noveltune Chapter 237 The Tragic Fate of the Soma Familia
Chapter 237 The Tragic Fate of the Soma Familia
Chapter 237 The Tragic Fate of the Soma Familia
"Handing Lily over to me means converting to another religion!"
As soon as Roy finished speaking, a gasp of surprise rang out from the crowd, and everyone's faces showed disbelief.
Daphne and Cassandra were also startled. If they had kidnapped the enemy's leader in public and placed him in another clan, they would probably have been attacked by the enemy.
"Lord Roy, what are you saying?"
Lily's sobs stopped, her little face blank with shock, especially when she heard the words "Give Lily to me," which sounded like a marriage proposal. A blush rose on her cheeks, and she was incredibly shy.
Roy laughed, "It's a promise, you have to listen to me today and tomorrow. Do you want to go back on your word?"
"But but but————"
Looking at the boy's handsome face, Lily's brain seemed to lose its ability to speak; she stammered for most of the day, unable to utter a single complete sentence.
The Soma clan members reacted in stark contrast, their faces beaming with ecstatic joy.
Not only did they kick out Roy and Astrea's Familia, but they also gained tens of millions of Fali every month. Lily converted to another religion, leaving the position of captain vacant. They had a chance to compete for control of the Familia. If they succeeded, they would be second only to the leader and above all others!
It's a deal, may double happiness come your way!
"Lord Soma, please make a decision!"
Hundreds of members of the Soma clan knelt before Soma, their voices ringing out in unison.
Seeing this scene, Lily's heart was completely broken, as if it had been slashed open by countless sharp knives, leaving bloody wounds. What was the point of working so hard? All the grievances welled up inside her.
"Lord Roy!" Lily's eyes were red, and she buried her head in Roy's arms. Only the boy's warm embrace was her most important safe haven.
Faced with the continuous requests from numerous relatives, Soma's expression turned somewhat grim.
Lily is the only member of the family who has drunk the original divine wine and still remains rational. Soma naturally has special feelings for her and is reluctant to let her go.
Looking at his fanatical retinue, Soma felt a deep sorrow.
What he sensed from these relatives was only greed, cunning, and a thirst for power and money, just like that of the former Chanis Lustra.
"Lily, what's your opinion?" Somo ultimately left the choice to Lily.
There was little confusion or hesitation in Lily's eyes; she had already found her path. She bowed deeply to Soma, "Lord Soma, thank you for your care over the years. Lily is going to pursue her own happiness!"
Lily's mind was made up, and Somo could sense it. He stood there blankly, hesitant to speak, until two or three minutes later, he let out a soft sigh.
"All right."
This is the choice of the dependents, and even the supreme deity cannot stop it. Even if they are forced to stay, what difference does it make? Their hearts are not here; they are just empty shells.
Soma felt physically and mentally exhausted, and this manifested on his face.
Roy had a mocking sneer on his lips. In essence, Soma was no different from other gods, indulging in his hobbies in the mortal realm.
If Soma had been willing to devote even a fraction of the energy he put into brewing wine to managing his clan, Lily wouldn't have been so exhausted. So how can you blame Lily for being disappointed in him?
He probably amassed three or four hundred million faiths from the Soma clan, which was worth the time and effort he put in.
With his forging skills, Roy had no worries about making money, so the importance of the Divine Wine to him diminished. Roy felt it was unnecessary to waste a lot of time arguing with this group over tens of millions of Fali.
What truly made him decide was Lily.
In fact, due to his preconceived notions from his previous life, Roy did not have a good impression of Lily. Before this, he only regarded her as a tool for making money and never thought of absorbing her into the Astrea Familia.
It was Lily's work ethic that impressed him.
Roy values character more than strength when it comes to his clan members. Anyway, there are dungeons to grind stats, so even if it's a pig, he can eventually raise it to LV.9!
It would be dangerous for Lily to remain in the Soma Familia. She was only eleven years old at the time, and even if people in this world matured earlier, she would not be able to manage a large commercial family.
