"OK." Riveria nodded, and then asked: "But regarding that side, what should be our approach for contact?"
Finn fell into deep thought after hearing this.
"Well, for the time being, let's focus on being friendly and see if we can cooperate. After all, multiple friends are better than multiple enemies."
Actually, if he didn't think it was impossible, Finn would have wanted to take advantage of the Hestia Familia before they could grow up and tie them to his own chariot. After all, the Hestia Familia has the potential now; there is no doubt about it.
But is this possible? As long as Takumi is not stupid, it is impossible for him to choose to become a vassal to others at this time. Obviously, Takumi is definitely not stupid.
Then they could only settle for the second-best option and try to cooperate. They would try to take advantage of the rise of the Hestia Familia to get to the next level. In this way, even if they became opponents in the future, they would have more advantages.
As for whether they could succeed? Would Takumi see through his purpose? Finn believed that Takumi definitely could. It was just that he was betting—betting on how long-term Takumi's view of interests was.
Agreeing to cooperate would indeed allow the Loki Familia to profit. However, the Hestia Familia would also benefit from it, thus accelerating their development. This is a short-term benefit. Not agreeing to cooperate would leave the gap between the future rivals wide, but if the Hestia Familia continued to grow alone, the distance might be stretched too far. This was more in line with long-term interests.
This was a gamble by Finn and a test of Takumi—testing Takumi's attitude and ability.
"Yes, I understand." Riveria nodded after hearing this and said no more.
The others saw this and had no objection. As Finn said, multiple friends are better than multiple enemies.
However, some people were not very happy.
"What?! You want to cooperate with that dwarf?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I disagree!" Loki was furious again when she heard this and firmly expressed her opposition.
"..." x2
Finn and Riveria also remembered that their goddess and Hestia were not very good at dealing with each other.
"It's not certain whether it will happen or not. Why are you so anxious? Your objections are futile; it's decided. Riveria, hurry up and get it done." Finn rubbed his eyebrows with a headache and dismissed Loki's protest.
"Mhm." Riveria also ignored Loki's wailing and agreed. After the meeting, everyone dispersed, leaving only Loki with a pouting face.
...
Let's talk about Takumi. What is he doing now?
He has now returned to Dimensional City. The Dimensional Gate had been silent for several days and finally received another visitor. After receiving the system prompt, he rushed back to the reception.
As soon as he came back, Takumi saw a familiar figure. Saeko, who was holding a wooden sword stained with "red and white stuff," was comforting a blonde woman next to her.
This woman looked surprised, a little cute and confused, giving off a childish vibe despite looking completely mature. Her development was the most exaggerated Takumi had ever seen. Even if there were three children, they wouldn't go hungry, right?
"Saeko, what's wrong?" Obviously, he had guessed it, but Takumi still pretended not to know the truth and asked.
"Ah! When did you show up?" Before Saeko could say anything, the blonde woman was startled by the sudden appearance of Takumi.
"Takumi-kun, something happened in my world. This is the school nurse, Shizuka Marikawa." Saeko Busujima breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Takumi and quickly explained.
"I see. Today..."
After listening, Takumi understood what had happened after Saeko Busujima returned that day. Her parents were away, giving her a chance to prepare. While collecting useful books, she began to guide Shizuka Marikawa. Today, she finally managed to persuade Shizuka Marikawa to move to Dimensional City with her, just as the zombie virus broke out.
Fortunately, she was already ready to leave, so she was carrying her cherished practice sword; otherwise, it would have been really difficult to deal with those zombies. After killing zombies along the way and successfully finding Shizuka Marikawa, she quickly brought her here to escape.
There was no other way; although she was very skilled, she was only human. There were so many zombies outside, and she didn't have the confidence to bring a burden like Shizuka Marikawa back home safely. So, she didn't bother bringing anything else; survival was the priority.
"Zombies... that's really unlucky," Takumi said with regret.
This was not an act, but real regret. It was not that he regretted those islands, but the people across the sea. Although he had already decided to let the plot unfold—after all, he didn't know the source of the outbreak or how to stop it—when it really happened, Takumi couldn't help but feel sorry for those unlucky people in that world.
However, Takumi didn't feel sad for long. After all, on a multiversal scale, such things happen almost all the time. If he had to feel heartbroken every time he encountered one, how could he move on? It could only be said that for those living in such a dangerous world, it was their cruel fate.
"You probably got messy killing zombies. Just to be cautious, let me clean it up."
Takumi noticed some dirt on Saeko Busujima's body, especially on the wooden sword. As he said that, he raised his hand to cast a high-level purification magic with light attributes. A soft rain of light fell, and the grime on Saeko Busujima's clothes and the red and white residue on the wooden sword dissipated into the air as black gas.
This magic was specially prepared by Takumi for this purpose; its effect is to purify all substances harmful to the human body.
"What's this? So amazing!" Shizuka Marikawa, who hadn't figured out the situation yet, was attracted by the light rain and reached out to grab it curiously. She really was like a child who hadn't grown up.
"Thanks." Saeko Busujima looked at her instantly clean clothes and wooden sword, smiled at Takumi, and nodded.
"It's nothing. I just don't want a virus harming my place." Takumi waved his hand. "Let's not talk about anything else first. Let's go into the house. Since this happened suddenly, I guess you are tired. Eat something and rest first."
"Mhm." Saeko Busujima didn't refuse. She didn't feel it before, but now that she had relaxed, she was indeed a little tired.
Takumi took the two girls into the house and asked Tomoko to prepare some food for them, then found an excuse to leave. He returned to Orario and found Hestia.
"After Kanae and the others come back tonight, please let them go back to Dimensional City. I have a mission that requires them."
Now that the plot of the Highschool of the Dead world has begun, it's time to harvest. At the same time, he was planning to let the three Kocho sisters go there to sharpen their skills. By the way, he wanted to see if they could accumulate a wave of "Great Achievements" by traveling to a different world.
Of course, they would also help move supplies. Once this wave is handled, Dimensional City will definitely gain momentum and usher in rapid development!