If one were to view a dungeon as a special kind of organism, many hypotheses and doubts would become reasonable.
Dalun Li looked at the Collapsed Atmosphere before him and felt that he might be overthinking it.
Or rather, perhaps his line of reasoning had simply veered off course.
In any case, setting aside everything else, Dalun Li now possessed his very first treasure grade magical artifact!
Treasure grade—this was actually treasure grade!
Looking at the Collapsed Atmosphere, Dalun Li could not wait to place it into his treasure pile.
To his slight disappointment, however, the Collapsed Atmosphere still offered no way to help Dalun Li absorb Earth Vein Power.
It seemed that any magical artifact born from the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was incapable of absorbing Earth Vein Power within the well itself.
"Quack quack quack, I suppose I can get a little ahead of myself now."
"A dungeon possessing a treasure grade magical artifact can certainly be considered a local hegemon."
"I no longer have to worry about those wretched adventurers reaching the deepest floor."
"I can just use spatial abilities to deport all the adventurers to the neighboring Gray Mist Valley for a dungeon crossover!"
This immense power gave Dalun Li a sense of peace.
But he could only be smug for a moment; in this world, danger was the constant state of being.
Having obtained a treasure grade magical artifact and felt its overwhelming power, Dalun Li would only become more cautious about this world.
Calming his emotions, he carefully placed the Collapsed Atmosphere alongside the Life Casket. Among the heap of magical artifacts, these two stood out prominently.
These were the foundations of the wealth Dalun Li had accumulated to this day.
The orb floated up, and after admiring his treasure pile from various angles, it finally returned to the pedestal with satisfaction.
It would still take some time for Zeno and Tongmu to finish managing the subordinate floor.
The monster arrangements for the fifteenth floor had not yet been finalized either.
He decided to continue using the layout from the fourteenth floor, supplemented by fire-resistant wyverns.
Since there were large landmasses, lava gargoyles and lava skeletal lizardmen also needed to be deployed.
Then there were the lava frogs, lava fish, and poison smoke monsters.
The elite monsters included heroic gargoyles, lava giant fish, lava giant frogs, and lava skeletal shamans.
Since there was a lava sea, Dalun Li did not forget the lava giant tortoises.
He created four lava giant tortoises, building miniature palaces on the back of each one and placing treasures guarded by heroic gargoyle wyvern knights.
The two intelligent monster types, the purple-skinned blacksmiths and dwarf miners, also needed to be arranged.
After all, this floor held a massive reserve of dragon flame coal, making the purple-skinned blacksmith craftsmen and the dwarf miners indispensable.
New monsters were also a necessity.
Because the entire floor was centered around a massive volcano that erupted incessantly, it was shrouded in thick, heavy smoke.
Dalun Li showed off his techniques, using the two extremely common materials of thick smoke and lava to create two new types of monsters.
[Name] Poison Smoke Fly
[Level] lv1
[Skills] Toxic lv1, Joint Attack lv1, Bite lv1
[Description] A monster servant created by the unknown entity, Dalun Li. They live in swarms within the volcanic smoke, attacking by releasing toxic mist and biting in groups of thousands. Extremely weak when isolated.
[Name] Lava Bird
[Level] lv2
[Skills] Sharp Beak lv1, Haste lv1, Self-Destruct lv1, Lava Body lv1
[Description] A monster servant created by the unknown entity, Dalun Li. Its body is composed of high temperature lava. It damages enemies using the high heat and splashing magma released during dives and self-destruction.
"The Well of Eternal Imprisonment has gained two more adorable types of monsters."
Looking at the poison smoke fly, which resembled a hybrid of a mosquito and a locust, and the sparrow-like lava bird, Dalun Li was quite satisfied.
Next, he created a vast number of them in a retaliatory fashion and released them into the entire floor.
...
We are having an amazing party this week, and guess who was not invited?
You!
"Aaaah!"
Feiwan lay on her bed, kicking her blankets wildly. She then flipped over, pulling the quilt over her head and biting down hard on the sheet.
Dammit, dammit! Why did I accept this stupid mission in the first place?
To think I missed such an opportunity to serve the Lord!
In the entire Well of Eternal Imprisonment, she was the only one who had missed it. Even the Desert Sword Attendant and the Exiled Sentry had participated!
It was clearly she who was the most suitable!
The powerful flame strength of this guardian had not been utilized at all, and that was a battle where the Lord himself had descended!
Rip!
Finally, the bedsheet could no longer withstand Feiwan's gnawing and was torn apart by her.
White down feathers flew everywhere, but the anger in Feiwan's heart remained unappeased.
"So annoying!"
She tossed her hair, shaking the down feathers off her head.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. Feiwan had no intention of opening it.
"Who is it?"
"Lady Feiwan, it is I."
"The Alchemy Ceremony begins tomorrow. I have come to inform you in advance."
The voice outside the door belonged to Fete.
"I understand."
Feiwan steadied her mind, hugged her pillow, and sat on the edge of the bed.
She still had a chance to contribute to the Lord.
Contributing to the Lord did not necessarily mean fighting for him inside the Well of Eternal Imprisonment; she was not jealous at all.
As a guardian, how could she be so shallow?
The instinct of a guardian was to protect, and protecting the Lord was the highest blessing for them.
To be able to fight for the Lord within the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was practically the dream of every guardian.
Thus, Feiwan was currently just a little fox claiming the grapes were sour because she could not reach them.
However, Dalun Li had indeed been paying constant attention to the anomalies in Gray City.
Gray City was simply too close to the Well of Eternal Imprisonment. Once a major event occurred, it could easily affect the well.
Furthermore, Gray City was on the verge of being conquered.
Once Gray City was conquered, regardless of who the dungeon ultimately fell to, the vast number of adventurers and various factions would surely turn their gaze toward the most prominent target nearby.
As for who that most prominent target was...
That was no longer a question.
The following day.
The Alchemy Ceremony officially began at the break of dawn.
Dawn was the first ray of radiance cast by the Goddess. For the Lanxi Kingdom, which revered the Goddess, dawn was also the most sacred moment of the day.
According to the doctrines of the Church of Light, the first light of morning was full of vitality, capable of dispelling illness, purifying filth, and making the bloodlines of nobles even more sacred.
Devout believers would praise the Goddess at this moment.
Sylves also finally revealed his true form in the morning square, standing beneath the statue of the Goddess of Light.
He wore a white robe and had a tall, straight figure. He possessed a pair of grass-colored eyes and a head full of white hair, yet his posture showed no signs of old age.
Regarding Sylves, there were many legends in the Northern Territory.
As the president of the Northern Territory Alchemist Association, Sylves had looked this way when he became president decades ago. Decades had passed, and he still had not changed.
Alchemists privately referred to him as the Ageless Sylves.
The prominent figures of Gray City were mostly gathered in the square.
This included the city lord, Therandil, and the president of the Adventurer Association, Adrian.
There were also the presidents of some large merchant guilds and the city's nobles.
Gray City was not a city with a long history, so most of these nobles lacked deep roots.
Consequently, the nobles discriminated against each other, dividing themselves into two factions.
One was the old-guard nobles from the royal city and the great southern cities, most of whom were from the Grey family or allied with them.
The other faction consisted of wealthy merchants who had purchased titles and the knightly noble class promoted by the city lord, Therandil.
These people had no heritage and could not get along at all with those old-guard nobles, but they enjoyed more of the city lord's trust.
This was also the situation resulting from the mutual checks and balances between the Grey family and the Prince's forces in Gray City.
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