After they had shown each other their strength, the atmosphere actually eased a little. Both sides had confirmed that the other was not someone to be pushed around easily.
"Of course the Acid Tunnel Mine is a place for entertainment." Flori sat back down, his tone softening. "Pebble Chess, Beetle Fighting, Troll Darts...
"Besides that, it's also a place to trade."
It was not the place to pick up jobs Renato had expected. But since he was here, he could hardly leave empty-handed. He continued:
"Trade? What sort of merchandise?"
"New Rolling Stone City is a ruin," Flori complained, tapping his fingers on the stone table. "We have plenty of people and not enough of anything else. There are all sorts of things you can't buy even if you have the money."
The Duergar pointed around them. "Sometimes a lantern breaks and needs repairing, sometimes a leather cushion gets stolen and needs replacing... Little things that aren't worth much, but people urgently need them. This gives everyone a chance to trade and get what they need."
"No need to let some trader gouge you. I can act as a middleman for barter."
"What have you got?" Flori asked. "You can ask around and see whether anyone wants to trade..."
Renato did not answer immediately. He took a gold coin out of his Bag of Holding, one of the Duergar coins he had exchanged with Balin.
Laduguer's hideous, oversized head spun and tumbled between his fingertips in a dizzying display.
Flori's gaze followed the flipping coin until Renato closed his hand and it vanished into thin air. The Duergar froze for half a second before he caught on.
It was a little trick Kira had taught him, and it worked quite well.
Renato said calmly:
"I have gold coins. I wonder