"Oh, my dear." Said Schewa when they were halfway to the city. "It looks like everyone should be on his best behavior. This dungeon is a holy place."

  "Holy?" Ask Horrath.

  "There are depictions of four gods on the sides of gates." Explain the commander with his usual stoic voice.

  "Only The Lady and The Smith are patron gods. The dungeon master hung their banners on the tower spire. But goddess Iliana and god Junos also acknowledge her work."

  "Ancient one also has two patrons. Right?" Ask Techiro.

  "True. He was also acknowledged by the goddess of fun and mischief, but only after he built his fiftieth floor. This dungeon master, however, did that on his first day. So once again, please be on your best behavior." Explained priestess. "Oh, and I think it’s him."

  "It's a woman." Said the commander. "Or maybe even teenage girl. This gate is so big that it's hard to say."

  "Doesn't matter," Priestess said. "I'm going first."

  "Yes, priestess. We will cover you."

  Naomi stood at the northern gate, waiting for the scouting party to arrive. She was scared, even terrified. She read about the culture of this world, and she had an idea of what she should do, but what if.

  "No, no, no." Naomi shook her head. "It's a new world and a new start for me. They don’t know about my past. If they do not like me, it's their problem. And I don’t need to talk to anyone at all. Yes. You can do it, Naomi."

  It takes some time before they reach the gate. Everyone took off their scarves to show their faces. The men had a rough, stern, and slightly frightening look, one in particular. The woman was the opposite. She had a gentle face, but the look in her eyes was strange. And oh my, she had wolf ears. She was a beastmen.

  “No, Naomi, no strange thought. It's time to be serious. And she had a green robe with The Lady tree on it, so she is priestess’’

  The woman stepped forward.

  "Good afternoon. I'm Schewa, priestess of The Lady, and this is my path." She greeted Naomi and showed her path. There was indeed her personal information.

  "Oh, yes. My turn," Naomi stammered. "Hello, travelers. I'm the dungeon mistress of Dungeon Oasis On Taram, appointed by The Lady and The Smith. Oh en. This is my path." Naomi nervously introduces herself.

  "You don’t need to be so nervous. You are doing a good job here." The priestess assured her and gently smiled. "Let me introduce you, Commander Lucius." She pointed at the scary one, for Naomi, that made sense he had the aura of the boss.

  "Greetings." His voice wasn’t harsh like his look. It was emotionless.

  "Hello." She answered.

  "And that is Horrath and Techiro."

  "Greetings, mam."

  "Good afternoon."

  They, on the other hand, were typical adventurers, as she imagined.

  "Hello," Naomi responded. "Oh, yes. My turn." She was so nervous. "I welcome everyone. I mean the caravan. This floor is a safe zone and prepared for anyone to rest and prepare for their journey. I have stables, a place for tents, and fresh water. Ah, and in towers are supplies, you can take everything you need. There are lots of trees with fruits, you can eat as much as you can. Do you like honey? I have bees. And under the hives are bowls so you can have honey without disturbing bees. And what else…"

  "Calm down, my dear. I need to ask you about the shrine of The Lady." Priestess tries to help Naomi.

  "Oh, yes. That's important, and I almost forgot. Yes. I don't move the statue and bushes. I built everything around it. Oh, and the pond, too, I left in place. I only added some frogs there."

  "Frogs?"

  "I like they croak in the evening. Oh, there are squirrels and birds, too. Oh, and crickets."

  "Meow."

  "And a cat." Added priestess.

  "Yes." Naomi nodded. "He is the champion of this floor. You need to catch him to get a reward. It's nothing big. I do that because it's a tradition that every fifth floor needs one."

  Everyone stood speechless.

  "Miss, can I have a question?" The commander breaks the silence.

  "Yes, sir," Naomi answered, a little scared. This silence was a bad sign.

  "You said that beyond this gate is a safe zone. But like you said, only every fifth floor can be a safe zone. And this should be your first one. How is that possible?"

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Oh, It's easy. It’s floor zero or without a number because I don't intend to build a tower. I'm building underground. I already have two floors ready. The real first one is dedicated to The Smith, and my last one is personal."

  They stood shocked. Their look was too much for Naomi, and she ran away.

  "Commander, I need your help." Priestess said to Lucius.

  "Yes, mam?"

  "Please stand for the moment."

  "Yes?"

  Schewa grabs his robe, presses her face tightly to his chest, and starts to laugh. It was hardly heard, but the commander and both adventurers heard it well enough.

  "I'm sorry, commander, for my outburst," Priestess said after she calmed down.

  "No problem here." He answered. "That was indeed an unusual experience." He agrees.

  "It was somehow fitting, but I expected some show of power." Said Techiro.

  "More than all of this?" Said Horrath seriously. "You don’t see it? She is cunning and devious. She built these enormous towers and walls. She decorated them even with ceramic tiles because why not? And all this gold on roofs of towers. Oh, and his champion? Do you know anyone who has ever caught a cat? This is a dungeon cat in a dungeon, probably full of trees. And don’t forget that she circumvents laws about towers and underground dungeons without angering the gods."

