In a tense conference room at the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild, three factions gathered.
The goddess of the Hephaestus Familia sat at the table, and beside her was the [Saber] Emiya Shirou.
The goddess of the Loki Familia, Loki, was also present, accompanied by the captain [Braver] Finn, and [Thousand Elf] Lefiya.
Representing the Guild were Guildmaster Royman Mardeel, and the half-elf employee Eina.
The Guildmaster of the Adventurers' Guild, Royman Mardeel, was a man called 'Disgrace of Elves,' 'Guild's Pig.'
As an elf, Royman completely defied the stereotypical impression people had of elves, slender, graceful, noble.
His body was fat, short legs plus bloated figure made him look much shorter than the average elf.
His hair was dry white, and his eyes were deep green. The inherent liveliness expected of elves was completely absent from him.
Royman's personality also completely contradicted that of elves. He was known for greed and arrogance, and had an undisguised desire for power and money.
When handling Guild affairs, he was full of utilitarian motives, and always showed impatience and disdain towards lower-ranked adventurers and Guild staff.
This kind of behavior made Royman's reputation in the city extremely poor, especially among elves, where he was deeply despised.
And now, this Guildmaster once again rendered the two goddesses speechless.
"The increase in the number of enhanced species is merely an 'abnormality' of the Dungeon. This is a residual effect caused by the previous Dungeon riot. The Guild has already concluded on this," Royman wiped the shiny sweat from his forehead, speaking in an irritatingly weak tone unique to the obese.
"What you're saying, that other people or factions are deliberately cultivating enhanced species, is absolutely, absolutely, absolutely impossible."
Loki slammed the meeting table hard, creating a loud noise, "Are you kidding me?."
The goddess's anger was obvious, "Insect types, mammals, amphibians, fish, birds... and even dragons! So many different types of enhanced species appearing in such a short time, and you still call this coincidence?"
"Moreover, that 'Tree Dragon' at least had Lv.5 potential, and its subjugation difficulty might have already reached Lv.6. Just how many magic stones did it consume on the 24th floor to grow to that extent?"
One must know, the monsters on the 24th floor, aside from rare species like the Lv.4 Tree Dragon, were mostly only at Lv.2 and Lv.3.
For such monsters' magic stones, the Tree Dragon would need to sweep through the entire floor to accumulate enough to raise its difficulty to Lv.6.
And if such a thing did happen, the adventurers usually active in that area couldn't possibly have missed noticing the anomaly.
"Ma-Maybe multiple Tree Dragons were born at the same time, and then they devoured each other, and finally only one was left...", Royman stammered, trying to use such a statement to deflect the situation.
His words were utterly absurd, leaving even Loki temporarily speechless.
"Tree Dragons are rare species... You, the Guildmaster, don't even know what 'rare' means?"
Royman was clearly feeling a bit embarrassed but still tried to maintain his stance, waving his hand dismissively as he said, "Anything is possible in the Dungeon. Besides, in the end, the level and strength of that Tree Dragon are merely your side's claims…"
He glanced at Emiya Shirou, then continued, "Sorry, [Saber], it's not that I'm questioning your intel, but because your current level is Lv.3, you might not be able to accurately evaluate a monster's true potential…"
Royman's words seemed to carry a hidden implication, he believed Emiya had exaggerated the strength of the enhanced Tree Dragon he had slain.
To this, Emiya remained calm.
Once he realized the Guildmaster Royman's stance, he already understood that negotiations with the Guild would not yield effective results.
"The possibility that someone or some faction is engaged in secret conspiracy", such a possibility was something Royman could not accept.
After all, the chaos caused by the Evilus had just been settled, and all the Familias were returning to expeditions and exploration.
To Royman, this hard-won peace was extremely precious. He absolutely didn't want any uncertain factors to destroy it.
Royman wiped the sweat from his forehead again and continued, "In the end, your speculation doesn't have concrete evidence, does it?"
Indeed, the current intel and signs were not enough to constitute solid proof, and could not confirm that there was some conspiracy behind the appearance of these enhanced species.
