Compared to Bete, who was too shocked to speak, Tiona cheerfully ran over, hugged Takatsuki's arm, and asked, "Hey, hey, young man, where are you and that young man named Fu Hua from? Are you really LV1?"
Looking at the being of the same level as Fu Hua clinging to his arm, Takatsuki lightly coughed and said, "The Falna level is indeed LV1, but we already had considerable strength before obtaining a Falna. Also, Fu Hua is not a young man; she's a girl, although…"
Glancing at Tiona's chest, Takatsuki didn't continue.
"Eh!!!"
Tiona immediately let go of his arm, then pressed her own chest. Amazons were so open; they didn't mind doing this in front of the opposite sex. Then she said with some surprise, "Actually…"
"Actually, she's flatter than Tiona."
Before Tiona could finish, her sister helped her say it.
And Bete on the side was already dumbfounded.
"A… a woman…"
Bete always prided himself on not hitting women. He would curse, he would mock, but he would not actively hit them. But he never thought that he would break his vow because of a misjudgment.
No one paid attention to the surprised Bete, because Takatsuki's situation was even more astonishing.
At this moment, Ais, who had been standing there silently, walked up to Takatsuki in front of everyone.
"Please teach me how to get stronger."
As expected of you.
Takatsuki looked at Ais, whose tone lacked sincerity and whose expression was blank, and his mouth twitched. If he didn't know that she was just such a natural airhead, he probably would have gotten angry.
The other LV6s were already used to it. They had, one could say, watched Ais grow up. As elders, they had all been asked for guidance by Ais in this way. However, adventurers' matters could not be taught to each other. Ais had her own path to follow, and others' methods were determined by their own race and skill characteristics, which were not suitable for her.
But Tiona was different; she immediately corrected her, saying, "Ais, you can't do it like this. There's no sincerity at all."
"Then what should I do?"
Ais actually went and asked Tiona, and then she saw Tiona replicate her previous action again.
"Of course, it's like this!"
Then she was stopped by Takatsuki's right hand pressing down on her head.
"Don't teach others things randomly."
As soon as Takatsuki finished speaking, he felt someone hugging his left hand, and a soft sensation pressed against him.
From the side, Lefiya's panicked cry came, "Eh!!! Ais-san!"
Not as big as Mei, about the same as Kiana…
In an instant, Takatsuki knew the score in his heart.
Of course, on the surface, he calmly pushed her head away.
Ais did not understand the meaning of this action, so she was still pushed aside with a blank expression while her head was held down.
Just as her hands were pressing the spot where Takatsuki had pushed her, Takatsuki spoke, "The concept of getting stronger that you mentioned is too vague. What is the precise concept of getting stronger that you refer to, and what is your reason for wanting to get stronger? I don't know, and…"
Takatsuki looked at the three guardians who had been standing by, merely observing, since the beginning.
"You also need to see if your guardians agree to you learning things from me, after all, if we really want to be meticulous, we are from different Familia."
Ais followed Takatsuki's gaze and looked at Finn and the other two.
Seeing Takatsuki pass the buck to him, Finn said with a smile, "Mr. Takatsuki is joking. We are merely Ais's Familia companions, at most seniors. If you're talking about family, then the god is our guardian. However, our god has always not restricted the development paths of others. Ais's matters should be decided by herself. All we can do is protect our juniors."
This Pallum was cunning. While shaking off his own responsibility, he also subtly warned Takatsuki that they would protect Ais, and if Takatsuki did anything bad, they would stand up for Ais.
However, Riveria on the side said something pleasant, "If Ais feels it's useful to her, we will fully support her. Of course, as a token of gratitude, we will not be stingy with remuneration. If Ais cannot afford it, I will personally cover the costs; I still have some savings."
"Of course, every adventurer's method is personal privacy. Ais's behavior is indeed impolite, but as you can see, this child is too straightforward. Of course, if Mr. Takatsuki refuses, we will naturally tell Ais not to pester him further."
Takatsuki felt as if there was some other meaning hidden in these words, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Calling Ais a child was indeed accurate; just by her appearance, it was clear Ais was younger than Takatsuki, though it might also be due to her lineage.
"Since you've said so much, then I'll listen to your reason for wanting to get stronger."
Takatsuki looked at Ais and said, "As for whether I can help you, that depends on whether you can convince me."
"Convince…"
"Yes, convince. We'll talk privately a bit later about your reasons for wanting to get stronger, what you want to do after getting stronger, and how you want to get stronger. You can start thinking about it now."
While the few of them were talking, the other members of the Loki Familia had already collected the magic stones dropped by the monsters. Although many magic stones were destroyed by the flames, some still remained.
"These magic stones are truly strange. Since Mr. Takatsuki cleared all of these alone, they should all belong to you."
Finn picked up a magic stone and frowned. Unlike ordinary magic stones, this monster's magic stone looked as if there was some yellow substance flowing inside, making its entire appearance seem yellow.
However, adventurers only treated magic stones as a means to earn money and did not research their special properties. Moreover, the number of magic stones present was not very large, as most had already been destroyed, leaving only a portion. Finn naturally had no need to be petty in such a situation.
Takatsuki also picked up a magic stone. Although his expression remained calm, his heart skipped a beat.
"Then I'll accept them. I've been traveling continuously, and the recent battle has made me a bit tired. I'd like to rest first. You can find me in the evening."
What Takatsuki said was perfectly reasonable. After having Tom and Jerry collect the magic stones, Takatsuki took his two supporters and set up a tent near the Loki Familia's camp. Although he had never used a tent before, he still carried one in his backpack.
The tent's main purpose wasn't to make him sleep comfortably, but to block others' observation. After returning to the tent, Takatsuki took out those special magic stones and began to study them carefully.
He had just felt… the presence of a soul within this magic stone.
The souls within ordinary magic stones quickly disappeared after a monster's death, being reclaimed by the Dungeon. However, the soul within this magic stone seemed to be outside the Three Realms and not within the Five Elements, with nowhere to go, so it remained within the magic stone, and the soul itself even became the magic stone's energy.
If he used this to make puppets…
Leaving aside Takatsuki's new research, on the other side, watching Takatsuki leave, the three LV6s also came to the tent and began to discuss.