Bang—
"What?!"
In the quiet Starry Sky Mansion, incredulous voices erupted as the girls fell from their chairs.
"So lucky that he often encounters rare species?"
"His item drop rate is almost 100%?"
"He quickly learns all the moves he sees?"
"Even more exaggerated, he can even replicate magic?!"
The girls who remained in the Familia widened their eyes, feeling dizzy after hearing Nize's narration.
Iska couldn't help but reveal her Amazonian nature at this moment, hugging Asta's arm and shaking it incessantly.
"Really, you're serious, aren't you? You're not making up some exaggerated hero's tale to tease us, are you?"
Asta was shaken so much she nearly threw up, and couldn't help but raise her voice.
"You idiot Amazon, can't you understand the situation even after seeing this pile of gold coins?!"
Iska, in turn, shouted even louder, drowning her out.
"It's precisely because of this that I understand even less! How can a monster with such an ability exist?!!!"
Noin shook her dark brown short hair, timidly touching the gold coins that filled the entire small room.
"This really isn't some illusion magic, is it?… Since the day I joined the Familia, I've never seen so much gold at once…"
"Ugh, what if all the gold coins disappear into thin air as soon as I touch them?…"
Maliu chuckled as she carried a box of potions in from outside the door.
"Don't worry, it's all real! And everyone, look, there are also plenty of panacea and mind recovery potions!"
Noin excitedly got up and ran to Maliu, almost moved to tears after carefully confirming it.
"Eh? It really is a panacea worth 500,000 Valis each!"
"Such expensive medicine can actually become a regular stock for the Familia one day. Am I really living in a dream?!"
The human girl excitedly turned and threw herself into Rod's arms, tightly hugging Rod's waist and desperately rubbing against his chest.
"Waaah… Thank you so much, Little Brother Rod, I love you! I love you so much!!!"
"Wh-what… a confession?!"
"Wait, you, what exactly are you saying?!"
"Damn it, who told you to sneak off?!!!"
"Oh, this looks fun, I want to join in too!"
"Idiot Alise, don't push me, I'm going to kick you away!"
The gentle Goddess, holding the sleeping Lili, smiled happily, her eyes narrowing as she enjoyed the noisy yet joyful moment before her.
The clumsy Elf paced anxiously outside, the far-eastern girl drew her returned beloved sword, her eyes gleaming with a cold light as if choosing which shameless woman to operate on, and Alise boldly leaped into the crowd…
The girls crowded around Rod, hugging and touching him. For a moment, he couldn't even tell if they genuinely wanted to show affection or were taking advantage to grope him.
Rod cast a pleading glance at the Goddess, but Astrea playfully winked and let out a soft hum.
Sorry, Rod.
Since you want to greedily accept everyone's happiness, then accept even their small grievances and whims~
If this already stumps you, how will you face greater challenges in the future?
Perhaps this was also the Goddess of Justice's small revenge for not being able to monopolize Rod~
After a period of boisterous fun, everyone collapsed onto chairs, exhausted.
"I didn't expect Rod to have such an amazing ability. In that case, I think we can skip the city patrol and just have you join us for Dungeon exploration, how about it? Otherwise, it would be too tiring."
Alise's suggestion made Rod ponder for a moment, but in the end, he shook his head.
"I'll patrol with everyone in the morning and then explore the Dungeon in the afternoon. With our efficiency, it won't delay us."
Although Alise thought Rod didn't need to push himself so hard, facing the boy's serious expression, filled with resolve, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
The red-haired girl showed a brilliant smile.
"In that case, let's try to arrange different personnel combinations for each Dungeon exploration!"
"Hmph hmph, Rod, I will definitely make you fall in love with my righteous flame magic! Copy it as much as you can!"
Rod smiled and accepted her kind offer.
"Alright."
The purpose of Dungeon exploration was to train oneself and earn money, and also to consistently get a free skill from a companion. For him, at present, this was an indispensable daily task.
As for city patrol, he volunteered for it, considering the possibility of encountering new prayers.
Rod would maintain this rhythm of life until he had completely exhausted the girls.
"This child still hasn't woken up…"
Astrea looked with pity at Lili, who was sleeping soundly in her arms.
"Does Rod plan to bring her into our Familia?"
Rod had already thought about the subsequent arrangements on the way here, and regretfully shook his head slightly.
"Although in her previous life she was a famous hero, in this life she is just an incredibly frail Pallum who desperately needs others' care."
"For her, our work is still too dangerous."
Although the Astrea Familia was a warm family, they were still too conspicuous in this dark period.
A weak Lili joining at this time would only become more dangerous and might bring uncertainty to the girls.
"So, I plan to ask the Hephaestus Familia to take her in."
The Hephaestus Familia, as a forging faction, often explored the Dungeon based on their own strength and understood the importance of supporters better than anyone. They would definitely not bully Lili.
Although their strength was not as good as the two major Familias, it was not to be underestimated, and the safety of a supporter could also be guaranteed.
Furthermore, considering that Tsubaki, as the Captain, was not actually good at management and command, Lili's command talent might be more valued and discovered.
Although Rod regarded Lili as one of his own, he did not intend to protect her like a caged canary, but rather wanted her to develop her talents as much as possible.
Astrea saw through Rod's painstaking efforts and nodded in agreement.
"That's good too. This child must have suffered a lot, and what she needs most now is a stable life."
"I know Hephaestus; she won't refuse Lili after knowing this child's past."
"And she might also become a link between our two Familias…"
The girls looked up in surprise when they heard the Goddess's high praise, scrutinizing the dirty, inconspicuous Pallum in the Goddess's arms for the first time.
Rod, however, always wore a faint smile, for he knew Lili's potential better than anyone.
And Astrea's idea was correct; Rod indeed intended to use this as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the two Familias.
With Finn's promise and the friendship of the Hephaestus Familia, the girls would be even safer.
And Rod's preparations for the future would advance another step…
Rod narrowed his eyes slightly, leaning back in his chair.
The Familia system, centered around a chief god, was highly closed and exclusive. If one ended up with a willful and autocratic chief god, it would develop into a distorted organization.
It was difficult for Familias to form genuine mutual trust and complementarity; self-interest far outweighed camaraderie.
Rod had no intention of changing the world's rules of survival, but considering that many people he cared about existed in different Familias, he had to devise a collective that transcended the Familia.
The Hephaestus Familia was the first step in his plan.