"No."
Haruhime shook her head: "I use magic to process everything, so I haven't encountered this situation."
"Fine."
When Takumi saw this, he didn't worry too much. He went to find Shizuka Marikawa and Rika Minami to give them some relief. Then he brought a new cutting machine and carved a magic circle on the saw wheel to increase its sharpness. After trying it for a while and making sure that the wood could be cut normally, he asked the two women to continue working.
Later, he also joined in the processing of wood. After a busy afternoon, he finally built a resettlement house. This speed was actually very fast; when building the branch building before, it had taken about two days. Now he could build one in a single afternoon, which was already several times faster. Because Takumi had been processing the wood himself, the materials were all ready. He just needed to go faster tomorrow.
At dinner, Takumi looked at Shizuka Marikawa and asked: "Do you want to be like Saeko? You can become stronger, and even master the power of magic like Haruhime."
Through what happened this afternoon, Takumi had discovered a problem. That is, people with no power like them were not of much use to the Dimension City. At most, they could only do odd jobs and help take care of the farmland. If they were really allowed to participate in the construction of the city, they would be too powerless.
This also made Takumi change his policy for the next two hundred immigrants. At the very least, he needed to let them master some power, otherwise it would be too inefficient. It would be best for everyone to learn a little magic from the Harry Potter world so they could work effectively. As for whether they could learn it, Takumi wasn't worried. With those fortified foods, they could develop the necessary qualifications even if they didn't have them naturally. They weren't being asked to fight; they just needed to learn some magic to make life easier. How difficult could it be?
"Wait? Can we too?"
When Shizuka Marikawa heard this, she immediately became energetic. To say she didn't want to be like Saeko Busujima—who could go on adventures in other worlds and learn magical powers—would be a lie. However, she didn't know how to get such an opportunity and never had the chance to propose it to Takumi. Unexpectedly, Takumi had proposed it himself. Rika Minami also looked over with the same curiosity.
Takumi nodded: "Of course. Rather, I hope you can become stronger, otherwise it will be like today..." He didn't say any more; he believed the two women understood. The two women fell silent, remembering the feeling of powerlessness they had today and clenching their fists.
"How about it? Do you want to learn? If you do, you will be completely bound to the Dimension City from now on, and it won't be that easy to leave again. If you don't learn, you can go back to your lives after I clear out all the zombies over there."
Of course, it wasn't just letting them go. They would go back to be recruiters for new immigrants, acting as foreign ambassadors similar to Qin Yu. After hearing this, Rika Minami thought about it and shook her head: "Forget about going back. Everything has been turned upside down after this incident. We won't be able to adapt even if we go back."
"Yeah, Rika is right," Shizuka Marikawa added.
"So you want to learn?"
"Yes, please give us this opportunity," Rika Minami stood up and said to Takumi seriously.
"And me, I want it too," Shizuka Marikawa stood up.
"Then, as you wish."
Takumi immediately signed a contract with them. Then he raised his hand and instilled memory, teaching them basic breathing and meditation methods, as well as a magic circuit and basic magic.
"You can practice these two things. Come to me after you have mastered magic power. Then I will teach you some more magic. If you run out of magic power in the circuit, you can come to me to replenish it."
Takumi discovered that this energy-charging magic circuit was really useful. By providing magic patterns and knowledge, he could let anyone quickly master the power of magic. Takumi also planned to give the two hundred future immigrants this training so they could quickly form a labor force.
"Yes!"
Later, Takumi returned to the room and found Hestia.
"Takumi, you came just in time. Today Riveria was here again, saying she wants to discuss matters with you about the expedition."
"The expedition is about to begin?" Takumi was startled. This wasn't the best time. There were a lot of things going on in the Dimension City. In the next few days, as immigrants were accepted, they would become busier. But now, they were going on an expedition? Takumi frowned and asked: "Did she say when they would set off?"
"She said the time is ten days from now."
When Takumi heard this, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew, that's okay. Ten days is enough for me to deal with the matters in the Dimension City. Okay, I'll take the time to go over there tomorrow and see what needs to be discussed."
Hestia didn't object, and the two went to rest.
