Chapter 222

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Five: Nipping Problems in the Bud (Please Subscribe!)

“Still, Artemis, why have you suddenly decided to return to Orario? That’s not really like you, is it?”

Demeter adjusted her smooth honey-colored tresses and asked, her smile slightly fading.

Some things, it’s best to just have a rough idea about. Pursuing further would only backfire.

Anyway, there’s plenty of time to interact in the future; no need to rush.

“Because of various reasons… I also thought it’d be good for the kids in my faction to seize this opportunity to elevate themselves.”

Artemis let out a small sigh of relief as the other party stopped pressing on the previous topic, her expression returning to normal.

As she said, due to their constant hunting activities outside, her children’s ability values were already quite high. Especially after the Scorpio incident, everyone’s growth was significant, nearing the brink of leveling up.

But in the outer world of Orario, even a Level 3 adventurer could be considered an absolute powerhouse, with monsters being weaker compared to those inside the dungeon.

For the calm Level 2 girls within Artemis’ faction, the amount of “great deeds” experience they could gather from activities outside was negligible.

The Goddess had also taken this into consideration when choosing to settle down in Labyrinth City.

“Are your children about to level up too? That’s great… This time, many of them can reach the rank of second-tier adventurers, right? That will be a tremendous boost to your faction’s strength.”

Demeter tapped her cheek, genuinely happy for her situation.

A group of nearly twenty second-tier adventurers was already considered a formidable force within Orario.

Just take that little landowner Sun God as an example—his household consists of one Level 3 plus dozens of upper-level Level 2 adventurers, along with several lower-level Level 1 adventurers.

Even so, he manages to thrive splendidly in Orario, which shows how things generally work.

“Strength… actually, I care more about everyone staying safe. The dungeon isn’t like the outside…”

Artemis sighed. Any deity with a faction could empathize with this feeling—when your own children venture into the dungeon for exploration, all you can do as a goddess is stay home, praying for their safe return. Even Loki couldn’t avoid this.

“I understand, though I’m just the head of an agricultural faction.”

“Do all deities feel this way?”

“Yes, we all do…”

As they spoke, both goddesses somehow became a bit melancholic.

However, in the next moment, perhaps with the intention of changing the subject, Demeter brought up something else.

“By the way, Artemis… Do you still remember Dionysus?”

Artemis tilted her head in thought, finally recalling a somewhat vague figure from memory.

“Somewhat… Isn’t he the god Hestia always cautiously watched like a small animal encountering its predator in Heaven?”

Actually, there was another image of Dionysus mentioned by someone else in her mind, but at this point, Artemis hadn’t made the connection yet.

“What about Dionysus?”

“Maybe it’s just me being paranoid, but I always feel like ‘that Heavenly God’s’ attitude is off… It seems like he might be hiding something, or possibly plotting something.”

“Something bad?”

“Probably something very bad!”

Her eyebrows furrowed tightly as she spoke. Around this recent period, Demeter had noticed some strange behaviors from ‘that Heavenly God,’ and was hesitating whether to investigate further.

Because her divine intuition told her that if left unchecked, it might eventually involve her own faction. A scenario that any goddess would absolutely want to avoid.

Upon hearing this, Artemis’s expression also grew serious.

She remembered what Izay had told her before.

“Whatever happens, don’t get too close to the Heavenly God Dionysus.”

The social circles of mortals and gods are different.

Living in Orario, Artemis naturally would interact with gods she knew from her days in Heaven, and Izay understood this inevitability.

Precisely because of this understanding, he warned Artemis beforehand.

Because a cruel, evil, and hypocritical “good person” is far more dangerous than a simple-minded evildoer.

You never know when they’ll stab you in the back, or even threaten you with what you hold dear.

Although Artemis couldn’t guess the meaning behind Izay’s words, she trusted him and didn’t think they were baseless.

What if there’s more to it than meets the eye, and something goes wrong because Demeter can’t handle it?

Glancing at her hesitant friend, Artemis opened her mouth to offer advice.

Whether it convinces her or not, it’s worth giving a word of caution.

When a goddess is indecisive, the suggestion from a trustworthy confidant holds significant weight.

Artemis herself didn’t expect that just a few short sentences would successfully dissuade Demeter from her budding idea.

Though doubts still lingered, they would remain as a form of vigilance in her heart, alerting the goddess to potential future issues.

…

Events happening above ground were naturally unknown to the adventurers deep within the dungeon.

This rare occasion of a united faction’s main force team tackling the dungeon had everyone putting forth their full effort.

In the dark depths ruled by darkness, monster roars echoed through the earth.

Within rock caves exposing white rock strata, dozens of barbarians roared toward the adventurers. Worm-like giant snake creatures slithered out from perforated walls, while elite lizardmen weren’t far behind, wielding their “natural weapons.”

Facing the cacophony of various monsters, the adventurers advancing through the labyrinth roared back in defiance.

“Uwaaaaahhhhhhh!”

“Gurghaaaahhh!”

Spinning the Level 1 Great Double Blade “Ulgah,” Tione charged into the throng of monsters with wild abandon. Every swing of her massive blade sent waves of enemies flying or dead.

“Hey! Don’t rush ahead so fast! You’re not at Level 5 yet, Tiona!”

Following closely behind her, worried sister Tione was reluctantly keeping pace.

“—Watch me kick you to death!”

Right behind the Amazon sisters, Bert leapt forward, his metal boots gleaming with brilliance, glaring fiercely at the ever-spawning monsters.

Standing in the front lines with three other vanguards, Ais calmly drew her “Sword of Despair” and took a step forward.

Swinging her beloved sword, the blonde girl kicked off the ground, sprinting forward.

Apart from the four leaders, everyone found their place, maintaining a well-ordered formation to deal with the wave of monsters in the “deep levels.”

Even the top three occasionally sought opportunities to practice.

With the constraints of the “Experience Ornament,” solving these monsters with latent ability values at Level 4 still granted them a bit of experience. Why waste it when it’s free?