After descending the spiral staircase, they arrived at a surprisingly spacious underground chamber.
The First Floor that came into view was already no smaller than Evilus' underground base.
Bell noticed the area was filled with experimental materials and basic research products but contained few magic items. That meant this secret facility likely extended to more levels below.
"Let's go straight to the deeper floors."
"Understood. Follow me."
Asfi also didn't believe anything important would be stored at this surface level. She led Bell directly toward her more secretive lower chamber.
At a corner, an invisible wall concealed the passage to the next floor. There were no heavy defenses here, just a few concealment mechanisms.
But once they descended to the next level, Bell immediately sensed a difference.
Passing through a narrow staircase, he could feel that this space was almost completely cut off from magic.
When the door at the bottom opened—
Creak.
The grating sound of metal hinges echoed, followed by the room's magic stone lamps lighting up one after another.
As the dim light filled the space, the entire chamber was revealed. The lamps gave off a soft, amber glow reminiscent of dusk, and though the light was subdued, the atmosphere felt calm and refined.
The chamber measured about ten by thirty by four meters—spacious for a secret room, though somewhat small for laboratory work. Bell guessed that most of the delicate experiments were carried out here, while the more dangerous ones took place either on the upper floors or within the familia's main facilities.
Rows of bookshelves lined the walls, packed with various volumes. Some contained data on experimental materials, while others held Asfi's own detailed research notes.
Across from them stood several racks displaying cloaks, masks, and potion bottles. Small handwritten tags marked each item with its name and purpose—evidence of Asfi's years of study and craftsmanship.
'The airflow is excellent. She's using the same type of magic device for air treatment as I do.'
'The room is thoroughly sealed from magic, and the materials used for insulation are top-grade. To build a chamber of this size entirely from magic-resistant material… she must have had substantial funding.'
'No, to be precise, without wealth, an item maker couldn't even begin this line of work.'
As both a mage and an item maker himself, Bell knew how resource-hungry this path was.
'Luckily, mastering Runes saved me a fortune in research costs. Otherwise, I'd still be relying on Hephaistos and the others for support.'
He felt grateful that the concept he had acquired was "Runes." Without it, his path of growth would have been far harsher.
Looking around Asfi's secret chamber, Bell couldn't help but feel admiration for her dedication. The sheer amount of resources it must have taken to reach this point was unimaginable.
"This is indeed an impressive place."
For Asfi, hearing that praise was nearly the highest compliment imaginable.
After all, the one who said it was a master in the field. The almost perfectly isolated dimensional space he had created was the very ideal she had always aspired to achieve.
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Mr. Cranel, now would be a good time to tell us what you mentioned earlier, right?"
Bell glanced around the room, then focused on the empty space opposite the bookshelf, beside where the Magic artifacts were displayed.
Snap!
With a casual flick of his fingers, a sizable stone table materialized.
Bell stepped up to it and lightly tapped the surface. Instantly, ripples spread across the tabletop, and a scaled-down 3D model of Orario emerged before them.
"What is this?"
Asfi leaned in curiously, her expression turning sharply serious. If her memory was correct, this was indeed a miniature version of Orario.
"A map of Orario? Mr. Cranel, this can't just be a simple scaled-down map, can it?"
Was this really that simple? The very thing said to grant Evilus control over the locations of most of Orario's familia?
Bell didn't answer. Instead, he tapped the stone table again. Numerous tiny humanoid figures appeared on the 3D model, as if the people themselves had been shrunk down and placed within it.
He placed his finger over the Hermes Familia. The model zoomed in instantly, transforming the entire tabletop into a detailed view of the Familia's interior. The translucent figures grew larger, each labeled with "Name," "Familia," and "Rank."
"What!?"
Asfi's heart skipped a beat.
This was terrifying. The 3D map didn't just show the distribution of their familia members—it even listed their names, affiliations, and ranks.
Though the information wasn't comprehensive, this alone was enough to determine the exact locations of most individuals in Orario.
"This... this absolutely cannot fall into the hands of Evilus."
Her hands trembled slightly. Asfi fully understood how dangerous this was. If Evilus ever got hold of such a map, it would be as if they controlled the entire layout of every familia in Orario.
Hermes finally recovered from his shock. He never imagined Bell would create such a precise, three-dimensional model of Orario—one detailed enough to reveal where its inhabitants were at any given moment.
"Bell, why did you create something this troublesome?"
"To track the whereabouts of as many gods and familia members as possible."
Bell's straightforward answer left Hermes speechless for a moment. That simple explanation was a direct violation of every god's privacy. If any of them discovered that a child from Genkai could pinpoint their locations, they'd lose their minds.
"If those guys find out about this, you're in serious trouble."
Bell, of course, understood the risk.
"Then we just need to make sure the other gods don't find out."
"You make it sound so simple."
Hermes sighed, clearly exasperated by Bell's nerve. His decisiveness and methods were beyond reckless.
Still, he knew when something warranted special consideration.
For now, nothing was more important than stopping Evilus's conspiracy.
...
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