Sarzina Acacia had been absolutely mortified when she realized she had been talking to her Queen and not her distant mother. While she normally enjoyed just slightly scandalizing her mother by being coldly formal towards her, yet at the same time completely dropping any form of greetings towards her, she would never have done it if she had known the Queen was even just listening, not to mention leading the conversation!

Zina had originally stopped greeting her mother when she in her adolescence realized she didn't know how she wanted to refer to her mother. The woman didn't act like a mother, so why should Zina refer to her as such?

Well to be fair, she did act like a mother to Zina's older siblings. She wasn't the best mother, even to the children she actually appreciated, but at least she tried with them.

But to publicly refer to her mother as 'Advisor Acacia' was simply too big of a social blunder - for the whole family, not just the two involved. Braern and his wife - then fiance - certainly didn't deserve to be forced to participate in her cold war with their mother.

So, a lack of greeting was the perfect compromise. Disrespectful, but in a way which typically allowed everyone else to assume she had simply greeted her mother when they weren't there. She mostly met with her mother during social events she couldn't easily get out of attending, so that was normally an easy conclusion to make.

Yet her mother would know the truth. And she would never point it out in public, as the illusion of peace between would be revealed and result in a minor scandal.

Her mother's greatest fear: Scandals! Specifically scandals involving herself or her family. Or really, any negative rumor or bad press.

Which had made it easy for Zina to control her mother's action in their cold war. And as long as Zina refused to meet up in private her mother would be unable to fight back!

Or at least she hadn't. Zina had been able to fight their cold war without any resulting scandals while handling her mother in public, so logic said her mother should be able to do the same.

I certainly created a scandal this time! Unlike a social event, talking through an emco made it very obvious I didn't greet my mother, who I naturally assumed would be the one answering her own emco!

And since I didn't greet her, I realized too late that I wasn't even talking to her but the Queen!

At least I remembered - mostly - to be respectful doing the rest of the conversation…

… Or did I? I never thought I would actually need those etiquette lessons. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed something…

Well… I navigated the whole 'asking the Dungeon of Karma for sanctuary' pretty well… Not that I know if I did the right thing in completely skipping the 'asking' part of the question.

I mean… that's the part I can't really explain due to the Dungeon Rule deal, but it's my Queen! Surely I could have made myself understood!

… Then again… Now might not be the time to go into the deep realizations I've had about and because of my Dungeon. Zina had decided that while she didn't really own the Dungeon of Karma - though she certainly did on paper - it was still her Dungeon, the same way someone could be her friend. And while they may not have been before, they had certainly become friends after The Dungeon of Karma had freed both herself and her Crown Princess from mind control. Dealing with the cult takes priority.

Maybe in my reports? She did say she wanted to know everything about the Dungeon of Karma, right? I just have to word it right. Both because of the deal, but also to ensure she understands there's no reason to overreact.

The scandal of the Crown Princess having been Brainwashed for years had put a pause on the cold war Zina had with her mother. Her mother had always found someone else's scandal interesting and important to keep track of as it more often than not would affect their social status. So naturally she was too distracted to do anything about their cold war.

That being said, Zina knew her mother also respected their Queen enough to have put the cold war on hold anyway, so the two of them could better cooperate.

This was too important for grudges.

So when Zina's emco had gone from a constant, soft blue glow to a blinking vibrant purple she had accepted the call immediately, even though she knew it was likely to be her mother.

Zina even made sure to greet her, just to make sure it was actually her this time.

It was, and she had big news. Ambassador Lagurith had been discovered and apprehended as a member of the cult. Zina realized she should have shared that piece of information with them, as her Crown Princess had told her he had been the one to Brainwash her. The whole plan surrounding The Royal Dungeon had taken center stage in her mind. The whole economy depended on that Dungeon after all!

The cult had in fact made an attempt at storming The Royal Dungeon, so maybe it hadn't been all wrong of her to focus on that…

Most of the involved cult members had been killed in the resulting fight, and while several actually got past the Portal Guards - due to the large number of cultists - they were either killed by the Dungeon itself or the pursing Portal Guards who followed them once those outside the Dungeon had been taken care of.

There were also a handful of cultists who had successfully been subdued, mainly due to having a much lower tier than the Guards. These were to be sent - heavily escorted - to The Dungeon of Karma to have their mind freed. Their escort would then escort the Crown Princess - and Zina's reports - back to the Palace.

Your linked Dungeon Core requests permission for The Tribe of The Dungeon of Karma to join the unfinished town being built around their Dungeon Portal.

Will you accept this request?

