Airmid's voice remained calm, but her right hand under the table was trembling slightly.
Riveria glanced at Airmid with the corner of her eye, 'I hope it works out...'
If the Dian Cecht Familia ended up buying the [Magic Sword], then Finn's plan might really have a chance to succeed.
Airmid looked around, "I can still raise the bid. The Dian Cecht Familia is determined to get this [Magic Sword]. If you want to compete, I'll go up to a billion."
When the [Saintess of the Battlefield] said this, she exuded the aura of an empress looking down on the world.
Among all the familias present, only the Dian Cecht Familia lacked a first-class adventurer.
As the strongest medical faction in the city, their familia had been heavily targeted by the Evilus during the chaotic period. Under frequent attacks, adventurers above Lv.4 were almost completely wiped out, and they had yet to recover.
And yet, they still possessed enviable wealth.
The [Magic Sword: Spiral Blade] was a nice addition for other familias, but for the Dian Cecht Familia, it was a lifeline. Therefore, they were determined to acquire it, even if it meant paying a premium.
"If I have to go all out, so be it,"
"We might as well die together,"
With the [Magic Sword: Spiral Blade], the Dian Cecht Familia at least had such a trump card.
Aisha gritted her teeth for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh, "You medicine sellers really are rich..."
Four billion valis, just like that. How many nights would her sisters have to work to earn four billion?
Hedin, on the other hand, didn't care, as long as the final winner wasn't the Ishtar Familia, he was fine with it.
The [Magic Sword: Spiral Blade] was ultimately acquired by the Dian Cecht Familia for four billion valis.
"Excuse me, does the Hephaestus Familia have any more [Magic Swords] like this?", Airmid continued to ask, exuding an air of "I'll buy as many as you have."
"Yes, we do," Tsubaki smiled, and Airmid's eyes lit up. But the next moment, Tsubaki added, "However, the remaining ones are not for sale."
———
"How did it go, Riveria?", Finn looked at Riveria, who had returned to the base with a tired body.
"Mission accomplished," Riveria lifted a black sword case: "I borrowed it."
"Our luck is quite good. The materials used by the Hephaestus Familia to forge this [Magic Sword: Spiral Blade] happen to be the magic stones and drops from monsters below the 50th floor."
Looking at the sword case, Riveria sighed softly.
Finn: "So, the Hephaestus Familia is now using materials left behind by the Hera and Zeus Familias, those two factions?"
The Hera and Zeus Familias were the rulers of Orario before the Freya and Loki Familias. These two familias were far stronger than any current faction in Orario, boasting adventurers of Lv.8 and Lv.9 at their peak.
These two familias took on the quests to slay the land king Behemoth, the sea king Leviathan, and the sky king Black Dragon. The Zeus Familia killed Behemoth, and the Hera Familia defeated Leviathan, but their combined forces were tragically wiped out in the battle against the Black Dragon.
After that, the Hera and Zeus Familias disappeared, and the Freya and Loki Familias rose to the top of Orario after a period of chaos.
According to the Guild's records, the Hera and Zeus Familias reached as far as the 71st floor of the dungeon, while the current farthest exploration record in the labyrinth city is the 49th floor by the Loki Familia.
"That's right. Almost all the materials sold to the Guild by the Hera and Zeus Familias were bought by the Hephaestus Familia and forged into magic swords. But now, those materials have been exhausted," Riveria said, "And our Loki Familia is one of the few factions currently capable of breaking through the 50th floor."
The Freya Familia's adventurers have stronger overall combat power, but the members of the Freya Familia have no concept of cooperation. They spend their days fighting each other for the goddess Freya's favor, so their progress in dungeon exploration has actually fallen behind the Loki Familia.
"The Hephaestus Familia's trump cards are 'equipment' and 'magic swords,' the Dian Cecht Familia's trump cards are 'medicine' and 'healing,' and our Loki Familia's trump cards are 'progress' and 'materials'," Finn said, "There are other forging and healing familias in the city, but as for providing materials from the deepest layers, at least for now, only we can do that."
Riveria nodded, "That's why I was able to reach an agreement with them."
