Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Omori; all rights go to him. I only own my original character Sleipnir and ~~~~~~ (Xenos OC).

Speech: "This way, a normal conversation is held."

Thoughts: 'This is a thought from the current perspective.'

Magic: "This is a spell or spell-like ability."

Screaming/Demonic Speech: "Screaming."

Chapter 1 Takemikazuchi Familia

In front of the Labyrinth City, Orario

The gates of Orario loomed before them. They could see the walls surrounding the city, which had a height of around 100 meters. Even more imposing was the giant tower of Babel, which stands in the center of Orario and stretches towards the firmament.

The street they walked upon paved a straight path from the east towards the city of adventurers. Fields of vegetables and wheat tended to by various Demeter familia members had accompanied them for the last few kilometers.

Sleipnir and Chigusa were walking next to the wagon, looking at the plants and arguing what some of them did. "I haven't seen any rice plants yet."

Chigusa pulled her hair from her eyes to smile and reassure him. "I'm sure they'll have some Sly-nii. Plus just think about all the new tea recipes you can try."

His fox tail waved excitedly pushing past his robe. Drawing some looks from other travellers, renards were a rarity outside the Far East. It didn't help that Sleipnir stood out even among renards. Most had earthly colours the most noble lines usually compromised of a singular colour like red, yellow or even white.

Sleipnir was a rarity as his fur was a mix between silver and a light blue, which made his ears to stand out in particular in contrast to his darker blue hair. His fox tail also stood out at a length of almost half a meter, easily towering over his head if he stretched it. This led to his habit of wearing blue cloaks since they entered the central continent. It was easier to fit in when he hid his tail under his robe.

It didn't help that he wasn't all that tall, only 1.6 m, possibly a little more if you were generous and counted the ears which measured another 5 cm. Really without them even Chigusa eclipsed him in height!

'Enough with these vain thoughts! I have a city to explore.' Sleipnir stopped his self inspection to answer Chigusa. "Yes, this continent already surprised me with sweet Vervain, I can't wait to try some of the more continental tea blends."

Their culinary discussion continued while Takemikazuchi and Ouka signed their entry forms into the city. Once inside the buildings differed vastly from what they were used to. Few consistent in style, most made from some kind of stone bricks, while the roofs were tiled in different colours. Some of the building stood up to three stories tall.

As Sleipnir quietened down, Asuka stepped forwards a little more. Quickly guiding them towards a herbal shop with actual potions. "Takemikazuchi-sama can we buy one please? If I can find out how they are made, I can regain every coin spent."

Takemikazuchi smiles at her rare enthusiasm. "Let's first get settled in and get you registered for access to the Dungeon. If we have enough valis after, and I'm sure we'll have enough, you can look into the pharmacies with your spending money."

Asuka pouted, her elongated and curved ears drooping. 'It's always strange to see her so energetic, usually she is apathetic to say the least. Half-elves and their hyperfocus, not to mention how modest she tends to cloth. The less said about that the better.'

Sleipnir represses a shiver, as he avoids looking at her directly. Instead focusing on Chigusa, who left his side a while ago to look at the arrows a fletcher had on display. Walking over he heard her. "So, these arrows are made from wood from the Middle Floors. Durable enough to fight level two monsters?"

The salesman answers. "Yes, only 5'000 valis per quiver a bargain little miss."

'Sister and her love of archery. Since I joined the Takemikazuchi familia a year ago, she always kept her eye on me. I tried to keep to myself, but she wouldn't let me. At some point the others started calling her my sister, and I had to go along with it. She is only a few months younger than me, almost 16 as well, but it was enough for her to gravitate towards me. With everyone else more than a year older and focused on the younger children in Takemikazuchi's orphanage, we spent many afternoons hunting monsters with bow and magic...'

As Chigusa tried bargaining, Mikoto interrupted them. "Chigusa, Sleipnir could you stop wasting daylight. You can bargain for arrows on your own later." Her eyes focused on him in particular. "Before you get any ideas, you've gotten us into trouble often enough in the East."

