"I have some good news and bad news," Kei said. "What would you guys like to hear first?"
Little John lightly coughed and looked at him straight in the eye. "Let's hear the bad news first."
Kei nodded his head and took out a crystal from his storage ring. He tapped it twice and a projection appeared in front of him. "Amaranth is not the only city that encountered a dungeon outbreak."
A map of the Eastern Federation appeared in front of them and Kei enlarged it for everyone to see. "Four more cities located near the forbidden areas encountered a dungeon outbreak."
"Wait! When you say the forbidden areas…," Little Daisy asked with a frown. "Are you referring to the Five Forbidden Areas of the Eastern Federation?"
Kei nodded his head in affirmation. "The forbidden areas of the Eastern Federation namely, Tir Na Nog, Falias, Gorias, Finias, and Murias. The closest city near these places with the exception of Tir Na Nog had a dungeon outbreak."
"The merchant group that we were supposed to meet here in Freyport canceled their trip because of these incidents."
"This also mean that one of the special materials we needed to create the [System] will be delayed." Kei gave Little John an apologetic look. "Right now, we have two options. One is to go to their merchant headquarters in the City of Vesperia and make the trade there. Or, we can hunt it ourselves by diving into the "Berserker Dungeon" in the capital of Edelweiss."
Kei waved his hand and the projection in front of him showed the mapped floors of the dungeon. "The Emperium is said to be found at the seventieth floor. The floor is called the "Hall of Emperors" because only adventurers that have the Emperor/Empress ranks have the chance to survive that floor."
Shino unconsciously shivered beside Kei. She was once a dungeon core and understood the difference in difficulty once the floor of a dungeon surpassed fifty. Her own dungeon was only made up of fifty floors, but no one was able to clear it. The reason was because the boss of the fiftieth floor was the mythical Quetzalcoatl.
In order to defeat him, a full party of Emperor Class adventurers must be assembled. From the fiftieth floor onwards, a boss would appear every five levels. This meant that they needed to deal with four [Mythical Class] Bosses in order to reach their destination.
Everyone's face turned grim. There was only one party in the history of Edelweiss that had cleared the seventieth floor of the Berserker Dungeon. It was none other than Legolas Frieden and his adventurer party called the "Odyssey."
One of the members of that party was the current patriarch of the Merchant Guild Kei contacted. The only reason why he agreed to sell the Emperium to him was because he was the "grandson" of his party leader.
"Let's be realistic. It's impossible for us to clear the dungeon with the current forces we have," Kei said while sighing. "Also, I will not be able to use my powers for a year. Unless we assemble the other Overlords, we can forget about going to that dungeon."
Little John and Little Daisy gasped in surprise.
"What? You can't use your power for a year?" Little Daisy asked worriedly. "How will you be able to defend yourself then?"
Kei chuckled. "Relax, I have two reliable retainers by my side. Also, I have two strong bodyguards protecting me."
"Strong bodyguards?" Little Daisy had a disbelieving look on her face. "How strong are they?"
"Strong enough that I can sleep in the middle of the battlefield in peace." Kei said with confidence. "Please be at ease. I'm too young and too handsome to die." He averted his gaze and said in a low voice, "Not to mention, I'm still a virgin. I can't die just yet."
Little Daisy wasn't able to hear his mumbling, but Shino and Milfa did. The two girls blushed and shared knowing glances at each other.
Little John snorted. "I will not ask why you are unable to use your powers for a year because I know you have your reasons." His expression suddenly turned serious. "Since it has come to this you will need the power of the [System] more than ever."
"I agree," Little Daisy supported his brother. "Now is a critical time for Edelweiss. The king intends to pass the crown to one of the princes before he retires and that means a battle for succession is just around the corner."
"Without you as a deterrent, we will be thrown in the middle of the storm whether we like it or not." Little John clenched his fists. "I don't want to admit it, but the reason why Ravencourt is peaceful is because you are there."
Everyone in the room except Shino nodded their heads. An Overlord was an untouchable existence. The rulers of the Eastern Federation were well aware of this fact and treated them with respect.
"Don't worry. Even if they found out that I can't use my powers, Ravencourt will be safe," Kei said. "There is someone more scary than me that watches over the territory."
"Are you talking about Grandpa Legolas?" Little John asked.
"No. Although gramps is strong, the person I am talking about is stronger than him." Kei scratched his cheek. "That person might be even stronger than me, but enough about this. For now you don't have to worry about the Earldom."
"Let's put aside the matter of the [System] for now and talk about some good news." Kei clapped his hands together. "The good news is that…"
Everyone in the room gave him their full attention.
"Eight days from now the Auction of the Stars will be held here in Freyport."