webnovelvip Chapter 263 The Undercurrents Before the War Game
Chapter 263 The Undercurrents Before the War Game
Chapter 263 The Undercurrents Before the War Game
The Garden of Stars.
Roy, along with Liu, Tione, Tiona, Daphne, and Cassandra, went out early and returned late.
Over the course of ten days, Goddess Astraea updated the girls' stats every night, watching their attributes rise at an alarming rate until they reached their maximum values.
After completing the final upgrade for Cassandra, the goddess Astraea stepped out of the room. Her deep blue eyes caught sight of Roy waiting against the wall outside the door, and a proud yet helpless smile appeared on her beautiful face.
On one hand, I'm happy for the girls' growth; on the other hand, I'm in trouble now.
The upgrade was too fast!
Before the expedition, the girls had already leveled up once, and it had been exactly two months since then.
This terrifying speed is no different from Roy's!
Once they accomplish this great feat, Roy will quickly boost their stats and level them up!
Just like how Ryu used to carry him around.
Ironically, in order to prevent the guild from increasing the difficulty of the expedition, the last upgrade of Tione and others has not been revealed. To this day, the outside world still believes that Tione and Tiona are LV.3, and Daphne and Cassandra are LV.2.
Only the dark factions and the Ishtar Familia who had fought in the dungeon knew about it, but neither of them would publicize it widely, lest they boost the morale of others and diminish their own.
A sudden jump of two grades?!
The gods would relentlessly pursue Astraea, resorting to any means necessary to find out the reason.
Astraea was trying her best not to ask anything. As long as she knew nothing, no matter how much the gods tried to confide in her, it would be useless.
Roy said, "Revealing a little bit is fine, it's okay to deal with the gods, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Hearing this, Astraea's expression relaxed a little. "I understand. If you cause any trouble, you'd better deal with it properly, Commander Roy!"
Roy smiled confidently and said, "Of course!"
Given their current strength, there's no need for them to hide many things. The gods and adventurers have a vague idea of what's going on, but they always try to be cautious and end up holding themselves back.
The mansions of the Loki and Freya Families were piled high with Tier 1 weaponry, precious materials, and gold coins, yet no one dared to go in and loot them.
Similarly, Roy told them that he had mountains of gold and silver here, and how many people would dare to rob him?
Ryu and the others completed their upgrades and chose new abilities to develop, but no one awakened any new skills or magic.
Roy glanced at Liu, who had leveled up to LV.6 but hadn't awakened Astraea's Memoirs: Starry Memories, which was a bit of a pity, as he had been quite looking forward to it.
Astraea's Memoirs: Memories of the Stars!
In the original timeline, Ryu's third magic allowed her to inherit and use all the magic of her former family members.
If Ryu awakens, Roy can also share this magic using the Synchro Contract.
But this time, Ryu's experience was completely different.
At LV.6, Ryu's senses were more acute. She noticed Roy's gaze on her, and shyly lowered her head. A blush crept up her fair neck, her cheeks burned, and she felt weak all over.
Roy was speechless. Ever since that day he took a nap, the completion rate of the useless elf had reached at least 80%!
He couldn't help but suppress his anxiety. Unlike a certain fox-girl who had only read a dozen or so magic books but hadn't awakened any magic, Ryu had the potential to awaken a third magic; it was only a matter of time.
As for what kind of magic it is...
What kind of towering tree this unknown seed will grow into is something to look forward to.
Roy experienced the feeling of being a god, observing silently, as if playing a simulation game.
Name: Roy Level: 5
Strength: 15 → 261 (G)
Endurance: 6→206 (G)
Dexterity: 12→412 (E)
Agility: 26 → 1026 (SS)
Magic Power: 66 (1)
During his Inuyasha world tour, in addition to helping the girls in his clan level up, Roy also gained a lot of benefits, including 1856 attribute points.
Naraku had 1000 points, and later he killed hundreds of LV.3, LV.4, and even LV.5 monsters.
As is customary, prioritize allocating points to Agility, and then allocate the remaining attribute points to attributes other than Magic.
Magic power, or spiritual power, comes from the bloodline of the Elven royal family and the effects of the Enlightenment Fruit. Its self-improvement speed surpasses that of other attributes, so he doesn't need to worry about it.
Roy clicks "Open Treasure Chest".
The unboxing effect, visible only to him, saw a gleaming golden chest slowly open.
