Daedalus Street was a vast residential district located in the southeastern part of the city.
This district was a product from the early days when the gods first descended a thousand years ago. Named after its designer "Daedalus," it stood as the legacy of a craftsman who left his mark on history.
Though classified as a residential area, its structure was extraordinarily complex, filled with overlapping staircases and chaotically divided zones at every glance.
Thus, it was also known as the Labyrinth on the Surface.
Not only outsiders but even long-term residents easily got lost here. Almost no one knew what lay in its depths, making it one of Orario's foremost mysterious locations.
As soon as the sun rose, the members of Loki Familia arrived.
"Tch, this place is as troublesome as ever!"
Bete walked along the path, clicking his tongue in irritation as he surveyed the intricate maze-like streets.
"Why's everything so twisty and turny?"
Eiji glanced around at the narrow alleys crowding every direction, even the sky obscured by various corridors. It wasn't just his eyes—his head was starting to ache too.
"This is Daedalus Street," Finn remarked with admiration. "If you don't follow the markers, you'll lose your way. It's hard to imagine a craftsman from a thousand years ago could create such a labyrinthine district!"
To put it bluntly, the terrain here was more complicated than the Dungeon.
"Wow! It's Loki Familia!"
"The Mad Wolf! The Braver! And the King!"
"Where's the Aurora?"
"Where's the Aurora?"
"A Loki Familia without the Handsome Aurora? I don't approve!"
The playful voices of children echoed around them.
Due to its low land value, this was Orario's famous slum district. Yet, the surroundings were surprisingly lively, with buildings two or three stories tall, clotheslines laden with laundry, and elderly folks playing chess by the roadside.
Finn shot Eiji a meaningful look.
"Ahem, kids say the darndest things. Don't take it to heart!"
Eiji cleared his throat and adjusted his fluttering hood.
"Then stop grinning so smugly."
"Am I?"
"..."
Finn decided to ignore his gloating and turned his attention to the group.
"Based on our earlier deductions, there's a high probability remnants of the Evils are hiding here. We'll split into several teams to search the area."
Remember the rendezvous point. Avoid unnecessary combat. Prioritize civilian safety.
Finn repeated these instructions to the twenty-plus members.
"Lastly, we have the sewer team. Eiji, you'll lead this one."
Finn cheerfully assigned the final team to Eiji.
"The sewers?"
"That's right."
"How about we send Bete instead?"
"He's leading another team."
"..."
Note to self: don't act too smug around Finn.
Eiji made a mental note.
"Ugh, the stench!"
Pinching his nose, Eiji stepped into the dim underground passage with clear disgust.
Beside them flowed the city's wastewater channels, emitting all sorts of foul odors so pungent they made one's stomach churn.
It wasn't just Eiji—the faces of those behind him had also turned pale, each silently cursing their rotten luck for drawing the short straw.
"Let's just make a quick round and get the hell out if there's nothing!"
Eiji resolved not to linger here a second longer than necessary.
The people behind him nodded hurriedly, feeling that he was truly heroic and awe-inspiring at this moment!
"Um... Eiji."
Someone in the team suddenly raised their hand.
"What is it?"
"Come look at this..."
Eiji walked over.
Then he stood dumbfounded, staring at the dim passage before him.
The structure of this passage was completely different from the other aged and dilapidated stone corridors—it was neat and pristine. At the end of the passage stood a massive metal door.
It was a gleaming silver door, three meters tall, with a red jewel embedded at its center.
It practically screamed, "Come right in, I'm the entrance!"—so blatantly obvious.
"Theoretically, my luck should be terrible right now..."
Eiji muttered in disbelief.
Why had they found it so easily?
Soon.
Finn, Gareth, and the others all gathered here.
The entire group stared blankly at the metal door. They had prepared themselves for a long and arduous battle, yet here they were, finding the enemy's stronghold on the very first morning. Wasn't this too easy?
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Finn stepped forward and knocked on the metal door, the sound echoing dully through the sewer.
"No mistake, this is orichalcum!"
"Seriously?"
"Isn't that the hardest-tier metal?"
"No one could possibly break through this thing!"
The group behind them erupted in exclamations.
No wonder they were so shaken—orichalcum was an incredibly rare material!
The unbreakable weapons Finn and the others had commissioned from Tsubaki cost over a hundred million each, and those only used a tiny amount of orichalcum.
But the metal door before them was at least three meters in both height and width. Who knew how much money had been spent on it? Excluding labor costs, the material alone would easily exceed a billion!
Moreover, as the hardest-tier metal, its durability was unmatched in the world. Even Gareth wouldn't be able to damage it!
"But this confirms one thing."
"With such an extravagant door here, this has to be the enemy's hideout!"
Finn and Gareth exchanged opinions.
"True, I can smell the man-eating flowers here."
Bete sniffed the air, then grimaced in disgust at the nearby wastewater, nearly vomiting up his breakfast.
"Honestly, I think this is a trap."
Eiji cut into their conversation, his expression serious.
"Finding the enemy's base so easily is hard to swallow. Isn't it possible they wanted us to find it?"
"I share the same concern."
Finn nodded in agreement, unconsciously biting his thumb.
"It's practically inviting us in. Even if we can open the door, there's a high chance of traps inside. We're probably in for a brutal fight!"
This was almost a foregone conclusion.
"But we have to stop the remnants of the Evilus faction. We don't know when they'll execute their plan to summon the corrupted spirit, but we can't let them run wild any longer. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it gets. So entering this door is absolutely necessary!"
Yet Finn showed no hesitation. He lowered his head in thought for a moment.
"First, send word to Loki and have her return. Then we'll gather all our strength and settle this in one decisive battle!"
During this time, other preparations had to be made.
His thumb throbbed painfully.
Eiji's intuition also sounded an alarm.
This perilous situation was almost comparable to encountering the corrupted spirit's avatar on the 59th floor—perhaps even more dangerous!
It proved there was definitely an extremely hazardous circumstance awaiting them inside.
But for the survival of Orario, Loki Familia had no choice but to step forward.
"Prepare yourselves! We're launching the Daedalus Street assault!"