Chapter 63: Failed to find God, a familiar chill!
The next morning, Arthur and Finn set off for Northeast Avenue, aiming to discuss cooperation with the Hephaestus Familia.
This Familia, which worships the Greek God of Fire and Forging, never participates in combat but is the undisputed leader among manufacturing factions.
All of its core members possess the [Forging] development ability without exception, and are advanced blacksmiths capable of crafting excellent equipment.
Although the Loki Familia collaborates more frequently with the Gobniu Familia, which also specializes in forging, those collaborations are mostly for custom-made weapons for their main team members.
As for precision tools like Regeneration Pouches, the Hephaestus Familia is undoubtedly the better choice.
As Arthur and the other person walked along the street, they saw muscular artisans wielding hammers, and the storefronts of various shops displayed gleaming, cold weapons.
The heat waves from the forging furnaces, mixed with a strong metallic scent, assailed them. Fou instinctively shrank into Arthur's arms, afraid her beautiful fur would get singed.
The two had no time to stop and admire the goods; they continued walking and soon arrived in front of a simple-looking workshop.
"Is this the Hephaestus Familia's workshop?" Arthur asked, a hint of confusion in his tone. Finn, accustomed to such sights, shrugged and explained.
"They're a bunch of forging fanatics whose minds are entirely focused on smithing; don't expect them to keep their storefront very tidy."
With that, Finn skillfully navigated around the various sundries piled in front of the workshop and knocked vigorously on the workshop door.
"Hey! Tsubaki! We have business!"
"Coming, coming!"
A black-haired, red-eyed woman pushed the door open, the firelight from a furnace flickering behind her.
Tsubaki Cobrand, with an eyepatch over her left eye and dressed in a loose work uniform, unreservedly displayed her slightly tanned, athletic physique.
"Oh, it's Finn! Come here, give me a hug!"
After seeing who it was, Tsubaki enthusiastically spread her arms, about to embrace Finn.
The Little Person Captain subtly shifted his feet, discreetly avoiding her hug, and sighed helplessly.
"Tsubaki, please give me some face in front of my Familia member."
Tsubaki, whose embrace was rejected, chuckled and waved her hand dismissively, teasing him.
"Alright, alright, you're just embarrassed because someone else is watching, right? I'll find another chance to get close to you next time."
Finn shook his head helplessly, quickly changed the subject, and introduced Arthur.
"This is Tsubaki Cobrand, Captain of the Hephaestus Familia, a Lv.5 [One-Eyed Master Smith], and one of Orario's top blacksmiths."
"And this is Arthur pendragon, a newcomer who recently joined our Familia, a Lv.4 Advanced Adventurer."
The two nodded to each other, and Tsubaki looked Arthur up and down with interest, a glint of scrutiny in her eyes.
"A new face, a Lv.4 from outside Orario? Goddess Loki certainly moves fast."
"Judging by your stance, you're also a sword user. So, are you here today to have me forge a handy weapon for you? Do the guys from the Gobniu Familia not suit your taste?"
Arthur shook his head with a smile: "I'm just accompanying the Captain to visit, and I also wanted to ask Goddess Hephaestus to appraise my weapon."
Hearing that the other party not only already had a favored weapon but was also confident enough to ask the Goddess of Forging herself to examine it, Tsubaki's competitive spirit was instantly roused.
She put one hand on her hip, a challenging curve forming on her lips.
"Oh, that confident? A weapon that needs Goddess Hephaestus's appraisal? Don't mind letting me have a look first, do you?"
Arthur calmly nodded: "Of course."
Clang—!
The Holy Sword appeared in his hand, accompanied by golden sparks flying everywhere, a bizarre sight that made Tsubaki, who had been somewhat playful just moments before, instantly widen her eyes.
"What the hell! You call this a weapon?"
Tsubaki had never heard of any adventurer using such a weapon!
This thing was completely beyond the scope of something carried around, wasn't it?
After a brief moment of surprise, the top blacksmith's expression suddenly became serious.
With the keen eye of someone who had forged countless top-tier armaments, Tsubaki acutely perceived the extraordinary nature of this weapon.
