god.

  - Can she become a god now?

  - No. It is almost impossible. In all our history only two people have succeeded in becoming gods, and it was thousands of years ago.

  - I see.- Do you wish to become a god, little Avone?

  - No. Sounds like too much trouble. I prefer staying on earth. Having eternal life as high elf is enough for me.

  - What fun, - clopped Hermes.

  - Here, - Mithra extended his hand and gave me a small wooden whistle: - Use it when you arrive in Iron Mountains, and my Simurgh king will come to you. In order to get the book use the same Primordial magic spell on my altar in the castle's chapel. Book is hidden beneath the altar. There is also a secret passageway from Bcksmith cave, that leads to the dungeon.

  - I know about that, - I nodded: - Gorragod told me.

  - Good then, - nodded Mithra.

  - Why did the other gods did not tell Milligan and Ni about that book? It sounds very powerful. They both could have take it?

  - Gods only revealed them about the treasures, which they desired or asked for. Or in your case a treasure that is your reward. Telling them about other things would be against our little ws.

  - Sounds complicated. One more thing. I my need access to that magic circle. But I do not have King Gorragod sword any more. Is there any other way to open the secret treasury?

  - No. A powerful barrier is protecting the chamber. And there in no other way how to open it.

  - A barrier ha? I can work with that.

  - Thank you for accepting my request, - nodded Mithra. Hermes snapped his fingers, and I found myself facing a priest, inside Hermes temple.

  - My I help you? - asked me priest, who came out from the room behind the statue.

  - My name in Avone. I just came to show my respect for god Hermes. I assume you were the one who left a message for me in Adventurer guild. Rest assured your task was completed.

  - I see. Thank you for visiting my humble temple, - he bowed.

  I bowed my head and left the temple. I had a bad feeling about this job. I never should have get involved with Hermes.

  As soon as I mentioned my name in Mage guild receptionist immediately took me to master Mesmer. High elf did not change at all, since our st meeting. As a high elf, just like me, he will never grow older, and seeing the proof of the eternal youth always brightened my mood.

  - Miss Avone. You arrived just in time. Please take a seat.I sat down on a comfortable sofa, and master Mesmer nodded to receptionist.

  - That will be all. Thank you.

  - I received a message that you wish to talk to me. Sounded urgent?

  - In a way it is. First let me tell you about your farm.

  - I think of it more as a pntation.

  - Pntation then. It is doing well. I bought more nd and it is double the size now. We established prices, and small pouch of your coffee costs an orichalcum coin. But that increased number of thieves. In the end adventurer guards turned out to be not enough, and, after one of the adventurers stole a bad with coffee powder, I had to ask sage Tanot to create a barrier around the farm. Sorry, pntation. I also bought four Iron golems from Northern Gremlin kingdom to use them as guards. Thanks to the profits from the pntation we could afford that. In the long run I believe that it will be more profitable.

  - I support your decisions. You do not need to worry about that.

  - Thank you. But that is not the reason why I wanted to talk to you. But before I continue, I should mention that you will need to visit sage Tanot. He will prepare the amulet for you that you will need to get pass his illusion barrier, - I nodded and Mesmer continue: - As we agreed I announced that goddess granted me the seeds and that I am not allowed to sell the cofea samplings. That allowed me to avoid some insistent noble requests to sell the tree seeds, but now I received some annoying and possible troublesome news.

  You may not know that, but in recent decades three children were born on Holy Griffin Empire with hero jobs. Many see that as a sign of future wars with Lucifer's empire. But personally I see that as coincidence. It is not like our war has ever ended, and there has always been skirmishes along the borders.

  But heroes are important to all the kingdoms. In a way they are more influential than even nobles. Kings and other rulers grant them many favors in order to assure their allegiance to their kingdoms.

  I received a message from one of the guilds, from Holy Griffin Empire, that one of the empire's heroes is traveling here. His intention is to buy cofea trees. I do not know why, but many of the people with heroes and spellsword jobs are my regur costumers.

  - I see. So what do you want from me?

  - I assume that goddesses orders not to sell anyone the tree seeds or samplings have not changed.

