Reborn as an Extra Chapter 607: S-rank Dungeon, A Forgotten Nation. Part-2.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
James escorted Lia down to the underground chamber of the nation's second most powerful guild, Silver Shadow.
The entire basement floor bore a enormous altar crafted for activating teleportation portals, where hundreds of mages labored over it without pause.
Observing the spectacle, Lia found herself deeply intrigued.
"I had no clue our guild possessed such a secret chamber..."
At the sound of Lia's words, James grinned faintly and answered with a conceited tone,
"You're far too young, kiddo! You've scarcely set foot in the guild since you were a child; no surprise you're unaware of its amenities!"
"This is the concealed altar for initiating teleportation portals that I commissioned especially for the Silver Family's exclusive use!"
"One day you'll succeed me as head of this guild, so I recommend you begin frequenting the place more regularly from this point forward!"
Every guild member occupied with the altar's upkeep turned toward Lia, welcoming her with gentle smiles and respectful bows.
Though Lia had never laid eyes on any of them before, they all acted as if they knew her well, which left her thoroughly perplexed.
Her bewilderment soon vanished, however, as she spotted countless photographs of herself and her mother adorning the basement walls everywhere!
"What the heck!? Who captured these bizarre pictures? And why are they exhibited so openly like this!?"
The bulk of those images depicted Lia in her childhood, either up to playful antics or struggling ineptly with a sword during drills.
Merely viewing that shameful past filled Lia with mortification! And now strangers could behold them as well!
"Hehe~ These are the snapshots your incredible father snapped in those days! Hehe~ Aren't they wonderful? I've had them etched onto the walls throughout the whole guild for quite some time now, you see!"
At that moment, Lia finally grasped why the guild members all recognized her!
They had all encountered her image through the photos, making her a familiar sight to them!
Everyone recognized that the guild master was an extreme doting father who lavished affection on his daughter!
They remained unaware, though, that James had overlooked Lia for many years, leaving her in solitude for an extended period!
"Ugh... I refuse to return to this guild ever again... simply pass it to Rio as a wedding present someday or whatever..."
Lia's statement caused James's eyes to gleam as he declared,
"Ohhh!!! That's a splendid notion! I could even appoint my son-in-law as the guild's leader!!! YES!!!"
"My daughter has secured a promising talent for me! Naturally, I must capitalize on it properly!"
Those remarks nearly prompted Lia to kick James squarely in the back!
"Whom do you intend to exploit!?... hold on, actually, Rio's cunning ways mean he'll likely be the one exploiting you..."
"You'd better not return to me weeping afterward; I absolutely won't entertain your complaints!"
James wilted like a punctured balloon upon hearing that and responded in a whiny tone,
"Ugh... my darling daughter has been swayed by a scoundrel... she's even raising her voice at her father these days... sigh..."
"I yearn for that affectionate little Lia who always trailed after me begging for head pats... sigh, those cherished bygone days..."
Disregarding James as he moped in the corner, Lia ascended the altar for teleportation portals and extended her spiritual sense over it.
[Hmm? This altar holds considerable strength... it appears connected to a site thousands of kilometers distant...]
[This site... it feels somewhat recognizable...]
’Memorize the coordinates for the time being; apply spiritual power to stabilize the portal subsequently. I won’t allow a repeat of the Spire of Ascension fiasco...’
In her tumble within the Spire of Ascension, Lia had been utterly unprepared and clueless on how to respond, yet she had absorbed the lesson well.
Leveraging Kai’s abilities, she could avert future blunders, and as a divine spirit handler, she felt free to depend fully on her formidable spirit ally for aid.
[This situation gives me an uneasy sensation... are you certain about pursuing this peculiar training endeavor?]
[I genuinely question whether your father has selected an adequate dungeon for your practice...]
’I lack alternatives... Link and Riya stand on the brink of reaching S-rank as well... At minimum, I must match their progress...’
[Avoid gauging yourself against peers... you're advancing admirably for your years... Tomar had only achieved B-rank by your age, recall...]
’He faced no competition... I’m contending with a whole cadre of prodigies... I cannot permit myself to lag behind!’
[Sigh... in any case, I merely hope this dungeon won't turn out excessively challenging... peril is essential for swift breakthroughs, but refrain from excess...]
Precisely as Lia and Kai exchanged thoughts mentally, a staffer delivered a diminutive golem to Lia’s vicinity.
"Um... Miss Lia... it appears this small golem trailed you all the way to the guild..."
The petite aware golem that Rio had acquired from the experimental spire interred in Dragon Valley clung tightly to Lia.
"Hehe! Lia! I'm present! I'll safeguard you during your training quest in Rio's stead! Ehe!"
Lia hadn't considered including the golem in her travels, yet it had evidently succeeded in shadowing them to the guild structure.
"Oh! I assumed you were purposefully permitting it to follow us! That's the reason I stayed silent about it!"
"Yet to imagine it journeyed here independently... this tiny creature is remarkable..."
James, who had been brooding in the corner, approached once more and clasped hands with the small golem, his expression alight with enthusiasm.
"So, how are you faring, RJ? Word is you were transported into that peculiar tower and entangled in the event with Lia..."
The little golem wagged its head and stated,
"I remained within Lia’s space ring throughout, so I was unscathed! Incidentally, my complete name is Ri-"
Before the small golem could utter more, Lia quickly seized it and clamped its mouth shut to halt further revelations.
"W-we're tardy already; let's depart right away, alright? We'll bring RJ along! Ehehe..."
