To listen to the Dwarven crafters sent to entreat with the Hephaestus familia Rakia had grown more belligerent as of late with the rise of a handful of additional Level 2s and Level 3s within their ranks, and that had the Dwarven Kingdoms under the mountains worried that skirmishes would be inevitable. After considering this the Kingdoms decided to expand their stores of weapons capable of harming higher-leveled Adventurers more easily through their Endurance stats, and while the Dwarves had far fewer individuals naturally gifted with Magic than the Elves, they certainly had more mystically inclined soldiers than the humans, Beastkin, or Pallum; to take advantage of this they commissioned two hundred Valmarth weapons and paid my Goddess handsomely in Gold, Silver, and vast quantities of Low Steel ores mined from their mountains. It made a lot of sense seeing as Valmarth was a magical ore that more easily attuned and accepted Dwarven wielders, but we- as a familia- ran into a snag: we didn't have nearly enough Valmarth on hand to fill such a massive order.
Of course, we could have simply carried on with normal operations, lucking into the occasional Valmarth ore cluster in the lower-middle floors during our frequent expeditions with the Miach familia, but that would have seen us making blades piecemeal and stockpiling the finished weapons until we had a large enough batch to warrant shipping under armed guard to the north. That and when it came to any form of military planning, logistics was king, and while the Kingdoms wouldn't dare find fault with the slow build-up of weapons (as the order was considered a 'last minute' deal on their end), I wasn't too keen on taking a year or more to finish this order.
As the ranking member of the Hephaestus familia, I needed to ensure that we had our ducks in a row and could finish the order in a timely fashion so that my Goddess' promises weren't seen as lofty or ill-made.
Now that I think about it, this was probably a test on her part to see how I'd handle the pressure, but the joke was on her because I perform very well under stress!
So instead of just sitting around with our thumbs up our asses and waiting for Adventurers to sell ores to us or the Guild I decided that another expedition was in order- our target?
The Colosseum.
Or, well, the 'safe zone' just past the Colosseum.
The Guild had lots of helpful information about the Dungeon, from thorough a Monster Beastiary to detailed maps of each floor, and even loot tables and farming/mining locations of valuable drop items and ores. It gave me a good baseline level of knowledge that I could begin preliminary planning around while I picked the brains of the more experienced members of not only my familia but the Loki familia as well.
Yes, in the name of spending more time with everyone I decided to turn this into another multi-familia soiree, extending a hand to the other Big Five familias to have them join us in tackling this new expedition. I had expected some push-back, but I guess with the Training Expedition my dear Tsubaki-nee put together there was a certain 'bug' infecting everyone called jolly cooperation, and I couldn't be any happier to see it. More people meant more security, and with Evilus skulking around I wanted to have as many bodies with me as they had monsters.
The Freya Familia was sending along a small group of six highly experienced Level 3 archers led by a handsome human man by the name of Dustin Havemar, meanwhile, the Skadi and Inari familias were sending along four of their borderline Level 3s and a single Level 4. The Loki familia, much to their Goddess' chagrin, was coming as well with Aiz, Tiona, and Tione filling out our expedition's ranks with a Level 5 heavy hitter to act as our spotter. Miach was sending his sole Level 3 along with Naaza and a few other Level 2s that joined us frequently during our joint expeditions, if only have some healers and support Adventurers who could Mix potions in the field with materials we would gather on the way down.
I extended the offer to Goibnu and Kagu-Tsuchi familias, but only the Captain of the Kagu-Tsuchi familia- one Takeo Miyamoto- opted to come with as the rest of his familia was too low-leveled to head down as deep as we were.
Of course, while everyone would get a chance to fight while being watched over by stronger Adventurers, there was a requirement that anyone attending be ready and able to defend themselves; I didn't expect a Level 2 to fight the Level 3 and 4 monsters we would encounter in the lower floors, but what I did expect was for them to be able to stay alive long enough for someone to rescue them. Contrary to popular belief, meeting a higher leveled monster wasn't an immediate death sentence, and the Loki and Freya familias proved this every time they went down for one of their expeditions- Level 2s and Level 3s often made up the shield walls they used to keep even Level 4 and 5 monsters at bay, so staying alive just long enough for the largest threat to our dive to be handled was definitely possible.
