Chino went to the top floor. Her private place looks like a traditional Japanese house. Outside the stone fence was a forest of bamboo where tigers and dragon-like lizards were waiting for any uninvited guests. Inside, her home was tranquil and peaceful. It has an even garden with a cherry tree, and a pond, with fish similar to the koi. She works tirelessly to recreate it as best as she can. She lived in an apartment and dreamed of her own wooden house, preferably built in a long-forgotten past. Over the decades, he has refined its overall appearance to give it a more realistic feel. For example, one day she saw people joining pieces of wood together. When she saw her woodwork, she became so embarrassed that until she corrected everything, she forbade Ilrune to enter her home. After that, she requested a few similar-looking things from her home to learn how they look properly. Now she will try to improve her home once again. At least some of the things. She saw several more complex objects, the construction of which she had little knowledge about.

  “Let's start from this.” She said, placing her hand on one of the wooden beams supporting the roof. It was a perfectly square and perfectly polished piece of oak. She closed her eyes and imagined how carpenters cut wood for various-sized planks, polished it, and were erecting her home. When she opened her eyes, even though nothing had changed, she almost didn't recognize her home. It looks so real. She immediately began improving her home. It took her whole day, but the final effect stunned her. After an hour of admiring her new old mansion, she was satisfied enough to focus on the main task. Her dungeon. She sat cross-legged in her main room with a view of the pond and cherry tree, and began.

  Holy knights informed city officials and citizens about immediate changes to the dungeon. The Adventurers Guild forbade entering the dungeon, and the Church of the Sun evacuated its people, and most importantly, documents and artifacts. Then on the second day it begins. At first, just here and there, new crystals appeared or shifted. It looks like Dungeon Mistress was hesitant. Then, from the third day, the whole structure started changing. The crystals grew. Some became clearer, others took on a deeper color. More importantly, the dungeon slowly became more and more real and beautiful over the next two days. With each passing day, people's worries and fears gave way to amazement. Citizens, despite bad weather, cheer for her Dungeon Mistress. When outside changes stopped, the Grand Marshal with a team of holy knights entered to see if the growth of the dungeon was finished. But they needed to wait two more days until it finally stopped.

  When Chino opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was how dirty she was. She sighted and raised her hand to cast a cleansing spell. But she stopped in the middle.

  “It’s not right.” She muttered. Chino now understood the importance of doing things. Only then can you appreciate the value of what you have or see. She went to her bathroom. She cleans herself under the shower before entering a hot bath. It took her almost an hour of soaking and resting. When she exited the wooden bathtub, she dressed in a new robe. But it was different than usual. This time, she imagined not only fabric and shape, but also used her memories of seeing how younger priests mend their robes. Her new dress was not only better looking, but also more pleasant to wear.

  She entered her main room and immediately bowed.

  “Good day, my God. And I welcome you, Goddess, too.” She said.

  “Raise your head, my protege.” God of the Sun gently said. “I want to present you, Goddess Iliana. Goddess of beauty and art.”

  “I’m honored to meet you personally, Goddess.”

  “Good day.” She gently smiled. “I was waiting for this meeting since you started building your dungeon. However, as you learn right now, it was flawed.”

  “I know Goddess. Unfortunately, I still haven't finished it. I lack understanding of so many things.”

  “It’s good to see you have not lost your humility. But being a little proud of good work isn’t a bad thing. Also, don’t try to be perfect in your creations. This cannot be achieved, and true beauty lies in imperfections.”

  “Understood, Goddess.”

  “Good. Do as you said, learn more. It will indeed help you to create beautiful things. Also, you shouldn't neglect your bard's talents.”

  “I want to sing and play very much, Goddess. But I’m afraid of unfair treatment. I’m your envoy, and maybe besides Archpriest or inquisitors, no one will say the truth about my songs.”

  “Yes. I see your point.” Goddes nodded. “Still, you should train it. You never know what could happen in the future. And most importantly, it brings you joy. Doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, Goddess.”

  “Splendid. From now on, I will be watching you too. Represent me well.”

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Thank you, Goddess.”

  When finally everything stopped outside the entrance, one more thing changed. For a century, a statue of pristine white marble had stood on the right. It was the Sun God. Now, however, on the left side stood one more statue. It was Goddess Iliana. People were ecstatic. The Lord of the city immediately announced one week of celebrations. Their Dungeon Mistress was officially recognized.

  The high priest, seeing this, ran to the teleportation circle and ran to the core floor. He almost ran into Chino. He picked her up and started hugging her, laughing.

  “Uncle, please, put me on the ground.” Chino laughed.

  “Congratulations. I prayed every day to the gods for this day to happen. I’m so proud of you, my niece.”

