My front door leads to a comic strip

Chapter 143, Section 142: Daedalus Road and Eight-Year-Old Lilyluka Erd

"The Road to Daedalus | is known as Orario's largest slum."

Located in the southeast corner of the labyrinth city, it is so intricate that even experienced adventurers can get lost, hence the name "Labyrinth Street".

The next day, when Gu Yuan arrived, the first thing he saw was several thin, ragged children squatting in the muddy mud, playing with pebbles.

Gu Yuan suddenly turned around and looked behind him.

In stark contrast to the maze-like streets are the main urban streets, which, despite being sparsely populated, remain largely clean and tidy, having just experienced turmoil.

This sense of separation made him feel as if he were seeing two worlds: heaven and hell.

"It's true, there are always places like this, no matter where you are."

Gu Yuan muttered to himself, recalling the joke about "being so poor that even thieves wouldn't bother with it," and thought, "For the people living here, I wonder if this is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

His gaze swept over the children without lingering.

He lowered his head, pressed his fingers to his earlobe, seemingly talking to himself, but actually conversing with the tiny machines inside his ear:

"I've arrived at the designated location. Alexie, report your situation. Have the kidnappers shown up?"

After a brief crackling sound, a clear, energetic girl's voice immediately came through the headphones, slightly loud, indicating her excitement:

"Wow! The sound came right through! That's amazing! Mr. Ko, this magical gadget called a 'walkie-talkie' is so convenient! Is it a new product from some clan?"

Gu Yuan frowned almost imperceptibly and subconsciously lowered the volume.

"Focus on the mission, Alexie. This isn't a magical item."

He unfolded a hand-drawn map and quickly identified several possible routes.

For him, who can easily climb high buildings and move between rooftops, complex terrain is not an obstacle; all he needs is a clear direction.

"Repeat the plan: Go and contact the target to confirm whether 'Iska' is alive or dead."

"If survival is confirmed, send a signal and I will arrive immediately to eliminate the threat."

"If it's a trap, or if you're certain she's in danger, send a signal, then prioritize your own safety and retreat immediately."

"Leave the rest to me."

"Do you understand?"

His plan was simple and clear.

The dark faction specifically requested to see Alyssa, and this area is highly likely their lair, so there must be spies planted there.

By acting separately, the two can lower each other's guard and also support each other.

If the enemy's goal is to lure the enemy away from their stronghold and attack the Goddess of Justice's base, he can use his speed to return and provide support in the shortest possible time.

"clear!"

Alexie took a deep breath on the other end of the earpiece, trying to make her voice sound more reliable, even though the "magical" walkie-talkie still made her heart race. "I think I can see the agreed-upon warehouse. It's rusted terribly, the roof is about to collapse—."

"Stay alert, approach stealthily. I'm nearby."

Before he finished speaking, Gu Yuan's figure had already leaped onto the roof of the three-story stone house next to him like a ghost.

The view suddenly opened up, and from this height, the maze street looked more like a huge, cracked, gray anthill, with countless narrow passages crisscrossing it.

After observing the surroundings, he began to move quickly and silently between the rooftops, while maintaining uninterrupted communication.

The wind whistled past my ears, bringing with it the unique, complex smells of the slums below: damp, decaying, and with a faint, lingering odor—

The aroma of wine?

Gu Yuan's movements suddenly stopped, his toes touching the roof ridge.

Rich, clear, and refreshing, it is so pure that it stands out from the surrounding filth, as if it can penetrate all the filth and directly arouse the deepest desires in people's hearts.

Instinctively, I held my breath.

Something's not right.

He lowered his voice and spoke into the communicator, his tone grave, "Alicie, be careful, there's an unidentified aroma of alcohol in the air. It may have hallucinogenic or paralyzing effects. Don't be fooled."

At that very moment, a name flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning—"Soma Familia".

Isn't Soma's stronghold located in the southeast region?

"Understood! I'll keep that in mind! Hmm—it doesn't smell particularly special."

When Alexie's response came, her previous excitement had been replaced by seriousness, tinged with a hint of confusion.

Then, the clear, deliberately light footsteps sounded, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and tension:

"Mr. Gu—I've arrived. They—are inside. I see figures."

"As planned..."

Gu Yuan temporarily suppressed his doubts about the aroma of the sake. The mystery of the Soma clan could be postponed; the immediate crisis was imminent.

涮-

The dark figure cut through the wind and sped straight toward the warehouse at an astonishing speed.

However, just below Gu Yuan lies that narrow alleyway swallowed by shadows.

A pair of small, frightened eyes captured the entire inhuman speeding across the rooftop.

"Wow, so fast!"

The little girl, Lilyluka Erd, was nervously huddled behind a rotting barrel, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

The oppressive feeling from the dark shadow that flashed across the rooftop just now almost froze her blood.

"He's even more amazing than the guild leader!"

As a member of the "Soma" Familia, she had little contact with high-level adventurers due to her young age and low rank, but this did not prevent her from making judgments.

That was a skill that no ordinary Lv.1 or Lv.2 could possess; its speed even surpassed that of the "seniors" in the clan who were desperately trying to become stronger for the sake of the divine wine.

"call--"

She gasped for breath, leaning against the cold wall, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

Looking around, seeing that there was no movement for the time being, only the howling of the wind, her trembling hand reached for the small porcelain bottle hanging around her neck.

Then, a fierce, almost obsessive fervor, burning in her eyes, was completely out of character for her young age.

boo~

The bottle stopper was pulled out, and an even stronger, more exotic fragrance instantly wafted out, almost completely dispelling the stench in the alley.

A divine wine.

The Elixir of Miracles, brewed by the god of wine, Soma, is Orario's most deadly temptation.

Just one drop is enough to make someone intoxicated for half a month, forgetting all their troubles, which also triggered a crazy struggle within the clan and countless tragedies.

Lily Luca took a deep breath, tilted her head back as if about to embrace her only salvation, and without thinking, was about to pour that precious drop of liquid into her throat.

However, at that moment...

Just as the bottle was about to touch their lips, two tall figures, like hyenas that had smelled blood, silently blocked both ends of the alley, one in front and one behind.

The Soma clan emblem on their chests gleamed ominously in the dim light, and their faces wore undisguised greed and sneers.

"Finally found you, mouse."

"Hand over the divine wine!"

Lily froze instantly, her blood seemingly frozen in that moment.

A battle for the divine wine is about to erupt in this filthy corner.

Meanwhile, in the direction of the warehouse in the distance, another crisis is quietly unfolding.

>