Asfi was also going to be joining us, which necessitated me buying another idea notebook because I had a feeling if I wasn't mending weapons with the other blacksmiths then I would be spending time with her coming up with some new ideas for Mystery crafting.
I had a lot of fun enchanting the forges around the Hephaestus smithing district, and I'd like to see my current rapport with my fellow crafter continue to grow.
So the current plan for the expedition was to travel down to the 37th Floor and set up shop in the safe zone after the Colosseum, and the reason we were going down there was that the safe zone was home to the single largest renewable source of Valmarth ore in the entirety of the Dungeon. A crystal clear lake filled a massive cavern, and in the center of that lake was an island connected by two land bridges- one bridge came from the Colosseum and the other led to the entrance to the 38th Floor. Located smack dab in the middle of that island was a large crystal spire that almost reached the ceiling of the cavern, and growing off of this spire were Valmarth ore nodes in the hundreds... possibly more.
To hear the Adventurers who'd been down past the 37th Floor, despite the inherent value of the Valmarth ore nodes, with each one fetching a pretty valis, the weight and bulk of the nodes themselves made them a poor prospect for bringing back to the surface- after all, when faced between lugging drop items and ore nodes the Adventurers would almost always choose to bring the drop items and monster cores as they were worth more money. Though those poor sods were limited by their carrying capacity, and between Asfi and myself we were able to make a lot of HammerSpace supporter packs that could carry insane amounts of loot relative to their size; just one of my bags was able to carry almost an entire wagon's load worth of loot, and after some logistical gaming we could fit eight supporter packs per wagon.
Technically it was ten per wagon, but the other two packs were relegated to carrying the expedition's supplies, so we could only carry eight wagons worth of loot per wagon.
Truly, we would be absolutely starved for space.
Po' widdle us.
Lol.
So, go down to the 37th Floor. Mine Valmarth.Train like Mad Lads against the infinitely spawning monsters of the Colosseum.Collect lots of sweet loot to craft with.Build inter-familia relations through a shared bond and combat-related camaraderie.Spend time with the girls.Profit.Though I'd just come back from the Dungeon just under two months ago I was definitely feeling a touch antsy since my dives were curtailed to just six-hour stretches three to four days a week depending on my workload, and all of that time was spent mentoring. Needing to put my money where my mouth was in terms of 'Team Contributions' I no longer solely dedicated my time to Naaza, Liliruca, Khemi, and Sooka- I had plenty of Level 1s to train and help bring up to speed, though I felt I was handling them a touch softer than what my Tsubaki-nee did for me.
On 'even' days we did some training in the yard in the Hephaestus compound, while on 'odd' days we went into the Dungeon. The crop of six Adventurer Smiths that were considered 'passable' in our craft by my senpais were looking to make Level 2 for the Blacksmith developmental ability meant that we were hanging around the 10th through 14th floors to get them used to fighting more durable monsters and pack tactics- both those used by monsters and Adventurers to survive said monsters.
True to form, my kohai were used to solo Adventuring, or at best going down in pairs, so they followed the general guidelines of finding a Floor where they were comfortable with and accruing experience while occasionally delving deeper to encounter new monsters or larger groups. So when they began diving in a rather large group of six it was a genuinely horrible experience for all involved, though that was by design- take six Adventurers who've only worked in pairs and toss them into the deep end to see how they handle the sudden shift in dynamics. It showed me just what type of person they were when the chips were down, who took up a leadership role (or tried to), and those who were more willing to support.
More importantly, it showed them just how different fighting as a group was versus their solo or paired dives- teamwork and coordination were key in operating as a group. Making sure that everyone got a chance to fight and could keep fresh, rotating members around so they weren't performing the same role in the party over and over again, and learning the strengths and weaknesses of each other added a whole lot to what was normally a simple process: 'Kill monsters (while not getting killed yourself) -> Collect Loot -> Profit' was something that everyone could understand, but adding those new dynamics- even if they were simple on their face- really changed how they saw the Dungeon.
Suddenly there was a whole new level of dimensionality that they had to contend with, and for some, it was just something they needed to get used to, and for others, it was a bit of a struggle... especially when they weren't used to giving or following orders.
