He was slightly surprised, then quickly regained his composure.
---------------------
"Sit down first, Fron."
"No need, Ais and I are fine over here."
There was only one chair in the office, reserved for Gareth. The remaining one was a small chair for Finn.
Loki sat casually on the desk as usual, while Riveria stood by the window.
As for the others, Ais stood by the door against the wall, and naturally, Fron chose to stand beside her.
"Alright, Loki, tell us, what exactly is it that we're looking for this time?"
All the recent incidents were tied to their search for the hideout of the Evilus, including Fron's involvement.
He did know about the artificial labyrinth, Knossos, but because he and the others lacked the strength before, he didn't dare act recklessly.
And besides… even if he knew the intel, what good would it do? He didn't actually know where Knossos was located.
It was like knowing that there's a certain place in your city, but not knowing where it is, especially if the other side is deliberately hiding it.
That was exactly Fron's situation.
Not to mention the underground waterway system nicknamed the "Labyrinth on the Surface", even Daedalus Street in the southeastern district was so complicated that it couldn't be understood in a short time.
While he was lost in thought, Loki spoke up.
"Whether inside the city or outside it, we've searched almost everywhere along with Hermes and Dionysus. Other than finding routes like the Sea Cave, we still don't have any clues about their true hideout."
"But, although we've searched so many places, there's still one that slipped through the net. And based on my intuition, that place definitely reeks of something suspicious."
Finn crossed his hands in front of his nose and mouth, his sharp eyes reflecting that familiar calculating light.
"Daedalus Street."
With a "snap," Loki snapped her fingers.
"Exactly. If there's anywhere in the city that can confuse our sight, it's Daedalus Street."
Finn fell into deep thought, reviewing all the clues in his mind.
"Indeed, with that surreal, maze-like layout, it's perfect for those guys to hide in. If they really have been there all this time, it's no wonder we never found anything. After all, it's Daedalus Street."
"Ha, I've lived in Orario for decades and still can't make sense of the terrain there. Maybe even the residents themselves don't fully understand it." Riveria sighed softly.
"Hiding a tree in a forest… hiding a labyrinth's entrance inside a labyrinth, it's quite logical."
"What about you two, Ais, Fron? What do you think?"
Ais glanced at Fron and silently shook her head. The meaning was clear, she agreed with the others.
"..." Feeling everyone's gaze on him, Fron had no choice but to speak.
"Daedalus Street, huh. Considering the Monsterphilia's venue was there, it really is the most likely place. But we should still proceed cautiously."
"Since everyone agrees, then… our next target is set, Daedalus Street!"
...
The Library of the Twilight Manor.
Fron and Ais came here for the first time in a while.
Breathing in the familiar scent of ink, Fron felt deeply immersed in it.
"So, what are we doing here, Fron?" Ais' eyes were fixed on a novel titled The Tales of Heroes as she asked without looking away.
"I came to find some historical records of Orario. I haven't gone through this part in detail yet. When I was browsing books before, I just skimmed it. I remember there was one called A Brief Architectural History of Orario… ah, here it is!"
It was an old book with a thick, dictionary-like heft.
Quite heavy, when Fron pulled it from the shelf, the sudden weight made his arm tremble.
"Careful. Don't drop it."
"It's Anakitty and Alicia who maintain the library."
"…This is the first I've heard of that. I thought the members of Loki Familia didn't really do these kinds of chores anymore."
Ais shook her head and explained:
"They don't have to, but according to them, it's a hobby. Like how I enjoy sword practice, or how you like researching magic items and reading."
"For Anakitty and Alicia, cleaning and organizing the library gives them a sense of accomplishment. After all, more than half of the books here were collected by them personally. Some of these can't even be found in the Gnomes archives or the Guild's library."
"I think that's why they feel attached to this place."
Fron understood.
He hadn't expected Anakitty and Alicia to have that kind of "hamster-like" personality, kind of cute, actually.
Running his fingers over the book's cover, Fron walked to the reading table, sat down, and opened it.
He quickly flipped through the contents, and soon, the entry for Daedalus Street caught his eye.
Page 444.
Daedalus Street, a vast residential district located in the southeastern part of the labyrinth city, Orario.
Although called a "residential district," its separate mention proves it is anything but ordinary. The buildings, streets, and terrain are not flat, they are multi-layered.
...
Daedalus Street is a single, unified structure, not just a jumble of individual buildings pieced together.
Its overall structure is extremely complex. Every few steps, or even a single turn, brings you to overlapping stairways, where wandering aimlessly is enough to make you lose your way.
There are no simple, straight streets. On the contrary, it's a chaotic maze with seemingly random divisions.
This, as mentioned before, is the so-called "Labyrinth on the Surface," and beneath it lies the connected Underground Waterway.
Frankly speaking, not only outsiders, like members of the Loki Familia, even the local residents themselves would get lost if they didn't follow the marks on the walls.
As for its origin, the name says it all, the district's designer was Daedalus!
It was built during the era when the gods first descended, over a thousand years ago.
As one of Ouranos' first followers, Daedalus was responsible for constructing the Tower of Babel, and naturally, this district as well.
His greatness can't be summed up in a few words, he was a craftsman whose name truly deserved to go down in history.
Likewise, this district was the legacy he left behind for all of Orario.
From its design alone, you could see the culmination of his life's knowledge, his final masterpiece.
And now, the Loki Familia's target, was this place!
To catch the enemy's tail, they would first have to understand the labyrinth-like environment here.