"Please, please have some tea…"
In the second-floor lounge of Orario's Adventurers' Guild, after the staff brought the tea into the room, they scurried away.
Chen Hai, muttering to himself 'I don't eat people', looked at the tea in front of him but didn't taste it immediately.
The Adventurers' Guild was full of shrewd individuals; they might put strange things in it.
"The tea is so delicious!"
However, Hestia was completely different.
"And this cup is so pretty. I wonder how many fried potato balls it's worth."
Poor goddess, her worldview had already transformed into 'fried potato balls'.
From now on, the value of all items would automatically be converted by Hestia into 'how many fried potato balls it's equivalent to'.
"Chen Hai, aren't you going to eat this pastry?"
"Not hungry right now."
This was true.
The fruits from the Abyss Floor were extremely filling; selling them in Orario as 'diet meals' would surely be popular.
Rather than these trivialities, Hestia began to eat.
"Then I won't be polite."
She ate a pastry in one bite, looking quite satisfied.
Facing her colleague's 'freedom', Loki, who had come along, showed a subtle expression.
However, Loki's focus was on Chen Hai.
Earlier, Adventurers had reported to the Guild that all exits of the Dungeon were sealed, which resulted in those who went to adventure and explore the Dungeon being trapped inside.
The Dungeon indeed possessed various resources.
No lack of water, no lack of food.
But some things were surrounded by monsters, or located in trap-filled, extreme terrain areas, and resources would eventually run out.
Unless… unless Adventurers ate the monsters.
Loki stopped thinking about these things and turned to Chen Hai, who called himself the 'Dungeon Lord'.
His expression looked very calm, without a hint of tension.
He must have other trump cards that, even after revealing his identity, he wouldn't fear punishment.
Therefore, Loki knew that the upcoming conversation must be cautious and friendly; she didn't want to become Chen Hai's enemy at this moment.
"Hey, hey, Little Brother Chen Hai, can we continue with our previous topic?"
Facing the Main God Loki, who narrowed her eyes and spoke to him, Chen Hai, having nothing else to do at the moment, did not refuse.
"You want to talk about 'new rules for exploring the Dungeon', right?"
"Exactly, exactly. Assuming everything Little Brother Chen Hai said is true, as the 'Dungeon Lord', what new rules do you plan to set? And why are you trapping those Adventurers?"
"The new rules are to make Adventurers' exploration of the Dungeon more efficient."
Ding—!
As Chen Hai chatted with Loki, experience points were settled again.
This brought him to LV121.
It seemed the trapped Adventurers were taking action in various parts of the Dungeon.
"Secondly, the Adventurers currently sealed in the Dungeon by me are materials I'm using for negotiation. You should understand, Main God of the 'Loki Familia'."
"I understand, I understand, of course I understand. If one did nothing and just claimed to be the 'Dungeon Lord', they'd be considered crazy; but… coming directly to the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild, aren't you worried about being attacked en masse? After all, the greatest wish of the Adventurers in this city… Orario, is to conquer the Dungeon and obtain all its treasures."
Once the 'Dungeon Lord' is defeated, the labyrinth might collapse without its core, losing its threat.
Of course, Loki had also considered the possibility of 'the Lord disappearing and the Dungeon running wild'.
"Wouldn't you say so, Hestia?"
"Yes, this pastry definitely has chestnuts and waxy corn! It's super delicious."
"I didn't say that… Oh, well, I'm used to you like this; you were kicked out when you lived at Hephaestus's because you were gluttonous and lazy."
Doing nothing all day, and eating meals like crazy—that was probably Hestia's daily routine once.
How does that sound somewhat similar to a certain goddess named Aqua in another world… As soon as these words were out, Hestia, with puffed cheeks, eating her pastry, stopped.
"I, I didn't."
She tried to swallow it all at once, but there was too much, and she choked.
Chen Hai quickly picked up the teapot and poured her a cup, while Loki patted Hestia's back.
After a flurry of activity, Hestia gasped for air, gradually returning to normal.
"That was close… I almost got sent back to the Heavenly Realm by these delicious things."
If a Main God in Orario used their divine power or was killed, they would return to the Heavenly Realm.
Hestia, thinking of going back, pushed away the remaining pastries, still shaken.
"Let's talk business."
Chen Hai and Loki exchanged glances, nodding silently.
Then Chen Hai continued the conversation:
"Just as Orario has the 'Familia system', I have also established a new 'system' for my Dungeon."
"What are the specifics?"
"To be precise, it's similar to a 'company'."
Chen Hai was preparing to create a 'Dungeon Limited Liability Company'.
Future operations would be simple: Adventurers (workers) explore the Dungeon, battle, search for rare ingredients and minerals, and the combat experience gained along the way would be used by him to level up.
"Current Adventurers are too unprofessional, too inefficient."
For example… "Some low-level Adventurers choose dangerous floors; they either get killed or flee in disarray. If they had a reasonable choice, they could fight longer and accumulate more experience."
"…"
Loki fell silent, thinking, 'The Dungeon Lord is surprisingly kind, actually worrying about the Adventurers exploring the Dungeon.'
Hestia, on the side, finished her tea.
"You mean to arrange exploration floors according to Adventurers' strength, so they can stay in the Dungeon longer?"
"Precisely, Miss Hestia. Every Adventurer must find the floor most suitable for them, and at the same time… I need them to explore, battle, and rotate shifts twenty-four hours a day, non-stop."
"I still don't quite believe Chen Hai is the 'Dungeon Lord', but if you really are, why do you want people messing around in your territory every day?"
"Because I also need Adventurers to train my subordinates, which are the monsters."
Of course, this was a lie.
The only thing Chen Hai needed was combat experience.
Having Adventurers battle in non-stop shifts, twenty-four hours a day, was the only way for him to level up quickly.
And this was the main effect of the 'Dungeon Limited Liability Company'.