The Next Day,
Lucian Pov:
Lucian: Yawn.....What Time Is It Great Sage ?
(Great Sage: Notice, It's Currently 6:32 Am....)
I Slowly Sat Up, Stretching My Back A Little,
A Lot Had Happened, Astrea's Faster Change, Another New Skill, And Now I Am The New Captain And Member Of Astrea Familia....
Honestly, If I Remember Correctly, In LN, Astrea Did Took In New Members, But They Only Joined Mostly Because Of Self Interest, And Astrea Allowing Them, Like The New Captain, Who's Name I Forgot.... A Level 2, Only Joined To Get Her Development Ability, Blacksmith.....
Though Indebted, She Was Still Using Astrea's Kindness....
Anyway, Currently I'm In The Room Where The Former Member Of This Familia Lived...
Kaguya Gojouno.....
At First, I Wanted To Sleep In The Living Room Since Every Room Here Was Actually A Girls Room, And Some Of Thier Things Were Still Here....
Remembering What Astrea Said....
Astrea: Kaguya Didn't Have Such Shame Nor Such Care For It, She Would Definitely Like For You To Be In Room, Because She'd Do Things With You, Take Her Room....
Afterwards Being Dragged Into Her Room And Cleaning It, I Was Finally Able To Take Rest And Sleep,
Speaking Of Which, Neither I Or Astrea Has Eaten Yet, Nor Did We Eat Dinner, We Both Cleaned Our New Room, And Later Slept Because We Had No Energy Left To Cook....
Anyway, I Got Up, Took Out My Toothbrush , And Got Out Of The Room,
My 'Natural Toothbrush', Still Good Enough For Today, But I Definitely Need a Upgrade,
It's Early, So Fresh Fruits And Vegetables Should Be Available, It's Time For Some Shopping,
After Freshening Up Myself, I Took Out A New Shirt And Wore Over My Body, The One I Used Till Now Needs Some Washing,
Then, I Got Out In The Road, If I'm Right, I'm In The West District,
Besides Fresh Vegetables, Food, Meat Are Sold In North District....
Well, Time To Buy Some Breakfast.....
Timeskip.....
3rd Person Pov:
After A Few Minutes, Lucian Had Reached The North District,
And Fortunately The Place Where Fresh Items Were Sold Was Near The North District Gate,
For Breakfast, Lucian Had Decided To Create Some Stew,
So His Primary Needs Were,
Rabbit Meat, Commonly Found, And Is Cheap Enough,
Potato, Carrots, Onions, Cabbage, Spices Etc....
All Together, They Coated Him 1,260 Valis,
Mainly The Meat And Many Types Of Spices Had Cost Most Of The Valis, But For His Stomach, He Can't Be Picky About It, He Has To Fulfil His Needs,
Even Then, Just Curiously, Lucian Had Ventured Into The South District Gate, It Was Nearby, So Would Anything Bad Happen ?
And As Soon As He Entered The South District, He Found Out Why It Wasn't The Prime Shopping Place For Vegetables....
First, Most Things Sold Here Are Adventure Orientated, Meaning Even Smith's Are Working Here,
But One Thing That Caught Lucian's Eye, Was The Spirit Tree Seeds,....
Spirit Tree Are One Of The Best Type Of Material For Creating Mana Conductive Staff Or Weapon....
But Creating Them Isn't A Problem, The Problem Is The Source,
Spirit Trees Can't Be Grown In Normal Ways, It Needs A Dense Spiritual Energy Concentrated Spot To Grow, Though It's Seeds Are Basically A Common Loot.... It's Literally Sold 30 Valis For a Handful Of Seeds
The Reason It's So Common Is Because The Grown Up Spirit Tree Produce's Them Like Very Fast, That It Has Become Very Common,
But Grown Up Spirit Tree Is Another Thing.....
Most Of The Spirit Tree Came From Alf Forest, Elf's Also Worship The Spirit Tree's As Well, Making It A Very Complicated Item To Use In Public....
Not To Mention Elf's Don't Sell Them, Those Who Have Them Are Either Royals From Alf Forest Or Have Connection To High Class....
Not To Mention, It Was A Well Known Item, A Lot Of Newcomers Think They Could Grow One Themselves, Later To Understand It Was Never Possible.....