"No wonder you dared to say you'd show it to Goddess Hephaestus; this sword... at least I'm not qualified to appraise it."
"But unfortunately, Goddess Hephaestus isn't here today, so let's talk business first."
Learning that the Goddess of Forging was absent, Arthur's eyes flickered. He flipped his hand, put away the Holy Sword, and looked at Finn.
His main purpose for this trip was to seek out some secrets related to the Holy Sword.
As for the cooperation on Regeneration Pouches, it was more appropriate for Finn, as the Captain, to discuss it with the other party.
Since Goddess Hephaestus was not here, there was no benefit in him staying, so he might as well leave first and find another way.
Finn understood, nodding calmly.
"Leave the rest to Tsubaki and me to discuss, Arthur. Be careful with your words and actions, and don't easily provoke the other party."
"...I'll try my best. Then, gentlemen, I'll take my leave."
No sooner had he spoken than Arthur turned and walked towards the outside of Northeast Avenue, leaving the two Familia Captains to continue discussing cooperation.
...
Leaving Northeast Avenue, Arthur, as usual, first bought Fou a serving of its favorite fried potato balls.
Afterward, he strolled through the streets, muttering to himself thoughtfully.
"Be careful with my words... So, how should I communicate with a survivor whose entire Familia was wiped out?"
"Fuwu?"
Fou swallowed a hot fried potato ball in one bite and tilted its head.
"Do you think our experiences are actually quite similar to theirs?"
Arthur raised a hand to stroke his chin, pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head.
"No, it's still different."
"I didn't view everyone in Chaldea as a companion; it's hard for me to understand that kind of deep-seated pain."
"Fuwu~!".
Hearing this, Fou bared its small, sharp teeth, adopting a fierce expression, as if to say,
If all else fails, we'll just stick to the old rules!
Arthur quickly raised a hand, soothingly stroking the head of the short-tempered little beast.
"Calm down, Fou, we haven't even met the other person yet."
"Besides, I just want to ask them to introduce me, to write a letter of introduction, that shouldn't be too much to ask, should it?"
"Fuwu?"
Hearing this, Fou immediately cast a small, skeptical look.
"Hey, you're getting less and less cute lately."
The young man and the young beast bickered along the way and soon arrived at the entrance of the Hostess of Fertility pub.
Since most adventurers exploring the Dungeon live a life of working from sunrise to sunset,
there weren't many customers in the pub at this time.
Arthur pushed the door open, and a gray-haired waitress standing by the door immediately came forward.
"Welcome! Just one guest? Please prepare drinks!"
Arthur's gaze fell on the sweet and pretty waitress, dressed in a grass-green uniform and a white apron, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
The waitress was a stranger; he hadn't seen her last time he came with his Familia for a meal.
However, a strangely strong sense of aversion and repulsion surged into his heart without warning, almost making him instinctively want to turn and leave.
It was a kind of... chilling familiarity!
"Guest?"
The gray-haired waitress tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her clear, bright eyes.
She seemed not to understand why this guest was just standing at the door, reluctant to sit down and order.
Arthur secretly activated the Transparent World, but the sensory feedback showed no abnormalities—
the other person truly was just an ordinary girl, not even an adventurer.
But he trusted his instincts more.
Since his subconscious was issuing such a strong warning, then this seemingly harmless gray-haired waitress definitely had a problem!
Information about the Goddess of Justice could be sought out anytime; he didn't want to fall into an unknown trap.
"Sorry, I suddenly remembered I have an urgent matter to attend to. I won't bother you today, but I'll definitely come again next time!"
Arthur gave the other party no room to dissuade him; before his words even finished, he had already turned, a gust of wind at his feet, and left the Hostess of Fertility.
He looked as if some man-eating monster or flood was hot on his heels.
At the same time, inside the pub.
The gray-haired girl, Syr, had a complex look in her eyes, as if carrying a deep affection, yet also mixed with an unspeakable fear.
She gazed Stupid at Arthur's rapidly receding back until he disappeared from the storefront.