I had a great deal of money in the Danmachi currency of Valis. Sure I didn't have enough to straight up buy a high-end Hephaestus sword made by the very goddess. But once I got out of Orario I started looking at the prices of stuff around here...
It's like going from modern Japanese yen or Chinese Yuan currency amounts to US Dollars back in like the seventies or eighties... Everything was fucking cheap!
Back in Orario getting an average apple would cost a good fifty to seventy-five valis. Here in Melen, with it being the shipping capital of the world fresh produce of even higher quality of an apple was at ten valis max unless it was some weird apple coming from the elvish forests.
In Orario a non-enchanted weapon for a level three which was currently the average strength level of adventurers who started to matter in the city, would typically run a good five hundred to seven hundred Valis depending on the monster materials used in its creation. Here in Melen, where deeper floor monsters were streaming out of the dungeon into the lake and coming to attack the city regularly, those same exact plain weapons would cost a fraction they would in Orario!
"Well this place is rather nice." I spoke taking in the greek style beach mansion that Pallas's old Familia had lived within and I hummed as I looked past the mansion and saw the almost pristine white soft beach behind the mansion.
And the real estate agent/city worker I was speaking with to buy said mansion spoke seriously. "Young sir, even if you have the funds to own the property, as an adventurer you will be expected to keep your property line of the beach safe and clear of monsters. Should you fail to do so, the city will confiscate your property just as the previous owner lost everything they had, when a trio of Voltimeria surfaced onto the beach and killed many people."
My lips twitched as I recalled the information on the Voltimeria in being a monster that was the strongest and most dangerous monster in the Water City floors and was recommended that only level Four and Fives fight it. And they were supposed to be solo hunters not running around in a trio...
But regardless I spoke bluntly. "I understand, I have my own measures though." And the civil servant having given his obligatory warning all but threw the paperwork at me so he could get the delightful bonus he would be getting for selling this property to me.
After signing all the annoying paperwork and paying a good million Valis to outright buy the property from the city I then sat down on one of the couches that came with the beach house from the previous occupants. Then as I relaxed with my eyes closed as I leaned back into the couch I felt Tina snuggle up to me with her resting her head on my chest as she spoke quietly into my chest.
"Now what do we do?" She asked simply.
With one hand going to the back of her neck below her hair to hold her head I used my other hand to firmly pull her into my lap so I could use her short form as a hug pillow as I spoke out. "I am going to do damn near everything in my power to become stronger. The Water City monsters regularly coming out of the dungeon will be a good source of materials... And more importantly, they will be a very potent source of tamed monsters as almost all of them are amphibious and with powerful abilities in some way or another."
Even as I spoke... I also didn't forget to give Tina's very nice booty a good squeeze making her snort as she dryly retorted. "And beyond that? How do you plan to for us to get back to Hephaestus to update our Falna... As remember we are both on the damned cusp of leveling up and breaking the record actually."
I took a breath and then listed off my two options. "Going back and forth to Orario is too dangerous, especially with how Hera will likely be hunting for me for Alfia's own cure and to keep a high-end smith, and elixer creator within their reach. So I see two options, one I make some device of teleportation Hephastues can keep so we can teleport directly to her. Or secondly, we cheat and go through the dungeon's Water City tunnel and up through the floors to reach Orario through the dungeon itself." I finished with a small frown.
As no one has ever actually managed to travel through the tunnels to the dungeon itself without either drowning or being overwhelmed by the monsters within the pitch-black tunnels.
"What is teleporting?" Tina asked with honest confusion looking up at me and I hung my head in memory that such a phenomenon was utterly unknown in this world. Hell Hephaestus said that my actual fusion space to hold stuff would be seen as more valuable than even the fusion ability itself to members of the Hera and Zeus Familia.
So to say the least Spatial abilities and knowledge was... To say the least were unknown basically.
With the hand that was holding Tina's head I moved her head up by gently pulling her hair to tilt her head up so I could give her a soft kiss while my other hand gave her one a gentle pat on her backside before I broke the kiss and said firmly. "Alright Tina. It's time I fused those soul husks."
At my reminder of the soulless meat suits I picked up Tina just blinked before saying calmly. "Ah alright then." She said and then she hopped out of my lap as I began mentally sorting out the women I had picked up and decided which one was going to be the 'foundation'
Finally, I landed on either a half-elf or a Renard. 'The elf is half dark elf and half human... Half-elves only really have the elongated lifespan of elves and their more elegant features rather than fully inheriting the elf's tendency for magic. But the Renard is a broken race which has inborn soul magic so she will form the strongest foundation most likely.' I thought as I took in the form of the brown-haired dully-eyed Renard inside my fusion space and then looked at other stuff I could fuse into her.
I wasn't sure what would happen should I fuse other bodies, monsters, or even objects into her... But as my eyes landed on the pelt of a fox monster and the vials of blood Hephaestus gave me to experiment in making Smithing boosting equipment.
I decided to say fuck it. I was going to go all the damned way and whatever happened, happened.
The Renard's body glowed with blinding light within my mind as I fused the other soulless husks, Hephaestus's blood, Adamantine and Mythril dust, a couple scrap used Grimoires I got from a junk store and couldn't do anything with, the fifteen collected so far Golden Eggs from my Jack Bird,
And then without any more hesitation, I fused the alpha female lizard warrior I previously tamed into the now incandescently glowing form of the Renard.
A few moments of stress later... It finished!
And I took in the new form of the Renard that I had mentally guided during its fusion process similar to how I got certain weapon designs for when I fused them.
'I got the fluffy tail of my own Haha!' I thought with a smile as the Renard didn't come out as some kind of complete abomination... No she actually was hot as I used the image of FGO Tamamo as the template of her form. So after admiring her form I then mentally scanned her to get her actual details according to my fusion system.