Which Is Why They're Still Circulating In The Market.....
But Lucian, Who Had Great Sage And Predetor, He Could Definitely Find A Way To Nurture The Spirit Tree Seeds Using Magic Stone Drop's From Monster, It's Basically Thier Life Energy.....
So He Quickly Brought Some Spirit Tree Seeds,
The Shop Owner Didn't Say Anything, Even If A Dark Elf Was Buying It, A Rare Sight, He Just Sold The Seeds,.....
Lucian Then Traced His Steps Back To North District,.
But This Time, Many People Had Already Started To Walk Towards The Gulild, And More People Were Talking In The Street's,
And Lucian's Presence Literally Screamed "I'M A RARE COMMODITY!!"
Basically, Dark Elf Were A Complete Scarecity Nowadays.....
Lucian Avoided Thier Glances And Just Walked Back To The Stardust Garden....
And His First Stop Was The Kitchen,
But Before Even Thinking About Cooking, He Had To Clean The Kitchen, Taking Out A Pot, A Wooden Spoon, A Cutting Board,
With A Fresh Wash, He Had Finally Set Things Up,
He Ignited The Stove, Heating Up For The Start Of His Preparation...
Lucian Laid Out The Ingredients On A Wooden Table, He Had Minimal Tools—Just His Traveling Knife, A Heavy Wooden Spoon, And The Pot, Currently Using Over His Favoured Canteen....
Lucian Then Took The Rabbit Meat, It Was Coarse, Muscle-Heavy, Raised Finely Or A Wild One Hunted,
Using His Knife, He Started Cubing The Meat, He Sliced It Against The Grain At A Precise Angle To Ensure Maximum Tenderness And Flavor Absorption,
Great Sage Was Too Much Of A Critic, That She Took Over Lucian At This Moment To Avoid Waste....
He Set The Cube's Aside In A Clean Bowl, His Sights On The Vegetables Now,
Lucian Started Peeling Off The Outer Layer Of The Carrots, Potatoes, And Onions,
They Were Peeled And Chopped,
Finally The Cabbage Was The Star,
Lucian Shredded It Thinly, Knowing It Would Wilt Down To Thicken The Stew Without Needing Flour,
Now It Was Time To Start The Cooking,
Lucian Placed The Iron Pot Over The Hottest Part Of The Fire, He Added A Small Piece Of Butter And Let It Melt Until The Bottom Of The Pot Was Slick And Shimmering,
He Tossed The Rabbit Cube's Into The Pot,
The Moment The Meat Hits The Hot Fat, It Gave A Loud, Satisfying Sizzle,
Lucian Stirred Constantly, Turning The Pieces Until They Were Perfectly Browned On All Sides, Creating A Crucial Layer Of Flavor On The Bottom Of The Pot,
This Searing Process Was Essential To Lock In The Juices And Tenderize The Meat,
Lucian Then Scooped Out The Rabbit Meat And Immediately Added The Diced Onions, He Lowered The Heat, Stirring Them Until They Turned Translucent—A Process Called 'Sweating'.....
He Added The Carrots Next, Allowing Them To Soften Slightly And Release Their Sweetness....
He Then Pushed The Vegetables To The Side Of The Pot And Sprinkled A Generous Half-Spoon Of His Common Spice Mix,
(A/N: Containing Dried Thyme, Rosemary, And Salt )
It Was Directly Exposed The Hot Bottom Of The Iron Pot, Right Next To The Vegetables,
The Dry Spices Instantly 'Bloomed' In The Residual Fat, Their Fragrances Releasing A Powerful, Concentrated Aroma That Filled The Old Kitchen,
This Rapid Heating Of The Spices Activated Their Essential Oils, Ensuring They Permeated The Entire Stew,
Finally, He Immediately Scraped The Spiced Vegetables From The Bottom Of The Pot, Combining Them With The Blooming Spices,
This Also Served To Deglaze The Pot, Dissolving The Flavorful Fond Created By The Meat And Integrating It Into The Stew Base,
He Then Added In The Chopped Vegetables And Shredded Cabbage, With Lastly Pouring In Water, And Finally Placed A Lid To Trap The Steam And Flavour,
Now, All He Needed To Do Was Wait....
