Dungeon of Lust: Managing Otherworldly Beauties

Chapter 157: Price to Pay

Sylvia paused her descent in favor of watching the humans sprint up the opposite side of the cirque like the cowards they were.

Sylvia didn’t necessarily blame them for their retreat, as she’d probably have done similar if in their shoes. Especially when considering how fragile a human was.

For Envy, however, their retreat now only meant they’d return more prepared.

"Lust should do his best to become stronger..."

’I really don’t wish to make this trek again so soon.’

Sylvia returned her bow to the subspace and continued her slow steps down the golden stairs.

’But... I do have high hopes for that man.’

The amount of progress he’d made already was staggering.

Not to mention his confident mocking of Envy, who was undoubtedly stronger than he, and being relatively calm in the face of Wrath.

While foolishness could be to blame for his rash actions at the Council of Vice, Sylvia felt there was an underlying factor reinforcing his audacity — an intangible quality that she only sensed in very few.

Resolve.

’That man has great potential...’

Unlike many others she’d met, she could tell Lust moved with a purpose.

A purpose that went beyond the nature that had been threaded into his soul when he transmigrated.

Sylvia’s face split in a wicked grin as she thought of that man.

’That would be sufficient compensation, would it not?’

Sylvia looked to her side at the warrior wearing the skin of the pirate, and said:

"Warrior, does your master know where Lust’s dungeon is?"

The warrior swiped her long black hair behind her ear while balancing on the side of the steep slope, then replied:

"Yes, yes she does."

’Perfect...’

After a couple more minutes passed, the strike force had retreated to the top of the ridge and gave a cursory glance down at Greed before retreating over the periphery.

Sylvia herself had reached the edge of the basin.

Once there, she summoned a dais of gold and once again pulled the mock throne from her subspace, placing it upon the formation.

The golden dais hovered just above the shoreline, close enough to the water to hear it lap. Juniper and Runcal were standing guard on either side of her.

Sylvia sat in the yellow throne and then spoke to the pirate warrior.

"Go fetch your master."

The warrior slightly sneered before jumping into the water and transforming into an ugly fish person.

Sylvia’s nose wrinkled as the creature finished transforming.

’How unsightly...’

While Greed would usually want to enter a fellow Vice’s dungeon to check it out and appraise it... she had her reservations about Envy’s.

After all, Envy’s entire first floor was submerged.

’Unlucky for her.’

The poor woman had to spend her first few weeks mastering her Aspect just so she could live in her own dungeon.

Not that Sylvia really cared for Envy’s plight.

’At least she’s Emergent now...’

She had a second floor to her dungeon, which wasn’t touched by the water.

Yet, as much as Greed wanted to scope out her progress...

’I didn’t come all this way to get my dress wet.’

Greed waited for a few minutes until three fish people appeared from the basin and hopped onto the grass.

Two of the fish people transformed into Envy’s warriors. Green beasts that looked like formless blobs of garbage.

Finally, the last fish person transformed into a woman with green hair wearing an elegant emerald dress. Like the rest of the Vice, she was easy on the eyes.

Her figure would be radiant and imposing if only she weren’t drenched.

Greed reached into her subspace, pulled out a plastic chair, and tossed it forward on the gold platform.

"Why hello, Envy."

Envy scoffed before walking to it, setting it up, and sitting down.

"Hello, Greed."

Sylvia crossed her legs and smiled warmly. A facetious smile.

"Is this not the part where you thank me?"

Envy sighed while whipping her wet hair back and forth like a dog.

"Do you deserve thanks? You let them escape. If you’d actually wanted to fight and deal with the root of the problem, you could have easily done so."

Sylvia chuckled and brought her hand to her mouth, her bracelets clinking together.

"Caught me..."

Envy was right...

If Greed truly wanted to remove this Hero of Virtue from the world, all she would have needed to do was wait until their siege started and attack them from behind.

’But that would entail my having to potentially enter Envy’s dungeon...’

Instead, she’d made a show of presenting herself and warning the force to back off.

"I didn’t want to get wet."

At Greed’s words, Envy sighed. Then she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, the burden of choice on that matter."

After a momentary pause, Envy leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs, and asked:

"So, what is it? What do you want for your ’help’?"

The yellow aura in Greed’s eyes flared, forcing goosebumps on Envy’s skin.

Try to hide her fear as she might; Greed was far more powerful than Envy — she could force a terrible deal on her.

Which, being Greed, almost seemed to be a certainty.

Yet, Sylvia only wanted a simple tidbit.

One that seemingly held little value.

"I’d like to know the location of Lust’s dungeon."

Envy ran her hand through her hair, pushing away the strands that had fallen into her eyes, then fixed the hem of her emerald dress. Finally, she asked:

"What’s the catch?"

Sylvia chuckled.

"Catch? There is no catch. I simply didn’t want this excursion to be fruitless."

Envy let out a haughty snicker:

"And you think that to be a sufficient price for me to pay? The location of that no-good lecher?"

Greed replied:

"Why? Would you like me to demand more?"

"No... not particularly."

Greed could easily tell the reason why Envy was confused.

Envy already didn’t like Lust. She would have given Greed his dungeon’s location just to mess with him. But this was the price she had to pay?

It seemed cheap...

Very cheap.

Especially for one such as Greed.

Envy coughed a few times, then asked:

"Are you familiar with the landscape of the Terracotta Scar?"