It didn't help that the Level 1s I was currently working with my senpais to mentor were mostly teens that were either in my training group when I was learning to become a blacksmith or were from the year groups ahead of mine. Himiko Underhill was one of the... more difficult members of the six to teach. She had been thirteen years old when she went through the training group with me while I had been nine, which meant that she was now almost eighteen years old; four years as a Level 1 hadn't done her confidence any favors in the meanwhile I had seemingly soared right past her as both an Adventurer and as a Smith. So she put her insecurities and embarrassment behind a near-impenetrable wall of bravado so thick that it was causing friction with the others.
She was a good blacksmith when compared to the rest of our peers, though a lot of that could be laid at the feet of her parents and the knowledge and training they imparted to her before she joined the Hephaestus familia to make her own way; her Dwarven mother and Far Eastern father were both Level 2 smiths with the Kagu-Tsuchi familia and their tutelage gave her a significant leg up against the rest of the competition that was made up of primarily poor, illiterate orphans living in the Hephaestus Smithing District. In our group only I could give her some serious competition, but considering by that point I'd already been accepted into the familia I was considered a non-factor and ignored in favor of continuing her studies. Though with Liliruca's quickly rising star in the familia Himiko's once secure position as the 'Second Best' Junior Smith was now in jeopardy, and she developed quite a complex over it.
While I didn't want to say she was blindly lashing out... her developing attitude was starting to attract the wrong kind of attention.
She was already known for being oddly self-assured when it came to her prowess as a Smith, even if she was working on a project that was outside of her comfort zone, and she abhorred asking anyone for help if she was struggling... and heaven forbid you offered some unsolicited advice or the girl might be liable to try and chew your head off! According to the other Apprentice smiths it made even sharing a workspace with her a trying ordeal, and her snide remarks made no one feel comfortable even diving into the Dungeon with her, which forced her to go Solo, which slowed down her progress even more, which frustrated her even more, which caused her attitude to worsen, and so on and so forth.
It was a steadily compounding issue and one that needed to be quickly corrected lest she find herself an island.
Despite being a nominal peer because of our similar amounts of time in the familia, I was both her senpai in smithing and Adventuring, so it fell to me and my men to try and change her downward trajectory; even if I would have rather washed my hands of her and let her seal her own fate, if there is one thing that my time in the Dungeon City has taught me is that familia doesn't let familia crash and burn. At least not without making a concerted effort to help- just like you can't choose your family, the individual member doesn't choose their familia either, and if my Goddess saw some potential in Himiko then I'd be doing them both a disservice if I didn't put forth my best effort.
Though, to be clear, I wasn't going to grab the grown woman by the hand and drag her to the trough to drink as if she were a stubborn horse; that way led to a lot of ass pain, and it wasn't as if she was so far gone that she was hated or anything. The boys liked looking at her well enough, as some of her father's Far Eastern lineage softened her more masculine Dwarf traits enough to make her conventionally attractive- n-not that Dwarf women weren't attractive in their own rights, it's just that I wouldn't be happy to sit next to a woman who could potentially grow a better beard than I could.
I had a pretty damn good beard in my last life, but I had the feeling that Bell Cranel would always be perpetually baby-faced, even as a man fully grown; I'd just have to settle for being a pretty boy with a manly man's body, which wasn't so bad.
Still, Himiko would be a work in progress for probably some time to come, and while it was a nice distraction from my typical paperwork duties I was far more interested in maintaining my progress. Getting back into the Dungeon for a real expedition and testing myself in the Colosseum would be a very nice change of pace from the hum-drum of being the acting familia Captain.
It definitely wasn't because I was antsy about Tsubaki-nee being gone for so long or anything!
She'd been gone for almost six weeks now and I hadn't heard anything about the expedition, but with the sheer amount of supplies they took with them, they could easily stay down there for three months before feeling the pinch. I went down there for two months with Vornir-oji and Asfi and we were still sitting pretty on our rations and consumable supplies thanks to our frequent drops into Riveria, though Tsubaki-nee and her training group wouldn't have that luxury.
Regardless, there wasn't much I could do for her- as she was on her own Adventure- and sitting down on my duff on a pagoda and enjoying the sunshine while uselessly waiting for Baki-nee to come back like the cool, conquering hero she was just... wasn't my style.
