Chapter 76 An Uninvited Guest at the Festival! Breaking Out of the Ground!
A far expedition banquet that should have been joyful ended abruptly due to Bete's drunken misbehavior.
After a short rest, everyone once again immersed themselves wholeheartedly in the arduous aftermath of the expedition.
For the past three days, Arthur had been following Finn's side, gradually becoming familiar with the Loki Familia's external affairs.
Whether it was getting to know closely associated commercial Familias or exploring the various intricacies of negotiating with the Guild, he diligently learned everything.
It was another dawn.
Arthur and Finn returned from the Guild, and from a distance, they saw Tiona standing at the main entrance, cheerfully waving at them.
The Amazon girl, full of fiery enthusiasm, immediately invited Arthur to visit the Monster Festival with her.
She even excitedly mentioned that her new dual-bladed sword had been forged and that she would train with him after the celebration.
Finn gave Arthur a look full of "fellow sufferer" meaning, weighed the thick stack of documents in his hand, and teased,
"I'm swamped with official duties here. You two have fun. I'll be taking my leave first."
Before he finished speaking, the captain of the Little People was already moving swiftly, departing with quick steps, unwilling to delay for a moment.
Arthur lowered his gaze, looking at the expectant Amazon girl in front of him, his expression thoughtful, and he murmured softly,
"Monster Festival... has it already arrived?"
Orario, this labyrinthine city where gods gather, never lacks the clamor of festivals throughout the year.
And the Monster Festival is a grand celebration led by the Guild and strongly supported by the Ganesha Familia.
On the day of the celebration, major commercial Familias launched various discounts and fun challenges.
Inside the arena, there was also a spectacular show performed by beast tamers and monsters.
Arthur's gaze narrowed slightly, as if recalling something, and he teased with a hint of playfulness in his tone,
"These past few days, I've always seen you two pestering Ais. Now that the Monster Festival is about to begin, aren't you going with her?"
Upon hearing this, Tiona immediately puffed out her cheeks and shook her head in annoyance.
"I originally planned to invite Ais to go with me, but Loki beat me to it! Ais said she had to accompany her to some kind of appointment?"
A subtle glint flashed in Arthur's eyes as he muttered under his breath,
"Leaving Ais alone with Loki... won't something go wrong?"
Tiona waved her hand dismissively.
"Relax! If Loki even thinks of anything improper, Ais will definitely chop her until she cries with a hand chop!"
Arthur's lips involuntarily curved into a smile upon hearing this, and he thought to himself,
That self-proclaimed lecherous goddess is simply asking for trouble.
...
East Avenue, compared to Northeast Avenue which is planned as an industrial area, this place serves more as a venue for festive celebrations.
The usually wide and bright streets were now adorned with colorful flowers and commercial banners.
The hawkers on both sides shouted one after another, pushing the festive atmosphere to a climax.
Arthur struggled to push through the surging crowd, leading everyone forward, occasionally looking back to ensure no one got lost.
"There are too many tourists at the celebration, everyone stick close and don't get separated!"
Behind him, Lily followed closely, her hood pulled low to conceal her face, being cautious all the way.
Tiona and Tione, on the other hand, looked excited, looking around, completely unaffected by the surrounding noise.
Lefiya timidly trailed behind the two, her elven ears slightly drooped, clearly unaccustomed to such a lively scene.
Riveria, who always preferred quiet, walked at the rear, sighing softly.
"I'm already starting to regret coming out with you. This kind of celebration isn't for me."
Arthur turned back, a mischievous smile on his lips, and pointed forward, his tone soothing.
"Occasionally enjoying some excitement is also a fun thing. Besides, we've already reached our destination."
Everyone looked in the direction Arthur pointed, only to see a spacious stall appearing before them.
Above the tent, the banner of the Vissen Forest fluttered in the wind.
Various magical items inlaid with gems and crystals were displayed in front of the stall, shimmering with colorful light.
The stall owner was a serene and beautiful long-haired Elf woman.
Her gaze swept over Arthur and his group as they approached, but what she noticed first was Riveria at the rear.
The long-haired Elf quickly stood up and bowed respectfully towards Riveria.
"Luna of Vissen Forest greets Lady Riveria, and welcomes everyone."
Riveria nodded calmly, raising her hand to indicate that the other party didn't need to be so formal.
Lefiya's eyes lit up, her tone filled with surprise and joy.
"Is this actually a shop opened by Vissen compatriots?"
"Elves from Vissen Forest?"
"Are there any new and interesting items?"
Tione and Tiona were also full of curiosity, quickly stepping forward to carefully examine the goods on the stall.
While Luna began to introduce the goods to Tiona and the other three, Riveria's gaze turned to Arthur, who seemed to be carefully selecting something, and her eyebrows slightly raised.
"You specifically invited me to the Monster Festival, surely you're not trying to use the name of royalty to make it easier for you to bargain, are you?"
Arthur, who was carefully comparing the feel of two fabrics, heard this and shook his head repeatedly, explaining,
"Of course not. The last time I haggled was because the expedition's dividends hadn't arrived yet."
"This time, it's because my new Magic Conduction is still missing one last material, so I wanted to ask for your advice."
Riveria, who had misunderstood, flushed slightly, coughed twice to cover her embarrassment, and smoothly changed the subject.
"Hmm, I see — what Magic Conduction material are you still missing?"
"It's this, water fairy weave."
Arthur said, picking up two pieces of magical fabric of different colors from the stall and showing them to Riveria.
"From a Mage's perspective, which water fairy weave do you think would be more practical for me?"
Riveria took two steps forward, carefully examining the red and blue fabrics in his hand.
The so-called water fairy weave is a special type of defense equipment containing the protection of a fairy, which can greatly enhance the resistance of the corresponding attribute after wearing it.
If it's a top-tier water fairy weave, it can even completely nullify magic attacks of the corresponding attribute.
Arthur held a crimson fire fairy weave in his left hand and an indigo blue water fairy weave in his right.
Riveria pondered for a moment, then raised her hand and pointed to Arthur's right side, saying softly,
"I remember that Magic Conduction granted you extremely high fire resistance. You might consider strengthening your defense against water attributes."
Arthur's lifting motion paused slightly, and the corner of his lips unconsciously curved into a meaningful arc, as he inexplicably sighed,
"water fairy weave, indigo blue..."
Before Riveria could ask further, he had already picked up the water fairy weave and turned to Luna, asking,
"Excuse me, do you have any more water fairy weave in stock? I need two."
Luna temporarily set aside Tiona and the other three, who were still marveling at the glowing crystal, subtly glanced at Riveria, and then explained to Arthur,
"Of course, we do. However, these water fairy weaves are high-grade defense equipment hand-woven by Vissen elders, so the price might be slightly higher compared to market products..."
Boom—!
A deafening roar suddenly tore through the festive clamor, and Luna's explanation abruptly stopped!
In an instant, all the tourists' gazes were drawn, looking in horror at the billowing smoke and raging flames rising into the sky not far away!
The aftershocks of the explosion hadn't subsided, and the ground began to tremble violently, shaking like a sieve. Ordinary tourists lost their footing, screaming as they successively fell to the ground!
Amidst the spreading smoke, several flat and hideous giant arms suddenly tore through the dust curtain, wildly flailing!
Immediately after, a long, narrow monster resembling a giant python violently emerged from underground, raising its head and letting out an earth-shattering roar!
Hiss—!
As soon as this familiar roar entered their ears, Arthur and the others' expressions changed drastically. They quickly exchanged glances, their eyes filled with solemnity and surprise!
New species of monster?