"Oh My God! My Fei Fei is now stronger than ever!" Cai praised the baby golden Slime that was perched on its head, Fei Fei also felt happy since her stats was now equal with a Rank 4 Monster's, despite the fact that she had been born not long ago.
"Da Wae!" Fei Fei shouted, making its Master, Cai, continue praising her.
Not far from them, Laura and Livia looked at Sid in surprise, and their dependable older brother only smiled and patted their heads.
"Just because the two of you have gotten a little stronger doesn't mean that you girls can be careless when you go on adventures around Leaf Village," Sid said with a serious look on his face. "Since both of you are apprentice Alchemists, make sure to listen to Grandma Annie so that you will be able to wield these newfound powers. This reminder also applies to your Beast Companions, Cora and Nora."
Laura's and Livia's Slimes had also become Rank 4 Monsters thanks to the unexpected upgrade that they received.
"Wow!" Cora, who was Laura's baby slime, exclaimed.
"Yay!" Nora, who belonged to Livia, jumped happily beside her Master.
"Cora, you can now talk properly!" Laura picked up her baby Slime and spun her round and round.
"Nora, good job," Livia also picked up Nora and patted her head, making the baby Slime smile.
Bedivere was part of Lux's Covenant, and his Master's strength was his strength. The higher Lux's personal stats were, the higher his stats would become as well.
Heidi and Lilia were just as shocked as Laura and Livia because they didn't expect that they would also receive a status upgrade, but after Lux gave everyone a reminder that Cethus was observing them, they decided to talk using the Guild Chats special function, which was through telepathy.
"Cedie, you've become stronger as well," Heidi said as she picked up her baby Slime, whom she had chosen on the same day that Cai had chosen Fei Fei as her own Beast Companion.
"Un!" the baby Slime nodded, rejoicing the fact that it had grown stronger.
Cethus, who was observing them from the side, frowned.
He felt a sudden surge of power that lasted for a few seconds, and yet, something seemed to have instantly changed with the members of Lux's Guild, making him wonder if he was just overthinking things.
'Must be my imagination,' Cethus thought as he sipped the mead on his mug and continued observing the Guild that belonged to the Half-Elf.
The party lasted all through the night, but the children retired early. Since the castle had plenty of rooms, Lilia took Laura, Livia, and Heidi to a room where the three of them could sleep together.
While the children slept, the adults gathered and discussed the next course of action for their guild.
"There is a very dangerous Domain that I want to visit," Lux said through the guild chat, informing his guild members. "It is called the Domain of the Fallen. Its location is far from the Kingdom of Gweliven, so I can't take all of you with me."
Lux paused as he looked at Cai, Keane, and Sid, which were the only ones he could bring with him to his journey to challenge the Domain that was coveted by the Six Kingdoms, Skystead Alliance, as well as the Xynnar War Pact.
This three-way power struggle had become a problem as of late, but for Lux, it wasn't a problem.
As one of the people who could freely enter the Domain at any given time, the restrictions that were imposed on the others didn't affect him.
"This Domain has a Dungeon, which we call the Sacred Dungeon," Lux continued his explanation. "There are five gates in it, and each of them is respectively marked with the words Death, Famine, War, and Conquest. So far, we have conquered two of them, which were Death and Conquest."
Lux's guild members listened seriously to him because they had a feeling that there was a reason why the Half-Elf was telling this information to them.
"Everytime I conquer one of the dungeons, I receive a key that will allow me to go to an SSS-Ranked Kingdom," Lux stated. "Currently, I have two of these keys that would allow me to visit two of these Legendary Kingdoms. Do any of you know about the Kingdom of Agartha and the Elven Kingdom of Espoir Frieden?"
Cedwyn, Randolph, Grandma Annie, Thoram, Keelan, Boreas, and Aron, looked at the Half-Elf in shock.
"D-Did you just say Kingdom of Agartha?" Cedwyn's body shuddered from the surprise and excitement that he was feeling at the moment.
"Yes," Lux replied. "Do you know of it, Sir Cedwyn?"
"Of course we know of it!" Randolph interjected in the discussion. "Agartha is the legendary kingdom that was said to be located near this world's core that has stood since time immemorial. For us, dwarves, it is the Holy City that we would never see in our lifetime. Are you sure that we are talking about the same Agartha?!"