But the problem was, in this kind of situation, is "evidence" really that important?
Goddess Loki shook her head, "Sigh, looks like talking more is meaningless."
"Let's go, Shirou," Goddess Hephaestus also said lightly, "If the Guild doesn't want to face reality, then we'll solve the problem our own way."
After the goddesses left, Royman glared angrily at Eina. To him, the root of all this trouble was the staff member who had informed Emiya of the intel without permission.
It was precisely her meddling that dragged the Hephaestus and Loki Familias into this pointless argument.
Although Royman also knew that even without Eina, Emiya could find that public intel on enhanced species with a little effort, these facts couldn't stop him from taking out his frustration on her.
"You don't understand anything, just know how to cause trouble. That's why you 'half-breeds' (half-elves) are useless…", Royman snorted coldly, his face full of contempt and disdain.
Eina could only lower her head deeply.
———
After leaving the Guild, Lefiya asked with some confusion, "So, what do we do next?"
"To be honest, there's little we can do now. That possible enemy is hiding very deep," Finn answered.
As Finn said, they couldn't even be sure whether a clear enemy truly existed yet.
It could also be that the Dungeon was experiencing "abnormal conditions", not entirely impossible.
For this reason, they needed the Guild's system to help gather and analyze intel.
But they hadn't expected the Guild's rejection to be so firm.
Finn lowered his head and looked at his thumb, he felt no pain or discomfort, "But at least for now, it seems the perpetrator has no plans to act immediately."
Loki frowned, recalling the Guildmaster's reaction just now, then said, "To be honest, Royman's reaction was a little too guilty. Even though I can see directly that pig wasn't lying, but..."
She paused, seemingly thinking about whether or not to say her thoughts.
Emiya spoke, "When he mentioned 'other people or factions,' why didn't he just say 'someone or some faction'? Generally speaking, the latter sounds more natural, right?"
("that other people or factions are deliberately cultivating enhanced species, is absolutely, absolutely, absolutely impossible!"), That was the original line spoken by the Guildmaster in front of the two gods who could see through lies.
A trace of surprise flashed in Loki's eyes. Goddess Hephaestus also looked thoughtfully at Emiya.
"You mean…", Hephaestus whispered.
Finn also realized, "That phrasing of his seems to deliberately exclude 'the Guild' itself."
Was Royman trying to use wordplay to bypass the gods' ability to detect lies?
But the Guild itself, cultivating enhanced species… such a notion was simply too ridiculous.
Still, one thing was certain, in this matter, the Guild was not worthy of their trust.
———
In the deepest underground basement of the Guild, a dim and quiet space seemingly unreachable by any outside clamor.
"God Ouranus, the [Saber] who has now encountered enhanced species consecutively, has begun to grow suspicious," A black-robed person whispered.
Before the Guild's pillar god, a black-robed figure spoke.
Ouranus sat on the divine throne, his expression calm and eyes deep. The black-robed figure continued, "No matter how you look at it, encountering three enhanced species consecutively, this situation is just too unusual."
She paused, choosing her next words carefully, and continued, "This matter has nothing to do with them, at least, that's what they say."
Ouranus's gaze shifted slightly, but he didn't answer immediately, merely listening quietly.
The black-robed figure's voice echoed in the basement, "However, whether they can be trusted, I cannot determine. After all, they, those monsters with intelligence and humanoid traits, the Xenos, in a sense, are also a special kind of enhanced species."
Xenos, this was the term used by God Ouranus to refer to those monsters possessing intelligence and wisdom, and who were friendly to humans.
"They have the motive, to use the method of cultivating enhanced species, to increase their own numbers," The black-robed person suggested a possibility.
God Ouranus lowered his eyes. After a moment, he finally spoke, voice low and heavy, "I trust them."
"Those enhanced species without intellect, who know only how to devour and kill, will actively attack other monsters. In fact, the Xenos are hostile toward them... So this matter could not have been their doing," Said the god.
The black-robed person nodded, "I see... I understand."
