Chapter 403

Chapter 408: Troublesome Excursion (Please Subscribe!)

The commotion caused by Refia came and went quickly.

Though everyone was extremely curious about the cause of the incident, without concrete evidence, they had no choice but to accept it as a misunderstanding.

Later, as lunchtime approached, amidst the bustling atmosphere, Loki gathered all the members together and announced she had something to say.

“—Tomorrow! I’m taking some of you outside the city~!”

In the large dining hall, Loki stood on a table before them and suddenly blurted out this statement.

“Huh!? What’s going on? That was random…”

Riviria, standing beside her, furrowed her brows suspiciously, voicing the confusion everyone felt.

Without any prior notice, even Riviria, as the leader of the faction, hadn’t received a single word about this plan. The other members also wore expressions of bewilderment or wry smiles.

But Loki grinned satisfactorily at their reactions: “Since our expedition ended perfectly, let’s treat this as a break—a staff trip!”

“Eh! A trip? Sounds fun!?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Tiona. This is probably another impulsive statement without a plan—just listen.”

As soon as the little angel’s joy arose, Tione patted her head to temper her expectations.

The others didn’t take Loki’s words seriously either.

After all, this wasn’t the first time their chief deity had come up with an unexpected sudden plan.

From past experiences, there would inevitably be some unforeseen circumstances halfway through, leading to the plan’s failure, leaving everyone disappointed and exhausted.

With that in mind, the members naturally heightened their alertness.

Among the group of disbelieving members, Izay felt a sense of déjà vu and seemed to understand what Loki intended to do.

“Everyone, stop making such faces! This time I’m serious, and I’ve already chosen the destination for the trip—it’s not far from the city—Merun Port City!”

“And it’s not just a vacation; we’re mainly going to look for another entrance to the dungeon. First, we’ll investigate Merun, and then we’ll relax!”

Loki narrowed her eyes and smiled mischievously.

There was another unknown entrance to the dungeon.

This conclusion was reached during private discussions between Loki, Dionysus, and Hermes during Finn’s expedition.

The primary suspect was Merun.

Because beneath the large brackish lake bordering Merun, there was a cave connected to the ‘lower levels’ of the dungeon. Fish monsters once escaped through that cave and wreaked havoc on the seas.

Although that cave was supposedly sealed fifteen years ago, there was still a possibility it could have been reopened by someone.

“Moreover, according to that guy Dionysus, someone near Merun reportedly spotted an unknown monster. It looks like a disgusting snake, a long colorful creature.”

Upon hearing this information, the gathered members finally began to waver.

Finn, upon hearing this suspicious intelligence, stroked his chin and voiced his opinion: “If there’s suspicious information, we must investigate. We might actually find something useful.”

As the leader, his words immediately garnered support from everyone present.

The decision to head to Merun Port City was unanimously approved.

Seeing this, Loki immediately broke into a radiant smile, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

As long as everyone agreed to go, things would proceed smoothly.

During her previous meeting with Dionysus, Loki had also gone to the Guild with Finn and cleverly obtained the city’s entry and exit permits.

With these permits in hand, she could officially lead her Level 6 adventurers away from Orario.

Typically, obtaining the Guild’s permits would take several days at least, so Loki’s swift acquisition naturally came at a cost.

That cost was that she couldn’t take all the main forces of her faction—about half the members needed to stay behind in Orario just in case. This was the condition Loki exchanged with Uranus.

“So, Fen and the rest of you boys will stay behind to guard the city?”

“Huh?! What’s this about?”

“I’m going with the girls to Merun for a nice relaxing trip!”

Loki, showcasing her true colors, perfectly demonstrated what favoritism towards women over men looked like!

“Hey! Explain yourself!”

“There’s nothing to explain, Bert dear. We girls are going to Merun to investigate the suspicious information while you boys earn money to support the household! Our faction’s budget is nearing deficit, you know?”

“You…!”

“Oh, and Finn, keep an eye on Dionysus while you’re in the city. Honestly, I don’t trust him. While the information he provided is suspicious, I feel it’s more than coincidence.”

“Hey!—”

Loki’s self-talk continued, frustrating Bert as Raul and others desperately tried to hold him back.

The three leaders sighed, both Riviria and Finn along with Gress showing signs of melancholy.

Even the female members who had the chance to leave Orario for a trip were not happy.

Just thinking about Loki’s real intentions for taking only the women was enough.

However, this time the excuse was sufficient, and they couldn’t find any reason to argue against it.

Thus, under the personal decree of the deity, the action plan for tomorrow—and the coming days—was set.

……

“Speaking of Merun, I remember those two Lv.6 from the fighting nation will be heading there, and Ishtar, that troublesome goddess, will also get involved.”

After the meeting in the large dining hall, Izay strolled to the pavilion at Twilight Manor to play with his cat.

He already had a rough idea of Loki’s plans this time.

In short, there were plenty of troubles ahead.

Firstly, Tiona and Tione would be caught up in it, along with Kali and Ishtar, the problematic goddess, and the new species of monsters.

Despite the numerous troubles, Izay wasn’t particularly worried about the safety of the group.

After all, Merun Port City was too close to Orario. If anything happened, he could rush there in less than a minute.

A mere three kilometers away, within arm’s reach, naturally wouldn’t cause any concern for Izay.

As for Loki’s suggestion that the male team stay in the city to make money… well, Izay had absolutely no intention of working.

Working was impossible; he was too rich to ever consider working in this lifetime.

Izay had already planned what to do after Loki left.

While she was away, he’d visit the desert world again to check the situation.

The last time he glimpsed it, the monsters in that world seemed pretty strong, perfect for honing his skills.

Since Ais was going out with Loki, he needed to find another way to familiarize himself with his upgraded abilities.

Traveling back and forth to another world was a great option.