But the merchants didn't care about that. They only knew that the Guild's monopoly on the magic stone trade was hindering the continued growth of their wealth.
So after the Zeus and Hera Familias were defeated and the power of the Guild declined, the merchants began to hatch their own plans.
As for the possibility that the destruction of the Guild would cause the Dungeon's monsters to break free from the constraints of Babel, or even the return of the One eyed Black Dragon, plunging the world back into the Ancient Times, it had nothing to do with them.
After seven years of fighting against Evilus, someone in the Guild must have figured this out.
But this kid has only been in the city for a few days, and he's already figured this out?
Impressive! If I had this guy as a teammate, I wouldn't have to worry about outmaneuvering that sinister Finn.
Thinking of this, Valletta's mood became even brighter. She almost wanted to laugh out loud.
...
"And your method of attacking Orario isn't hard to guess," Noah continued.
"After all, hiding like rats, it's almost impossible for you to defeat the Guild and the other Familias head-on. However, this city has its own weaknesses. Besides being completely dependent on the outside world for food, there's the Dungeon."
As Valletta watched with interest, Noah tapped his foot on the bluestone floor.
"This boundless treasure trove that created Orario's prosperity is also a massive bomb. If it were detonated, the city would naturally be destroyed. As for detonating it, that god, Mars, must have been the one who caused the Dungeon riot a few days ago, right?"
After he finished speaking, the alley fell into silence.
Only the gentle sound of the wind and the distant bustle of the city could be heard.
After a long moment, Valletta slowly clapped her hands, her eyes filled with admiration.
"Excellent. Truly excellent. You've only been here a few days, but you've already seen the situation clearly. I don't know how long it's been since someone as outstanding and intelligent as you appeared in Orario."
In fact, what Noah said was not some earth-shattering secret.
Given enough time, a considerable number of people could understand the key dynamics of Orario.
After all, while the world isn't full of geniuses, there are always a few.
When a person thinks they have come up with a brilliant idea that no one else has, there are definitely dozens, if not hundreds, of people who have had the same thought.
There are always reasons why such ideas are not implemented.
Destroying Orario by detonating the Dungeon was a plan that had existed since Evilus was first born hundreds of years ago.
But the question was, how to do it?
Under the guard of the Zeus and Hera Familias, who were filled with adventurers more monstrous than the monsters themselves, you would have had to lure out the monsters from below the 50th floor just to have a chance.
Otherwise, you would be destroyed halfway.
And if Evilus had the ability to enter the Dungeon below the 50th floor, they wouldn't need such a troublesome plan in the first place.
Even today, when Orario had declined to the point where there was only one Level 6 and less than ten Level 5 adventurers, it was still necessary to attract monsters from at least the 50th floors to be safe.
But for Evilus, this was still as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Even if they gathered all their forces, they could only penetrate to about the 40th floor.
Although breaking through Babel's defenses wasn't impossible, the key was how to avoid being stopped by adventurers in the process.
Therefore, all problems returned to one essential point: power.
There were very few truly ingenious strategies in this world.
What determined the final outcome of any event, and even the fate of the world, was always the balance of power between the two sides.
But this did not mean that the silver-haired boy was not outstanding.
After all, people who can see through the essence of things at a glance and people who take decades, or even a lifetime, to understand are destined for completely different fates.
For example, even today, a large number of low-level members in Evilus still believed that as long as the Freya and Loki Familias were defeated, Orario could be destroyed.
This was probably why they were at the bottom of society before joining Evilus, and why they could only serve as cannon fodder now.
"My name is Valletta Grede. What's yours?"
Searching the name in his mind, Noah remembered seeing her wanted poster in front of the Guild notice board near the Great Libraries.
However, it had just been a fleeting glimpse, and the portrait had been so faded by wind and sun that he hadn't made the connection.
Level 5... she's a dangerous one. I don't know if I can beat her.
But this is good. It will be a fine test to see where my strength stands in this world. Moreover, if I take Valletta's head, it will definitely attract the attention of Orario's gods.
Then, the situation will change from me seeking a top Familia to them all seeking me.
It was worth acting for so long on an empty stomach.
"Noah. Noah Sifel."
"Noah-kun! We have the same goal and the same enemy. Let's work together!" Valletta held out her hand to Noah.
If anyone else saw this scene, they would be shocked. The infamous Arachnia was actually offering to shake hands with someone. "Let's plunge Orario completely into darkness!"
Facing Valletta's extended hand, Noah didn't move, but instead raised his chin in disdain.
"Just you lot? A bunch of bugs beaten into hiding by the Guild, and you want to cooperate with me?"