[The Golden Treasure Chest has been opened! Congratulations on obtaining the Pseudo-God Card, Invincible Time Card, and Space Ring!]
Name: Space Ring Level: Legendary Description: Contains 100 cubic meters of space, which can store items, but cannot store living beings.
Durability: 99%
Name: Invincible Time Card Level: Legendary Description: After use, you gain ten seconds of invincibility, during which you will not take any damage and will have super armor, making you impossible to move by any means.
Note: Can be used three times.
Note: This can be used by other people.
Name: False God Card Level: Undetermined Description: After use, choose a god and perfectly disguise yourself, unleashing divine power and possessing full authority. The effect lasts for one hour.
-
Several reward information panels popped up. Roy quickly scanned them, his eyes lighting up. As expected of a gold chest, it contained two legendary cards and one card of unknown rank.
A legendary spatial ring, with ten times the storage space of his existing (epic) rings!
Invincible Time Card, simple and straightforward!
The False God Card: Roy was particularly interested in this special card. It perfectly disguised itself as a god, and he felt it was quite intriguing, as if it could be used for something.
Orario, the Pleasure District.
While Roy was leveling up with Ryu and Tione by grinding monsters, the guild had already completed its investigation and forced confiscation of the assets of the Ishtar Familia.
Large numbers of guild members left the Ishtar Familia's mansion, leaving behind piles of land deeds, house deeds, gold coins, and other valuables, which were then placed on carts, sealed, and left.
The Ishtar Familia colluded with dark factions, endangering public safety, and two-thirds of their assets were confiscated.
Conservative estimate: over five billion fares!
Everyone had expected the wealth of the Ishtar Familia, but in the end, it still left everyone speechless.
The Ishtar Familia makes its living by operating brothels. Unlike the high-risk, high-reward dungeon exploration, their business is almost costless and lossless. Not only is there no risk, but there is also no reward.
As a prostitute belonging to the family, earning money for the Lord God is considered perfectly reasonable by outsiders.
Very few girls voluntarily become prostitutes; they are all slaves that Ishtar buys from human traffickers. She provides them with shelter, and the girls become prostitutes.
With this unparalleled advantage, the wealth of the Ishtar Familia even surpasses that of the city's strongest families, Loki and Freya Familia. They are also the top female leader who secretly funds the dark factions and builds artificial labyrinths.
Wherever the guild's procession went, gods, adventurers, and civilians stared wide-eyed at the wagons that had been looted from the Ishtar Familia.
The air was filled with the scent of money!
But no one dared to make a move against the escort team.
The guild specially summoned the Loki Familia to act as guards. Finn, Riveria, and Grace led the Loki Familia members, who vigilantly watched their surroundings.
Unless Freya's Familia intervenes, there are virtually no forces capable of directly confronting Loki's Familia!
Compared to Roy, which requires a lot of money, the guild only needs a single order to command the Loki Familia.
Guilds have no military power. In Orario, their status is similar to that of the Zhou emperor, while the various clans are like feudal lords of different sizes. Under normal circumstances, the powerful feudal lords would naturally not need to pay attention to the Zhou emperor.
However, once the banner of the Zhou emperor (guild) was raised, anyone who dared to disobey would be crushed by the various feudal lords in the name of respecting the king and repelling the barbarians.
"snort!"
Ishtar stood atop the high-rise building, coldly watching the departing guild party through the floor-to-ceiling windows, especially focusing on a certain half-elf—Eina.
To prevent the Ishtar clan from using their vast wealth to target the Astrea clan, Eina strongly urged the swift confiscation of the Ishtar clan's assets.
Following the destruction of Pleasure Street, the deaths of LV.5 Freni Jamil and hundreds of combat prostitutes in the dungeon, and the confiscation of a large amount of assets.
The Ishtar clan suffered further misfortune, with severe personnel losses and its finances on the verge of collapse.
Ishtar was furious. If she were allowed to get through this ordeal, she would kill that half-elf, even if it meant offending the guild!
"What did the Kali Kinta say?"
"No reply yet, the distance is too far."
"What about the Thanatos and Icelos Familias?"
"They said that Ota had previously broken into the man-made maze, causing them considerable casualties, and they probably don't have many people to come and help."
The distant kingdom of Tyr-Scylla, located on the southeastern peninsula, was too far away to offer immediate assistance.
