Chapter 85: Thick fog! Return to homeland? The holy mark appears!
The series of unexpected events on the 18th floor forced Arthur and his companions to decisively return to the surface.
They had to inform the Guild as soon as possible about the highly impactful murder, and as for the connection between Ruì Wéisī and the Man-eating Plants…
Loki unilaterally concealed it, only reporting it as a normal abnormal situation.
To properly handle the aftermath of the incident, everyone was re-divided into two groups.
Finn and Arthur remained at Twilight Manor, while Riveria led the remaining girls back to the Dungeon to farm gold.
At this moment, in the Captain's office, Goddess Loki, who usually had a relaxed, joking expression, looked serious and spoke in a deep voice.
"Alright, let's consolidate the existing information."
Arthur and the other person, sitting on the sofa, nodded in succession, listing the things they had experienced in the Dungeon one by one, looking for a breakthrough.
The female monster who appeared on the 18th floor, killing and plundering.
The new species of Man-eating Plants that acted on the female monster's orders.
The orb fetus that had an abnormal desire for Ais.
Also, the last message Ais received from the female monster: head to the 59th floor.
Loki frowned tightly: "The 59th floor… Is that female monster in the Dungeon still refusing to say anything?"
Finn spread his hands helplessly: "The other party consistently refuses to speak. Torture is useless against a monster that can regenerate at super speed."
Upon hearing this, Loki looked sideways at Arthur, who was silently staring at the simplified incident relationship map.
"Kid, don't you have any way to make the enemy obediently open their mouth?"
Arthur's gaze moved away from the relationship map, a few black lines appeared on his forehead, and he complained.
"What do you take me for? An all-powerful Aladdin's lamp?"
"I do know mental suggestion spells, but those are only for dealing with small fries, they're completely useless against a Level 6 monster."
Loki frowned slightly upon hearing this. She took out a colorful magic stone from her pocket and rubbed it carefully between her fingers.
"This path doesn't work…"
In fact, during the few days Arthur and the others went to the Dungeon to farm gold, Loki was also not idle.
She not only went to the Guild to meet the old god who presided over the altar but also privately exchanged information with Dionysus, who had the same goal.
However, that was a conversation between gods after all, so it's better not to let the children of the lower world worry about it.
…
Loki put away the colorful magic stone with a flick of her hand and spoke to Arthur and the other person, who were writing and drawing on the incident relationship map.
"We've already asked that old god in the Guild. The other party definitely has her own plans, but one thing is certain: it has nothing to do with the new species of monsters."
Arthur and Finn nodded in succession, not surprised by this result.
After all, the Monster Festival was an event hosted by the Guild and co-organized by the Ganesha Familia. There was no reason for them to shoot themselves in the foot.
From the perspective of finding the mastermind, both naturally stood on the same front.
Arthur took a sip of coffee and suggested to the worried Loki and Finn.
"The new forces either have no rationality or would rather die than surrender."
"If we want to obtain more information, perhaps we really can only go to the 59th floor to find out."
Finn unconsciously licked his thumb, the stinging sensation short and powerful.
"Knowing there's a tiger on the mountain, yet still heading for it?"
"The other party clearly intends to set up a trap there, and we're still going to walk right into it? That doesn't feel very pleasant."
Arthur waved his hand: "I suggest Captain, you think about it differently. It's better that we know about the other party's existence in advance than to be caught off guard."
Loki glanced sideways at the calm Arthur, and a curve of eager interest suddenly appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"You're quite optimistic, kid. Aren't you afraid of capsizing in the gutter?"
Arthur put down his coffee cup and replied casually.
"We'll have to confront those ghostly things sooner or later. Instead of worrying so much, it's better to keep finding ways to strengthen ourselves."
Loki heard the hidden meaning in his words and smiled with raised eyebrows.
"Going to take on Guild quests again? Be careful not to miss the next expedition."
Arthur pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Finn, who was silently putting away the incident data, and asked.
"Captain, how long until the next expedition?"
Finn, who was well-versed in Familia matters, answered concisely without raising his head.
"It was originally scheduled for fourteen days from now, but I'm planning to do more preparation work now."
Arthur nodded understandingly, then chuckled teasingly at Loki, who was looking at him eagerly.
"There's plenty of time, then. I'll go to the Guild first and be back in a couple of days."
Finn had no doubts, as the Familia's finances were tight, and the policy of all members collectively farming gold was something he had personally announced.
Loki, on the other hand, put on a resentful expression of great displeasure, sitting cross-legged on the sofa like a pouting child.
… The Crimson King's dividing line …
In the silent, empty hall, a light door quietly opened, and Arthur stepped out.
He gazed at the three light paths extending into the distance, then lowered his head to play with a translucent, crimson fire crystal ore.
"I didn't expect to find an ore source as soon as I entered the middle floors. It's a pity it's inconvenient to carry, otherwise, I would have wanted to complete the quest before leaving."
Saying this, he looked up at the new light door on the far right, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and he murmured.
"A brand new Another World, do you have any spatial items for sale over there?"
Fou rolled her eyes at her silly owner, lightly leaped off his shoulder, and trotted to the light door, signaling him to hurry up and follow.
Arthur casually put the fire crystal ore into his jacket pocket and slowly walked towards the light door, looking up and asking.
"Are those worms and Man-eating Plants that appeared in the Dungeon also mission targets?"
"Yes."
Hearing the concise answer from the mysterious voice, Arthur's eyebrows rose, and he complained.
"So I also need to deal with them? You didn't issue this mission beforehand, can I ask for overtime compensation?"
"You can ignore it, at the cost of the entire world."
Upon hearing this, Arthur's palms unconsciously clenched tightly, the relaxed and comfortable smile on his face instantly vanished, and his eyes became deep.
"…My mistake, I shouldn't communicate with you using human standards. Let's leave it at that."
He bent down to pick up Fou, who was pulling at the light door, then raised his hand to push open the heavy dimensional portal and stepped inside.
… The Mud-Head Truck's dedicated dividing line …
When crossing dimensional portals, the landing position was always unpredictable.
Arthur sometimes appeared in gloomy and oppressive deep mountain forests, and sometimes in alleys near department stores.
This time, he sat quietly on a street bench, regaining his senses.
The surroundings seemed to be a peaceful afternoon, and he could vaguely hear the sounds of children playing from a distant park.
Before Arthur could carefully assess the situation, a faint stinging sensation suddenly assailed the back of his hand.
A blurry crimson mark appeared there, like a fresh bruise.
Arthur quickly raised his left hand to check the situation, and his expression immediately became subtle.
He closed his eyes slightly, mobilizing the magic power within his body, and suddenly found that his connection to the magic circuit had become incredibly clear.
Arthur abruptly stood up and looked around the streets, quickly spotting a bus stop sign with a place name on it.
"Fuyuki City, Shintō Park Station."
Arthur was startled at first, then couldn't help but let out a low laugh.
"Holy Grail? Fuyuki City? What a joke?"
He raised a hand to cover his face, his tone carrying a hint of incredulous surprise and absurdity.
"Am I… back home?"