Safan and I were sitting together, and no other gnomes were present. Baldeenk had some political issues to attend to, and Safan was handling the exchange of knowledge personally.
"Over the thousands of years we have lived in the dungeon, we have discovered three key facts down here. Gnomes could consider this knowledge treasured."
I just nodded along politely, waiting for him to get to the point.
"The first key bit of knowledge is that the dungeon is not infinite. There are a finite number of chambers. The dungeon rotates them into pocket space, fills them up with monsters, and rotates them back out. While not infinite, there are tens of thousands of chambers per layer. They are siloed to a certain extent, but the deeper you go, these groups merge more. We estimate that the selection pools will fully merge by the 35th layer."
"How deep have you gone?"
"Only to the 15th layer with our tunnels. After that, the chambers are too big and the monsters too powerful to risk going any further. That brings up the second key point. The spatial protection between layers gets stronger the deeper one goes. By our estimates, the 35th layer's spatial protection would be so strong that a person could go no further."
"So that is the bottom layer?"
"We can't say that for sure. There may be deeper layers, but there would be no passage between them. We would never dare go that deep."
"And you do not know how the chambers appear or rotate?"
"We have spent a long time trying to figure that out… But no. We used markings and standard tunnel connections to understand the tunnels that were made. Once you depart, we will mark down the tunnel you found as compromised, seal it completely up, and start another shift."
"You can control the dungeon?"
"We have a chain of watchers and observation mechanisms to lock a portion of the dungeon in place around our settlement for a time. Because you intend to leave after our trade, we didn't immediately shift things to stay hidden."
"You are locking things between layers?"
"Yes. The dungeon doesn't enjoy being locked in place for a long time. There would be Mana surges that would agitate monsters. That's one method we use to target anyone looking for us."
"But how do you handle the passages between layers?"
"That is a gnomish secret. While you might find some value in it , it isn't up for trade. Now, the last key piece of information about the dungeon that we have obtained and possibly the most important. The dungeon took a gnome, who had strong anti-divination skills and stealth skills, away when it took away a chamber."
Now, this was completely new knowledge.
The spatial layers and the fact that the number of chambers was finite were things already guessed by the College of Advancement, but no one knew where the dungeon took chambers and then brought them back from.
"The area was incredibly high in Mana. The gnome in question recorded its observations in a logbook and left it in the tunnel before they died. You can read a copy for yourself," Safan said, producing a thin book.
I carefully took it and opened it up, curious about the dungeon. I knew the Professors at the College of Advancement would sell their own souls for such knowledge.
The dungeon shifted while I was in it. The Mana is high. Too high. I can't withstand the pressure. The entire chamber is being flooded with liquid Mana, and some is leaking into the tunnel.
The Mana is oppressive, corrosive, and incredibly powerful. I have never heard or seen liquid Mana. It has a red tint. Most raw Mana has a bluish tint. I think monsters are forming from the liquid Mana, and the environment is being changed slightly.
I do not know why the dungeon took me. Most likely, my tier 4 counter-divination skill was the reason. May a gnome find my logbook one day as I entomb myself. ~Binklin Fozzletop
"Anything else?"
"Mana corrosion heavily damaged the book that was sealed away in the wall. There was no corpse that we could find. There is also no record of the gnome in question. We also scoured the records countless times, including the forbidden archives. No gnome with that name existed."
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"Could there be another gnomish settlement?"
"Highly unlikely unless they maintain the tunnels the same way we do. It is likely they were from over 3,000 years ago from when our settlement first came into being. The gnomes back then…they had higher levels than we do now," Safan said with a touch of frustration.
The gnomes back then were more adventurous, focusing less on remaining completely hidden and were more willing to fight. Now their fighting instincts had decayed, which compromised their ability to gain levels in the dungeon. They couldn't easily reverse that trend.
Their way of life ran directly counter to fighting and adventuring in the dungeon. "Do you know of this Tier 4 counter-divination skill?"
"Unfortunately, no. It was likely a unique creation of Binklin Fozzletop. While we have experience in making skills, a tier 4 skill remains beyond most of us. And counter-divination skills are even more obscure, even with all our research into them."
"Why do you want to hide so much? There are no other gnomes, right? Is it because of that group I shouldn't mention?"
Safan sighed heavily. "Gnomes are prime ritual ingredients. Something about our souls makes us better than other races. That is a big reason why they hunted us long ago. The rituals the beastkin used to break open the dungeon happened because they had invaded our settlement and captured several gnomes."
