"Cain! I've finished the exchange!"
Thanks to the frantic efforts of the staff, Ouka returned carrying several bulging money pouches.
"A total of 460,000 Valis exchanged! An unprecedented huge haul!"
"F-four... 460,000?!"
Mikoto's eyes widened as she let out an exclamation.
Behind her, the other members of the Takemikazuchi Familia also became excited, crowding forward.
"460,000? Really?!"
"Captain, let me see!"
"Don't push, let me see first!"
"Alright, everyone calm down!"
Seeing everyone getting a bit carried away, Ouka quickly spoke up to stabilize the situation.
"Although we earned 460,000, the money isn't all ours. There's also Cain's share."
"According to the agreed 50-50 split, we only get 230,000 Valis"
"That's still a lot."
A satisfied smile appeared on Mikoto's face.
On their usual Dungeon explorations, earning 100,000 Valis was considered a lot.
This time, with 230,000 Valis, even after setting aside some for equipment maintenance, a significant amount would remain.
"If Lord Takemikazuchi hears about this, he'll surely be very happy."
"Whether he's happy or not, I don't know. But I do know if you keep standing here, you'll get beaten up."
Cain's voice came from behind.
He stood on an empty patch several meters away, maintaining distance from the Takemikazuchi Familia while gesturing to the surroundings.
It was currently the peak time for adventurers returning from the Dungeon to the surface, with people constantly arriving in the first-floor hall.
Just like the first batch of adventurers who had been standing in the hall earlier, these newcomers were caught off guard, taking a big whiff and immediately collapsing, starting to retch.
In just a few minutes, the Takemikazuchi Familia had attracted a massive amount of hostility.
Some of the more agitated ones even drew their weapons, ready to exchange a few blows with the Takemikazuchi Familia.
"Cain, wait here for a bit. We're going to the second floor to take a shower first."
Ouka and the others rushed toward the nearby staircase.
To facilitate adventurer activities, the Adventurers Guild had established public baths on the second floor of The Tower of Babel.
Amidst a torrent of curses, Ouka and the others quickly cleaned their bodies, rejoined Cain and the other two with a faint lingering fragrance, and returned to the Takemikazuchi Familia.
"Here, Cain. This is your money."
Ouka placed two separated money pouches on the table.
"After deducting the previously agreed-upon hiring fee, it's a total of 130,000 Valis. You can count it."
"No need to count. I trust you."
Cain picked up the two pouches, weighed them, and tossed the lighter one to the nearby Lili.
"Lord Cain, this is...?"
"The supporter's hiring fee."
"Huh? This much?"
"It's not that much. Your performance today was much better than I expected, deserving of this reward."
Although only LV1, everything Lili did today was no less than what Ouka and the others accomplished.
Clearing the battlefield, providing long-range support, observing the rear for early warnings...
She performed almost every duty of a supporter to the extreme.
Thanks to her, Cain could fully immerse himself in combat without worrying about trivial matters.
"Take the money. If you think it's too much, then go kill monsters with Ouka and the others tomorrow."
"Please spare Lili from that."
Scared into no longer being polite, Lili hurriedly tucked the money pouch into her bosom.
After witnessing the miserable state of the Takemikazuchi Familia, she regarded Cain's homemade bait with fear and kept a respectful distance.
Unless absolutely necessary, she never wanted to touch it in this lifetime.
"Hmm? Is everyone back?"
A nearby room door opened, and Takemikazuchi, who had been holed up at home all day, walked out.
After greeting everyone, he took out a notebook from his robe.
"Cain, you're just in time. The Breathing Technique you commissioned me to help with yesterday is ready."
"That fast?"
A look of surprise appeared on Cain's face.
"Your physical fitness is relatively strong, so modifying a Breathing Technique suitable for you wasn't too difficult."
"The truly troublesome one is the version with lowered thresholds for ordinary people to practice. That still needs some time."
"That's fine. The mass-market version of the Breathing Technique isn't urgent."
Cain took the notebook and quickly skimmed through it.
The content in the notebook wasn't extensive; it could be described as roughly an outline of the Breathing Technique.
Although it recorded the modification directions for Thunder Breathing, the specific details weren't fully written out.
"Time was too tight. To make it easier to understand, I prepared a simplified version for you to look at first."
Takemikazuchi walked over to Cain. "What do you think? Any other areas that need modification?"
"It's good. This will do."
Cain closed the notebook and replied.
He wasn't the type of client who makes the contractor revise repeatedly only to choose the first version in the end.
In his view, the Thunder Breathing modified by Takemikazuchi was already perfect.
By adjusting the breathing frequency and depth according to his method, the enhancement effect of Thunder Breathing would improve by 30 to 40 percent compared to the original.
Considering the practice time, this was the best choice available now.
"Takemikazuchi-sama, are you free these next couple of days?"
"I am. I've already resigned from the fried potato ball shop."
"Then take on another commission for me."
Cain tossed the money pouch by his hand, which hadn't even warmed up yet, over. "Rather than slowly comprehending from text, I think it's better to ask for your help, Takemikazuchi-sama."
"No problem. I'll guide you properly."
Takemikazuchi caught the money pouch, a smile appearing on his face.
Having been in the lower world for so long, Takemikazuchi had met many wealthy people.
But someone as generous with money as Cain was a first for him.
To satisfy his major benefactor, Takemikazuchi personally fetched two wooden swords from a nearby rack.
"Let's go, outside!"
...
At the same time, Soma Familia.
A bespectacled man left the Familia base, heading east.
"Is that... Zanis?"
From a corner not far away, Ryuu, who had been on watch for half a day, brightened up and immediately followed.
Commissioned by Cain, she needed to gather information and investigate Zanis's private monster trafficking.
But according to her investigation, Zanis usually stayed within the Familia base, rarely going out.
Ryuu had already mentally prepared herself for a protracted battle with him.
Unexpectedly, luck arrived so suddenly.
Following Zanis, Ryu arrived at the southeast side of Orario, at the Soma Familia's wine cellar.
After entering the wine cellar and patrolling around, Zanis continued eastward, arriving at Daedalus Street.
Daedalus Street, located on the east side of Orario, was known as the maze on the surface, with extremely complex terrain.
Upon arriving here, Zanis's pace suddenly quickened, twisting and turning through several alleys.
Fortunately, Ryuu, as an LV4, had sufficiently high physical abilities, allowing her to follow without being exposed.
"So this is the place."
Seeing Zanis enter a two-story building at a corner, Ryuu used the night to leap onto the roof.
After some observation and finding no one, she pried open a second-floor window, slipped into the house, and began further investigation.
...
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