"So… this Root Contract is essentially an employment contract?"
"...You could say that."
Hilulele snorted unhappily.
She had just spoken with such grand ambition, only for it all to be for a fool's ears, right?
It was clear at a glance that Tashiniya definitely didn't have the qualifications to be a Pirate King!
Veronika remained silent, her eyes fixed on the clauses of the contract.
To be honest, it was extremely stringent.
Various countries on the continent occasionally had cooperative contracts for Dungeon exploration, such as the one signed between the Elven Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lucania in the past.
But compared to this contract, the contents of those contracts were utterly insignificant.
From every aspect, the demands of this contract practically required everyone who entered it to settle in the Elven Kingdom.
One could even say that most people, after a glance, would directly refuse this "slave contract."
Veronika knew that the Dungeon had Dragons, and she also knew about its miraculous alchemy technology.
Enchanted equipment, alchemical potions, and so on, she had seen them all.
She admitted they were unimaginable legendary resources, and this MC Dungeon was an unimaginable top-tier Dungeon.
Perhaps, across the entire continent of Aetheram, ancient and modern, no Dungeon's resources could compare.
But precisely because of this, she found it strange—
This MC Dungeon should not be open!
If that was the case, then it should just be hidden, and at most, only allow trade of some resources.
Why create a Root Contract that almost no one would be willing to sign?
The Elven Kingdom's attitude and actions were completely pigheaded and self-defeating.
A facade?
Completely unnecessary!
With the Elven Kingdom's current power, who on the entire continent of Aetheram was worth them saving face for?
For a moment, Veronika's mind was in a mess.
"Her Majesty Hilulele, honestly, this contract is a bit…"
Meluti looked at Hilulele with some difficulty.
"Any contractor can only explore the MC Dungeon as an individual adventurer, and may not notify or introduce other forces without permission."
This clause was a bit of a deterrent.
It didn't matter to Tashiniya and her companions, but she and Veronika always represented the Kingdom of Lucania.
If this contract was signed, wouldn't it mean that when they were in the MC Dungeon, they could only be individual adventurers approved by the Elven Kingdom?
Hilulele spread her hands.
"It's very harsh, isn't it?"
"Mhm, mhm!"
Tashiniya said, a little unhappy:
"What's with that 'the interests of the MC Dungeon must be placed above one's own interests'… Isn't this just making us laborers for that Dungeon?!"
To Tashiniya's questioning, Hilulele merely said calmly:
"But these clauses are fundamentally the same as those we previously signed."
At this, Veronika and the others were all stunned.
In other words… the Elven Kingdom, in order to explore the Dungeon that appeared in their territory, also signed this harsh contract?
The Elven Kingdom—
They had sold themselves to the MC Dungeon?
Was this still Aetheram Continent's "Dungeon Ownership Act"?
Seemingly noticing everyone's confusion, Hilulele smiled and jumped down from her throne, walking into the center of the hall.
Her gaze swept over the silent crowd one by one.
"As you thought, this MC Dungeon does not belong to the Elven Kingdom, and the Elven Kingdom merely had the good fortune to enter it as a vanguard. Furthermore… have you ever seen a Dungeon that can grow infinitely?"
"Hilulele, 'infinite growth' means…"
"Literally!"
Stopping in front of Veronika, Hilulele's tone was leisurely.
"Suppose you discover a new Dungeon, and after exploring it with all your might, you confirm that this Dungeon only has three floors."
"So, you rate this Dungeon as 'beginner' and mark it as such."
"After some time, you go back to explore and find that a fourth floor has appeared in this Dungeon. What do you think?"
Tashiniya scratched her head, uncertainly saying:
"Exploration error?"
"Alright, you could think that."
Hilulele then walked to Tashiniya.
"Then, after another period of time, you discover that the Dungeon has a fifth floor, a sixth floor, a seventh floor… So, was it still an exploration error?"
Tashiniya fell silent.
