Goddess Kaleidoscope

Although it appears that the casualties were heavy, according to the statistics in Lude's possession, the overall mortality rate of the adventurers actually decreased by more than 50%.

Before the labyrinth appeared, adventurers' previous missions were to explore the vast and perilous Virtual Forest, and many who entered the forest never came out again.

But mazes are different. Although they are full of dangers, as long as you can't go any further, there is always a way to return the way you came, which greatly increases the chances of survival.

Therefore, to facilitate the rescue of these injured adventurers, Rudd specially dispatched a medical team to be stationed at the entrance of the labyrinth to treat the wounded and save lives. Rudd's "good deed" was unanimously praised by everyone.

Overall, it's very "magical realism"!

On the eighth day after the maze appeared, Gulig, the patriarch of the Steel Whip Clan, sent someone to contact Lud to inquire about the maze.

It's been almost a year since the dwarves reclaimed the ancient city, during which time they've sent several exploration teams to survey the forests surrounding it. They had previously sent people to the location of the labyrinth, but at that time they found nothing unusual, just an ordinary cave. However, less than half a year later, such a large ruin suddenly appeared, which greatly surprised the dwarves.

When the dwarves asked him questions, Rudd naturally couldn't tell them the truth and that the labyrinth was created by the three sisters he had made them believe in. As usual, he pinned the blame on Hedtaka and repeated the same story he had used to deceive the adventurers.

After learning about the situation, the dwarves were very interested in this suddenly appearing demonic labyrinth, but also worried. So, a few days later, Gulig personally came to Pine Town, hoping to join forces with Rud to form an elite exploration team to conquer the labyrinth once and for all.

Lud thought to himself, "I was hoping for a long-term, steady relationship. You stubborn dwarves, please stop messing things up!" But he couldn't say it directly, so he used a more tactful way of putting it.

"Your Excellency, I think it's not advisable to make any big moves right now."

"Why? I have already mobilized the elite of the clan and made preparations. I have also sent invitations to other familiar powerful individuals. When the elite troops and fierce generals gather, it should not be difficult to directly break through this demon's lair."

"That's one thing, but what if the demon that built this labyrinth actually thought the same thing?"

"Uh...you mean, this is a trap?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, demons are cunning, and our current information about the labyrinth is severely lacking. Most adventurers haven't even managed to break through the first level, so nobody knows what lies below. It's always better to be cautious than to make a careless mistake. You don't want to lose all those elites in the labyrinth, do you?"

The dwarf chieftain scratched his head; Rudd's words had hit his sore spot perfectly. The dwarves' birth rate was lower than that of the humans, and even three hundred years after the War of the Gods, they had not been able to recover to their former glory. So Gulig was also worried about this, fearing that too many of his elite troops would be lost and the clan would fall into decline. That was why he wanted to call on Rudd, the "top-notch wet nurse."

"Hmm, you're right. So what should we do?"

"Be careful and proceed cautiously, step by step. The devil wants to play? Then let's play along and turn his labyrinth into our training ground!"

At Lud's urging, Gulig accepted his suggestion: instead of concentrating his elite forces to conquer the maze in one fell swoop, he would have experienced veterans lead the way and organize young newcomers to enter the maze for trials.

Having tricked Gulig away, Lude then wrote another letter and sent it to the Three Towers, introducing the same suggestion to the magicians as well. With Hamilton's connections, he believed they would agree.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the necromancer Dick, who had served a full week in the detention center, was finally released after serving his sentence.

As he walked out of the detention center, Dick looked up at the cloudless sky. Accustomed to being nocturnal, he rarely ventured out in broad daylight and was therefore unaccustomed to the warm sun, which was so bright he could barely open his eyes.

"The sunlight outside is so bright!"

After leaving the detention center, Dick followed the road signs and arrived at an empty house in the southeast corner of the town. This was the hiding place that Ludd had arranged for him, a place for him to stay temporarily after leaving the detention center.

Dick already knew that the tail that had been following him had also arrived in Pine Town a few days ago. They were unaware of his whereabouts and their attention was drawn to a newly discovered maze ruin in the forest.

