"My Daddy, can you believe it?" Cai asked as it sprinkled ground black pepper on the pork chops it was about to eat. "Little Swordy actually dared to sell me for some petty cash. Tsk, if my grandpa hears about this, he will definitely give him a good spanking."

"Shut up," Little Swordy glared at the boar as he spooned apple sauce onto his salad plate. "I didn't ask you to accompany me in Elysium. You just accompanied me without any invitation."

"Hmph! I'm just worried about you." Cai glared back. "This is the first time you are visiting a place with many people in Elysium. What will you do if you get scammed? I accompanied you out of the goodness of my heart to ensure that you won't get tricked by people because you are gullible!"

"I'd rather be tricked than have an annoying, pesky, irritating, and chatty traveling companion like you!"

"This is the problem with people who have lived in the mountains all their lives. They just don't understand how the world works. Um, My Daddy, can you pass me the soy sauce, please?"

Lux handed the bottle of soy sauce to the boar, who then poured a generous amount of sauce in its saucer.

The Half-Elf didn't know what happened after he separated from his friends because he was too frantic to return to Barbatos Academy after hearing Vera's condition.

Now that he thought about it, he still hadn't returned to the Rowan Tribe to claim the rewards that would be given to him by Maximilian, who was Cai's grandfather and Rowan Tribe's leader.

"What happened to the Sacred White Lotus?" Lux asked. "Did your grandpa already use it to create a medicine to cure the Purple Plague?"

Cai nodded while chewing the pork chop inside its mouth.

"The Saint has locked himself up in his room and told everyone to not disturb him," Keane commented. "The Six Kingdoms have already sent delegations to the Rowan Tribe, and they are currently waiting for him to come out. They know that he is busy creating the cure for the Purple Plague, so none of them dare to disturb him."

Cai, who had just finished eating the pork chop in its mouth, joined the conversation and gave Lux a juicy bit of information.

"Do you know? Einar, Vall, and Xander, are being pestered by the envoys of the Six Kingdoms because they want them to return to the Sacred Dungeon and clear the other gates there? This is also why Little Swordy and I decided to leave the Rowan Tribe. Grandpa is busy, so there's no one who can stop the envoys from soliciting my and Little Swordy's favors."

"I'm not going to lie, My Daddy, they are getting on my nerves. What made them think that bribing me with money and artifacts is enough to sway me to return to that place again? Excuse me, I don't want to die, you know?"

"Oh? Such a thing is happening?" Lux arched an eyebrow as he bit into his ham sandwich.

"Yes," Keane replied. "Do they really think that we are going to help them out after they blacklisted us from the Adventurer's Guilds, Merchant's Guilds, Hunter's Guilds, as well as the Information Guilds? They must be out of their mind."

"Eh? You two are blacklisted too?" Lux already had a hunch that the other people that had been blacklisted were those that had managed to clear the Gate of Death. But, after Keane confirmed his suspicions things were starting to fall in place.

"I see so, they are doing this to force us to agree to their conditions," Lux muttered. "It all fits."

"Damn right you are!" Cai grumbled. "Einar and Vall are also very pissed since they are unable to claim missions not only for themselves, but for their entire guilds. Those bastard kings really did us dirty."

Lux tapped his finger on top of the table as he formed a plan in his mind.

"I've heard from Iris that all of us were freed from the restrictions placed on those that want to enter the Hidden Domain," Lux said. "It means that while others need to wait for an entire year, the six of us can enter anytime we want."

"Right! But, that's not all, My Daddy," Cai interjected. "Each of us can bring five people with us, forming a party. Because of this everyone wants a piece of the action. Um, according to Xander, he was also approached by an envoy of the Vahan Empire."

"It seems that their Emperor wanted to bribe him to bring their elite members to the Dungeon in order to gather some resources. I don't know if they approached Einar and Vall as well, but the likelihood of that happening is very high."

Lux frowned. His step-father, Alexander, warned him about Emperor Andreas of the Vahan Empire before he left Barbatos Academy.