The Dark Faction recently suffered a major loss and has not yet recovered. Moreover, their appearance would confirm that the Ishtar Familia is colluding with them, and it is not impossible that they would be included in the Dark Faction by the guild.
"A bunch of bastards, do they think I've spent so much gold on them?" Ishtar was furious, but she was completely useless at the crucial moment!
"Hoo!" Ishtar suppressed her anger and a sinister smile appeared on her lips. Even without those guys, she could still annihilate the enemy!
-
She's destined to win this war game!
thump!
Ishtar's guard, Tamms, brought a man in guild uniform to Ishtar; he was none other than Remer, Eina's superior.
"Goddess Ishtar, what do you mean?" Remer's head was pressed down, rendering him unable to move.
"You're the one who planted the treasure in the forest, aren't you!" Ishtar stood in front of the other person, looking down at him.
A flicker of panic crossed Ramel's eyes. "What are you saying? I don't understand."
"You can't hide anything from me."
Ishtar crouched down and stared at Remer's eyes, which had been forcibly pried open. Her eyes shone with an eerie purple light, full of alluring charm.
Ramel, who was looking at her, gradually calmed down, his face expressionless and his eyes lifeless.
"I'll ask you one more time, were you the one who planted the treasure in the forest?" Ishtar asked.
Remer replied, "Yes."
The war game takes place in the Seollu Forest.
Head straight east from Orario into the great forest at the foot of the Orb Mountains.
The guild dispatched the Ganesha Familia to clear out the monsters and thieves in the forest beforehand, and then placed eleven treasures in the forest for the two Familias to find.
To prevent leaks, the exact location of the treasure is known only to the guild master, Royman, and a handful of others, and this is kept strictly confidential. However, under the allure of Ishtar, the goddess of beauty, no secret can hide!
While the guild staff were seizing the assets of the Ishtar Familia, Ishtar secretly seduced many people, obtained information from them, and then found Remer.
"Tell me the location of all the treasures!" Ishtar exhaled a sweet breath onto the other person's face.
"Yes."
Remer said, "The first treasure is buried next to the seventeenth stop on the third highway on the east side of the forest, under a silk floss tree. The second treasure is in the Mario River to the south, inside a 168-centimeter-long, 69-pound bluefish. The third treasure—"
The game's target audience is a bunch of superhuman adventurers, and the locations of all the treasures have been carefully considered, ensuring their unparalleled concealment.
In fact, one or two of these treasures are things that ordinary people could never obtain.
A few minutes later, the bewitched Remer finished his account, and Tamms noted down the locations of all the treasures before nodding to Ishtar.
"hehe!"
Ishtar's smile grew wider and wider.
The rules of this war game are to defeat the enemy commander or find six treasures.
At the start of the game, her retinue will quickly acquire the six treasures, securing an easy victory. She will not confront the Astrea Familia head-on.
The outcome of the war was already decided before it even began. Ishtar suppressed the urge to burst into laughter. Three more days until the ultimate challenge of holding back laughter!
"Go back now, and remember, you didn't see me today!" Ishtar gently kissed Remer on the cheek.
Ishtar wouldn't mind rewarding this great contributor and having a little inappropriate interaction with him, but Remer shouldn't be missing for too long, as it would alert the guild. She didn't want to end up losing everything halfway through.
"Yes." Remer left like a puppet.
After Remer left, Ishtar's attempt to suppress her laughter failed. She bent over and burst into unrestrained laughter, "Hahahaha—!"
Laughter echoed throughout the vast mansion, and the demoralized prostitutes looked in surprise toward the goddess's room.
After a long pause, Ishtar managed to stop laughing, her golden eyes gazing towards the Star Garden. "Asteria, return to the Heavenly Realm. I will take all your children; they will be mine!"
However, Ishtar was unaware that when Remer left the deserted alley of Pleasure Street and returned to the main street, silently heading back to the guild.
Freya, draped in a cloak and hood, sat in the teahouse, watching Remer's retreating figure.
"Ishtar, you really did it. Your character is truly despicable. This is the difference between you and me!" Freya chuckled, a hint of disdain on her lips, her slender, jade-like fingers lightly tapping a piece of paper on the table.
If Ishtar gets the piece of paper from Freya and compares it, she will find that only five of the locations of the treasures Freya obtained are correct.
-
Freya had her eye on Remer long before he finished placing the treasure.
If Ishtar does nothing, she will remain inactive, but if Ishtar tries to cheat, she will only get the location of the treasure that Ishtar has altered with her charm.