Hilulele suddenly turned around, her emotions high as she declared:
"The MC Dungeon is a Dungeon that grows infinitely!"
"From having only three floors at the very beginning, to now having opened up a fourth floor, it took less than a month! After that, it will give birth to a fifth floor, a sixth floor, a seventh floor… and even a ten-thousandth floor!"
"No one knows how high the potential of the MC Dungeon is, no one knows how many new floors the MC Dungeon can evolve into!"
"We only know that it is constantly evolving, constantly growing!"
Hilulele, delivering a fervent speech, deeply shocked everyone for a moment.
If it was truly as Hilulele said, then this MC Dungeon completely broke the ancient laws of the Aetheram Continent.
The name "Infinite" was well-deserved!
Veronika suddenly noticed a blind spot and became somewhat excited.
"So… you only explored four floors, and you successfully gained the ability to easily defeat Doragon?"
"Strictly speaking, the first three floors granted us such an ability."
Lop, who was beside her, chimed in with a smile, explaining.
"The previous war with Doragon, and the miraculous technologies now circulating on the continent, were all found on the first to third floors."
"So, the development of the first to third floors is comparable to the harvest of a dozen floors in other Dungeons?"
"No, it far exceeds it."
Lop's decisive answer made everyone's hearts tremble.
"As a Dungeon of infinite growth, its resources are also, in a sense, infinite… As for the fourth floor, we haven't even explored half of it yet."
Infinite… these two words, full of fantastical meaning, were used to describe resources.
Veronika couldn't even imagine how wonderful this combination was.
Lop had no reason to lie to them, so the Elven Kingdom really only explored the first three floors and gained the power to defeat Doragon.
Then… what about the fourth floor?
The Dragon Heart and Divine Artifact in Hilulele's hand must have come from the fourth floor, right?
Even from Meluti's rigorous perspective, if the Elven Kingdom could fully develop the fourth floor, who on the entire Aetheram Continent could compare to them?
But this wasn't the most terrifying thing… the most terrifying thing was that the MC Dungeon was still growing—
The Elven Kingdom and the MC Dungeon's perceived endpoint was just an insignificant beginning!
Seeing Veronika's hand, clutching the contract, tremble uncontrollably, Hilulele chuckled.
"Since we've talked this much, let me share an even more interesting piece of news."
Saying this, Hilulele suddenly turned her head, her gaze filled with deep meaning as she stared at Tashiniya and Weini.
"Guess what form each tier of the MC Dungeon takes?"
Tashiniya paused, then cautiously asked:
"Tiered floors?"
Hilulele shook her head meaningfully.
"They are worlds."
"Bang!"
Tashiniya's face changed drastically, and she slammed her hand on the table, standing up abruptly.
In the eyes of this brainless and fearless Archangel, for the first time, complex emotions of shock and fear appeared.
"Wo… worlds?!"
"A Dungeon's floors are complete worlds? Why would they be worlds?!"
"How can they be worlds! How is this possible?!"
Tashiniya stumbled back a few steps.
Her worldview, forged over countless years, began to collapse at this moment.
"It looks familiar, doesn't it?"
Hilulele stepped forward, closing in on Tashiniya, but her gaze was fixed on Weini, trying to see a hint of Tashiniya's panic in her eyes.
But she was disappointed.
Weini's eyes only held the same incredulity as Veronika and the others.
Hilulele decided to add more fuel to the fire.
"Each tiered floor is a complete world, and each tiered floor possesses unique resources and ecosystems."
"Now, combine that with the MC Dungeon's characteristic of infinitely growing floors… Your Excellency Tashiniya, what do you think of?"
The Archangel halo above her head flickered erratically.
The sacred feathers on her wings also sprouted divine and agitated light spots.
Tashiniya, for the first time, was flustered in the Nether.
After a long moment, she raised her head, gazing at Hilulele, and Tashiniya's voice was dry.
"It's… the Celestial Realm!"