"The Guild's so-called 'Elevator Project,' what stage is it at now?", Emiya asked.
"It's already reached the thirty-ninth floor," Finn replied, "Not far from the final target, the fiftieth floor. But right now, because of insufficient materials, construction has been temporarily halted."
This world does have "elevators." Or, considering the energy that drives them, calling them "magic stone lifts" might be more accurate.
That sky-piercing Babel Tower, its base and summit are connected by an elevator. Otherwise, expecting the gods, whose divine powers are sealed and who only have the constitution of ordinary humans, to climb dozens of floors on foot for meetings would really be making things too difficult for them.
But the elevator Emiya spoke of here wasn't one that connected levels of a building above ground, but rather one that could lead directly from the surface into the depths of the dungeon.
After the battle of the [Artificial Labyrinth] ended, the coalition of city factions took over [Artificial Labyrinth: Knossos], which had been the Evilus' stronghold.
Afterward, someone proposed an idea, based on the design of the [Artificial Labyrinth], construct an elevator that would go straight down to the deep floors of the dungeon.
Modeled on the labyrinth's construction, the walls would be made of the hardest metal, [Adamantine]. Since it would only be an elevator and not a complex maze, the cost would be much lower, while the efficiency boost for familia expeditions would be a leap forward.
Once reaching the lower floors, the greatest obstacle to expeditions was no longer the powerful monsters, but the crushing pressure of supplies. The deeper you went, the heavier that burden became.
If an elevator could be established to link the surface with the dungeon's safe zones, then when large familias embarked on deep expeditions, they would no longer need to waste huge amounts of time and resources traversing the earlier floors, but could directly close in on the "unknown" frontier.
Once completed, the elevator would usher in a new era for the city's dungeon exploration.
However, for safety considerations, the construction required vast amounts of precious materials, especially [Adamantine], the hardest metal. Only such a material could guarantee the tunnel's security.
And with the city's current reserves, even counting what was confiscated from the Evilus, the passage could at most be built down to the thirty-ninth floor.
As it stood now, large familias could begin their expeditions directly from the thirty-ninth floor's safe zone.
"Even though it's not fully complete, this passage as it is already boosts expedition efficiency several times over," Emiya said.
"Mm," Finn nodded, "Because the path from the surface to the thirty-ninth floor has been opened, recently whenever Udaeus resurrects, it's immediately hunted down."
Udaeus, the lone king of the dungeon labyrinth's thirty-seventh floor, with latent strength equal to Lv.6.
Before, when Udaeus revived, the familias capable of defeating it might not necessarily be on expedition, nor could they deliberately organize a grueling march down to the thirty-seventh floor just for a single lone king.
Now, the difficulty of reaching the thirty-seventh floor had dropped by more than ninety percent compared to before.
"A month ago, Shakti of the Ganesha Familia led her team to successfully challenge Udaeus, and leveled up to Lv.6," Finn said.
Emiya nodded, not surprised. Shakti had reached Lv.5 during the Great Strife. With her strength, if not for her energy being scattered by city management, she should have ascended long ago.
"Past the sixtieth floor, the dungeon's difficulty spikes rapidly," Emiya considered, then spoke the information he knew.
"Mm, the intelligence left behind by the Zeus and Hera familias said the same," Finn nodded, "'Each floor below sixty is harder than the previous ten floors combined', that was how they put it."
Emiya closed his eyes, recalling for a moment.
Then he spoke, "This time, let's set our target at the sixty-fifth floor."
The Glacier Territory began from the fifty-ninth floor and stretched down to the seventy-first.
In between, the sixty-fifth floor was a safe zone where monsters did not spawn.
"Dropping five floors in one go...", Finn hesitated a little, 'Wouldn't such a plan be too reckless?'
But his thumb did not ache. His instinct told him nothing was wrong. And judging from Emiya's attitude, this was not reckless overconfidence, but a calm certainty that he could break through the sixty-fifth floor.
"All right," Finn nodded, "I'll negotiate further with the Freya Familia, the Ganesha Familia, and also Miss Airmid of Dian Cecht Familia. This expedition may also need their strength."
"Mm," Emiya gave a brief response. Then, as though recalling something, he added, "As for the Freya Familia, I'll handle that negotiation myself."
———
[Emiya Residence]
"What did you say? A war game against the 'Freya Familia'?", Syr looked at Emiya in shock, "Why?"
The girl had made some sort of deal with the goddess Tiamat, and for now, she too stayed here as a maid.
