Chapter 79 Post-war review, the strongest gold-farming group in history, set off!
The twilight afterglow couldn't penetrate the thick curtains, and Finn's office was brightly lit, with a hint of fatigue lingering in the air.
Arthur stood before the desk, succinctly summarizing the sudden riot at the Monster Festival to the three leaders.
Finn pushed aside the mountain of pending documents on his desk, wearily rubbing the bridge of his nose, his voice a little hoarse.
"Are you sure? An unknown enemy is targeting Ais?"
Arthur nodded: "Loki has already met with the other mastermind. It's basically confirmed, unless they're still secretly causing trouble."
Riveria's expression turned serious upon hearing this, her tone a bit colder than usual.
"We have too little information at hand right now. Can we find any clues about the new species of monsters from the underground waterways?"
Arthur calmly shook his head: "It's no use. The underground waterways are as intricate as a spiderweb. Any search would be futile."
"Even if some traces were left, they would have long been washed away by the water."
Saying this, he held up two fingers and explained.
"Only two things can be confirmed right now."
"First, the enemy has the ability to freely control the new species of monsters, but it's still unclear how large their control range is."
"Second, the enemy knows about the surface passages outside of Tower of Babel, which is why they were able to bring deep-level Dungeon monsters to Northeast Avenue."
Hearing this, Gareth grunted.
"Northeast Avenue, the enemy really knows how to pick a spot."
Even he, who prioritized brute force and was not skilled in strategy, could sense how tricky that area was.
Finn tapped his chin with his fingertips, his tone unusually low.
"It just had to be the Northeast area… That's Daedalus Street. It shouldn't be a coincidence."
The Pallum's mind conjured up that area known as the surface labyrinth, his thoughts complex.
Originally the masterpiece of a famous craftsman, it had now become a den for down-and-out adventurers and thugs, Orario's most squalid slum.
On the surface, it seemed calm, but in reality, undercurrents surged.
Its complex and hidden environment was undoubtedly the perfect hiding place for those who couldn't stand the light of day.
Finn shook himself, collecting his scattered thoughts, and suggested.
"Familia affairs cannot come to a halt just because an enemy has appeared. For the time being, we still need to steadily proceed with expedition planning."
"I'll have Loki go to the Guild again and ask for assistance. After all, we were all victims this time; they have no reason to stand by."
Riveria and Gareth both nodded, and Arthur's lips curved slightly, teasing.
"Then you'd better tell Loki in advance not to provoke the Guild staff who are already in a bad mood."
Finn nodded and chuckled: "You're right, I'll keep that in mind."
After temporarily finalizing the action plan, Arthur stood up and took his leave.
The three leaders watched his retreating figure disappear behind the door, their expressions varied.
Finn was confident: "It seems Loki has told him about Ais's background."
Gareth stroked his beard: "Probably."
Riveria sighed softly: "I hope this doesn't change his opinion of Ais."
...
On the other side.
Arthur, having left the office, quickly walked through the high-level corridor and saw Tiona, who hadn't gone to rest yet, at the corner.
"You're finally done!"
The Amazon girl habitually hugged his arm, her small face puffed out, full of resentment.
"You promised to train with me!"
Arthur could only lower his head and smile wryly: "Blame Loki then. She's the one who told me to report to Finn first after I got back."
"Tell me, you waited so long for me, is it just to complain a bit?"
Tiona giggled: "Then as compensation for today, you have to come with me to farm for Valis tomorrow!"
"And Ais and the others are also free recently, so they want to come with me, is that okay?"
Arthur nodded in agreement: "No problem. What time are we leaving tomorrow?"
Tiona raised her hand to tap her chin, her eyes darting around, and suggested.
"Tomorrow I have to pick up my new twin blades, and Ais also has to return her damaged spare weapon..."
"How about noon? We'll meet up and leave at noon, what do you think?"
Arthur nodded slightly: "It looks like you're planning to use the 18th floor as a base to farm for Valis in the deep levels. In that case, I'll set up the tent this time."
Tiona blinked, her face full of confusion.
"That's fine, but why are you so obsessed with setting up tents?"
"That..."
Arthur chuckled helplessly: "It's not really an obsession or anything. I'm just curious about things I haven't experienced before."
Tiona nodded as if she understood, then let go of his arm and waved as she ran off.
"Then it's settled! Tomorrow at noon, Guild Hall!"
Watching the enthusiastic Amazon girl skip away, a white shadow suddenly darted out from the corner, lightly leaping onto Arthur's shoulder.
The pure white cub, unseen for a long time, raised its front paws and delivered a series of soft yet forceful slaps to his cheek.
Arthur winced: "Ouch, ouch, ouch. What, are you hungry and ran back?"
Fouh snorted disdainfully, tilting its head to indicate for its owner to look at its left palm.
Arthur opened his palm, and the starlight mark within glowed faintly like breathing, completely different from its previous calm state.
His eyes darkened slightly, and he slowly immersed his consciousness into it.
"Depart within seven days."
The mysterious voice's calm yet undeniable words echoed in Arthur's mind.
Reminding him that he had signed an endless contract of servitude.
'Understood, I'll depart as soon as possible.'
Arthur calmly responded to the mysterious voice's urging in his mind, then looked sideways at Fouh, who had an innocent expression, his eyes puzzled.
"Fouh, what exactly are you? A fantasy species from the Age of Gods?"
Arthur knew early on, back in Chaldea, that Fouh's origin must be very mysterious.
Now, this little guy can not only follow him through many different worlds but also has the ability to contact the mysterious voice on its own?
Fouh: (〃^ω^)
The pure white cub tilted its fluffy head, its pair of large, squirrel-like ears twitching gently, clearly intending to bluff its way through.
Arthur gave a helpless chuckle, raised his hand to ruffle its fur, gave up on pressing the matter, and walked towards the bedroom.
...
The following day, at noon, in the bustling Guild Hall.
Arthur and Finn stood before the notice board covered with parchment, exchanging opinions.
Arthur looked at the dazzling array of parchments on the notice board and suggested.
"Ais and Tiona are both eager to pay off their weapon debts, so it seems we need to pick some well-rewarded quests."
"Hmm—for quests that balance both reward and quantity, simple and brutal monster subjugation is indeed the most suitable."
Saying this, Finn raised his hand and pointed to the subjugation quests on the left.
The number of various monster subjugation quests in the deep levels was quite considerable, as not every Familia was qualified to go to the deep levels and slaughter monsters.
At this moment, Arthur's gaze was involuntarily drawn to a quest titled [The Echoing Song of the Labyrinth]—
A soft singing voice, completely different from common monsters, was enough to mesmerize adventurers.
He was quite interested in the description of this quest, but unfortunately, the meager reward was simply unappealing.
After this, Arthur and Finn took down several subjugation quest forms and submitted them to the Guild counter to confirm the quests.
With the contract officially completed, the two left the Guild Hall and walked towards their companions waiting in the central plaza.
Riveria, Ais, Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, Lili.
Arthur's eyebrows rose: "By the standards of a Valis-farming party, our lineup is a bit overkill."
Finn smiled heartily: "It's also nice to occasionally experience the life of an ordinary adventurer."
"Then, everyone—top-tier Valis-farming party, let's go!"