Early the next morning, Takumi returned to the Dimension City and arranged today's work for Haruhime's group. Then he returned to Orario, said hello to Hestia, and walked toward the Twilight Manor of the Loki Familia. Along the way, many people looked at him and gave way. Seeing that the current adventurers were so understanding, Takumi did not disperse them as before.
As for these adventurers, when they saw Takumi walking toward the headquarters of the Loki Familia, they were curious. Many followed him silently, preparing to watch. When Takumi arrived at the entrance of the Twilight Manor, the people inside had already heard the noise and came out.
The leader, a Prum, looked at Takumi with a wry smile and said: "Your Majesty, you really are the center of the storm wherever you go."
Takumi shrugged and smiled: "I can't help it. I don't want to be high-profile, but my strength won't allow it."
Finn Deimne did not comment on this but extended a hand of friendship. "For our first meeting, I am Finn, the leader of the Loki Familia."
Takumi smiled and shook his hand. "Takumi, of the Hestia Familia."
Then Finn invited Takumi in. The adventurers outside left, disappointed that there was no drama. In the reception room, Finn, Riveria, and Loki were present. After Riveria poured the tea, Takumi got straight to the point: "Tell me, you have sent people to see me so many times, I assume it's not just for tea."
Finn didn't mince words. "I heard from Tsubaki of the Hephaestus Familia that you have been preparing to participate in our expedition for a long time, right?"
He had learned this from Tsubaki yesterday while discussing assistance for the expedition. He had been wondering if he could cooperate with the Hestia Familia, but he hadn't expected Takumi to come to his door. However, Finn felt something was off. Because Takumi had already planned this, Finn was undecided. He didn't understand Takumi's purpose. He had asked Riveria to invite Takumi over to see what his ideas were.
Takumi nodded generously. "Yes."
"So, can you tell me why you want to join our expedition? This is very important to us. Please answer carefully, as it may determine whether we agree to your participation."
Although Finn's tone was gentle, he was essentially interrogating Takumi for any hidden motives. Finn had to be cautious. An expedition was no trivial matter; any bad intentions from a team member could lead to the sacrifice of the whole group. Finn was responsible for the lives of his fellow members. Furthermore, in a large-scale expedition, members from other Familias participated as well. Finn was responsible for them too.
Another issue was Takumi himself. His origin was unknown, he was powerful but had no reputation, and his whereabouts were mysterious. The Loki Familia was an old family that had survived the previous era and the war with the dark faction. Finn couldn't guarantee that there weren't remnants of the dark faction around.
Loki and Riveria cast scrutinizing looks at Takumi. Takumi said calmly: "I believe you have already understood my purpose from Hephaestus. But since you asked, I'll say it again. I come from a secluded place. Because I was isolated from the world, although I have strength, I don't know exactly what level I am at. I want to participate in the expedition to verify my strength and gain combat experience. As for why I want to hitch a ride with you, it's because going deep into the dungeon alone is troublesome and wastes time exploring. I'm usually very busy with personal matters, so it's hard to spare a lot of time alone. I've looked at your previous expedition times and felt that taking this ride with you would be more efficient."
The Loki Familia's expeditions were efficient due to their logistics and experience. They could use their numbers to quickly find exits and their knowledge to handle deep-layer monsters. This logistics system was also something Takumi wanted to learn for the future of the Hestia Familia. Even if they were just nominal members now, there would eventually be many of them.
The only drawback was that their large-scale efficiency could be low compared to a solo elite. Ottar of the Freya Familia could complete an expedition quickly, but Loki's group took at least half a month. Takumi had a small gadget that could make them more efficient, but that depended on whether they allowed him to join.
Finn and Riveria looked at Loki. Loki looked at Takumi deeply and nodded to them. "Well, he didn't lie."
In Orario, it is consensus that one cannot lie before the gods. It is not necessarily mind-reading, but gods have the experience to tell when a person is being untruthful. Once Loki confirmed Takumi's words, Finn and Riveria chose to believe him. Takumi had concealed some things, but he hadn't lied.
Finn stood up with a smile and extended his hand to Takumi again. "I'm sorry to have asked you so bluntly. On behalf of the Loki Familia, I welcome you to our expedition."