So instead I busied myself, moving about where and when I was needed, and kept things in tip-top shape for her eventual return, at least that was what I had been doing until the order from the Dwarves arrived; that put me back in my element. Planning for an expedition wasn't exactly a joy, as paperwork and running logistics tables were never a fun task, but it did give me something to do that wasn't merely maintaining what my forebears laid the foundations for- there were plenty of Senior Smiths that weren't going on the expedition to foist the work off onto, which left me free to do what I needed.
Horses and Carriages needed to be attended to and inspected, rations needed to be procured, waterskins inspected, weapons, armor, and the raw materials needed to mend them in the field with the mobile forges. That also brought along extra needs, such as coal and scrap wood to tend to those forges. I was also busy making and enchanting the bags we would use to ferry all these supplies into, as well as potion rings that I would be selling to my members at a very steep discount.
Then? Then I had to tend to my own needs as an Adventurer.
My equipment after my previous dive was a complete wreck. Everything had been torn up, chewed up, gashed, and mended so many times that it was more hole than not- and when I ran out of leather cordage to mend the cuirass the problems only grew. Of the three complete sets of armor I brought with me, all three of them were consigned to be scrap materials- except for one, which would go on a mannequin in my home for my future children to enjoy... and hopefully serve as a very stark, physical reminder of just how dangerous the Dungeon can be.
If their super strong, super awesome Papa who was a Level 3 at 13 years of age could get that messed up then they better be careful!
So I was hard at work on my off time with Liliruca building out another set of armor that should hopefully be more sturdy.
A 70/30 Light Metal/Damascus blend was chosen for the metal components of my new build, which made it nice and light while giving it a bit more durability with the Damascus. Honestly, I would have preferred more Damascus since I could easily handle the extra heft, but the higher Damascus content made enchanting it much more difficult, so I made up for the lesser durability but Insert forging a small pile of Glideosaurus bones, which made it even lighter and much more durable; I could have a very thin plate attached to the Goliath Hide cuirass and not have to worry about any issues with survivability. It was a huge investment in terms of value from the Drop Items used in the build alone, but considering I earned the items myself and didn't have to pay the outrageous prices? And I was making it myself?
Well, the only thing it cost me was time. That and I had to do a few favors for Miss Trisha Gothold, the Captain of the Arachne familia, for some help in designing my new outfit- I didn't want to lean into the Proto-Saber look quite yet, as it would look as though I was riding the coattails of my success with the Aiz Lily set; once Aiz and I were more of a pair (be it friends or more) then I feel like I could take that leap. So for now I just went with something exceptionally useful with a bit of unique styling that wouldn't compromise my ability to live in a tense fight, though I did take a white and black color scheme with red accents to honor the boy Bell could have been.
Black pants with Goliath Hide chaps (it was pretty thin, so I wasn't an assless-chapped cowboy!), a black Goliath Hide cuirass with white metal plating, with matching forearm, shin, and knee protectors. The bit of red came from the dark red sleeves of the combat shirt that went over the Light Metal/Damascus chainmail romper that terminated right past the knees to prevent chaffing and bunching where the armored boots and shin guards met; it would hopefully protect me from getting taken off at the knees, and the small sacrifice to mobility was worth the trade-off in my opinion.
Just because I had a bunch of rings on my person filled with potions that could help me reattach my legs if they got taken off doesn't mean that I want to ever be in a situation where losing the leg was the lesser of two evils. I preached positioning and situational awareness for just that purpose- hard to get de-limbed if you're not in a position to be de-limbed... though if I ever got into a fight with someone beyond me, sacrificing the leg to take their head just might be the play. Though I'd cross that bridge if I ever got to it.
The only thing I didn't do was enchant my new Nosteel weapons with Durandal, and that was because I didn't feel like paying an eye-watering price for it... especially since once I got finished with this expedition Hephaestus-sama would begin holding the Mithril Certification seminars soon after. I could get certified to make my own Mithril weapons and could properly put valis down on some solid equipment for the absolute slog that I was sure Level 5 was going to be. Aiz spent something like two whole years at Level 5 without growing much if at all, but I felt that a lot of that had to do with her over-use of her Ariel magics making even killing the Level 5 monsters of the 50th Floor and below almost effortless.