Yes/No

Huh? That was the group of beastkin who had originally found my Dungeon, right?

The Tribe of The Dungeon of Karma was the first sapients to discover the Dungeon Portal of The Dungeon of Karma.

…

I didn't even pray?!

… Is praying not necessary? Is it 'cause my Dungeon is blessed by the System?

Zina reread the request.

But didn't they leave? For fear of getting caught and becoming slaves again, I would assume.

Did they come back? And we just haven't noticed yet?

The elven noblewoman decided to cautiously test the thought that praying wasn't necessarily when it came to her Dungeon.

By asking politely instead of praying for the answer.

Holy System. Could you please tell me whether the Tribe will be bringing their own supplies, such as tents and food, or if 'joining the town' means we are expected to supply those things in the beginning?

Zina had already decided to accept the request. She had little reason not to. More people was better for the economy and with the Tribe consisting either entirely or mostly of beastkin, the ban on beastkin slavery would be made clear to visitors quite quickly.

It did come with the risk of aggression between the two groups, so Zina would have to inform both sheriff Fraxinus and high priest Ginkgo of their incoming arrival. Fraxinus for the heightened security, Ginkgo for his ability to keep people calm and on the right path.

While Zina had already decided to accept the newcomers, she would much prefer to know what she was walking into. The Tribe was reported as 'runaway slaves' and was therefore unlikely to have much of any supplies.

The Tribe of The Dungeon of Karma will be bringing their own supplies including tents and food. Any supplies offered will be greatly appreciated, though none are required.

Huh? They have tents? That came as a surprise to Zina, but a welcome one.

'Any supplies offered will be greatly appreciated'? That sounds suspiciously like a hint…

Hmm… I'm sure we can find some stuff to offer as a welcome gift. It won't be super impressive as I get the feeling they'll be here soon - it didn't take long for the cult to arrive after my Dungeon warned me - but it'll be something. Practical. That's what they'll be needing.

With that, Zina accepted the request as she opened the door to the Security Guild.

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It didn't take the Tribe all that long to pack all their stuff and get ready to move. Since they moved in, each time I finished a Floor they needed to move to the next, so they had not only gotten some practice packing and moving but had also ensured their items were easy to pack and move.

And given how the Tribe was ready for the move before the Lightning Mage was ready to receive them, I actually had to hold them back a bit.

And wasn't that ironic.

The Lightning Mage went around informing various people of the impending arrival and it took me quite some time before I realized she expected the Tribe to arrive from outside the town - like normal people - and not from the Dungeon Portal in the center.

While that would certainly serve as a good prank, I'm trying to ensure we have a good relationship. Both between me and the Lightning Mage but also between the Tribe and the elves.

So, I requested the welcoming committee stay near the Portal. Despite the other option being the more amusing one.

I can have my fun another day when things are less tense.

With the committee in place I gave the Tribe the go ahead.

Well, that was anticlimactic…

Both parties had acted polite with Sarzina and Nerok being the main ones talking. The elves had even been generous enough to offer some blankets and wooden bowls, plates and cutlery to the Tribe as a welcome gift.

There wasn't anywhere near enough for everyone to get a blanket or a bowl, but it wasn't like the elves had much warning.

Still, everything had been appreciated and had served to inform the Tribe of the elves' seriousness in treating them right, which quickly reduced the tension by a lot.

The Tribe was shown around before the welcome committee helped them set up their tents. They were even reassured they all had the option to have a house professionally built in town and that they could pay off their debt for the house by mining in my Dungeon.

Before I knew it the Tribe and town were fast asleep - though being partly nocturnal after their stay in my Dungeon, I knew the Tribe would be up again soon enough.

It had been a long day for us all.

And while my Dungeon wasn't open for visitors during the night, I wouldn't be sleeping myself.

I would be leveling up!

Status, please!

Personal Status Level: 30 EXP needed for level up: 152,000/152,000 Additional EXP: 2,385,169 Mana payment for level up: 6,000/22,500 Mana: 2,187/4,500 Mana regeneration: 1,575 per hour Floors: 10/16 Allowed number of sapients in each Floor: 6 Floor Details Achievements Mission Dungeon Rules

… It's gonna take a while to get enough mana to level up…

… And I'll need more mana each time…

I sighed in disappointment and slight boredom.

It had been a long day which had now led to a long night.

Maybe I was a bit too hasty in introducing the Tribe to the town. If I had waited till tomorrow they would have been here to keep me entertained.

… At least the meeting went well.

And I am happy for them! It's just… a bit boring now, that's all.

But for now, peace had been restored.