'Mikoto, how I detest her superior attitude. Oh, I know she dislikes trickery and deceit, but not everybody lives a sheltered live with a loving clan like her! And her sense of honor, which believes even magic to be deceitful and a mere trick! If she didn't at least occasionally use stealth, I'd bet her upbringing to be from Thor-sama himself!'

He could only scoff at her remark. "Of course I was the one that attracted trouble, I wasn't the one challenging other swordsmen to show her superiority."

Mikoto stood straighter. "As is honourable in stark contrast to your nimble tail! How many nobles did your actions anger again? I wouldn't have gotten into half as many fights if they weren't for your provocations!"

Ouka stopped their discussion by stepping in between them, only his axe high enough to break their eye contact for a moment. "Enough of that you two. We really should get going, or Take will get to the guild without us."

Both of them were scowling over Ouka's head, being a dwarf Ouka only stood at 1.4 m height, but better not to talk about that. It's a sore subject. After another few seconds Sleipnir gave up on their staring contest. Mikoto hadn't learnt to leave him his space in an entire year, she wouldn't learn now. Instead, he should finally relax and enjoy life. No more pursuers, no more stealth, just magic and the dungeon!

As they continued they found that Ouka's words came to pass as Takemikazuchi was already getting into the main plaza. Their dwarven captain was the first to catch up, the disproportional greataxe, spear and shield swaying to his steps. 'Always surprising how fast Ouka can be. It shows that he is the oldest of our familia. He accompanied Takemikazuchi for many years and we even celebrated his 60th birthday last year. His easygoing attitude often perplexed him, but at least he occasionally took some time to help him with his illusions.'

Altogether most of them were close to the highest stats achievable for level 1 adventurers and searching for an adventure to level up. It was why Takemikazuchi-sama let them accompany him to Orario in the first place. Entering a sudden introspective mood Sleipnir couldn't help but comment. 'So much time spent hunting monsters and practising magic. Still it feels like I'm stuck. Hopefully I'll find a way to advance further. I'm close to the limit of level 1, even closer than Chigusa, but I still feel like I'm missing something, if only my old mentor were here...'

Chigusa shook his shoulder as they approached the Guild Hall. Barely giving him time to look at the most important building in the city, where the administration of adventurers from beginners to veterans took place.

The Guild Hall is a nice-looking stone building with a second wooden floor adorned with many banners from different familia. There was a banner for Ganesha, Hephaestus, Freya, Loki, Demeter, Goibniu, and many more minor familia.

The moment they entered the Guild Hall. He left his thoughts behind and straightened his posture, leaning his naginata against his shoulder. Ready to start a new slice in his life.

Afternoon - Guild Hall - Sleipnir POV

The guild hall was largely empty at the current hour. Many advisors were looking over documents at their desks. Some perked up at their entrance, one pink haired one in particular tried to avoid his gaze, looking at her empty desk with determined focus.

Takemikazuchi took her reluctance as an invitation and brought their group to her. The advisor sighed tiredly and gave them a small smile. "Welcome to the guild! My name Misha Flott. How can I help you?"

Takemikazuchi responded, "I would like to sign up my familia and finish the necessary adventurer identifications for them."

"Ah, A new familia. From your clothing, I assume you are a deity originally from the Far East, right?"

"Correct. My name is Takemikazuchi. You might remember Amaterasu. She is a close friend of mine and lived with her familia inside this city 15 years ago."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't even a guild employee 15 years ago, but that's nice to know. I will bring you all the necessary paperwork. Please wait a moment." Misha then retreated to the back and, with the aid of a half-elven woman, brought them all the necessary papers.

After receiving the form, Ouka assisted Take in filling out the familia papers. Sly began filling out his papers but took pause when his quill hovered over the family name section. 'No, better to go without one.' His ears dropped slightly.

Chigusa noticed his change in mood and whispered. "What's wrong Sly-nii?" She then looked at his papers and, with a grimace, continued, "You saw how long it took for us to get here. They are in the Far East and won't get here. We haven't even seen any renards since we came here!"

"I know. It's just… I still can hardly believe it. To be free from the constant stares, the constant alertness." Sly whispered back, still quite unsure how to feel about his newfound freedom.

