"Take off your boots." The priestess said to the absentminded Naomi. "Now, come, we need some cold water to cool off." She led Naomi to the pond. Then she started taking off her robe.

  "What are you doing?" Naomi was confused.

  "I told you we need to cool off, and the best way is cold water. I know you can dry your clothes with magic and probably even don't get wet in the first place, but I suggest you get naked, too. It will be much better without clothes.

  "This pond isn’t somehow sacred?" Naomi asked, starting to take off her shirt.

  Priestess smiled. "Technically speaking, everything is sacred. It was created by one god or another. But you are probably asking because we are in a temple, and the answer is it’s not the problem, especially for both of us. You are the protege of Goddess, and I am her priestess performing my duties."

  When they both get naked, Shewa helps Naomi get to the pond.

  "Ach, that's the spot." The priestess was in bliss after submerging herself up to her neck.

  "So." Naomi started after soaking in water. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

  "Oh. That? It was a prophecy." She waved her hand dismissively.

  "Prophecy? But don’t you need to be some high-level priest, saint, or something?" Naomi can’t understand.

  "Ha, ha, ha. Who told you such funny stories?" Shewa laughed, amused. "True prophecies don’t depend on the person. You were just a conduit for gods or some other cosmic powers."

  "But I just said what someone said in the past. And even not accurately."

  "Doesn't matter," Priestess answered. "Some prophecies can be forgotten, and some lost, others never reach any temple or priest."

  "But how can you be sure?"

  "There are one or two signs when that happens. Priests are taught about them. I may be a freshly appointed master priestess, but you can believe me."

  "It’s not that I don't believe you, but if people make something big from this, how can you be so sure?"

  "There is an easy way for any one to check if some words carry power like prophecy. You need to try to speak to them aloud. Try it." The priestess encourages her. Naomi opens her mount to try but can’t say any part of what she said back then. She tried single words without context or in other sentences. That wasn't a problem. Repeating prophecy was impossible.

  "So. What next?" Naomi asked, a little scared.

  "Not too much. I need to bring it to the first temple I can. Coincidentally, the city we are heading to has the most major temples. I can leave copies in my church and the temple of the Sun God. Local priests will check and maybe go through copies of some prophecies. When everything is checked, the local grand priest of the temple of The Sun will send the original note of Jeana and our testimonies to the Citadel of Rising Sun for a final check. The archpriest there will go through a final inspection. After all this, the final decision will be made, and official copies will be sent to every temple."

  "What if someone will interpret it in some bad way?"

  "No one interprets any prophecy. They can be understood only literally."

  "My too?"

  "Yes. Yours is probably one of the easiest ones to understand. It's about caring for each other, especially weak ones. And about being greedy and the consequences of greed. In the citadel, they will dress in fancy words and add historical records. Maybe they find something similar in the past. It's no biggie.

  To ease the mood, one of the frogs decided to jump on Naomi's head and start croaking, making her giggle.

  "I'm not sure if this is a sign from the Lady. She usually sends birds, you know." Priestess joked. "But I think you at least can interpret it as your summoned creatures trying to cheer you."

  "Yes. They are so cute." Naomi pulls the frog out of her hair and starts stroking it carefully.

  "Relax, young mistress. Everything is alright." Shewa once again tries to soothe her.

  "I know, the gods haven't punished me yet."

  "No one has ever been punished by the gods for being the bearer of a prophecy. Why should you be?"

  "Because I know some scary things, and If I'm not careful, my best wish can turn into your worst nightmare."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Ach. Knowledge from the place where dungeon masters come from. Yes, you are right about that, and I thank you for caring about this world. But I think that you are making one little mistake."

  "About what?"

  "You were told about some rules that mortals and gods must follow. And one of them was that gods cannot personally act in this world."

  "Yes."

  "I assure you that your patron gods will act immediately if you start doing something evil. You and your dungeon are exceptions to that rule. You and your dungeon are a bridge between the divine and mortal realms. Gods can show here any moment. They don’t do that because we stop being ourselves in their presence, and being yourself is the main reason we are here."

  "Are you serious? Do we need to live and do what we like? But what about being good? You know, not killing, stilling, and all of that."

  "That is important too. But usually, they don’t exclude each other. Do you like being rich? Become a merchant, or bard, or get married to some noble or even prince. Do you like being famous? Similar things. Bards, adventurers, or crafters, there are thousands of names on the list."

  "So, are you saying I forgot about all that and keep doing what I was doing?"

