Northwest Region / 

North Coast Palace / 

-

"Did I just hear Ars?"

Arlene entered the office room after hearing Ars' voice from the hallway. 

"Yes, dear. It's me." 

She found Ars lean on his table, while showing fascinating expression and trying to take off his shirt. 

"Did you miss me?"

Arlene knows that was not Ars, but the annoying Alex. But she tried to be patient, then answer.

"Yes, I MISS YOU A LOT!"

"GUHK!"

Arlene kicked Alex's balls. Making Alex fall in torment.

"Really? You think I will fall in that disgusting act of yours?"

Alex can't stop shaking because of the vicious pain he got. 

"Then, how can Master actually tie you and the other women in his hands?"

That question has been bothered Alex since Huxian genuinely fall in Ars in their first meet. 

Alex's wonder makes Arlene smirked. "You really don't know the differences between you and Ars?"

"Of course, I know. Master is an amazing guy. Even a catastrophe is a no problem for him."

Arlene got irritated about the topic of catastrophe. 

"He owns the 1st Floor of Abyssal. And he will own this floor too, after he came back. He even could match against The Traitor Monster, Sin of Wrath."

"Even after knowing all of that, you still asked how he made his harem?"

"How?"

Arlene taps her face, didn't think that Alex was that stupid.

Not wanting to continue with the topic, she walked over and sat in Ars' office chair.

"Ars did really came back even just a moment, right?"

"How can you tell he really came back?"

"I can smell his scent."

Alex could not believe on what Arlene just said. 

"Are you a dog?"

"I'll kick your balls."

At that threat, Alex disappears in the room by transforming into small creature. 

"No, you can't!"

He with his little scream ran out of the room.

Now that she is alone in the room. She took a deep breath. Inhaling the leftover scent left by the man she loved. 

"Really, where are you and what are you doing?"

The fact that Ars left the castle without giving notification, leaving her a sense of longing, and thirsty of touching. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

"LET ME GET OUT FROM HERE!"

In a certain room of the castle, someone was eager to leave her room. 

"But, Lady Huxian, we still haven't heard that Master Ars has returned."

Huxian's maids try really hard to not let her left the room. 

"But I can smell his scene! He is back, and he is in his office!"

Huxian is an Emperor as well as The Chosen. Her maids could not refuse the fact that she has an ability or two. So when she said she was be able to smell a person's scent, that might be true. But they still can't let her out from her room because of everyone on the outside's sake. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

"LET ME GET OUT!"

Huxian's voice was heard throughout the castle. 

Fortunately, her power was reduced by Ars. So she won't cause a riot with her abilities.

"She sure is noisy today."

Skadi and Elisa were enjoying their time in the garden. Sitting under a tree with tea and cookies during the day is truly refreshing.

"Heh."

While enjoying her book, Elisa took the time to show a belittling smile.

That surprised Skadi a little. Because it was rare for Elisa to look down on other people.

"Why are you smiling like that, Eliz?"

"Just look at that noob. Ars has only been away for a month, but she's been making such a fuss already."

Skadi got more confused. Is the Elisa she talking with just now was the original Elisa? Or she became a different person because Ars has been away without notification for a month?

"Don't mistake me as another person, please. I'm used to being left by that masher, so why should I be mad at him?"

"You are mad at him."

Well, her relationship with Ars was getting better and closer since the day they defeated the Sin of Wrath. Plus, Ars still treats her like a child.

Ars did not want to touch her yet. But he sleep with the other harem like Skadi, Arlene, even he already sleep Huxian. 

"But I will turn ei – I will became adult next year. So a kiss in the head was already enough for me."

"You are still mad by that night."

That was already a month after Ars disappearance. 

In the past, Elisa used to know where Ars going. Because she can look for his information from the Family. 

But now, not even a single soul in the Family knows where that Greedy man whereabout. Except for the King of North Region. 

"Lady Skadi. Miss Elisa."

A maid suddenly came to them with news. 

They really hope that was Ars. 

~~~~~~~~~

"Why are your faces showing disappointment?"

That was just Skadi, Arlene, and Elisa. 

In the office room, Hera sits in Ars' chair. They held a meeting with the important staff of the Family as well after her return. 

Alex and his Kingdom's higher-ups get in there too. 

"Only that girl won't come, huh?"

Now that Huxian no longer a threat to the society. So Hera allowed her to get outside in a few exceptions. 

"But, that's okay. Now, the reason I gathered all of you suddenly because I have one crucial news."

Before Hera could continue her words, a party outside of the family raised his hand. 

"What is it, Jiang He?"

Jiang He. The second richest merchant after Ars. The merchant who holds half the trade route of the 2nd Floor. 

He actually holds all the trade routes before Greedy Young Master with the Greedy Dragon Famili came. 

His arrival at the castle was to meet Ars. He came with bringing his two guards. Two Seven Colour Weapons: the Yellow Sky Scimitar bearer and the Purple Sky Schytte bearer.

"Why isn't the Family Head of this castle presiding over the meeting? And you replaced him instead?"

Jiang He's question came with a condescending impression.

He had been in the castle more than a week. But he was told that Ars was in his place.

Apart from the motive of wanting to talk about trade, Jiang He had come to find out if Huxian was in the castle or not.

"And who are you referring to 'that girl?', previously?"

He had been eyeing Huxian for a long time to take. But instead, he found that the most beautiful woman in Abyssal came to the place of a newcomer.

Ars' harem in the room did not like that bald old man. 

Even Alex wanted to kick the bald old man's ass out from the room. Unfortunately, he did not brave enough becaues the old man had to Seven Colour Weapon bearer with him. 

"You can ask those questions to the Young Master yourself."

Hera responds to Jiang He's question calmly. Because if she hooked by Jiang He's topic, the talks will be complicated and gets political.

However, Jiang He did not accept such a reason. 

"But, didn't that mean he is relinquishing responsibility to someone who wasn't even attached to him? Or did Eve Horizon finally decide to give up their neutrality?"

Jiang He actually brings the topic into political matters. 

That bothers Ars' family. 

Jiang He's guard responded to the unpleasant aura directed towards them. 

The castle was not in Guild Protection yet. So a little battle will not bother the others. 

"Can you shut the fuck up and let me speak first?"

After Jiang He did not listen to her words twice, Hera emitting dreadful aura that caused the room to get cold in a sudden. 

"Or, do you prefer to be outside?"

Hera actually made the whole room feared her. Even Jiang He's guard lowered their hands. 

"N-no, I will stay."

Jiang He swallowed his pride. A piece of information is one of the strongest weapons of a merchant. Why should he come out when he can hear the information for free?

Even though he had to accept a humiliate look from Ars' Family.

There, finally, Hera could continue. 

"I think I found Echidna's whereabout."

For some people who did not know who Echidna is, they were wondering. 

But, for the people who know about her, or even they who once fought her in a battle, got a goosebump on Hera's news. 

"You mean, that monster is still alive and hiding somewhere?!" asked Arlene. 

"Yes. To be precise, she is hiding inside the first eastern Great Mountain."

___________

Abyssal Terra / Floor 2

Foot of Eastern Great Mountain / 

Mining Sector / Sector 1

Sector 1 is the oldest sector. There are only a few excavators doing the excavation there because a lot of excavation has already been done.

The people in there about to feel something big. 

The ground suddenly shaken. The mountain issue rumbling voices from behind. 

The mountain became active? That impossible. Because none of all the mountain in Abyssal Terra were active in the first place or having a sign of becoming active. 

So the rumbling was not from the mountain. But something that destroyed the mountain from inside. Something very big, crawling outside of the mountain.