Although the queue in front of the city gate was long, the guards performing the inspection were equally swift.
Those who could guard the city gate here were certainly guaranteed in terms of strength and experience; working like this day after day, the procedures were long ingrained in their minds.
The dragon-like queue in front of the city gate dissipated at a visible speed.
Not long after, when the four of them arrived at the city gate, there were only a few people left in line.
“Come here for a moment, Asta.”
Seeing that it was almost their turn for inspection, Artemis suddenly turned and waved at Asta.
Asta immediately understood, took two steps forward, turned sideways, presented the backpack behind him to the Goddess, and said, “If you’re looking for the pass and the Adventurers Guild certificate, they should both be in the second compartment of the backpack.”
“Mm, I know.”
After spending over half a month together, the relationship between Asta and Artemis had grown by leaps and bounds.
Both the speed and the trend of growth were quite unusual.
Anyway, it wasn’t the kind of proper relationship between a goddess and a mortal; it was more like…
Ahem, a knowing glance is enough here~
It’s just that neither of them had explicitly acknowledged it yet, or perhaps they weren’t ready to?
Asta wasn’t foolish; he could feel Artemis’s special treatment towards him, and it wasn’t some kind of ‘three great illusions of life’ thing.
Almost all the maidens in the Familia had seen it these past few days; even if he alone was blind, it was impossible for the entire large Familia, all twenty girls, to be blind, right?
But it was very strange, because Asta couldn’t figure out why.
What made this god, who presided over chastity, draw close to him?
There was a layer of doubt in his heart.
Until the mystery was solved, Asta felt that maintaining this unspoken understanding was the best approach.
Artemis was the same.
For some reason, she always felt a strange attraction from Asta, something she couldn’t quite explain but that definitely existed…
Even the well-traveled Goddess found herself at a loss in this matter, choosing the same approach as Asta.
Their tacit agreement actions couldn’t help but make Rethusa and Lante behind them narrow their eyes and smile like proud aunts.
They didn’t care what the two involved parties thought; they only believed what they themselves believed.
For example, in the current situation, in their eyes, it was simply that the Goddess had finally awakened and was gradually comprehending what ‘love’ truly was.
Regarding the possibility of Asta winning over their Goddess, Rethusa and Lante not only showed no anger but even wanted to encourage him to intensify his efforts.
Please, Great Immortal Asta, subdue this demon!
That way, she won’t have the mind to bother us about our Familia members falling in love~
Then, the sea will be wide for fish to leap, and the sky high for birds to fly.
The entire Artemis Familia was happy to see this happen.
After being suppressed for so long, they finally saw a glimmer of hope for liberation; wasn’t it difficult enough?
… … … …
Holding their passes and the certificates issued by the Adventurers Guild, the four smoothly entered Orario.
After passing through the long corridor at the city gate, the view opened up, and then, the true form of Orario unfolded before Asta’s eyes.
The scene before him was a prosperous streetscape unimaginable from the outside world, a city full of exotic charm that captivated Asta’s gaze.
From the plaza in front of the gate, a wide, bustling street stretched out, with pedestrians coming and going on the neatly arranged stone bricks.
Various types of people entered Asta’s sight; he directly ignored the strong dwarves and beastmen, his admiring gaze primarily focused on elves or female Adventurers.
He was a normal male after all; it wouldn’t make sense for him to stare at those big men endlessly.
On both sides of the street, various specialty shops were lined up in a row, and for a time, Asta walked and looked around, excited.
Many beautiful women who advocated a three-point free dressing style, upon seeing Asta, immediately looked at him with the gaze of a predator.
The southern area of Orario is actually very exciting, not just a bustling street, but also entertainment facilities like casinos and grand theaters.
Right next door, in the southeastern area, is the famous “red-light district” with places like Fengyue Street, and the headquarters of Ishtar Familia, the largest brothel in all of Orario, is also located here.
The women staring at Asta like hungry wolves mostly came from the red-light district next door.
Being stared at by those prostitutes made Asta feel a bit overwhelmed, and he recalled that he currently only had enough strength to tie a chicken.
He was not an Adventurer, and his potential had not been unleashed, so he immediately sheepishly reined in some of his excitement and moved closer to the Goddess.
There is a saying in Orario about human trafficking.
Although it is scorned, if the target of trafficking is a helpless commoner with no power, then even if they are knocked out, no one will care.
Asta had every reason to believe that with his handsome, dashing, elegant, graceful, extraordinary, gentle, refined, talented, sharp-eyed, dignified, spirited, and imposing good looks, those prostitutes would have reason to target him!
Some of them were even members of Ishtar Familia who had received Falna.
Asta’s current small physique could not resist their demonic claws.
It’s safer to stay closer to the Goddess~
Artemis, noticing his movement, subtly raised an eyebrow and rolled her beautiful eyes, but said nothing.
Asta was now on a long avenue that led directly to the chalk-white giant tower, Babel.
Orario as a whole is a city shaped like a nearly perfect circle, with high city walls and the even taller Babel at its center, surrounded by the Central Plaza, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people.
Eight main streets radiate from the city center, extending in eight directions to the city walls that encircle the town.
The direction of the streets corresponds to their names, starting from due North and moving clockwise, dividing the entire city into the First to Eighth Districts.
The four people were currently in the South Avenue.
Their destination was Northwest Avenue, also known as Adventurer Avenue.
Because the Pantheon, which serves as the Guild Headquarters, is built here.
Artemis was taking Rethusa and Lante to the Guild to submit a request and collect their reward, while Asta was going to the Guild to inquire about joining a Familia.
Although Asta and Artemis’s relationship had grown much closer, it seemed not to have reached the point where the Goddess would break her principles for him.
“A Familia of twenty people is already enough; any more and I wouldn’t be able to manage them, and it’s also inconvenient for you as a male to be alone in my Familia.”
This was Artemis’s exact words when they discussed the topic during a private moment.
Simply put, it was to tell Asta not to think about joining her Familia.
After all, what would a Familia composed of twenty pure maidens become with a male added?
The Garden of Eden?
For both emotional and logical reasons, Artemis was unwilling to see such a thing happen.
So, to complete his mission and unearth the great potential hidden within his body, Asta had no choice but to find another path.