Civilization Guardian Front

As an enforcer and a former plot character, she knows better than anyone the unspeakable struggle between change and maintenance of the status quo.Even though something was vaguely detected, the whisper of the will of the world reverberating in the ear was like maggots attached to the bones, following like a shadow, driving people almost crazy.

Thinking of this, the black-haired girl couldn't help but put her arms around Jian Ji, letting her lean forward to lean on her chest.

"It's okay, it's okay..."

Gently stroking the girl's pale golden hair with one hand, she comforted in a low voice:

"Getting out of self-deception is the first step. Although it is difficult to change immediately, as long as you are willing to move forward a little bit, I... and Chios will definitely wait for you. It is the same as when you were learning to swim, even if you Difficulties, we will walk with you together."

"Don't worry, Chios won't blame you. I think the way you blame yourself hurts him more than slashing your sword at him. So try to forgive yourself before forgiving him, okay?" Ace?"

Feel the sympathy expressed by the other party's gentle words and deeds.

I don't know why, but Ai Si didn't feel any anger at being pitied. Instead, she felt a sense of peace of mind that she had found a sympathetic partner.

It was as if the girl in front of her, who was about the same age as her, had experienced the same helplessness as herself.

The pain that was raging physically and mentally weakened slightly.

"Um..."

She took the initiative to lean into Tifa's arms, like a child seeking comfort from her sister.

slap...

There was the sound of books falling to the ground.

It was a hardcover diary.

"Miss Ace..."

Hearing Miss Aisi's sharp scream, the orange-haired goblin hurried over and stood at the entrance of the backyard, looking in disbelief at Aisi and Tifa who were embracing each other tenderly.

Refia paled.

"You, you... When did you change, change... into this relationship?"

Chapter 550 Three? Negotiation Failure

Piriano Manor...

"Participate in Loki's expedition..." Facing Riveria's invitation, Chios lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

"The dungeon, which is already fraught with danger, has become more uncertain due to the recent abnormal situation. Is it even difficult for the powerful Loki family, one of the most powerful in Orario?"

"Well, like you said..."

"No, it should be said like this..." Rivilia, who first agreed with the young man's statement, and shook his head with a wry smile the next second, said:

"Because the monsters in the Water Mystery City went berserk yesterday, we finally realized the necessity of seeking reinforcements."

To explore the depths, even first-level adventurers must take considerable risks. Not only are monsters generally stronger than Lv.4, but the distance between them and the surface is longer, which means that the difficulty of replenishment is greatly increased.

As the name suggests, "expedition" is actually almost the same as an army dispatch, and logistics support is the top priority.

There are no magic items that can store supplies in this world, and all supplies and monster drops must be carried by the adventurer.Needless to say, food and drinking water are the most intuitive needs, as well as materials for maintaining and wearing out weapons and equipment, various medicines for treating the wounded, etc. The addition of various materials will produce an extremely impressive load figure.

This is why "supporters" are necessary.

Similar concerns, once magnified to several days or even nearly a month, when mobilizing dozens or hundreds of people on a large-scale expedition, it is not enough to rely on a few supporters carrying huge backpacks, and a large number of trucks are usually used to carry them.

The strength of the Loki family is indeed impressive.

There are three Lv.6 senior cadres sitting in the town. Counting the newly joined Tifa not long ago, there are as many as eight members who have reached the first level of adventurers. Just more and less.

And the internal atmosphere is united, unlike the Freya family who has internal strife, and has many times of experience going back and forth. Among the many factions in the city, it can be said that it is the one that has the least need to worry about expeditions.

However, the strength of the team is determined by the ability of all members, not just the elite on the front line.

A team that can't take care of both ends is destined to suffer heavy casualties once it encounters a disaster where thousands of monsters rush out of the lair, and even the floor owner is involved.

The turmoil in the Water Mystery City yesterday was a very critical warning sign.

Just as hundreds of second-level adventurers were fighting hard at the lower level, if a similar situation happened in the deep level, the situation of the Loki family would definitely not be much better.

With the strength of the second army of the Rocky family alone, the pressure to protect the logistics is too great.

Since there has never been such a large-scale rampage in the past, no one dares to assert that the same situation will not happen in other layers.

