Chapter 72: Hostess of Fertility
Night quietly descended.
As the evening glow gradually gave way to the night, members of Loki Familia, who had been running around various parts of Orario, returned one by one to Twilight Manor.
The large amount of drop items and precious resources taken by them had disappeared, replaced by bags filled with glittering gold coins.
Riezel's group also returned to Twilight Manor, with bags containing millions of valis and boxes of elixirs. They could be considered returning with a full load.
Of course, while the familia returned with plenty, Riezel himself had spent quite a bit of money.
Asking Airmid to use her famous top-class healing magic for a comprehensive healing session came at a price—a whopping 1 million valis, twice as expensive as the highest quality elixir.
But the money spent was well worth it.
For 1 million valis, he could secure the permanent right to use the top-class healing magic of Dea Saint. Such a sum would be willingly spent by people all over the world if they were given the same choice.
Riezel was no exception; he paid the amount without hesitation.
Airmid's magic was now officially learned by him.
From this perspective, he could also be considered returning with a full load. However, for the familia itself, the money earned today couldn't quite fill the gap.
"We gotta tighten our belts a bit for a while..." Gareth muttered in front of everyone, indicating how precarious their familia's situation was.
On the other hand, the goddess herself seemed unconcerned.
"Forget all that for now! Let's not stress about troublesome things until tomorrow. Today's all about feasting. Don't overthink it; just chow down and enjoy your drinks!"
With her declaration, Loki led the members of the expedition party out of the manor, under the envious gaze of the remaining members.
Having a grand feast upon returning from an expedition was Loki Familia's tradition.
In the name of relaxing the tired expedition party, Loki, who loved alcohol, would throw a big feast on the day after the expedition party's return, allowing them to enjoy themselves.
According to her, the fact that they could come back safe and sound was reason enough to celebrate. So, regardless of the expedition's success or failure, profit or loss, as long as there were no living sacrifices or significant losses, the celebration feast had to be held no matter what.
The familia could cut costs anywhere but not with this celebration feast.
The three top executives had no objections to their goddess's statement. Clearly, they also agreed to comfort the hardworking members of the familia who went on the expedition.
Thus, Loki Familia's expedition party, numbering several dozen people, under the leadership of their goddess, headed to West Street.
Unlike Northwest Street, known as the Adventurer Street, West Street housed many ordinary citizens.
The Guild's main industry centered around the worldwide trade of magic stone products and employed numerous laborers responsible for manufacturing these items in Orario. The number of these workers surpassed that of adventurers exploring dungeons, and they typically resided on the bustling West Street, living with their families.
As a result, West Street boasted a large residential area, with numerous establishments like taverns, inns, pubs, and restaurants standing side by side. Many adventurers liked to unwind here after dungeon exploration, shedding their equipment for relaxation.
Loki Familia had finally arrived on this street and found a particular building.
It was a two-story stone building of a pub.
Its setup resembled an outdoor cafe, with several open-air seating arrangements outside the entrance. Inside, a lively atmosphere wafted out, indicating the prosperity of the business.
Outside the door, a signboard bearing the pub's name read 'Hostess of Fertility'.
'Hostess of Fertility?'
Reading this name, Riezel, who was chatting casually with Lefiya, suddenly halted in his footsteps.
However, Loki didn't hesitate for a moment and strode in with a somewhat swaggering gait as she entered the pub.
"Mama Mia! We've arrived!" Loki's loud shout upon entering instantly silenced the noisy chatter inside the pub.
Many heads turned to look outside, only to find many members of Loki Familia.
"It's Loki Familia!"
"So many?"
"Oh, I get it, they are here for some celebration party, maybe?"
Some cried out in surprise, others whispered to each other, and some clearly weren't experiencing this scenario for the first time, displaying an understanding expression.
Inside the pub, a female host who seemed to be the proprietress standing behind a bar-like service counter glanced at Loki and the members of Loki Familia, lightly snorting.
"Syr, greet the guests."
This robust woman, resembling a Pugilist in physique, was not at all intimidated by Loki Familia's reputation. On the contrary, she displayed an attitude of indifference, calling out to the interior of the pub.
"Coming, coming!"
Accompanied by a light response, a girl who seemed to be from the human race hurriedly emerged from inside the pub.
She wore a white women's shirt and a knee-length, tender leaf-colored vest skirt. Over the skirt, she tied a longer apron around her waist. With glossy dark gray hair tied into a short ponytail, she looked innocent and cute—a snow-white, delicate girl.
