Chapter 75 Banquet farce! Lack of awareness?
Syr led the Loki Familia's executive group, who filed into the window seats.
Opening the window, the outdoor open-air seating came into view.
The clamor of voices and the clinking of glasses intertwined, and the executives chatted and laughed with the regular members through the window, unhindered.
Two cat-eared waitresses deftly served dishes and drinks, and the atmosphere gradually livened up.
Loki, casting aside her usual playful and carefree demeanor, was surprisingly the first to stand up solemnly, raise her glass, and declare loudly,
"This first toast is to everyone for your hard work on the expedition. Now, please enjoy the banquet. Cheers!"
Everyone nodded in turn, raised their glasses, and drank with their goddess.
After the ritual of the first toast, Loki immediately switched to her perverted mode, holding her glass and constantly approaching the female members.
The others all looked as if they were used to it, either lowering their heads to taste the gourmet dishes or leaning in to whisper to each other.
They completely ignored Loki.
Arthur put down his glass and turned his gaze to Tiona, who was battling with her food beside him.
Her ravenous, wolfing-down manner made his tone subtly nuanced.
"Does it have to be so exaggerated? Anyone would think you haven't eaten in days."
"Wuwuwuwuwu—!"
Tiona's cheeks were puffed out like a hamster hoarding food. Hearing this, she abruptly stopped her knife and fork, her eyes full of grievance and indignation.
Arthur helplessly massaged his forehead: "Swallow the food in your mouth before speaking. Who can understand your mumbling?"
Tione, sitting next to her, waved her hands repeatedly, explaining for her foolish younger sister.
"Don't mind her. Her entire share of the profits went to pay off debt, plus the debt for manufacturing new twin blades. She's just having a hard time accepting reality."
Arthur nodded understandingly after hearing this.
Tiona's share of the expedition profits this time was all used to pay off her Magic Conduction book debt, and it hadn't even been fully paid off yet.
In addition, due to her reckless actions on the 51st floor, her twin blades completely dissolved and needed to be reforged.
Her debt, which was already over 100 million, hadn't been fully repaid, and now she had an additional 120 million in weapon debt.
It seemed this was the legendary transformation of grief into appetite.
Arthur thoughtfully reached for a glass of fruit wine and placed it in front of Tiona, advising her,
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
Tiona, tears in her eyes, picked up the glass and drained it, then buried her head and continued eating.
At this moment, Loki, who had been flirting everywhere but ignored, was clearly not content with loneliness. Her eyes darted around, and a plan came to mind.
She rushed over to Gareth, who was drinking alone, raised her glass, and declared confidently,
"Come and compare our drinking capacity, Gareth!"
The dwarf, a lover of alcohol, said in surprise, "You want to compete with this old man in drinking capacity?"
Loki wagged her finger: "Hmph hmph hmph, don't underestimate a goddess!"
"By the way, the winner gets the right to freely dispose of Riveria's ○○ as a prize!"
"Hmm!? I want to join too!"
"Me too! Me too!"
"And me!"
"All of you shut up! You are not allowed to disrespect Riveria-sama!"
Arthur looked at the thoroughly chaotic scene inside and outside the tavern and teased Riveria, who was sitting on the other side.
"Your charm is truly great."
Riveria's delicate brows furrowed, and she sighed.
"Let them talk. I'll lecture Loki later."
Arthur nodded in agreement, he also thought that Loki, who loved to stir up trouble, deserved a good beating.
...
Time slowly passed as Loki incited everyone to a drinking contest.
Loki, that mischievous goddess who loved to cause chaos, still roamed around, finding different ways to encourage and force drinks.
After three rounds of drinks, Bete, clearly tipsy, slammed his hand on the table and slurred out a shout.
"Oh, Ais! Tell everyone about that thing we encountered!"
Arthur and the others' attention was instantly drawn by Bete's loud voice, and they all cast curious glances.
Ais, the other party involved, tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion, unsure what he was referring to.
Bete grinned and simply spoke himself.
"It's about the Minotaur! Didn't you take care of the last one on the fifth floor, and save a kid in the process?"
After understanding what happened, Tione sighed weakly.
"I thought you wanted to say something. What's the point of those cowardly monsters making us run around in the Dungeon?"
Bete picked up his glass and slammed it heavily on the table, emphasizing again in a loud voice.
"I'm talking about that kid! The kid!"
"That kind of rookie, just seeing the Minotaur, got so scared his legs went soft, shrinking into a corner like a rabbit, trembling all over!"
Rabbit?
Arthur felt a sense of déjà vu regarding Bete's description.
He put down his glass and asked with a frown.
"What happened next? How was that adventurer? Was he injured?"
Bete waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, Ais took care of the Minotaur with one swing of her sword, but that kid got drenched in bull blood and looked as funny as a tomato!"
"Hey, Ais, you did that on purpose, didn't you? This kind of thing is too rare, it must have been on purpose, right?"
"No!"
Ais squeezed out this reply with a stiff expression, her eyes holding a stubbornness that others couldn't decipher.
Bete, completely oblivious in his drunkenness, laughed and slapped his thigh, adding,
"And also, after that kid saw Ais, he ran away with a desperate cry!"
"What even the Minotaur couldn't do, our Sword Princess did with ease!"
The eavesdropping patrons at the next table chuckled, and the executives at the same table had subtle expressions.
Only a young man sitting at the bar was completely stiff, sweating profusely.
Arthur's gaze swept over the bar, and he said to Bete, who was getting more and more excited,
"Enough, Bete, you've had too much to drink."
The werewolf, in high spirits, frowned and shouted,
"Did I say anything wrong?"
"He's a man but cries so much. That kind of weakling shouldn't be an adventurer from the start!"
"If you ask me, it's because of those small fries that the standard of adventurers is lowered. It's truly disgraceful!"
"Who is the disgraceful one?"
Riveria's delicate brows were drawn together, her calm and beautiful face was serious, and her tone was grave.
"It was our mistake to let the Minotaur escape. That person was an ordinary individual who suffered an undeserved calamity."
"Instead of reflecting on your own mistakes, you use that person as a topic of conversation at a banquet. Bete, you've gone too far!"
The Elf Royalty's words caused the surrounding chuckles to gradually disappear, but Bete still maintained an unyielding attitude.
"Trash is trash! What's the benefit of protecting that kind of small fry? Is it to cover up your guilty conscience?"
Seeing the conflict between the two becoming sharper, Loki, who only wanted to watch the fun, stood up, preparing to be a peacemaker.
However, before she could speak, a figure flashed behind Bete, and with a swift hand chop, a clean and precise strike landed!
The outspoken werewolf instantly rolled his eyes, didn't even grunt, and plunged headfirst into a dish, making intimate contact with the delicious food.
Arthur unhurriedly clapped his hands, as if brushing off non-existent dust, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Hmm, it's much quieter now. Everyone, please continue eating."
As he spoke, he picked up the nearly suffocating werewolf and placed him back on his chair to play dead.
Everyone exchanged glances, indicating that Bete deserved his fate, and continued drinking and chatting.
Arthur walked around the table and slowly approached the bar, intending to get some napkins.
His gaze fell on the young man who had been rigid since earlier, and was now even more on pins and needles, wishing he could burrow into the ground. Arthur lowered his voice.
"Having dreams is a good thing, but unlike fairy tales, encounters in the Dungeon are often accompanied by danger."
"It's clear you're not ready yet, young man. Go and get stronger first."
100 power stone = 1 chapter
100 power stone = 1 chapter
100 power stone = 1 chapter
100 power stone = 1 chapter
100 power stone = 1 chapter