Neither their mental fortitude nor their physical abilities can keep up.
Driven by self-interest, if things continue this way, Lily will eventually die in some inconspicuous corner, stabbed multiple times in the back, and ruled a suicide.
Soma waved his hand, weary, and said, "Disperse, everyone. I will reappoint the commander and deputy commander!"
The numerous members of the Soma clan dispersed in a flurry, their faces showing varying degrees of joy.
Only a few smart people secretly shook their heads, knowing that the real trouble had just begun and the future was bleak, and they were also preparing to leave the clan.
Soma quickly made preparations for Lily's conversion.
"Lord Soma, please take good care of yourself and your health. The most important ledger of the clan is in the third drawer of my desk. You must check it often, otherwise it will be easy for someone to deceive you." Lily was like a young girl about to get married, giving her elderly father detailed instructions.
It can even come across as a bit nagging.
But the more this happened, the more distressed Soma felt; he had driven away his beloved little darling.
With nothing much to pack, Lily took a set of casual clothes and left the Soma Familia's camp with Roy.
Watching their departing figures, some were happy while others were sad, and the history of the Soma clan entered a new chapter.
The group returned to the Star Garden.
He met the goddess and explained the situation to her.
Roy laughed and said, "My Goddess, I kept my promise this time and didn't make a big fuss."
Goddess Astraea smiled wryly, having managed to bring the opposing team's leader over; this was a case of "not causing too much of a fuss."
It's good enough that it didn't escalate into a major war.
"Lady Astraea."
Standing before this beautiful and elegant goddess, Lily looked extremely nervous, fearing that the other party would not accept her and she would have nowhere else to go.
"It's alright, this will be your home from now on." Astraea smiled gently and considerately, instantly closing the distance between the two.
Faced with the immense gap between the two gods, Astraea enveloped her with a motherly gentleness, and the tension on Lily's little face vanished completely.
The two entered the room and converted to Christianity.
After completion, the blessing pattern on Lily's back changed from Soma's divine wine to the sword of justice of the Astrea Familia and snow-white wings on both sides.
Then, Roy led Lily to his office, pointed to the mountain of documents piled on his desk, and said, "Here, this is your work from now on."
Lily was forced into her seat and couldn't help but complain, "Lord Roy, you didn't recruit me just so I could work for you, did you?"
"How could that be! I truly consider you a fellow member of my clan. Look into my clear eyes and say it again!" Roy's eyes widened.
Lily glanced at Roy, then at the documents in front of her that were taller than her.
It has absolutely no credibility!
"Hahahahaha!"
Lily covered her mouth and let out a silvery laugh, feeling a sense of happiness from being needed.
A smile appeared on Roy's face. Lily needed a place to stay, and he needed a substitute to do his work. Everyone was happy.
Then, Roy's gaze passed through the window and landed in the direction of the Soma Familia, his eyes slightly cold.
Do those idiots think they can gain more benefits by kicking him out? They don't even understand the most basic rules of the game in Orario; they're too naive.
Oulalli Owen Ceramics Factory.
"General Manager, why is the price of our custom-made wine bottles going up three times?" a member of the Soma clan shouted at the dwarf manager of the ceramics factory.
The dwarf manager said coldly, "Don't yell at me. You know about the recent incident where the floor master ran to the surface. The workers are very scared and chose to flee to other places to avoid the situation. We are short-handed, and we have to pay more money to keep some of them."
"With rising labor costs, product prices naturally have to go up as well. Besides, your Soma clan isn't short of money; you sell hundreds of millions of fali every month."
The dwarf manager curled his lip.
"It's not about the money. You should have notified us in advance. The new batch of materials arrived a long time ago and we're about to use them to brew wine. What are we supposed to do without wine bottles?" This member of the Soma clan was extremely anxious.
Without proper porcelain containers to hold the wine, their precious brewing materials would rot in the warehouse.
Switching to another ceramics factory would be even more troublesome.
Soma was very strict in this regard, striving for perfection in every detail in order to brew the original divine wine that even the gods found intoxicating.