"Yo, isn't this Syr?" Loki immediately approached and teased. "Been ages, looking even more beautiful, huh?"
"Thanks for the compliment, Lady Loki." Syr replied with an innocent smile matching her appearance while subtly dodging Loki's lecherous hand. "But please, don't harass female staff."
"Meh, no big deal." Loki unforgivingly retorted. "It's not like we're losing anything. We're all women, better for us than those stinky men, yeah?"
Ignoring Loki's unreasonable statements, Syr turned to the people behind Loki.
"Please come in, Lady Loki has already reserved a table, but the number of people is a bit much. We have only one table available inside, the rest can sit in the outdoor seating area, is that okay?"
That was a reasonable request.
If the entire expedition party entered the pub, there would be no space for other customers. Considering the guests' feelings and the impact on business, they couldn't just push everyone outside.
"No problem." Finn nodded. "Just give us one table inside, the rest will stay outside."
"Thanks for your understanding." Syr bowed to everyone and skillfully dodged the advances of a persistent and inappropriate goddess. "Now, please follow me inside."
Syr turned and led the way to the reserved table.
"You guys stay outside." Finn instructed a portion of the group.
"Sure!"
"No prob!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Everyone nodded without objections.
Being able to enter the pub meant a special status within the familia.
Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Tiona, Tione, and other first-class adventurers were all going inside. Lefiya could also enter, accompanied by Raul and Anakitty from the second string.
"Riezel, you come in too." Finn beckoned to Riezel who stood at the pub entrance.
Riezel glanced at the tall and sturdy proprietress grinning at him inside and then at Syr leading the way. Eventually, he took a step and walked into the pub.
By now, the pub was nearly full.
Adventurers of various races seemed to have gathered here, drinking, eating, and even playing together. Only one particularly large space in the middle remained vacant, contrasting with the lively atmosphere.
The interior was decorated with wooden panels, and the magic stone lamps on the ceiling provided subtle lighting, creating a stable and romantic atmosphere.
Led by Syr, the group entered, drawing the attention of many. Especially Riezel, walking alongside Ais and Lefiya, attracted considerable interest.
"Yo, is that the dude from all those rumors?"
"Should be. He's like the only new face around here."
"Tch, tch, he looks mad young, right?"
"Yeah, pretty young; he's only seventeen after all. The Sword Princess is even younger than him though."
"No way, for real?"
"Yeah, Sword Princess hit Level 2 at eight. It took her eight more years to hit Level 5. This dude is just built differently."
"Hmm, he doesn't strike me as all that impressive. Going from Level 1 to Level 5 in just over three months? Nah, I'm not buying it."
"The Guild said it though. You think they'd lie?"
"I'm just saying, sounds suspicious to me."
Similar discussions continued, maybe because some people had a bit too much to drink, so their voices weren't well concealed.
Lefiya and several familiar members frowned at this, somewhat angry. Finn, Riveria, and Gareth also glanced over, making them shut up.
On the contrary, Riezel appeared indifferent as he basked in numerous gazes and casually joined his familia companions at the table.
"Enjoy your meal!" Syr, accompanied by two catgirl staff, served food and drinks to everyone and then stepped back with a smile.
"Yosh!" Loki stood up and raised her glass. "Well, for everyone who worked hard on the expedition, cheers!"
""Cheers!""
*Clink!*
Everyone raised their glasses one after another and clinked them together.
The atmosphere suddenly became lively.
Following Loki's lead, the group first drank, and after a while, they began to reach for the delicious dishes on the table.
Since it was a feast, there were naturally no rules for dining. Loki didn't follow any formalities either and just settled with a few words before indulging in eating and drinking, finishing a whole cup of wine.
The rest were the same, chatting, laughing, or savoring wine and delicacies, showing their familiarity with each other.
"M-Mr. Riezel, I'll toast to you..."
Lefiya, sitting on Riezel's left, shyly raised her glass to him.
"Sure, let's have a drink." Riezel smiled and clinked his glass with her, then turned to the other side. "Ais, aren't you drinking?"
"Um." Ais sat upright on his right, holding a drink and sipping it delicately.
Just as Riezel was about to say something else, he suddenly felt two pairs of gazes on him, each with a slightly different vibe.
Those gazes made him pause for a moment, and he instinctively turned his head to see where they were coming from.
In the next moment, Riezel laid eyes on two people.
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