Otherworld Dungeon?
This was a very novel term.
The Gods and Familia captains present were all curious about this term.
In reality, 'Dungeon' was easy to understand; it was Chen Hai's territory.
So how should 'Otherworld' be explained?
The Gods had something to say about this.
"Otherworld, huh~ It's quite an interesting term. For us Gods, coming from the 'Heavenly Realm' to the 'Mortal Realm' felt like arriving in an otherworld; besides 'returning if divine power is used,' various human social rules were initially incomprehensible. I never thought humans were such a restrained race."
Hermes stood among the crowd, smiling as he took a drink from a servant and looked at Chen Hai.
"So, you are once again bringing us a new plane?"
As soon as he spoke, the Gods began to discuss animatedly.
A new plane, a new world.
This was no joke.
One must know that even Gods only understood two worlds—the Heavenly Realm and the Mortal Realm.
Now, the Dungeon was connected to a brand new plane?!
This greatly piqued the interest of the Gods.
Just as he had once descended upon Orario, Takemikazuchi, filled with a desire for exploration, took a step forward.
He had brought three members of the Takemikazuchi Familia to the scene: Kashima Sakura, Hitachi Chigusa, and Wano Mikoto.
"Hello, Sir Chen Hai, may I interject?"
"Please do."
"Since the Dungeon rules were changed, Gods can also freely go to the Dungeon. Therefore, in recent days, I have accompanied Familia members to the middle floors for adventures."
Takemikazuchi, the God who presides over 'martial arts.'
His martial arts were superb, possessing techniques that surpassed lower-world Adventurers, almost comparable to 'divine skills.'
Even without using divine power, he could contend with powerful Adventurers through his skill, earning him the moniker 'God of War.'
Chen Hai, not surprised by this, pressed on,
"What Sir Takemikazuchi wants to say is...?"
"I know the Heavenly Realm, and now I understand the Mortal Realm. If possible... I hope to be the first to explore the 'Dungeon Otherworld' that Sir Chen Hai mentioned. It must be a special space connected to a certain floor."
This answer surprised Chen Hai.
He hadn't expected the seemingly refined (though a 'God of War') Takemikazuchi to have such a strong desire for exploration.
However, someone quickly explained the reason.
"Takemikazuchi, your intentions are easy to understand~ Because your Familia is small, even though Sir Chen Hai changed the Dungeon rules, it probably didn't improve your exploration efficiency, did it? So you've set your sights on the 'Dungeon Otherworld' for making money."
The person who analyzed this was Hermes.
He wasn't deliberately mocking; he was simply explaining,
"But the 'Dungeon Otherworld' is probably not easy to explore. Are you sure you want to be the first to accept the task?"
"..."
After Hermes said that, Takemikazuchi didn't refute him.
He did indeed want to make money.
The reason was simple—
Takemikazuchi used to live in the Far East, residing in a shrine with other Gods, and adopted many orphans. The members of the Takemikazuchi Familia were all raised by the shrine.
Later, as the number of orphans grew, the shrine faced financial difficulties.
So they decided that Takemikazuchi would lead the elders from the shrine to Orario to earn money and send living expenses back to the shrine.
Now, the new rules set by Chen Hai had increased the exploration efficiency for Adventurers.
Each floor had fixed areas where magic stones and minerals could be obtained by defeating monsters.
However, the Takemikazuchi Familia lacked manpower and strength. After the rules changed, they could only be assigned to the middle and upper-level areas.
As a result, while safety improved, the money earned didn't increase much.
Takemikazuchi came to the 'Gods' Assembly' today actually wanting to talk to Chen Hai privately about the new rules.
After all, under the new rules, Familias with insufficient overall levels and strength could not obtain high-yield exploration areas.
Conversely, the efficiency of top-ranked Familias greatly increased, and their members could fight and earn money better.
In short, Takemikazuchi approved of Chen Hai's reforms, but the details needed optimization.
Especially for those smaller Familias.
However... Takemikazuchi heard from Demeter, whom he recently met, that Chen Hai was very kind to them.
Was it because they were goddesses?
He was a male God, so he didn't get much attention?
Thinking this, Takemikazuchi couldn't help but look at his Familia.
Wano Mikoto was very beautiful and had some popularity in Orario.
But Takemikazuchi would not use his Familia members as tools to attract Chen Hai's attention.
He hoped to earn his interests through proper means and protect his Familia and companions in the Far East shrine.
This was the responsibility of a God, and it was his current goal.
"As you said, Hermes, we indeed want to make money."
As soon as he said this, some of the Gods of other Familias began to whisper, mostly with mockery.
"Small Familias are just like this."
"But Takemikazuchi himself is very strong; he could go explore the Dungeon."
