Time passed quietly, and as dusk fell, it draped the small base in a layer of warm light.
Fati neatly gathered his collection of study books.
With a “thud,” he placed them somewhat heavily onto Jeanne’s rather empty desk.
“Here, these will be your’spiritual food’ for the coming period.”
He picked up the top volume, a tome thick enough to be used as a brick, and showed the cover to Jeanne, who was busy tidying her bed.
“Introduction to Reading and Writing 3,000 Common Words in the Common Tongue That Even a Kobold Can Learn”.
“Trust me, once you’ve chewed through this book, daily communication will be smooth sailing for you.”
“The rest…”
He patted the stack of books.
“They cover geography, history, mathematics, an overview of gods and Familias, heroic epics…
and most importantly: the series ‘Adventurer’s Survival Guide I’ and ‘Introduction to Dungeon Knowledge I’.”
“These are things you must learn.”
“Of course, once you’ve built a solid foundation…”
The corner of Fati’s mouth curled up with the cunning of someone who had been through it before.
“There are also advanced readings like the ‘Dungeon Monster Encyclopedia and Drop List’ and the ‘Dungeon Environmental Resource Prospecting Manual’.”
“They won’t just help us survive longer in the Dungeon, but also…
well, make our little treasury a bit fuller.”
Jeanne, who came from the countryside of Orleans, felt an immense pressure weighing down on her delicate shoulders from the mountain of books, making it hard to breathe.
“I…
I get it.
No need to be so long-winded.”
Her expression was stiff, her eyes revealing the bewilderment of facing an unknown ocean of knowledge and a faint, imperceptible fear of the difficulty.
Catching her subtle expression, a mischievous smile flashed in Fati’s eyes:
“Oh my, it turns out our great [Holy Maiden] actually has things she’s not good at.”
Just after teasing her, he felt a sudden chill.
Meeting Jeanne’s unfriendly gaze, Fati immediately and wisely shut his mouth.
Clearly, he had accurately poked the weak spot of this country-girl saint.
“Remember to come down for dinner once you’ve tidied your room.
There’s no time today, but tomorrow night we’ll go out to celebrate.”
He left the reminder and slipped out of the room like the wind.
His intuition told him that staying any longer might result in the cold shoulder…
In the first-floor kitchen, the comforting aroma of food permeated the air.
With an apron tied around his waist, Fati’s kitchen knife fell lightly on the cutting board, making a rhythmic “thud-thud” sound.
On the stove nearby, the stew was bubbling away.
The rich scent of spices intertwined with the sweetness of vegetables and the depth of meat, drifting freely through the small space.
With a new member in the house, Fati had made extra food, and the variety of dishes was much richer than when he lived alone.
The abundance of the dinner, besides celebrating Jeanne’s arrival, was naturally tied to the thickness of someone’s wallet.
Having just made a small fortune, what was the point of earning money if he didn’t treat himself and his family?
Not to mention, Fati was a food lover at heart.
Even when he was poor, he wasn’t willing to mistreat his stomach.
Now that he had more money on hand, he naturally had to bring those ingredients he could only crave before onto the dinner table and enjoy them…
“Jeanne, dinner’s ready!”
Jeanne was sitting quietly on a stone bench in the small courtyard.
By the light of the setting sun, she was struggling with that copy of “Introduction to Reading and Writing 3,000 Common Words in the Common Tongue That Even a Kobold Can Learn” with a furrowed brow.
“Coming,” she replied, still wearing her signature deep blue linen dress and soft leather boots.
While serving the food, Fati took note of her outfit.
Once the two of them were seated at the dining table, he spoke:
“Get some good rest tonight.
A new life needs a new look; I’ll take you on a big shopping trip tomorrow.”
“Casual clothes for daily wear, equipment for training, weapons and armor for combat, essential potions and sundries, and all sorts of daily necessities…
we need to get everything ready.”
“I’ll also take you for a good look around this Labyrinth City so you can get familiar with the environment.”
“He paused, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation:”
“Seeing it with your own eyes is much more shocking than listening to my dry descriptions.”
A new world?
Jeanne thought to herself as she lowered her head to eat small mouthfuls of food.
Burying those memories of betrayal and fire deep in her heart, the girl looked up, a faint but genuine smile spreading across her lips:
“As long as…
you don’t find it too much trouble.”
“Trouble?”
Fati raised an eyebrow and let out a light laugh:
“I wish I had this kind of ‘trouble’ every day.
That would mean we’ve already reached the stage of financial freedom.”
“Money?
Gold coins?”
Jeanne’s eyes were full of pure confusion.
In her impression, money was something both familiar and foreign.
“Could it be…
Fati, are you short on money?”
She looked at Fati with her clear blue eyes, filled with pure incomprehension.
Their eyes met, and looking into those eyes that were written all over with clarity and foolishness, the corner of Fati’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He was silent for a few seconds, eventually letting out a long sigh:
“My dear Miss Jeanne, who in this world isn’t short on money?”
“There’s a saying: Money isn’t everything, but without money, you can do nothing.”
“Take us Adventurers, for example.
Food, clothing, housing, transportation, daily necessities, weapons and equipment, supplies and potions…
which of these doesn’t require hard cash?”