Once they returned their forms to advisor Misha, they received a starter bag. In there, Sly found three minor health potions and even a minor mind potion. His tail began to sway in excitement at the sight of the last one.

'I have never held a real mind potion, and here they just give them to us! The closest I ever had to one were Asuka's plant-based potions that restored a tiny bit of mind. In the Far East, even the weakest mind potions are considered luxury goods, and here they just give us one to begin with. Goes to show just how wealthy Orario truly is!'

He quickly chanced a glance over to see Asuka almost sparkling in excitement. 'Most assuredly the most expressive I've ever seen her.'

Misha explained. "I see surprise in your eyes. A starter bag is a lasting tradition introduced by collaboration between Ganesha and the Dian Czecht Familias. The mortality rate is the highest among the new adventurers, and even simple supplies can oftentimes be the difference between life and death."

Now her gaze turned sterner. "Very well, now that you all have identified yourselves, you could, in theory, enter the dungeon. But you all still need to learn the dungeon basics first before I can, in good conscience, allow you to enter the dungeon.

So, I will be keeping all of you for another hour at least." Turning to Take, she quickly bows before continuing, "Takemikazuchi-sama, your familia is registered and I wouldn't like to take any more of your time. Have you already secured lodging, or do you require a recommendation for accommodations? I whole-heartedly recommend the Hostess of Fertility to you."

Giving a light bow in return he answered. "In that case I shall look into them. I'll leave my familia in your care Flott-san. I will be awaiting you all at the Hostess once your lesson is over."

Ouka replied. "We will learn all we can before catching up to you. Take. I will make certain all of us pay attention to advisor Misha."

Take then left the guild hall at a steady pace in search of the Hostess of Fertility. Meanwhile, Misha dragged all of them into a private room. The room looks like a study room inside a library, with countless bookcases symmetrically positioned around the room.

A wide grin grew on Sly's face at this. 'There is even a monster compendium! I will have to read all of it. After all, knowledge is power, and knowing how to approach monsters I have never seen before will be invaluable.'

Misha then takes out two worn books. She begins by describing the first twelve floors of the dungeon, the so-called upper floors. She also opens the monster compendium for the appropriate floors.

"Before I begin with the lecture, I want all of you to understand that the guild is here to support new adventurers. If you have any questions, you can come to one of our advisors, and we will help you as much as we can.

This library is also open to any citizen of Orario. As long as you keep to the ground floor, there are no restrictions on the books you may look into. The only rules are that you return the books undamaged and that you do not leave the building with them."

Seeing them nod in return she brightened. "Then let's begin! First of all, you should know that the dungeon is always unpredictable. You should never feel safe, even when you are over-levelled for the upper floors! The dungeon is always plotting how to get rid of you.

The dungeon will kill you if you give it the chance. You shouldn't be overconfident, even if you start out at a higher point compared to most adventurers. You can be slain by a goblin just as easily as by a monster rex, all it ever takes is a moment of carelessness."

Sly furrowed his brow, 'If that's the case, the reverse should also apply. When I know their weaknesses and abuse them with a surprise attack with my illusions, I should, in theory, be capable of defeating stronger monsters.'

"The first twelve floors of the dungeon are the beginner floors. They are ideal for level-one adventurers. The deeper you go, the higher your stats should be. I would recommend that you take a few days to slowly progress down these floors and get accustomed to the atmosphere of the dungeon. Based off reports from various Familias, it has been theorised that the dungeon has some sort of effect that weakens the falna. Over time, adventurers overcome the effects as their falna adjusts. However, the deeper you descend, the stronger the effect becomes. This is why the floors of the dungeon have been categorised as Upper, Middle, Lower, and Deep; each section represents the strength of the dungeon's atmosphere. After your falna adjusts, you can use a map to find the fastest and least dangerous route for each floor to progress to the next section.

Below the Upper Floors are the Middle Floors. They are recommended for level-two parties and are far more dangerous than the Upper Floors. They should never be entered alone because the enemies there appear in far greater numbers and can easily overwhelm a single opponent. There are also very strong monsters like the minotaur and ligerfang on the lower Middle Floors, which can even defeat level 2 adventurers solo."