"That's your problem. You didn't ask in time. What does it have to do with us!" The dwarf manager had a fiery temper and snorted coldly.
This person was a retired former adventurer, LV.2. He released his aura slightly, which immediately frightened the member of the Soma Familia, making him turn pale and dare not say anything more.
But he gritted his teeth and said, "General Manager, we need to get all the porcelain within five days!"
"Sure, but it'll cost extra!" The dwarf manager squinted, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Finally, after the other party paid twenty times the price, the dwarf manager reluctantly agreed to deliver all the porcelain containers storing the divine wine within five days.
"Hahahaha!"
After the other party left, the dwarf manager finally couldn't help but laugh out loud and squeezed a hefty sum out of the other party.
"Manager, isn't this going too far in offending the Soma Familia? Our boss upstairs really likes their divine sake," an employee whispered.
"offend?"
The dwarf manager sneered, "So what? A bunch of faithless scoundrels. There's another factory in our homeland that can make porcelain of the same quality. Let them go over a thousand kilometers away and bring it back. The shipping cost will probably be more expensive than the porcelain itself!"
Moreover, this matter was personally instructed by the boss above, which made the dwarf manager seem fearless.
A similar scene unfolded across Orario.
The members of the Soma Familia were surprised to find that the merchants, adventurers, and gods who were usually easy to talk to had become very difficult, repeatedly confirming details and making their work much more difficult.
They even meticulously inspected every bottle of their "miracle wine" to avoid buying counterfeit products.
Orario is neither a huge nor a small game.
Social circles are only so big; we see each other all the time, so any information will spread quickly.
The news that the Soma Familia had kicked out the Roy, Lily, and Astrea Familias spread throughout Orario in less than a night.
Everyone watched with a cold smile as the Soma clan discarded them after they had served their purpose.
They all instructed their subordinates and relatives to be careful when doing business with the Soma clan in the future, and even to extort them appropriately.
Credit is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it truly exists in everyone's heart.
said with no exaggeration.
Given the good reputation that the Astrea Familia has built up over the years, even if Roy or the goddess Astrea were to call a deer a horse, people's first reaction would not be ridicule, but rather suspicion that the deer was actually a horse in disguise.
The fact that people can subconsciously react in this way shows that the trust that Orario people have in the Astrea Familia has reached a very deep-rooted level.
The Astrea Familia is a group of kind-hearted people who punish evil and promote good, are happy to help others, and are honest and kind. This is common knowledge among almost everyone in Orario.
Despite the emergence of Roy, this "outlier," it has not affected people's perception and trust in the Astrea Familia.
Compared to the Astrea Familia's unparalleled reputation, the Soma Familia is just a nobody.
And what was the Soma Familia, standing by the roadside, trying to do by kicking the Astrea Familia out of the game? Everyone couldn't help but recall the other party's past misdeeds.
The main customers of the divine wine are the gods.
The gods enjoy having fun, but they are not fools or easy targets. They are very clear-headed about most things in the mortal realm and can see through them at a glance.
Previously, a small bottle of inferior divine wine cost 60,000 to 70,000 Fali, which the gods could barely accept. Now, a bottle of divine wine costs more than a million Fali. If you dare to counterfeit it, try it, and dozens of your followers will be living at your doorstep in no time.
Since Roy and Lily left, the members of the Soma Familia have clearly felt that the costs of purchasing, storing, and selling have risen sharply, even exceeding the dividends given to the Astrea Familia.
This situation will naturally cause dissatisfaction among people.
They thought they would get more money after kicking out those two, but they ended up getting even less.
Without the deterrent effect of the Astrea Familia, more and more desperate people are coveting the divine wine, and attempts to steal it are constantly appearing near the wine cellar.
It is still in the exploratory stage.
Once this period has passed, and those alcoholic madmen are certain that the Soma Familia has severed ties with the Astrea Familia, that will be the time for a violent storm.
The current Soma Familia consists entirely of Level 1 adventurers; there isn't a single Level 2 adventurer!