“Perhaps,” he said earnestly:
“You need to update your basic concepts and perceptions as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if you’re sold one day, you might even foolishly help them count the money and say ‘thank you’ while you’re at it.”
Her secret thoughts poked by Fati’s teasing, Jeanne’s face flushed, and she loudly retorted out of guilt:
“You…
stop talking nonsense!
Who, who would be that stupid!!”
Unfortunately, her overly intense reaction instead exposed her naive and cute nature regarding financial matters.
“Alright, alright, let’s eat first.”
Fati stopped while he was ahead, smiling as he poured her a glass of sweet plum wine.
Jeanne didn’t speak, simply burying her head in her food, as if trying to swallow all that embarrassment…
“It’s delicious…”
Jeanne tasted the sumptuous dinner in small bites, a sense of satisfaction welling up.
At the dinner table, the two enjoyed their meal while chatting about various things in the city.
“Fati,” Jeanne swallowed her food and asked curiously:
“Are there many…
well,’special’ people like us in this city?”
Jeanne curiously asked Fati about the situation of the various Familias and special individuals in the city.
“Special people?
You mean those famous top-tier Adventurers.”
Fati understood, and then he began to explain:
“As everyone knows, almost all of the strongest Adventurers in the whole world are gathered in this city.”
“In the Labyrinth City Orario, as far as I know…”
His tone was serious:
“In the whole of Orario, there are probably only a few people—no more than you can count on one hand—who showed potential like yours right after receiving their favor.”
He gestured with his palm.
“Eh?
That’s quite a few.”
After Fati’s simple introduction, she gained a general understanding of the situation of Adventurers and her own uniqueness.
Hearing Fati say there were other experts, a light of interest sparked in Jeanne’s eyes.
She put down her utensils and asked curiously:
“Who are they?
If they’re strong, they should be very famous.”
Fati thought for a moment and slowly spoke:
“For example, the Pallum captain of the [Loki Familia]: Finn Deimne.
Rumor has it that he started with one spell and three skills.”
“Another example is the Elf Royalty of the [Loki Familia], Riveria Ljos Alf.
This elf princess is equally exaggerated, starting with three spells and two skills.
Even more of a cheat is that her three spells can be linked through chanting to derive nine spells.”
“They are both Lv.
5 First Class Adventurers whose names are praised throughout Orario, and even the entire Lower World.”
As for those who started out ordinary but transformed and sublimated during their subsequent growth, there were even more.
Fati added silently in his heart.
After listening to the introduction, Jeanne suddenly stared into Fati’s eyes and asked out of the blue:
“Didn’t you say that personal favor information is usually a Familia’s highest-level secret?
How do you know?”
“…”
Fati froze.
“Cough, that…
well, a wise man has his ways.
Who doesn’t have a few connections?
You know what I mean.”
He spoke vaguely, trying to gloss over it.
Jeanne sized him up suspiciously, then nodded thoughtfully and didn’t press further…
After the meal, Jeanne took the initiative to clear the dishes.
Fati leaned back on the living room sofa, his gaze following the busy figure by the kitchen sink.
The golden glow of the setting sun filtered through the window, outlining a warm halo around the girl’s golden braids and slender waist.
Fati gradually became lost in thought.
The value of Jeanne’s attributes was far from as simple as the understated description Fati had just given.
A configuration of 2+5—the word ‘overpowered’ wasn’t enough to fully describe it.
After arriving in the new world via the Invitation and undergoing localization adaptation,
The two famous Noble Phantasms of Jeanne that Fati was familiar with had been converted into [Magic].
Luminosite Eternelle, a wide-area barrier Magic—protection, healing, and defense—a powerful composite Magic.
With this Magic, the safety level during future expeditions and explorations of unknown areas in the Dungeon would increase significantly.
Even in the worst-case scenario of extreme bad luck, there would be the capital to struggle instead of dying inexplicably.
La Pucelle, a single-target annihilation Magic.
Its power after various additive calculations is unpredictable.
Although it can only be used once a day, it serves as a trump card, a secret technique capable of reversing victory and defeat.
In addition to Magic, Jeanne’s skills were equally comprehensive and highly compatible with her essence.
They were basically oriented toward [Defense Specialization] and [Utility Specialization], which fit Jeanne’s personality perfectly.
Five Magics: sensory enemy detection, protection enhancement, target weakening, ability strengthening, and group aura.
As a vanguard, her utility and defensive capabilities were maxed out.
Among them, the effect of Holy Maiden was the pinnacle of simple and crude efficiency!
Pay attention, here comes the important part!
It is a permanent “ultra-massive increase in [Almighty]”, not an “ultra-massive increase in [All Stat Values]”.
A single word difference is like a heavenly chasm.
[Almighty] means the enhancement covers basic stat values, Magic power, Development Ability effects, skill intensity, stamina, mental power, combat techniques, and even potential—it is a comprehensive sublimation!
[All Stat Values] only refers to the five basic stats: Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic.
This is equivalent to Jeanne having a permanent top-tier Beastification ability.
With no requirements, no side effects, and permanently active.
Its value is immeasurable.