The Monster Mage

19

^^ Queen Emilia Thermaikos ^^

I had originally planned on leaving my Dungeons the same as any other natural one, beyond the basic changes I'd already made, adding in my own designs and traps, but finding gold at the bottom of the ocean was troubling.

Most people would be thrilled, no doubt; 'Free Gold! I'm Rich!' They'd shout, laughing and cheering, and then immediately go spend it or trade it away. As for Me? I was raised with an understanding of economies; my dungeon had been designed to boost the economy, to create a Surplus, not a Deficit. Introducing 80 tons of Pure Gold into the Stream? That would ruin an economy faster than fraudulent currency could ever hope to.

"Well... If I trusted I could get it back, I'd give it to Dagon or Puk to guard..." I sighed, considering tossing it into my Vault in the Graybeard's Bank. It was where all our currency went through, the Half-Mountain and White Cliffs, making it easier to keep our books balanced. "Wait... people find old belongings of other Hunters in the Dungeons all the time... I could put some around the Dungeons in Hidden Rooms? Once I have more stuff from other Hunters leaving behind their stuff, I can vary it up, but for now... yeah... and maybe inside my monsters I made, a gold nugget as payment? They don't get a magic crystal from those, so some sort of payment is required... but we'd have to make sure we made money off of it, we can't just give money away..." I sighed.

"Why not put fake gold in those places, and then have them have to bring it to the Guild to get real gold in exchange? If they try to leave without giving us a cut, it just disappears." Galatea offered, looking up from her desk, where she was mixing chemicals.

"That... is absolutely brilliant! Look'it you, all smart 'n sexy 'n whatnot?!?" I smiled at her happily, then laughed at her immediate blush. "I like seeing you blush, even better than the glowing hair before."

"My hair glowed when I was embarrassed?" She asked, confused.

"When you felt any emotion at all, my dear." I nodded.

"Huh... I was not aware. But thank you, I appreciate your Praise, My Lady." She smirked at me and my reflexive shiver when she called me 'My Lady'. It sounded way too... stuffy. Lady Holborn, Fine, Lady Lunier, Fine, but My Lady... ugh.

"M'kay, yeah, you keep playin'. Watch out." I glared at her playfully, throwing a jelly bean at her.

She caught it with her tongue, leaning casually to the side and smirking at me as I stared in awe and disbelief. "Try again!"

"Wow... your tongue is... pretty long? And dexterous? How and why?" I asked slowly, resisting with every ounce of my willpower from making each and every one of the So. Many. Innuendos.

She blushed, clearing her throat. "W-Well, I... I asked my mother about sex with a woman, and she recommended it to me. She also told me to trim my nails regularly, and- well, several other hygiene tips. She's not a very... subtle person, and Shame is a very foreign emotion in my family."

"Oh. Wow... your mom and both of mine will get along famously in the future." I shook my head slowly, a little shocked by the blatant honesty.

"Are they similar?" She asked, turning back to her chemicals and mixing Hydrogen Peroxide with the warm Yeast water, then instantly casting a spell, freezing it in place in the bottle before it could explode into foam. "HA!!! Third try really is the charm!!!"

"Well done, dear. Throwing it at Ciros later, or for a project?" I asked.

"Professor Artus challenged me. She said that I couldn't halt a chemical reaction in place and let it happen later! I'm going to hand it to her, and when she uncorks it and time resumes, Ha!" She grinned viciously, corking the tube and sliding it into her pocket.