Chapter 69 – The Harem and the Steam Bath.

After stashing thirty sacks of amethyst ores in the Bastion's basement and unloading their weapons in the armory, Diana's decision was immediate and indisputable.

After four days locked in the purple darkness of a mega-dungeon, eating concentrated pills, and smelling like ancestral boss ash, the squad needed hot water, real rest, and celebration.

Diana gathered the five hunters and marched straight to the most exclusive establishment in the Ivory Citadel's noble sector: The Imperial Silver Lotus Baths.

At the thermal complex's marble counter, Diana reserved the Crystal Springs VIP Pavilion, featuring two private open-air thermal bath wings, along with chilled fruit service and aromatic mana wines.

Diana pulled four silver coins from her pouch and deposited them onto the counter.

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[VIP BATHS PAVILION EXPENSES]

- Private Pavilion Reservation + Fruit and Wine Feast: -4 Silver Coins (400 Bronze).

[NEW ABSOLUTE NET WORTH: 310 SILVER COINS (31,000 Bronze! / EXACTLY 31 PURE GOLD COINS!)]

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Three hundred ten silver coins in the faction vault. Exactly Thirty-One Pure Gold Coins.

***

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The Male Wing - Kael's Peace

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In the private male wing, Kael was living in paradise.

The Level 35 vanguard floated on his back in the center of a ten-meter-wide steaming volcanic rock thermal pool. His 870 hit points absorbed the hot minerals in the water, restoring shoulder and back muscle after tanking the Amethyst Emperor.

Kael rested a mug of cold dark beer on the stone ledge, letting out a long sigh of pure happiness.

“Now this is the life…” Kael murmured to the bamboo ceiling, closing his eyes. “No gargoyles, no colossi, just cold beer and hot water. The Commander sure knows how to spend money.”

***

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The Female Wing - Steam Chaos

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In the adjacent female wing, however, the calm lasted less than ten seconds.

The thermal pool was carved into clear white quartz, enclosed by silk curtains and medicinal flower petals floating upon scented water. Warm steam rose in soft spirals toward the purple evening sky.

At the pool's edge, Seraphina stood paralyzed, clutching a giant linen towel against her chest with both hands, without her round glasses, her face bright red with embarrassment.

“W-Why is the water so transparent?!” Seraphina stammered, yanking the towel up to her chin, staring at the pool as if it were a fatal trap. “This… this is totally shameless!”

Aurelia-Elysia, already waist-deep in the warm water with her blonde hair pinned atop her head, laughed aloud, playfully splashing water toward the summoner.

“Relax, Seraphina!” Aurelia teased, a mischievous grin on her face. “We spent four days sleeping in the same tent at the bottom of a labyrinth! Welcome officially to the Arcane Greed Faction!”

Rhea was already swimming smoothly through the pool, moving with the fluidity of Agility 103.

The wolf girl surfaced right beside Diana, who was sitting on the stone step with water covering up to her shoulders. Rhea rested her wet arms on the ledge and leaned her chin affectionately onto Diana's left shoulder, her damp silver ears twitching with pure contentment.

“The water is perfect, Diana…” Rhea purred softly, lightly nuzzling her cheek against her friend's arm.

Aurelia-Elysia pointed a finger out of the water, making a dramatic gossiping expression:

“Look at that! Rhea's already taken possession of the Commander's shoulder again! She is officially the Faction's First Wife!”

SPLASH!

Diana choked on the pool water, coughing loudly, turning so absurdly red she looked like a boiled lobster under the thermal steam.

“AURELIA-ELYSIA!” Diana barked, her voice cracking in pure embarrassment. “I AM A MILITARY COMMANDER, NOT A HAREM SULTAN!”

Seraphina widened her near-sighted eyes behind the steam, blushing even deeper: “F-First Wife…?! So… so the Commander really does have a harem in the faction?!”

—HAHAHAHAHA!

The System interface exploded in midair in black-gold letters over the water, flashing with pure mockery:

—She doesn't even know what holding hands with ulterior motives is, Seraphina! Rest easy, your Commander is a romantic-illiterate block of ice!

Diana threw a ladle of thermal water straight at the System screen, fuming with rage:

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, SHIT SYSTEM!”

Rhea laughed beside Diana, without retreating a single millimeter, picking up an aromatic wooden comb from the stone tray and gently combing Diana's wet, dark hair.

“Let them talk, Diana…” Rhea smiled sweetly, drawing the comb gently through her strands. “I don't mind being First Wife if it means staying with you forever.”

Diana submerged the lower half of her face beneath the warm water, blowing bubbles of shame, unable to respond to the wolf girl's unblushing affection.

***

Gradually, Seraphina's shame yielded to the spring's relaxing warmth.

The young summoner waded slowly into the water, letting out a long sigh as the heat eased the weight on her joints fatigued from grimoire usage.

Aurelia-Elysia served goblets of mana wine flavored with chilled wild berries and distributed plates of sliced sweet fruit across floating wooden trays.

The four girls clinked their goblets together inside the warm water.

“To the Arcane Greed Faction!” Aurelia raised her goblet, smiling. “And to our new official member, Seraphina!”

“To the Faction!” Seraphina toasted, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes glowing with genuine happiness.

The sound of crystal clinking echoed softly beneath the baths' bamboo vault.

Diana took a sip of chilled wine, feeling the warm water relax her Dragon Chestplate and her Intelligence 151 mana channels.

She looked at the three girls around her—Rhea combing her hair, Aurelia laughing and telling jokes, Seraphina savoring sweet fruit with a smile she hadn't shown in a long time.

—See that, Diana?

The System's voice whispered in her mind. This time, soft, calm, and truly warm.

—Thirty-one gold coins in the vault, Level 35 achieved, and four people who'd lay down their lives for you without blinking. You're not just a Candidate for Greed… you're a home for these souls.

Diana looked at the steam rising toward the Second Circle sky and gave a small, calm, sweet, profoundly fulfilling smile.

Rest was well-earned. Friendship was real. And the march toward Level 50 would continue the following day.