Chương 332: Afternoon Revelations and Preparations

Time had reached two in the afternoon.

After being teleported out of the artificial labyrinth by Mona, Renjiro first went to the old city. There, the newly-bodied Alise tested her abilities in the training grounds Renjiro had recently constructed. Only after ensuring her capabilities were fully operational did he head toward the Hostess of Fertility, located on the west side of the city.

Honestly…

"Being able to secure development and usage rights to this place through a simple 'war game' really has its perks~"

Renjiro couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction.

A familia with its own dedicated base, including a private training area, didn't have to run to dungeons constantly during routine periods.

Look at the Loki familia. Despite being one of Orario's top three familias, frequent expeditions often left their finances in the red. They lacked their own training grounds, unlike the Freya or Ganesha familias, so any training had to be conducted in dungeons.

Meanwhile, the first five dungeon floors were primarily occupied by most Lv.1 adventurers in Orario. This meant higher-level familias couldn't linger there long and had to venture deeper…

Last time, when Ais wanted to spar with Keqing, Riveria had to borrow from the Ganesha familia. How inconvenient!

Uh, you say the Artificial Labyrinth – Knossos has been conquered?

Well, sorry—after the ditzy little sister's proclamation, the place now belongs to the Freya familia. It has nothing to do with your Frigg Familia.

"In short…"

"Once this emergency expedition is over, it's officially moving day."

"It's time to let Maria and Ray settle into the new house."

With his plans in order, Renjiro arrived at the Hostess of Fertility's entrance.

At first glance, he saw Ryuu receiving a dish from Xiangling at the bar, ready to deliver it.

"Welcome… huh?"

The somewhat lazy little elf looked toward the door. Seeing a familiar face, she asked curiously:

"Renjiro-san, are you here for lunch today?"

Ryuu had a habit of attaching -san to surnames when addressing others.

Enough idle chatter.

"I'm not here for lunch, Ryuu. I need to speak with you."

Renjiro gestured toward the interior of the tavern.

"It's important, and it concerns you… let's go to the second floor."

He moved with ease, familiar with the place as if returning home.

He greeted Mama Mia with a smile. Upon her nod, he proceeded toward the stairs.

Though puzzled, Ryuu set down her tray and followed him slowly.

Once they reached a guest room…

"I won't bother with pleasantries. Let's get straight to business. Brace yourself."

Ryuu furrowed her brow.

"What is it? Why so serious?"

"First…"

Renjiro spoke directly.

"I received word that Goddess Astraea is returning to Orario."

"Aether is currently escorting her, and she is expected to arrive in the city by this evening."

Over recent days, Renjiro and Ryuu had spent enough time together that she had come to trust him as a friend, sharing past details of her life.

So, hearing this news didn't surprise her—she was just panicked.

"What… what should I do?"

The dyed-hair, disguised elf was visibly flustered.

"I can't even face Goddess Astraea right now…"

"I won't meddle too much in your familia's internal affairs," Renjiro said, a knowing expression on his face, waving his hand.

"But one thing already involves me. I personally hope you can meet Goddess Astraea as soon as possible."

"But I…"

"It concerns me, and also Alise Lovell."

Without letting Ryuu continue her self-recrimination, Renjiro dropped a bombshell.

"I've said enough. Are you really going to keep running away?"

Ryuu fell silent.

After a long moment…

"Why are you bringing up Alise now?"

Her face darkened.

"I told you before, she has…"

"…sacrificed herself. I know."

Renjiro interjected.

"But back then, there were some hidden 'accidents' involved."

"Accidents?"

Ryuu's voice trembled with agitation.

"Wait until you and Goddess Astraea are both present. I'll explain everything clearly."

"For now…"

Renjiro smiled gently.

"…focus on what you need to do. I have urgent matters of my own to attend to as well."

=======

One hour later…

After a brief conversation with Ryuu, Renjiro left the Hostess of Fertility and returned directly to the Maria Orphanage on Daedalus Street.

He only needed to wait for Syr to return from the labyrinth to update her Basic Ability.

At the same time…

Lumine left the labyrinth and headed to the Loki Familia's base.

Inside the Twilight Mansion, she met Finn, Riveria, and others.

Her sole purpose today was clear:

"Please maintain strict control over the surface during our emergency expedition."

"We've already informed the Ganesha familia of some detail."

"Freya-sama has also contacted the Hephaestus clan for assistance."

"At most within three days, this battle will completely eliminate the Evilus's threat."

Because of her connections with the Loki Familia and Renjiro's foresight advantage, Lumine knew exactly who in the familia could be trusted.

She shared intelligence about the city saboteur, Enyo—aka Dionysus—and his recent sinister plans.

Strange people, artificial labyrinths, elf sorcery, summoning extremely dangerous species…

After hearing all of it…

"Understood."

Finn, Riveria, and Gareth had all experienced similar events during the Seven Days of Death rebellion.

At that time, the self-proclaimed evil god Erebus unleashed divine power in the dungeon, summoning "super-enhanced" species in an attempt to destroy Orario.

Insiders knew he was actually a double agent in the enemy's ranks.

He did all of it to uncover new heroes and simultaneously weaken the then-powerful Evilus.

Eventually, he succeeded—at the cost of taking all blame and being sent back.

This time was different…

"If Dionysus truly plans to summon super-enhanced species in the dungeon's deep layers, the threat we face will be even greater than during the Seven Days of Death."

As veterans, Finn and the others knew they couldn't get hung up on familia divisions.

Moreover, the current alliance between the Loki and Freya familias—buffered by the Frigg clan and Lumine's presence—formed a secret coalition.

"With Lumine deployed to deal with the city saboteur, we can relax," Finn responded.

"Any surface threats will be handled by us. We guarantee you can fight without worries. Go all out."