Dealing with this situation is extremely difficult.
"Victor, you make a decision, what should we do?" The crowd gathered around the man with the gold-rimmed glasses. He had been recognized by Soma and became the acting leader of the clan. If he did a good job, he would be promoted to the official leader.
Don't ask me!
Viktor was so anxious that his hair was falling out. He had only been in charge of a part of the finances before, but suddenly he took over the entire clan, and the pressure from both inside and outside fell on his shoulders.
I'm incredibly busy every day.
"Damn it, Viktor, aren't you the acting commander? If you can't do the job, then get out of here!"
"Where's our money for this month?!"
"Useless! You even drove Lady Lily away!"
As they were both LV.1, the others were naturally dissatisfied with the other becoming the leader. In terms of seniority and strength, the people left behind by the former Soma Familia could easily crush the other.
Lily's time in control of the Familia was short, but she accumulated a considerable network of connections, and people still sided with her.
"Why don't we invite the sprout of justice and Lady Lily back?" someone suddenly said.
A deathly silence fell over the surroundings. Everyone looked embarrassed. They had just kicked the other party out, and now they had invited him back a few days later. They had become a laughing stock!
Viktor gritted his teeth. He needed strength, but leveling up in a short time was impossible.
"I need to hire bodyguards too!"
Victor gritted his teeth. Roy could spend 150 million to hire the entire Loki Familia as his bodyguards, and now he had even more cash at his disposal, so why couldn't he do the same?
He even praised his own brilliant idea.
On the one hand, this increased security in the wine cellar, and on the other hand, it strengthened his power and suppressed discontent within the clan.
However, he only needs a few LV.2 adventurers, and doesn't need to entrust big names like the Loki Familia.
Victor was efficient and immediately contacted the Manny Familia, whose chief deity was very fond of divine wine and with whom they had always had a good relationship.
The two parties quickly signed an agreement, with Victor paying five million falies per month to hire three LV.2 and several senior LV.1 adventurers as his personal bodyguards, and to protect the cellar storing the divine wine from being stolen.
From that day on, wherever Victor went, he was accompanied by several powerful adventurers who easily suppressed those within his clan who were dissatisfied with him.
The entire Soma Familia had become his personal fiefdom, where he held absolute sway, and this feeling of being a local tyrant fascinated Viktor.
On the surface, no one dared to defy him.
But secretly, their resentment towards this person reached its peak. Everyone's money had already decreased, and now the other party was going to use a portion of it to hire thugs.
It would have been better to keep Roy and Lily from the beginning and continue cooperating with the Astrea Familia.
The Manny Familia is a third-rate family, so bad that even the exhaust fumes of the Astrea Familia are undetectable.
And soon someone noticed the anomaly.
The divine wine stored in the Soma clan's cellar was rapidly decreasing at a visible rate. This matter crossed the line for everyone, as it was the result of their collective efforts, and without exception, they were instantly enraged.
Why are there fewer and fewer legendary wines in the cellar?
Another meeting was held, where the members of the Soma Familia gathered together to confront the acting leader, Victor.
Viktor could only evade the question. How would he know? He'd been too busy showing off and eliminating rivals to have time for such matters.
But faced with these bloodshot-eyed, wolf-like servants, Victor knew he had to give an explanation. He grabbed a guard watching the wine cellar tightly and roared, "Tell me, where is the divine wine?"
The divine wine wouldn't disappear into thin air, and there were no signs of outside intrusion, so it must have been a thief within the family.
The guard glanced cautiously at the Manny Familia adventurers behind Victor.
Everyone present wasn't blind.
The meaning behind that look is self-evident.
All eyes turned to the Manny Clan members behind Victor.
And the other party happens to be one of the people guarding the wine cellar, making it easy for them to steal from the cellar!
The leader of the Manny Clan said nonchalantly, "Don't talk nonsense, or I'll sue you for defamation."
The Manny Clan adventurers behind him were even more arrogant, practically emblazoned with the words "I took it, so what can you do about it?"