Four Nosteel Winter's-Pattern Longswords Insert forged with Bloodsaurus fangs gave me plenty of cutting power and durability for the monsters we would be facing at the Colosseum, and the fangs meant that it would hold its edge far longer than normal; I'd debated making a mace to deal with the rocky exteriors of the Obsidian Soldiers but during one of the planning sessions with the members of the Loki familia that would be attending I should be able to punch them to death easily enough without needing to worry about dulling or chipping my blades. Though the Spartoi would be a bit of a threat depending on how many of them spawned on the platform- their shields and weapons were known to damage the weapons of Adventurers who didn't equip themselves properly.
The monsters on the 37th Floor were some of the most plentiful variety-wise, with wildly different body types and fighting styles, and vastly different strengths and weaknesses. This meant that unless you had a generous Stat Point or Level advantage then the smart Adventurer packed an offensive kit that could handle these threats more readily- where an Adventurer might have become confident with his long sword, an Obsidian Soldier's tough exterior might prove a difficult monster to surmount. An Adventurer seasoned with their twin daggers might have triumphed with speed and skill over a Loup Garou or Barbarian would struggle with the poisonous thorn-like quills of a Peluda- a spear might have served them better. And a full melee Adventuring party might find themselves struggling to pin down the near-invisible, fleeting attacks of the Skull Sheep as they fired bone-like projectiles deep within the frothing melee on the Colosseum's platform where an experienced archer could have picked them out in the crowd and 'gunned' them down so to speak.
I carried a long sword, a short sword, twin Nosteal daggers Insert forged from Packosaur claws, and two Damascus steel backup blades in my boots should everything else go to shit. For range, I had my newly fashioned Chantwood bow (which set me back many, many millions) with multiple quivers of arrows fashioned from Bloodsaurus fangs or Glidesaurus bones depending on whether I needed penetration or range, speed, and accuracy. Then there was the good old Songwood staff that I had, though it was short and more useful as an Eskrima stick should things get so bad that I have to take that out. I had a very good all-round kit, and adding a mace to it would be an additional complication that I didn't need, not to mention it could likely mess up my balance, which I would have to get accustomed to since my loadout hadn't really changed in a number of years.
The biggest time sink was the chainmail, and it made me wonder if there was anything I could do to speed this along because making every single one of those fine links over and over and over again was enough to tax my patience... even if it was being bolstered by my Skill.
Honestly, the only thing that made making the chainmail bearable was having Liliruca by my side in the forge. She was trying her hand at creating her very own weapons and it was just a treat! My Pallum love waffled a lot between wanting to ask questions or get advice and not wanting to disturb the machine-like 'stitching' of Light Metal/Damascus that I was doing.
She was just so cute! I had never been one to care about the Moe trends of my previous life, but the way she looked between her project and me with indecision on her face was just absolutely precious. Torn between 'doin' it 'erself like a right propa' smith' and 'bothering me' shouldn't have been such a huge ordeal for her, but it was, and I took plenty of breaks to lend her my ears and offer what she was looking for.
I wanted to pick her up and stick her in my back pocket so that I could carry her with me everywhere I went.
Not that I did, mind you, I have some self-control!
A lot of self-control considering the way Liliruca and I were waking up in the morning these past few weeks.
Which was swiftly become a thing now- Liliruca was no longer stealing away into my bed every once in a blue moon, nay, she was growing quite bold! Slipping into my bed wearing only her sleeping dress... I wanted to play with her just as much as she was wanting to play with me, but I couldn't fool around in the district's dormitories so that led me to where I am now.
House hunting.
Considering the prices of real estate in Orario I decided that I would settle on a somewhat smaller home and then upgrade once all of my marriages were finalized; I had four confirmed betrothed in my Werewolf women, two all-but confirmed betrothed in Liliruca and Naaza (and I needed to get some rings made for them to make that official, though the Werewolves would likely be adamant that Naaza and Lili make me betrothal totems fashioned from the horns of a deer or elk they'd slain as was tradition), and Tiona was shaping up to be a happy, giggly wife number seven, with Tione and Aiz being potential eight and nine.
If Hermes managed to find Haruhime then that would likely be number ten... and if I managed to capture Tsubaki-nee's heart then that would make eleven.
Holy shit. Eleven wives. Grandpa Zeus will be over the moon once he hears about this.
