After petting the helpless Priestess as if she were an endangered red panda for a while, the group returned to their previous inquiry. Especially Natalia.

[Mina, why did you say that his summons are special?](Natalia)

[I don't know how to explain it properly, but I've seen Necromancers summons plenty of times before. His are different. Their color and smell and even the aura they exude are incomparable. They feel... noble.](Mina)

[Noble...](Mira)

[Pfft! If those guys would hear you use that word to describe Skeletons, they would surely blow their top off.](Celeste)

[Noble, huh? Well, we can see it for ourselves soon. Didn't he say he'd be back in an hour? Also, since when has our Aylin allowed others to cook for her? Did you also fall victim to his charms?](Beatrice)

[What? No. I'm not interested in him. His cooking and recipes, though, are a different matter altogether. He created the sandwiches and the smoothies you're enjoying.](Aylin)

[Ooooh! Such high praises from you? Are you sure you didn't fall for him?](Celeste)

[Positive. There's another reason we called you besides Helen's idea of creating the elite team. Mina, you still have it, right?](Aylin)

Mina nodded and brought out a sketch on a somewhat whiter piece of paper. The four looked curiously at it for a while, then looked confusedly at Aylin.

Helen took over the situation since she had hands-on experience with it.

[It's called an Altar of Lilith.](Helen)

[Lilith!? As in... THAT Lilith?](Natalia)

[Mhm. The news we have are related to her. To put it simply, she's already walking the Sanctuary.](Helen)

[[[[WHAT!?]]]]

Giving her friends some time to recover their bearings, Helen calmly continued.

[I will let Michael tell you what he knows since all our information comes from him.](Helen)

[Not to offend you in any way, love, but did you confirm this?](Mira)

[Mhm. Prava herself confirmed, and even Inarius is aware of it. According to Michael, he's in the Alabaster Monastery himself. The bottom line is that she's here, and things will get progressively worse.](Helen)

[Where do these altars of her fit? Do we need to search and destroy them?](Celeste)

[No. On the contrary, we need to find and activate them.](Helen)

[[[[...]]]]

An intense debate was sparked about how bad of an idea that was, and the conversation stagnated for over thirty minutes, with arguments pro and against.

Helen and Aylin abstained from commenting, but the other sisters were very engaged in providing their opinions on the matter, especially after benefiting from the increased stats.

Michael returned as the conversation turned heated, with Mira and Celeste almost coming to blows again.

"It seems that I missed something fun?"

[Fun!? Hurry up and tell us everything!](Beatrice)

"Eh!? About what?"

[I told them about the altars. We'll need their help if we want to find all of them across the Sanctuary.](Helen)

"Oh, I see. How much did you fill them in on Lilith?"

[Almost nothing. All they know is what they've read in the books or heard the church members preach.](Helen)

"Mhm. I'll take over then."

The girls eyed him suspiciously. After all, a newbie that just came in contact with the world of Wanderers only two months ago couldn't possibly know more about it than those who spent decades fighting against these forces.

However, once Michael started with Lilith's summoning and the Pale Man, Celeste paled herself and corroborated that Lorath was indeed looking for this person. Furthermore, there was a high chance that the Pale Man was his disciple.

Michael didn't comment on the situation but mentally replied with an 'as expected' and glossed over. He continued with Nevesk and how Lilith 'unburdened' the populace from their moral shackles, then continued with Rathma's prophecy, which they all heard, albeit only portions.

[This... and you said you heard his voice?](Natalia)

"Mhm. I also met Maltorius during my Golem Quest. Call of the Underworld, if I remember correctly."

[What!? Master Necromancer Maltorius!?](Natalia)

Seeing their friend so worked up, even the girls were looking strangely at her.

Sighing, she stood back on the seat and took deep breaths to calm down.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

[One of the Priests of Rathma. And not just any Priest. He boasted the tallest Golem in history, the Dreadgolem. Until someone cut the spike on the Golem's head, and it lost its title as the tallest. That doesn't detract from Maltorius's, or rather Rahad's, exploits. He was, without a doubt, one of the strongest Necromancers we had. But... wasn't he dead? How could you meet him?](Natalia)

Michael shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Isn't Rathma even older? And he seems to be alive and kicking in his Necropolis. To complete my story, after the mess in Nevesk, I followed Lilith's trail to Yelesna, and in the mines, we found entire cities built with splendor you can't possibly imagine without seeing for yourself. I couldn't read most of the inscriptions, but the paintings there depict the actual beginnings of the Sanctuary. Unfortunately, we were stopped before the Black Lake. I had to get a blessing from Inarius to cross it..."

[Since you lack the divine element. Did you get it?](Natalia)

"Mhm. I'm planning to continue the exploration in about four days. Hopefully... what I find there won't confirm my worst fears."

[Fears?](Beatrice)

"Rathma might be dead. Killed by either Lilith or Inarius."

[...](Beatrice)

[I see. Coupled with his prophecy, it might make sense. But still... it's their child. Would they do that?](Natalia)

"I'm not sure Lilith would, but given Inarius' past with his children and wife, I'd say there's a high chance."

Michael took some of the experiments Mylo has been brewing and served everyone a glass. There were ciders, some beer, and even 'primordial' Vodka.

Strong drinks would lessen the impact of the conversation on the girls' psyche.

"Forgive me for asking so bluntly, but you seem to have high positions even as high-level Wanderers for Helen to consider you for this talk, as well as the hunt for Lilith's Altars. Can you explain your position to me, if you don't mind?"

[It's nothing complicated. Just like Helen and I, they are each responsible for overseeing their region's Dungeons and Wanderers.](Aylin)

"Region!? As in, Fractured Peaks, Scosglen, etc.?"

