socalfunplaces Chapter 653 The Name of the Black Robe, the Goddess's Reward, Meeting the Forge
Chapter 653 The Name of the Black Robe, the Goddess's Reward, Meeting the Forge
Chapter 653 The Name of the Black Robe, the Goddess's Reward, Meeting the God of Forging
"What on earth happened here...?"
About an hour after Broly left, at the edge of the 26th level deep lake, adventurer teams approached to check the situation.
"Look here..."
The adventurer leading the group crouched down and pointed to the damaged wall that was being repaired little by little, but was being repaired very slowly because it was covered with some fine red crystal powder.
"This is the Crimson Crystal Mist of the Azure Waterfall Overlord. Someone must have encountered and fought with that floor master, which caused the scene we are seeing now."
"And what was the result?"
"From the time we heard the noise on the 27th floor to the time it stopped, only a few minutes had passed. In such a short time, the guy who encountered the two-headed dragon must have either been killed or escaped."
The male elf began to speculate.
"Is it possible that the two-headed dragon [Amphispina] has been defeated?"
"Ha, how could this be...?!"
The male elf wanted to deny it, but upon seeing the bloodstained scales in the captain's hand, he suddenly fell silent.
Even the remains of a monster, including scales, must be something that has fallen away to maintain their existence for a long time.
It took them more than an hour to get to the 26th floor.
The fact that crystal dragon scales could still be found here after so long of silence about the battle proves that the two-headed dragon may have been successfully defeated.
"I found this in a crevice in the rocks. The guy who was hunting the two-headed dragon must have missed this dragon scale because of that."
But more than finding the valuable dragon scales, these high-level adventurers were curious about who had managed to defeat the two-headed dragon floor master in such a short time.
"That thing is at level 6 in the water. Which team in Orario managed to take it down? Could it be that Loki's Familia has gone on another expedition?"
"Or perhaps Ota of the Freya Familia?"
"Ah, if it's that powerful individual, then it's indeed possible to take down the floor master [Amphispina] in a short time."
The group of adventurers deduced and began to walk towards the middle area. When they reached the 18th floor of the labyrinth, they rested in Rivera Town. That night, while drinking in a tavern, they talked about the matter.
*Smack!*
The man sitting at another table suddenly dropped the wooden wine glass from his hand.
"Hey, Modo, are you drunk?"
The other person drinking at the table asked with a smile.
"You said the two-headed dragon was defeated?"
Modo ignored his companions and instead asked the adventurers over there who were talking about the defeat of Amphispina.
"What's wrong, Modo? Do you know who launched the attack?"
Male elves, look here.
"Of course, the information they had about the floor owner was bought from me."
Modo straightened his chest.
"But have mobile floor hosts really been condemned?"
"How could this be fake? This scale is proof."
The adventurers in the tavern no longer questioned the bloodstained dragon scales that had been found for free.
"Modo, who's the guy buying information from you?"
"He was a complete stranger, wearing a black robe. I couldn't see what was under the robe, but he was probably a magician. He could manipulate something that looked like ice shards under his feet, making him fly through the air, like riding a magic stone elevator."
"Ha, how is that possible?"
"I'm not lying. Some of the people here have seen the other person. You can ask them if what I said is true or not."
"What Boss Modo said is true, and we can prove it."
"Yes, he also made 5 fali from that mysterious black-robed mage. Otherwise, why would he be so generous as to treat us to drinks?"
"Hey, are you saying I was originally a stingy guy?!"
The largest tavern in Rivera town became noisy, but there was no doubt that the name of the black-robed mage was beginning to spread among the adventurers in the town.
The reason is that the opponent, who is suspected to be a mage, seems to have successfully defeated the two-headed dragon floor master [Amphispina], who is known as the nemesis of mages, all by himself.
However, since their identities and names were unknown, the adventurers here temporarily gave them the code name "Black-Robed Dragon Hunter".
Meanwhile, at the "Abundant Mistress" restaurant, adventurers were recounting their encounter that day with a black-robed mage capable of instantly casting water blade magic.
"You don't know, that guy didn't even chant his water magic. He just raised his hand and pointed, and at least dozens of water spells that looked like blades swept past us."
Of course, we knew those attacks wouldn't hurt us, so we didn't dodge.
When confronting the other party, the scene was extremely tense.
Fortunately, that person seemed to be wary of us and chose to temporarily avoid confrontation…
"An instant-cast spell without chanting? I've never heard of such a thing before. It's truly remarkable that you can stand up to someone like that!"
"Oh, not at all, Miss Seele. I was just being brave in the face of danger."
"Tch, he just can't help but brag in front of cute girls."
The female adventurer in the group was a little annoyed and started poking at the steak in front of her with her fork.
"Well then, Mr. Calvin, how about another 'Courageous Man's Set Meal'? It's a limited-time special price of only 400 Faris..."
"Oh, then, Miss Seele, I'll have another one."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
"The naive young adventurer has been tricked by Seele again."
