"Albis… what exactly is going on here?"
Suphina stared blankly at Albis, her expression utterly bewildered. She still couldn't quite grasp the situation unfolding before her.
Very few humans ever came to the Beast Kingdom.
And what had those humans just said?
Were they seriously planning to buy their goods?
"As you've already seen," Albis replied calmly, "these people are Falmuth nobles who failed to achieve their goals in the Tempest Federation."
"They've come to the Beast Kingdom now with the intention of purchasing our products… or rather, some of the 'bonus items' hidden among those goods."
With Albis—the Golden Serpent Horn and one of the Three Beastketeers—personally guaranteeing their safety in the Beast Kingdom, the Falmuth nobles quickly began buying in massive quantities.
After all, they were nobles.
Money had never been a problem for them.
And with the recent profits they had earned from their stock dividends, each one of them was practically swimming in wealth.
When they bought things, they did so with a carefree extravagance that left Suphina and Phobio completely stunned.
The Beast Kingdom had only recently been rebuilt, so supplies were still scarce.
There simply weren't that many goods available for sale.
Yet after asking about the prices, these wealthy nobles didn't even bother bargaining.
Most of the time they simply waved their hands and bought the entire stall outright.
Their sheer boldness left the monsters of the Beast Kingdom staring in disbelief.
After all, the supply was limited.
If they wasted time haggling over prices, someone else might buy everything first.
Albis had already witnessed scenes like this back in the Tempest Federation, so she remained relatively calm.
But beside her, Suphina and Phobio's jaws had practically hit the floor.
What they were witnessing completely shattered their understanding of the world.
Were humans really this foolish… and this rich?
Lord Carrion had even instructed the Beast Kingdom's citizens to raise their prices before selling the goods.
Right now, the kingdom's prices were several times higher than normal.
Yet not only did these humans refuse to bargain—
They even kept buying out entire stalls!
What was even stranger was that after purchasing large piles of goods, many of the human nobles immediately squatted down and began rummaging through the merchandise as if searching for something.
Whenever one of them discovered a card-like object, they would erupt with overwhelming joy.
Those who failed to find one, however, would clutch their chests and sigh in deep frustration.
The Beast Kingdom's residents were utterly baffled by this bizarre behavior.
If Ren Kuroda had been present at that moment, he would have sighed nostalgically.
Because the current state of these Falmuth nobles looked exactly like his old self when he used to spend money on gacha pulls.
In short—
The Beast Kingdom's goods were selling like wildfire.
The Falmuth nobles swept through the markets like a swarm of locusts, buying every purchasable item—even though the prices were far above normal market value.
Some nobles were so delighted after finding the items they wanted within the goods that they even made grand gestures.
"Keep the money," one noble declared casually.
"As for the food… let those poor beastman children have it as a celebration."
They paid for the food—
But didn't even bother taking it with them.
This strange act once again completely overturned the Beast Kingdom citizens' worldview.
Right now, they could only think one thing:
Doing business with humans is ridiculously profitable.
Not only were they foolishly rich—
They were also unbelievably generous.
But were the Falmuth nobles really that stupid?
Of course not.
They had their own calculations.
With the appearance of the Underground Labyrinth, and its unique ability to cultivate powerful warriors, it was only a matter of time before it became famous across the entire continent.
And the main credential required to enter the labyrinth—the Proof of the Strong—originated from only a handful of kingdoms.
If they wanted a stable supply of entrance tickets, maintaining a good relationship with the Beast Kingdom was absolutely essential.
Besides, they weren't losing anything anyway.
Every time a Proof of the Strong card appeared, it could be sold in the western nations for an astronomical price.
Those fools in the western countries had also heard about the Underground Labyrinth and were eager to train powerful fighters to keep up with the times.
However, their intelligence network simply couldn't compare with that of the Kingdom of Falmuth.
After all—
One of the major investors behind the Underground Labyrinth was none other than His Majesty Ren Kuroda of Falmuth.
Satisfied with their gains, the Falmuth nobles eventually departed.
But they left behind vast amounts of wealth.
With this money, the Beast Kingdom could easily purchase enough food from other human nations to survive this most difficult period.
"Do you understand now?" Albis said, turning to Suphina and Phobio.
"This is the help Lord Ren has given to our Beast Kingdom."
"Temporary relief would only keep us trapped in the position of the weak."
"But through this kind of trade, the Beast Kingdom can grow more prosperous and powerful—not only now, but in the future as well."
"The Proof of the Strong cards for the Underground Labyrinth are the key that keeps this entire system running."
"So from now on, the most important responsibility for us Three Beastketeers…"
"…is to ensure that these cards do not circulate privately through merchants."
Because Suphina and Phobio still looked completely lost—and because beastmen weren't exactly famous for their sharp intellect—Albis, the chief strategist of the Beast Kingdom, had to patiently explain the entire situation from beginning to end once again.
But when they heard about the Underground Labyrinth and its incredible functions, the two of them immediately felt their hearts race with excitement.
Their admiration for Ren's brilliant strategies grew to the point where they were practically prostrating themselves in awe.
The Harpy Queen Frey and her winged people joined the arrangement somewhat later.
After all, once the Beast Kingdom had been rebuilt, its strength began to grow at a visible and astonishing pace.
When Frey learned the full story behind this transformation, she used her connection with Milim to obtain a portion of the rights to distribute the Proof of the Strong.
At present, the kingdom issuing the largest number of Proof of the Strong cards each day was the Kingdom of Falmuth.
Next came the Tempest Federation.
And after that came the Beast Kingdom and several other allied nations.
As the reputation of the Underground Labyrinth spread further and further across the continent—and since the cards were consumable items—they quickly became a form of hard currency.
Right now, the highest record carved into the stone monument outside the labyrinth was held by the strongest human warrior, Hinata Sakaguchi.
She had successfully advanced all the way to the ninety-ninth floor.
Because the Underground Labyrinth had become so famous throughout the continent, the monument outside its entrance had effectively become synonymous with the ranking of the world's strongest fighters.
As long as Demon Lords and Heroes themselves didn't personally appear—
The stone monument outside the labyrinth was regarded as the most authoritative "Strongest Ranking" in existence.
Inside the labyrinth, challengers could gain combat experience and grow stronger.
There was no risk of death.
And they could even gain fame.
Money.
Status.
Power.
Faced with such overwhelming temptation, who could possibly resist?
Nowadays, the entrance to the Underground Labyrinth was crowded with an endless stream of challengers.
The numbers had grown so large that Rimuru and Ren had even built an entire city above the labyrinth.
The challengers gathering around the labyrinth entrance formed something like a melting pot of races.
All kinds of species could be seen there.
In a sense, it had already become a place where true racial diversity was beginning to take shape.
As the labyrinth's fame continued to grow, Ren and Rimuru naturally increased its difficulty once again.
In fact, several of their own subordinates had even been thrown into the labyrinth to serve as guardians.
According to the swordmaster Hakuro, this arrangement had two advantages.
It allowed them to face challengers—
And at the same time, it served as excellent training for their own warriors.
Because of this, challengers attempting to conquer the labyrinth almost always formed parties.
Trying to clear it alone had become far too difficult.