A carriage pushed its way along the mountain ridgeline.
Inside, a woman in a black dress sat elegantly.
Her blue, glowing hair swayed, exuding a beauty as if emitting a soft glow.
“Ah, this is so boring? Are we still far from the meeting place?”
She sighed and complained.
She had been sitting in the carriage for several hours already.
Not that the carriage interior was comfortable.
Even now, the carriage shook violently as it moved forward.
It wasn’t because the carriage was of poor quality.
The path she was currently taking was a mountain road.
Moreover, the terrain was quite steep, uneven with rocks and tree roots, far from smooth.
Thanks to that, the carriage jolted once more.
“Damn it! Drive the carriage properly!”
It was natural for the ride to be unpleasant.
“I am sorry.”
The woman took out her frustration on the coachman unnecessarily.
The coachman bowed his head, apologized calmly, and gently pulled on the horse’s reins.
But that was all.
“Please endure it, Lady Arcanea. We will arrive soon.”
Then, another person inside the carriage spoke.
This person was also a woman, and she addressed the one opposite her respectfully as ‘Lady Arcanea.’
“Yes. I must endure it while looking at you, Stia.”
Arcanea and Stia.
Looking at just the two of them, they seemed like an ordinary noble lady and her attending maid.
But they were not nobles.
They were not ordinary humans to begin with.
The first thing that came out when they spoke was their tongues, which were unusual.
Their tongues were long and slender, and the tips were forked, reminiscent of snakes.
That was not all.
Their skin had a scaly sheen, giving it a hard yet smooth feel.
In a way, this alone could have been perceived as attractive, but the biggest problem was their lower bodies.
Their lower bodies were not human legs but serpentine bodies.
Yes.
While their upper bodies were those of attractive women, their lower bodies were snake-like.
Their species was Lamia, a monster that harmoniously blended the characteristics of snakes and humans.
Arcanea was the master of the Lamia Dungeon, leading it.
And as the master, she was traveling to attend a social gathering hosted by the Underworld Merchant Guild.
Stia, in front of her, was merely accompanying her master as a subordinate lieutenant, serving her.
“Still, it’s not bad. The mountain air near the Demonic Realm always feels refreshing.”
Arcanea poked her head out the window.
As always, the air of the mountain range adjacent to the Demonic Realm was sweet.
Even though it was just the entrance to the mountain range, it was on a different level from her own dungeon’s mountain.
‘How nice it would be if there was a dungeon here.’
Then it would be close to the Demonic Realm, providing many benefits in transactions with the Underworld Merchant Guild.
The price of goods wouldn’t unfairly include shipping costs due to the distance.
But reality was not like that.
Her dungeon was far from here, let alone the Demonic Realm, and far from the current mountain range.
However vast the mountain range was, this was arguably the only place that connected to the Demonic Realm.
Not only the mountain range bordered the Demonic Realm.
However, next to the mountain range was a large lake, and crossing it was too dangerous.
‘Diat Lake….’
A large lake that supplied high-quality ingredients.
But no one knew what lived beneath the surface.
Even the Underworld Merchant Guild did not cross the lake.
If they could cross the lake, the transportation time would be drastically reduced, but they absolutely did not.
“Tsk.”
In the end, she was in an unfortunate position.
Of course, the Guild’s technology was advanced. They possessed many artifacts.
Using artifacts that utilized dimensions, transactions could be made easily, but that was for VIPs, and she knew she was not that person.
“I need to grow the dungeon faster.”
Then the Guild would pay more attention to her dungeon.
And she would have to prove her worth in this social gathering somehow.
As Arcanea was thinking of a hopeful future, the carriage suddenly stopped.
“No! Drive the carriage properly-”
Just as she was about to shout in excitement.
She felt something outside.
“I am sorry. It seems an uninvited guest has interfered. I will handle it quickly in the Guild’s name.”
The coachman who was driving the carriage bowed his head again.
The coachman belonged to the Underworld Merchant Guild.
He would handle such a matter quickly.
As Arcanea was about to wait patiently.
Human voices were heard from outside the carriage.
“Don’t make us work hard for no reason, just pay the toll quickly!”
“Yeah, if you hand over everything you have, they say they’ll spare your lives, right? Heh heh.”
Arcanea peered out through the small window.
There were a group of humans gathered, nine in total.
Their equipment levels also didn’t seem very good, and they didn’t look like adventurers.
They just looked like a band of thieves trying to extort money from those passing through the mountains.
“!”
The group of thieves also saw Arcanea looking at them through the small window.
As soon as they saw her face, they became elated.
“Ho ho, there’s a beautiful girl inside? Is she some noble lady?”
“I knew the carriage looked luxurious, so it seems we’ve struck gold?”
“I get her first! I’m going to get her first!”
As the coachman, who was driving the carriage, was about to get up, leaving the frenzied thieves behind.
“Stop. I was bored, and this is perfect timing.”
Arcanea stopped the coachman and opened the carriage door before stepping outside.
“Wh-what!”
The thieves were startled and shouted at the sight of the dignified Arcanea.
It wasn’t because she came out obediently, but because her lower body was different from a human’s.
Even those ignorant of monsters couldn’t fail to notice that her lower body was that of a snake.
“Sh-shit! It’s a monster! Everyone run!”
Triggered by someone’s scream, the individuals immediately turned and ran.
Arcanea mumbled softly as she watched their retreating backs.
“Tsk, not fun.”
She smiled and lowered her body slightly.
Then, with her blue eyes, she looked at each of the fleeing prey.
