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Midday
August stepped through the dinsional portal and returned to Orario. As he left the abandoned church they used as a safehouse, he saw Liliruca Arde sitting on the front steps.
"Lili. What are you doing out here?" August asked, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't expected to find her waiting by the door.
Lili looked up, her eyes narrowing as she studied him.
"August. You and Lady Hestia don't actually live here, do you?" She let out an exasperated sigh. "That explains so much."
"I ca by first thing this morning and called for you. But I didn't get a single response," Lili explained. "So, I just waited."
After leaving the Soma Familia, she hurried over and ended up sitting on the steps all morning without seeing anyone. She called into the church several tis but got no answer. That's when she realized the truth.
Thinking about the strange technology August and Hestia always had with them, she figured out they didn't actually live in Orario. They had a secret base sowhere far from the city. She had just uncovered the Hestia Familia's biggest secret.
"Caught us." August laughed, reaching out to pat her shoulder. "Sharp as always, Lili."
He didn't mind that she had figured it out. Growing the Familia ant trusting its mbers. If she was clever enough to connect the dots, she deserved to know.
"Still, what are you doing here so early?" August asked. "Didn't I tell you we were taking a few days off?"
He clearly rembered telling her to take it easy. He planned to spend his break playing video gas at ho. There was no reason for her to wait at the church.
"August, I have officially withdrawn from the Soma Familia."
Lili puffed out her chest, full of pride. Breaking free was the biggest win of her life, and she wanted August to be the first to hear about it.
"Oh?" August clapped his hands in genuine approval. "Impressive. You actually pulled it off."
He knew how bad the Soma Familia was. Getting out of that group was tough. Making it through showed she had the strength to stand with him.
"Good work. From today onward, you are officially a mber of the Hestia Familia." August formally acknowledged her status.
"Yes, sir!" Lili bead. This was everything she wanted. She had worked hard to earn her spot, and it felt amazing to be recognized.
"Wait, where is Lady Hestia?" Lili glanced around, noticing the Goddess's absence.
"She had a huge breakfast and decided to take a nap. She wouldn't budge," August said with a sigh.
Hestia was enjoying a lazy lifestyle. Now that her powers were back on Earth, she didn't have to do anything. She was in his room, trash-talking teenagers online and beating them at video gas.
"I see." Lili relaxed, glad she didn't have to deal with the overprotective Goddess right now.
"Co on. Let's get you sothing to eat," August offered.
It was just past noon. August had already eaten, but he knew Lili had waited outside all morning and must be starving. He wasn't about to let his newest mber go hungry.
"Okay!" Lili's face lit up.
Her thoughts started racing. Just the two of them, without the Goddess watching? Was this their first date? The idea made her heart skip a beat.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
They walked toward the central district near the Tower of Babel. After weaving through the busy streets, they reached a familiar place.
"Yo, kid. You're here early," Mia Grand called out.
The tavern owner was getting ready for the afternoon crowd. She hadn't even gone to check on her patient yet.
"My partner hasn't eaten yet. Whip up sothing good for her, will you?" August requested, walking into the tavern. "And grab her a juice."
"You got it. Gim a sec."
Mia noticed August looked well-rested and full, but the small Pallum next to him had a loudly growling stomach.
"One lunch special!" she bellowed toward the kitchen.
"Coming right up!" a voice echoed from the back.
"Out on a date today, kid?" Mia teased.
She saw that August wasn't in his usual tactical gear. Instead of his tough Adventurer armor, he wore high-quality casual clothes. The fabric was spotless and had a unique, clean style. It looked like top-notch modern streetwear.
"Dressed to impress, huh?" Mia smirked.
"Hardly. I just finished running a free clinic and went ho to change into sothing comfortable."
August looked down at his hoodie and jeans. He usually wore tougher clothes in Orario to fit in, but today was his day off.
"Oh? You do charity work?" Mia raised an eyebrow, surprised.
She already knew he was an incredibly skilled healer, but giving out free dical care? In Orario, most healers charged huge fees. Running a free clinic was sothing only a saint or soone very kind would do.
"August, aren't you exhausting yourself?" Lili asked, a flicker of concern in her eyes. Bouncing between treating patients and dealing with Dungeon politics sounded draining.
"I know my limits," August replied flatly. "I don't burn myself out for strangers."
He only worked during set hours. He didn't deal with complicated illnesses—he just used his magic to heal missing limbs for veterans. It was quick, efficient, and always on schedule.
"That's good." Lili breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried he was the type to work himself to death for others.
Mia nodded in quiet approval. A practical healer lasted much longer than a selfless one.
