Riveria walked over, asking curiously.
---------------------------
"Ah, Penia doesn't have a Familia. But still… she must have her own methods. For example, she might donate part of the money she gets to the poor people living on this street, so that no one calls her a fraud. Of course, she can still live quite comfortably on what remains," Loki replied.
The topic of the goddess of poverty quickly became the subject of lively discussion.
"It's a shame she refused our request for help. If the goddess who had been living in Daedalus Street had agreed to assist us, our task would've been much easier." Loki sighed.
"Well, nothing we can do about that. Let's begin our search according to plan. Everyone spread out, second-line squad, move in pairs. As for Ais and Tione, you'll each go solo."
There was no issue with this arrangement. With their Level 6 strength, moving through the streets was hardly a challenge. Only someone suicidal would dare provoke top-class adventurers like them.
"I'll head this way then," said Fron, pointing in one direction before leaving without hesitation.
Since the Familia's focus was now on Daedalus Street, Fron also needed to prepare himself for battle.
With someone taking the lead, the rest of the team followed suit.
"I'll go this way," said Ais, pointing in the opposite direction of Fron. With a light tap of her toes, she leapt gracefully onto the rooftops of tall buildings and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Soon after, Tione, Tiona, Anakitty, Lefiya, and the others all followed suit, scattering in various directions. In the end, only Loki and Riveria remained.
"All right, Riveria, come with me. We've got another matter to take care of." Loki smirked, hands in her pockets, and turned down the next street.
There, an elegant-looking bar awaited them, a place they often visited to chat with other deities.
Dressed in his black night outfit, Fron moved swiftly through the streets, staff in hand.
The streets here were like a maze: even if you walked straight, you'd encounter countless forks and stairways, some even spiraling down like giant dungeon shafts. The entire area was built like a sheer cliff, its buildings interconnected by stone skywalks, complex, tangled, and enough to make anyone lose their bearings instantly.
Still, though Daedalus Street was an architectural maze, its residents had adapted to life here.
They'd painted direction markers and street names on the walls, so as long as you followed them and didn't wander randomly, you could roughly find your way out.
Unfortunately, finding buildings was one thing; finding people was another, especially when those people were actively hiding.
With a light, graceful leap, Fron landed atop a high roof and looked down.
Even he couldn't help but marvel, Daedalus Street's design was far ahead of its time. Even compared to the supercities of his previous life, nothing could match its surreal, dreamlike construction.
"Finn and the others should be searching the underground waterways in this area. Hopefully, they'll find something…"
"Those smugglers using the sewers to move goods isn't strange, but if they were transporting Violas, they must have left some trace. With Bete's Level 6 enhanced sense of smell, he might pick up a lead."
With that thought, Fron quickened his pace, heading toward an entrance to the underground waterway not far ahead.
Meanwhile, the female members of the Loki Familia had begun their ground search.
Only Loki and Riveria had gone to their usual tavern, apparently waiting for someone.
Clang clang clang.
"Come in already. Don't pretend to be gentlemen," Loki grumbled.
"Loki, just look at this handsome face of mine, how could I not be a gentleman?"
Two yellow-haired gods stepped inside: Hermes and Dionysus, Loki's allies.
"All right, enough with the formalities. My kids are already searching Daedalus Street. What about you two?"
Hermes spread his hands and smiled.
"According to the intel you got from Melen, I've set my sights on Ishtar. Coincidentally, she asked me to transport some valuable goods from the Far East. It's the perfect excuse to observe her closely."
Loki narrowed her eyes, a sly smile playing on her lips. She didn't know if Hermes really planned to investigate Ishtar, but she was sure that the messenger god had other motives.
What Hermes didn't know was that if he didn't go whisper in Ishtar's ear, someone else already had.
After all, Fron had taken advantage of the previous Denatus to inform the goddess Freya that Ishtar had her eyes on Bell first.
That way, Ishtar would act openly against Bell, forcing Freya to respond. That chain reaction was exactly what Fron wanted.
[T/N: I understand Fron's move now, it was not a brain-dead thing.]
And that's why the Ishtar Familia was of little concern. With the goddess of beauty herself in play, wasn't it better to let one goddess destroy another?
"What about you, Dionysus?" The refined god ran a hand through his golden hair with a calm smile.
"You've already sent your children to Daedalus Street, asking me now just makes me look bad, doesn't it?"
Loki swirled the ice in her glass and took a satisfied sip.
"Hah, come on, we're allies, aren't we? I figured I should at least keep you two in the loop."
"…"
"…"
Allies? Both Hermes and Dionysus thought the same thing: She's just using us as tools.
But outwardly, they kept their polite smiles.
"Heh. The whole of Orario has been turned upside down, I refuse to believe that person can stay hidden. Once we find them, I'll make those bored gods remember why the lower world is so merciless."
...
The Underground Waterway.
Under Finn's leadership, the first-tier adventurers split into several squads, moving quickly through the tunnels.
Unlike their previous large-scale sweeps, this time they were focusing on the waterway beneath Daedalus Street, smaller area, higher efficiency.
Portable magic-stone lamps cast a steady glow, footsteps echoing through the damp passages.
As the team spread out, Finn rubbed his slightly aching thumb, eyes narrowing with a grim look.
"This uneasy feeling… it's been a long time since I've felt this."
"Finn." From the stairway leading into the tunnel, Fron appeared.
"Huh? Weren't you supposed to be searching the surface with Ais and the others?"
Fron sighed softly.
"My sector runs from the rendezvous point to the edge of the district. I didn't find anything, so I came by to check this place."
"I see. In that case…" Finn nodded. "Stay with me. I've got a bad feeling something's about to happen."
Noticing the way Finn's thumb twitched, Fron understood instantly.