"What should we do?"
Freya murmured, "How can I make this game more interesting? How can I relieve my boredom?"
Just then, Freya noticed the elven girl weaving through the crowd, her iridescent purple eyes lighting up. "Oh my, is this destiny?"
Inside the underground tavern.
"Here's thirty million Fali, bet on the Astraea Familia!" Ryu slammed a check stamped with the Astraea Familia's seal onto the table.
"blast?"
The tavern owner and the adventurers were startled.
Liu asked calmly, "Is there a problem?"
"No!"
Everyone shook their heads vigorously, quickly helping Liu complete the formalities.
Ryu left with the gambling tickets. Given her personality, she would never have participated in gambling, but Roy persuaded her to.
Winning means you can earn a huge extra sum of money!
If we lose, our clan's assets will also be seized by the enemy, which is no different from losing.
To participate in war games, you have to gamble your entire fortune!
Roy was exploiting a loophole. The rules of the war game were incomplete. Once the game was established, neither side's assets should be used arbitrarily, but the gods didn't seem to have any intention of changing the rules.
It's not that it's incomprehensible.
This is a game that determines the life and death of the clan. Both sides must do everything they can to improve themselves and ensure victory. Banning funds is not a realistic option.
At such a critical juncture.
Only Roy still had the leisure to go out gambling.
Aside from fixed assets, Roy gave all the cash from his clan to Ryu, Tione, and others. He was heartbroken that he had missed out on the two previous War Games for various reasons, and this time he was determined to make a killing.
Liu left the tavern and headed to the other casinos that Roy had arranged for her; they had too much money to handle at just one casino.
If things go wrong, the other party might not be able to pay up and could run away with the money, leaving Roy with nowhere to turn.
Eggs cannot be put in one basket.
To assassinate those associated with the dark faction, Ryu thoroughly familiarized herself with the terrain of Orario. She also took a shortcut and entered a small alley.
Liu stopped, her eyes sharp, fixed on the corner ahead. "Who's there? Come out!"
"take it easy."
With light footsteps, Freya, draped in a cloak, walked out smiling.
The cloak is also a magical item that can shield Freya's aura and the beauty that the goddess of beauty releases at all times. She also completely conceals her divine power, making her undetectable to others.
Liu's eyes were wary.
"This seems to be the first time I've met you in this form." Freya lifted her hood, revealing her stunningly beautiful face, which was known to everyone in Orario, and a faint divine aura emanated from her.
"You are—the goddess Freya?!" The elven girl's wariness in her sky-blue eyes turned to astonishment, and her small hand gripping the sword hilt unconsciously loosened.
Her surprise quickly turned into respect, and Ryu greeted her politely, "Goddess Freya, hello."
Seeing Ryu maintain normal social distancing, Freya felt a pang of heartache, as if something important had been taken away from her.
But her affection for Ryu will not change.
Freya took out a piece of paper that had been torn in half and handed it over. "This is the location of the five treasures buried in the Seol Forest in the War Game."
Ryu was stunned. Was this an insult? Her face flushed with anger. How could she possibly cheat like this? "Lady Freya, I cannot accept this!"
Seeing Ryu's intense reaction, Freya became more and more satisfied. Ryu's revived sense of justice made her soul even purer and more radiant.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Freya smiled calmly, took elegant and noble steps, and walked towards Liu. The power she actively released could not be stopped even by magical artifacts, and her loose robe could not hide her beauty.
Although Liu was not bewitched, she felt a deep pressure. Her body stood rooted to the spot like a wooden stake, and she struggled to lift her lower leg and take a half step back.
This movement seemed to have exhausted all her strength, and the elven girl was drenched in sweat.
Freya felt as if an arrow had pierced her heart. Were you serious about taking that half-step back?
wrong-
Was it that the other party was able to briefly resist her?
Freya's heart skipped a beat; she desperately wanted to take it!
"Just take it back and give it to the Sprout of Justice. He knows what to do." Freya forcefully stuffed the piece of paper into Ryu's hand, then gently stroked Ryu's beautiful cheek with her slender hand and smiled, "This time, you must relieve my boredom."
After saying that, Freya and Ryu passed each other by.
If she stays by Ryu's side, she really won't be able to resist using her charm to completely steal him away.
Liu was left alone, bewildered in the wind.
Liu looked at the piece of paper in her hand, feeling complicated and conflicted. What should she do?