Jen was walking with Cristi Ford when Cristi said, “By helping with all the crop problems, you and Sam have really saved the independent farmers from the sleezy farmer’s guild.”

“That’s good, but I’ve heard rumors they are beating up some of the independent farmers.”

Cristi nodded, “That’s true, but you can’t do everything. Also, those farmers refused to join in with most of us that hired guild fighters to patrol our lands. They were easy pickings for the farmer’s guild.”

“They couldn’t afford it?” asked Jen.

“No, they were too cheap and just hoped the farmer’s guild would do nothing.” Cristi replied, then pointed up ahead of them, “Robert Krane’s farm is on the edge of Hot Streak Dungeon Forest, it’s just over there.”

Once they arrived at Robert’s farm, Jen said to Cristi, “This shouldn’t take too long, but why don’t you go relax with Robert and his wife at their house while I inspect the fields.”

Cristi knew that Jen wouldn’t allow anyone to accompany her while she cleaned the farms of any poisonous mana or infected plants, and said, “Okay, see you in a bit.” As she headed to tell Robert they arrived and that Jen would inspect the fields for problems.

Jen had an iron rod with a fake enchantment on it. She would use her psych skill to identify if any poison mana rods were causing the crop problems. In case anyone was watching her, she would pretend that the enchantment on the iron rod would help her locate infested plants that were harming crops. In reality she would use the iron rod to smash any poison rods she found.

When Jen finished smashing the last of the poison mana rods on Robert’s farm, she noticed mana flowing from the woods carrying what felt like a volatile almost fiery flavor. After Jen went to the farmhouse to meet Cristi, Robert and his wife, she asked, “What caused the destruction of the dungeon?”

Cristi’s friend Robert, the owner of the farm, spoke up and said, “About 100 years ago, when my dad was just a young boy, a group of adventurers was granted permission from the City Lord to visit the dungeon. Instead of just farming the dungeon for monsters and loot, the adventurers must have done something to destroy it, because they were never seen again, and the dungeon never produced any more monsters that would give loot drops. The City Lord was furious because the dungeon produced spell scrolls, technique scrolls, armor, weapons, and other valuable drops. He sent in several dungeon teams to find out what happened, but those that came back, always came back with nothing.”

Jen was excited about investigating a dungeon, even if it was empty. Plus, there was that strange mana she was sensing. She turned towards the forest and asked Robert, “Is anyone allowed to explore the forest and dungeon, or is it off limits?”

Robert replied, “Go explore all you want. Because of the quarter year, most of the bandits are out in Blackjack Forest where the majority of transfer pads are located. Years ago, the City Lord did keep a guard force at the dungeon entrance, but since it was destroyed, it’s been left open. Every few years, an adventuring team will go in there. Some don’t return, but those that do always come out complaining about wasting their time. It’s probably been almost 20 years since the last group went in the dungeon. I haven’t heard of anything unusually dangerous in the forest lately either, but… you should always be prepared for the worst when in the wild.

Jen turned back to look at Robert and his wife, and with a smile on her face changed the topic, “I think we’re all finished here. You should notice an increase in the health of your crops.”

Robert had heard how much better Cristi’s and other independent farmers’ crops were doing after Jen’s and Sam’s visit, and hesitantly said, “You only want payment if the crops improve right?”

Jen really liked most of the farmers around the city, and she replied with a smile, “That’s right, you pay 3% of the value of only the improved crops at the end of the season. If there is no improvement, then you pay nothing.”

Robert and his wife were watching Jen and Cristi head back towards town when Robert said to his wife, “I’ve never heard of such a powerful mage helping out farmers for such a paltry fee. We’re in the Decks! Do you think she is working on some sort of gambling quest and is out to ruin us?”

Robert’s wife looked sternly at him and said, “Only the truly powerful have the luxury of helping others. Cristi’s brother, the Director of the Honorable Arc Guild, has vouched for them. Without her aid, we would certainly have lost our farm by the end of the season. Now, we have a chance. Say nothing to anyone about what she has done for us today. Those in the farmer’s guild will surely be angry that she has improved our crops. Now, they can no longer hope to steal our farm for a fraction of its true value at the end of the season.”