'Should not be entered solo? Hmm, I'm not so certain about that. With a high enough level, it should be possible, or, in my case, if the opponents can't even see me, then numerical advantages are obsolete. However, they might also sense me with their other senses, I will need to experiment.'

"Also, sometimes unusual monsters called irregulars can spawn that are unusually strong or have travelled to floors they aren't supposed to enter. In these cases, I would advise you to avoid them as much as possible.

My last piece of advice is not to enter Floor 18, until you are fully prepared. That is the first Monster Rex's lair. He is considered a level 4 monster and should only be challenged by specific raid parties. For now, you should not go any farther than the tenth floor at the maximum."

Misha then continues her session looking into the monsters they will face on the first twelve floors. She tells them about their abilities and what to expect. Before their farewell, she warns, "Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer, it will be your downfall when you least expect it or wear you down over time. Either case will lead to death. Only the smart can delve deeper into the dungeon."

'It was surprising that she did not know anything substantial about the weaknesses of these monsters. I mean she mentioned the obvious weak spots anything has, but nothing more substantial. I can't believe that this is all the guild knows about monsters. They must hide some knowledge, but for what reason? It might be a good idea to make my own notes detailing the monsters we encounter.'

Thinking about it, he asks Misha. "Advisor Flott-san, is there a way to borrow one of the monster manuals for the Upper Floors? And are these the only books about monsters?"

"I am very sorry, Sleipnir-san, but our books may not leave the guild, as I mentioned before. In the past, we sometimes gave them to new adventurers, but they always took them into the dungeon, and many past versions were lost. Nowadays, it is forbidden to take these books outside of the guild because it is very time-consuming to replace them. If you want to read or take your own notes, you can always do so at the guild.

As for your second question, indeed, we have some more in-depth books about monsters, but most of them are for the lower to deeper floors. On the upper floors, most adventurers spend comparatively little time, as the monsters are very weak to the more experienced adventurers."

"Thank you for the help, Flott-san. I will do so once I have the time." 'I will also start my own notes. I won't always have access to the guild and it's a bad habit to underestimate opponents because you haven't prepared enough.'

Misha coughs lightly. "Ahem. One more thing. I would recommend that you return here before entering the Middle Floors and individually with your status sheet subtracting skills, once any of you get a level up. I wish you the best of luck in the dungeon," Misha said while waving goodbye.

When leaving the guild building, the group noticed that there were noticeably more adventurers walking around. It would appear that most adventurers return from their daily escapades in the evening.

Ouka guided the rest back towards the inns, only entertaining their curiosity in the different shops and smiths briefly as most were removing their stands. After looking around for a few minutes, they found their target.

The Hostess of Fertility is one of Orario's most popular inns. The front is a simple wooden building with a balcony overlooking the central plaza. The inside is a simple bar with many tables for smaller parties and room for at least 50 adventurers.

Once inside, they look around until they spot Takemikazuchi, who has taken a few seats at a table next to the bar. He was currently speaking to Mia Grand, the owner.

She is an ex-first-class adventurer of great stature and bulk. Her size is a stark contrast to Ouka, as her clan resided in much colder territory which led to her towering size. Her brown eyes took them in even before they took their seat, a beer already resting beside Ouka the moment he sits down.

He smiled and took a hefty sip. "I see, you still remember how to be a good host, even all the way up there."

Mia chuckled. "Of course, isn't every day a new dwarf enters the city. First is on the house! The rest you'll have to ask my girls for. Impossible to miss them in their green uniforms."

She stepped back from the bar and winked over one of her girls. An elven girl by the name Ryuu, blonde with blue eyes.

"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility. I see that you are new here. I am your waitress, Ryuu. What do you wish to order?" She introduced her tone even.

Takemikazuchi was the first to order. "I would like to try the roasted chicken, Ryuu-san. With a little bit of sake if you have some."

"Of course, but we do not have much sake. It has to be imported and most customers prefer the wine from the Soma familia."

"Of course. Then I think it would be best to just order one flask of sake for our group," finished Take.

