"Really? Fufufu~ how about we talk it over some tea then?" Demeter chuckled.
She was generous and kind, but Lars was too confident. And with him knowing her identity. He surely know that she is a goddess of agriculture.
"Works for me, let us go to a place of your choosing." Lars shrugged and Demeter appreciated that he let her choose.
Orario is in a precarious situation right now after all. They didn't know if Evilus might still be lurking around.
And Ardi Varma, the Ganesha familia's captain's sister was assassinated by a child.
They made their way to a cafe and Lars ordered a milkshake. "Ahem, I am Lars. And the offer I want to make is very important."
Demeter listened as she had time. Her children were the ones that did the physical work.
"Do you perhaps know these?" Lars gave her samples of vegetables and fruits from the dungeon.
"Those are... Food from the dungeon?" Demeter looked at them with interest.
Adventurers don't take them back after all. They would rather haul loot than some food. It gave them more money.
"That's correct, what if I told you. That I can provide enough of these to supply Orario?" Lars smiled and she was shocked.
"Wait, really? Are you perhaps farming these in the dungeon? But how?" Demeter was flabbergasted.
"Trade secret~" Lars winked at her and she chortled. "I guess it is." She shrugged.
"I want to enter a contract with the Demeter familia. I know that money isn't that importany to you, farming is. But these are luxurious ingredients." Lars gave her his favorite.
A square tomato. "How peculiar..." Demeter bit into it and she went wide eyed.
"Why... This is exquisite. Such juiciness and balance between flavors." Demeter blinked.
She thought that it can become her familia's specialty. And that will bring her children more prestige. Leading to greater satisfaction.
"Let's talk specifics then, Lars-kun~" Demeter was easygoing and he was thankful that she's as he expected.
"Sure thing, I also want to be a part of the familia. That would make things much easier." Lars requested.
"Then that makes things much easier!" Demeter clapped. "How about it? I'll give you my falna at the wheat manor, our home." Demeter smiled warmly.
"Okay mommy, I mean goddess." Lars chuckled nervously.
"Fufufu~ just call me Demeter. Let's go?" She offered her hand and he grabbed it.
They walked to the wheat manor while talking about the specifics of their contract.
"Really? You have a spatial magic?" Demeter blinked in surprise.
"I do, so I can also haul large amounts of produce. The familia members would love it I imagine." Lars chuckled.
"They surely will, everyone would definitely welcome you warmly." Demeter laughed softly.
After walking for an hour, they went towards the wheat manor and Lars thought that Airmid will at least have a goddess now too.
And that's two problems solved in one shot. The only thing was, Alfia's falna.
Demeter would definitely see that she was level 7. Most likely almost at a breakthrough to level 8.
'That's going to be a problem, I have to wait before I could trust her fully. Not everything is what it seems.' Lars squinted his eyes.
Demeter then led him to her private chambers. "Strip." She ordered him.
"Wha?" He quickly hid his body as he thought of useless things.
'I-is this what the fate of a shota is?' Lars wondered.
"Hmm? Have you never been in a familia before? I need access to your back, silly." Demeter laughed.
"O-oh..." He blushed in embarrassment and he took off his cloak and shirt.
Demeter's eyes went wide as saucers. She gasped upon seeing his missing arm.
His body was also riddled with scars. "W-what happened to you?" She grabbed him immediately.
"Ohh, this is just a little accident." He scratched his head sheepishly.
"Poor young child..." Demeter hugged him and he almost drowned in between her cleavage.
"Hmph~" His muffled voice sobered her up and she released him.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine here." Demeter looked at him with concern.
"Ahhh, I'm fine Demeter. Don't worry about me, this was some time ago." Lars chuckled.
But what he didn't know, is gods can feel the soul of mortals. And she had an inkling that he was lying.
Though not all gods and goddesses can do it. The most of proficient with this skill is goddess Freya, Loki, Artemis, Athena, and Hestia.
With the latter being in heaven. Demeter frowned, but she didn't pry.
"Okay, lie down and I'll be giving you my falna." Demeter pointed at a couch for status updates and he nodded.
Lying down, Demeter quickly saw the symbols on his back. And she didn't know what it meant at all.
So she thought she'd understand once she gives her falna. Because gods can access a mortal's soul when they give their blessings.
It was the reason why they can put a number on statuses in the first place.
Lars felt a warm sensation on his back as Demeter dropped some blood on him.
She then started to read the specifics of his soul. And she was shocked to the core.
Demeter went quiet for a good minute and he thought that something went wrong.
"Demeter? What's the matter?" He asked and she sobered up.
"N-no, nothing. I was just surprised that you have this skill already without even having a blessing." Demeter redirected her real thoughts.
"Ohh, that? I don't know as well, it just came to me." Lars shrugged and Demeter started writing it on paper.
Lars Johansson; Level 1
STR: I0 (1534)
AGI: I0 (1489)
DEX: I0 (1732)
VIT: I0 (1684)
MAG: I0 (1943)
Skills:
Septem Peccata Mortalia:
> Superbia
> Gula
> Ira
> Avaritia
> ?
> ?
> ?
Infinitum Spatium
Magic:
None
"I... I can't understand your skills." Demeter shook her head.
Lars then thought that could be because it was in Latin. And the falna of mortals are supposed to be written in divine hieroglyphs.
The language of the gods. While the common language and writing; Koine. Is Latin in a weird font. Appropriated to english letters.
