Chapter 12 - Putting a bounty!
Ryuu remembered something. It was said that Guild employees would occasionally see mysterious figures near the headquarters. As the story spread, it became known as the elusive Ghost. There were also rumors that these were the Guild's private members.
It now appeared that this was not false information.
"We've got the most crucial trump card!" Lain smiled to himself. It was wonderful that Fels had come to him of his own accord.
The Guild wanted to explore the Dungeon and complete the three great quests entrusted to Orario by the world, and for this, they would take the big picture into consideration.
Even when Freya charmed the entirety of Orario, the Guild still had to step in to protect her eventually to maintain balance.
As long as it was for the greater good, the other side would spare no expense, and Lain felt a little regretful.
They should have tried to extort a few more Magic Items from him.
Fels could get by with just one or two things slipping through his fingers.
The Sage blocking their way was just a minor incident; Lain and Ryuu continued on their way to the Guild.
With this sorted out, Ryuu felt a little more confident about Lain's plan to annihilate the Rudra Familia.
After the two finalized all the details, a huge building made of white stone appeared before their eyes. It was magnificent and grand. This was the absolute center of Orario.
A large number of adventurers came and went.
Some had just emerged from the Dungeon, exchanging their harvested Magic Stones for Valis; others had just joined a Familia, registering their identities at the Guild and seeking advisors.
"It's Gale..."
"That guy isn't dead?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Someone saw her on the 18th Floor the day before yesterday."
...
When Ryuu entered the Guild Headquarters, she immediately attracted the attention of many people, who began to whisper among themselves.
This elf was already quite eyencatching, and as a Level 4 adventurer, Ryuu's alias Gale resounded throughout the world.
In Orario, almost no high class adventurers were strangers to each other.
Because of this, although the Astrea Familia's status had not been officially announced, rumors about the accident were already flying everywhere.
Countless eyes in the Guild Hall were focused on Ryuu, but the elven girl showed no stage fright.
Ryuu arrived at the counter, where she was greeted by Reim.
"Miss Lion, is there anything we can help you with?" Reim asked politely.
"I've come to revoke the adventurer status of ten people, including Alise Lovell, Gojouno Kaguya, Lyra, and others," Ryuu said, each name she uttered feeling like a sharp blade cutting into her heart.
This pain would eventually transform into a raging fire of revenge, burning toward the members of Evilus.
The spacious hall of the Guild Headquarters was deathly silent.
Revoking their adventurer status, almost everyone present knew what that meant: the annihilation of the Astrea Familia was a foregone conclusion!
GASP!
A collective gasp filled the hall.
The Apollo Familia, with only one Level 3 adventurer out of its hundred or so members, could still be considered a mid tier Familia. The Astrea Familia, with nine Level 4 members and two Level 3 members, was far superior.
Looking across Orario, the only ones visibly stronger than the Astrea Familia were the Freya Familia, Loki Familia, Ganesha Familia, and so on.
The annihilation of the Astrea Familia was a devastating blow to Orario.
Shock, doubt, unease, pleasure...
Lain saw complex emotions on everyone's faces, which was not hard to understand.
Some feared the return of Evilus, some felt relieved because of past grudges with the Astrea Familia, and others looked lost.
Lain was also feeling conflicted. He hadn't even registered his adventurer status yet, and he was accompanying someone else to have their adventurer status revoked first, it seemed rather unlucky...
Then, Lain shook his head, banishing the jumbled thoughts from his mind.
Even Reim looked incredulous and asked again, "Are you really going to revoke the adventurer status of Alise Lovell and the other ten people?"
Ryuu replied with a cold expression, "Yes!"
Reim dared not hesitate any longer and called over his other colleagues to bring the registration information of the Astrea Familia. An adventurer who has lost her companions is a ticking time bomb, and they should get take care of her as soon as possible.
Before long, the process of revoking the adventurer status was completed, and the files of Alise Lovell and others were marked with a DECEASED tag.
"Miss Lion, is there anything else I can help you with?" Reim asked cautiously.
Ryuu said, "I'm going to post an adventurer's quest!"
The adventurers, who were about to leave the Guild Headquarters and spread the news, stopped in their tracks. The matter was not over yet!
Ryuu slammed the receipt Lain gave her on the table. "This is a bank draft for 80 million Valis. I'm going to launch a War Game against the Rudra Familia. If they don't agree, this money will be offered as a bounty for the adventurer's quest in three days!"
"What?!"
The adventurers in the Guild Hall stared wide eyed at the elven girl in disbelief.
A threat, this was absolutely a threat!
The Rudra Familia was faced with only two options: accept the War Game, or be hunted down to death by Orario adventurers with a high bounty on their heads.
But was this girl blinded by rage because her comrades were wiped out? Was she trying to single handedly confront the entire Rudra Familia?
"War Game!!"
Compared to the adventurers and Guild staff who were too shocked to speak, the gods in the hall let out an excited roar.
For the gods who came down to have fun, this was one of their most exciting activities: two Familias competing against each other according to the rules they had set.
Upon hearing these words, it felt as if the gods were about to experience a surge of excitement; their faces flushed red.
"Wait, my esteemed gods, don't be so fanatical." Reim looked at the many gods as if they were about to put a final judgment on this matter.
Reim was on the verge of tears. Had he not checked the almanac before going out today? He had ended up with such a mess. The other employees looked at him with sorrow.
Reim looked at Ryuu. "Miss Lion, adventurer quests can only be for things like monsters, materials, and rescues, not for targeting other adventurers."
In fact, the Guild also offered bounties for some vicious criminals who endangered public order.
However, adventurer quests and Guild bounties were two separate systems with significant differences. The latter required the Guild to contribute funds, and the Guild was unwilling to provoke too many villains unless the person harmed the Guild's interests.
Ryuu's 80 million Valis was neither a lot nor a little; it depended on who you compared it to.
The weapons wielded by the three executives of the Loki Familia were each worth over a hundred million, but for other adventurers, 80 million was undoubtedly a huge sum of money. Lain once helped a shop owner swindle people, managing to fool a bunch of Level 1 newbies with a scrap sword worth 500,000 Valis.
Suddenly raising the bounty on the Rudra Familia to 80 million Valis would tempt even a Level 5 adventurer.
Orario was likely to become a bloodbath.
Despite Reim's constant persuasion, Ryuu remained unmoved. She was determined to kill the Rudra Familia, and it didn't matter whether it was an adventurer's quest or a bounty.
Just as Reim was in a dilemma, a bloated and obese male elf trotted down from the second floor.
The elves in the hall looked away in disgust, and Ryuu also forced herself to suppress her nausea.
Guild Master, Royman Mardeel!
As an elf, after gaining supreme power in the Guild, he lived a life of extravagance, squandered money, discriminated against half elves, and became obese due to binge eating. He was cursed by countless people as the Guild's Pig, which elves considered a disgrace.
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