Eyden was a fairly large dwarven city, located at the bottom of the Great Mountain Chain northeast of the Great Forest. Half of the city was surrounded by high walls, protecting the city from unwanted visitors, and the other half was carved into the mountain itself.

The city itself was mostly inhabited by dwarves, who had constructed it over the years. Some elves had come to Eyden after the God’s Tree had died, looking for new opportunities in the city, well known for it’s trading market. Beastmen lived here as well, as they did in almost every city, working primarily in the construction sector. Humans were a little less abundant here, having their own cities in the south.

Although Eyden was known for it’s booming market, the city’s real strong point was it’s military power. The dwarves, great masters of enchantments and craftsmanship, had build great towers around the city to fire either physical or magical projectiles in case of an attack. The placement of the city also gave the dwarves a vantage point from anything that came from the south, and the mountains provided a solid barrier from an attack from the north.

---

Kurt looked up when a costumer walked in, the little bell above the front door tinkling. A seasoned looking human huntress walked through his flower shop, filled to the brim with plants, pots terraria and shelves with more plants. She stopped and looked at a specific pot containing a single red flower before tuning towards Kurt.

“Excuse me, can you tell me what flower this is? I’m curious, I think I’ve seen it before.”

He smiled and greeted her in simple fashion.

“Greetings lady, interesting one, isn’t it? A creeping springrose, more commonly known as summer death. It’s poison is strong enough to knock out a bear in under three minutes. They look stunning on the side of a path though,” he gestured at the small red flower growing inside a pot hanging from the ceiling.

The woman taking a step back with a cautious expression on her face, making Kurt smile even wider. He liked her already.

“Can I help you with anything lassie?” He asked in his heavy dwarfish accent. The girl seemed relieved at his joke before she spoke in a more buiness like manner.

“Are you Kurt Lukuid, the botanist? A friend of mine recommended you,” she said, the dwarf opening his arms in a welcoming gesture.

“That’s me, how can I help you? People mostly come here to have their garden decorated or for a simple bouquet, but you don’t really strike me as the type for those sort of things. Came here for some combat related plants perhaps?”

“No, I actually hoped you could identify something for me. A seed of some magic tree or something along those lines. Can you help me with that?” The woman asked.

“Sure, follow me, I’ll see what I can do,” he motioned her to the low counter, the dwarf shoving aside some papers and dirt. The woman layed the nut in front of him while he put on his glasses. A glimmer appeared in the dwarf’s eyes for a split second while he inspected the magic seed, but he showed no further reaction. The woman didn’t seem to notice, busy with some sort of ivy trying to entangle her hair instead.

The man coughed. “Where did you find it, if I may ask?” He asked, the excitement in his voice hidden well.

“Somewhere in the Great Forest, after a slime spat it out. That’s the reason we thought it might be magical, that supported with the fact that a friend of mine noticed some mana leaking out. Look, can you…” the woman gestured at the vines while she struggled with her hair.

The dwarf clapped his hands and the vines abruptly retreated back into their pot, now more looked like a nest of snakes. The woman was glad to have them out of her hair, but still kept an eye on them, suspicous of their movements.

“The seed is indeed magical, your friend was right about that. It appears to be a magical chestnut, a rare variant indeed. I assume you came to sell it?” He asked, ignoring her looks.

“Yes, I heard somewhere that magic wood is quite valuable as a crafting material, even in small quantities. It’s used for weapons isn’t it?”

“That’s correct, high quality magic wood can be stronger that steel even. Plus it won’t rust of course. It can be used as arrowheads if you only possess small chunks of the stuff. I must dissapoint you though, the seeds themselves aren’t very useful for crafting, namely because they are considerably softer than the actual wood. And growing one yourself is nearly impossible, since magic trees need very mana dense soil to grow in. Plus it would take dozens of years to even grow one to an usable size. I’m sorry lassie, but I doubt it’s worth much.”

The woman looked a bit dissapointed but not surprised.

“Well, I suppose I expected something like that. Thanks for helping me anyway, how much do I owe you?”

Kurt had to act quick. ‘Almost there,’ he thought. ‘If I can pull this off, I’ll probably be the best merchant to have ever lived. Just a little more.’

“Don’t make such a troubled face lassie, I can’t let you leave like that,” he began the woman looking up, or rather down, since the dwarf was half a meter shorter than her. “Say, I have never worked with magic trees before, perhaps it might be a nice project to work on for a change. I’ll give you 10 Mille for it.”