This made Haruhime very happy. Until now, aside from her, the only other maids had been Tiamat and Artemis. The little fox felt very nervous being surrounded only by goddesses.
Now that Syr was with her, with a colleague who wasn't a goddess, Haruhime felt far more at ease.
"Because I want to repay a debt," Emiya said, "From the beginning, when Syr first saved me, to all that happened in the tavern, and later, the help I received from senior Hedin during adventures... The Freya Familia has given me far too many favors."
Syr gave a wry smile, "So you plan to beat up the Freya Familia as repayment?"
Well, that did count as a sort of repayment. Right now, anyone who could fight Emiya seriously, even if they barely survived, would see their stats skyrocket, and maybe even awaken new skills.
"Mm," Emiya nodded, "Combat as repayment is one thing. But on the other hand..."
He paused, looked into Syr's eyes, and spoke with seriousness, "I want to drag that goddess down from her lofty throne."
Syr froze, her pupils widening, her lashes trembling. Her mouth opened, but she couldn't find the words.
"If the Freya Familia loses, then from that day on, the goddess Freya will be my 'girl.' Is that an acceptable wager?", Emiya asked.
Syr stayed dazed for a long while. At last she lowered her head and murmured, "Idiot... don't you care about your reputation?"
"Such things don't matter. Compared to that, I'd rather have the goddess Freya," Emiya answered plainly.
"Don't say things that will get you misunderstood...", Syr's voice grew quieter and quieter.
[Grand Saber] Emiya Shirou, once known in the underworld as the [Demon King of Swords].
Now, fewer called him that. Members of the underworld now referred to him simply as "that man (You Know Who)."
So if it were him, this arrogant, greedy "demon king", wanting to topple a goddess from her throne and make her his "girl" to use as he pleased, that seemed perfectly reasonable.
Syr was silent a long time. Then she whispered, "You don't have to do this. Things are already fine the way they are."
"Sorry, Syr," Emiya said, "This isn't something I'm discussing with you."
"To strip that goddess of her throne, to make her an ordinary 'girl', I've already decided it."
"Miss Syr, please deliver this letter of challenge to the goddess Freya."
The "girl" took the handwritten letter from Emiya. She lifted her head, wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, and smiled, "Mm, I'll deliver it to her."
"Contract is set. God's vow unbroken."
———
The [Grand Saber] declared war on the [Freya Familia], wagering the goddess Freya herself in a war game, this news detonated through the city.
"He's insane! The [Grand Saber] has lost his mind, daring to challenge the [Freya Familia]!"
"And he's trying to steal the goddess Freya herself! That's their reverse scale!"
"That greedy bastard... So he really won't let go of the most beautiful goddess?"
"He already has so many partners, and still isn't satisfied... what a 'public enemy of women'!"
In an instant, Emiya's reputation took a sharp dive. But at the same time, some goddesses were thinking, "Isn't it kind of hot? Such a domineering declaration, truly worthy of the [Grand Saber]."
"So jealous of Freya. If a man was willing to fight the city's strongest faction for me, I'd definitely fall in love with him."
"Now I get why Ishtar was jealous. To actually become the heroine of a story like this... Ahhh, I want to be fought over by the [Grand Saber] and the [Freya Familia] too."
"I'm a fan now. Shirou, do your best, Mama will always support you~"
Who was the city's strongest might be debated, but the top two were unquestionably the [Grand Saber] and the [King]. Riveria was also Lv.8, but mage and warrior were different domains. And the Lv.7 heroes and others were far beneath those two men.
The gods had descended to the lower world for the sake of "stories." And more than watching, many longed to be part of those stories.
To not just be the head of a familia, but to stand at the very center of the tale as its heroine or even foundation, that kind of treatment left many goddesses, and even gods, mad with envy.
Like Apollo, who completely forgot his fears of Artemis beating him bloody when they returned to the heavens, tried sneaking into Emiya's house at night, only to get thrashed by Artemis and thrown out.
And goddess Ishtar, who barged straight into Emiya's home and flopped on the floor, wailing, "Why do you treat Freya so well? I refuse to accept this! Without my master's kiss, I won't get up!"
Ishtar thought it through well. If Emiya really kissed her, jackpot. If he refused and punished her, jackpot again.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn't Shirou she saw, but a figure that drained the color from her face.
"Ishtar, heh~", Tiamat smiled warmly, "Now tell me properly, just what is your relationship with my child~?"
Ishtar: 'Great. It's the "most deranged, most obsessive, ultra-yandere doting control goddess." We're doomed.'
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