Chapter 150: Selling the Apollo Familia Headquarters
Then, Apollo heard Focalors's pronouncement, echoing like a devil's whisper.
"My demands are simple." Focalors smiled, her voice carrying clearly to every deity present.
"First, confiscation of all your assets, including your Familia's headquarters."
"Second, your Familia is to be disbanded immediately."
"Third, you, personally, will be permanently exiled from Orario. You are forbidden from ever stepping foot inside this city again for all eternity."
She leaned down slightly, whispering the final addendum into Apollo's ear. "The fact that I didn't send you directly back to Heaven to face that eternal boredom is my... absolute final mercy. Do you understand?"
"Nooooooo—!" Apollo let out a heart-wrenching shriek, a sound far more agonizing than any he had made upon the death of his children. For a god like him, who thrived on the bustle and adoration of the lower world, how was this punishment any different from being sent back to Heaven? No! This was even worse!
Everything he had worked so hard to build would now serve as a stepping stone for Focalors. The adorable children he had painstakingly collected would all leave him. He would be cast out of Orario, forced to wander the barren, tedious outside world...
Focalors showed absolutely no mercy toward the god who had dared to covet her most precious family. With a single declaration, she blasted him all the way back to the Stone Age—arguably leaving him worse off than when he first descended.
The War Game officially concluded with the resounding victory of the [Focalors Familia]. The fierce clash between the two factions became the hottest, most enduring topic of conversation in Orario for days to come.
It took Aiden and his party an entire day to travel from the ruined ancient fortress back to the city. For quite some time afterward, wherever they went, they were the absolute center of attention.
As the defeated party, the [Apollo Familia] immediately disbanded in accordance with Focalors's demands. After tearfully bidding farewell to each of his beloved children and completing the official withdrawal ceremonies for all members, Apollo was escorted out of the city alone, his departing silhouette thoroughly desolate.
As for the now-Familia-less former members, some chose to leisurely figure out their future paths, some accepted recruitment offers from other factions and joined new Familias, while others completely lost their spirit, spending their days drowning in their own tears. They all went their separate ways. Naturally, there were a few individuals, like Hyakinthos, whose love for Apollo ran too deep. Willing to flout the Guild's strict embargo on military assets leaving the city, they chose to follow the god they worshipped for life, embarking on a journey of exile together.
This War Game caused massive, sweeping ripples across every facet of the city.
"Are you seriously going to sell it?" Eina stared at Aiden, completely flabbergasted. "Are you sure? That's the Apollo Familia's headquarters! Sure, the architectural style is a bit gaudy, but it's a massive estate in a prime location in the Sixth District! If you sell it, you'll be hard-pressed to ever find a property that good again!"
Misha, standing beside her, nodded emphatically, her face a mask of utter incomprehension. To them, this was akin to throwing away a mountain of gold like it was a pile of rocks.
"The Apollo Familia's style is a bit too... 'avant-garde' for our tastes," Aiden explained with a laugh. "Besides, I promised my goddess that I would personally build her a Palais Mermonia, a palace fitting for the God of Water and Justice. The money we get from selling the estate, combined with our winnings from the War Game bets, should be more than enough to buy a plot of land we actually like and construct a brand-new headquarters from scratch."
Though he spoke lightly, he knew full well this route would incur a massive financial loss. The price they could get for selling a second-hand property was vastly different from the cost of buying new land and hiring a top-tier blacksmithing Familia to design and build a custom manor. But he had made a promise to Furina to build a Palais Mermonia that belonged solely to them, and he absolutely refused to break his word.
"I mean, I suppose that makes sense... but then you'll only have enough for the building itself. You won't have anything left over. Most of the spoils you fought so hard for will essentially be wasted." Eina rubbed her temples, feeling her blood pressure steadily rising. As a Guild advisor, she couldn't stand seeing such irrational, spendthrift behavior.
