Alice was rather surprised to find Ais and Lefiya at her home.
"What brings you two here at this hour?" She glanced out the window at the already setting sun and asked curiously.
"We were passing by," Ais explained simply.
"Passing by, huh…" A bead of cold sweat trickled down Alice's forehead. She'd mentioned it before—while her house was on the same side of the city as the Loki Familia, it wasn't exactly close. It wasn't the opposite direction, but calling it "on the way" was a stretch.
Coming straight to her place from the Dungeon before heading back to the Loki Familia meant they'd nearly doubled their travel distance.
"Well, here's what actually happened," Lefiya chimed in this time. "The day after tomorrow is our expedition, so we wanted to check if you'd come out these past couple of days. If you still hadn't emerged by then, it'd be almost a week before we could see you again."
Hearing that, Alice furrowed her brow.
"I see… an expedition."
As one of Orario's most powerful Familias, expeditions were a regular affair for the Loki Familia—even more frequent than the Freya Familia's.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that, compared to Loki's group, the smaller Freya Familia couldn't muster the same scale and fanfare even when they did embark on expeditions.
The Loki Familia's expeditions didn't impact Alice much personally.
She could handle the Dungeon perfectly well on her own, but lately, she'd grown accustomed to venturing in with Lefiya and Ais.
Going back to solo trips so abruptly would feel a little lonely.
"An expedition, huh… Well, I wish you a smooth and successful journey."
Alice smiled warmly as she offered her blessing.
Hearing her words, Lefiya lowered her head, a shy smile gracing her lips. "Thanks to your guidance, Alice, I'm actually feeling really confident about this expedition."
Lefiya was plenty powerful—if she invoked Elf Ring, she'd easily be the most explosive mage in Orario, bar none.
Of course, that "most explosive" title didn't account for Alice.
However, Lefiya's timid nature often held her back. Her easily flustered personality caused her to stammer and trip over her words whenever faced with hordes of monsters.
But now, having learned to cast without chanting, Lefiya was brimming with confidence for the upcoming expedition.
The look she gave Alice now was filled with deep gratitude.
In response, Alice simply shook her head. Lefiya was her friend, and Alice was never stingy with her friends.
Besides, even if they weren't friends, Alice had her own arrangement with Loki and didn't expect any thanks.
"By the way, how deep are you planning to go this time?" Alice asked curiously.
Rumor had it that the deepest explored area of Orario was the 59th floor—a milestone achieved by the former Zeus and Hera Familias.
Not long after that, both Familias lost their core strength in the battle against the One Eyed Black Dragon and were eventually driven out of Orario by the Loki and Freya Familias.
According to some unreliable intel from Loki, the area Alice now lived in was supposedly ruins of the former Zeus Familia. Though a few dilapidated structures remained, nothing of its former glory was left.
If the Loki Familia was preparing an expedition, chances were high they were targeting the unexplored regions—beyond the 59th floor.
Sure enough.
Lefiya replied, "Our goal is definitely the unexplored territory. But before this, the deepest we've reached was the 51st and 58th floors. We've never actually set foot on the 59th, so it's uncertain whether we'll succeed this time."
The Loki Familia's longstanding objective, or more precisely, the goal of their captain Finn, had always been to surpass the achievements of the Zeus and Hera Familias.
As for Loki herself, she didn't have such lofty ambitions. As a god, she was here for fun. How far the children of the lower world could go wasn't something she could—or would—interfere with.
"The 59th floor, huh…" Alice couldn't help but marvel.
Based on her own battle with Goliath, Alice estimated her current limits lay within the first 30 floors.
Any deeper, and she'd be pushing her luck.
There was no denying it—as one of Orario's top Familias, the Loki Familia's ambitions were on a level others could only dream of reaching.
"Alice, do you want to come? On the expedition."
Ais looked calmly at Alice as she made the suggestion.
"Yes!" Hearing Ais's words, Lefiya immediately sprang to her feet, excited. Alice had a good relationship with the Loki Familia, and her strength was formidable—she was more than qualified to join their expedition.
After all, the Loki Familia often collaborated with members of other Familias during expeditions—like the Hephaestus Familia's captain.
Beyond the 50th floor, just the round trip could take an entire day.
Moreover, even if their target was the unexplored territory beyond the 59th floor, that didn't mean they could head straight there. They still had to navigate through all 59 floors of the labyrinth to get there.
They were bound to encounter monsters along the way, and their equipment would suffer significant wear and tear.
The Loki Familia didn't have a blacksmith of their own, so they needed to cooperate with other Familias. But below the 50th floor, even Level 5 adventurers faced dangers. A weaker blacksmith, even if they could help with weapon maintenance, would undoubtedly become a liability during the advance.
As for Alice, her strength easily placed her on par with the first-tier fighters. And as a mage, her firepower—Lefiya felt—was even superior to her own. She'd be an excellent addition to their combat force.
But most importantly, if Alice joined the Loki Familia expedition, Lefiya would get to spend the entire week with her.
And why did she want to spend so much time with Alice?
Well, obviously to discuss all things magic—what else could it be? chuckle
"Alice, please come with us on the expedition!" Lefiya gazed at her, eyes full of hope.
To be honest, Ais's suggestion had struck a chord with Alice.
"Me, joining the expedition…" Alice pondered it seriously, then nodded at the two. "I'd like to, if I'm allowed."
Hearing her answer, Lefiya cheered, "I understand! I'll go back right now and tell the Captain and Lady Riveria! They'll definitely agree!"
With that, Lefiya excitedly dashed out of Alice's home and sprinted in the direction of the Loki Familia.
"Then, I'll take my leave too." Seeing Lefiya run off, Ais also stood up. "I'll come again tomorrow."
"Mm, see you tomorrow then." Alice smiled gently as she watched Ais leave.
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