"Well, since you're out here doing good deeds, let whip up a special dish just for you," Mia grinned, flexing a massive bicep. "Sothing guaranteed to restore your stamina."
"Stamina-restoring food?" August crossed his arms. That was sothing new. He thought tavern food was just the usual at and potatoes.
"It's a specialty crop from the Deter Familia," Lili chid in to explain.
"The Deter Familia buys rare Dungeon fruits from Adventurers. Lord Deter and her children then cultivate those seeds on the surface. Those specific crops don't just hold massive nutritional value—they carry actual magical properties. So can even be processed into consumable Dungeon items. Because of that, their harvests are usually pre-ordered and sold out before they even hit the market."
The Deter Familia basically controlled all of Orario's farming.
"Impressive." August's mind imdiately went to the logistics.
'I need to secure a massive shipnt of those seeds.'
Bringing armored monsters back to Earth was risky, but powerful, stamina-boosting crops were a huge opportunity. Even if the seeds needed a God's help at first, he trusted modern science. With enough ti and money, top botanists could mass-produce those crops.
"Lili. Where can I buy them?" August asked. He was dead serious.
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"You can't."
Before Lili could answer, a waitress in a maid uniform leaned over her broom, cutting into the conversation.
"Those specialty crops are famous across every major faction in the city."
"Na's Lunor Faust, by the way," the young woman introduced herself before dropping the harsh reality. "Even if the Deter Familia produces a massive yield, the demand is insane. Every high-tier Familia fights tooth and nail for a larger cut. The supply is heavily restricted."
When he heard her na, August realized who she was. Lunor Faust worked at the tavern but was actually part of the Deter Familia.
"Miss Lunor. Any chance I can buy the uncultivated seeds?" August cut straight to the chase. He didn't just want the fruit—he wanted the source code.
"Do I look like an idiot to you?" Lunor scoffed.
The audacity of this guy to just casually ask for their faction's trade secret. Seeds were closely guarded. Even though she worked at the tavern, she was loyal to Deter. Giving away their monopoly to a rookie was impossible.
August recognized he had overstepped.
"Forget it. I'll table that for now."
He knew he couldn't take over Orario's economy in just a week. He had the space to move goods, but not the influence yet.
Lunor looked him over, sizing up the neat rookier.
"Actually... there is a way," Lunor admitted reluctantly.
"Every three months, the major factions fight over the distribution quotas. They send representatives to compete in a tournant to secure their share of the harvest. The only rule? Competitors must be below [Level 4]."
"If you want a cut of the supply, go compete. The next distribution tournant is in eight days."
August raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"
A tournant to win a share of the crops? That sounded perfect... All he had to do was enter the ring and win.
"August, you can't participate in that," Lili quickly intervened. She knew his combat style better than anyone.
"The tournant strictly prohibits lethal force. If you fight the way you normally do, you'll be disqualified in the first round."
August's style of fighting was more about overwhelming force, while the Deter Familia's matches were safe, non-lethal martial arts.
August clicked his tongue. "Dammit. A tactical mismatch."
He saw the problem right away. Without his heavy weapons, he'd have to fight hand-to-hand. The truth was, he had no martial arts training. Modern self-defense classes were nothing compared to the tough fighting skills of Orario's Adventurers. He wasn't foolish enough to take on experienced fighters in a fistfight.
"Scrap that plan." He abandoned the tournant idea on the spot.
Mia walked out of the kitchen holding a steaming plate of food.
"Kid, if you really need so of those crops, I don't mind sharing my personal stash with you," she offered with a warm grin.
"I appreciate the offer, Miss Mia, but a handful of fruit won't solve my logistical problem," August declined politely. "Taking a small basket back ho is useless to ."
He wasn't interested in feeding just a handful of wealthy people.
"The population I need to supply is roughly 300 million people."
"..."
"300 MILLION??" Mia choked on her breath.
She thought he wanted a sample for research or to sell to nobles. But 300 million? Orario's whole population was tiny compared to that. Supplying that many people ant he wanted to feed everyone, not just the elite.
"Kid… are you a god?" Lunor stared at him, stunned.
No ordinary person thought on that kind of scale. Wanting to grow enough magical crops to feed three hundred million people was practically a godlike ambition.
"Nop." August brushed it off and shifted the conversation.
Lili, however, looked at him with quiet admiration. Wanting to feed millions spoke for itself. Beneath his rough exterior, he had a far bigger heart than most.
While everyone else in the tavern was stunned by the number, a silver-haired girl hiding in the shadows of the dining area peeked out.
"300 million..."
Syr Flova murmured the staggering figure to herself. Her grey eyes locked onto August's back, a deeply piercing, calculating gleam flashing within them.
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