Leaving the reception room, Royman walked toward the depths of the Guild.
As the creator of the Adventurers Guild, Ouranos lived deep beneath the Adventurers Guild, suppressing the Dungeon with his divinity through prayer , to prevent monsters from escaping to the surface.
Passing through the red-carpeted underground stairs, Royman arrived at a massive altar space in the Guild's basement.
"It's Royman."
In the center of the altar surrounded by torches, the majestic old god sat upon his divine throne, watching the visitor.
"Has something happened on the surface?"
"Yes, Lord Ouranos."
Royman stopped with a respectful expression.
Though his lifestyle was somewhat corrupt, he held heartfelt respect for this creator god of Orario.
Without hiding anything, he revealed everything he had just learned about the Dark Faction Remnants (Evilus) and the Knossos.
Royman: "Lord Ouranos, I remember that Daedalus was once your dependent."
"May I ask if you have any knowledge regarding Daedalus privately constructing an underground labyrinth?"
"Regrettably, I do not know either."
Ouranos replied in a deep voice: "After building The Tower of Babel, Daedalus became obsessed with the Dungeon."
"As far as I know, he disappeared after creating Daedalus Street, using the Dungeon as a template."
"Thank you for your answer."
A look of reflection flashed in Royman's eyes.
Although he didn't get a precise answer from Ouranos, the conclusion was more or less the same.
Obsessed with the Dungeon's labyrinth, disappeared in his prime...
Combined with the information provided by Cain, it was very likely that Daedalus built the Knossos after he disappeared.
"Lord Ouranos, do you have any thoughts regarding the matter of the Corrupted Spirit?"
Having finished asking about the Knossos, Royman shifted the topic to another key point.
Ouranos fell silent for a moment before replying: "I am not certain if a Corrupted Spirit exists."
"However, in the distant past, many spirits did indeed follow the Great Heroes into the Dungeon to clear out monsters."
The Falna was brought to the earth by Ouranos a thousand years ago.
But in ancient times before the gods descended, spirits guided humanity according to the will of the gods, acting as aids to heroes active in the world, serving a similar purpose to the current divine Falna.
To eradicate monsters, in that era, countless heroes and spirits headed into the depths of the Dungeon.
But in the end, not a single person ever returned alive.
No matter how famous the hero or spirit, they were ultimately buried in the depths of the Dungeon, leaving no trace behind.
Ouranos: "The Dungeon has been undergoing mutations in recent years; the birth of a Corrupted Spirit is not mere talk."
"If this is true, then a Corrupted Spirit might be an existence comparable to the Three Great Quests. We must be careful."
"I understand."
Royman nodded seriously.
Having asked all the questions he needed, Royman did not stay long in the underground altar.
After bidding farewell to Ouranos, he hurried up the stairs and headed back toward the reception room.
After watching him leave, Ouranos turned his gaze toward a nearby corner.
"Fels, what do you think of this?"
A figure draped in a black robe stepped out from the corner.
Facing Ouranos's inquiry, Fels fell silent for a moment before replying: "I have been tracking those who hunt Xenos for the past few years, and I've found that these people often vanish into thin air."
"If the labyrinth truly exists, then the reason for their sudden disappearance can be explained. They returned to the Knossos through secret passages."
Speaking of which, Fels paused and focused on another matter: "Ouranos, I think there's something wrong with that man named Cain. He needs to be investigated."
Ouranos: "You suspect Cain is in league with the Dark Faction (Evilus)?"
Fels nodded: "He knows too much. Whether it's the Corrupted Spirit or the Knossos, neither should be known by a Level 1."
"He is not Level 1."
Ouranos reminded: "I can sense that Royman hid some information when mentioning Cain. That man is likely a high-tier adventurer."
"Furthermore, Cain is a member of the Hestia Familia. Hestia and I come from the same place, and I know her character well. Someone she values won't be a bad person."
Fels: "...You mean, you want me to find an opportunity to contact Cain and cooperate with him?"
Ouranos nodded slightly: "I am only providing you with an option. What you do specifically is up to you."
"I will consider it."
Fels did not agree directly.
As the legendary Great Sage, Fels knew well that one can know a person's face but not their heart.
Even with Ouranos's endorsement, he still decided to investigate Cain before making a decision.
...
On the other side.
After leaving the underground altar, Royman returned to the reception room immediately.
After a conversation with Cain, he learned about Cain's plan regarding Knossos.
"Wait until you're Level 5? Isn't that too slow?"
Royman frowned: "I don't want to drag this out for too long. Delays are prone to problems."
Cain released a bit of his aura: "Don't worry, it won't take long. I'm already Level 3."
Royman: "Level 3?!"
Royman rarely showed an expression of surprise.
If he remembered correctly, Cain had only broken through to Level 2 about twenty days ago, right?
Even with a skill that accelerates stat growth, this speed was a bit too fast.
However, breaking through quickly was a good thing for Royman; it meant he hadn't invested in the wrong person.