Meanwhile, the "veteran" Lud has agreed to lend him a hand and get rid of these annoying guys in the maze once and for all!

End of this chapter

Inside a small hotel on the north side of town, the young master Terlin, who had booked the entire place, was listening to Erwin introduce intelligence with a bored expression, looking completely half asleep.

After Erwin finished speaking, he looked up and replied indifferently.

"That's it, is that all?"

"That's all there is to it. So far, no team that has entered the maze has been able to break through the gate guarded by the watchdog. Many high-level teams are just like us, still observing."

"Heh, so-called adventurers are nothing special!"

Looking at the disdainful look on Trilling's face, Erwin smiled noncommittally, seemingly not caring at all. However, his teammates who knew him well could clearly feel that their leader's anger was rising.

Because Erwin saw the shadow of his older brother in Trilling, a guy who was both incompetent and extremely arrogant.

Erwin harbored resentment towards his family for never valuing him, but he never envied his two talented younger brothers; all his resentment was directed at his eldest brother, who was the legitimate eldest son.

The other party was able to become the family heir entirely because his mother's family was powerful, while Erwin was born to a concubine. Even though he was more capable than his older brother in every aspect, he still could not gain his father's approval and was even assigned to do dirty work, which was almost equivalent to being kicked out of the family.

Erwin knew without asking that this was definitely the First Madam's idea, in order to prevent himself from threatening her son's position.

Unaware that he had inadvertently triggered Erwin's anger, he completely disregarded the mercenary in front of him, treating them merely as hunting dogs he had hired to do his bidding.

More than Erwin's emotional changes, he was concerned about the labyrinth.

On the surface, Terlin is just a rich young master who comes out to travel, enjoy the scenery, and experience an adventurous life, but in reality, they have a clear goal: to complete a major mission that could affect their family's status.

The Trin family is not aristocratic, but in the underworld, the Navarro family is undoubtedly a prominent force in the criminal underworld, with a history of over five hundred years and an influence that should not be underestimated.

Over two hundred years ago, the Navarro family joined the Brotherhood of the Black Hand as a whole, becoming one of its founding members and thus holding the only hereditary seat on the Elder Council. The current Elder is Trilling's father. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, upon his abdication, his successor will be Trilling, the eldest son.

However, although his position was unshakeable, Trilling still hoped to make some impeccable achievements before officially taking over.

By chance, Trilling received intelligence that the artifact the Brotherhood had been searching for, the God of Thieves, had supposedly appeared in the north of the Kingdom of Duran.

The source of the intelligence was a reclusive diviner who had lived in seclusion for many years. By chance, the Brotherhood's senior council member, the "Necromancer," found this legendary prophet and obtained this valuable intelligence.

So Terlin bribed the middleman between the necromancer and the diviner, obtained accurate information from him, and then, along with the best men in his family, followed the necromancer all the way to the north of the kingdom.

Trilling felt no remorse for stealing credit from his own people, nor did he consider it shameful. The underworld he inhabited had its own rules; the morality and ethics of ordinary people didn't apply there. His father had instilled in him from a young age that to rise above others in this cruel and bloody world, one had to stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Along the way, Trin clung to the necromancer like a shark smelling blood, until he was tricked by the necromancer in Unos Town and accidentally lost him.

In order to find the target as soon as possible, Trin hired the Erwin Squad, who was stationed in Unos Town at the time, and soon arrived in Pine Town. He then learned that a strange labyrinth called "Spiral Abyss" had appeared in the forest to the north.

Unlike ordinary ancient ruins, this labyrinth is said to have been built by demons from beyond the land, and it is full of traps and contains a great deal of treasure.

Based on the divination information he had received earlier, Terin was convinced that the artifact of the Thief God that he was looking for was in this labyrinth!

However, having confirmed the target, Terlin did not rush into the battle. According to the feedback from the advance team, the maze was far more dangerous than they had imagined. Not only were there many traps and mechanisms, but they were also arranged in combination. If they were not careful, they would be wiped out in one fell swoop.