"The Dian Cecht Familia will lend us the [Magic Sword: Spiral Blade], of course, as insurance. It's best if we don't need to use it, but if we do, we'll provide the materials and hire the Hephaestus Familia to forge a new one to return to the Dian Cecht Familia. The main material for the [Magic Sword: Spiral Blade] is the magic stone of the 'Strong Dragon' from the 51st floor."
[T/N: Strong Dragon— Cadmus]
"And in return for lending the magic sword and accepting the order for a new one, the Dian Cecht Familia and the Hephaestus Familia will have the first right to purchase the materials we obtain from this expedition. Additionally, the medicine for the expedition will be purchased from the Dian Cecht Familia, and Alicia's first-class armament will be forged by the Hephaestus Familia."
Finn nodded, "We would have done that anyway."
The Dian Cecht Familia's medicine is the best, and it has always been the Loki Familia's first choice. As for Alicia's first-class armament, Alicia herself has probably already chosen the forger.
The only question is whether Emiya, who recently leveled up to Lv.2, has the ability to forge first-class armament.
If he's not capable, then it will have to be forged by the [One-Eyed Blacksmith] Tsubaki.
"Alicia's level-up, plus this magic sword, do you now have the confidence to perfectly defeat Balor?", Riveria asked.
Finn: "To be honest, without these two things, I wouldn't have much confidence."
He paused for a moment, "But now... saying 100% would be arrogant, so let's say 99%."
Finn said, "Let's start preparing for the expedition. Once Alicia's weapon is ready, we'll set off."
"Our goal is to slay Balor and break through to the 50th floor and beyond."
———
"Emiya-kun, wait a moment!"
"You are... Aisha-senpai?", Outside the Babel Tower, Aisha stopped Emiya, who was about to return to the workshop.
"[Beauty Elite]... Aisha-senpai, what can I do for you?", Emiya asked.
The [Beauty Elite] was already eye-catching, and with her calling out Emiya's name, the surrounding gazes instantly focused on them.
"Emiya? Wait, is he the Emiya Shirou who single-handedly wiped out the Soma Familia?"
"You mean the super genius who broke the [Sword Princess]'s fastest level-up record, reaching Lv.2 in just three months..."
"What? Three months? That's cheating, right? No way..."
"Watch your words! He's from the Hephaestus Familia."
"Ah, the Hephaestus Familia... that explains it, that explains it. These big familias always manage to find once-in-a-lifetime geniuses."
"I envy him. I wish I could join the Hephaestus Familia."
"If you could level up to Lv.2 in three months, even the Loki Familia would beg you to join."
Emiya overheard the surrounding adventurers' discussions and was momentarily at a loss for words, 'So if an adventurer from a small familia levels up quickly, they're suspected of cheating? How realistic.'
"By the way, the title [Sword King] clearly overshadows [Sword Princess], right? Will he also level up to Lv.5 as quickly as [Sword Princess]?"
"[Sword King] is from the Hephaestus Familia, so it might also mean [King of Swordsmithing]. My second uncle's cousin's friend bought a sword he forged, and I heard the quality is terrifyingly good, it can cut through iron like mud and slice through hair."
Meanwhile, a bit further away, a few elf girls were whispering among themselves.
Elf Girl A: "By the way, what's the relationship between [Beauty Elite] and [Sword King]? I heard Emiya Shirou is an 'Elf Slayer.' Does his hypnotic skill work on Amazons too?"
Elf Girl B: "Elf Slayer? Hypnotic skill? What's that? Tell me more!"
Elf Girl A: "My neighbor heard from her cousin's friend in the Loki Familia that Emiya has a mental control skill targeting elves, making elf girls fall unconditionally in love with him..."
Elf Girl C: "What? Such a terrifying ability exists?"
Elf Girl D: "No, no, it's fine. We have Lady Riveria. She'll personally deal with such an inherently evil human brat..."
Amazon Girl A: "What should I do? My heart races when I see his profile and eyes. Have I already fallen under Emiya-sama's skill?"
Other Elves: "...Amazon, stop eavesdropping on us!"
———
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Emiya didn't hear the elf girls' whispers.
"Good afternoon, Emiya-kun. I came to thank you for helping me and Haruhime back then," Aisha also ignored the surrounding commotion and firmly grasped Emiya's hand, "Please accept this highest-level VIP card."
Emiya instinctively wanted to refuse. He didn't want any high-level VIP card from the pleasure district...