"I will take the dwarven special. The mountain spaghetti," Ouka added.

Sly then requested, "I would like the roasted rice with vegetables with some tea. What kinds of tea would you recommend Ryuu-san?"

"I forest tea is my favourite of the common ones. Our forest tea uses a mint from the forests outside of Orario, or there are also a few special dungeon herbs that can be used for tea, but they are rather expensive. There are a few more, I can bring you our tea menu if you'd like."

Sly nods and focuses his ears on Ryuu. "That won't be necessary. For today I will take the forest mint tea. The next time I will order another flavour."

Ryuu nods and notes down his order before looking at Mikoto.

Mikoto smirked at Sly and commented with a sparkle in her eyes. "You still are a glutton for rice, aren't you Sleipnir? But today, I will also take the same."

'And Mikoto is still criticizing me. I should really be angry at her constant teasing, but at least this time it isn't about honour. Sometimes her constant nagging really brings me down. Let's see how she likes it when I turn her words against her.' Sly thought before smirking and swishing his tail at her face. "You know I prefer less intensive smells because of my nose. However, I am surprised you didn't follow up on Takemikazuchi-sama's order."

Mikoto just glares at Sly as an answer, while whispering back. "You know as well as me that Takemikazuchi-sama has a very bad sense of taste. He still thinks his cooking is good. Fortunately for us, Asuka took it upon herself to help him whenever it was his turn to cook."

Sly counters. "So, you are implying that his order is bad. What bad manners to speak so poorly about a dish without trying it Mikoto-san!"

Chigusa chuckles at her comment, and Ouka laughs. Takemikazuchi, as always, gives nothing away with his expression. Chigusa quickly glances at Ryuu before quietly adding before the argument can continue. "I would also like the roasted rice."

Lastly, Asuka looks at the menu. "I'm going to try the salad."

"Very well, your orders should arrive shortly," Ryuu says before leaving for the next customer.

After finishing their meal, they praise the cook, May, for the great meal. Then retire for the night. Take joined Sly and Ouka in a room, while the girls took another room for 5000 valis per room, excluding the meals, for one week.

Morning - Hostess of Fertility, Sly's guest room - Sleipnir POV

The night passed quickly. Take was the first to wake up at around 6 am and then decided to go downstairs. Sly awoke because of Take's footsteps, but upon noticing how dark it was, he went right back to sleep. Afterwards, Ouka and Sly awoke at around 7 AM and both prepared for their day.

While they were preparing to leave, Ouka decided to start a conversation.

"Sly-kun, how are you feeling now that we've reached Orario? I wish to learn more about you now that I am no longer in charge of all the orphans. I spent very little time with you as Take took you as his personal charge."

"You know, I'm not certain how I should feel. You and Mikoto-san have it easy. Both of you are so direct and very certain in what you want to achieve. I just want to learn more about magic, now that I do not have to hide."

"You are right about me, Sly-kun, but you must understand that I have been working towards finally improving the Far East for many years. Even before the other orphans even entered the familia, I was the only member of Take's familia.

You spent barely one year with us. In this short period, you broke all our expectations with your fast progress. You even managed to get Take to teach you the way of ninjutsu. He generally dislikes the cunning use of traps and manipulation when he can just use his perfected fighting styles. It isn't surprising that you haven't found your goal yet, but starting with magic isn't a bad idea. After all, you already helped me and Chigusa-chan with our magic training. Now, let's go and eat a healthy breakfast." Ouka finished the subject before looking back at Sly. "Are you coming?"

Sly's tail twitched while listening to Ouka before he took out a wooden brush to brush it. "Yes, let's go,"

'Ouka. I am uncertain how to interact with you. We are barely comrades at arms even after a year, we mostly saw each other during training. I do not see why you try to get closer to me. It would be wonderful if he truly meant his words, but they could also just be him appealing to my ego and getting on my good side. He has our backs in a battle, but did he say all that out of a sense of duty or is he genuine in his words.'

Hostess of Fertility - Sleipnir POV

They all went downstairs and drank some tea while ordering breakfast. This time, they were served by Syr Flora. Her bluish-grey hair reminded Sly of his own, as her constant smile eased them into their orders.

