By the time the Sol Familia had finished cleaning up the battlefield, the sky had yet to fully brighten. Despite the early hour, every member of the Familia had already returned to their base to regroup.
The sheer volume of loot they had gathered filled multiple warehouses that Riveria had emptied in preparation.
And this was only part of the spoils—valuable items like Valis, gems and gold and silver treasures were stored alongside the original reserves of the Sol Familia.
Of course, not everything in their haul could be openly displayed. After all, the Pleasure District had its fair share of special goods.
But the most discussed aspect of their conquest was, without a doubt, the captives.
Since Riveria had only sealed off the Ishtar Familia's residence before the attack, many low-level prostitutes had managed to flee before the Sol Familia officially moved in.
Even so, the number of captives far exceeded their expectations.
There simply wasn't enough space to hold them all. Their basements were already overflowing, and many of the lowest-ranked prostitutes were left behind on the Pleasure District.
Once Kayle and Morgana took over the territory, they would inherit the responsibility of dealing with them.
What they chose to do with them, however, was none of Sol's concern.
But given Kayle's influence, it was unlikely these women would return to their former profession so easily.
——
By the second day, after being thoroughly secured by the Sol Familia, all of the Pleasure District was completely sealed off.
The news spread quickly, drawing crowds of adventurers to gather outside its gates.
Their faces were filled with disappointment, their emotions raw.
It was almost as if they were mourning a fallen comrade.
Their paradise was gone.
Meanwhile, Renata worked alongside the Kayle and Morgana Familias to divide up Pleasure District's territory.
Aside from the land they needed for themselves, space had to be set aside for future Valoran gods—ones Sol planned to summon into this world.
Renata was especially eager.
Before all this, she had struggled to decide where to open a shop for her Janna Familia's goods.
For now, Ares served as a consistent buyer, ensuring their supply lines remained active. In fact, the demand from Ares and his Familia alone already exceeded their production capacity.
But in the long run, she couldn't ignore Orario's massive market.
And more importantly, her goal was to crush the Dian Cecht Familia.
A deal with Ares alone wouldn't be enough to achieve that.
But with control over the Pleasure District?
Land was no longer an issue.
At first, she had planned to purchase a storefront in Babel Tower.
Now, it seemed she could build an entire shopping district of her own.
In the future, she could challenge Babel Tower directly—turning Pleasure District into Orario's largest commercial hub, backed by its established reputation and infrastructure.
From the very start, she had never intended to let the Pleasure District remain what it once was.
After all, with Kayle involved, she doubted she had the power to change the rigid ideals of that so-called Angel of Justice.
Renata sighed as she glanced toward Morgana and Kayle, who were locked in yet another heated argument over some trivial matter.
Well, Morgana was arguing.
Kayle, as always, maintained her cold and unwavering stance, refusing to budge from her position.
Morgana's teeth ground together in frustration.
One day, once her Familia surpassed Kayle's completely, she would land two solid punches on that smug face.
And in terms of adventurer strength, she wasn't far off.
After all, she had already poached Vex—an LV5—from Sol's ranks.
Originally, Morgana had planned to tease Kayle, perhaps even flirt a little—but who could have guessed that Kayle had an ace up her sleeve?
And that ace's name was Galio.
Now reduced to an unmoving statue, Galio lay silently at the entrance of their Familia domain, a silent sentinel of immense power.
As the guardian of Demacia, Galio's allegiance naturally fell under Kayle's control, considering that nearly all of Demacia's aristocratic orthodoxy was in her hands.
Made almost entirely of forbidden magic stones, Galio couldn't receive a divine blessing like an adventurer.
But that hardly mattered.
From the very start, his sheer strength placed him at the pinnacle.
And worse still for Morgana, he possessed a natural resistance against magic—a walking nightmare for mages.
To put it bluntly, even if Morgana's entire Familia charged at him, Galio alone might be enough to take them all down.
Faced with an unwinnable fight, neither side could truly make a move.
And so, the two rivals settled for an uneasy truce.
Eventually, it was Janna who stepped in as an intermediary, trying to mediate between the feuding sisters.
Renata, unconcerned with their standoff, simply continued laying out her own plans.
While Morgana and Kayle negotiated the division of the Pleasure District, a few unexpected guests arrived at Sol Familia's estate.
The guild had sent someone to "assess the situation."
But anyone with half a brain knew it was just a thinly veiled attempt at holding them accountable.
However, after witnessing the raw power the Sol Familia displayed during their battle against the Ishtar Familia the night before, the guild wasn't about to push its luck too far.
And so, they sent Saria as their messenger.
Her message was simple.
"Ouranos-sama requests your presence at the guild for a meeting."
Saria wasted no time, heading directly to Sol upon arrival.
Sol smirked.
"Oh? That old relic finally couldn't sit still?"
He had expected the guild to send someone, perhaps to reprimand him or slap him with a meaningless fine.
But for Ouranos himself to make a move?
That was unexpected.
After becoming the guild's founder, Ouranos had long secluded himself in the guild's deepest chambers, hidden away in darkness.
Ever since Sol's descent to the Lower World, the two had barely interacted—in fact, not even once.
Still, Sol was certain of one thing:
Ouranos had been watching.
The old god always kept a close eye on Orario's affairs.
Perhaps now, he had taken an interest in the strength of Sol's Familia.
Riveria, standing beside him, gently grasped his hand, her expression laced with concern.
"Sol..." she murmured, her unease evident.
Ouranos might not be an active force in Orario, but his presence was undeniable—a legend that lingered, even in absence.
Sol gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry," he said, his voice calm and confident.
"It's time I had a chat with that old man."