The next day, after having breakfast alone, Takumi returned by himself to the world of DanMachi.
"Haruhime haaaa~~"
He sighed, eyes a little misty.
By rights, fox spirits ought to be pretty strong—and Haruhime more or less counts.
Who could've guessed she'd be all show and no stamina; he hadn't held back quite enough, and he might've overdone it.
Though Haruhime hadn't passed out like Cattleya, she'd still need several days of proper rest.
Anna and Guren, for their part, had no intention of coming out.
All told, he was back to being on his own.
"Back to how it was—traveling light."
Takumi upped his speed. In just an hour he arrived before Orario, the Dungeon City.
A majestic metropolis appeared at the far edge of sight. Mighty walls ringed the city; at its heart rose a Babel Tower that stabbed into the clouds.
The shock of beholding such grandeur with one's own eyes was nothing like merely hearing of it.
"I should build a Babel Tower like this at the royal palace in the Redo of Healer's kingdom."
Making a quiet vow in his heart, Takumi slipped into the flow of people and entered Orario.
Even in the crush of traffic, he stood out. The modern casual clothes, and a beauty that could rival the gods—eyes flocked to him from every side.
Takumi was long used to it. Calm under the stares, he walked to the Adventurers' Guild at the base of Babel.
This place gathered great numbers of Orario's adventurers, and a fresh face like Takumi drew plenty of attention.
"Another new adventurer?"
"Which Familia is he with?"
"Never seen him—but he's seriously handsome."
…
Under the adventurers' gazes, Takumi stopped before a Guild receptionist.
She was a half-elf girl, poised and lovely.
A neat brown bob and a fitted Guild uniform gave her a crisp, capable air. Her figure had all the right curves; the snug uniform traced a perfect S-line. A sinful fullness propped the front of her blouse; a slim waist, a perky round rear, and long, shapely legs—every part alluring, yet tempered by her serious demeanor.
At the instant their eyes met, Eina's emerald pupils trembled. That shock like an electric current stalled her breath—only when Takumi came up to the counter did she snap back to herself.
"G-Good day, sir. I'm Eina Wisteria. You can call me Eina. How may I help you?"
A faint flush colored her cheeks as she greeted him with a sweet smile.
At the name, a flicker of surprise crossed Takumi's eyes. He remembered her family name should have been Tulle before—why had it become her mother's surname?
Assuming it was a result of changes to the fate-line, he didn't dwell on trivia.
He drew a few magic stones from his pocket and set them on the desk.
"I'm Takumi, just arrived in Orario. I'd like to exchange these for some valis, and get a rundown on how things currently are in Orario."
Judging from what he'd seen so far, the present state of Orario didn't quite match his memories. He wasn't about to be blindly confident—best to figure things out first.
Realizing he truly was new, Eina accepted the magic stones, a concerned look on her face. As she counted them and exchanged them into 5,000 valis, she explained the current situation.
"Half a year ago, the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia failed their expedition. Most of their high-end combat power was lost. Right now, the two biggest Familia in Orario are Freya Familia and Loki Familia.
"In particular, after the War Game, Goddess Freya absorbed Hera Familia's Silence, Alfia. If you're new, you could try applying to those two Familia—they have veteran adventurers to train you, and plenty of resources to cultivate you."
"After that, Hephaestus Familia and Hermes Familia, etc., are also good choices. But let me warn you—absolutely do not go to Apollo Familia."
By the end, Eina's expression had grown extremely grave. As if afraid of eavesdroppers, she lowered her voice and leaned close to his ear. "That god favors boys. He's… very perverted."
"Mm, mm, got it, Miss Eina. I'll steer clear—definitely steer clear." Takumi nodded at once, committing every word to memory.
Eina then went over a few practical details as well—for example, don't enter the Dungeon before you've joined a Familia and become an adventurer.
Watching Eina fuss at him like a mother hen, Takumi could only listen helplessly. She was doing it out of concern; he had no desire to rain on that.
After the briefing, he accepted the 5,000 valis and left at a brisk pace.
As she watched him go, Eina felt her heart leave with him.
…
Outside the Guild, Takumi sorted through what he had.
"The situation's even messier than I expected. Zeus and Hera were just driven out of Orario, and their Familia members were divided up by Loki and Freya.
"Alfia is with Freya Familia now; there's no info on where Meteria went. Tch—what a pain. Should I go look for them? If I do find them, what then—join their Familia?"
Takumi frowned slightly, unable to settle on a good approach in the moment.
As for Falna, he wasn't all that interested. His current level system already functioned similarly. Joining any Familia wouldn't change much for him personally.
If he had to pick one, he'd choose Hestia—for the simple reason that while that goddess couldn't drop gold, she could drop Traits!
"First, confirm Alfia and the others' situation. Then find Hestia. Finally, tackle the Dungeon."
He organized his thoughts and quickly laid out a simple plan. For now, he'd take it step by step—start by gathering intel. This wasn't the Redo of Healer's world; he couldn't afford to be too high-profile.
He pulled out the Orario map Eina had thoughtfully provided, located Freya Familia's district, and headed straight there.
By now dusk was deepening. Under the dimming sunset, the magic-stone streetlamps were lighting one by one.
Walking on, Takumi noticed the lights around him growing pinker, the air itself growing fevered.
A waft of perfume swept over him. A woman in thin gauze laid a hand on his shoulder.
"New face, handsome. Interested in some fun?"
Seeing the courtesan's sultry eyes inviting him, Takumi realized he'd wandered into the Night District— Ishtar Familia's territory.
...
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