The woman smiled. “Make that fifteen.”

“Eleven.”

“Thirteen.”

“Deal,” the dwarf said, also smiling. He handed her the steel coins and stored the nut in a drawer under his counter. “Nice doing business with ya. Come by if you need anything else, I got some exploding fruits you might like.”

“Maybe some other time. And thanks again, I’ll make sure to come by again next time I find a strange plant,” the woman replied, the bell tinkling again while she opened the door, three people outside turning towards her after waiting for her. Kurt watched them talking to the woman while they walked away.

---

Kurt waited an hour before putting on his coat. He opened the drawer and took the nut, sliding it into his pocket. After walking out and closing off his shop, he pulled his hood up and walked down the street towards the center of Eyden.

After walking for a while, he stopped at the gate of a large mansion, sourrounded by a large and majestic courtyard. The place was owned by some noble, but Kurt didn’t know the man. He wasn’t here for him anyway.

The grass in the garden was cut precisely, and firm looking grape vines covered wooden arches. A stone path connected the front of the gate to the front door, plants neatly placed on both sides of the path.

Kurt waited for a while until a tired looking dwarf strolled through the gate. The man was wearing a dirty overall, and some weeds were intertwined in his long blond beard. He looked tired and didn’t spot Kurt immediately, but he noticed him after a while and waved at him, the botanist returning the gesture.

“Kurt, long time no see. Finally got out of your dusty old shop eh? Fancy a drink? I’ve been working my ass off these past few weeks,” the blond dwarf greeted him with an even heavier accent than Kurt’s, not an unimpressive feat.

“Good to see you Rennar. Pub it is, then? By the way, I need to show you something. It’s important.”

“Show me the way then,” he said.

---

“So, what’s all the secrecy about. It’s not like yourself, acting all secret about something.”

The two dwarves were sitting across eachother at a crude wooden dinnertable. The inn itself was warm, but gloomy. Not many patrons were present, even though it was late in the evening already. Kurt sipped his ale before he answered softly.

“I need to show you something, it’s-”

“Important, yes, you told me that. Spill the beans already, I’m curious now. What did you find exactely?”

“Look, I was getting to that,” Kurt answered angrily. He reached into his pocket and layed an object on the table.

“Here, take a good look,” he said and gestured.

Rennar picked up the nut and inspected it. After turning it a few times, he laid it back onto the table.

“Great find. Eating roasted chestnuts tonight are we? I recommend adding honey, makes them more sweet,” he said dryly, making Kurt sigh.

“Look at what’s coming out of it, numbskull. Don’t you recognise it?”

Rennar looked a little closer again. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he bumbed against the table, almost knocking over his drink. His hand containing the nut shook wildly as he screamed at Kurt.

“IS THIS POTENT MA-” he was interrupted when Kurt’s hand slapped against his mouth. A few patrons turned around to look at them, but nobody was paying any further attention to them. Kurt removed his hand and Rennar shut up.

“Be quiet, fool! Do you want the whole city to know?” He hissed and Rennar bowed his head in shame. Kurt rolled his eyes and continued.

“Yes, it is indeed potent mana that this seed is emitting. If I’m correct, this seed is either the offspring of an evolved magic tree, or more likely, it came from the God’s Tree. It wouldn’t suprise me, considering it’s recent death. Anyway, we basically have a portable dungeon in our hands here. The question remains what to do with it.”

Rennar thought for a second before he answered.

“I believe the best course of action would be to sell it of course. If it’s indeed a seed from the God’s Tree, many countries would be more than interested in buying it. I believe it would be the safest and most profitable to sell it to one of the human nations. I know a man who can safely auction it without revealing our identity. He’s all the way in Granstadt though.”

“Can he be trusted though?” Kurt worried.

“No problem, we go way back. He wouldn’t betray us as long as he gets some of the profit,” Rennar assured him.

“I knew you were the right guy for this. We’ll need to work out the details later, but for now, let’s just enjoy our drinks. To us.”

“To us,” Rennar said and took a large sip. Both of them laughed loudly.

---

A short and hooded figure in the corner of the inn stopped listening after the two dwarves had begun drinking. He took a long sip of his drink and thought about the new information. The boss would be very interested in what he had to say, that was for sure.

The figure rose and tossed a few coins on the table. Nobody looked up when he left the building. After making sure nobody was looking at him, he dissapeared into the shadows.