Once all calculations were done, she sprang out.
Her body slid smoothly across the ground.
No one could escape her agile movement.
The seven thieves who were fleeing were caught astonishingly quickly.
They stopped moving only after poison was injected into their necks.
One of them swung a weapon, but it couldn’t pierce her scaly skin.
“Ugh… urk!”
In the end, all of them succumbed to Arcanea’s poison.
They felt their bodies stiffen and despaired.
Fearing that they would be eaten by the monster, they closed their eyes in terror.
All of this happened in less than a few minutes.
“…Too anticlimactic?”
Arcanea shoved the frozen thieves into her mouth, alive.
While she enjoyed her feast, Stia neatly piled the remaining thieves into the carriage.
There was still a long way to go.
Along the way, they would be small entertainment for Arcanea.
Taking care of the master’s emotions was also the duty of a subordinate officer.
After a brief incident, the carriage began to move again.
Once again, boring and monotonous time had arrived.
Time continued to flow like that.
And soon, the carriage she was in began to enter the Demonic Realm.
There wasn’t much distance left to the destination.
At the same time, she was also excited.
“Who will amuse me this time?”
She was delighted just thinking about it.
* * *
The interior of the social gathering venue was filled with rich mystery and unique beauty.
The ceiling seemed to be made of starlight, sparkling in the darkness like the night sky.
Everything was magic, but it was so exquisite that it felt like gazing at the sky.
Large marble pillars supporting the ceiling rose high, creating a serene atmosphere, surrounded by brilliant candlelight and golden carved decorations.
Luxurious dining tables were laid out, with rare delicacies displayed upon them.
Guild members in tuxedos approached attendees, smiling as they offered them drinks.
In one corner, artistic music was being performed, adding to the opulent atmosphere.
The performers were not monsters but humans, and they all looked unwell.
They had bruises all over their faces and bodies, and shackles on their legs.
With even a slight mistake, they had no future, so they played with all their might.
Of course, no one paid any attention to that.
Instead, attendees freely ate and tried to get used to the atmosphere.
And as they got caught up in the mood.
“Welcome, everyone! This ‘Thunderhead Head’ expresses gratitude for your precious time.”
A man appeared in the center.
He was a giant with dark brown skin, and one could feel his strength just by looking at him.
Introducing himself as Thunderhead Head, he continued to speak.
“First, it is an honor to be able to share this special moment with you all.
This exchange meeting is a special occasion for forming solidarity and alliances between various dungeons, and for creating new challenges and experiences.”
Thunderhead Head raised a goblet of alcohol and took a sip.
“A small banquet for you is prepared. Please enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content and feel free to interact with others.
It’s a place made for introducing your dungeons and forging alliances, or for exchanging goods and items. That’s why it was created. Hahaha.”
*Clang!*
“However, the act of taking each other’s lives is prohibited. In such cases, without exception, you will be placed on the Guild’s blacklist. Otherwise, please feel free to do as you wish.”
It was an extreme explanation.
They would overlook causing harm, but they strictly forbade taking lives.
Everyone who understood the meaning of being placed on the Guild’s blacklist listened intently to Thunderhead Head’s words.
“Of course, various events are prepared for the banquet. For example, should one say the confrontation between dungeons? Wouldn’t it be better to save your strength and unleash it then?”
“Hahaha.”
Everyone responded to his words.
This was not the first social gathering hosted by the Guild.
Rather, its history was so long that even first-time attendees had heard many stories.
For example, the benefits that went to the dungeon that won the competition, or secret stories about peculiar items appearing at the banquet auctions, and so on.
“We hope to forge new relationships here and move forward together toward a bright future.
We wish everyone an enjoyable time, and we begin the exchange meeting hosted by the Underworld Merchant Guild!”
With Thunderhead Head’s words, the music grew more powerful.
It was the opening shot signaling the full start of the social gathering.
Arch Lich, sitting in his seat, was listening intently to Thunderhead Head’s words.
“Click!”
Arch Lich continued to write something in his notebook and nodded.
Beside him, Azmo was admiring the surrounding beauty.
“The Underworld Merchant Guild is truly amazing.”
Azmo was captivated by the banquet’s atmosphere.
In Azmo’s world, there was no system like a Guild.
Each dungeon had to survive on its own.
So, he was astonished that in this El Dorado Continent, there was a Guild that cared for dungeons.
Of course, ‘care’ seemed more like ‘transaction,’ but the mere existence of such an organization seemed impressive.
“Click, click.”
To Azmo, Arch Lich spoke.
He meant that they should part ways and act separately from now on.
“That would indeed be better. Then I will explore other areas and rejoin you later.”
Azmo agreed with Arch Lich’s words and moved to another place.
Arch Lich remained seated, still writing something.
And then, someone approached Arch Lich, who was alone.
“Click.”
It was a Skeleton.
It was just an ordinary Skeleton, not appearing powerful.
Perhaps it was just a subordinate officer accompanying its master.
Having reached this thought, Arch Lich ignored the Skeleton approaching him and continued to look at his notebook.
*Tap-*
“?”
Then, the Skeleton placed something in front of Arch Lich.
It was a shining, high-quality diamond.
Arch Lich closed the notebook he had been looking at until a moment ago.
Come to think of it, the purpose of the current banquet was to interact with other dungeons.
If he made connections like this, it would be helpful someday.
He glanced around.
Azmo was nowhere to be seen.
*Nod-*
Arch Lich nodded once and subtly pocketed the diamond.
