The next day, 4 a.m.…
"Draw!"
Idol · Barbara (Hydro) | ★★★★]
"Huh? Another drop?"
Inside the Freya Familia's base, Folkvangr, Aether (Renjiro) lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, one leg crossed over the other, smiling in satisfaction.
"That means when we head into the Dungeon, there's no chance of wasting experience."
This single dorm had been specially arranged for him by Ottar at Freya's request.
By the way, Ying's room was right next door.
Of course, while in Starfire's Flowing Light, he sometimes stayed at the top of Babel Tower, but their official rooms were still here at the Familia base.
As for his true self…
Ugh, no base, no starting funds, even my weapons I have to earn money for on my own. I'm so pitiful~
That had been his half-joking complaint to Freya yesterday.
Anyway, as the first member and captain of the fledgling Frigg Familia, his main body's road ahead was still a long one.
Once I finish my promise with Welf and settle the Universal Shovel test, I'll finally have to start focusing on myself.
That was his plan.
Now that he had achieved the goal of the First Growth Phase – Completion, it was time to look further ahead.
Whether it was handling his main body's Great Feats or making proper use of the unique skill Crown of Wisdom, it all needed to be pushed onto the agenda.
If my butterfly effect hasn't changed things outside Orario, then that red-eyed rabbit boy should be arriving at this "Center of the World" in about two months.
And when that happens… sigh, even if Big Sis Freya doesn't stir the pot, chaos is guaranteed.
Looking back at both the main story and side stories, trouble had kept piling up.
Finn nearly got GG'd, for heaven's sake.
So to prepare,
Better safe than sorry. Before then, I need to reach the Second Growth Phase – Completion.
Which meant raising his main body's Falna to Lv.2.
Leveling my Genshin clones from Lv.20 to Lv.40 is no small feat. I might need to go on a "personal expedition."
Aether clenched his resolve.
To avoid running out of time… I'll clear all the side matters within a week.
================
Two hours later…
Bright and early, since Aether (Renjiro) didn't need sleep, he spent the time refining his action plan before heading out.
That morning, he and Lumine split up.
Aether went straight to Welf's forge after leaving the Familia base.
They had agreed to craft at least three copies using molds of various materials. Once done, they'd head to the Dungeon for testing.
Welf, being a smith, took this matter very seriously.
So even though he longed to hit Lv.2 and gain the Forge development ability, he wholeheartedly cooperated with Aether's plan.
Of course, it helped that Welf had excellent emotional intelligence… except when it came to romance.
Still, with a bro like this, Aether truly enjoyed his company.
As for Lumine…
Well, she was going to play the role of a tool girl for the next few days.
No choice, the molds required Ningguang's Geo constructs. And with Aether's current mana, his main body could only sustain Genshin Descent for about an hour.
Even if the duration's grown longer, it's still not enough. Crafting molds means lots of trial and error. And Ningguang's level is still too low. I'll need to feed her more EXP first.
And no way am I risking mana burnout just for this. If I collapse into "Mental Fatigue (Zero Mana)," my carefully hidden identity would go up in smoke.
So…
"Better to have backup plans. Lumine, this time you'll go into the Dungeon alone. Push as far down as you can, see where your current limit lies."
"After all, I'll need a personal expedition eventually to reach Second Growth Phase Completion. So treat this like a rehearsal run."
That was Aether's decision.
Lumine didn't object.
Though, a pity…
"According to Mama Riveria's strict orders, Ais and the others aren't allowed in the Dungeon for a few days, they need proper rest."
Lumine had learned this while shopping the day before.
"But it looks like Loki Familia is already preparing for their next expedition. The Guild wasn't satisfied with the last one's results… Finn's apparently scrambling for loans now."
The thought of Finn, the little Braver, running around in a panic almost made Aether laugh out loud.
Heh, I'd love to see more of that flustered face.
Anyway,
With their plans set, Aether arrived at Welf's forge in the Industrial District, while Lumine descended into the Dungeon alone.
At the same time…
"What? The Twin Stars split up?"
"So what do we do? Still grab them?"
In the shadows, a group of ill-intentioned figures grew restless.
"Can't be helped. Samira, report this to Ishtar-sama at once. We'll await her command."
"As for the rest of us, keep your eyes on the girl."
Their leader, Lv.4 Tammuz, gave the order.
But before the words fully settled,
"Tch, what's there to report?"
From the side, a towering figure, well over two meters, lurking poorly enough to clear whole streets when spotted, snorted disdainfully.
This giant Amazon warrior bared her teeth, glaring at Lumine's retreating back.
"She's just an ugly hag. Why don't I just chop her in half right now?"
Awkward silence followed.
After several seconds, Tammuz, wearing the face of a man trying hard to unsee reality, said sternly:
"Captain Phryne, please don't act rashly. If you ruin Ishtar-sama's plan, "
"All right, all right. Have it your way."
The frog-faced… woman waved dismissively, her posture arrogant.
"I've no interest in touching ugly hags anyway. Call me if you need me."
She grinned, mouth stretching nearly to her ears.
"In the meantime, I'll see if this world has a good man worthy of me."
That day… who knew which poor fellow in Orario would meet the most glorious end of his life, martyring himself in the name of sacrifice.
A moment of silence, please.
=============
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