And as for Hephaestus-sama, well, she was the 'hidden route' waifu that I'd capture once everyone else was secured- attempting to do more when I was already stretched so thin was the height of foolishness. Besides, I feel like I could wear my Goddess down over time without having to do much at all, just as I had inadvertently done with my sweet Baki-nee.
That meant that I would eventually need individual rooms, as the Pack Wives would make their own schedule, and sleeping in a massive bed had a lot of logistics to it, I would need rooms for all of the babies that were sure to come because my pull-out game was Weak.
Though for now I just needed one with four bedrooms- Khemi and Sooka were more than happy to share as they were already roommates in their familia dorms, the Master bedroom for where I'd sleep (and for pre-marital shenanigans), and Naaza and Liliruca would get their own rooms. I don't know what familias Shiro and Kuro would join when they arrived here, but I would think that given their Werewolf natures, they'd either join Skadi as their big sisters did or the Lupo familia; I knew that Skadi had rules that required Level 1s to stay in the dorms for accountability and training, but I didn't know if Lupo had the same. It would be a few years yet before we all married, as I wanted to wait for Kuro and Shiro to enter adulthood at 15-
"Oh, what about this one, Arjuuni?" Khemi, or 'Brownie', spoke as she leaned over my shoulder to glance down at the floor plan for one of the homes that were available for sale.
Khemi, Sooka, Liliruca, Naaza, and I were at the satellite Guild office to browse the homes that were currently on the market- the smaller office handled individual sales while the main Guild office handled the buildings meant to house familias. While not all sellers listed their homes with the Guild, as they charged a small finder's fee if their listing was chosen through them, the simple fact that so many people passed through the Guild each day meant that finding a prospective buyer was far higher than if they simply posted a sign out in front of their home. That and the people who came through the Guild's doors most often were Adventurers, and they earned a great deal more valis delving into the Dungeon, so that combined with the 'Zero Haggling' policy the Guild has it means that if you sold your house through them you'd get the full listing price minus the fees.
The Guild also had a small banking operation that provided fairly low-interest rate loans so that Adventurers who were looking to move out of their familia facilities could do so sooner rather than later; one just needed to be in good standing with the Guild and the familia- and have a good earnings history with one's dives.
Considering my wealth I wasn't in need of any banking services, as while real estate wasn't exactly cheap, it wasn't the most expensive either. A three-bedroom, one-bathroom house in a good district with a small side and backyard ran around $800,000 valis, which considering my bow drained my account in the familia vault almost $45 Million for one capable of supporting me up to Level 5 buying a house was likely one of the cheapest things I could buy at this stage of my life.
Kind of funny, really.
I took a moment to admire my betrothed's graceful hand, taking note of the thick callouses that had been built up by her hard work, before I looked down at the floor plan in question. It had ten bedrooms, four full bathrooms, a formal dining room, and a rather generous yard; listed at $5.5 Million valis it wasn't much higher in the price per square foot category than the others we'd been looking at, and the amenities listed were rather nice. Though it was a bit big for what we needed now, the location was pretty good- the home was part of a walled-off division where some smaller Crafting familias had banded together, roughly a kilometer and a half north of Tower Babel. On First Avenue, the same main thoroughfare that the Twilight Manor sat on, it was centrally located and almost equal in distance between the Hephaestus Smithing District and the Blue Pharmacy and the Miach familia's steadily growing compound.
"It looks pretty nice, Khemi," I said, and I could feel her tail swishing happily as I leaned over and more carefully examined the floor plan as well as the sketch of the exterior, "Since its part of a Crafting familia sub-district I don't think they'd have any issues with me setting up a personal smithy in the back yard; there are already two nicely sized stone sheds that would be perfect for Liliruca and myself."
"And a few trees and lots of green grass," Sooka, Blacki, cut in, the woman leaning into my side, her head coming down to rest on my shoulder as her cool nose dipped into the hollow behind my ear, "Plenty of space for all of our babies to run about and play~."
I felt my cock twitch in my pants at the mental image of a bunch of Werewolf children running about- some with hair and fur of snow and others with ruby-red eyes- and I wasn't the only one to blush as the Guild clerk assisting me looked away slightly, a nearly silent whisper on her lips, "Kids these days are starting so young!"
I swallowed thickly and tapped at the binder, "It is a bit bigger than we need right now, girls."
