After learning everything I need to know I pulled out a pouch, out of Curtis's line of sight as I pull it out of the Inventory, before presenting it to him.
"These were all the magic stones I had gotten out from the goblins that I had encountered and killed, I was wondering if you or someone you know that could turn this into valis? After that attack the horses we had were holding our money so we don't have anything right now." I said while holding out the small pouch full of tiny magic stones, which I found out that's how they are called not magic crystals.
He took the pouch and looked inside and looked surprised, "You fought twenty goblins and they all had a magic stone in them? You know that's pretty rare since monsters outside the dungeon don't really have magic stones all that often, but they aren't really worth that much as they are about 100 valis a piece so for all of this is 2000 valis, that could get you a few days in a cheap tavern in Orario." He went onto explain for me as he looked the stones over.
"I'll take whatever I can get, besides I can just go into the dungeon to get by can't I?" I say but he rubs the back of his head when I say that.
"Well…. Based upon everything you said your not in a familia and the guild runs the entrance to the dungeon and they have strict rules about non-familia based adventurers going down into the dungeon, unless you can somehow prove that you can fight evenly with a level 1 adventurer, probably not one with all A stats but probably one with at least F rank stats putting them at mid level for a level 1, which is about around my level of strength and while it's been over five years since I became an adventurer my progress could be called slow but I'm not really a true adventurer in the first place but even a brand new level 1 would already be ten times stronger than an average person in comparison." He went onto explain to me.
Excalibur tilted his head, "Even though I killed 20 goblins?" I said with a questioning sound in my voice.
To that Curtis just shrugged, "Twenty surface goblins aren't the same as twenty dungeon goblins, monster from the dungeon are much stronger than surface monsters, one goblin is equivalent to about five surface goblins, so those twenty were more like four dungeon goblins and while dangerous even normal people can take out dungeon goblins if they had no choice but to do so." He went onto explain to me.
"So your best bet is to join up with a familia with one of the many gods, unfortunately the Hera familia is mostly women and the Zeus Familia had their yearly selections last month so they won't be accepting anymore members until next year so you will have to find another Familia to join." He explains to me somewhat scrapping the plans of joining either of the top Familias.
"I'd suggest Freya but she only lets those that catch her eye into the Familia where as Loki should be possible if you can show your worth, if not them then maybe Ganesha or the Astrea Familias as they always need strong warriors, probably only Ganesha as Astrea's familia is mainly a female only familia somewhat like the Hera familia, and if none of those work out then any small time familia wouldn't be a bad choice to join, just find a familia to join and then you will have access to the dungeon without any issues." He said explaining the best course of action in finding my future familia.
As he finished saying that there was a knock on the door, "Curtis, they found the goblins, it was actually what appears to be a newly formed Goblin Camp." The voice said from the other side of the door which after hearing that made him instantly stand up before going to the door.
"A goblin camp? Do you think those were the group of goblins that the Artemis Familia were sent off to hunt down?" Curtis couldn't help but asking to which the guard nodded.
"Most likely, what should we do? Do we find them and cancel the quest?" The guard asked Curtis who was in thought about this.
"You guys don't need to do that, you can still reward the Artemis Familia the reward for the hunt, but only if I can talk to Artemis herself." I said as they looked over at me(Excalibur)
"…. You know her Familia only has women as well right?" Curtis said but I waved my hand at that.
"I'm not gonna ask her to let me into her familia, I just want to ask her for a favor, after all the gods all know each other right? So her putting in a good word for me for another god to help me get my foot in the door would be of great help." I said having no need to hide my intentions to them.
Curtis seemed skeptical about it all but nevertheless he went along with it then, but as it would take some time and possibly until tomorrow before Artemis would appear, Curtis was nice enough to let me stay at his house for the night as compensation for taking out a goblin camp and not asking for payment for it, he even later gave me the 2000 valis for all the magic stones.
I could have made two mods from it but they were more than 90% chance they would make damaged mods so it was more worth it to sell them off than make damaged mods that are only half as good as their normal counterparts.
So the day passed but by the time evening had arrived Curtis had come back to the house, "Is your friend alright? It doesn't look like he has moved at all." He couldn't help but ask Excalibur as he looked at me as I was still sitting in the chair and hadn't moved at all.
"Oh he's fine, just tired from everything that happened and just doesn't want to move that much." Excalibur said waving it off.
"…. Okay, anyway Artemis and her familia are here, do you want to talk to her now?" He asked to which Excalibur nodded, to which he left to go bring over the godess.
Soon enough the door opened once more to reveal a rather beautiful woman before me, this was no doubt the Goddess Artemis, she had green eyes and long blue hair with two long bangs, two strands on the sides, and a partly braided tail in the back. She wore a white and pale blue outfit, long brown boots with a light brown design, a belt which she kept a piece of white cloth and a dagger in, gold bracelets, and various gold hair accessories.
She was beautiful to say the least, but with the situation I found myself in I had no thoughts on romance, and besides Artemis is known as the Goddess of the hunt and of Chasity so there wasn't ever really a thought about it besides me thinking she was beautiful after all.
"So you were the one who took away the job that was meant for our familia." She says as she scrutinized Excalibur's looks.
"I am sorry about that, but since I had the power to deal with them I decided it was for the best they could be dealt with." He said with a nod to which Artemis nodded as well.
"Well either way, it's good what you did as it helped the people endangered by monsters, but I've been told you want my help in return for letting me and my familia claim the bounty for our original hunt, so what do you wish to have help with?" She said thanking me for what I had done but soon got to the heart of the matter as a whole.
"Simple really, I assume you know most of the gods that reside in Orario right? Then I'd like it if you put a good word in for me with a few so they would be interested in possibly taking me and my companion in." Excalibur said motioning to my still form.
She looked at my body before looking back at Excalibur, "I could do that, but for only one familia as I can't just pass out recommendations to everyone of the gods you know, and not only that but your friend there…. Doesn't have a chance of becoming an Adventure with the condition he's in unless he consumed an Elixir to regain his ability to walk, most gods wouldn't take in one who can't do anything but take up space." She said clearly seeing through my body with her divine eyes and seeing my now currently severed lower spine.
There were many adventurers that had to quit going into the dungeon if they lose their ability to walk unless they consumed an elixir to regain their mobility as it can bring anyone back from the brink of death so fixing a severed spine wasn't impossible if one was consumed.
However while she thought that I had different idea, so long as the familia sees the worth in the power I have then they would easily accept me even in my current state.
"Alright, I'll accept this deal, so, what familia do you want me to give my recommendation to?" She asked with a raised brow while Excalibur rubbed his chin.
"How about-"
…
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