[Yes.](Aylin)

"Oh wow! Bigshots, huh?"

[Heh! I'd wish! All I do is sign paperwork and clean the mess of others daily! I want nothing more than to resign!](Celeste)

[Then how about you don't participate in the next selection then? You complained about it five years ago as well and still joined the competition for the spot.](Mira)

[Piss off, ogre! Do you think I'm stupid!? If I won't, you'll keep your position and poke fun at me whenever you get the chance.](Celeste)

[Heh.](Mira)

[Tsk!](Celeste)

[*Cough* As you roughly heard, we hold competitions every five years and decide the strongest Wanderer in each region. They must also be capable of leading others and be popular and well-liked enough by the population. That's how Helen joined our ranks, even if Aylin already represented Fractured Peaks.](Beatrice)

"Because she's popular?"

[Because her strength is on par with mine.](Aylin)

Suffering the torture of Helen's fingers on his waist once more, Michael quietly contemplated just how vast the network of these sisters was and how much he underestimated them.

Because of this realization, a very audacious idea took form in his mind.

"Say, I've just learned today from Connie about Luban's Rest Dungeon near Corbach."

[Ugh... Such bad memories. If Mira and Natalia hadn't brought reinforcements in time, I don't want to imagine the losses we would've incurred.](Beatrice)

"Theoretically, and I mean it when I say this, would it be possible to create enough elite teams to repeatedly clear all the Dungeons in the Sanctuary until their masters go broke?"

A streak of violent lightning instantly zapped the Necromancer away from the group and sent him flying over ten meters.

The girls were probably just as shocked as Michael was at the sudden development.

[Michael!](Helen)

[Heavenly punishment!?](Mira)

[???](Celeste)

[Uhm... what the hell!?](Beatrice)

[...](Natalia)

The four guests watched in horror as the man stood up calmly and began protesting against the violent response of the Sanctuary to his foolish question.

They were just as surprised to see all seven sisters run over in concern.

"The fuck is wrong with you!? Didn't I just say 'theoretically'!? Furthermore, I even emphasized the point. You didn't even let me finish my idea! Fuck! How is this preferential treatment when you act like a bully!?"

The four guests gulped and looked at the sky, which appeared to be brewing at least a couple more bolts to wake up the punny and yelling at the skies.

[He... wasn't wrong, was he? That idea didn't sound bad.](Natalia)

The other three turned around in fright and immediately distanced themselves from their friend, just in case she got zapped also.

Noticing their reaction, the Night Lord's expression darkened.

Michael returned to his seat while waving away everyone's concerns.

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't actually deal damage to me. It's more like a slap on the head to get me back in line. Back to the topic we were talking about, do you think it's possible?"

Another loud thunder echoed, startling the girls. They reacted similar to birds scared by loud noises, making Michael chuckle.

"I already said to listen until the end! Stop being unreasonable!"

[[[...]]](everyone)

"So, as I said... let's start with this question. How many parties would be needed, and how many times would a Dungeon have to be cleared in order for it to be closed?"

[...a single party sufficiently familiar enough with the Dungeon can clear it at least 20-25 times daily. That would be sufficient to deplete most of the resources the devil has to invest outside its own territory in the Burning Hells.](Mira)

"Stop looking around like that. You won't get hit... Hmm... that means at least two specialized parties per Dungeon. What about the total number of Dungeons in the world?"

Looking at each other, the guests were somewhat caught off guard by today's events, while the sisters seemed to enjoy themselves immensely.

Michael sighed once more at the lack of entertainment in this world.

Helen was the first to answer.

[Fractured Peaks has 23 Dungeons. We're not sure if the mining tunnels between Yelesna and Margrave would become one or not in the future, but for now, it's just 23.](Helen)

[It's the same for Hawezar. Also, 23.](Natalia)

[We have only 21 in the Dry Steppes.](Beatrice)

[Tsk! Thank you for reminding me. Those extra two are somehow considered to be in my territory. Scosglen has 25.](Celeste)

[Also 23 for Kehjistan.](Mira)

"So, 115 Dungeons. That means we'd need almost 1,000 Wanderers to succeed."

[What do you have in mind?](Aylin)

"I've been thinking for a while now, but these Dungeons are similar to a door between our Sanctuary and the Burning Hells."

[Right...](Hella)

"The only problem is how that door is opening."

[What do you mean?](Mei)

"Look at this place's gate. If you want to open it, do you pull or push?"

[Doesn't it depend on the side you're on?](Mei)

"Mhm. But that works only if the gate can be opened both ways. What if the gate can be opened only from the inside to the outside, and you happen to be on the outside?"

[You'll have to pull?](Evelyn)

"Correct. Now, what happens if you're a thief who wants to open the door, and you happen to have the key as well? Would it be hard to open it?"

[No... you would just have to... pull...](Mina)

Seeing the confused faces of Tia and Evelyn and the morphing faces of the other girls, Michael knew that he sent his thoughts across.

"A door created by the Sanctuary... how would it be possible for it to hand over the key to it to the Burning Hells? That would create invasion portals, given the nature of the devils. But that also means that it has full control over this door. So, if we do happen to clear all the Dungeons in the world on the same day, it would create absolute chaos in the Burning Hells. That would also allow us to take over the Dungeons completely. Then, instead of us defending passively and fighting in the land stolen by the devils to send their armies over, we could simply invade their world, couldn't we?"

There was no answer for a long time from the girls. But it didn't matter to the Necromancer.

The answer he was waiting for had to come from the big boss. Only the Sanctuary could confirm if his theory was feasible or not.

Because if it was, he could accelerate some of his plans and send the Wanderers of this world on the right path. Not only to survive, but to actually conquer!