"Rumble--"
Accompanied by a dull sound,
The bronze gate slowly opened inward as the mechanism was triggered, revealing just a sliver of an opening. A current of cold air, unique to the depths of the earth, eagerly surged out from the gap and swept through the passage.
"Whoosh--"
A cold wind rushed toward him.
Royman, clad in a silk robe, was buffeted by this chilling gust.
The bone-chilling sensation was even more intense than falling directly into an ice cave. His round body shuddered violently, and all his fat jiggled three times.
But Royman couldn't spare any attention for this discomfort.
He didn't even dare to fully exhale the breath he held in his chest.
He could only force his waist to bend even lower, wishing his bald head could burrow directly into his massive belly, which looked like he was ten months pregnant, to reduce his presence.
He saw that
The bronze gate had opened completely.
Heimer stood at the entrance but did not step in immediately.
His gaze pierced through the gloom, landing directly at the far end of this immense sanctuary.
Behind the bronze gate
Was a space so vast it could instantly make any mortal feel their own insignificance.
Giant stone pillars supported a dome whose top was invisible.
The entire altar stood in the center of the darkness.
Above the altar,
Several torches were burning.
At the end of his line of sight,
A figure was seated upon a stone throne.
It was—Ouranos.
—The Deity who first brought the [Falna] to the lower world.
—The creator of the labyrinth city of Orario.
—And the true ruler, both in name and in substance, of the Guild.
Ouranos was currently sitting quietly on the stone throne.
The divine robe he wore was so simple it looked somewhat shabby. His gray-white long hair hung loosely over his chest.
His body was hunched over.
At first glance, there was no sign of life in him.
If one didn't know better,
He looked just like a destitute old man one might see anywhere on the roadside.
However,
The pressure emanating from that seemingly aged body was undeniably real.
The moment Heimer's gaze fell upon him,
That invisible yet tangible pressure silently filled every inch of the surroundings like a tide.
This divine might
Was not intentionally released.
It was the residual power naturally overflowing because Ouranos had long resided in this underground altar, using himself as an anchor to pray to the bottomless abyss and suppress the entire Dungeon.
Even a slight leak
Was enough to make mortals' knees buckle, perhaps even compelling them to kneel in worship due to the terrifying pressure.
Take Royman, who was standing at the entrance, for example.
The Guild Master, who usually commanded great influence in Orario, was already soaked through with sweat.
His long robe, stretched tight by his fat, clung wetly to his body. When the cold wind swept through,
It was utterly chilling. He couldn't help but shiver, his massive body shaking like a wave.
But he couldn't afford to care about these things; he didn't even dare to take a full breath.
He could only bend his already curved waist even lower, his face full of fat wishing it could bury itself directly into his enormous stomach to evade the gaze cast down from the high throne.
Upon the high throne,
Ouranos slowly opened his half-lidded, turbid pupils.
"You have arrived..."
"Because of you..."
"In this short span of one month..."
"The Guild has already received no less than ten departure applications from Deities."
"There were even a few more timid ones who, without even saying goodbye, directly chose to abandon the Familia they had painstakingly built in the lower world and fled back to the Celestial Realm."
These words
Made Royman, standing at the entrance, break out in a cold sweat.
As the Guild Master, he naturally knew about these matters.
Over the past month, the Guild had been extremely busy dealing with the chaos of the Familia abandoned by their main Deities.
But he never expected
That the reason for this... was related to the descent of this black-haired god?
Thinking of this, Royman's small, bean-like eyes secretly glanced at the calm black-haired god beside him, his heart churning with shock.
He truly couldn't figure out
What this Deity had done in the Celestial Realm
To make the other Deities in the lower world afraid to stay any longer.
"So?"
Facing the questioning from this Deity who could be considered the most senior in this land,
Heimer raised an eyebrow nonchalantly.
"If those fellows want to leave, you're going to blame that on me?"
"Ouranos."
"If you specifically had this fellow summon me to this gloomy ghost town..."
"Just to complain to me about these matters..."
"Then I suggest you go find Loki instead."
These words,
Directly stunned Royman at the doorway. Both his large legs trembled violently, and his entire body shook like a pile of jelly about to fall apart.
He's crazy!
This is absolutely insane!
Royman's pupils trembled, screaming wildly in his heart.
Listening to this exchange, Royman felt as if his heart was enduring a fatal stimulus every second.
This was Ouranos!
Even when Zeus and Hera were still in Orario, no Deity dared to speak to Ouranos like this!
At this moment,
Royman was suddenly overcome with the urge to immediately cover his ears and stick his head into the cracks in the floor tiles to play ostrich.
He was merely a guild master who, apart from being greedy and having some administrative ability, was completely useless.
Why did he have to hear a conversation that could shave ten years off his life?!
Especially.
What made Royman feel even more incredulous was this.
Faced with Heimer's incredibly rude behavior.
Ouranos, sitting on the high throne, did not show the slightest hint of anger.
"You have truly changed, Heimer."
"You are completely different from when you were in the Heavens."
There was a tinge of complexity in Ouranos's voice.
Upon hearing this, Heimer rolled his eyes, unconcerned.
"Life always changes with time."
"Even gods are no exception."
"Surely you cannot refute this point."
"Perhaps."
Ouranos sighed.
"Perhaps you really have changed, Heimer."
"But..."
"Even if you have no intention of stirring up trouble."
"Trouble will eventually arise because of you."
"Your very existence is an extremely unstable factor for Orario, which has finally achieved a rare state of stability."
"And your Familia, like you, is full of miracles."
Ouranos looked deeply at Heimer.
"So..."
"Heimer..."
"Let's talk business, Heimer."
"I do not want you to become the fuse for the destruction of Orario."
"Therefore, I can make concessions."
"As long as you do not actively disrupt the existing order of Orario."
"And do not touch those bottom lines that must never be crossed—such as endangering the survival of the Labyrinth City itself."
"I will order the Guild to provide you and your Familia with the greatest degree of support and convenience, whether it be in terms of intelligence, resources, or policy bias."
"As long as you are truly willing to agree to my terms."
"As the administrator of Orario."
"I am willing to take this risk and trust you."
As Ouranos finally brought the conversation to the main point.
Heimer also gradually became interested.
"That sounds not bad."
"Having your official endorsement would indeed save me a lot of trouble."
"Naturally, I have no interest in being a villain."
"As long as no one comes to provoke me."
"I will not act rashly."
"I can promise you that."
"However."
"Since you are so generous and willing to offer help voluntarily."
"Then why don't we discuss a few specific details right now?"
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