"The beastkin know of your species?"
"They used to. Now they have destroyed themselves. It is not something we take lightly. If certain groups learned we were still alive, they would stop at nothing to capture us all and use us for horrible purposes. We aren't a strong people unfortunately, and our weakness has only continued to grow."
"I…I would have been more skeptical, but if Lanner is the best example of a gnome adventurer, I understand."
"Don't let him die. I know you could abandon him once you leave. While I disagree with his choices and character, he is a gnome, no matter how he acts. If one day he becomes a legend and somehow returns, he might lead a future generation of gnome adventurers, forming a new legacy," Safan said.
That was highly unlikely, but not impossible.
But I could see him creating a justification for me to protect a young gnome who was too headstrong and ignorant of the dangers that awaited him. The gap between his ability and the reality was too great.
" I will do my best to ensure he has a future."
I was about to say I wouldn't abandon him, but I wasn't about to make a false promise. If things get tough, then I might need to run.
After my last team, I had no confidence in others.
"Thank you, Justin. It is nice to meet an outsider who doesn't want to kill us."
"You are not monsters and are sentient, and you have not tried to harm me. There is no reason to want to hurt your species."
"I know you are upset about Gnomish Silence. You are probably thinking of ways to break the curse skill?" I didn't answer that question, and Safan nodded. "I would ask that when you break it, you think of us. We are a peaceful people. We have done nothing to target you or others."
"Except the beastkin."
"It is a war we continue to fight, even if they have forgotten. There can be no peace between our peoples. And while our ancient interactions with humans long ago haven't always been pleasant, we have not targeted you."
He was right, but I didn't like the curse skill being forced upon me.
"I don't plan to talk about gnomes once I leave."
I really didn't plan to talk about them. Removing a tier 4 curse skill was far too complicated, costly, and carried risk. There was a reason I hadn't looked for a System Priest regarding my other curse skill. I also could sense the gnome's curse skill still layered on top of my soul.
That feeling was something I had been focusing on during my time with the gnomes. I wouldn't have thought of using another curse skill to learn how to deal with the curse skill Xanatos had placed upon me.
"Thank you. Perhaps the next guest we meet will tell us your deeds and accomplishments."
"I can only hope so. I have high ambitions. But the journey to reach them isn't simple or easy."
"I can understand that. When I was a young gnome, I thought of seeing the sky. I had heard of it. An endless open expanse, with clouds, a sun. But it is not to be. I will die in this settlement like my ancestors before me," Safan said.
"You could leave and go to the surface."
"And be disappointed by the cold and the clouds? I know what awaits me. Sometimes, the dream of something is better than seeing it. Something to pass on to new generations of gnomes. To keep the hope alive that one day we will return to the surface and stand shoulder to shoulder with the other races again."
"Do you know of the Seraphim?" I asked tentatively out of curiosity.
"No. We have not heard of such a race. And we did not list them in our list of forbidden topics."
"What about the Great Ocean Empire?"
"We have heard of them. A great empire that controls the waters and has a powerful emperor. But those records are from long ago. I am guessing you know nothing either?"
"Just the name."
"That is no surprise. The world has many secrets beyond us. I hope your time here has been pleasant so far?"
"Yes. This place is surprisingly peaceful. I went out to get some pastries this morning and see what sweets your people have. Everyone was surprisingly kind and welcoming."
"Too kind sometimes, but it is good for the gnomes to see something from the outside."
"I would have thought you would want to seal your people off completely."
"That would be death. We can't sustain this settlement on its own, no matter how much we might wish for that to be the case. And burying our heads doesn't remove the danger. You might look at us as cowardly and weak, but we aren't stupid."
"I never considered you gnomes stupid."
"But we are cowardly and weak in your eyes. I can tell. It is the truth, and gnomes confront the truth head-on."
"But hide that truth from the rest of the populace?"
"Names have power. When you learn our counter-divination skills, you will understand. Mentioning something too many times can draw unwanted attention. Like a stone cast into a pool of water, the ripples keep going. Toss too many stones and the ripples don't stop. It is best to avoid such situations. And if a gnome wants to learn such things, they can pursue a position like mine. That is what I did. I was curious — too curious for my own good — and wanted answers to my questions. When I learned the truth…I realized how heavy reality can be."