Thanks to Chios' investigation, the threat hidden in the labyrinth was brought to light early.

Thinking of leading the family members to step into the deep expedition unsuspectingly, the monsters hidden in the food warehouse suddenly appeared in large numbers, surrounded from all directions...

Even Riveria, who is experienced in adventure, also finds it tricky.

Now that the potential danger is known, it is imperative to strengthen the lineup for the expedition team.

The best target to fight for is undoubtedly Chios.

There are too few family members with first-level adventurers, and the competition between several major factions makes it difficult to cooperate with each other.An outstanding adventurer like Chios, whose family is weak and has little entanglement with other forces, can hardly be found in the whole of Orario.

"So, what do you think, are you willing to go on an expedition with our family?"

Pinching the ear of the cup with his fingers, he sipped the warm black tea. The elf royal family lowered their eyes, quietly observing the reaction of the man opposite them through the reflection mirror of the tea.

After thinking for a few seconds with his chin on his hand, Chios couldn't help showing a troubled expression on his face.

"I'm not afraid that you will make fun of me. I don't have much confidence in whether I can meet your expectations..."

Feeling from this passage that the young man lacked interest in his own proposal, the elf woman's eyes narrowed slightly.

She quietly listened to Chios continue...

"Although I am sure that I will not drag you down in battle, I have no tacit understanding with the members of the noble family. The tactical cooperation may be counterproductive. Besides, I am not like the blacksmith of the Hephaestus family. Zhongneng will maintain the equipment for you by the way."

The words paused for a while, and Chios' eyes were just right to show a bit of regret.

He didn't want to deliberately pose, but he was really not interested in participating in the expedition.

Given the current weakness of the Hestia family, it is still far away from the "level D" threshold for the guild to issue mandatory expedition missions. Joining a large-scale faction expedition is completely useless. It will not bring benefits to your family, and it may delay His grade workout.

The skill effect of "Walk into the Abyss" is determined according to the number of enemies in a single time.Correspondingly, the presence of companions will dilute the intensity of adversity. If you can't participate in the front-line battlefield, you might as well be a lone wolf and walk alone to be more efficient.

The importance of the Loki family is beyond doubt, but the world doesn't revolve around them alone.

Usually it is enough to have Tifa following, there is no need to invest the precious time of two executors.

"If it is limited to protecting the logistics convoy, I think I can do it. Of course, there are many people who are capable of doing this. I believe that the noble family must have many suitable candidates at hand."

Hearing Chios' euphemistic refusal, Riveria sighed secretly.

Judging from the message conveyed in the words, the other party made the decision on the premise that he saw through his side's intention to appoint him to protect the logistics team.

The request of the top family members to lower their figure, participate in the strategy of unknown floors, and take risks with the women who love themselves...

In the eyes of the young man in front of the reason that most adventurers find it hard to refuse, the value as a driving force can be said to be insignificant.

(Sure enough, it's not that easy...)

Although there are currently no other members of the Hestia family, Chios still has the consciousness of being the head of the family and representing one side at the negotiating table.

Do not bet lightly, and weigh the pros and cons rationally.

Keep a calm mind to look at the affairs around you, and have the courage to act decisively when necessary.

Perhaps it was the talent brought to him by his knight background...

In just a few minutes of conversation, Riveria realized very clearly that the person she was talking to now was not just a simple adventurer.

It would be a bit naive to try to win someone over purely by friendship, affection or morality.

"I see..."

The elf royal family nodded slightly.

"I only thought about the issue of our family's expedition, but did not consider the current needs of the Hestia family. It was my negligence."

As a result of this negotiation, it would be a lie to say that I am not disappointed.

It's not entirely a bad thing.

At least she is convinced that Chios is not a person who acts on impulse, as long as he can find a balance of interests between the two parties, he will become a reliable ally worthy of long-term cooperation with the Loki family.

Chapter 550 Four? You Started Again

"The Hestia family just started a few days ago. My most important task right now is to improve the family's reputation and strength, and create favorable conditions for recruiting new members in the future. I can't afford to distract him for the time being..."