In response to his contemptuous look, Valletta grinned, unfazed. The more capable a person is, the worse their temper.
She was prepared for this. After all, both Evilus and Orario were full of people who were incompetent and had terrible tempers.
In order to find an intelligent teammate who could act as her external brain, freeing her from the drudgery of thinking so she could kill to her heart's content, Valletta felt this attitude was completely tolerable.
"Noah-kun, you didn't come to Orario just to mock us or for sightseeing, did you? Let me guess. You also want to destroy Orario. Or rather, your mission is to destroy Orario, right?"
As if his secrets had been exposed, Noah's expression became even colder, and he stared at Valletta with eyes as sharp as knives.
"What are you trying to say?"
Feeling that she had hit the nail on the head, Valletta's smile widened as she slowly walked towards him.
"I just want to say, what would your Lord God think if he knew you could have destroyed Orario faster by cooperating with us, but you wasted the opportunity because of your own pride? And even allowed these people in Orario to survive longer?"
Standing in front of Noah, who frowned and seemed to be in deep thought, Valletta tilted her head and spoke softly.
"Hey, Noah-kun, you don't want to disappoint your lord, do you?"
Noah suddenly looked up and glared at Valletta, gritting his teeth.
"Are you threatening me?! Do you think I will submit to a heretic like you?"
Valletta held up a finger and slowly waved it in front of his face.
"No, no, no. I'm not threatening you, and I don't want you to surrender. I'm simply stating a fact. Cooperating with us to destroy Orario doesn't conflict with your goal of eradicating heretics. After all, what's easier than stabbing an ally in the back?"
Valletta reached out to Noah again.
"The best way to eliminate us heretics is to destroy us and Orario together, right? This will surely impress your Lord God!"
Valletta didn't need teammates she could trust with her life.
As long as she could destroy Orario and kill that despicable Finn, she didn't even care about her own death.
Noah realized once again that the people of Evilus were a bunch of lunatics. People are always bound by their own desires; the more desires they have, the more powerless they become.
Conversely, the fewer desires one has, the stronger one becomes.
Even an ordinary mortal can unleash amazing power if he gives up everything, including his life.
Noah didn't know if the other members of Evilus were like this, but the woman in front of him definitely was.
Fortunately, Noah was such a person too.
So he stretched out his hand with an unwilling look on his face. "Hmph! In that case, just you wait..."
Valletta smiled as they shook hands, but the next second, the sound of a blade being unsheathed echoed in the alley.
...
The instant she heard the sharp sound of metal, Valletta's smile vanished, and her face changed completely.
Her right hand was clasped with Noah's, so she couldn't pull it out in time. She could only stretch out her left hand with lightning speed.
Valletta slowly lowered her head and saw that Noah was holding a dagger in his other hand, pressing it against her abdomen.
It was just a hair's breadth from tearing through her clothes and piercing her vitals. If she hadn't caught his arm, she'd be bleeding right now.
"What are you doing?" Valletta raised her eyes coldly and met Noah's deep gaze.
He didn't speak, but his cold eyes said everything.
Then, in just a second, Valletta understood, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're not one of us at all!"
Why? Why did it turn out like this? For the first time, I found a teammate with a brain. For the first time, I didn't have to worry about stupid teammates. The intersection of these two wonderful things should have been my salvation, a chance to finally let go and enjoy the simple joy of killing! But why did it turn into this?! I was finally moved! And you made me lose so completely!
Thinking back to her sincere invitation just a moment ago, Valletta laughed, a harsh sound born from the anger of being deceived.
The Loki Familia should just hang me from their banner for being such a fool!
In order to redeem herself from the humiliation, Valletta forced a smile onto her face, a bloodthirsty, ferocious grin that showed her fangs.
"What a shame! You underestimated the strength of a Level 5!"
As if unaware of the strong murderous aura emanating from Valletta, Noah nodded in agreement.
"Yes, the strength of a Level 5 is still greater than I imagined. If I don't give it my all, I'm afraid I really can't be your opponent... Fortunately, I have a trick up my sleeve."
"Hm?" Noah's calm and relaxed sigh made Valletta feel inexplicably uneasy. "A trick? What?"
"Of course, it's this hand!"
Before Valletta's wide-open eyes, a third hand appeared in the tiny gap between her and Noah, waving at her in greeting.
How is this possible!
Valletta could clearly feel that her right hand was holding Noah's right hand, and her left hand was holding down his left arm!
Could it be!
Valletta exerted a little force with her right hand, and the "right hand" in her palm shattered like a dandelion.