So, He Got Up, And Went To Clean The Dining Room, It Still Needs To Be Cleaned,
And With Great Sage Pointing Out On What To Do First And Follow, It Didn't Take Him Long Enough To Clean The Entire Table, Big Enough For 10 People To Sit Comfortably....
Astrea: Lucian ? Where Are You ? And..... This Aroma.... Did You Make This ?
The Voice Was From The Living Room, Where Astrea Had Just Stepped Out Of Her Room, It Was 8 Am In The Morning, Normally It's Time For Most People To Wake Up,
But The Aroma That Surrounded The Living Room, Even The Faintest Remains, Were Simply Still A Lot Better Then Normally Found Cookings in Other Inn And Hostess's....
Lucian Then Stepped Out Of The Dining Room, His Cleaning Was Also Done, Also Astrea Was Awake, Meaning It's Time For Breakfast,
Lucian: Yes, I Did Cook For Our Breakfast, I Hope It's Delicacy Would Not Disappoint You, Astrea Sama.....
Astrea Looked At Lucian, Then At The Kitchen, Sighing, A Small Smile On Her Face,
Astrea: We Could've Eaten In A Hostess, Besides The Entire Stardust Garden Needs Renovation And Cleaning, You Shouldn't Have Wasted So Much Effort And Valis For This....
Though She Was Genuinely Happy, She Also Reminded Him Of The Condition Of The House, It Truly Needed A Renovation....
Lucian: What's Done Is Done, Let's Eat Breakfast Astrea Sama,
Astrea Just Shook Her Head, Lucian Still Seemed A Bit Stubborn, Even If He Himself Didn't Notice It, But For Now, With A Empty Stomach And Redied Food, They Needed To Eat.....
With That, They Went To Wash Thier Hands And Freshen Up, And Then Went To Eat Breakfast...
And Fortunately, It Was Delicious.....
Lucian Pov:
After Eating Breakfast And Explaining About The Adventure Registration And Familia Reactivation To Astrea, I Left The Stardust Garden And Walked Towards The Central District, Where The Babel Tower, The Guild Pantheon, And The Dungeon Is Located,
But Today My Target Was The Guild Pantheon, Yes It's Actual Name Is Guild Pantheon.....
I Stood At Front Of The Guild, A Few Adventures Already Whispering About Me....
I Moved Forward, Pushing The Light Oak Half-Doors Of The Guild,
Stepping Inside, There Were Many Adventures And Guild Advisor's Taking Or Trading Some Magic Stone....
They Sure Are Fast, Or Just Came Back Late From The Dungeon....
I Walked Up To A Small Line Of Adventurers, Waiting For My Turn To Talk To A Advisor...
Until A Few Adventures Walked By Side, Clearing My Way, It Was My Turn....
???: Next....
The Voice Was Sharp, Cutting Through The Noise Like A Whip,
I Moved Up, Looking At The Guild Advisor,
Sitting Behind The Counter Was A Werewolf Woman With Red Hair, Her Figure.... Screams Fan Service.....
If I Remember Correctly, It's Rose Fannett,
She Didn't Look Up, Her Pen Scratching Violently Against A Document,
Rose: State Your Business,
Lucian: Adventurer Registration,
Rose Sighed, Finally Looking Up, Her amber Eyes Swept Over, Almost Irritated....
Lucian: Also I'd Like To Inform You, I Joined A Familia That Was Not Active For Some Time, It's Also About Reactivating My Current Familia In Guild Registry....
Her Pen Stopped, Looking At Me Menacingly, Then Stood Up,
Rose: Misha, Take Over Here,
She Called A Pink Headed Girl, Who Had This Bubblely Aura, And Then Looks At Me,
Rose: Follow Me,
She Pointed At A Private Room, Then Started Walking,
I Didn't Wait And Followed Her, Adventurer Registration And Reactivating A Old Inactive Familia Would Take Some Privacy....
After Entering The Room, She Sat Down On A Sofa, Inf Front Was A Table And Another Sofa,
Rose: Sit Down There And Answer My Question....
I Did What She Asked, And Started To Politely Answer Her Questions....