"It's fine. As long as our Furina is happy, that's all that matters." Aiden pressed his hands together, offering Eina an apologetic, pleading smile. "So, I'm going to have to bother you to handle the handover with the Guild. And while you're at it, could you contact the Goibniu Familia for us? I'm hoping they can construct our new headquarters based on my blueprints and designs."
Catching on immediately, Hyacine hugged Eina's arm and gently swayed it, pleading in her sweetest voice, "Eina, please help us out! Pretty please with a cherry on top~"
"Miss Robin, are you really just going to let them run wild like this?" Faced with their double-team assault, Eina turned a desperate gaze toward Robin. She knew full well that this elegant young woman was the one who actually controlled the Focalors Familia's finances.
Robin let out a graceful sigh, shooting Aiden a helpless, exasperated look. "Honestly, I wanted to wait a while until we had saved up more funds before even considering selling the Apollo estate. But what can I say? Our captain is an incredibly impatient man. He couldn't even wait a single day."
What else could she do with a willful captain whose indulgence for his goddess knew absolutely no bounds? Spoil him, of course.
"Fine... fine! I surrender! I really can't win against you people!" Eina finally capitulated with a heavy sigh, resolving to help them out. "I'll go see the Guild Master right now. The Guild will be more than happy to reclaim the Apollo estate, but don't expect a stellar price. Our Guild Master is... well, he's not exactly a philanthropist. He's famous for squeezing every last copper out of a deal."
"Thank you so much, Eina! We'll be waiting for the good news!"
"Just you wait!" Eina glared at Aiden, turned on her heel, and marched off with fiery determination to meet the Guild Master.
Armed with the resolve to throw herself on the sword for her friends, Eina took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the Guild Master's office. She had prepared herself thoroughly. In her mind, Royman Mardeel—an obese elf notorious for his greed and self-indulgence—would absolutely seize this opportunity to violently lowball them, offering a disgustingly cheap price to "reclaim" the luxurious estate. Eina had even mentally rehearsed several arguments, perfectly mapping out how she would debate and outwit him.
However, the way things played out completely shattered her expectations.
"Oh? The Focalors Familia wishes to sell the Apollo estate?" Upon hearing Eina's request, Royman's beady eyes, squeezed tightly by his fleshy face, didn't glint with their usual avarice. Instead, he looked deeply intrigued.
Not only did he refrain from making things difficult, but with a grand wave of his hand, he offered a buyout price that was significantly higher than the current market rate. The number was so absurdly high that Eina briefly wondered if she needed to get her ears checked.
"Furthermore," Royman added with a jovial chuckle, "I recall the Guild currently possesses a vacant plot of land in a bustling sector of the First District. The location is excellent, and the environment is pristine. If the Focalors Familia is interested, I can authorize transferring the deed to them at pure cost to serve as the grounds for their new headquarters."
Eina was completely paralyzed. She stared wide-eyed, absolute disbelief etched across her face as she looked at the amicable, smiling fat elf behind the desk. She subconsciously rubbed her eyes, genuinely wondering if she was hallucinating from working too much overtime lately. Was this incredibly generous, overwhelmingly agreeable man really the same Guild Master who bickered over pennies and would bend over backwards to pick up a dropped copper coin?
"Eina Tulle, why are you looking at me like that?" Noticing Eina staring at him as if he had sprouted a second head, Royman frowned in slight displeasure. "Just what kind of image do you have of me in that head of yours?"
Do you seriously have no self-awareness about your own reputation?! You're the Pig of the Guild! Eina screamed internally, rolling her eyes as elegantly and politely as she possibly could.
However, since Royman wasn't making things difficult and was actually opening doors for them, Eina was naturally overjoyed. Instantly burying her internal complaints, she stood up and thanked him profusely. Practically snatching the ridiculously high-priced appraisal certificate and the deed to the prime First District real estate from his hands, she spun around and sprinted out the door, eager to deliver this miraculous news to Aiden and the others.
---
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters, Visit:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations