Chapter 19 - Olga joining the family

Because the price of lizard bast is very low, Tsubaki specifically explained it to avoid trouble.

In fact, this is the case; generally speaking, leather armor is only worn by new adventurers, such as cash-strapped mages and archers who are accustomed to wearing light clothing. However, in terms of defense, light armor is actually a better choice for new adventurers.

Once the skill value improves, the slightly higher weight of light armor will eventually be disregarded, so leather armor will ultimately be eliminated. After all, it goes without saying which is easier to save lives: leather or steel. 

"Well, in this case, the total is... well, a total of 2,661,500 valis. Please sit here for a while and drink tea while I fetch the valis." 

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Tsubaki." 

Tsubaki smiled, waved his hand, opened the door, and walked out. Watching Tsubaki leave, Link pondered while drinking tea.

The prices of dropped items generally follow the rule that the deeper the floor, the more expensive the items.

After all, the deeper the floor, the fewer adventurers can enter, and the higher the difficulty in obtaining items. Demand outweighs supply, and consequently, prices increase. 

However, what's more important is actually the "need"—whether this dropped item holds value for use. Just like this time, the lizard's bast holds no value for use, so its price is lower than that of the goblin.

The primary consideration is whether it can be used. If it cannot be used, no matter how deep the floor is or how hard it is to obtain, it won't have much value. If supply exceeds demand, it won't sell for a high price. 

'Nowadays, the deeper the floor you enter, the stronger the monsters you encounter will become, both in quantity and quality. '

"What do you think, Olga? Do you think today's floor is okay? Are you feeling stressed?" Link finished the tea in his cup and looked at Olga, who seemed apathetic and silent. 

"If I'm under pressure..." Olga lightly clenched her fist.

"Although I don't really want to say it, there's one thing, especially concerning the amount of magic power. I can feel it in my body after using magic a few times; the magic power is nearly depleted. Right now... I genuinely feel like a new mage..."

"Don't force yourself," Link boldly reached out his hand, picked up Olga's messy hair, and tucked it behind her long ears.

"Just take your time; don't worry. Not only will you recover if you regain your previous strength, but I can also guarantee it will make you stronger." 

"Yes..." 

Faced with Link's intimate gestures, Olga quickly lowered her head in panic. A rare blush appeared on her pretty face, which had been a little depressed and apathetic. 

The pointed elf ears seemed to have turned bright red, but they weren't very conspicuous against her skin tone. 

Just as Link pulled his hand back, the door opened again. 

Tsubaki walked in, holding a large bag of Valis. 

"Mr. Link, this is all the Valis from this transaction. Do you need to count it?" 

"No need; I trust you, and even more so the goddess Hephaestus." 

With that, Link placed his hand on the box, and with a whoosh, the bag disappeared into his inventory.

"Oh~!" Tsubaki was surprised every time she saw the rare space magic. If she had that kind of magic, she would definitely put the entire forging furnace inside it. 

Although she was still curious about this, Tsubaki said to Link, "It's getting late now. Our family has prepared dinner. Do you want to stay and eat before you leave?" 

"Being invited by a beautiful woman... Although I don't want to refuse, let's do it next time. My goddess, Hestia, must be waiting impatiently. Next time, I'll host and invite Miss Tsubaki to eat. You can choose the location. How does that sound? Just as an apology for this rejection." 

"Okay! Hey, it's settled! After earning so much money, I have to make you spend a lot!" 

Starting from family, Link changed the very formal invitation to a one-on-one private invitation without leaving any trace. 

An innocent Tsubaki hadn't noticed yet, but instead, she patted Link on the shoulder with a big smile. 

This man always gave her a very close feeling, as if he were an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time. There was nothing annoying about his words or actions. 

Tsubaki didn't mind being around this person. 

... 

Back at the family residence, Hestia was waiting in front of the door as she had the day before, anticipating Link's return.

However, it wasn't just Link who was awaiting his arrival; there was also...

"Link! Welcome back!"

At the house, the lovely Hestia immediately threw herself into Link's arms. After being flirtatious for a while, she glanced at Olga, who stood to the side, with wary eyes: "Link, who is she?"

"Hestia, she's my friend; her name is Olga Discordia. After my introduction, she's willing to join our Familia!"

"Is she your friend, Link...?"

Gazing at Olga, Hestia's eyes revealed a hint of doubt and confusion.

"Link, didn't Artemis and the others bring you to Orario? Did you find a friend willing to join the Familia so quickly?"

"Well... because she didn't join the Familia either, so..."

Link scratched his head in embarrassment.

In fact, if one digs deeper, the doubts become apparent. After all, Artemis brought Link here, and he isn't familiar with the area. He has been in the underground city for the past few mornings; how much time has he had to make friends?

What's more, Olga is also a newcomer who has never joined a family.

At this point, Link can only speak to her like that and hope that Hestia doesn't probe any further into it.

There's no way around it; this is a shortcoming of the system that conjures people out of nowhere.

As Link waited for Hestia's response...

Hestia, who was sitting on the sofa, pouted and looked Olga up and down with her big eyes.

The woman in front of her had the pointed ears unique to elves, yet she also bore the dark skin of Amazons. Could she be a hybrid of elves and Amazons? Or a dark elf?

She has a mature and handsome appearance, with her front and back bulging, especially those two "meatballs," which seem to be bigger than hers! 

"No way, right? Link wouldn't like this kind of thing, would he?" 

Hestia couldn't help but think that. 

She really doesn't want to accept multiple competitors in the future! 

But... 

"Although I really don't want to accept you joining the Familia..." Hestia took a deep breath and seemed to have made up her mind: "Link can't always take risks alone in the dungeon; no matter how talented he is, he also needs the help of companions..." 

Hestia raised her head and looked at Link: "Link, answer me seriously, do you think Olga is a companion you can trust with your back?" 

"Yes, I'm sure of that." 

Link nodded without hesitation. With the existence of the system, if there was real danger and it was necessary to abandon one of the parties to delay time, Olga would give up her life without hesitation. 

"In that case," Hestia looked at Olga again, "Olga, are you willing to swear an oath to me here to never give up on Link when you encounter danger in the dungeon?" 

"I'm willing to swear an oath to you, Goddess Hestia. Unless those monsters step over my body first, I will never allow Lord Link to come to harm."