In order to prevent the not-so-satisfactory negotiation result from affecting the atmosphere of the scene, Chios briefly explained his reasons for declining the expedition.

In this regard, Riveria nodded in understanding.

Putting herself in the position of the other party, she had to admit that it was not appropriate to invite Chios to join the expedition at this time.

Even if the other party intends to assist the Loki family, and even solve the problem of the dungeon mutation, there is no reason to delay the development of the Hestia family as a price.

If the forces led by Chios can rise in Orario, their influence will definitely be greater than that of individuals, and maybe they can become a communication bridge between the two major factions of Loki and Freya.

In the long run, the development prospects of the Hestia family are indeed worth looking forward to.

The worry is time...

Cultivating newcomers is not an easy task. Even if the adventurers are extremely talented, if you want them to grow up to the threshold of being promoted to a higher-level adventurer, it is conservatively estimated that it will take three to five years, even if the situation is optimistic, it will take one year.

As one of the original members of the Loki family, the elf royal family who experienced the hardships of the initial period roughly inferred in their hearts.

Thinking of the crisis brewing in the dungeon, she only hoped that Chios would step up and deal with many important tasks, and be ready to face disaster at any time.

Riveria tilted the teacup and drank the remaining tea in the cup.

Regardless of whether Chios can participate, as the strongest family in King's Landing, the Loki family is obliged to investigate more clues to the labyrinth mutation as quickly as possible while ensuring the least loss of team members, or solve the core of the problem once and for all. .

The work will increase again.

With a premonition that the future will be more and more busy, the black tea that enters the throat is no longer sweet, only astringent bitterness remains.

"Let's stop here for the business discussion..."

The tone changed from the previous solemnity to relaxed and gentle, Chios helplessly spread his hands towards Riveria opposite.

"I'm sorry, every time I talk with you, it's not my intention to make the atmosphere so heavy. Next, if Miss Leos Alf still has time, let me take you on a tour of Beria North Manor, okay?"

"hehe..."

Listening to Chios' words that both complained and flattered, Riveria couldn't keep her face sullen.

Maybe it's because of Chios' skillful and thoughtful handling of things. If it weren't for the contrast between his words and deeds occasionally, Riveria would always forget involuntarily. almost.

Probably younger than Burt.

"As I said before, you can just call me Riveria..." As she spoke, a smile as slender as a new bud in spring appeared on her face that had melted from the ice and snow.

"Thinking about it, it seems to be the same as what you said. But that's not entirely your problem, I'm also responsible."

Including today, she has met with Chios several times so far, and the main axis of conversation has basically focused on the labyrinth mutation or family affairs.

They belong to different factions, and their life trajectories in the past also lack common points. The entry point other than business is nothing more than the few members of the Loki family.

Although it was not the first time they met, they still seemed like strangers.

Thinking of the female team members in the family, and knowing that she would have to deal with Chios in both public and private affairs in the future, Riveria readily accepted the other party's proposal.

It would be good to take advantage of this visit to improve the relationship.

"I've finished today's work ahead of time, and there's no time until evening."

"That's really great, I'll start from the nearest house..." Chios smiled and got up from his seat, pointed to the direction of the atrium, and introduced the main building layout to Riveria.

"This can be said to be the place with the best indoor lighting, connecting the upper and lower floors, baths, restaurants, reception rooms, kitchens, and the center of guest rooms..."

...

During the entire morning that followed, the young man took the elf royal family around every area of ​​the manor.

After enjoying the lunch prepared by the dog-eared girl, the place of conversation changed to the clear water pool on the outdoor second-floor terrace.

It's a pity that when Chios tentatively asked the other party if he was willing to change clothes and enjoy sunbathing in the city, he was stared at by Riveria's cold eyes for almost ten seconds.

Therefore, the two had to sit at the afternoon tea table overlooking the courtyard.

Obviously he escaped from Alfred Wangsen out of rebellion, and spent many years as an adventurer in Olalie, but he still failed to change the elves' deep-rooted conservative dressing habits, and felt extremely ashamed of exposing their skin, which is really regrettable.

However, this characteristic of shyness in certain aspects can be quite funny at times...

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the mage costume that almost covered the elf woman's body, and Chios couldn't help feeling emotional.