Just became an evil god and was summoned by the saint.

Chapter 222 The Holy Maiden Sets Her Sights on the Royal Mercenary Group

Celia did not choose to continue the expedition.

Because the "initial trial" had already taken them nearly ten hours, and it was already late afternoon outside, they all needed to rest.

After discussing it, the two decided to return.

They didn't use the teleportation scroll to return to camp; after all, it was only for emergencies. If it was safe to do so, they would use the old method—

walking back.

After solving the maze, the path ahead was very straight, without any multi-level roads. The two arrived at the end without any three-way intersections. Instead, the path returned to its initial state, a place shrouded in shadow and mist.

After passing through the mist, the two successfully arrived outside the stone gate.

As soon as she came out, Celia noticed that things were very different outside.

Countless mercenaries gathered here, witnessing them become the first adventurers to enter this ruin and return.

Of course, they had anticipated this, and it wasn't a big problem.

The difference was discovered on the stone gate.

The stone door, which was originally opened by Celia with her staff and would close as long as no magic power was continuously inputted, was now open.

Among the mercenaries watching, some would occasionally come over and enter through the stone gate.

Just as Celia was wondering why the stone door was open, the mercenaries around her surrounded her.

Before she could react, she was already enchanted with elven magic, and then Elena dragged her away.

She seemed quite experienced in getting away from crowds, quickly pulling Celia away from the onlookers and then running towards the camp.

Behind them, the shouts of a large number of mercenaries came: "Beautiful lady, please tell us what's inside the ruins!"

Elena breathed a sigh of relief after successfully running back to camp. Celia asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why did you run?"

"Being surrounded by so many people, it's terrifying to even think about!" Elena said, still shaken.

"What's there to be afraid of? Are you afraid they'll attack you? Or are you afraid someone will take advantage of the chaos to grope you?"

"Both, but I dislike being the center of attention."

"Why... Oh, I see."

Celia's curiosity didn't last more than two seconds before she remembered what Ross had said earlier: Elena liked to 'borrow' money from others.

Doing that kind of thing, I really don't like being the center of attention.

"Celia, starting tomorrow, shall we disguise ourselves a little?"

“No need,” Celia waved her hand. “We’re planning to set up a camp rescue team to exorcise curses and make money. What if people don’t recognize us if we’re disguised?”

Elena hesitated, but after thinking it over, she decided that the gold coins were more important, so she held back.

Celia smiled and said, "Those people just want to know what's going on inside the secret realm so they can explore it. They have no ill intentions. Just let me know."

Elena said, "Exploring knowledge is invaluable, Celia. This experience and knowledge is gained at the risk of one's life. If you want to know it, you should pay for it. You shouldn't tell others for free."

"I see." Celia was puzzled.

Elena nodded: "Especially for non-combat ruins like these, telling others means they won't waste their energy on the same traps and can easily get through, allowing them to easily obtain the treasure—a lose-lose situation for others." "For example, the labyrinth that the voice called the 'First Trial.' If we knew before entering that we needed to find 11 magic crystals and 11 bowls to combine into a path, then go back to find the 12th bowl and magic crystal, and finally offer sacrifices to the statue, without defending or resisting the attacks shot by the statue to prevent the 12th bowl from hitting us, we could save at least half the time by going through this trial process. Such valuable strategy knowledge, charging for it is fine, right?"

"Okay, no problem."

"Many beginner's guides are quite expensive. This one, which uses pure magic crystals as bait, makes everyone even more eager for the treasure inside, so it should be even more expensive."

Celia didn't speak.

She knew Elena was right, but she felt that something that could prevent many people from continuing to risk their lives with just a few words should be offered free of charge, so that everyone could work together, help each other, and successfully pass the test...

She felt like she was the other way around, just like Elena.

Elves are perceived as beautiful and kind by humans, while humans are often seen as selfish and self-serving among elves. However, Elena displays human selfishness while embodying the beauty and kindness of an elf.

The girl chose to seek help from Ross.

Ross said calmly, "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when prosperous, one should benefit all under heaven. Whether you offer the relics free of charge depends on your current mindset and whether you have the ability to offer them free of charge."

"If not, paying is also a good option. A small amount of money can be exchanged for valuable life-saving information, which is a worthwhile deal for mercenaries."

As he spoke, he chuckled and said, "However, selling information is time-limited. Many people went in to explore today, and before long, others will find out too. If you sell it to someone, they will secretly tell others or act as a middleman."

“Right now…” Celia thought about her financial situation and felt no pressure at all: “We should pay for knowledge!”

So Celia quickly consulted with the experienced Elena about how to conduct the Ruins Trial teaching.

According to Elena, there are two approaches.

One approach is to cast a wide net, directly recruiting a group of mercenaries, making them pay a relatively small amount of money, and then collectively informing them of the information about the ruins.

Secondly, only tell the large mercenary groups and extort a large sum of money from them.

Elena said, "Large mercenary groups have a lot of gold coins. Like the Eternal Night Mercenary Group yesterday, they gave us two gold coins without even blinking an eye."

"Instead of letting all the mercenaries know, and having dozens of people pool their money to send one person to gather intelligence and share it back, it's better to specifically inform the large mercenary groups, take advantage of their eagerness to seize the initiative, and squeeze them for a hefty sum!"

Celia listened to Elena's words like a student absorbing knowledge, nodding repeatedly.

Soon, a simple money-making plan came to her mind.

"This ancient ruin has produced two well-known mercenary groups: the Eternal Night Mercenary Group, which likes to dig tunnels, and the Royal Mercenary Group."

"The Eternal Night Mercenary Group earned its reputation entirely through its own hard work, so they probably don't have much gold. But this Royal Mercenary Group..."

Celia didn't know how much of what the mercenaries said was true.

But it's impossible for a mercenary group that can be named "Royal" to say that it has no connection with the Ishtar royal family.

The Holy See and the Royal Family have always had conflicts.

And she now represents the Holy Court, and is the Holy Maiden of the Holy Court in the future...

It's not unreasonable to try and steal some gold from the royal family, right?
The girl immediately made a decision and called to Elena, "Let's go... oh no, let's go sell information about the ancient ruins to the Royal Mercenary Group."

　I went out yesterday, so Chapter 2 won't be out until this afternoon...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)