"If you keep fighting among yourselves, everyone might die in the next trial." Phield shrugged. "I suggest we work together against the demons and monsters first. When it’s time to divide the spoils, everyone can compete fairly."

"Even if one of you manages to kill the rest of us, how much farther can you really go? Can you wipe out every demon tide on every floor?"

Phield smiled. "Statistically speaking, the farther we go, the more treasure chests each faction will open on average. If a pile of gold bars is enough to make all of you fight until your heads are split open, then I’d suggest packing your things and going home. I’ll clear the rest of the trials by myself."

"Very persuasive. As expected of Lord Phield." Riemann pondered for a moment. Although they had only just met, he had the strange feeling that Phield understood human nature remarkably well. "I agree. Why don’t our three major factions explore together and take turns claiming the treasures?"

Since Phield had previously fought two Third Tier Divine Chosen by himself and still had two companions at his side, he was automatically regarded as one of the major powers despite having no army with him.

"I’ll take a small loss this time. The gold bars will belong to the Stormsea Mercantile Nation. The next treasure will go to the Twilight Knights. The third one will belong to Lord Phield. Of course, everyone must contribute when fighting the demon hordes. Anyone who refuses will become our enemy."

"What do you think?" Riemann asked, his eyes gleaming.

In his opinion, the Twilight Knights were the greatest threat. The sooner they opened a treasure chest, the less valuable the reward would be. As for using the third chest to win Phield over, he considered that well worth the price.

"No problem."

Phield waved lazily. "I’ve already said I’m here to witness history. If I happen to obtain some treasure, even better. I’m not picky."

Deep down, however, Phield was already calculating how to maximize his profits.

Killing everyone here was nearly impossible. Rosalia could handle at most three opponents. Tisiana and Firomina could barely deal with one Third Tier Divine Chosen together. That made four in total. Yet Riemann’s side alone had four Divine Chosen, and the Twilight Knights’ true strength remained unfathomable.

Phield regretted not bringing more Divine Chosen with him.

Even if they somehow won, the rest of the expedition would become a living nightmare.

A better idea would be to let them safeguard all the loot for now. Once the trial ended, he could gather the armies of Nightfall Domain, block the only route out, slaughter every last one of them, and claim every treasure for himself.

"Very well. We agree as well."

After a long silence, Farlo finally nodded. With the other factions vastly outnumbering them, she had little choice.

"After all, we’re fighting for humanity’s future."

Everyone accepted Riemann’s proposal, and the infighting finally came to an end.

The expedition continued.

The monsters on the second floor consisted of a mixed force of Demonkin and Banshees. There were no special mechanics, and the alliance wiped them out with ease.

Now the trials themselves were no longer the problem. The real challenge had become deciding who opened each treasure chest.

A cyan glow descended.

Divine Artifact: Bronze Treasury

Tier: First Tier, Racial Heritage Grade, Single Use

Origin: Goddess of Wealth and Collection

Spend soul power to open it, and you will obtain the thing you desire most. As a First Tier artifact, it can grant ordinary magical items.

Following the agreed rotation, Farlo opened the chest and received five hundred First Tier magic cores.

The third floor was equally simple.

The treasure chest had evolved from bronze into an elegant silver chest. The reward description had also changed.

Second Tier: Capable of granting rare magical items.

Keeping Tisiana on guard, Phield walked up to the chest and muttered to himself.

"So it really knows what I want? I want a lot of things. Don’t tell me it’s going to give me a blue flame Gatling gun."

The moment he placed his hand on the chest, he felt a tiny thread of soul power being consumed.

As his soul power flowed into it, bottle after bottle of flawless potions poured out of the chest.

One hundred bottles in total.

Magic Awakening Potion (Second Tier): Has a high chance of awakening magical talent in children.

"Holy crap! This is exactly what I needed!"

Phield was overjoyed.

He hadn’t been thinking about Magic Awakening Potions at all. His mind had been completely blank, yet the chest had still produced something incredibly useful.

Once these potions were distributed throughout his territory, the next generation of children would almost certainly produce new knights.

These rare potions were monopolized by the great noble houses and were nearly impossible to purchase. Yet now he had obtained a hundred bottles in one go. Their value was beyond estimation.

Phield could feel greed spreading wildly through his heart.

The people around him were so jealous their eyes had nearly turned red, yet everyone restrained themselves and resisted the urge to snatch the potions.

Instead, quiet discussions broke out.

"Everyone has already opened one chest. That means the next one belongs to me. I made a sacrifice earlier, after all. Those gold bars meant nothing to me." Riemann could hardly wait.

The entrance to the fourth underground floor appeared.

This level contained two trolls and a large number of Demonkin, but in front of the Divine Chosen they were little more than paper targets.

The alliance lost just over twenty people, most of whom lacked any real strength, before clearing the floor with ease.

Golden light descended.

"Starting from this chest onward, Divine Artifacts can now appear."

The Queen’s lingering soul appeared beside Riemann without anyone noticing when she had arrived.

Whether it was merely an illusion or not, her soul looked noticeably more solid than before.

She smiled gently at Riemann.

"The future belongs to all of you. Carry the will of my Empire forward and continue this journey."

"Alright!"

Riemann froze for a moment, visibly inspired.

"I may joke around all the time, but if demons ever invade, I’ll stand on the front line."

He slowly opened and closed his fist.

"I act like a clown every day because I want my friends and family to live comfortable lives. If I become stronger, I’ll protect everyone and make sure they all have a wonderful future."

"Everyone deserves the right to live a free and happy life!"

He looked around sincerely.

His words moved many people.

"Well said. The light of justice will one day shine upon the entire world." Farlo nodded in approval.

Meanwhile, Phield stood nearby with the expression of someone burdened by an unpayable debt of gratitude, quietly applauding.

The inspiring atmosphere did not last long.

"Divine Artifact..."

The moment those two words were spoken, the last thread of restraint snapped.

"Lord Riemann, the Adventurers’ Guild is part of your alliance. We hope this reward will belong to us."

Josena, the hidden Second Tier Divine Chosen of the Adventurers’ Guild, stepped through the crowd.

"The rewards will only become better and better. We’re not greedy. We only want the first Divine Artifact."

"Hah..."

The noble vow Riemann had just made about giving everyone a better life was instantly tossed into the trash.

He narrowed his eyes.

"See? You’re already getting impatient."

"But if we don’t receive one now, the rewards later will only become more valuable. The Adventurers’ Guild may never get another chance." Josena frowned. "Surely you don’t intend to use your influence to suppress us? And you, black robed mages, don’t honestly believe it’ll be your turn next, do you?"