Rose: Name ?
Lucian: Lucian Vandris Alf....
Rose: Race ?
Lucian: Half-Elf... If You Consider Both Side Of My Elf Lineage....
She Paused, Her Ears Twitching, But She Didn't Comment,
Rose: Familia?"
Lucian: Astrea Familia,
Rose's Pen Stopped Dead Track,
She Slowly Lowered Her Pen, She Stared At Me, Her Gaze Sharpening Into A Glare That Could Make Minotaurs Reconsider Their Life Choices.....
Rose: I'll Ask Again, Your Familia ?
I Sighed, Clearly She Thinks I Might Be Falsifying The Astrea Familia,
I Stood Up, Turning My Back Towards Her, Holding The Hem Of My Shirt,
Rose: What Are Yo-?!
I Lifted My Shirt, Showing Her My Back, Engraved With Falna, The Hieroglyphs Were Still Visible In My Back, At The Centre, There Was A Unmistakable Emblem, The Wings Of A Angel Combined With A Sword In The Middle,
Rose: It... It's Real....
She Whispered, Her Composure Cracking, She Reached Out Instinctively, Then Pulled Her Hand Back,
Rose: She's Really Here ? She's Back ?
Lucian: At The Old Stardust Garden In The West District,
I Spoke, Pulling My Shirt Back Down And Turning To Face Her,
Lucian: She's Resting Currently....
Rose Sat Back In Her Sofa, Her Hands Rubbing The Bridge Of Her Nose, Her Tail Gave A Singular, Erratic Thump Against The Sofa....
Rose: I See.... If She Has Granted You Falna, Then The Familia Is Active Again....
She Looked At Me With New Eyes, A Bit More Active Then Her Lazy Self....
Rose: You Are Her First Member In Seven Years,
Lucian: Yes,
Rose: Then Take Out Your Status Sheet, We Need To Log Your Starting Aptitude.... At Least It's Needed To Complete Your Registration....
I Reached Into My Pocket And Pulled Out The Sheet Astrea Had Transcribed For Me Just Some Time Ago,
Fortunately, She Did Lock My Skills, Magic, And Stats,
But In The Locked State, The Magic And Skills Does Only Tell [ Locked ] To Those Who Can Read Directly From My Back, At Least Others Won't Nudge Thier Nose In My Business....
Rose Took The Paper And Scanned It,.
Name: Lucian Vandris Ljos Alf
Level: 1
Affiliation: Astrea Familia
Stats:
Strength: I (0)
Endurance: I (0)
Dexterity: I (0)
Agility: I (0)
Magic: I (1)
Rose Raised An Eyebrow, Then Her Face Showed Surprise, Her Mouth Opening, Then Closing, Unable To Speak Due To The Sudden Relevation....
I Have Already Known About It, Ljos Is The Surname Of The Royal Family Of The Alf Forest.....
Only Direct Descendants Can Inherit It, And Not Even Duke Or Any Female Descendent's Heir Can Inherit The Surname,
And I'm The Direct Descendant Of The Current King.....
Yeah Talk About A Hefty Background....
Rose: Y-Your-
Lucian: Shh, I Don't Care About That Surname Or Title, Just Ignore It, Just Act As Yourself.....
She Blinked, Then Took A Deep Breath, Then Looked At Me, As Well As Lightly Slapped Herself To Make Sure She's Not Dreaming....
She Finally Looks At Me, Sighing, As She Spoke...
Rose: Very.... Well, Level 1, All Basic Stats, With Magic Awakened As Well.....
Rose Filed The Paper, And Then Looked At Me,
Rose: You Are Starting From The Absolute Bottom, Mr. Vandris,
She Stood Up And Retrieved A Starter Kitt— A Rulebook, And A Guild Identity Card, You Need It To Identify Yourself And Enter The Dungeon....
Then She Slipped Another File, Or Catalogue One Might Say,
Rose: As A New Adventurer, You Can Request An Advisor If You Like Someone To Guide You,
I Took The Catalogue Which Included Many Receptionists,
And Yes, Most Are Women, Only A Few Men, From Various Different Races, Human, Elf, Dwarf, Cat Person, Beast Man, Etc...