In addition, a very powerful magical golem guards the main passage, and Trin has no intention of rushing in and becoming someone else's scout.

Fortunately, Trinity has few advantages, but it has a lot of money. As for many adventurers who are terrible at the game but still have to grit their teeth and rush into the maze, they never expected to be able to break through the maze from the beginning. Instead, they sell the first-hand information they get by scouting the bushes.

By spending a lot of money, Trinn successfully gathered all the information that had been made public, but his understanding of the interior of the maze was still insufficient.

The waiting process was tedious and boring, and Terlin felt uncomfortable after staying in the hotel for a few days. Although the local specialties were unexpectedly delicious, and the spicy hot pot left a deep impression on him, the burning sensation in his anus when he went to the toilet the next day made him never dare to try any local dishes with red as the main color again.

Out of sheer boredom, Trin decided to find some amusement to pass the time.

"Speaking of which, Erwin, are there any 'good women' around here?"

As soon as Trinn spoke, Erwin couldn't help but glance at him. This young master was traveling with many skilled guards, but no women. He hadn't thought about it while traveling, but now that they were in town, his mind had naturally become more active.

However, Erwin was somewhat familiar with the situation in Pine Town. There were indeed some prostitutes and brothels; their presence was always felt in the bars frequented by adventurers and mercenaries, and some even worked as waitresses. But these women were generally of low quality and would likely hardly catch the eye of this young master.

"There are no brothels in this town, but there are some hostesses in the bars who are willing to take customers, but their figures and looks... well..."

"Not even a brothel? This town is so run-down!"

Erwin shrugged with a smile, his contempt for Trin growing stronger. The rapid development of Pine Town was evident to the entire northern part of the kingdom, yet the other party simply used the presence or absence of brothels as a criterion for judging its development. Rather than calling him foolish, it was more accurate to say he was deliberately disgusting.

But no matter what, Pine Town wasn't his territory, and Erwin had no obligation to argue with Trilling. He said, "I'll go gather more information," and got up to leave.

Just then, one of Trilling's men rushed in from outside and whispered a few words in his ear. Trilling, who had been looking bored, immediately perked up.

End of this chapter

Erwin couldn't hear what Trilling's men were whispering in his ear, but from their excited expressions, he could easily guess what they were saying. And this confirmed his guess, because as soon as Trilling finished listening to his men's report, he asked Erwin in a clearly excited tone.

"Irwin, are you acquainted with that local Medicine God Cult?"

“I have met Master Lud a few times. Last year, when we were fighting against the lizardmen, we fought side by side. So you could say we know each other.”

"Since we know each other, could you introduce me to someone?"

"You want to see Master Luther?"

"I want to discuss a business deal with him."

Seeing that Trinn wanted to see Lud in person and wanted to discuss business, Erwin breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed that this guy had his eye on the divine potions produced by the Cult of Medicine God; those were indeed highly sought-after items.

Terin and his group came from Yanmu City in the south of the kingdom, which is separated from Pine Town by thousands of mountains and rivers and is not a coastal city. Therefore, very few of the potions produced by the Medicine God Cult flowed into their area. In order not to offend the local sect, the merchants selling the potions did not advertise the Medicine God Cult's name when selling them, but only said that they were good stuff from the north of the kingdom.

Due to geographical reasons and the cost of transportation, coupled with multiple transfers along the way, by the time these potions arrived in Yanmu City after several twists and turns, their price had increased several times compared to the original price, and they were available but not in demand.

Because the Terlin family was involved in the pharmaceutical industry, they spent a fortune to acquire a bottle from the market, intending to analyze it and replicate it. However, the pharmacist employed by the family discovered that the potion's ingredients were actually very simple: just a few simple flavorings mixed with water. The real source of its miraculous healing effects was the divine power contained within the potion, which mortals simply could not replicate.

The analysis results disappointed the family's higher-ups, but also made them curious about the producer of the potion. After making inquiries, they learned that it was a unique product of a small, third-tier sect in the northern part of the kingdom.

However, due to the extreme distance, which far exceeded the reach of the Navarro family and even the Brotherhood of the Black Hand, the family's higher-ups had no choice but to abandon some very attractive ideas.

