During the darkening hours.
In the center of the labyrinth city, on the highest floor of the giant chalk tower, a burst of footsteps sounded, breaking the previous silence.
Fast and crisp.
The black dress with high slits moved with her steps, her fair skin loomed in the dark passage, and her long silver hair swayed behind her.
The sound in the corridor was slightly stinging.
Freya signaled the attendant waiting at the door to open the door, came to the moonlit room, quickly sat down on the chair in the center, and ordered the attendant who came over quietly:
"Otta, pour me a glass of wine."
"……What happened?"
Ota brought the glass filled with red liquid and waited for the goddess to take a sip of the wine before asking.
Freya's demure beauty contained a rare unpleasantness.
He was curious.
The goddess glanced at Otta, who was waiting beside her: "Didn't Mia say anything to you?"
"No."
The answer was very brief.
Then he learned the whole thing from Freya, including what happened with Hermes and the little tricks Ishtar was doing behind the scenes.
Of course, there is also the matter of Xiaolin.
Otta remained indifferent, but suggested: "I think I really shouldn't let that male god do whatever he wants, don't you think?"
"You're right, then punish him next time you see him."
Freya easily convicted Hermes. If that playboy had been present, he would have been so frightened by this conversation that he would have foamed at the mouth and fainted.
However, this did not make the goddess feel better.
Freya rolled her silver hair with her fingers, puffed her mouth and said dissatisfiedly: "I just don't want Ishta to ask questions. I have been keeping a low profile recently, but I dare to push it too far... It's really annoying."
Uncharacteristically, he whispered awkwardly like a little girl.
Otta frowned and remained silent.
That tense face made even the tauren run away when they saw it.
If the goddess is displeased, no matter who it is, they deserve death!
The distressed Freya didn't see his expression and sighed: "Let Ishtar know about Xiaolin. I just hope she doesn't do stupid things. Although she let me see good things, the troubles afterwards will still be there." Gives me a headache.”
She was not unaware of the dispute between herself and Ishtar, to be precise, she was one-sidedly jealous by the other party.
It was precisely because of her understanding that she was sure of what action that slutty Ishtar would take.
"Can't you just be killed?"
She sighed again.
No resistance is allowed, no action is allowed.
The goddess is so unreasonable.
Xiaolin's actions are now almost explicit, but Freya is still worried that something unexpected will happen.
Ota behind him didn't say anything, but he was already thinking in his heart: Will those rotten fish and shrimps cause trouble to Xiao Lin?
He also watched the whole live broadcast of Xiaolin bulldozing the [Apollo Familia] with overwhelming force, and did not think that the [Ishtar Familia] could cause harm to them.
However, the taciturn pig people still underestimated the willfulness of their own goddess.
Freya squinted her eyes, looked at Ota's face and said, "No... I also want to temporarily transfer to the headquarters."
Isn't it a bit of a fuss?
Freya is often not in the family camp, except here is the tavern, but once she returns to the family camp, she will send a signal to the family members.
——The war is about to begin!
The sights and movements of other forces will focus on it, which will have a great impact on the labyrinth city.
But the pig tribe, who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the goddess, replied calmly:
"As commanded."
After receiving a satisfactory reply, Freya drank the remaining red wine in the glass.
Just in case, be prepared.
Don't let that guy tarnish the hero's reputation!
————
In the next few days, Xiao Lin, Bell and others stayed in the underground city.
In order to ensure the smooth rescue of Haruji, they said they must be fully prepared.
Although Xiaolin felt that it was not necessary at all, those who had participated in war games, especially those who had only participated for a short time, no matter their class, equipment, skills, strength, or weaknesses, were all exposed to the eyes of the enemy and could easily be targeted.
Therefore, in order to increase the winning rate, Zolf immediately said that he would forge a few more magic swords to use as backup weapons.
After all, there are many strong men in the [Ishtar Familia]. Xiaolin can deal with LV5 Phryne and some powerful enemies, but the other combat prostitutes can only rely on themselves.
Life is also leveling up crazily during this period, hoping that it will come in handy when the time comes. Bell and Lily did not complain, but gritted their teeth and kept up with them.
They are now on the weak side and will naturally have to work harder.
"Xiao Lin! The monster escaped towards you!"
"okay, I get it!"
Zolf's shout brought him back to his senses. Looking at the young dragon running towards him so fast that the ground shook with a rumble, Xiaolin kicked off his feet and jumped towards the head of the young dragon, hitting its lower jaw hard. He punched the ground.
Oh!
