The Gods' Assembly hosted by Chen Hai would be held in The Tower of Babel as before.
Therefore, after entrusting the notification work to Eina, he directly teleported to the Freya Familia's stronghold, which was also the top floor of The Tower of Babel, Freya's residence.
However, the gentlemanly Chen Hai did not appear directly in Freya's room, but rather in the corridor of the main hall.
At the same time, noticing the outsider, two Freya Familia members on guard immediately became alert.
But upon seeing Chen Hai, they both removed their hands from their weapons.
The two, looking at each other, ran up to him and curiously asked,
"We did not receive any notification of Sir Chen Hai's visit... May I ask if you have something for Lady Freya?"
"If needed, we will immediately inform Lady Freya."
A man and a woman, two Familia members, looked at Chen Hai somewhat nervously.
In their eyes, the Dungeon Lord was one of the strongest beings in this world.
If they were negligent, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Looking at the nervous duo, Chen Hai replied in a calm tone,
"No need to worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to discuss the upcoming arrangements with Lady Freya, as I plan to hold another Gods' Assembly in The Tower of Babel."
"Yes, yes sir!!"
The female Familia member nodded, then turned and ran into the house.
The male Familia member who remained stood ramrod straight, not daring to breathe loudly.
Chen Hai couldn't help but ask in confusion,
"Am I that scary?"
"This..."
"You can tell the truth."
"You are the Dungeon Lord, and the Dungeon is the birthplace of monsters; although I haven't experienced the turmoil of the past, or seen scenes of rampant monsters, I once went outside the city and saw the ruins destroyed by monsters... If Lord Chen Hai wished, your monster army could easily flatten this city, I presume."
So... the male Familia member added a sentence,
"I don't wish to make any other moves that would displease you."
"So... that's what you're worried about... But such worries are reasonable. If I were displeased, I could indeed let the monster army invade the surface, but that approach doesn't seem efficient to me."
"You, what you mean is..."
Although he didn't understand the specific meaning of Chen Hai's words, the male Familia member still chose to agree.
After a while, the female Familia member ran out from inside.
"Lord Chen Hai, Lady Freya invites you to come in and have a drink first."
"En, you've worked hard."
"No, not hard at all!"
The two young Familia members stood at attention.
Chen Hai, watched by the two of them as he left, pushed open the door and saw an exquisitely decorated living room with luxurious furnishings.
The expensive sofas and tables and chairs were somewhat dazzling and striking under the sunlight.
"Please come up."
The voice came from the right side.
Looking that way, a spiral staircase led to the second floor of Freya's residence.
Chen Hai walked up the stairs, then heard the sound of splashing water.
"Over here, Sir Chen Hai."
Freya guided Chen Hai.
He walked through a small corridor with sheer curtained doorways and reached the end.
Chen Hai arrived in a new space.
The first thing that caught his eye was a huge bath surrounded by wooden pillars, each intricately carved with beautiful patterns.
The water in the bath was crystal clear, gently rippling with the breeze, creating circles of waves.
Most striking were the rose petals floating on the surface of the water, adorning it like stardust and emitting a faint fragrance.
At this moment, Freya sat gracefully on the edge of the bath, her beautiful hair cascading like a waterfall, her gaze fixed on Chen Hai.
"Am I early?"
Chen Hai looked at the goddess before him.
Freya was dressed in a light silk bath robe, casually draped over her shoulders, revealing her fair skin.
"No, you're not early, Chen Hai-kun. Please, have a seat."
"A seat…"
"Over here."
Freya gently patted the spot beside her.
It was a spot next to the bath.
Chen Hai thought for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside Freya.
He suddenly recalled something from before.
With the changes in the danmachi storyline, had Freya's character setting also changed?
Unsure about this, Chen Hai had no intention of getting closer to Freya at the moment.
"Regarding the construction of the Dungeon's safe floors, it has been very smooth so far."
Freya started a new topic.
She said with a smile,
"Most of my Familia members went to help, and I also changed my former 'training plan' accordingly."
In the original setting, the Freya Familia had 157 Adventurer members. Including non-combatants and 'worshippers,' there were over 5,000 people, and the number of healers was the highest among Orario's Familias.
Their Lv.1 to Lv.4 Familia members (excluding non-combat professions like healers) would fight each other daily at their base, even using magic and curses to defeat their comrades.
In short, it was a very thorough 'survival of the fittest' Familia.
However, after Chen Hai established new rules for Orario and completely changed the Dungeon's structure, the aforementioned arrangements were abandoned.
Instead of having members fight each other, it was better to arrange them to train their strength and create income on suitable floors.