Recovering from his surprise, Royman thought for a moment and asked: "How long will it take you to break through to Level 5?"
Cain: "If it's fast, one or two months; if it's slow, three or four months. In any case, it can be done within half a year."
Royman: "Half a year is acceptable."
The situation in the Knossos was too complex.
To overcome this difficult hurdle, he needed to persuade the Loki Familia and Freya Familia to set aside their grievances and proceed together, while also mobilizing other Familias to join.
By the time he was ready, about three or four months would have passed, so the timing was just right.
"Then you should focus on getting stronger for now. If you run into any trouble, you can come to me. As long as it's not a matter of principle, I can help you resolve it."
"Eh! Isn't that a coincidence!"
Cain clapped his hands: "I actually do have one thing I need your help with right now."
Royman was stunned: "What is it?"
Cain pulled a piece of parchment from his robe: "This is a contract I've drafted. I want to use the Guild's help to transfer the Ishtar Familia's base to my name."
Royman: "..."
Cain: "What's wrong? It's just a piece of land; this shouldn't go against your principles, right?"
It didn't go against his principles, but it went against his wallet.
Royman really wanted to go back a few seconds and slap himself. Why did he have to talk so much?
With Ishtar sent back to the heavens, the Ishtar Familia's base would normally be reclaimed by the Guild.
With proper maneuvering, not only could the Guild make money, but he could also take kickbacks to fill his own pockets.
But now...
Looking at the smiling black-haired youth in front of him, Royman sighed and took the parchment.
No matter what, the words had been spoken; now he could only treat it as an investment given to Cain.
...
Holding the land deed contract stamped by Royman, Cain returned to the Hestia Familia in a pleasant mood.
In the empty courtyard, Hestia was standing before a group of Amazon Girls, giving orders with great flair.
"Everyone listen up! You must be fully dressed while active within the Familia. No seducing Cain!"
"If I catch anyone making a move, it will be treated as a serious crime! One month in the dark room!"
An Amazon girl raised her hand. "Goddess Hestia! Can I book three months in the dark room in advance?"
Another Amazon girl next to her also raised her hand. "Goddess Hestia! I'm not as greedy as her; I'll just take two months!"
"You two! Knowing the law and breaking it makes the crime even worse. Believe it or not, I'll throw you in the dark room right now!"
Hestia glared at the two of them, her fur practically standing on end.
She could feel that the two weren't joking; these two 'professional players' truly wanted to 'eat chicken.'
Hestia looked toward the other side. "Aisha! You keep a close eye on them for me. If anything goes wrong, you're going into the dark room with them!"
Aisha: "..."
Actually, I wanted to book the dark room too.
Looking at the agitated loli goddess before her, Aisha swallowed the words she was about to say.
Just then, she saw Cain walking over from not far away.
"Cain, you're back!"
Hestia also saw Cain and immediately ran over to grab his arm.
"How did the talk with the Guild go?"
"Everything went smoothly. We got the new base."
Cain called Aisha over. "This land deed for the Ishtar Familia's territory will be handed over to you to manage from now on."
Aisha was stunned for a moment. "Manage?"
Cain nodded. "I'm different from Ishtar. I won't force you to be prostitutes. However, if any of you have needs in that regard, you can continue to do so."
Amazons were a unique race.
Unlike Dwarves or Elves, the offspring born to an Amazon are always Amazons; there are no half-Amazons.
In other words, for Amazons to reproduce, they must seek the help of males from other races.
Because of this trait, Amazonian sexual culture is very open, with a custom of 'plundering' men.
Unlike Haruhime, who joined by accident...
Most members of the Ishtar Familia joined specifically because of the prostitution aspect.
Since that was the case, there was no need to scrap it.
In a unique place like Orario, the existence of prostitutes was inevitable.
With the foundation left by the Ishtar Familia, he could completely take over and resume operations.
As for whether doing so would affect Goddess Hestia's reputation as a virgin goddess...
Aisha and the others were all from the Soma Familia now; what did it have to do with the Hestia Familia?
After handing full authority over the prostitution industry to Aisha, Cain thought for a moment and added:
"If anyone is interested in the food and beverage industry, they can also switch careers and work at Hestia Restaurant."
"If someone has good culinary skills, they can be appointed as a chef at Hestia Restaurant with extra rewards."
Aisha: "What do you mean by extra rewards?"
Cain: "Special techniques like Breathing Techniques. Once learned, you can possess even greater power at the same rank. If you don't want to learn a Breathing Technique, you can exchange it for other rewards, such as magic items, custom weapons... for outstanding performance, even a magic book is possible."
Aisha: "You really are quite generous."
A magic book was no ordinary item.
The fact that he was even pulling out a magic book as a reward showed how much importance Cain placed on this matter.
Accepting the task, Aisha called the people from the Ishtar Familia together to ask for the girls' opinions.
On the other side, just as Cain was preparing to return to his room, he welcomed a new guest after only a few steps.
...
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