The two Werewolf women huffed in unison, but it was Sooka that admonished me lightly with a quick nip on my earlobe, and she pulled away with a small, wry smile on her face, "Truly, Arjuei, you are always so forward-thinking with most things, and yet for something such as our home you are being particularly thick. You have four betrothed now, with another two that will be joining us shortly, and another two that are amenable. There are most certainly others that have caught your eye, and because of that this much space is the bare minimum."
Naaza's sleepy expression watched the by-play between the Werewolves curiously, her floppy ears twitching, and after a moment she spoke, "That and I would not wish to move into a place, make it my home, and then pick up and move a few years later to a new place."
"That and we'll need at least two rooms for guests, Bell-sama," Liliruca interjected and though she wilted for a moment when everyone's attention turned to her she perked back up as the two Werewolves nodded.
"Yes, Sister-Lili is correct, Arjuuni," Khemi looked at me with her hazel eyes, "Our parents will no doubt wish to travel to Orario to visit their Grandchildren, and while the accommodations are more lavish than what we have in the tribes I would not be happy to put them up in one of the taverns."
Sooka hummed in agreement, "Yes, the city will no doubt be overwhelming for them- they wouldn't be able to relax properly in unfamiliar surroundings."
A small laugh escaped my lips as I reached out to grip their hands and gave them a good squeeze, "Alright, we'll put it on the shortlist, but let's at least look at the rest of the offerings first."
I looked back at the Guild Clerk without a Name as I let go of Khemi's hand to tap at the price, noting that it had been marked down a few times, "Any particular reason it's been marked down?"
The Clerk cleared her throat before speaking, "Well, the District itself is very nice and very safe, being far away from Daedalus and rather close to the tower. Though given its odd positioning there aren't a lot of markets, so it will be a bit of a walk either to 1st Avenue's Midway Market roughly three and a half kilometers away from Babel, or a one-and-a-half kilometer walk to the markets near Babel itself. 1st Avenue also doesn't have a lot in the way of entertainment or eateries aside from the stalls, and its position puts it on the opposite end of the city from the Entertainment District. The only notable amenities are its proximity to the Clothing District a few minutes walk away, but considering where the smaller Crafting familia's have their locations it is a given."
"Alright, but I get the feeling that isn't the whole story?" I pressed gently and she shook her head.
"No, that isn't all of it. The thing that most buyers in this price range are looking for is proximity to nice amenities and privacy, and this location unfortunately doesn't have much of either. The property is surrounded by the district's primary wall, which is watched by a rotating guard of the familias living there, but no further walls may be added that are higher than waist height and cannot be solid as thieves often use them for cover. Not that the district gets many thieves, mind you, but a picket fence is typically what is seen there, mainly as demarcating lines between properties. Though the Neighborhood Watch has five paces of space claimed near the wall as part of the Covenant, and this property has a small guard tower up on the wall overlooking it, which is something considered unattractive for most buyers," The Clerk tugged at her gloves a few times before she finished out, "Finally, the primary street is rather busy as the Crafting familias move their supplies and products around at all times of the day to keep their store shelves stocked. There are lots of horses, mules, and other beasts of burden, and while the cart drivers are meant to clean up after their animals that doesn't always happen, and horse urine has a rather pungent scent even after it has been washed down into the sewers; I've been told the hotter days can be rather unpleasant, though if you put a little bit of work in keeping the street in front of your home clean then I'm sure you'll be able to avoid such unpleasantness... the previous owners just didn't care to lift a finger."
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in the booth while looking at the ceiling.
I for one didn't particularly mind a busy street, as I lived in a busy smithing district, and if anything it might be a touch quieter than usual. Also, animal waste was a fact of life here in Orario, though with the magical sewer system, it was easy enough for a cart driver to grab his dung shovel and scrap the feces off into the storm drains where it would be broken down into mana. I suppose the biggest problem for me would be the small guard tower posted on the corner of the property- it wasn't as though I didn't appreciate having a guard service that I likely wouldn't have to pay for, but that also meant that the number of back porch/back yard sexcapades that could happen would be heavily restricted.
If one of my girls wanted to watch me having sex that was fine, but it would be another thing entirely when it was some dude or dudette sitting up in a guard tower.
When I opened my eyes I looked back at the Clerk, "Is there anything else?"
None of those were dealbreakers in my book, and at that price with the amenities listed, the spot had a lot going for it.