Lux nodded his head firmly, making the Dwarves look at him as if he was Santa Claus, who had come to give them presents.
"Due to various restrictions, I can only visit Agartha after reaching the Initiate Rank," Lux explained. "As for the Kingdom of Espoir Frieden, I can only go to it after I become a Ranker."
Grandma Annie, who was chewing on fried peanuts, raised her head to ask Lux a question.
"According to what I know about the Kingdom of Agartha, this is a kingdom that was founded in order to protect this World's Core from danger," Grandma Annie stated. "It will not be an exaggeration to say that its inhabitants are incredibly strong. Perhaps, just as strong as those who live in the capital city of Karshvar Draconis, which is under the protection of the Dragon King."
Lux nodded his head in agreement. When he just arrived in Rex Lapis, all of the guards that encircled him were Rankers.
This meant that the military might of the Dragon Kingdom was very high, dwarfing the power of the Six Kingdoms, Skystead Alliance, as well as Xynnar War Pact combined.
Simply put, they were Kingdoms which must not be offended no matter what, or one would risk their own nation's annihilation should any of these SSS-Ranked Kingdoms decide to retaliate.
"Us, Dwarves, know of its existence, but we don't know where it is," Keelan commented. "You know, I once told myself that if I can see the walls of Agartha, I can die happily afterwards. I guess I'll just have to wait until you become an Initiate, right?"
Keelan chuckled, making the other Dwarfs smile. If they could hitch a ride with Lux to see this fabled kingdom, they would definitely jump at the opportunity once it presented itself.
"I can't make any promises, but if it is possible, I'll take you guys with me," Lux said with a smile.
After talking for a bit more, the Half-Elf didn't gain much information about Espoir Frieden.
The Dwarves had interacted with elves, but they had never seen High-Elves. Also, they didn't really care much about the Kingdom of the Elves because, for them, they had no reasons to visit the Elves and appreciate their culture.
"If you are going to challenge those three remaining Dungeons in the Domain of the fallen, make sure to take extra care," Thoram commented. "According to what you told us, the members of the Six Kingdoms, Skystead Alliance, and Xynnar War Pact are desperately trying to clear the dungeons themselves. This means that the slots that you, Cai, and Keane possess are something that they would fight for, which will cause a lot of strife, possibly endangering the three of you as well."
Cedwyn nodded. "I advise that you no longer hold an auction for them. Just let them enter the dungeon for free and get it over with."
"Eh? But getting free resources is good!" Cai commented. "Isn't that right, Fei Fei?"
"Right," Fei Fei replied.
After getting her stat boost, all the Slimes' ability to talk was upgraded as well. They were now able to form words properly, but Fei Fei would still say "Da Wae!" from time to time.
"Right now, we need to grow and not make enemies," Keelan said. "Also, politics is a nasty thing. It is best that we stay clear from it for now."
Lux agreed with what his guild members were saying. There was also an issue with letting the members of the Storm Dragons enter the Sacred Dungeon in order to pay back the Wildgarde Stronghold for taking care of Lux when he was young.
He didn't mind doing this because he owed them a lot. The only reason why he didn't want to cooperate at the beginning was due to his grudge against Nero, but he had already decided to not let this affect his decision when it came to the stronghold's growth as a whole.
"Understood," Lux stated. "For now, I will leave the matters of the Ars General Store to you, Sir Keelan."
The Half-Elf then glanced at his Master, Randolph, and gave him a thumbs up. "Master, the smithy is ready for you to use anytime. I will be gone for a month or two, so I will not be able to be here in the Guild Headquarters during my expedition in the Dungeon.
"Grandma Annie, the Alchemy Room is also ready and waiting for you. I already bought an Advanced Alchemy Recipe Book and placed it on the bookshelf of the Alchemy Room."
"Thank you, Lux," Grandma Annie replied. "I will do my best."
Since Lux was planning to take Bedivere with him on the Dungeon Expedition, he would not be able to put the Bestiary to good use. For now, he decided to ask Cethus if he could find him a Beast Breeder or Beast Tamer who could help him look for flying beasts in the areas surrounding Karshvar Draconis.
He hoped that when he returned, the flying mounts of the Guild would be ready, waiting to be used by his Guild Members.