At the counter, Black Cat Chloe and Black Fist Lunova met and began to complain helplessly.
"This is something that can boost sales, and if anyone's to blame, it's that guy who was completely captivated by Seele's cute looks."
Another catwoman, Anya, came over and said...
"Alright, you three, stop slacking off and hurry up and help serve the dishes."
In the kitchen, an elven girl peeked out. Seeing the three of them chatting idly, she quickly came over and gave them a word of encouragement.
"Alright, Ryu, let's get to work."
. . . .
Meanwhile, Broly and Hestia were having dinner together at a stew restaurant, and Broly was quietly talking about his adventure in the dungeon labyrinth that day.
After Hestia heard that he had gone to the 26th floor to hunt the floor master, she immediately walked around the table to check his physical condition.
Are you hurt?
"I wasn't injured. That guy was indeed a bit difficult to deal with. If I had only used magic, it would have taken a lot of effort to take him down. But I used my fists. Just like that, I threw two punches, one to each of his heads, and knocked him out."
Broly mimicked the famous left and right punching motions, making it hard for Hestia to imagine the boy taking down the floor owner with his small fists.
"It's good that you're alright. However, I agreed to let you go to the middle level, but you went straight to the lower level, and to hunt down the floor lords no less. Broly, do you know that doing this makes me worried?"
Hestia said, hands on her hips.
"Uh, Lady Hestia, I really shouldn't have let you know?"
Broly countered with a question.
"That won't do either, Broly. You have to be honest with me, your goddess."
Hestia reached out, pinched the boy's cheek, and said...
"Yes, Lady Hestia, I will be honest with you."
Broly, whose cheek was pinched, readily agreed.
"Sigh~"
Hestia squeezed for a while before letting go, and then she sighed.
"What is it, Lady Hestia?"
Broly looked at the loli goddess with a strange expression.
"You must have gained a lot this time, but for now, I don't know how to use your gains."
Hestia said.
"Eh, Lady Hestia, didn't you say last night that you had a divine friend and could handle this?"
Broly looked at her in surprise.
"Yes, there is, but I thought it was just dealing with some ordinary drops. I didn't expect you to go directly to fight the floor boss in the lower area."
"And those kinds of monsters only regenerate in the dungeon after a period of time after being defeated. Their magic stones and dropped items are basically consistent, so even if they are made into finished products and sold, they are easy to be discovered by others..."
Hestia looked troubled, but when she lowered her eyes, she would occasionally steal glances at the boy's expression.
"In that case, we can simply stop selling the floor master's magic stones and loot to the public."
"But that will reduce your gains for the day."
"But wouldn't that put Lady Hestia at ease?"
"what……"
Hestia blushed.
"Actually, I can handle the loot dropped by the floor masters in the lower areas. But if you really want to put my mind at ease, Broly, please don't go into the deeper dungeons and make people worry. At least, if you're going to go into the deeper dungeons, you should let me know first."
This is what Hestia really wanted to say. Her friend Hephaestus's familia is, after all, a high-level familia. It shouldn't be a problem for her to take over the magic stones and loot from the lower-level floor lords.
The main problem is that Hestia is worried that Broly might go off to explore the unknown floors of the dungeon labyrinth without a word tomorrow.
And this is very likely. After all, yesterday was the upper level, and today they skipped two levels to the lower level and took down a floor master. So what about tomorrow? Will they be able to clear the entire dungeon?
If she can break through the dungeon, that's fine, but if she can't, and Broly gets into danger and dies, then wouldn't she be a lonely god again?
Hestia absolutely did not want this to happen, which is why she wanted to restrict Broly's reckless actions of venturing deep into the dungeon.
Hestia believed she was doing this for the boy's own good.
"Yes, Lady Hestia, I promise you, I will ask for your permission before venturing into the dungeon."
Broly did not refuse. He did not emphasize or try to prove his own strength. Instead, he accepted his goddess's care with a gentle attitude, and even enjoyed her concern and care for him.
When this concern and concern receive a positive response, one's happiness level will correspondingly increase.
Sure enough, the Crystal Palace in my mind started giving me notifications that the happiness level of the loli goddess in front of me was continuously increasing.
Broly's obedience pleased Hestia greatly. She sat back down in the opposite seat and scooped up a piece of stew with a soup spoon.
"While we can't publicize it extensively, a low-key celebration is still possible. Broly, congratulations on defeating the floor master of the lower district. This is my reward for you..."
Broly did not refuse the Loli Goddess's personal feeding once again.
After eating the stew, he saw Hestia across from him also take a bite.
Then, she handed him another bite.
This could be considered multiple indirect kisses, exchanging bodily fluids with the boy.
Hestia blushed as she thought to herself, and for a goddess of the heavens like herself, this was already quite a bold move.
Broly had no idea what Hestia was thinking. As long as the goddess handed him a spoon to eat, he would open his mouth and eat.
. . . . .
Meanwhile, while Broly was being indirectly fed by Hestia, who was spoon-feeding him bit by bit, a boy named Bell Crane found the burly man from the Soma Familia in the tavern who had taken his money the day before and said he would recommend him to the Familia. He received the following reply from the man.