"Well, the only other thing is that the neighbor is a touch... eccentric. She's an older woman that enjoys her peace and quiet, and her reclusive nature and magic items often caused the previous owners no small bit of grief."
Ow, now that might be a dealbreaker. I had an old lady next door when I was growing up and she was mean as a snake to us kids- I wouldn't want to subject my children to such a thing if I could help it.
"Well, I suppose we could look at the rest of these and then go out and meet with the old lady later-" I started and all four of my wives-to-be reached out and took hold of my hand.
""""We like this one.""""
Well, shit, alright then.
I knocked on the door to the house a few times with enough force that it could be heard but not loud enough to be annoying. I hated noisy knockers.
It took a few moments before I heard some scrabbling behind the door, and the heavy oak opened up just a crack to show me a familiar long, warty nose and greedy, beady eyes. "Huh? Who dare bothers me-!? Ah, Bell-kun, coming to my home now, are we? Couldn't help but want to spend more valis, eh? Ehehehehehehehe."
I blinked a few times before a small smile came up on my lips, "No, Lenoa, actually we were thinking about purchasing the house next door to hear, and when I was told about a miserly old cheat living next door I thought I'd swing by to see if she was a miserly old cheat that I knew."
"Heh, 'miserly', probably one of the nicest things anybody's ever said about me!" The old woman pushed her door back a little bit further, "Though anyone who'd call me that just doesn't know the proper price for expensive magical items! Anyway, since I've got you here boy, there is an idea that I've been thinking about for a Mystery Enchantment and I'd like to get your input on it..."
"I'm honestly surprised you don't live in your shop," I chuckled as I shook my head, "I'd love to talk shop with you, especially seeing as you've got a job in mind- the sooner I get those favors I owe you off my ledger the better I feel- but I'm currently in the middle of assessing the property with my family..."
Lenoa the Witch tilted her head to the side and she shuffled out of the front door, shutting it firmly behind her so that she could walk out onto her porch, her beady eyes assessing my women who were standing in a neat little line. A reedy, whispy laugh escaped her lips as she scratched at her chin, "Oh, laddie, you certainly don't do things by halves, do you? I had heard you were a little womanizer, but this display of beauty before me is quite nice. So many pretty little flowers."
Khemi and Sooka seemed to preen at the praise, with the black-furred Werewolf puffing out her chest in pride, "And we aren't the only ones our dear has captured the hearts of. More women will be joining the pack, and we will be fruitful and strong."
"Oh? What's that? More you say?" The old biddy reached up and pinched my thigh, causing me to flinch away from her nobby and surprisingly strong fingers, "I'd say you were a chip off the old block, Cranel, but it looks to me that you're quite a bit more successful than your old man was. I'm sure your Grandfather is quite proud."
Before I even had time to process exactly what it was she said the old woman patted my arm and shuffled back into her house and the door shut behind her.
"Do be a dear and come by the shop when you get the chance, I've got a few new Healing Spells from Magic Town that you might be interested in! Heheheheheh~!" Her voice seemed to emanate from everywhere around me, causing my skin to pebble just from the sheer creepiness of the horror movie vibe.
No wonder someone who didn't really know Lenoa would find her eerie to live next door to, though considering I have spent a great deal of time around her I knew that, at the very least, any future Winters babies running around wouldn't be in danger.
I looked back to my girls and while Khemi and Sooka were standing there happy as clams, I could see the questions clearly written on Naaza and Liliruca's faces.
No doubt I'd have to tell them sooner or later of my lineage, and from what I knew sooner was almost always better than later. Though that time obviously wasn't now.
"Shall we get on with the tour?"
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A/N: A bit of a transitional chapter as we see Bell preparing another expedition into the Dungeon, this time not for training but resource collection. That and now that he's becoming older and more active he doesn't quite feel comfortable having his marriage quite so visible- mainly with the words being spoken about the smithy as Liliruca becomes more bold as time passes by, sneaking into his room and bed. We'll be seeing some sweet, sweet, almost-married shenanigans next chapter, as Bell is almost 14 now and he's steadily growing into quite the handomse young man. The girls in question will want to have a taste, but with the vows of chastity being taken they need some way around the loopholes. Luckily, this world provides answers to those seeking carnal knowledge. Lmao.