  "Doing yes, but not forgetting. Prophecies apply to everyone, you included, and this probably was for you in the same way as for mister Thuldir. But you only need to remember that when you are doing something. To my knowledge, there is no prophecy about soaking in a pond, so for now, close your eyes, feel the sun on your skin, become a favorite leaf for your frogs, and forget about everything."

  And Naomi did just that.

  The next day was much more peaceful. On scrolls donated by merchants, Shewa made three copies of prophecy. They will be given to the temple of The Lady, The Smith, and the temple of The Sun. Adventurers were checking and preparing packs with food and water for the rest of their journey. Dungeon Mistress shows up around noon, just right in time for dinner. She was much more relaxed than yesterday. Shewa spent the afternoon wandering through orchards to be sure the young dungeon mistress was all right.

  "I see you're in a good mood again," Priestess observed in one moment.

  "I had a good sleep, and I think a little about yesterday and agree with you. It doesn't change anything for me. It’s just an official reminder. It is something like a sign to watch for steep stairs. For someone paying attention to his surroundings, it’s useless, but sometimes it could help. You can be distracted, or it's your first time here, and you don’t know about those stairs."

  "That is a good parallel. When I need to explain what prophecy is, I will use it."

  "And I need to thank you for explaining things about this world. Reading is good, but having someone to show you how something should be done or even trying oneself is always better.

  "Nothing beats experience. That's why dungeons exist. And talking about explaining things, I almost forget about one thing."

  "What is it?"

  "Be very careful about your yellow dress. Use it on some official occasion or something. You shouldn't tell anyone it is a gift from a Goddess."

  "Right. It's obvious, isn’t it." Naomi realizes it quickly. "Anything from any god, even something mundane, will be considered sacred."

  "It won't be just treated as sacred. Your dress is a holy artifact."

  "Great, one more complicated thing to the pile." Naomi sigh.

  "To ease your mood, I remind you that you are a dungeon core. That means you are an envoy of gods. And that means you are equal to kings and priests. And everyone expects you to show off at least a little."

  "I can’t pretend to be some queen of the desert." Naomi shakes her head.

  "Oh really? You built these walls and towers that will leave many people stunned. You have your citizens. And you do your best to make them happy. Sorry, my queen, but you are queen."

  "Just great." Naomi surrendered, but she also smiled a little. Realizing how bad the reaction would be from some of the people who had bullied her in her previous life. She doesn't think about herself as queen. But she knew how important she, or rather her oasis, was. She wasn't naive.

  After an early and quick breakfast, the caravan began preparing to leave the oasis. Packages of goods and supplies were attached to the backs of camels, and adventurers prepared their equipment and personal belongings.

  "Thank you for staying in the oasis," Naomi said to the caravan organizers and Shewa.

  "And we thank you for your hospitality." Said the priestess, smiling.

  "We will spread the word about your oasis." Nod commander. "But be careful. You can trust the desert people and adventurers who protect the caravans, but you can't predict how they will react to your presence."

  "You see, Mistress. Dungeon masters, even female ones, are exactly your opposite. They act more like kings or emperors and rarely interact with people." Said Venancijs.

  "Try to look first if the group has a priest or at least a shaman. That kind of people are following gods teaching. And even if you scare them at first, they could listen."

  "The question is who will be scarred more. I or them." Naomi jokes, but only the priestess smiles.

  "You're doing great. The beginning will be difficult, but once people get to know you, everything will be fine." Reassured her Shewa.

  "The adventurer guild envoy and exploration team should be here not earlier than three months." Said the commander. "Because of everything that happened except the presence of priests from the churches of The Lady, The Smith, and The Sun. Anyone who says he represents an adventurer's guild and is not accompanied by priests of these three gods will be lying. In that situation, get back to your last floor and wait. Because of the law of hospitality, they will be forced to retreat."

  "And if they do enter your dungeon, promise me you won't be looking at them," Shewa asked Naomi.

  "I can’t promise anything." Naomi sighted but suddenly smiled. "However, you should listen to good advice. Right?"

  "Exactly!" Laugh priestess. "But I'm afraid time for us." Shewa sighted. "It was a pleasure to know you."

  "Thank you for everything," Naomi said sincerely.

  After that, the rest of the leaders said their goodbyes. Then Naomi escorted them to the gate and nodded or waved to everyone who greeted her as they passed her. She returned to her private quarters as the last disappeared into the horizon.