  “Thank you, uncle. But it’s just the beginning. I must learn so many things to grasp this new knowledge fully.”

  “We all. We all. But for now, let’s celebrate.”

  Winter was slowly ending in the north, but it would take two more months until warm days came. Today, however, winter decided to show it’s still her time. Guards in the southern gatehouse were happy that it was their turn to watch the gate. Outside was a violent storm with cold rain, strong gusts of wind, and lightning. At least it wasn't snowing, but the temperature was close to freezing point regardless. Guarding the gate means you don't stand in this rain, you're protected from the wind, and you could stand next to the burning brazier. Also, no one will bother you because even the most unfortunate souls won’t go out in this weather.

  Even when relaxed, guards don’t stop watching the road. Cultists loved using bad weather for sneak attacks. Typically, the necromancer sits in a lavish carriage while his zombies, unaffected by the weather, attack.

  “Lantern on the road!” Shouted guradsmen assigned to wach a road thorough a slit. All soldiers look at him. “I’m not joking. Fuck, I see two more lanterns. It’s a group of people.”

  All guardsmen immediately get ready. It could be a trap. Some clever necromancer might try to impersonate lost travelers to get inside the gate. They could also be real lost travelers. Then they will need to help them. It was neither of the two. It was a caravan.

  “Why, for the mercy of all gods, you traveled in that crazy weather?” Asked the officer responsible for commanding this gate.

  “Things happened, and we were tasked to deliver a message to your king and grand priests,” Athuros shrugged.

  “What kind of things?”

  “If your lord decides you must know, you will be told.” A paladin traveling with the caravan interfered.

  “That kind of thing,” Arthuros answered.

  After checking everything, the caravan was allowed to enter the town.

  “I’m curious what happened.” One of the guardsmen said when everything got quiet again.

  “I’m not.” His friend answered.

  “Maybe you are right. But still, it’s something serious. Do you see their paths?”

  “Typical adventurer's paths. Decent levels. So what?

  “I got two mages to check. Their skill with magic was so high and numerous that you wouldn’t believe me.”

  “I don’t.”

  “I think they are on a mission to hunt some nasty cultist or maybe a traitor.”

  “If you don’t shut up, you will lose your head. For me, no one was here. No one travels in that kind of weather.” He warned his talkative friend.

  The holy knight immediately went to the Temple of the Sun. After depositing his traveling bag, still wet and cold, he met with the Grand Priest. He was a muscular rabbitkin, but when viewed from behind, he could be mistaken for a human. It was because in the place where his long ears should be were two bold patches instead. As a kid, some cultists caught him and, for fun, cut his ears. It didn’t break him, it made him stronger. After his sixteenth birthday, he immediately started training to become a paladin.

  “Come with me,” Ordered the High Priest, and they went to the training ground. Despite the storm, all training arenas were occupied, even those outside the building. For holy knights, it was a usual routine. They needed to know how to fight in any conditions, because the enemy frequently attacked during the storms.

  “Mages, stand aside.” Grand Priest ordered palladins to the shooting range. “A new kind of magic was developed. The great mage Ailmar will demonstrate this and then teach us.” His statement makes the gathered pause. The knights waiting for their turn to spar came near to see this new magic.

  “Greetings.” Said the elven mage knight. “To be exact, it isn't a new magic. It’s a step forward in understanding magic, which allows one to cast more potent spells. In On Taram, we suspect that the Archmages of the past were also able to do this. It’s not clear why their knowledge doesn’t spread. However, thanks to Dungeon Mistress, this is happening right now. Like everyone knows, to cast the spell, you need to understand the object or process.” He said and presented four typical spells: fire, water, stone, and ice. “That is true for a novice and apprentice. However, for a grand master it’s not. You must use process and object simultaneously.” He conjures a ball of fire. It was so hot that water from his wet clothes started evaporating. When the ball hits the shield, the explosion swings it like never before, together with the shield next to it. All gathered stared in disbelief at what they saw. “To clarify. I’m not an archmage.” He showed his path. “According to Dungeon Mistress, to become an archmage, you need deep alchemical knowledge and understanding of mana.”

  “What about master level mages?” Grand Priest asked.

  “It’s a transitory level. The mage should start training to cast that kind of spell at that level. It greatly improves the learning process. Casting a spell seems impossible. However, we tested new spells only for one week to grasp this new idea enough to teach others.”

  “Then, we will do the same. Over the next week, we will learn this new magic. Then we will spread it. Especially through the mages, stationing in border fortresses should be prioritized.” Grand Priest decided. He was grateful to his god and others in general. Change is coming. It will take a year to start seeing it, but for cultists, the future starts looking bleak.