  - No. Goddess Theia did not change her mind.

  In a way it was truth. She gave seeds to me as a reward, and never did say anything that would change her mind about that.

  - I see. Then perhaps you will consider joining me during negotiations. I am in no position to turn down the hero from the empire and would prefer your presence this time.

  Heroes could be natural disasters, and I understood Mesmer's concerns. Just because someone had hero job, did not made him a good person.

  - How will you expin my presence?

  - How about a guard of the pntation?

  - Not good enough, - I considered the options: - How about current caretaker of the pntation who oversees the pntation and crops sells? We can call it temporary job, and I was pnning to spend time in pntation anyway.

  - Yes. That may be better expnation. Hero will arrive in two or three weeks. I will send a messenger to the pntation then.

  - Very well. But my I ask you something. Why did you not used sves, instead of adventurers, hired peasants and golems?

  Mesmer's face darkened.

  - Another guild master would have done it. But as an elf I do not approve of svery. Even when it is used as punishment for the crime.

  - I see. I understand that. And thank you for taking such good care of the pntation.

  - No need for that. It did increased guild income and the profits are worth the small troubles, which it sometimes causes.This hero sounded like a trouble, but since I knew nothing about him, his intensions or personality, I forgot about him for now and went to visit sage Tanot.

  Sage lived outside the town, in remote part of the forest. He was a djinn who preferred to live away from humans. But in the past we had common interests, and I maintained good retionships with him. After going deeper inside the forest, I used leveling crystal. Mithra's given life force allowed me to increase my level, and Demon style martial arts skill got as high as advanced level. I was dreaming of six more levels that I could get from the potions. I will be close to get master level skill, and become a mage capable of using all kind of powerful spells.

  I still remembered a way to sage's house and easily found it. Tanot's house was surrounded by fog that did not allow anyone to approach his house, making people to circle around it, but I had an amulet that granted me safe passage.

  Tanot was working in his small garden, but noticed me as soon as I got close to his house.

  - Miss Avone. Years have been good to you. You look as young and lovely as I remembered you.

  - Thanks. You have not changed either.

  - Benefits of our races. Please come in. I will prepare some tea.

  He asked me about his homend Rakshasar, but there was not much that I could tell him.

  - Mesmer mentioned to me that you created a barrier around his pntation. He told me to ask you for an amulet that I will need to get there.

  - Since you have not lost the amulet that I gave you, you do not need another one. The same amulet that grants you passage to my home, will let you go to the pntation.

  - I see. Convenient. There is also another reason for my visit.

  - What a shame. You never come just to visit an old friend. Always work with you.

  - Sorry about that. Not a casual friend visit person.

  - Well fine. So what have you on your mind?

  - In the past you mentioned to me that it is possible to make a potion that will increase someone's level. As long as I can get blood from the divine being. I got myself six of them.

  I took out one of the vials, and Tanot examined it.

  - Yes. Just barely, but this will be enough for me to make such potion.

  - Can you make all six?

  - Yes. But you do not intend to use them all?

  - Of course I am.

  - You cannot. It is safe to use single potion, but second one would act as poison. It could even kill you, and definitely lower your stats. People with low amount of life force would never survive using two of these potions. People with life force stats of twenty to thirty would in time heal and it will be safe to use the potion in ten years. But not earlier.

  - What if someone would have life force of hundred?

  - Such amount of life force have dragons or other powerful creatures. For them using the potion would be possible after a two or three years.

  - I see. That's incredibly disappointing.

  - You can give the potion to your party members. It will not be a waste.

  - Sure, - I sighed: - Fine. Can you make me those potions?

  I took out the rest of the vials. After examining all of them Tanot nodded.

  - Yes. But it will take me at least forty days, to make all of them. And it will cost you three orichalcum coins for a potion. I am sorry, but other ingredients are rear and very valuable. You are lucky that I have spend life times gathering such ingredients at all.

  That was more than half of my money. Without the coins that I got from Graig, I would not even be able to pay for the potions.

  - Fine. I may still need those potions in the future, - I took out eighteen coins and gave them to Tanot: - See you in forty days then.

  - I will be waiting for your casual visit then.