"Once the 60th floor's safe floor is successfully established, high-level Adventurers will surely be able to explore the deeper levels more effectively. I look forward to their performance."
"Giving Adventurers more opportunities to grow stronger, Chen Hai-kun, as the Dungeon Lord, why are you willing to let your supposed competitors become stronger?"
"The reason is simple: no matter how strong they become, I will always be stronger."
After all, all Adventurers were working for Chen Hai.
The stronger they were, the more experience points they gained;
The longer they explored, the faster they leveled up.
More importantly—
It was different from running a company.
No need to pay for social insurance and housing funds;
Adventurers would find their own ways to heal if injured, no need for care;
Chen Hai could take a cut from all the profits these people created, without doing anything.
Although it sounded bad to say, Chen Hai was indeed starting to understand how satisfying it was for those 'lamp-post bosses' who exploited their employees.
"So, Chen Hai-kun, what is your ultimate goal?"
"Ultimate goal, huh… prioritizing my own continuous growth, I suppose."
The system had said that level and time would affect the strength of the connected planes.
[It's not the only standard, but its weighting is indeed very high.]
As Chen Hai thought of this, the system suddenly interjected.
Without thinking further, he continued,
"Once one possesses sufficient power, various goals can be achieved, can't they? Just as Gods descend to the lower world to seek amusement, I, too, constantly grow stronger for the sake of 'fun'."
"Seeking amusement, huh… I was indeed very bored in Heaven before, mostly just drinking alone to pass the time."
Drinking alone to pass the time?
So the setting was different?
Before Chen Hai could press further, Freya gently waved her hand.
Helen suddenly appeared nearby, carrying two exquisite wine glasses, and walked over.
The glasses were filled with a golden liquid, emitting an enticing aroma.
"This is a fine wine I specially prepared for you. I hope you like it."
Freya handed a glass to Chen Hai.
"This wine can not only relax the mind but also inspire creativity."
"Is it that magical?"
Taking the glass, Chen Hai sniffed the aroma, then took a small sip.
"It tastes good."
He made the simplest evaluation, then turned the topic back to the construction of the safe floor on the Dungeon's 60th level.
"Regarding the construction of the safe floor, if it significantly improves Adventurers' efficiency in exploring deeper levels after it becomes operational, I can allow you to establish new safe floors on other levels."
"Please rest assured, Chen Hai-kun, we will do our best."
"I look forward to it."
The two clinked glasses.
As the wine's surface gently rippled, Chen Hai and Freya drank it all.
————
————
The notice for the Gods' Assembly had been issued, and the main Gods of Orario began to appear one after another near the corridor leading to the top floor of The Tower of Babel.
Hestia was one of them.
At this moment, she walked with Hephaestus, ascending the stairs on the first floor.
"Hestia, where are your friends?"
"Are you referring to Saeko, Saya, and them? Like us, they're also having a gathering, saying they need to discuss 'how to survive in Orario from now on'."
"I see… But I remember they all have jobs, right? Like Adventurers, healers, and so on."
"There must be other concerns, I reckon."
After Hestia finished speaking, she didn't continue the topic but instead asked about something else.
"Is your Familia's Captain not here because she's still building the safe floor in the Dungeon?"
"That's right."
Hephaestus nodded at the question.
The 'construction of the Dungeon's 60th-floor safe floor, led by the Freya Familia' was already widely known.
Many main Gods were quite interested in this plan.
Because the construction of a new safe floor meant that high-level Adventurers could receive better support, more exploration time, and thus, more profit.
In a highly competitive place like Orario, although the Familias appeared peaceful on the surface, there were many underlying conflicts.
Disputes over Dungeon minerals;
Operation of Orario's commercial districts;
Recruitment of excellent Adventurers, and so on.
"Since Chen Hai-kun allowed this plan, it will surely be very successful."
"The Dungeon's 60th floor was not originally a safe floor. If it's to be built from scratch, many problems will certainly arise, especially the differences in structural materials between different floors, such as the hardness of rocks and…"
"Wait, wait, Hephaestus, don't talk about all that yet, I don't really understand it."
"In short, it's very complex and can't be done in a day or two. The most important part is material transportation; the possibility of being robbed by powerful monsters en route is high, so the resulting losses will increase significantly."
Hephaestus was not a merchant, but she understood some of the aforementioned issues.
"Ya-hoo!"
A figure suddenly appeared behind the two of them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.
Hestia and Hephaestus turned their heads together.
They saw Loki's smiling face.
After releasing the two, Loki returned to her own group.
The people who came with her this time were Riveria and Asuna.
