"Loki, what are you doing?"
Riveria saw Loki huddled in a corner, sneakily eavesdropping on Roy and Finn's conversation in the hall.
"Shh!" Loki pressed a finger to her lips, signaling Riveria to be quiet. She still felt a bit awkward about testing Roy on behalf of that "vixen" Freya. If the Divine Wine hadn't been so tempting, she wouldn't have even shown up at the Soma compound.
Riveria shook her head. A god with sealed powers was no different from an ordinary human; with the perception of high-level adventurers, Roy and Finn were definitely aware of her. They were just pretending not to notice. Riveria ignored her and walked out.
Roy and Finn looked up and greeted her. Riveria wore deep green casual clothes with a white coat that highlighted her incredible figure. Her jade-green hair was tied in a ponytail, and even without makeup, she exuded a regal, graceful beauty. Roy was thankful Aiz wasn't there; he didn't have the energy to deal with her challenges today.
With the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia present, Roy got straight to the point. "I have received intel that someone plans to attack me and my companions during the Monsterphilia."
Finn and Riveria's expressions shifted. This news was unexpected. They realized why Roy was here.
"You mean...?" Finn asked.
"I want to hire the members of the Loki Familia to act as our guards that day," Roy said.
Finn and Riveria exchanged a glance. The Astraea Familia wasn't weak—they had Ryu, a Level 5. Were the enemies so formidable that Roy needed their help?
Riveria pursed her lips. If it were in a personal capacity, she'd help her "royal junior" without hesitation. But at a Familia level, it wasn't a decision she could make alone.
Finn mused, "We don't have an expedition scheduled lately, so we could accept the commission. But you should know, our fee is..."
"I'll pay ten million Valis!" Roy stated.
Eavesdropping, Loki scoffed. Ten million Valis to drag her children into a job?
Roy added, "Ten million Valis per person. Limited to Level 4 adventurers and above. For Level 5s, the fee doubles. Level 6s are negotiable."
Silence fell over the hall. Roy's sheer wealth staggered Finn and Riveria. The boy seemed to radiate the scent of gold. Loki, hiding in the corner, was speechless. She had almost forgotten that this kid was a multi-millionaire thanks to the Soma Wine auctions.
Finn gave a bitter smile. He hadn't planned on agreeing, but... the boy simply offered too much!
A snack on the street cost 30 or 40 Valis. The finest Elixir from the Dian Cecht Familia cost 500,000. Ten million was enough to buy a luxury villa in Orario. It would take a Level 4 months of grinding to accumulate that. Roy was essentially dropping over 100 million Valis on the table. Finn couldn't ignore that number.
Riveria gave Roy a reproachful look, like a mother scolding a spendthrift child. You could have just talked to me privately! But Roy didn't care. If money could solve the problem, he didn't want to owe favors.
"Very well. We accept the commission," Finn agreed.
Beyond expeditions, the Loki Familia accepted requests from friendly Familias like Dian Cecht or Goibniu, but the fees were always exorbitant. Finn had been worried Roy would lowball them, making it hard to justify the risk to his members. As Captain, he had to consider the big picture.
With the deal struck, Roy didn't linger. He stood to leave. No written proof was needed; both were prominent Familias in Orario.
Riveria personally saw Roy to the gate. "Is it that urgent?"
Roy nodded and walked away, his lean silhouette quickly receding. Riveria returned to the hall. Loki stepped out, dressed in her usual shorts and breast-wrap, her red hair in a ponytail.
The three sat down. Riveria asked, "Finn, what do you think?"
Finn licked his thumb, feeling a slight tingle of intuition. "Something will happen on Monsterphilia, but it's not aimed at us."
"Loki?"
"If we can help, we help. I owe him a favor; this clears the debt."
Roy left Twilight Manor and went to the Soma compound. He had Lili organize the remaining members. Though they weren't fighters, they were excellent for surveillance. Spread across the city, these 200–300 people could act as his eyes.
"Don't worry, Master Roy. We're ready!" Lili said, her eyes bright with the joy of finally being able to help him.
"Thank you!" Roy patted her head, messing up her hair, which she didn't mind at all.
While at the Soma compound, Roy used a secret room to conduct the experiment he'd been waiting for: The Shikon Jewel!
He had held this legendary item for a while but had been too busy to test it. Now, with enemies closing in, he had to make time. He would use every resource to crush them. The jewel's effects were: boosting power, reviving the dead, and granting wishes. The side effect was that negative emotions would taint the jewel and the user's mind.
For Roy, the first two were most useful. The "wish" aspect of the Shikon Jewel was a trap unless it was for the one true wish.
Roy pulled a corpse from his storage ring—one of the spies Zanis had sent to tail him. He had kept it for exactly this purpose. He pressed the Shikon Jewel into the lifeless chest and waited for a change.
Roy was nervous. Unlike the world of Inuyasha, this world had active gods. When mortals died, their souls returned to the Heavens to be washed and reincarnated. Souls were in the hands of the gods; could the Shikon Jewel truly snatch a meal from their jaws?
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