Astrea—
Five years before the start of this story, members of her Familia were ambushed by the dark faction 'Rudra Familia.' Due to the Juggernaut incident that occurred in the Forest Canyon on the 30th floor of the Dungeon, all of her Familia members except Ryu died.
She herself left Orario at Ryu's persuasion.
She eventually lived in Solingen, a sword-making city outside Orario, and had several new Familia members.
Chen Hai, who knew this basic information, looked at the goddess of justice who suddenly appeared at the 'Gods' Assembly' and was somewhat surprised.
And facing such a beautiful brown-haired goddess, all the chief gods and Familia members stared at her curiously.
Bearing the gaze from everyone present, Astrea remained calm and looked at Chen Hai.
"May I speak with Sir Chen Hai alone?"
"Of course."
Chen Hai immediately agreed, and after saying a word to Hestia, he walked over.
Along the way, he heard many puzzled voices.
"Is that Goddess Astrea?"
"You're not wrong, it's her… She left Orario five years ago, and now she's back. What for?"
"Because Orario has changed, does she want to make money?"
"That's a possibility. After all, after Lord Chen Hai set new rules for the Dungeon, Orario completely became the center of the world."
"The magic stones exported from here supply the entire world; the other two secret realms can't compare at all."
"That's normal. Only the Dungeon is special, because the Great Tree Sea and the Dragon Valley don't have the 'infinite possibilities' of a labyrinth; they mostly offer dangerous monsters and extreme challenges."
The chief gods and Familia members discussed animatedly.
Chen Hai ignored these and walked up to Astrea.
Brown hair, fair complexion, and a graceful figure encased in a delicate white long dress.
Her northern hemisphere was also very alluring.
But that wasn't the point… "The second floor can be provided for the two of you."
Not far away, Freya looked at the second floor connected by the spiral staircase, telling them they could go up there to talk.
So, under everyone's gaze, Chen Hai took Astrea and left the scene.
Upon reaching the second floor, a cool breeze could be felt blowing from the direction of the balcony.
At this moment, the afterglow of dusk had already dissipated, and the black that gradually enveloped the sky signaled the arrival of night.
Chen Hai's gaze moved to the right, seeing the bathtub where Freya had previously invited him to sit.
Behind him, Astrea, who had been surveying the scene, walked towards the balcony.
Chen Hai followed her steps and arrived at the balcony together.
This place was on the top floor of The Tower of Babel, and it was also the central area of Orario.
Looking down, more than half of the streets could be seen at a glance.
Astrea looked at all this and sighed softly,
"Five years… this place has changed a lot."
"As time passes, Orario is also bidding farewell to its past self. What you see now is just a part of the future."
"Sir Chen Hai, you are very articulate."
Withdrawing her gaze, Astrea looked at Chen Hai.
She took a deep breath.
Astrea, who had a painful past, had a very important reason for coming here today.
"Please allow me to introduce myself, Sir Chen Hai. My name is Astrea. Five years ago, I operated my Familia in Orario. Because of an incident in the Dungeon, I left this city. Now I have returned…"
"I know some information about Miss Astrea, because the Adventurers' Guild now belongs to me, and there are archived records of some of Orario's history there."
"It seems my self-introduction was unnecessary."
"Not at all. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Astrea."
Chen Hai extended his right hand.
Astrea hesitated at the sight.
"Is my hand dirty?"
"No, it's not. Please don't misunderstand."
Astrea quickly grasped his right hand, which was extended, and replied,
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Chen Hai."
"En…"
"Um… could you please let go of my hand?"
"That won't do."
Now Astrea's hand was tightly held by Chen Hai.
The reason it became like this—
Chen Hai leaned his face close to Astrea's, feeling the warm breath exhaled by the goddess.
And he stared into the goddess's jewel-like eyes.
"You seem to be afraid of me. This right hand, held by me, is also trembling a little."
"…"
"I know your past, but that already belongs to the 'past.' The 'Dungeon' I control starts from the 'future.' You don't have to regard me as the creator of those misfortunes, otherwise I wouldn't have changed this city."
"Why is the Dungeon controlled by Sir Chen Hai open to outsiders?"
Chen Hai, still holding the goddess's right hand, smiled.
"For my own benefit, and to develop Orario, since I control it now."
"Is… that so…"
"If I wanted to forcibly rule here, what would you plan to do?"
"I have two choices."
Astrea added,
"First, at the cost of returning to the Celestial Realm, I would fight Sir Chen Hai with divine power."
"And the second?"
"At my own cost… hoping Sir Chen Hai would stop."
In short, it meant offering herself.
Chen Hai smiled slightly after hearing this.
"Does Miss Astrea equate herself with this world? I don't dislike such a confident goddess."
553 "No, I didn't mean that… it's just…"
"It's alright."
"…"
"Don't worry, Miss Astrea."
Chen Hai exerted force and pulled the goddess in front of him.
"At least for now, I am your comrade."
"Um… that's too close…"
"My apologies."
Only then did Chen Hai release Astrea in front of him.
The latter exhaled, her face flushed, and after adjusting her mindset, she looked at Chen Hai.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Ah, yes… there's one more thing."
"What is the specific content…?"
"I hope Miss Astrea will ban the 'Pleasure District' in this city."
"Pleasure Quarter... Does Lord Chen Hai mean to destroy the Istar Familia's business?"
Chen Hai didn't answer. Instead, he turned and looked back at Orario.
"I hope my city becomes quiet. I believe Miss Astrea feels the same way about this."
"Yes..."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Miss Astrea."
Chen Hai looked at the Goddess who had suddenly sought him out.
"Prove the value of the Astrea Familia to me."
The Goddess of Justice and Order would now follow Chen Hai's arrangements and begin to act!