As they finished and she removed their dishes she remarked. "I hope you will have a safe on your first dungeon delve. Stay cautious, but if the opportunity arises do not shy away from an adventure."

Syr then smiled teasingly at Sly. "But, with your strength it shouldn't be too much of a problem, right? Before you leave might I get your name renard-kun?"

Sly glances at Syr with surprise as he had kept to their small group and didn't speak to the other adventurers during breakfast. "Ah, yes. My name is Sleipnir. Just Sleipnir, Flora-san."

"Interesting. You may call me by my first name Sleipnir-kun, and you shouldn't be so tense. Even if it is your first time in a large city like Orario, you look as if you expect a monster to jump out of your shadow." She then turned around with a small smile and twinkling eyes. 'Why did Flora-san single me out? It makes no sense. All of us are tense in a city we never visited before, right?'

Ouka then clapped Sly on the back while quietly smiling at his confused expression. Chigusa, on the other hand, looked at Syr calculatingly.

While the others were still smiling at Sly's expense, Take took the word. "Well, the Hostess of Fertility certainly honours its reputation." His words drew their attention. "As I mentioned yesterday, I will go back to the guild and inquire about the dojo Amaterasu-san during her stay. For the rest of you, today will be your first day in the dungeon. I can only advise all of you to take your time and be on full alert once you enter the dungeon."

"We will do our best to return Takemikazuchi-sama/Take." The familia and one captain replied.

"As long as you all return at the end of the day, I consider it a success. Take my lessons to heart and face the challenges with all your might and I am certain you will make me proud." His words were spoken to all of them. His posture serious and his gaze piercing.

As all of them agreed with either a "Hai" or a "Yes, Takemikazuchi-sama" he eased the pressure and looked at Ouka. "Finish your preparations and we shall meet in the evening."

Ouka looked at all of them before using his deep familia captain voice. "Well, now that Take has left, it's time for us to prepare. It is currently half past seven, so I will get my gear ready and meet you in front of Babel in 30 minutes."

Sly then went upstairs and put on his chain mail below his robe, took his backpack, and hid his twin daggers before taking his naginata into his hands.

'I really need to figure out how to strap this somewhere without always having to carry it. I could also use some more armour. After all, the dungeon is far more dangerous than surface monsters. I will have to look into that once I have a free day. For today, I can at least use the reach of my naginata to avoid close combat.'

Sly then left the Hostess of Fertility to buy more equipment on the plaza. While looking around, he calculated how much he could prepare with his remaining 5000 valis.

'Let's see. I currently have three health potions and one mind potion. I also still have 30 meters of rope and a first aid set.

I still need some throwing knives or kunai, and although they will probably do negligible damage, they should work as distractions without wasting too much mind.

When I'm already on my limited resources, I will need at least one stamina potion, as I currently have none of them. I could also use some explosives, but they should be on the very expensive side, so I will need higher funds to get them. Flash bombs fall under the same category, and I will probably have to ask around where to even get them. Perhaps Asuka could prepare some.'

While looking around, he found throwing knives that had a similar weight distribution to kunai from one of the blacksmith shops, with the signature of a novice blacksmith. Three of them were available and cost 3000 valis together.

"May I test how these throwing knives behave when thrown before buying them?" Sly asked the vendor. "Ah, yes, of course, just throw one of them at the target dummy, and if you damage them, you will have to buy them."

Sly tried throwing them at different angles. 'They seem to have a good sense of balance. They are also sturdy enough to not immediately break and, lastly, to fly in the correct direction. They should suffice until I can find somebody to craft me actual kunai.'

Sly then bought them before searching for an alchemist. He spots the Blue Pharmacy, which looks like an ideal candidate.

The Blue Pharmacy is a small building at the edge of the plaza that seems to have gone through a rough time, as the building looked like it hadn't been renovated for years.

Once he enters, he spots a chienthrope (a dog demi-human) with long brown hair and purple eyes. She wears a skirt from which her tail sticks out and a peculiar shirt with asymmetric sleeves, with the left short and the right long enough to cover her entire arm, in addition to a glove on her right hand.