"Are his Familia members willing to keep going like this? After all, a God exploring the Dungeon is like saying 'Familia members' are useless, isn't it?"
"That's normal; they are a poor Familia after all."
"Mainly, Takemikazuchi always looks gloomy all year round, so probably no one wants to cooperate with them."
Upon hearing these words, the Familia members who accompanied Takemikazuchi looked grim.
They would not allow their God to be insulted.
But this was a 'Gods' Assembly.' Acting rashly would only cause more embarrassment and might even offend Chen Hai, the host.
"So noisy! You guys! If you don't have money, you have to earn money, what's so strange about that? If you're so rich, why don't you buy the Dungeon? Am I right, Little Brother Chen Hai!"
Facing the mockery from other Familia Gods towards Takemikazuchi, the straightforward Dian Casket interrupted their speeches.
The topic suddenly fell on him, and Chen Hai smiled.
"I can sell my Dungeon. Is there anyone here who can afford it?"
"Even if we sold Orario, we couldn't afford it."
Hestia said, proudly puffing out her chest.
But that was the truth.
If the Dungeon that Chen Hai owned were fully exploited, its value would be immeasurable, surpassing everything.
"Let's get back to the previous topic, what do you all think?"
Miach, who spoke at this moment, showed a gentle smile.
Chen Hai looked over as well.
The main god of the Miach Familia—Miach.
His Familia, like the Takemikazuchi Familia, had encountered economic problems and were forced to live frugally.
Therefore, after the implementation of the 'New Dungeon Regulations,' Miach, who found it difficult to get a share, fully agreed with Takemikazuchi.
"If possible, we also want to go to the 'Dungeon Otherworld' to see it."
Before he finished speaking, the beast-eared girl beside Miach stood up.
She was the captain of the Miach Familia—Naza Illyis.
Naza, once an Adventurer, lost her right arm due to an injury after reaching Lv.2 and had it replaced with a prosthetic limb developed by the Dian Casket Familia. This caused her to develop a fear of monsters, preventing her from continuing her Adventurer career.
For this reason, she believed that exploring the 'Dungeon Otherworld' was more suitable for her than fighting monsters.
If she encountered monsters, she could just run away.
Anyway, the job was 'exploration,' not 'combat,' and she might even make a fortune.
"It seems everyone is very interested in the 'Dungeon Otherworld' Little Brother Chen Hai mentioned. Can you tell us more about that 'Otherworld'?"
Loki only interjected at this point, hoping to hear more details.
Among the crowd, Demeter, who had a previous 'homemade meal' agreement with Chen Hai, also spoke up in agreement.
"Will there be high-value medicinal herbs in that 'Dungeon Otherworld,' Mr. Chen Hai?"
"I'm more curious about what kind of weapons there will be…"
Hephaestus added.
The focus of the conversation once again fell on him.
Chen Hai did not shy away.
Facing the gazes cast by the gods, he simply explained,
"As you all know, as the number of floors increases, the area also grows exponentially; if one floor is only the size of a plaza, then by the tenth floor, its area could cover the entire Orario. The 'Otherworld Dungeon' I mentioned is similar, but it is even more special."
"More special?"
Hestia beside him cast a curious gaze.
Chen Hai then looked at the sky outside the venue.
"Its area is larger, it can be understood as a new world; there are original inhabitants, developed technology, and various groups, races, armies, and so on."
"That sounds quite interesting. The Dungeon is actually connected to a brand new world. It seems our 'Lower World' has really hit the jackpot."
After Chen Hai's explanation, Loki showed an interested smile.
The gods present shared similar thoughts.
They left the Celestial Realm and descended to the human world precisely to experience a different kind of life.
Now, not only could they enjoy the interesting life of Orario, but they could also explore 'another world' located in the Dungeon, which excited the gods.
"A brand new world… (badj)…"
"What kind of monsters will there be?"
"I don't know, but I think it will definitely be more interesting than Orario."
"Who said that? Orario also has a lot of fun."
"Even so, I believe no one can refuse the temptation of a 'brand new world.' When we first came to the human world, wasn't it because we 'didn't know' much about it?"
"Yes, now that there's a world we've never understood at all, I want to take my Familia to explore it!"
The main gods became excited.
Among them, someone asked loudly,
"Are there any risks?"
The main god who asked this question was Ishtar.
She was the leader of Orario's pleasure district, the 'Night Street,' and the Amazoness tribe responsible for combat in her Familia were called battle prostitutes.
As a Goddess of Beauty, she nevertheless ran a nightclub-like establishment, and Chen Hai planned to ban it in the next two days.
"Miss Ishtar… before you consider this matter, you should think about how to operate your Familia after the 'Night Street' closes."