"You can secretly come to the pleasure district to find me~", Aisha said, looking up to meet Emiya's gaze. Her voice was seductive, but her eyes only showed determination and resolve.
Emiya was silent for a few seconds before accepting the VIP card from the pleasure district—along with the note Aisha slipped into his hand.
Aisha gently lowered her head, and a faint whisper reached Emiya's ears, "Please... save Haruhime."
———
"Thank you for your hard work, Asfi."
A brown-haired woman stepped down from the carriage, speaking in a gentle tone.
"Don't say that, Goddess," A short-haired, blue-haired female adventurer with a heroic demeanor placed her right hand over her left chest and gave an elegant bow, "It is my greatest honor to assist you."
Her name was Asfi Al Andromeda, the captain of the Hermes Familia, registered as Lv.2 with the Guild, and her title was [All-Rounder].
The Hermes Familia was a unique faction. It was an exploration-type familia, but their explorations were not of the dungeon, but of the world outside the labyrinth city.
The familia's main god was the traveler god Hermes, a restless deity who was always on the move, loved traveling, and never stayed in one place for more than half a month.
Under the leadership of their main god, the Hermes Familia was active in countries around the world centered on Orario, reaching as far as the island nation in the Far East, the sword-making city, the magic country, and even the secret realms of the [Great Tree Sea] and [Dragon Valley], leaving their footprints everywhere.
Due to the unique nature of the familia, the Hermes Familia possessed a vast amount of information and secrets about Orario and its surroundings. At the same time, to meet the needs of the Guild and various familias in the labyrinth city, they often took on missions that required leaving Orario, such as delivery tasks.
Asfi had accepted a request from her former comrade [Gale], the task being to deliver a letter to the goddess Astrea in the distant sword-making city.
Fortunately, Asfi hadn't even reached the sword-making city when she coincidentally encountered the goddess Astrea, who was on her way to the labyrinth city of Orario.
Asfi handed [Gale]'s letter to the goddess Astrea and then took on the task of escorting the goddess Astrea to Orario.
Before Emiya, there were no more than five adventurers in all of Orario with the development ability [Mystery], and Asfi was one of them. Her [Mystery] was reflected in the development and creation of magic tools.
Asfi modified the goddess Astrea's carriage, further improving its efficiency, allowing them to complete the two-day journey in just one day and return to the labyrinth city.
"It's been a long time," The goddess Astrea gazed at the majestic walls of Orario in the distance and sighed softly.
Two years ago, the Astrea Familia was annihilated by the Evilus, with only [Gale] Ryuu Lion surviving. Afterward, at Ryuu's urging, the goddess Astrea left Orario, while Ryuu stayed in Orario to seek revenge on the remnants of the Evilus.
The goddess Astrea went to the sword-making city, where she lived for two years, preparing to forge a new weapon for Ryuu, who was fighting alone, while silently waiting for Ryuu's letter.
Until half a month ago, the goddess Astrea still hadn't received any word from Ryuu, but she did receive a letter from her former comrade, the god Ganesha.
During the dark era of fighting against the Evilus, the Astrea Familia and the Ganesha Familia of that time had jointly shouldered the order of Orario.
Ganesha's messenger was a Lv.5 first-class adventurer, who informed the goddess Astrea of [Gale]'s recent situation and the changes that had occurred. At the same time, Ganesha suggested that the goddess Astrea return to Orario to see for herself.
["Whether [Gale] can be entrusted to that boy should be confirmed by you personally... this is what I, Ganesha, believe,"] This was written in Ganesha's letter.
After careful consideration, the goddess Astrea set off for the labyrinth city, only to coincidentally encounter Asfi, who was carrying Ryuu's letter, along the way.
In the letter, Ryuu recounted everything that had happened over the past two years, telling the goddess Astrea that her justice and future had found a new home, and expressing her wish to meet with the goddess Astrea.
Ryuu, who hadn't updated her "God's Blessing" in two years, hoped to update her status and level up.
The goddess Astrea was immensely relieved. The child she had been most worried about had finally been able to leave her heavy past behind and embrace the future.
Thanks to that boy named Emiya Shirou.
The only thing that puzzled the goddess Astrea was why Ryuu's handwriting in the letter was so shaky, with many strokes faint, as if her hand had been trembling while writing.
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