According to him, Emperor Andreas had long wanted to annex the territories that bordered his Empire. However, because of him and Maximilian, the Xynnar War Pact had a surplus of two saints, which made him scrap this plan altogether.

In the past, the Skystead Alliance, in which Emperor Andreas was the chairman, had an advantage when it came to military power. If Alexander and Maximilian were taken out of the picture, he would have long launched a crusade against his neighbors, and his chances of winning were quite high.

This was why, even though Alexander and Maximilian had rampaged in the Ashina Kingdom, the Kings and the Saints that backed up the Xynnar War Pact had sided with them.

The King of the Ashina Kingdom had no choice but to swallow his anger because he knew that he could only rely on Emperor Andreas to keep his rule over his domain.

"That's it!" Lux suddenly had a eureka moment. Because of Cai's and Keane's explanation, he finally found a way out of their predicament, and to clear their names from the blacklist.

After telling Cai and Keane about his plan, the three headed towards the Adventurer's Guild to talk to its Guildmaster, Omer.

"You again?" Omer sighed after seeing Lux for the second time. "Didn't I already tell you that you can't get a recommendation letter from me unless you pay me ten million? Don't tell me you already have the money with you?"

Lux shook his head before gazing at Omer with a determined look on his face.

"Can the Adventurer's Guild pass messages to the territories of the Xynnar War Pact?" Lux inquired.

"We can, but since you, and these two are blacklisted, you do not have this privilege," Omer replied.

"Well, why don't you listen to what I'm about to say first?" Lux asked with a smile. "If you deem that it is not important enough, you can ignore my request."

Omer crossed his arms over his chest before reluctantly nodding his head.

"Fine," Omer replied. "I'll hear you out this once. If I don't like what you are going to tell me, I will ban you from entering this branch of the Adventurer's Guild."

The smile on Lux's face widened because he was confident that his plan was going to work. Since the Kingdoms in Elysium were making it hard for him to get what he wanted, he would also make it hard for them!

"Tell the members of the Skystead Alliance and the Xynnar War Pact that we are auctioning fifteen slots for the Sacred Dungeon located in the Domain of the Fallen," Lux stated.

"Only one will win the auction, and among the conditions listed, is to have our names cleared off the blacklists of the Adventurer's Guilds, Merchant's Guilds, and Information Guilds. Naturally, this is just one of the conditions. If they want to get in, they still have to pay the price. The one with the highest bid will win."

Omer's expression became serious after hearing Lux's declaration. Earlier, he admired the Half-Elf because he had guts, but now, he felt as if he had underestimated how gutsy the red-headed teenager really was.

On that day, news spread within the Western Regions of Elysium about Lux's declaration. All the Kings as well as the Emperors of both sides immediately called for an emergency meeting on how to best deal with the current situation that had been thrown in their faces.

---

Wildgarde Stronghold

"Haha! Lux really knows how to make waves." Gerald laughed after hearing the news from his subordinate. "Looks like your plan backfired, Rainer."

Nero's Master calmly sipped his tea, pretending that he didn't hear Gerald's teasing tone. Only after he finished drinking did he place the cup on top of the table and voice his opinion.

"What he did is a double-edged sword," Rainer stated. "On one hand, he will be able to gain the support of either the Skystead Alliance or the Xynnar War Pact. However, the one who will lose this bidding will treat them as an eyesore."

"If he chooses the Skystead Alliance, then he will be exiled from the territories that belongs to our Faction in Elysium. I just hope that the boy makes the right decision and gives us face."

Gerald sighed before nodding his head.

"I hope for that as well, but knowing that brat he might just choose the opposing side just to antagonize us," Gerald said with a bitter smile on his face.

Rainer shrugged. "Whatever decision he will make, we will find out before this week is over. After all, his Quest ends in three weeks. We can afford to wait, but he doesn't have this option."

Rainer glanced in the direction of the North where Barbatos Academy was located. Now that Lux had thrown the dice, it was now up to the rulers of the various kingdoms whether they would take his bait or not.

----