Chapter 193: Doesn’t This Give the Painter a Few More Knocks? (9)

The figure lurking in the shadows had astonishingly subtle movements, enabling him to approach others without making a sound—a trait well-suited to an assassin. His murderous aura was no mere bluff; it was something only a person who had taken many lives could exude. The man named Kayn had blood on his hands—dozens, if not more.

It seemed a bit excessive to have someone with such skills running errands.

"Why has Renata sent you to us? Could it be that the supplies we agreed on have finally arrived?" Ares asked, eyeing Kayn with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

"The materials are nearly ready," Kayn replied smoothly. "Renata hopes you can assist by building a warehouse, where she'll store the supplies once it's completed." He ignored Ares's quizzical expression. "The cost can be deducted from the materials. Here's the location where the warehouse should be built."

With that, Kayn finished relaying Renata's instructions, left the coordinates, and promptly vanished back into the shadows, leaving the members of the Ares family in stunned confusion.

"Are we here to fight a war or to build warehouses?" one of the men muttered, voicing the sentiment of the group.

And Kayn had disappeared so swiftly that they'd had no chance to refuse. Even if building costs could be deducted from the supplies, did money even matter to them?

"What should we do?" someone asked hesitantly.

"What else? Assign a team to get that warehouse built," Ares decided. 

After all, they'd brought ample manpower for the war, so sparing a few people for a construction project was hardly an inconvenience. Besides, most of the stored supplies in this warehouse would ultimately benefit them.

With that thought in mind, Ares felt more at ease. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of many skilled hands, the warehouse was completed in a matter of days. Given the farm's vast land, the Ares family had made sure the warehouse was especially spacious.

Almost immediately after its completion, Renata received word in Orario. Kayn hadn't left; he had been covertly supervising the warehouse's progress the entire time.

Hearing the sheer numbers of the Ares family workforce, Renata couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. If only her family were that numerous, she thought, many of her ideas could be implemented simultaneously. There'd be no need for such meticulous resource management. Of course, this was nothing more than a fleeting daydream—a rare indulgence for Renata's busy mind.

With the warehouse completed, Renata organized her already-prepared transport team, who moved the materials out of Orario under the guise of farm repairs. All the supplies Renata had stockpiled were self-produced, with no traceable market transactions, leaving even the guild unable to track this particular batch.

The transaction proceeded smoothly, and the transport team returned with a staggering profit of nearly 500 million Valis. After deducting the warehouse construction and transport costs, plus wages for her workers, she still netted a profit of 300 million.

This profit came from a single transaction.

Though the quantity of materials Renata provided wasn't vast due to the short interval between deals, the supplies accumulated in her family's stores from her prior efforts. Now, however, the warehouse they had painstakingly filled was once again nearly empty.

——

Meanwhile, tensions in Orario were reaching a breaking point.

The threat from the Ares familia loomed large, and with chaos brewing, unscrupulous individuals seemed eager to capitalize on the turmoil. This time, it was the Ishtar family causing trouble, sparked by a conflict in the dungeon.

Irelia had taken Haruhime and Ahri to explore the dungeon, as she often did. 

Under Irelia's careful training, even Haruhime—who had struggled with combat—was gradually acclimating. Under Sol's order, Irelia didn't expect Haruhime to become a fighter; she merely hoped Haruhime would keep steady in battle.

—

Having learned from past experiences, Irelia now brought a helper each time she ventured with Haruhime. Typically, this helper was Ahri, as the two foxes shared a natural bond.

Ahri's presence gave Irelia the confidence to explore deeper floors. And so, the three ventured to the 20th floor—where they encountered an unexpected situation.

Without warning, a massive woman, with a face reminiscent of a toad, attacked them.

This brute was easily four or five hundred pounds, clad in garb hinting at her Amazonian origins. Behind her trailed a group of other Amazonian women, confirming Irelia's suspicion of the attacker's identity.

Having been in Orario for some time, Irelia had come to recognize the top adventurers by appearance, and she identified this toad-faced leader instantly. The woman was none other than Phryne Jamil, the notorious figure from the Ishtar familia. 

Until now, Irelia had only seen her in guild portraits, and meeting her in person was... an experience to say the least.

She had once assumed that the Amazonian woman's unflattering portrait was due to an artist's spite. But seeing Phryne now, she realized that the painter had actually shown remarkable restraint. In reality, Phryne's appearance was even more exaggerated than her portrait suggested.

The artist deserved a medal just for making her that presentable.

"You ugly wench from the Sol familia! Leave that fox with me, or I'll end you right here," Phryne spat, her voice dripping with contempt.

To her, Irelia and her companions were nothing more than nuisances—flies to be swatted.

"Ugly?" Irelia echoed in disbelief, her gaze fixed on the colossal, toad-like figure. Turning to look around as if searching for someone else, she confirmed they were alone in the corridor. She was indeed the only person Phryne could be addressing.

[Note: Irelia close up shot.]