“Serafina!”
Caiman’s eyes were fixed intently on Serafina.
“And you are?”
Serafina looked as if she didn't recognize him at all.
Caiman knew for a fact that the Red Rose team was the adventurer group that had fought the Desert Sword Attendant in the desert and ruined his plans. However, seeing Serafina’s blatant refusal to admit it, the words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.
“Hmph. I am Caiman Grey, a member of the Grey family.”
“Now, Serafina, in the name of the Grey family, I wish to hire your adventure team as guards.”
“Help me deal with these criminals in front of us.”
Serafina felt a headache coming on.
This Caiman clearly wanted to use her Red Rose team as a tool.
“So it’s Captain Caiman. My apologies, but our team’s strength is limited. I’m afraid we aren't up to such a heavy responsibility, and we wouldn't want to ruin your important business.”
“Captain Caiman should seek someone more capable.”
Serafina only wanted to mine. Once she was finished, she planned to cross the Lava Lake and happily search for the Forbidden Fire.
Engaging in a life-or-death struggle here with elves who were clearly stronger than her? That was just asking for trouble.
Serafina could sense the aura of several magical artifacts on those elves. Her Red Rose team was likely more than just a step behind them.
Moreover, Manfred’s team was still right there on the side.
Hearing Serafina’s answer, Caiman began to grit his teeth in frustration.
Why? Was he naturally cursed to be at odds with this damn dungeon?
Ever since entering the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, nothing good had happened to him.
He thought back to when he first entered the dungeon, leading his knight order with high spirits.
Now, after exploring this far, his men were either scattered or dead, with only a few people left by his side.
He had defeated the Desert Sword Attendant, only for the Candelabra to be stolen and the Desert Sword Attendant's drops to be snatched away.
He had fought once more, losing several subordinates to the Forbidden Fire, only to end up with nothing in the end.
Later, he was scammed by that monster merchant and then tricked by prisoners.
He had entered the palace on the tenth floor, and not only did he get nothing, but he had even taken the first kill of the Cinderguard at the risk of his life.
That was a first kill he had worked so hard to achieve, yet there were no drops and no treasure chests. Everything had been intercepted by a monster that popped out of nowhere.
And now...
Looking at the three factions before him, they had all already obtained the Forbidden Fire Blessing.
He hadn't even managed to get the Forbidden Fire Blessing for himself!
Why did this godforsaken dungeon, this wretched Well of Eternal Imprisonment, choose to screw over only him?!
Damn this godless Well of Eternal Imprisonment, I’ll—
Caiman was truly on the verge of a breakdown.
Or rather, his mental fortitude was actually quite high, and only now was it finally shattering.
But there was no need to worry. In the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, when you hit rock bottom, that was when your upward trajectory began.
Never mind how the low point came about; as long as you stayed alive in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, you were destined to welcome your own period of growth.
After much effort, Manfred’s overpowered gang had finally been brought down to the same level as the other adventurer teams.
If Caiman continued to have bad luck from here on out, it wouldn't be Dalun Li's doing.
It would be entirely his own fault.
“No slacking off!”
The purple-skinned blacksmith overseer barked an order. Although everyone was still displeased, they obediently began to mine.
Serafina mined leisurely.
Since both sides had their conflicts, it was perfect for her to avoid offending either party. She would take the opportunity to mine and develop herself, becoming the first to cross the Lava Lake and reach the next floor. What a wonderful prospect.
However, that purple-skinned blacksmith...
Serafina glanced at the purple-skinned blacksmith overseer, remembering the purple-skinned blacksmith prisoner she had found in the dungeon of the tenth-floor palace.
A purple-skinned blacksmith had stolen the Forbidden Fire Longbow from the palace.
Could these purple-skinned blacksmiths have clues related to the Forbidden Fire Longbow...
Forget it.
Serafina shook her head. Her primary goal right now was mining; everything else had to wait.
While the snipe and the clam fight, I’ll be the fisherman who reaps the rewards. Heh heh heh.
Serafina raised her iron pickaxe, infused it with Sword Qi, and struck down.
In an instant, a golden light shot into the sky!
A single swing, and she struck gold!
That dazzling golden treasure light immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Serafina’s smug expression froze on her face. She didn't know whether to be happy or angry, and her body was paralyzed with shock.
What happened to being the fisherman who reaps the rewards?!
How could she have struck something so incredible with just one swing right after arriving!
Were all of you just sitting around doing nothing before this? Didn't you think to dig right here?!
...
The seventeenth floor of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment.
Dalun Li floated up from his pedestal. Sensing the adventurers blocked at the Lava Lake, he let out a triumphant laugh.
“Use this time to properly bond with one another.”
Conflicts were breaking out more and more as the adventurers in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment clashed.
As the dungeon itself, Dalun Li saw this and felt anxious for them.
He wished he could rush into the midst of the adventurers to bridge their divides and help them coexist in peace.
Now that these adventurers with grievances were gathered together, it was the perfect time to settle their past grudges.
Then they could walk hand in hand, no longer adding to the slaughter needlessly.
Of course, it was best to keep the slaughter inside the dungeon.
Conflicts shouldn't be taken outside the dungeon. It’s better to settle enemies than to keep them; it was perfectly fine to fight to the death inside the dungeon, but dying outside would be too much of a loss—ahem, too damaging to the harmony.
While the infighting among adventurers was entertaining, there were more important matters at hand.
The Earth Vein Power was full.
He could now open the eighteenth floor.
For this eighteenth floor, he would swallow the holy light left by the Goddess of Light in the chaotic space, as well as the fragments of the Foundry Battlefield that the God of the Foundry had left behind.
The power of an Orthodox God, even if it was just a faint part left on a battlefield, contained benefits that could satisfy Dalun Li completely.
Having coveted them for over two days, Dalun Li could no longer wait.
Controlling the dungeon, he locked onto those two fragments in the chaotic space.
“Floor Creation!”
Massive Earth Vein Power surged beneath the dungeon, and rock and soil rapidly formed from within the chaotic space.
A piece of land continuously galloped through the chaos.
The expansion was no longer left to free growth.
Dalun Li concentrated his mind. Although it was still difficult, he controlled the direction of growth specifically toward those two fragments.
‘Using this method of forcibly controlling the growth direction is truly exhausting for the dungeon.’
Dalun Li’s mental energy was constantly consumed. The opening eighteenth floor was like a mouth opening in the chaos, completely swallowing the Goddess of Light’s holy light and the God of the Foundry’s Foundry Battlefield fragments.
At that moment, the Earth Vein Power reached its limit, and the eighteenth floor stopped growing.
Dalun Li let out a long breath of relief.
Then, he impatiently transferred himself to the eighteenth floor to see what changes had occurred in the floor created by swallowing the two fragments of divine power.
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