Liang Yue stood not far from the Soma Familia. Adventurers bustled through the streets, their destinations clear and focused.
Deeper into the street lay the courtesan district of the goddess Ishtar—a red-light district that was among the liveliest and most prosperous areas of Orario, the labyrinth city.
Of course, he had no personal interest in such matters.
What left a lasting impression of "Pleasure Street" in his mind was mainly due to the original work's fox girl—Haruhime Sanjouno.
A fox of pure eroticism in every sense.
Because of the special nature of her magic, she was treated as a living catalyst for magic items within her Familia—locked up in a cage.
["Level Boost."]
A rare skill capable of temporarily raising an adventurer's level. Despite its time limit, whether in combat or dungeon exploration, it had an incredible amplifying effect.
"So…"
"Only after reaching Level 4 can I consider getting involved in that situation?" Whether viewed in terms of function or utility, Haruhime Sanjouno was someone indispensable to the growth of any Familia.
Right now, he didn't have the strength to handle it. But once his power grew, perhaps he could consider an encounter with her?
Liang Yue slowly gathered his complex thoughts. He had arrived at the agreed meeting spot quite early and calmly observed his surroundings.
First, he would meet with Lili to confirm the details of the plan.
After all, the reward she offered was just to delay the Familia's captain, Zanis, buying her enough time to escape from the Soma Familia.
At the very least, he needed a clear course of action.
Charging in recklessly without using the Blue Butterfly Scale Powder to knock out the members would mean facing an overwhelming number of adventurers!
"…"
While Liang Yue waited, a small adventurer in a gray-brown cloak passed by.
The figure reached out and gently tugged at his own cloak—but didn't stop walking.
There was no need for Liang Yue to guess the identity. Following Lili's lead, he arrived at a dimly lit area among some crates.
After confirming no adventurers were nearby…
Lili pulled back her hood, revealing her fair and delicate face. On the eve of the operation, the nervousness in her eyes was palpable.
She kept it brief: "I'll use magic to disguise myself and deliver food into Soma Familia. If you hear the sound of plates crashing inside…"
"That means everything is going well. What you need to do…"
Lili looked up at Liang Yue's calm, unreadable face, her tone unusually serious: "Stop Zanis for me."
"This is the rest of your payment."
After she successfully left the Familia, she didn't intend to meet Liang Yue again. She had already arranged a carriage to leave Orario that very night.
For the merchant couple who once helped her, all she could do in return was leave 100,000 valis as repayment.
As for this not-so-hateful adventurer in front of her, the young girl lifted her fair neck. Her slightly childish face showed a rare smile.
"Thank you."
"Liang Yue… I hope you can safely get out of the Soma Familia." The words came sincerely from deep within her heart.
Yet even so, Liang Yue's face remained calm and unmoved.
Finding herself ignored, Lili pouted, pulling her hood back over her head and decisively walking toward the alley exit.
As the streetlights lit up her small frame, her steps briefly paused.
She didn't turn around, but her voice carried a trace of discomfort: "I think what you said before was right."
"The suffering I endured… isn't a reason to hurt innocent adventurers."
"But—"
"Some adventurers really are insufferable."
"Especially you." Drenched in misery and drowning in despair, of course she had wished for the kind of salvation told in fairy tales.
But that was fantasy—reality was still cruel.
Her dislike of Liang Yue was simple.
Why, when she was full of hate toward adventurers and barely had any interaction with him, did he leave behind an unforgettable mark on her life?
"…Thank you."
—
Soma Familia.
For the members who had just returned from the dungeon laden with spoils, tonight was more important than even updating their stats.
Their captain, "Guardian of the Wine" Zanis, was about to distribute the reward: god wine.
Few adventurers ever met the standard to earn it. Most relied on the valis they'd earned through adventure to buy it from Zanis.
The god wine had powerful addictive qualities. Anyone who tasted it would fall under its intoxicating control.
Coupled with Zanis's deliberate indulgence, it had thrown the Soma Familia into unprecedented chaos!
Strong adventurers banded together to oppress the weaker supporters, robbing them of their pay and work.
"…"
[Filthy vermin.]
Dressed in a plain tavern uniform, even her hair color changed, Lili pushed a food cart full of dishes.
As she struggled to open the door to the Soma Familia, the sight that greeted her…
…only made her already cold expression even darker. Her experiences growing up in Soma Familia would haunt her for life.
Her deceased parents had once been obsessed with god wine.
In her childhood, she had survived by begging. Of course, she had tasted god wine—that was back when Zanis first became captain nine years ago.
If she hadn't pretended to be enchanted by the wine then…
She didn't dare imagine whether she would've survived to today. And even survival meant being treated like a blood bag, constantly exploited.
"This place is… truly revolting."
Using her [Cinder Ella] magic, Lili looked at the adventurers gathered in the Familia's headquarters and forcefully suppressed the hatred in her eyes.
Silently, she pulled the food cart inside.
The dishes were meant to accompany the god wine for the addicts. Of course, they had been laced with the Blue Butterfly Scale Powder she had collected earlier.
The dosage was just right—subtle enough that even careful inspection wouldn't reveal it.
Paired with the mind-controlling god wine, it would cause temporary unconsciousness. But what worried Lili most…
…was the man standing on the second-floor balcony at that moment.
Wearing a white suit and glasses, his gray hair neat, he looked refined—but Lili knew better. This was Captain Zanis Lustra.
A Level 2 adventurer who used god wine to control his Familia, but had never once been seen drinking it himself.
Cunning and greedy, he charged fees for leaving the Familia and ordered reprisals against the merchant couple who once took her in.
The exploitation of supporters by adventurers?
She suspected that Zanis was the one quietly encouraging such behavior.
He was the biggest obstacle to her "defection plan." Lili could only place her hope in Liang Yue—if he could just buy enough time!
"Mr. Zanis, your food delivery is here." Lili truly feared the captain from the bottom of her heart.
But to ensure the plan's success, she forced a smile.
Standing on the second-floor balcony, Zanis rested both hands on the railing, gazing at the adventurers below with undisguised greed.
And when he noticed a slightly unfamiliar server at the corner of the stairs…
…it didn't raise much suspicion. He casually gestured for nearby Familia members to distribute the food.
Who the delivery person was didn't matter to him.
As long as the "celebration" wasn't disrupted, that was enough.
"Give me the bill. I'll send someone to pay tomorrow."
"Understood."
Pulling the bill from her pocket, Lili looked up and met his gaze—only to freeze in fear, body instinctively tensing.
She immediately lowered her head and avoided his eyes, gritting her teeth as she walked toward the second-floor hallway.
She extended the bill to Zanis, hoping to find an excuse to leave the Soma Familia before the powder took effect.
But then—his sudden words froze her like ice water.
"Hmm?"
Holding the bill, Zanis stared coldly, scrutinizing the tiny server before him. He had a nagging feeling he had seen her somewhere before.
"I remember hiring a different restaurant for tonight."
Realizing something was wrong, his expression darkened. His voice turned cold and suspicious:
"Who exactly are you?"
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