It was a massive, circular expanse devoid of any labyrinth walls or partitions.
The sheer cliffs encircling the entire floor stretched infinitely upward, merging with a ceiling that bloomed with crystalline light.
To the south lay the cavern they had just exited, leading back up to the 17th Floor. The campsite was set up somewhere nearby.
A vast forest stretched from the south all the way to the east, dotted with emerald streams and crystal-clear springs.
To the north was a sparsely wooded wetland. Without any natural barriers, the dark silhouettes of monsters prowling the area were highly conspicuous, like wild animals wandering an open savanna.
Bathed in the white light of the artificial sky, a flock of bird-like monsters suddenly took flight from the distant water's edge.
"Monsters can enter this floor too, just like us..." Daphne explained.
"Rather than calling it our paradise," Cassandra added in her usual gloomy tone, "it's more fitting to call it a monster's utopia. They come here looking for fruit and clean water, too."
To the west lay the rocky island they currently stood on, situated firmly over a deep blue lake.
And right at the very center of the entire floor stood an impossibly colossal tree, its massive trunk piercing straight into the heavens.
Although Robin, Tifa, and the others had seen grander and more magnificent landscapes in their lives, stepping into this picturesque sanctuary—especially after the oppressive atmosphere of the Dungeon—still made their hearts soar.
Before long, they left the highlands, climbed the remnants of a mountain path, and finally arrived at their destination.
The first thing to greet them was a crude archway constructed from wooden pillars and ragged banners.
Scrawled haphazardly in Koine across a wooden board above the archway were the words: Welcome to the Town of Rivira!
"I advise you not to be fooled by that warm, hospitable facade."
Daphne curled her lip. She had clearly suffered a massive loss here in the past and still held a grudge.
"They just want to butter you up so you'll willingly empty your pockets of every last Valis."
Built atop the highest point of the island, right at the edge of the cliff, was a beautiful, village-like "town" adorned with white and blue crystals sprouting directly from the ground.
The various shops displaying signboards were less like actual buildings and more like makeshift stalls cobbled together from wood and canvas.
Of course, there were also plenty of cave-like shops and inns, built by directly repurposing natural horizontal crevices and hollows in the rock face.
The entire town was constructed along the cliff of what could essentially be considered a barren mountain. Steep slopes were everywhere, connected by simple stairs made of logs.
Yet, looking out from any angle within this staggered, haphazard streetscape, one could appreciate the magnificent view of the floor, framed perfectly by the deep blue lake in the foreground.
An inn town surrounded by crystals and stone... the Town of Rivira.
"The people running this town are none other than us adventurers."
Daphne fully embraced her role as their tour guide. "There are no complicated Guild regulations here, nor are there any ruling lords. Everyone does business exactly as they please."
She deliberately emphasized the last few words.
"Word has it that this subterranean town was originally planned by the Guild as an official outpost. But the project stalled halfway through. So, a bunch of restless adventurers took over without permission and built it into what you see today."
She pointed to the surrounding terrain. "The reason they chose this spot is because it's surrounded by the lake. Geographically, it's practically a mini-fortress—easy to defend and hard to attack."
Aside from the southern gate they had just passed through, the northern gate on the opposite side, and the sheer cliff dropping into the lake to the east, the entire town was enclosed by artificial walls.
These walls, built using a mixture of the natural terrain, crystals, and rocks, weren't quite on par with Orario's massive city walls, but they looked sturdy enough.
"Adventurers often use this place as a base camp when raiding the 18th Floor and below," Daphne explained. "Everyone follows the same routine: rest at the inn, explore, rest again... right until their stamina and supplies run completely dry."
"Of course, the town gets attacked by monsters all the time. But adventurers are experts at running away. They rarely fight to the bitter end against a monster horde. Once the monsters retreat, they just sneak back in and rebuild. It's an endless loop of construction, destruction, and reconstruction."
She held up three fingers. "Even though there are always Third-Class adventurers and above stationed here, the town always gets ruthlessly destroyed whenever an anomalous event occurs. Then, it gets resurrected time and time again by the hands of the adventurers who return. The Town of Rivira we're looking at right now is already the 333rd generation."
"The town was named to honor the great female adventurer who first established it—Riviera Santilini."
After finishing her explanation, Daphne pointed to the glittering crystals lining the road. "See those crystals? The crystals from the 18th Floor can actually fetch a good price on the surface. Noble merchants from outside the city absolutely love shiny trinkets like these."
Hearing this, Aiden's eyes instantly lit up, as if he could see mountains of Valis waving at him.
"Don't even think about it."
As if reading his mind, Robin sighed, pressing her slender finger against his forehead to shut down the "Can we mine some to sell?" escaping his lips.
"These crystals probably aren't worth that much, and dragging them all the way out of the Dungeon would be way too much of a hassle."
"Fine."
Aiden nodded gloomily.
It couldn't be helped. Their Familia wasn't exactly swimming in cash right now.
Even though they had defeated the Apollo Familia and seized the Sun God's entire fortune, building a new headquarters and upgrading everyone's equipment had practically drained their coffers.
Couple that with the bottomless money pit that was his system, and even a wealthy landlord wouldn't have any surplus grain to spare.
Given the nature of Rivira, almost every makeshift shack was a shop.
Weapon stalls, item shops, inns so narrow you could barely turn around in them, and a sparse handful of taverns. Every single business catered exclusively to adventurers.
The only people walking the streets were adventurers and a tiny minority of supporters.
The equipment worn by these high-level adventurers was heavy and exceptionally well-crafted.
Moreover, everyone was armed to the teeth, ready to throw themselves into battle at a moment's notice.
People strolled around carrying massive two-handed greatswords, lugging halberds on their shoulders, or even wearing full sets of heavy plate armor.
Compared to the Adventurer Street on the surface, this place exuded a bizarre, cutthroat atmosphere where a bloody fight could break out at any second.
Looking at this scene, it was clear that unless a monster completely lost its mind, nothing with eyes would dare launch a reckless assault on the Town of Rivira.
Beneath the towering crystalline canopy, the group navigated the labyrinthine, rocky alleyways, taking in the unique streetscape.
Lush greenery and sparkling crystalline pillars grew wildly in every nook and cranny of the staggered terrain.
"Tch. Just as I thought. The 'specialty' here is downright sickening."
Following Aiden's gaze, every storefront had a price list for weapons and items pasted in the window. The prices listed were a full one or two zeros higher than what the exact same items cost on the surface.
This wasn't a simple markup. This was highway robbery.
"Whoa... this is insanely expensive!"
Hyacine leaned close to an item shop window, letting out a small gasp at the price tag attached to a basic standard potion.
The number was so high she almost thought she miscounted the zeros.
Even though Daphne had given them a heads-up, seeing it with her own eyes was a completely different story.
"Can't be helped. Securing supplies inside the Dungeon is extremely difficult, so no matter how much they jack up the prices, things will still sell."
Daphne gave a helpless I-told-you-so look. "It's called a market monopoly. Get it?"
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