Their small team of three LV.2 adventurers was more than enough to suppress the weak Soma Familia!
Viktor was both anxious and furious. The local clansmen were so rude and had no integrity whatsoever. He was paying the highest rate, five million fali every month, and they still had to steal.
But there was one thing he hadn't thought about.
Five million falies would certainly be enough for a group of level 2 adventurers, but what they were protecting was divine wine.
A bottle of this divine wine is worth over a million falies, and on the black market, it can even fetch up to three million falies!
If a few bottles of that miraculous liquor could equal a month's salary, who would bother to work a hard job?
Cornered, Viktor had no choice but to give an explanation, angrily shouting, "From today onwards, you are no longer the guards of the Soma Familia! Get out!"
Upon hearing Victor's words, the members of the Manny Familia did not show any anger, but instead revealed a meaningful smile that appeared somewhat ferocious.
The leader laughed and said, "Since you want to terminate the contract, then pay a penalty fee. It's not much, 80 million Fali. If you're short a penny, we'll demolish it right here!"
"Pfft!"
Upon hearing this, Viktor's pent-up frustration reached its peak. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, he felt dizzy and could no longer hold on.
We've let a wolf into the house!
How incredibly foolish my actions were.
Not daring to offend the more powerful Manny Familia, they obediently paid the breach of contract fee. Under the chaotic and disorderly management, the Soma Familia's original upward trend was abruptly interrupted, and they were mired in a quagmire.
Viktor was beaten half to death by the crowd and thrown into the Blackwater Prison beneath the clan's territory, where no one cared whether he lived or died.
The Soma clan held the cash cow of divine wine, but lacked the strength to protect it, ultimately becoming a large cake to be divided among many forces.
This sparked a nationwide frenzy in Orario.
Some gods were still worried that if they wiped out the Soma clan in one fell swoop, they would have no more divine wine to drink.
But seeing how ruthless others were, I was afraid that if I acted too late, I wouldn't even get a sip of soup.
Driven by herd mentality, dozens of clans, guilds, and other forces took action, ruthlessly exploiting the Soma clan to extract every last drop of value.
Many members of the Soma Familia rushed to the Star Garden, crying and pleading, "Lady Lily, Vice-Captain, please come back!"
Lily, with a soft heart, wanted to go back to help, but Roy stopped her. "A good horse doesn't turn back to eat the grass it already grazed," Roy said, "and the situation of the Soma Familia is now many times worse than before."
He is a patient who is rotten to the core.
Helping someone once is a favor, but to continue helping someone after being betrayed is to be an overly weak and self-righteous hypocrite.
Besides, even if they intervene again and turn the tide, what difference will it make? At most five or six years, Roy is sure the same thing will happen again. That's just human nature.
"Lily, you need to understand, do you care about the Soma Familia? Or the Soma God? These are not the same thing." Roy patted Lily's head.
Lily's little face showed a thoughtful expression, her eyes shining even brighter. "I understand, Lord Roy!"
Lily has absolutely no feelings for the Soma Familia; she was bullied there since she was a child.
As for Soma, with his skill in brewing wine, even if he had to work odd jobs, this god wouldn't starve.
Why should the Soma clan care whether it lives or dies?
Less than a month after Roy and Lily were driven away, the Soma Familia filed for bankruptcy with the guild, and the commercial plunder caused by the divine wine finally subsided.
The major powers that won the lion's share did not forget to send a generous gift to the Astrea Familia.
For example, the Manne Familia, which had previously extorted a large sum from the Soma Familia, obediently handed over 40 million Fali.
The Soma Familia's previous prosperity was due to Roy's efforts, but their unbridled plundering was tantamount to trampling on all of that; in a sense, they were stealing Roy's money.
All the major powers also had to save face for Roy, so they went to great lengths to maintain proper social graces.
Otherwise, if Roy and the Astrea Familia target them in various ways in the future, they will suffer.
While sitting at home doing nothing, Roy received 180 million Fali, plus 200 bottles of divine wine, as compensation from various powerful forces.