When Jen returned to the shop, she was surprised that the lines of customers had disappeared, and Long Bi and Ji Bi were nowhere around, but then she spotted Richard Loshen meeting with Sam in the shop. She had never met him before, but she knew of him. He was the Director of the Stone Guild, the largest and richest guild in Casino City.

When Sam saw Jen enter the store, he texted her a quick update, “Director Loshen is trying to get me to enchant a rod with a powerful healing spell. He says he has a healing enchantment that I can copy but just wants another healing rod – offering 50 gold. I’ve told him that I can only repair SOME enchantments and can only create simple charms.”

Sam looked over at Jen and said out loud, “Director Loshen, please let me introduce you to my daughter Jen.”

Jen curtsied and bowed her head and said, “Director Loshen, it is an honor to have you visit our humble store. Please excuse my father’s complete lack of manners. May I get you a drink or something to eat?”

Director Loshen smiled kindly at Jen with a slight nod and laughed, “Your father has been perfectly gracious. I rather like dealing with men as straight forward as him.”

Jen could sense with her psych skill that everything about Director Loshen was just a front, and his true emotions and intentions were kept hidden from others. She also noticed that his stats, mana channels, and mana center were somehow hidden from her mana sight and psych skill.

Sam said to Jen, “Director Loshen wishes me to re-create the major healing enchantment on this rod.” While Sam explained to Jen what Director Loshen wanted, Jen was making an obvious and unmistakable frowning face of disappointment, trying to give the impression that she knew her ‘father’ could not re-create the healing enchantment. Jen replied to both of them, “Did you inform Director Loshen of the healing charms you can make, or of that new charm you are working on that will dull the pain during healing by almost 10%?”

Her response successfully convinced Direct Loshen that Sam wasn’t lying when he claimed to be unable to re-create the healing enchantment, because Loshen quickly indicated that he would not personally be interested in the healing or pain-relieving charms. He thanked them both for their time and hospitality and promised to send them as much business as he could.

Sam texted Jen, “Shit! That was a close one. He wasn’t taking ‘No’ for an answer, but your performance convinced him.”

Shortly after Director Loshen left. They opened the shop back up, and Jen went and called Long Bi and Ji Bi back to work. When other customers were in earshot Jen gossiped with the Bi’s about how they were fortunate enough to have a private meeting with Director Richard Loshen and how Director Loshen said he would send them as much business as he could.

Sam and Jen both worked in the shop for the rest of the day, and it wasn’t until later that night when Sam said,

“I’m glad Loshen didn’t ask for that pain relief charm, I don’t have any idea how to make one.” Sam cringed when he saw Jen grimace at his words. He hadn’t meant it as a rebuke, and so he said, “You saved my ass! Without your quick thinking, I have a feeling I might be a permanent guest of the Stone guild.”

Jen replied, “A weak pain relieving charm was the only thing that popped in my mind.”

Sam laughed, “It worked. That’s what counts. The only thing I could think of, was whether or not they had cushions in their permanent guest ‘room’.”

Jen cheered up and asked, “How do you think we came up on his radar?”

He shrugged. “I’m confident that Victor keeps my orders confidential based on our magical contracts. My guess, and it’s only a guess, is that his spies saw us meeting with Director Devon a few times, and they believed our store was just a front for something more. So… Director Loshen decided to offer us a literal fortune to see if I would re-create his healing enchantment. I only wish I could’ve had some time to decrypt it. His rod was crazy powerful.”

Jen replied, ripping on Sam, “That’s what he said!”

Sam laughed, “You got me with that one. Why does everyone have to refer to these wands as rods!”

Jen and Sam joked around a little bit more, and when Jen brought up the dungeon, she was shocked when Sam immediately agreed to check it out.

He said, “I feel like we should get out there and evaluate our skills in a somewhat safe place. It made me sick over the last few months when we heard the rumors about the rainbows coming down in the Black Jack forest and not knowing what happened to the people from Earth. There’s only 2 months left in the year, but if we could just do something to help others like us!”

Jen could only frown with sympathy and agreement, “It makes me sick too, but I told you it didn’t matter. Tamako said she heard that the gamblers and guilds keeping watch on the transfer pads were furious because the people teleported in were already dead.”

Sam grimaced. “Earth can be just as evil as the Decks.”