He paused, his tone somewhat hesitant, "However, the Loki and Hephaestus Familias likely no longer trust us."
The Guild's main god, Ouranus, indeed had a connection with those special "enhanced species."
But in the minds of ordinary adventurers, whether "enhanced species" or "Xenos," their essence was the same, they were still monsters.
Ouranus: "That [Saber]... is it possible... that he could accept the existence of the Xenos?"
The black-robed person thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head, replying in a low voice, "It's hard to gamble. His personality is very decisive, acts swiftly, and... his sword and bow are too fast..."
For someone like Emiya Shirou, determining threats and eliminating enemies often happened in an instant.
If a Xenos appeared before him, they might not even have a chance to speak before being instantly slain.
The black-robed person's voice carried a trace of helplessness, "If a Xenos were to recklessly appear in front of him, there might be no time to even speak."
"Even those Xenos who look close to human... letting them bet on reaction speed and sword speed with [Saber] is just too risky..."
After all, some monsters with humanlike appearances already existed in the Dungeon, like the Vouivre (Dragon Girl) and Gorgon, but they were still mindless enemies of life who knew only killing.
Besides that, there was another problem, Emiya Shirou had some frightening rumors about him in the city, and was even privately called the [Demon King of the Sword].
The black-robed person couldn't accurately judge this person's true personality, nor could he be sure what attitude and actions he would take towards Xenos, especially those beautiful humanoid female Xenos.
Ouranus nodded, "Then have the Xenos avoid him as much as possible in their actions. Also, regarding those enhanced species, Fels, please do your best to assist the Loki and Hephaestus Familias."
"Understood."
The black-robed person Fels replied softly, stepped back, and her figure quickly vanished into the darkness.
———
As Finn said, there wasn't much they could do now, because the information they had was simply too limited. They didn't even know whether the enemy truly existed.
However, that didn't mean they had nothing to do. At such times, the most correct action was of course to improve their own strength as soon as possible.
The last expedition of the Loki Familia had been a huge success, and with Riveria's return, the strength of the entire Familia had been further enhanced. Their next expedition target might be the 58th, or even 59th floor.
Emiya Shirou had already earned a great feat. He only needed to raise his ability values to a satisfactory level, at least A or S rank, to complete his level-up.
By that time, enemies like the enhanced Tree Dragon wouldn't require the power of the [Unlimited Blade Works], he could handle them alone.
Finn looked at Emiya, with a slightly apologetic tone, "Emiya-kun, about Ais's weapon, once the compensation money from the Kingdom of Rakia arrives, or after the next expedition, let's commission it then…"
Although the last expedition had been a great success, the huge upfront investment meant the Loki Familia's current financial situation was still tight and running a deficit.
Goddess Hephaestus didn't mind at all, smiling as she said, "It's fine, you can put it on the tab. The Loki Familia's credit is still trustworthy."
In fact, the previous debt had reached six hundred million valis, but the Loki Familia had already repaid nearly half of it through one expedition. Such repayment ability was enough to earn trust.
Moreover, for the [Sword Princess] Ais, if she had a new weapon, the Loki Familia's expedition would surely gain more, and the creditor Hephaestus Familia would also benefit.
Finn sincerely said, "Thank you very much for your understanding, Lady Hephaestus."
Loki, standing to the side, muttered quietly, "Using money as a weapon... how despicable."
Finn cleared his throat lightly and turned to Emiya, "By the way, Emiya-kun, those techniques you taught Ais last time, she's been practicing them diligently. Ais also wants to know, when can she train with you again?"
Emiya recalled the time at the Loki Familia's base. After Ais became his disciple, he had trained with her for half a day in swordsmanship, and afterward she had been practicing diligently on her own.
"Well, that, soon. We just finished an adventure, and at least need a few days to rest before setting out again," Emiya said.
———
Clunk!
Emiya and Lunova placed several bulging coin pouches heavily on the table. The heavy gold coins fell, making a series of pleasant sounds, the metallic clinking lifted everyone's mood.
"Whoa, th-these, were all earned by the cats?"
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