With a loud bang, the young dragon who suffered a heavy blow fell to the ground cleanly, causing a loud noise on the entire floor and raising a thick fog at the same time.
Now they are on the 12th floor.
The magic sword Zolf wanted to forge required materials dropped from the young dragon. Unfortunately, their luck was not very good. Three days had passed and there was still no harvest.
Feeling a little impatient.
The one who couldn't hold back the most was Zolf. The blacksmith who was bound by fire rushed towards the fallen dragon with a roar. Lily shouted to be careful and followed closely behind.
The remaining people looked at him and shook their heads helplessly with a smile.
Soon, Zolf's excited roar came: "It's dropped! Rare materials are finally dropped!"
"Oh oh oh!!!" xN
Others clapped.
Spending a day hunting monsters in a cramped dungeon is undoubtedly painful, and it is a double torture for both the body and the mind.
When they knew they no longer had to stay in the underground city, they felt extremely moved.
"Finally I don't have to stay here anymore."
"That's it. The other floors are fine, but it's the 12th floor that's covered in thick fog. Master Zolf, it's all your fault!"
"You can't blame me for that. What if the only materials you need are dropped by the baby dragon?"
"Great, I want to go back and take a bath quickly!"
Everyone was talking about it.
Xiao Lin originally wanted to ask them if they wanted to go to the 18th floor for a walk, but seeing how exhausted they were, he decided against it.
"Then let's go back."
"Okay! Go back!"
"I want a big meal and a good night's sleep!"
"Your Excellency Lily, before that I recommend you to take a bath and relax, it is good for your physical and mental health!"
"You really like taking baths, Ming."
They walked up to the upper level, talking to each other.
Unlike the previous tense war games with [Apollo Familia], they seemed more relaxed this time and didn't seem so nervous or worried.
In addition to the further improvement in strength, there is also the reason for trusting Xiaolin.
The understatement of the punch against the LV2 baby dragon just now is the best explanation.
After returning to the ground.
Lily, who was at the back, suddenly asked: "Should we convert these extra materials into money first? It's quite troublesome to carry them."
The little human girl pointed to the big backpack behind her.
As a supporter, she was carrying a backpack that was many times larger than her size. The bulging bag was filled with materials dropped by monsters in the past few days.
Pressing on her thin shoulders, one can't help but wonder if he is abusing her.
But Zolf saw through her lie, flicked her forehead and said, "I think you want to change it into money and then have a nice meal, Lily."
"It hurts!"
Lily groaned in pain, puffed up her mouth and said, "It doesn't matter, I've been working hard for so many days, it won't hurt to enjoy it a little!"
"That's right, let's have a big meal!"
Ming quickly agreed.
Zolf looked at Bell: "That's what they said. What should we do, leader?"
"Well... everyone has worked very hard during this time. Okay, let's do it."
Bell agreed to their request.
Lily and Ming shouted excitedly, and Zolf also smiled. It seemed that everyone needed to relax.
Bell took the opportunity to invite another person.
"Why don't you come along, Senior Xiaolin? Just think of it as a gift in return for being taken care of during this time... How about?"
At first he looked like the leader of the clan, but the more he spoke, the less confident he became, and in the end he acted like a girl.
Xiaolin is incompetent.
"If you don't bother me."
"Why bother? Please attend."
Bell and others were even happier.
After discussion, everyone decided to go to the rich hostess. On the one hand, the food there is large and delicious with great discounts, and on the other hand, the store I go to frequently is more relaxed.
As for whether there is any other purpose...
For example, if you meet a member of the [Loki Familia], that's unknown.
Then they split up.
Xiao Lin also had to report some work to God Ouranos, so he went to the guild to convert these materials into money.
Ming and Lily shouted that they wanted to take a bath first, so they went back to the family camp first.
Originally, Bell and Zolph wanted to follow, but they were actually in a very embarrassed state, so they were asked to go back and wash up.
When we arrived at the guild, it was already late. Aina had already left work and no one was seen.
Fortunately, there were not many adventurers. He quickly exchanged the money and went to the lowest level of the guild to meet the god Ouranos.
After a long delay, he hurried to the [Hestia Familia] station.
"Hopefully they won't wait too long."
Thinking that Hestia might be using the topic as an excuse, Xiaolin, who had a big head, walked faster than before.
Soon he arrived outside the mansion.
I rang the doorbell, but after waiting for a long time, no one came out to open the door, as if no one was home.
"Huh? The door is not closed?"
Only then did Xiao Lin realize that the courtyard door was ajar.
He raised his eyebrows, opened the door and walked into the courtyard.
The entire mansion was silent.