After all, it's obvious to anyone with a brain. This small sect is a golden goose, and there are definitely more than one force eyeing them. If the Navarro family, as a southern power, were to rashly venture north to seize resources, they would likely be instantly besieged by those barbaric northerners.

Trin's trip to the north was originally about chasing after the necromancer, intending to intercept him. He didn't deliberately look for the Medicine God Cult. However, after arriving in Pine Town for many days, one of Trin's men accidentally discovered the long line of people queuing to buy medicine at the temple entrance while out.

It feels like when you're rummaging through drawers at home looking for your key, and out of the corner of your eye you accidentally spot a ring hidden under the coffee table.

Of course! Trilling wasn't so arrogant as to think that he could just stand in front of a cult with a dozen or so men and force them to submit. The Navarro family was one of the wealthiest families in Flamewood City, and they considered themselves a classy underworld aristocracy, so Trilling was prepared to buy them with real money.

The divine potions of the Medicine God Cult are highly sought-after commodities in the southern part of the kingdom and even further into the empire, and are so rare that they are difficult to find. Whether you keep them for yourself in case of emergency or give them away as gifts to gain favors, they are an excellent choice.

Before returning, Terlin's men had already found out that the healing potion "Tears of Evelina" was available locally, and damn it, because of the dungeon, it was on sale for 30% off, making it only one-tenth the price in Flamewood City. However, each person was limited to one bottle, and it was only available to adventurers and mercenaries with guild certificates.

Trilling was naturally not satisfied with just buying ten or so bottles, so he hoped to meet with the leader of the cult for a detailed discussion. Having figured out his purpose, Erwin thought to himself that this wasn't too difficult.

At Trin's insistence, Erwin took him to the temple of the Medicine God Cult again, posing as the son of a wealthy merchant from the southern city of Flamewood to meet Lud.

However, Trilling, who was using a false identity, was unaware that Ludd, who had prior knowledge of their movements, had been watching them since the very first day he arrived in Pine Town. Hume, who didn't need sleep, kept a 24-hour watch on their every move, so Ludd knew they were about to deliver themselves to their doorstep shortly after Trilling left the inn.

Like many first-time visitors, Terlin was somewhat surprised by the temple's simple, almost shabby, decor when he first arrived.

He thought that although the Medicine God Cult was not large in scale, since it had such a profitable tool as divine potions, even if it needed the protection of other major sects to share the profits, the remaining amount should not be too much to not be able to afford to build a magnificent temple. But the result was just an old house.

So, based on his "common sense," Trin figured there were only two possibilities: one was that Master Lud, who held the title of saint, was a miserly hoarder who couldn't bear to build a new temple. The other was that the Medicine God Cult, which they were cooperating with, was too domineering, taking away almost all the profits and leaving them only scraps.

Trillin hadn't been to school once in the days he'd been in town, so he was unaware that Lud had spent most of his income elsewhere.

The two met in the temple's reception room. When Trin saw the unusually young Lud, he couldn't help but look surprised. Lud, however, was used to such reactions, so he briefly explained his situation and then steered the conversation directly to the main topic.

"Young Master Terlin, as a representative of your esteemed merchant guild, wishes to establish trade cooperation with our sect and obtain the sales agency rights for potions in the southern part of the kingdom, is that it?"

"That's exactly what we mean. Our Abalili Chamber of Commerce is one of the most powerful conglomerates in the southern part of the kingdom, and we also have channels with the southern countries. When it comes to connections, we claim to be second to none. If your church wishes to open up the market in the south, cooperating with us is definitely the best choice."

Trinn launched into a scathing self-aggrandizing tale of his family's power. Lude listened quietly, observing the young mobster before him and analyzing his character from a police perspective. Only by understanding this could he devise a targeted scheme to ensnare him!

At this moment, Shanis brought in a tray of tea. Just moments ago, Trin, who had been boasting, instantly focused his gaze on the stunningly beautiful woman. His eyes, like a scanner, scrutinized every part of her from head to toe.