The Silver-Haired, Blood-Eyed Goddess!
The most obvious difference among gods was their temperament. Goddess Astraea was gentle and charming, but in terms of noble aloofness, she was far inferior to the goddess before him.
Though this goddess was sitting on a mere blue stone, Roy felt as if she was enthroned on a noble seat, like an Empress reigning over the world, exuding a heavy sense of majesty. She seemed to reside on the highest clouds, looking down with cold arrogance upon all mortals.
Every gesture seemed to hold the power to decide the fate of countless living beings.
Of course, this was just Roy's hallucination.
Looking closely, the silver-haired goddess with sealed divine power was simply sitting alone on a rock.
"Thank you for the warning, Goddess!"
Roy said gratefully. The cave seemed to possess an extremely bizarre magic that could deceive the mind. If the goddess hadn't spoken, he might have lost himself.
The silver-haired goddess waved her hand indifferently. "It's nothing. Just a whim."
"May I ask for the Goddess's name?" Roy asked. He had never encountered this deity, and even his information from his past life offered no clues.
"What's there to say about a failure?" The silver-haired goddess curled her lip.
The silver-haired goddess referred to herself as a "failure," yet Roy could not detect a single trace of despair on her face. Her every word and gesture was filled with pride and powerful confidence.
At that moment, the silver-haired goddess's gaze fell upon Roy's treasure map. "Let me see that map."
"This..."
Roy hesitated. He recalled the story of a certain unlucky individual who painstakingly trained his 'Mystery' Development Ability to its limit, stepping into the domain of the gods, creating the Philosopher's Stone that granted eternal life, and excitedly took it to show his Chief God.
The Chief God, gripped by sudden playfulness, simply smashed the Philosopher's Stone, laughing loudly, completely unaware that he had destroyed the fruit of a person's countless years of effort.
If this goddess were to destroy the treasure map, Roy felt he would have the urge to kill her on the spot.
Seeing Roy's hesitation, the silver-haired goddess dismissed him with disdain. "Forget it if you won't give it to me. I'm not that eager to look."
"Goddess, please."
After much deliberation, Roy still handed the map over. However, he also took precautions: he stayed outside her five-meter range. Parchment wasn't as fragile as a crystal; it wouldn't be easy to destroy. At this distance, with his speed, he could potentially stop her actions.
Seeing Roy guard himself like a thief, the silver-haired goddess sighed inwardly. Kids these days aren't easy to fool. It's all thanks to certain fools who do nothing but stupid things.
The silver-haired goddess took the treasure map and examined it closely. A trace of confusion appeared on her face. "So this exists? No wonder you found this place."
"Well, do you want to go in?"
The silver-haired goddess gestured toward the eerie cave.
Roy keenly spotted a playful smirk on her face, no different from those gods who loved to find amusement. "I want to go in and find something."
The silver-haired goddess returned the treasure map to Roy and chuckled. "Alright, go ahead."
"Goddess, what's inside?"
"Weren't you just guarding against me like I was a thief?"
"That was then, this is now!"
"Hahahaha!"
The silver-haired goddess was amused by Roy's shamelessness, but she still didn't reveal any information. "Can't tell, can't tell. It won't be fun if I tell you."
Roy saw the smile on the silver-haired goddess's face grow wider, as if she wanted to see if he had the guts to enter.
The map's built-in teleportation was a one-way ticket.
If he got nothing and had to trudge all the way back to Orario, Roy would be so aggrieved he'd vomit blood.
He definitely had to go in, but not blindly.
Roy moved closer, starting to knead her stiff shoulders, grinning. "Goddess-sama, look, I went through so much trouble to get here, traversing thousands of mountains and rivers, enduring hardships along the way. Can you really bear to watch me suffer misfortune in this strange cave?"
As he spoke, Roy didn't forget to squeeze out two drops of tears, crying loud enough to move heaven and earth, heartbreaking enough to make listeners sad and witnesses tear up, trying to move her.
He kept rambling, talking for a good ten minutes.
The silver-haired goddess replied flatly, "I can bear it."
Roy's face stiffened. He had rubbed her back for nothing. His expression became even sadder, purely emotional, without any technique.
Gods could detect lies. The more exaggerated Roy acted, the more amused this goddess became.
The silver-haired goddess laughed. "You little sneak, you just want to pry information out of me, don't you? Stop acting and put some effort into that massage."
Hearing this, Roy quickly applied three times the pressure.
Perhaps annoyed by Roy's persistence, the silver-haired goddess, while enjoying the massage, casually said, "You can go in, but remember, you must only follow the route on this map and return the same way afterward. No matter what you see or hear during that time, you must never enter other areas, and don't trust anyone."
Roy cautiously asked, "What happens if I enter other areas?"
"You can try it," the silver-haired goddess replied with a bell-like laugh, shaking with merriment.
Roy shook his head like a rattle.
The silver-haired goddess picked up a bamboo basket next to her and lifted the cloth covering it. "I have a piece of cake here that I haven't finished. I'll exchange it for your boots or your gauntlet."
Roy glanced at it: a cake baked to a golden brown, coated with a layer of honey. Just by looking at it, one could imagine the satisfaction of taking a bite.
But it looked, by all appearances, like an ordinary cake...
Roy looked at his boots and gauntlet again and felt speechless. You want to exchange a honey cake for my Epic-grade equipment? You might as well just commit robbery.
Her eyes were indeed sharp, spotting the two most valuable pieces of equipment on him instantly.
The silver-haired goddess asked, "Are you unhappy?"
Roy gave a dry laugh and didn't answer.
The silver-haired goddess smiled meaningfully.
"You can certainly buy one yourself, but there isn't a single home for hundreds of kilometers around. Besides, once you leave, it won't be easy to find this place again!"
Roy's pupils constricted, recalling how the treasure map's location kept changing. "Goddess-sama, what connection does this cake have to this cave?"
The silver-haired goddess simply snorted, the message being clear: Take it or leave it, you won't find this offer anywhere else.
Repeated questioning yielded no results. Roy's gaze shifted between the Wind-Chasing Boots and the Steel Gauntlet.
Finally, he took off the Steel Gauntlet.
The Steel Gauntlet could even block a Level 3 adventurer's magic, but the Wind-Chasing Boots increased his survival rate, and Roy preferred offense and disliked defense.
The silver-haired goddess took the Steel Gauntlet and laughed. "A clever child. May the Earth Goddess bless you!"
Roy silently grumbled to himself. Please don't. I still plan to take down your Earth Goddess's Familia!
"Goddess-sama, goodbye." Roy picked up the bamboo basket and walked toward the cave.
Watching Roy's receding figure, the silver-haired goddess toyed with the gauntlet and muttered, "You little sneak. I'm the one who lost out, alright? This piece of junk equipment, back in the day, was only used by the newcomers in my Familia."
As she spoke, a hint of melancholy appeared on her face. What more is there to say now?
Skipping Chapter 72 to Chapter 73.