She is currently stirring a potion while slowly adding condensed droplets of mana from a shrinking magic stone inside. Sly also senses that she is compressing the potion with magic pressure into the cauldron to stabilize the potion. Behind her are many dried herbs, a few monster drops, and a frighteningly complex-looking glass distiller.

The glow from her pot slowly starts glowing dark blue, and then she adds another ingredient before the potion begins to oscillate between a red and blue glow. She adds a few more ingredients, but the potion keeps oscillating faster and faster, and the chienthrope keeps stirring faster and compressing it further with her magic until the potion just caves in upon itself.

"Why can't I just succeed in creating a stable dual potion...?" The chienthrope sighs and mumbles to herself, crestfallen, when she notices the young renard. His tail is swaying in interest while he is looking at her failed potion. "Welcome to the Blue Pharmacy. I am Naaza Erisuis of the Miach familia. What may I do for you, renard? "

"Am I correct in the assumption that you are a member of an alchemist familia? Wait, that is a redundant question, seeing as you were just brewing a potion."

Naaza, after laughing, quietly replies in a sleepy and slightly depressed tone. "Yes, I am. Do you wish to buy some potions? We have all the basic ones. Our current rate is 1000 valis for health, 5000 for mind, and 2000 for a stamina potion. Unfortunately, we currently don't have the capacity to mass produce higher-tier potions."

"2000 valis—isn't that a little high for a single stamina potion?" Sly asks with a grimace. "Can't you give me a small discount? I will even give you a hint of what you could lack with that dual potion of yours."

"Hmm, that depends on what advice you can give me." She responds with a focused sparkle in her eyes.

'I don't know why, but since I saw her mixing that potion, I have had a headache. I probably just inhaled some of the fumes. Anyway, telling her might prove valuable in the future. Also, the information isn't really valuable to me as it was an idea I got from a book during one of my nightly library excursions. No reason to withhold my idea.'

Sly thinks while answering. "As far as I could see, the mana you extracted from the magic stone was able to stably bind to the potion at first, but once you added the ingredient that induced the colour change, it became unstable, and even your magical pressure couldn't force it to merge Erisuis-san.

I guess that the second ingredient was the main ingredient used for health potions, and previously you had the basis for a mind potion." Naaza nods at his assumption.

"I think you could potentially stabilise the base potion by adding a grounding agent before it grows too unstable. There should be an herb that doesn't act aggressively with either ingredient that you can use as a bridge between them to balance the violent clash between the magical energies. Or perhaps slowly fuse two completed potions with a grounding agent."

Naaza begins to contemplate after hearing Sly's words. 'So that was the missing piece, but I will still need to research a possible stabilising agent. He must be a mage to have such an acute magic sense.'

"That could actually work. Okay, how about we go with 1000 valis this time because you helped me with a new idea for my dual potion?"

"Deal. By the way, I am Sleipnir from the Takemikazuchi familia. I would also ask if you could potentially create flash bombs or explosives.

"Well, I could, but it would just endanger our business. I am the only member of the Miach familia and have very limited time. So unless you make Miach-sama a good proposal, I will have to pass."

"I see. I will probably return once I need more potions. A member of my familia has an interest in alchemy and might even help you out. If your god is available, I'd like to hear his opinion towards my idea the next time. Until then good luck with the dual potion Erisuis-san." Sly replies with a slight smile and a slight ear twitch.

Naaza smiles and says with a waving tail while handing him the potion. "You will be a welcome guest. If possible, I will introduce you to my god the next time. He will be pleased to meet a fellow potioneer."

Now prepared, Sly proceeds towards Babel to meet up with his team members. 'I still need a good belt to strap all my tools to. For now, I will have to use my pack.'

Author's Note

Well, that was the first chapter of the introduction to Orario. I hope you enjoy the story I am building, and I will try my best to answer any review or comment it gets.

Note 26.08.2024: I shortened and cleaned up a lot in this chapter along with the addition of the Prologue. I'll also go over parts of Chapter 2-4 as well, but the biggest changes happened in this chapter.