I Gotta Pray To Veldanava For Gifting Me Such A Handsome Face.....
I Took A Look, Skipping Out Most Who Seemed Unassuming Or Wasn't Important,
I Gave Rose Back The Catalogue,
Lucian: I Think Anyone Would Work,
Rose: Oh ? I See Then, Your Registration Is Complete, You May Leave....
I Nodded Back, Then Just As I Was About To Exit, She Spoke,
Rose: Listen Closely, Lucian... Since Your Stats Are At Zero, You Are Weak, You Can Engage In A Fight Against A Goblin Right Now, But Do Not Go Past The 2nd Floor, Do Not Engage Groups, Hit And Run, Build Your Stats Slowly, Do You Understand ?
Lucian: Loud And Clear...
Rose: Good,
As I Turned To Leave Again, Rose Called Out One Last Time,
Rose: Mr. Vandris
I Looked Back,
Rose: Tell Lady Astrea... Welcome Home.....
I Gave A Slight Nod,
Lucian: Sure,
Oh Right, I Turned Back Towards Rose,
Lucian: One last thing,
Rose Also Glanced At Me,
Rose: Yes ?
I Pointed A Towards The Archway On The Of Right Of The Hall,
Lucian: That's A Library, Right ? About The Dungeon ?
Rose Paused For A Second, Then Noded In Response,
Rose: Yes, it is,
Lucian: Can I use it?
Rose Glanced At The Clock On The Wall, Then Speaking,
Rose: It Is Open To The Public, However, It Is Meant For Research And Advicing New Adventures,
She Adjusted Her Document's, As She Continued,
Rose: It Contains Detailed Monster Encyclopedias For The Upper Floors, The Middle Floor Records Are... Adequate, Though Often Outdated Due To The Dungeon's Shifting Nature, As For The Deep Floors Or the Dungeon Resort..... You Won't Find Anything Reliable, That Information Is Sold By High-Tier Familias, Not Given Away For Free.....
Lucian: Upper Floor Info Is Exactly What I Need.... I Like To Know What I'm Walking Into.....
Rose Nodded Approvingly,
Rose: A Cautious Adventurer Lives Longer, Go Ahead, But Be Warned, If You Damage A Single Page, Tear A Binding, Or Spill Ink On The Archives, The Fine Will Be Deducted From Your Future Earnings Until You Repay For The Damage You Did,
Lucian: I'll Be Careful Then,
With That, We Left For Our Own Way,
The Guild Library Was Quiet, Smelling Of Dust And Old Paper, It Was Vast, With Shelves Stretching Up To The Ceiling,
I Bet Most Of The Guild's Building's Storage Is Covered Because Of Registry Papers And Books....
I Pulled A Thick Volume Titled Flora And Fauna Of The 1st To 12th Floors And Found A Empty Table,
Alright, Great Sage, Your Up,
(Great Sage: Affirmative, Text Scanning Mode Engaged, Auto-Record Active....)
Flip. Flip. Flip.
My Body Moved Faster Then I Could Comprehend, And Faster Then I Could Read, Yet I Knew And Understood Everything This Book Had To Offer,
Kobolds - Weak To Throat Strikes, Drop item: Kobold Claw,
Killer Ants -Hard Exoskeleton, Weak Joints At The Neck And Abdomen, Avoid Pheromone Trails,
War Shadows - Physical Immunity High, Magic Effective,
For The Next Two Hours, I Allowed
Great Sage To Analyse Everything This Book Had To Offer, As Well As Other Necessary Information,
And Finally, Great Sage Just Directly Engraved The Knowledge into My Brain Like I Always Knew About Them....
As What I Did In The Two Hours Was.... Rewatch Some Memories Of Mine, Of Course Anime It Was.....
And With That, My Meta Knowledge Was Fully Packed, I Had A Basic Understanding Of The First 12 Floors,
Lucian: I Should Go Home....
With That, I Left For Home,
Yet Also, I Remembered The Starter Kit Rose Had Left For Me, I Paid Them The Valis It Was Worth, A Total Of 7,000 Valis,
I'll Go For The Dungeon Tomorrow, Besides Stardust Garden Needs Actual Cleaning....
Next, The First Dive