Chapter 142: Joint Expedition! Roaring Divine Meeting!
The eastern sky was tinged with the white of a fish's belly, and a flag emblazoned with a grinning clown flapped in the morning breeze.
In front of Tower of Babel, the magic stone lamps flickered, illuminating countless busy adventurers; the clatter of armor and low murmurs converged into a humming anticipation.
Before long, a fiery red appeared from the end of the street.
Under the flag representing the Hephaestus Familia, twelve senior blacksmiths led by Hephaestus arrived as requested.
To cope with the unknown dangers below the 50th floor of the Dungeon,
the Loki Familia not only forged exclusive indestructible weapons this time but also invited Orario's top craftsmen as backup to embark on a joint expedition.
Hephaestus, dressed in a combat outfit of Far Eastern style, wore a hearty smile and raised her hand in a loud greeting.
"Yo, Finn, we're not late, are we?"
"Right on time," Finn nodded steadily, "From today onwards, we'll be troubling you all."
Hephaestus heard his business-like tone, waved her hand exaggeratedly, her face showing an expression of being unable to bear it.
"Don't be so formal, we're not working for free. Besides — as adventurers, who wouldn't want to go deeper and broaden their horizons?"
Seeing her heroic and spirited demeanor, Finn showed a relieved smile and gestured for her to make herself at home.
Hephaestus's gaze swept over the Loki Familia executive group one by one, finally accurately locking onto Arthur, who stood silently to the side.
"Kid! Let me see durandal! Its indestructible property doesn't guarantee its sharpness!"
As she spoke, she approached with a look of distress, reaching out to draw the sword from Arthur's waist.
"Since you got it, this child hasn't had a single maintenance!"
Arthur shifted his feet slightly, effortlessly dodging Hephaestus's outstretched hand, while at the same time drawing durandal from his waist.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but it's in excellent condition right now."
The blade left its sheath, its chilling gleam in the morning light reflecting Hephaestus's bewildered face, proving his words were true.
Even after many days, the sharpness of this longsword had not diminished in the slightest.
Hephaestus blinked, then gently flicked her finger on the sword's spine; the crisp, lingering echo made her exclaim in wonder.
"Strange, what new trick is this of yours?"
Arthur's lips curved into an arc, but he said nothing.
durandal, re-structured by alchemical formulas, only needed magic power infused to repair and sharpen itself, but he couldn't explain the mystery behind it.
Just then, a loud shout exploded from the very front of the Team.
"Attention, everyone!"
The noisy whispers instantly vanished, and everyone's gaze collectively turned to the three leaders beneath the Familia's banner.
Finn stepped forward, his serious gaze sweeping over the faces, a mix of tension and excitement, and he declared loudly.
"The expedition is about to begin! Everyone, brace yourselves!"
"Our goal has never changed! To break the record for the deepest floor reached by our Familia!"
From the streets, squares, and behind the windows of buildings, many citizens of Orario peered out, holding their breath as they watched this strongest Familia.
Finn clenched his right fist, raising it high, his voice like thunder.
"We do not need glory built on sacrifice! Here, swearing by the rising sun—"
"Come back alive!"
"Come back alive!" × N
Cheers like a mountain and a tsunami echoed through the sky; the three leaders at the very front of the Team exchanged smiles and turned around in unison.
"Expeditionary force, depart!"
The high-spirited adventurers, like a bursting flood, poured into the endless demon's den beneath Tower of Babel.
...
At the same time, at the top of the giant tower, within a spacious and bright temple.
A grand gathering craving "entertainment" had already begun.
Bang—!
Loki, seated on the main throne, suddenly slammed her hand on the table and angrily pointed at all the gods in the hall with ill-intentioned eyes, her gaze full of ruthlessness.
"I declare, the [who knows how many]th Gods' Assembly, now begins!"
Before her words even finished, the gods' wailing cheers had already erupted.
"Hehehehe! I've finally waited for this day!"
"I'm sick of all these formalities! Loki, let's just start the 'Naming Convention' directly!"
"Skipping the pre-story? You've done well!"
