"The Apollo Familia."
Liang Yue's impression of them was… not good.
The biggest reason, of course, was their god Apollo and his various behaviors in Orario.
If one wanted to put it nicely—
"Affection."
Most of the Familia's members were people Apollo had taken a liking to. If they accepted his advances, fine; if they refused, he would use every possible method to rope them in—
even extreme measures like assassination.
A "loving" god, whose Familia just happened to be made up primarily of men.
"Gay cult."
As a man with perfectly normal tastes, Liang Yue could only offer his respect and blessings from afar…
but when such groups actively sought him out,
his feelings were inevitably complicated.
Still, there was good news hidden in all this: the Apollo Familia's appearance meant he had already entered Apollo's line of sight.
"Fastest path to leveling up."
As for appearance… Liang Yue wasn't going to sell himself short.
Thanks to the curse of his Ghost Hand, joining Freya Familia was impossible, but somehow he'd caught the eye of an even crazier god.
The situation was absurd—
yet, considering all the circumstances, he had to admit it also made sense.
His gaze landed on the man who was the first to descend the stairs—wearing a pitch-black uniform, long brown hair tied into a ponytail.
An adult male.
He only had a rough impression of the man's identity: the Captain of the Apollo Familia.
Known in Orario as a second-rank adventurer, title: The Sun's Favorite Child—
Hyacinthus Clio, Level 3.
Other than that, Liang Yue didn't know much.
Right now, if one wanted to say Liang Yue was troubled—
that wouldn't be quite accurate.
The better way to phrase it was: here was an opportunity to break free of his Familia's current growth bottleneck.
A chance to skip straight ahead.
His brows furrowed as he glanced at Hyacinthus Clio. His tone was hardly polite as he asked:
"...And you are?"
"As you see."
The man revealed a golden bow with the sun's emblem. Calm and composed, every gesture carried a refined grace befitting a beautiful youth. His voice was cool as his eyes appraised Liang Yue with undisguised scrutiny.
As far as appearances went, Liang Yue was nothing remarkable compared to members of large Familias.
His only real achievement was the huge stir he'd caused just a few days ago.
Hyacinthus truly couldn't fathom why Apollo-sama would be so obsessed with this man.
Obsessed to the point of sending him, the Captain, in person to deliver an invitation.
Even more ridiculous, Apollo had already been rejected by Hestia-sama once—yet still insisted on this meeting!
Hyacinthus didn't waste time. His face remained calm.
"My objective is clear. I am the Captain of the Apollo Familia."
"Hyacinthus Clio."
"This is our first time meeting, Sword Soul Liang Yue. Honestly, I can't imagine how such a hopelessly small Familia as yours…"
"…could have nurtured a genius like you. You deserve a better future."
The goal was to persuade him to transfer. Yet in his tone, Hyacinthus couldn't hide the superiority of his position.
"With your Familia's current predicament, it's clear you lack the resources. From what I know, your god Hestia-sama…"
"…still owes a debt of three million valis."
Armed with such intel, Hyacinthus was confident in his persuasion. After all, switching Familias wasn't unusual in Orario.
At the mention of Hestia's debt, Liang Yue's expression faltered for a moment before he lifted his head again.
Shit—here it comes!
He couldn't exactly write War Game incoming across his face. For now, the best tactic was to play coy—
push and pull.
He kept his expression stiff, shaking his head firmly.
"Sorry. No matter what, I won't agree to transferring."
"Why not?"
Hyacinthus frowned, his tone nearly cold.
"All you'd need to do is transfer to the Apollo Familia, and every resource…"
"…would be prioritized for you."
But the way he ground his teeth on that last line was obvious.
If not for Liang Yue, he would still be Apollo-sama's one and only favorite.
This invitation was nothing more than an unwanted chore, forced upon him so Apollo wouldn't be disappointed.
"It's simple."
Liang Yue wasn't going to play coy. His smile was light, his words firm:
"When I was at my lowest, it was Hestia-sama who extended her hand to me."
"Now that my Familia faces difficulties, if I chose to abandon her… that wouldn't be right."
"That's your answer?"
Hyacinthus studied him intently, then gave a slow, deliberate nod.
Persuasion had failed. From Liang Yue's current attitude, it was clear—there'd be no room for negotiation in the future either. That left only one method.
And Hyacinthus didn't mind letting this man suffer a little before being brought into line.
As he left, his refined yet sharp face curved into a meaningful smile.
"If you ever change your mind…"
"…the Apollo Familia doors are open."
A naked threat.
Things weren't going off-script. If they couldn't recruit him willingly, the next step would inevitably be pursuit—
force an adventurer to bend.
Once those figures had left his senses, Liang Yue finally let the sword aura condensed on his fingertips fade away.
Both his weapons were still at the smithy.
If it came down to tearing things open now, facing a Level 3 and several Level 2 adventurers…
the difficulty would be high.
And if the one leading them was Hyacinthus—
Then, most likely…
the "annoying guest" Hestia mentioned visiting the other day was indeed Apollo.
"Well… looks like I've found my money-making plan. Hopefully, things go smoothly!"
Working hard for coin couldn't compete with seizing the fruits of another Familia's labor. The best part was—it could all be done legitimately.
The Guild wouldn't be able to fault a thing.
The only rule: don't show too much eagerness. That, Liang Yue was confident about.
If Apollo had set his sights on him, why couldn't he, in turn, set his sights on Apollo's assets?
It was time to test his acting skills.
When pursuit failed, when Apollo had no more cards to play, the god would almost certainly declare a War Game against the Hestia Familia.
"Two days of rest, then it'll be time to resume Dungeon dives."
Thanks to the Ganesha Familia's watch, Hyacinthus and his lot couldn't act openly in Orario. The real danger lay in the Dungeon.
For now, all Liang Yue could do was rest—
prepare for the coming expeditions.
This was the key to his plan. He couldn't let the Apollo Familia realize that brute force wouldn't be enough to take him.
Shedding his ash-brown cloak, Liang Yue washed up. Just as he was about to rest, familiar footsteps sounded from the stairs. Changing into a clean shirt, he stepped into the living area.
There was Liliruca, still cloaked and hooded. But beneath the fabric, faint feline ears twitched.
She was panting lightly, her young face flushed but lit with excitement.
"What's the matter?"
Feeling his gaze, Lili blushed for reasons she didn't quite understand. She tugged at her hood, then quickly changed the subject.
"About our Familia base—I've been asking around."
"I don't know if you or Lady Hestia will be satisfied, so I came to hear your opinion first."
Liang Yue chuckled and nodded. He didn't have the heart to dampen the girl's enthusiasm. And when it came to his next plan—
As a member of the Familia, Lili deserved to know.
He smiled lightly, but his tone was serious.
"It's a good idea. But as for a Familia base…"
"…I think I might have a better solution!"
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