"This is a bit tricky, because there are other people who also want to join our clan. How about this, young man, do you have any money on you?"
"Ah, only four thousand falies remain."
"Give me everything. I'll smooth things over for you. I'll let you know tomorrow. Now, don't bother me while I'm drinking. Go back and wait for my news."
And so, the white-haired boy had his last remaining money taken away and was forcibly shoved out of the tavern by the strong man.
The tavern door was closed, and the noisy voices of the drinkers echoed inside. Bell stood in front of the closed tavern door, looking completely helpless.
"If I were you, I wouldn't have any hope of joining a clan and would get away from anyone who might exploit me as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Bell turned around and saw a petite little girl wearing a gray robe.
"Oh, what do you mean by that?"
He quickly asked.
"It didn't mean anything. I just said it offhand because I thought you were pretty slow on the uptake."
Lily Luca didn't offer much explanation; she just felt a pang of sympathy for the guy next to her who was being deceived without realizing it, and thus offered a brief reminder.
But that's all she could do. As for explaining to the boy that he had been scammed, well, sorry, she didn't have that ability.
They didn't want to be targeted by scoundrels from their own clan, because if they were seen as having ruined something good, they would inevitably get beaten up.
After saying that, Lily Luca walked away. Bell instinctively chased after her, but the girl in front of him turned a corner and disappeared.
The boy returned to the inn with a heavy heart. The words of the little girl at the tavern entrance made him vaguely realize something, but like someone who has been scammed and has already transferred money, he still held onto a sliver of hope that he hadn't been cheated. The boy hadn't completely given up hope.
However, for Bale, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night, tossing and turning.
. . . .
After dinner, Broly followed Hestia to the residence of the Hephaestus Familia.
"Lord Hephaestus, Lady Hestia has come to see you."
When the children of the clan came to report, Hephaestus was forging iron.
"Hestia, is there anything else you need to help with?"
A woman with burgundy hair, a tall figure, a black eye patch over her right eye, wearing a white top, black trousers, and over-the-knee high-heeled boots, looked somewhat helpless when she saw Hestia downstairs and asked her the question directly.
"Ah, Hephaestus, how did you know I needed your help?"
Upon hearing this, Hestia showed a surprised expression. In her mind, her friend Hephaestus should not have the ability to predict the future.
[In the past two months, you've come to my door for help more than twenty times, either because you have nowhere to stay, because you've run out of money, or because you've gotten into some trouble, like burning down the shop where you work...]
Hephaestus grumbled inwardly, her face showing increasing helplessness. But there was nothing she could do about the situation. Although she always said it would be the last time she helped Hestia, the last time would often turn into the last time before the last time at Hestia's pleading. However, what could she do when Hestia was her best friend in the heavens?
Of course, this time the situation seemed a little different. Hestia was accompanied by a boy she didn't recognize, and the boy had an aura of divine grace about him.
Yes, the child who possesses the grace of God is still by Hestia's side, so the relationship between Hestia and her divine friend is self-evident.
"You've brought your own clan children with you, is it really that hard to guess what you need my help with?"
Hephaestus laughed and said that as long as Hestia didn't continue to stagnate and live a life of mediocrity in Orario, she was still willing to give her celestial friend's newly established familia some help.
"What, aren't you going to introduce me to your clan's child?"
"Ah, this is Broly, he's a very well-behaved boy."
Hestia quickly said, and then introduced the red-haired goddess in front of her to Broly.
"This is Hephaestus, my dearest friend in the heavens."
"Greetings, Lord Hephaestus."
Broly nodded and greeted the goddess in front of him, who was equally magnanimous.
"Broly, hello. Hestia is a rather difficult god to take care of, so please bear with me in the future. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me."
"Ah, Hephaestus, what's with this whole 'I'm a burden' thing you're talking about?"
Because I don't want to see you come crying to me one day, saying you were abandoned by your own clan's children!
Hephaestus thought to herself, and she knew better than anyone how difficult it would be for a familia to start from scratch in Orario, but she couldn't tell Hestia the truth: "I just want to offer some help as your friend to your familia's first child, like an elder showing care for a younger one."
"Thank you, Lord Hephaestus, but Lady Hestia is a very easy goddess to take care of. I will definitely take good care of her from now on."
However, Broly's reply surprised her.
Hephaestus looked the boy up and down carefully, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"What a reliable and adorable child. I'll entrust Hestia to you then."
Hephaestus gestured for the two to sit down before speaking again.
"Now, Hestia, let's get down to business. What kind of help do you need? Do you need a set of beginner adventurer gear for your child to use in dungeons?"
Hephaestus had expected a definite answer from Hestia, but to his surprise, his little goddess friend shook her head.
"That's not it. Broly can already go into the dungeon. I came here this time to ask you to help deal with this child, specifically the magic stones and drops he gets from defeating monsters in the dungeon."
(End of this chapter)