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6

"Ah, you come bearing gifts!" Queen Acma says, smiling avariciously at the sparkling machine-scrap treasures Alexius habitually carries with him.

The queen is a ruthless and grasping haggler, and you and Alexius soon find yourselves browbeaten and threatened into yielding more than five hundred solidi worth of hard-won valuables. But the important thing is that you did not anger the queen or her dozens of armed guards.

Smiling, toying with her acquisitions, Queen Acma says, "Perhaps we can come to some kind of arrangement."

Before you can make further plans, a messenger flies down from one of the upper levels and whispers a quick message to the queen.

A momentary look of worry crosses her face, then she dismisses the messenger and glances down at you.

"I have work elsewhere," she says, sealing the throne and hiding the prism. "We will provide you with rooms. I discourage you from wandering too far. This place is dangerous for humans." She departs without another word, vanishing into a private chamber behind the throne room.