"What… did you say?"
"I won't say it again."
Chen Hai's words made Ishtar's face darken.
She had actually heard Chen Hai's words clearly.
However… she never expected Chen Hai to tell her so directly that he 'intended to destroy the Night Street.'
"If you are dissatisfied with my decision just now, I can give you the right to challenge me."
"I didn't mean that."
Hearing this, Ishtar quickly shook her head in denial.
Aisha Belka, the vice-captain of the Istar Familia who had come with her, also stood up.
"We will abide by Lord Chen Hai's decision, but there are some things we hope you can discuss with us."
"There's no need for discussion."
"…"
Facing the blunt answer, Aisha closed her mouth.
Watching everything unfold, Freya, who was beside Chen Hai, stood up.
"We've been talking for a while, let's take a break."
"That's right! Bring the wine!"
Dian Casket shouted loudly, wanting to drink to his heart's content.
Chen Hai was also pulled by Hestia to a table below, where he met up with Hephaestus.
However, she quickly noticed that Freya was also following behind.
"Why are you following along too…?"
"I don't think I have any reason not to follow, and Lord Chen Hai didn't object, did he?"
"Hmm… Chen Hai, I think it's better if just us friends chat."
"I also wish to be a friend of Lord Chen Hai."
"It's too late!"
Hestia clearly disagreed.
But Chen Hai did not refuse.
"More people make it livelier. Let's have a good chat."
"Hmm… alright."
Hestia finally agreed.
In fact, when she brought Chen Hai to meet Hephaestus, the main gods scattered around had already begun to slowly gather towards Chen Hai's location.
Facing the sudden crowd, Hestia had wanted to chat about personal matters like 'should we go shopping together tomorrow,' but had to give up.
The main gods gathered here, after eating and drinking, were all curious about the follow-up to the previous topic.
"What exactly are the risks?"
A main god asked.
"Are there powerful enemies?"
Demeter also looked curious.
Chen Hai first explained the basic situation.
"In the 'Otherworld Dungeon,' I first arranged a group of Heretics to investigate and establish strongholds."
"Heretics?"
Many main gods and Familia members felt confused.
They did not know what 'Heretics' meant.
In 'Orario,' only certain Familias knew of their existence; it was not a widely spread concept.
This also made Ganesha, who had been silent until now, stand up.
"Heretics… special monsters with intelligence and the ability to speak."
Ganesha explained in the simplest way.
These words greatly surprised many Familia members.
They had always thought that the monsters in the Dungeon were irrational beasts, but… there were actually monsters with intelligence and language skills?!
"Come to think of it… I should have clarified it earlier, after all, Lord Chen Hai has already changed the landscape of Orario."
Ganesha spoke up at this moment, blaming himself.
Now that Chen Hai had voluntarily brought it up, he could also shed some of his burden.
"Does that mean those thinking monsters went to investigate the Otherworld before us?"
"That's right."
Chen Hai confirmed a main god's question.
Not intending to discuss this further, he asked directly,
"These aren't the main points. I want to know who among you wants to investigate and manage that 'Otherworld Dungeon.'"
Upon hearing this, the scene fell silent for a while.
Then—
"Me!"
The first person to raise her hand was Ais Wallenstein, the captain of the Hermes Familia.
"Count me in!"
The second was Amide Veliyustein, from the Dian Casket Familia.
"Please allow me to participate!"
The third came from Wano Mikoto of the Takemikazuchi Familia.
So far, they were all girls.
Chen Hai was very satisfied.
"If you are sure, report to the Adventurers' Guild then, and I will make unified arrangements."
Next… more people began to raise their hands.
Among them were even 'main gods.'
However, Chen Hai did not choose all of them, but selected some girls he thought were good and capable.
For example—
Naza Illyis, the beast-eared captain of the Miach Familia;
Shakti Farma, the captain of the Ganesha Familia;
And... "If possible, please count me in."
Riveria, at Loki's behest, also decided to join the exploration team.
After confirming these individuals, Loki asked,
"What exactly will they be doing?"
"They will go to that 'Otherworld Dungeon' to investigate and manage it, then report to me periodically."
"Like secretaries?"
"You could see it that way. Is there a problem?"
"No, I also wish I could get regular reports from the beautiful captains of various Familia every day."
"That is indeed one of the pleasures."
Chen Hai answered truthfully.
This earned him a 'fierce' glare from Hestia beside him.
"My Familia needs to focus on building the 'Sixtieth Floor Safe Zone,' so we won't participate."
Freya did not send anyone to participate in this operation.
Afterward, Loki, clinking glasses with Chen Hai, remembered something and decided to ask if the 'Dungeon Goddess Hot Spring' could be built...