"What are you all shouting about? Can anyone tell me what's going on?"
"Have you been offline these past two days? You don't even know about the supernova that's been making waves in Orario?"
"Violently overturned Northeast Avenue! Shot down Rivira Town with one move! Even the monster rampage on the 24th floor was solved by him!"
The gods, regardless of gender, muttered jargon that mortals couldn't understand, shamelessly enjoying this carnival.
Hearing the discussions around her, Loki let out a very obvious "tsk," and for the first time, she felt that Arthur's previous persuasion was not without reason.
Gods' Assembly?
To put it bluntly, it was merely a large gathering for these utterly bored gods to pass the time and amuse themselves.
Looking at these scoundrels who would disregard everything for fun, she was genuinely worried that some overzealous idiot would do something foolish that couldn't be undone.
"All of you, shut up!"
Loki's crimson eyes gleamed with malice, yet the smile on her lips was as warm as a spring breeze.
"Want to probe my child's limits? Or want to give him a nasty title? Have you — asked me, his parent?"
That dense killing intent, which had once stirred up dusk in the heavens, poured down like a tangible stream of ice water, making all the excited gods present shiver and instantly fall silent.
Play is play, mischief is mischief, but don't joke with your life.
The gods in the lower world had sealed their divine powers, and the only thing they could rely on was the strength of their Familias.
The Loki Familia was already one of Orario's two kings, and now with an additional LV.5 with extraordinary combat power, who would dare to court such trouble?
"Why be so stingy, Loki?"
A charming and alluring voice broke the silence; Freya, completely unafraid of Loki's killing intent, leaned against her divine throne, a bright, shallow smile gracing her lips.
"Everyone is just curious about the newly risen child, that's not too much to ask, is it?"
Her enchanting voice carried a demonic quality, infusing the originally tense air in the hall with a hint of sweetness, causing many gods to feel disoriented.
Loki's narrow eyes narrowed into crescent moons, her hostility towards this "old friend" completely undisguised.
"Was that last child not enough for you, you flirt?"
Freya pretended not to hear the taunt, leisurely raising her arm, her slender finger gently tapping her chin, her beautiful face full of innocence.
"What do you think of the title [Golden Tear]? Sounds very moving, doesn't it?"
A vein immediately throbbed on Loki's forehead, and she practically squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.
"Hehe, I don't think much of it!"
As old rivals from the same divine lineage, she knew all too well Freya's malicious intent in choosing that title!
If not for the wrong time and place, she would have truly wanted to engage in a [War Game] with that flirt right then and there!
Seeing the situation about to erupt, Hephaestus finally spoke, tapping the conference table.
"That's enough, you two, must you ruin a perfectly good gathering?"
As the chief deity of Orario's top forging Familia, her reputation was something neither Loki nor Freya could disregard.
The two exchanged glances, and the tense atmosphere in the temple eased slightly.
The gods who had been silently watching the drama, seeing that no fight had broken out, all showed undisguised disappointment in their eyes.
As if wanting to quickly end this farce, Hephaestus continued.
"[Holy Sword User], Loki, are you satisfied with this title?"
This sudden suggestion startled Loki, who had originally intended to continue bickering, and she abruptly looked at her.
Hephaestus raised her hand to touch her eye patch, giving a self-deprecating smile, as if seeing through Loki's thoughts.
"Don't look at me like that; after all, I am the God of Forging, I still have the necessary discernment."
Freya, with a glint in her eyes, curved her lips slightly: "Since it's Hephaestus's suggestion, then I have no objections."
"Who asked you!"
Loki retorted unceremoniously, then looked around the temple, her sharp gaze sweeping over the still ill-intentioned faces, and she coldly snorted.
"I'll also give Hephaestus some face; as for the rest of you, behave yourselves! Otherwise..."
The undisguised threat from the evil god made the gods immediately sit up straight, looking serious.
Only Freya slowly curved her lips into an intoxicating, charming smile, her eyes sparkling.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the temple, falling into that bottomless, dark abyss.
"Loki, the more you try to protect him, the more I want to... dye him in my colors."