It was weird, but he concluded that real Latin didn't exist in the world he was in.
"Really? Is it weird?" Lars feigned ignorance instead. If a goddess can't read it, then that's all in his favor.
He didn't want anyone to know his skills. Especially his most special one. The 7 deadly sins.
Lars doesn't know the culture in Orario. But having a skill called 7 deadly sins isn't going to end well for him if people knew it.
He'll most likely be branded as a blasphemer or heretic.
"It's fine Demeter, for the farm in the dungeon. I have 1st class adventurers as my backers. We have a farm on Rivira." Lars downplayed the depth of their farm.
"The 18th floor? But you can get killed by going there..." Demeter looked at him in worry.
"Don't worry, my friends protect me. And it's not deep." Lars smiled and Demeter accepted it. Though she noticed that he lied.
"I also want to bring in another aspiring adventurer. She's going to be a great doctor and potion maker." Lars trusted Alfia's instinct.
"Huh? But we're an agricultural familia." Demeter didn't think they could support Lars' friend.
"Don't worry, who said that familias can't branch towards other endeavors?" Lars laughed.
"Okay, if you say so. Be careful in going to the lower floors." Demeter patted his head and he puffed his chest.
"Don't worry, I'll be back." Lars exited the room and Demeter sat down on the couch while trembling.
"W-what am I going to do?" Demeter poured some water in a glass. She didn't write down one of his skills.
And it was the only thing she was able to understand. Because it was realized when he arrived in this world.
"Typhon... The sworn enemy of the gods." A terrible monster that is fated to battle heaven for the supremacy of the cosmos.
__Plaza__
Lars was waiting for an open area for Alfia to pick him up.
He wasn't conceited enough to think that he could go towards the 39th floor on his lonesome.
Swinging his legs as he sat on a bench, he thought that meeting with Demeter was a stroke of luck.
After waiting for thirty minutes, he was approached by someone. "I've been looking for you." Alfia was pissed.
"Sorry, I got into a familia though." Lars reported his spoils.
"A familia? What familia?" She squinted her eyes.
"The Demeter familia. I thought that she was generous and quite easygoing. I don't like exploration familias." Lars frowned.
"Demeter huh? Good choice. Do you think she's trustworthy?" Alfia asked as she also wanted to update her stats.
"For now, yes. But I can't risk you with her yet. After all, I don't know her personally." Lars shrugged.
"Logical, then I will wait." Alfia sighed and she picked him up.
Travelling towards the dungeon, they quickly arrived at the 39th floor and there was a disheveled Airmid waiting for them.
"You tricked me! Why am I surrounded by talking monsters?" Airmid was still a bit nervous.
But they introduced themselves to her and she calmed down a bit.
"Sorry, sorry. We don't really have a familia you see?" Lars smiled sheepishly.
"So? What are your plans with me? Are you going to force me to make potions?" She looked a bit fearful.
Thinking that they were going to enslave her. "No, not really. I actually just got a goddess to give me her falna. And I'll let you get one too." Lars shrugged.
Airmid just stared at him in suspicion. "Well, if you promise to not say anything about this." Lars pointed at the budding village of the monsters.
"Hah, it's not like I have a choice anyways." Airmid sighed heavily.
"Yes, you don't." Alfia affirmed and the silver haired girl winced. She still felt dizzy due to Alfia's mode of travel.
And unlike Lars, she was just a normal person.
"I was telling the truth though, our group has a lot of level 4's and 3's. Except they're xenos, don't call them monsters okay?" Lars warned her.
"Okay, fine. This is my life now." Airmid huffed at him.
"Welcome to Monstro, this is the 39th floor. And you're our newest member." Lars smiled at her.
"When will you introduce me to your goddess?" Airmid was quite the calm individual.
"In a few days time, how about you make yourself comfortable here? I also bought baths, beds, and furniture for everyone." Lars started to take out the necessary items for living.
Now, they have tools, silverware, beds, and baths! Baths are very important.
"I guess..." Airmid was still a bit down for being tricked, but she did got interested at the so-called xenos.
She didn't expect that she'd be healing sapient monsters. Beings that are supposed to hurt adventurers that she's going to be healing.
If she was a conventional doctor that is. "Don't worry, Airmid-chi. You're a part of our group now. And Lars-chi found you important enough to introduce to us." Lyd waved at her.
"Yeah, don't worry. We won't eat you or something." Ray chuckled.
"You're not making her feel any better, Ray." Lars deadpanned at her.
"Oh, sorry. But it's true, we prefer magic stones and the crops here." Ray pointed at their farms.
"Humans don't taste good anyway." Gros shrugged and Airmid was alarmed.
"What did I just say?" Lars sighed heavily and Lyd smacked the gargoyle.
"What? It's true." Gros grumbled and the others sighed at him.
"Come on, I brought weapons for 25 people. Good enough for level 3's. This will help your dps tremendously." Lars laid down the weapons he bought.
"Dee-pee-s?" They tilted their heads and even Alfia didn't know what that meant.
"Higher dps means more dead monsters." Lars explained succinctly and they nodded.
The xenos started picking the weapons that suited them best and the leaders led them to the 37th floor's colosseum.
They need to pay their taxes after all. And seeing them act so human made Airmid look on in curiosity.
"Welcome again, Airmid. To Monstro, the city of monsters." Lars smiled at her and she nodded.
'I guess this place isn't so bad?' She thought with a smile.
__
Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.