  "Ok," Priestess said, now a little scared. "I think I need to go to the shrine of The Lady as soon as possible. I need to apologize to the goddess."

  "no one will go solo anywhere. Safezone or not. It's a dungeon. First, we check this tower and its supplies. Then we will see the stables and the camping site. Only then do we go to the shrine." Ordered the commander, and everyone nodded. Before they enter the gate, he waves to the caravan to show that, for now, everything is good.

  "I don't know what is worse, stairs or sand?" Told the priestess when they reached the first floor.

  "There is some kind of platform with ropes, so I guess if someone will understand how it works, supplies can be moved easily." Answered Horrath.

  "And we definitely will need to do that. Look at all of that." Gasp Techiro. There were hundreds of barrels with labels. According to what was written on them, it was dried fruits, meat, and simple bread for travel. They opened two barrels, and Shewa checked the contents.

  "Oh, dear goddess. You should try this fruit." She moans after a bite when her skills confirm that everything is edible.

  "But they are just dried apples, how can they be so good?" Asked Techiro.

  "Mana." Answered the commander. "Let's check that cabinet with potions, and we go to the stables. Don’t waste time." On shelves were healing and mana potions and different kinds of ointments for sunburn or cramps. Also, universal antidotes were prepared for the most common venomous desert creatures. Everything is basic; some can even be made by a novice alchemist or herbalist, but in the middle of the desert, they were priceless.

  Next, they go to see a new oasis. Even as they get closer to the exit, they see only green trees. When they finally step outside, they stand for a moment, stunned by what the dungeon mistress has done.

  "I know that dungeon masters like to show off, but that?" Said Horrath.

  Shewa slowly approached the grass across the paved road. She kneels and touches it hesitantly, almost afraid that it's an illusion and that it would disappear if touched. What she felt amazed her. The dungeon mistress pushes all her heart and soul into creating plants.

  "Priestess?" Commander asked her, seeing caressing grass.

  "Can you tell me what will happen if I pick a blade of grass in a dungeon?"

  "You can’t. It will disappear immediately."

  "Not this grass." She answered, picked a blade of grass, stood up, and showed it to the adventurers.

  "How?" Asked the commander, seeing very slowly despairing a blade of grass. "That is only possible in the deepest levels of ancient one and maybe two or three other dungeons. Isn't she young as a dungeon mistress and already knows what they have learned after hundreds of years?"

  "Love, commander. The Dungeon Mistress put so much love into everything here that this place is almost real. And remember that the god of Knowledge and Secrets leaves his mark on the wall of this dungeon."

  "True. I leave that secret to scholars, you priestess, and the rest of the clergy. We need to check these stables and the shrine."

  "You're right." Shewa nods.

  Stables were spacious and well-built, and no wind would bother animals. The roof was also solid, but the chances that rain would fall in the middle of the desert were just a little better than finding a new and rather cooperative dungeon master.

  Reaching the shrine takes around a quarter of an hour. Priestess barely holds herself for wanting to wander through orchards. When they reached it, the priestess instantly stopped them.

  "Stop! No one is allowed to step on that grass carrying any weapon." She immediately started untying her belt with a sword and put it on the paved road. She also pulled out a few hidden knives.

  "It’s not necessary, but take off your shoes too." She added when she started to untie the straps of her boots. They do that, too, without a second thought. You should always listen to what your priest or priestess is saying. When ready, they follow Priestess Shewa. In the center, indeed, stand an old statue of The Lady and two full of flower bushes. Over two months ago, they were barely alive. There was a pond, too, the main source of freshwater. This was exactly like Commander remembered. The dungeon doesn’t change anything.

  "Croac." Besides frogs. Thought Lucius.

  In the meantime, the priestess carefully touched the base of the statue and bushes.

  "Dungeon mistress was telling the truth." She smiled. "She left a statue of The Lady and bushes as they were."

  Sheva took in hands water from the pond and watered both bushes.

  "Thank you, goddess, for your enormous gift. And I want to apologize and I was disrespectful to your dungeon mistress upon our arrival. Regrettably, I’m a freshly leveled master priestess and lack appropriate training. When we return from our journey, I plan to find a temple where I will learn skills and knowledge I lack."

  "I, Commander Lucius, also want to thank you for your unexpected gift. I promise to abide by the law of hospitality, and I will make sure that the rest of the caravan will do that, too."

  "Thank you, goddess." Horrath and Tahiro said to.

  In the next moment, on the shoulder of goddess land sparrow and chirped happily.

  "Ach. The sign from The Lady." Shewa was enormously happy. "She heard and accepted our prayers."

  "Yes, priestess." The commander agrees. "But we have to go back now."

  "You're right. We'll spend a few days here anyway before heading further south."

  "Yes. Camels and men need rest. And I should check our supplies for the rest of the journey."