"Good afternoon, Hestia, Hephaestus. It hasn't been many days since the last Gods' Assembly, has it? What do you think Chen Hai wants to talk about?"
"I don't know."
After Hephaestus replied, she looked at Hestia.
The latter quickly shook her head.
"I don't know either, and Chen Hai-kun has been very busy lately, he hasn't played with me anymore; how do I say it… it must be because he has too many girls around him, changing one every hour."
"Is that so? To me, Chen Hai-kun seems more like someone dedicated to his work."
As soon as she said this, Asuna immediately agreed.
As the first person to be recruited as a 'City Member,' she softly said,
"Chen Hai-kun told me he would arrange a deep-level training for me, but it hasn't started yet. He must be very busy lately."
"...I chatted with Chen Hai-kun before, and he indeed gives the impression of 'prioritizing work'."
Even Riveria held the same view.
So, in everyone's eyes, Chen Hai-kun was that kind of person?
Hestia wished he would pay more attention to her… but being greedy wouldn't do either.
Hestia was well aware of this.
"What are you talking about?"
Another main God joined the conversation.
It was Hermes, wearing a hat and holding a drink.
"It's a secret."
Hestia made a shushing gesture.
"Huh? Don't leave me out, please!"
"Lord Hermes. Please be more serious…"
Aasfi, the Captain following behind Hermes, pushed up her glasses, hoping her main God would be more formal on such an occasion.
"Haha! The Gods' Assembly is originally a gathering for us Gods to share the latest information or exchange opinions, it's not that serious, is it? Unless the Dungeon Lord is going to say something very important next, but I'm not very interested anyway."
The boisterously laughing God was Dian Casket.
Although he had an arrogant and bold personality, everyone didn't dislike him, as they knew this God uncle had no ill intentions.
"Lord Dian Casket, I believe there must be a reason for Little Brother Chen Hai to hold a 'Gods' Assembly.' When we get up there, please don't say such things again."
Amide, the captain of the Dian Casket Familia and a top healer, stepped forward to remind her God.
However, the beautiful healer's reply was—
"Why be so formal? I was thinking of finding Little Brother Chen Hai one day and asking him to help me find a hot spring in the Dungeon! I'm already tired of the hot springs in Orario!"
"Lord Dian Casket..."
Amide was at a loss whether to cry or laugh after hearing him.
At this moment, someone agreed with his idea.
"A special hot spring in the Dungeon open to Gods? That sounds very interesting."
Everyone looked to the back right upon hearing this.
Standing there was Miach, the God of the Miach Familia.
Before he finished speaking, Takemikazuchi, the God stroking his chin, also joined the conversation.
"Hmm... I'm also looking forward to it, the 'special hot spring' in the Dungeon. It's said that some floors contain powerful healing herbs. If those were put into a hot spring, one would surely recover instantly upon soaking in it."
"We've done research on this aspect, you know."
The topic of 'Dungeon hot springs' once again attracted another God to join.
She was Demeter.
After everyone looked over, Demeter smiled and added,
"Adding crushed healing herbs to a hot spring, along with a little recovery potion, can indeed speed up recovery from injuries. However, with ordinary hot springs, those effects cannot be retained and will quickly lose their potency; if it were a Dungeon hot spring... it might have miraculous effects."
"Excellent! Then let's all go to the hot springs together that day!"
Loki smiled and proposed this idea.
Then, seeing some male Gods and male Familia members staring at her, she added,
"Only goddesses! It's a goddess hot spring!"
"Is that discrimination?"
"Also, Hermes is forbidden from entering any hot spring."
"Wait, isn't this targeting a bit too much?!"
After Hermes complained, everyone laughed, and even his captain showed a helpless expression of 'Lord God has become a joke.'
Their conversation ended there, and they soon arrived at the venue for the 'Gods' Assembly.'
Hestia immediately noticed Chen Hai's figure.
He was coming down from the second floor with Freya.
"A philanderer?"
"There aren't that many 'cats' in this city."
Hephaestus, complaining about someone next to her, continued,
"Anyway, let's go say hello to him first."
"Yes, okay!"
Hestia finished speaking and walked forward.
The person standing next to Chen Hai couldn't be just that Freya!
------
--- Attack ---
"Chen Hai!"
"Hestia, you're here."
"Mhm mhm!"
Chen Hai saw Hestia run up to him. After they exchanged smiles, he turned to look at the Gods and Familia captains who had gathered there again.
"Welcome everyone to this 'Gods' Assembly.' The main purpose of this 'Gods' Assembly' is only one."
Chen Hai, scanning the scene for beautiful Familia members, added,
"I need to recruit some 'Otherworld Dungeon' administrators."