The next day, Kisuke set off after doing what he'd wanted to accomplish. Seeing him off from the gates of Orario, Kisuke got on his motorbike, this time with a proper helmet. Of course, this wasn't for him but for the eyes that were watching him. Setting up a safety right now would help the distribution and development of magic-powered vehicles.
After getting to a certain distance from Orario, Kisuke got off and put the motorbike and helmet in his personal space before giving Yoruichi and Kuroka the cue for the long-distance teleportation. Since this was their first time teleporting from a very long distance, it didn't hurt to be careful of any accidents that may happen.
A few seconds later, Kisuke reappeared within a damp but shallow cave, "Thou whom has summoned me, what is thy hope?" Kisuke first greeted his 'summoners'.
Stepping in front of him with a big grin, Yoruichi replied, "I want my dose of Kisukenium."
Smiling similarly, Kisuke replied, "Thy hope shall be granted~"
Without any further ado, Yoruichi proceeded to assault his lips with hers for a long few seconds before letting go of him, satisfied, "So what's the price of my wish?"
Kisuke then grabbed her shoulders and said after kissing her forehead, "Your whole life, I suppose?"
But before Yoruichi could say anything back, Kuroka from the side feigned a cough, "Please don't make me watch something so cheesy and corny, nya~! I've had enough of those afternoon TV series!"
"Fair point, but don't you want your Kisukenium replenished too?" asked Yoruichi.
Kuroka became silent for a moment before answering, "...I'll have mine later, nya."
At that response, Yoruichi chuckled, "Despite how you look and always act, you really are surprisingly innocent."
"Guh... Leave me alone, nya!"
At this moment, Kisuke knew that he had to be assertive as he couldn't just let his girls initiate everything. Stepping towards her, Kisuke gave Kuroka a quick peck on her forehead before patting her head, "Good work out there~"
Kuroka was stunned for a moment, but immediately after, without any words, she stepped forward and hugged Kisuke. After about half a minute of replenishing her Kisukenium, Kuroka let go of him, feeling refreshed, "Let's get out of this stuffy place, nya~! It's more interesting outside!"
Yoruichi and Kuroka then led Kisuke to the outside, which was a forest. Taking a large breath, Kisuke immediately took note of a few things. The sea breeze coming from the north and the lively noises from the south.
Leading the way south, Yoruichi explained, "Around this area, there are four significant territories, three of which are managed by one or two Familias, while the last one is similar to Orario after disregarding a few things."
"The place we're heading right now is that city similar to Orario, Pandemonium, nya~" Kuroka added.
"My~ What a wonderfully grim name! I like it," Kisuke commented with interest.
All of a sudden, they halted their steps as a few creatures suddenly emerged from the woods. These creatures are similar to the weakest monster on the upper floor of the Dungeon back in Orario but their skin was actually blue, and they had gill-like slits in their necks. Of course, like any other monsters they met, they were brimming with hostility and their eyes were clouded by madness.
As they lunged towards Kisuke, Yoruichi and Kuroka, roots from the ground suddenly entangled them and started pulling them towards different directions, resulting in monsters being torn into several pieces, before turning into ash and leaving behind magic stones.
"Hooh? Your Senjutsu has improved significantly," Kisuke remarked. He hardly noticed the movements in the Ki from the surroundings. If it was done further away from him, he could have completely missed it.
Feeling proud of her achievements, Kuroka thumped her chest, "Of course! I never slacked off, nya!"
The group resumed their steps as Yoruichi further explained, "Those things are called Sea Goblins. As you can tell, they're just Goblins, but they've adapted to be underwater."
Kisuke caught the mood behind Yoruichi's words, "So these are normal occurrences. It seems that the Dungeon in these parts operates quite differently from what I know if monsters normally roam the surface."
"Indeed, nya! It's already strange that there are five entrances under the sea, but it's even stranger that even if you cover all of them, monsters would still reach the surface."
"Well, the Dungeon is already a strange thing, so not much surprise there. We'll explain more about the Dungeon later, but for now, let's go and have some lunch. I'm actually pretty famished," After saying that, Yoruichi dashed forward, leaving a trail of wind behind.
Kuroka immediately followed after her, but first looked at the sky, 'Lunchtime, huh... At least four hours difference?'
While thinking of the interesting things he'd come across within this region, Kisuke followed the girls with a light smile on his face.
After almost a quarter of an hour of traveling and escaping the sights of other people and monsters, the three reached a walled city that was approximately a little bigger than Orario.
Contrary to its name, however, the city of Pandemonium seemed to be peaceful.
As they approached, Kisuke noticed that before anyone could pass through the gates, it seemed that the guards were inspecting something from each individual, except for Deities.
"What are they checking for?" asked Kisuke.
"They are checking for three kinds of cards. One for the normal citizens, one for those who intend to tackle the Dungeon, and one for those who are from other nations but registered within the city. I mentioned that there are four major territories, right? Actually, you can't enter three of those without an invitation from the Familia occupying it. For this city, however, instead of a single organization, a coalition of Deities is actually managing it."
From Yoruichi's words, Kisuke guessed that the relationship between these four players isn't good enough for people to enter their territories freely.
"While these three separated Familia are the strongest in this region, with the Poseidon Familia of Asauros having a Level 8 Mercenary, this city of Pandemonium is the one keeping this region alive by constantly supplying everything that was needed for daily living and Dungeon explorations," added Yoruichi.
Kisuke nodded in understanding, "I see. So this coalition of Gods is controlling and monitoring their territory to a degree that they won't be caught off guard if one or two of these super-strong Familias decided to take over the city. For ambitious and power-hungry people, this city is a big piece of meat. But Mercenary?"
"They're Adventurers, nya~ That's just how they call them in these parts," replied Kuroka.
Soon enough the three of them reached the gates after queueing for about ten minutes, "Please show us your cards."
Kuroka flashed her Mercenary card first and then Yoruichi did before the latter pointed to Kisuke, "This guy is with us. He'll be registering as a Mercenary."
"Understood," one of the Guards replied before taking out a metal card with a serial number inscribed on it and passed it to Kisuke, "Take this to the Mercenary Guild to register. If this card doesn't reach that place today, you'll be put on a watchlist and guards would try to detain you for questioning. So if possible, register first before doing anything else."
"Is it always this strict?" asked Kisuke.
The guard nodded and said, "It's necessary, especially since those from the Aruna Familia are getting unreasonable these days."
"Must be tough. Thank you for the reminder and good luck with your work."
The guard smiled at him and said, "We're just doing our job and welcome to Pandemonium... Though with these two with you, you might not have a good time," after glancing at Yoruichi and Kuroka, the guard went away and entertained the person next in line.
Kisuke didn't bother him and started walking towards the center of the city with Yoruichi and Kuroka, "What's up with that?" he asked.
"We're a bit famous, but nothing really worth mentioning," Yoruichi answered with a big grin.
Seeing that, Kisuke immediately furrowed his brows, "You've just thought of an amusing situation, didn't you? And let me guess, I'll be in it."
But Yoruichi didn't answer and just whistled her way out.