Even if it occupies a large area and has few members in the [Hestia Familia], it shouldn't be so quiet.
Walk into the mansion without hesitation.
Sure enough, there was no one inside.
Not only that, even the water in the bathroom was not boiled. Ming Mingming and Lily clamored to come back and take a shower first.
Haven't you come back yet?
Impossible, they should be faster than me.
Moreover, the room was not destroyed, nor did there appear to be any scuffles or disputes, nor was it restored.
Xiaolin has this confidence in his observations.
Shouldn't we go to the pub first?
Xiao Lin, who thought he was neurotic, got the opposite answer.
"You mean Bell?"
"Yes, are they already here?"
"No. I didn't see them. So...what happened?"
Seeing Xiaolin frowning, Hill seemed to have noticed something.
He disappeared inexplicably, and something felt wrong.
When Xiao Lin was about to speak, a beautiful but cold-looking Amazon came over. She is the actual deputy leader of the [Ishtar Familia].
"Ayesha?"
After seeing her, Xiaolin seemed to understand something.
The tall Ayesha, with her long legs, strolled to the counter under the gazes of the adventurers.
Hill found that Xiao Lin had been looking at her, and she puffed up her mouth angrily.
It looked like he was jealous.
But Xiao Lin had no such thoughts, and what he was looking at was not Ayesha, but the note in her hand. He had a hunch that the note contained information about missing people.
"Here, Goddess Ishtar asked me to give it to you."
Ayesha handed over the note.
Xiao Lin unfolded the note and couldn't help laughing after seeing the words written on it.
"I see, that's it. Please tell the Lord God of your family that I will definitely go to the appointment tonight, so please rest assured."
"...I understand, I will tell her."
Aisha obviously wanted to say something more, but she opened her mouth and said nothing. When she saw Xiaolin nodding as if in promise, she felt relieved and turned around to leave.
It's not that she doesn't want to say it, it's that she can't.
She once disobeyed the God Ishtar, but after being captured by [Beauty], she could no longer disobey the goddess's will.
She is powerless to save Haruhime, so she can only place her hope on Xiaolin.
Looking at her leaving figure, the corners of Xiao Lin's mouth kept rising.
Hill worriedly said: "Um... Xiaolin, what is going on? Why did God Ishtar give you this?"
She kept her eyes on the note, looking like she wanted to know what was written on it.
Xiao Lin didn't hide it, he handed the note to her and said at the same time: "It's nothing, it's just that the goddess invited me, and I can't refuse it."
"……how come!"
Hill saw what was written clearly, covered his mouth and exclaimed.
[Hestia and her family are in my hands. If you want them to be safe, come to Flower Street. 】
Xiao Lin sighed: "I didn't expect that God Ishtar would use such despicable means. It really opened my eyes."
Although despicable, it is the most effective way to break the situation. I don’t know whether to despise or praise it.
Hill held Xiao Lin's hand and said worriedly: "No, Xiao Lin! This is a trap, you must not go!"
"But I must go, Hill."
Xiao Lin took her hand away and said, "I am the reason why they were caught. I have to go."
The determined look in her eyes made the silver-haired maid understand that no matter how much she tried to persuade her, she would not change the actions of the man in front of her.
"In that case..."
Hill quickly took off the necklace around his neck, stepped forward, hugged Xiao Lin's neck, and put the necklace on his neck.
Looking at the necklace with the goddess statue carved in the green crystal, Xiao Lin couldn't help but ask:
"this is?"
"This was given to me by someone. It is said that it can absorb magic power to unfold a barrier and play a protective role at critical moments."
"This is so precious."
"I hope you can wear it. Please come back safely, please."
After saying that, Hill threw herself into his chest.
Xiao Lin should push her away, but he can't because he can't refuse other people's kindness.
"……I will."
In the end that was all he said.
Shaking his head, the three necklaces were a bit heavy and strangled his neck uncomfortable.
Then he said goodbye to Hill and walked toward South Street.
————
When the sun set in the west and the sky was gradually shrouded in darkness, Xiao Lin had already arrived in front of the third area.
Standing on the boundary line of [Ishtar Familia]'s sphere of influence, he put his hand on his forehead and looked at the towering palace in the center of Flower Street.
There is a goddess standing at the top.
When Ishtar saw Xiaolin appearing here, a proud smile appeared on her lips, and Xiaolin, who had excellent eyesight, easily discovered this.
The goddess standing hundreds of meters high looked down at the people below.
With the sunset as the background, the two completed a classic composition.
"Come on, the game begins."
(End of chapter)
