Chapter 322

Chapter 325: When Things Go Awry, There’s Always a Demon (Please Subscribe!)

No attention was given to the outcome of the Soma Familial Group.

Once they vanished, the four remaining individuals in the cavern tacitly began clearing the space. Though the swarm of Murder Ants was indeed terrifying, they lacked much fighting power at this moment. Not to mention with first-tier Adventurers Izay and Ais present, it seemed even Beier alone, with Lily covering her back, could exterminate these monsters.

Izay had noticed several Mental Recovery Potions in Beier’s bag. Among them, one was even the top-grade variant. Its design was strikingly familiar, and after a closer look, he realized it was the same Spiritual Medicine Mihe often gifted him out of friendship.

“Truly worthy of you, Mihe, the Deity most amiable to novice Adventurers!”

In about a few minutes, the battle concluded, Magic Stones scattered all over the floor.

“Thank you so much for your assistance earlier! Mr. Izay, Miss Ais.”

“Thank you very much!”

Beier put away her little black Knife and bowed respectfully before Izay and Ais, with Lily following suit behind her.

“Hmm, you’re welcome.” Ais nodded lightly in response, still holding her sword in one hand and Xiao You in the other, looking somewhat comical.

Only because she was strong enough; otherwise, anyone else would have already gotten into trouble fighting like that.

The situation was similar for Izay beside her.

“We are all peers in this trade. We will help when we see such situations. Not every Adventurer is as despicable as those from the Soma Familial Group, which is an exception.”

“…Does Mr. Izay know about the Soma Familial Group?”

“I’ve heard a bit from our Deity. The people you saw earlier are typical of that Familial Group. That level of behavior is their daily routine. Beier, you need to be cautious when dealing with them~”

Izay glanced meaningfully towards Lily, hinting subtly.

Startled by his gaze, Lily shrank back behind Beier, lacking confidence as she retorted,

“The Lily now would never think of stealing from Master Beier!”

Beier chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

“Thank you for the warning, Mr. Izay. I’ll be careful… Also, though this might seem impolite towards you, I still trust Lily…”

However, as their words trailed off, Izay’s smile grew more playful.

When Beier and Lily were left puzzled, Ais kindly explained, “Just now… Izay didn’t say anything, but you two confessed without being prompted.”

Ah, this…

Beier: “…”

Lily: “…”

Is that right!? It seems to be true indeed!?

Izay merely hinted slightly, why were they so nervous?

“Ahahaha—, what a wonderful day today, Mr. Izay~”

“We’re currently underground…”

Their extremely clumsy attempt to change the subject was ruthlessly exposed, Beier’s cheeks burning as if steam were about to rise.

Fortunately, Izay didn’t torment them further. After remarking with a sigh that their “relationship is truly good,” he let them off.

Subsequently came the usual pleasantries—random chatter, mutual inquiries about why each party was here, another round of thanks to Izay and Ais, then both parties parted ways due to differing schedules.

Izay and Ais intended to delve deeper into the Dungeon, while Beier and Lily, having experienced much that morning, were ready to return to the surface to rest.

Throughout, Beier’s gaze lingered curiously on Izay and Ais, seemingly intrigued by the reason for bringing two adorable kittens into the Dungeon.

But perhaps realizing the relationship between the two sides wasn’t yet intimate enough to warrant such questions, lest it irritate Izay, she restrained her curiosity and remained silent.

After bidding farewell to Beier and the small human girl, the journey resumed monotonously.

Izay and Ais set off from their current position, aiming to reach the rendezvous point at the 18th floor with their “ally.”

Simultaneously, within the stone-built hall radiating ancient history—the Altar.

Large slabs neatly covered the ground here, hidden deep beneath like a temple, illuminated by the flickering red flames of four torches.

The crisp sound of the torches burning was the only sound in this dim space.

At the center of the altar surrounded by the torches in a square formation stood a stone deity throne, upon which sat the towering old god, cloaked and hooded, like a colossal sculpture.

Suddenly, sensing something, Old God Uranus cast a gaze from beneath his hood, his azure eyes focusing on a corner below the altar.

“Fels.”

The name echoed solemnly within the altar.

Moments later, the voice found its recipient emerging from the dark void.

“Yes, it’s me, Uranus. I’ve returned.”

From the darkness untouched by the torchlight emerged a figure draped in pitch-black robes, not exposing a single inch of skin. Fels stepped forward into the light, stopping before the steps leading up to the altar, reporting his findings to the old deity.

“The negotiation with the ‘Omnipotent’ via the ‘Mud Hound’ was successful. They accepted the task under persuasion (and threats). Izay has also accepted the mission and is heading to the designated location with the ‘Sword Maiden.'”

Fels had just returned from the 18th floor.

He met with the ‘Omnipotent’ of the Hermes Familial Group at a concealed spot on the 18th floor, detailing the mission content, and confirmed Izay’s movements through the eye crystals placed throughout various floors.

Honestly, Fels had initially planned to find an opportunity to negotiate personally with Izay.

But unexpectedly, Izay accepted the mission so readily, heading straight to the 18th floor with the ‘Sword Maiden.’

This attitude surprised Fels somewhat.

As the saying goes, when things go awry, there’s always a demon lurking… Fels felt there must be a reason for Izay’s cooperation.

Perhaps he intended to take advantage of the situation to rip him off? He’d heard the Loki Familia was recently searching for high-level Magic Tomes…

Could the Sage be onto something?

“Fels, why did you specifically request the ‘Sword Maiden’ to accompany Izay for this mission?”

After hearing Fels’ report, Uranus asked with a tone seeking answers.

Through prolonged covert negotiations, a trust relationship had been established between Izay, Uranus, and Fels.

Given that Izay alone could almost certainly handle this mission, Uranus wanted to know why Fels involved Ais.

Just days ago, Loki had raided this place, suspecting the Guild due to incidents involving man-eating flowers. Now involving Ais again was undoubtedly a risky choice.

After all, Ais was different from Izay.

Ais was Izay’s friend, not theirs. The distinction needed no elaboration.

“…It’s intelligence brought back by the ‘Mud Hound.'”

Fels paused briefly, then explained to Uranus, revealing the information he gleaned from Lulune regarding Ais’ reaction to the gem fetus, along with his personal deductions.

Upon hearing this, Uranus’ eyebrows twitched slightly, followed by a period of silence as if he too was contemplating the matter.

After some time, Fels continued, “Actually… it’s also an added layer of insurance.”

“According to comrades (Reed), during the food storage incident at the 30th floor, those monsters seemed capable of blocking the labyrinth, causing significant harm to Reed and his team.”

“If Izay gets separated, the Omniscient ones might struggle to handle it. To prevent such mishaps, I want to prepare extra combat strength.”

As the ancient saying goes, preparation prevents problems and achieves multiple goals simultaneously.

Finally, Fels calmly summarized his decision.