Danmachi: Strongest Familia

The other party seemed to notice Janna's gaze and turned to look at her as well.

Ais involuntarily stopped, staring blankly at the unfamiliar goddess in the distance. 

There was an inexplicable sense of familiarity about her, something that drew Ais in and made her want to get closer.

"What's the matter, Ais? Wait, a new goddess. This is the first time I've seen her," someone in the group remarked. 

"What a beautiful goddess! Ah, my heart is already racing," another added. 

Perhaps the pent-up pressure from their expedition in the dungeon was to blame, but the Loki Familia members seemed completely relaxed now that they had returned to Orario. 

Due to Ais's sudden actions, the entire expedition team came to a halt. 

They were already back in Orario, so there was no real urgency to continue on immediately. The others were also curious about what had piqued the interest of Ais, the famously stoic and reserved girl.

"That goddess… I feel such a warm and kind familiarity from her," Ais murmured.

"Is that so?" Finn replied, looking thoughtfully at the distant figure who had also stopped. 

It seemed as though a lot had been happening in Orario recently, and Finn made a mental note to discuss the situation with Loki after gathering more information.

"You all go ahead. I'd like to speak with the goddess," Ais said suddenly, expressing her own will—a rare occurrence.

Finn considered it for a moment before agreeing. Since they were already in Orario, there was no danger, and the team would disband soon after arriving at their Familia's residence. A small delay wouldn't hurt. 

Still, he reminded Ais to return to the Familia quickly.

"Goddess-sama… have we met somewhere before?" Ais asked directly as she approached Janna, unable to suppress her curiosity.

As Ais drew closer, she could feel the wind within her stirring, almost as if it was celebrating—like a child reuniting with its mother.

"I am Janna, newly descended from the divine realm. This is our first meeting, guided by the winds," Janna replied with a serene smile.

"Winds?" Ais echoed softly, a strange sensation washing over her. She realized the familiarity she felt was tied to the wind—a connection to the legacy her mother had left behind.

Her mother had been on her mind frequently as of late. The gentle figure appeared in her dreams again and again, especially after her encounter with the fallen fairy on the 59th floor. That battle had only deepened Ais's resolve to grow stronger.

Her original purpose in coming to Orario was to strengthen herself, defeat the Black Dragon, and avenge her parents. Recent events had only intensified her obsession with that mission.

"Don't let hatred blind you," Janna said softly, her ethereal voice carrying a calm wisdom. "You have a wonderful style—nurture and use it well."

Janna slowly reached out, her hand brushing against Ais's cheek. The wind within Ais seemed to cheer, like a child being praised. 

"Although I cannot use divine power, I'll grant you a gift as a token of our connection," Janna said, her voice light as the breeze.

Before Ais could respond, Janna leaned forward and left a kiss on her cheek.

Dazed, Ais touched the spot where Janna had kissed her. Having lived with the Loki Familia for so long, she had developed a reflex to resist when others tried to take advantage of her. 

Yet with Janna, her body didn't resist. In fact, it welcomed the gesture—perhaps even looked forward to it.

"It's time for me to go. Farewell for now, child," Janna said, her hand gently ruffling Ais's hair.

As Janna's warm touch left her, Ais felt an inexplicable sense of loss, as though she wanted nothing more than to stay with the goddess for just a little longer.

She watched Janna's figure drift away until it disappeared entirely from view, leaving her standing there in a daze.

When Ais finally snapped out of it and noticed the sky growing darker, she hurried back toward her Familia. If she didn't return quickly, she would surely be scolded.

——

Later, at the Sol Familia's residence, Sol asked, "So, you've taken over the former residence of the Apollo Familia from Morgana?"

"Yes," Janna replied. "I thought it necessary to prepare a shelter for the children first."

"You can handle this yourselves," Sol said, waving his hand to dismiss the matter. He didn't see any need to linger on the topic. 

As long as everything progressed according to the overall plan, the details didn't concern him.

"Since the location of your Familia's residence has been finalized, it's time to start replenishing your Familia members, don't you think?" 

"Of course! Do you have any recommendations, Sol-sama?" 

"Hmph—I've already bled my wallet dry today. With all the magic stones I've gathered, I can definitely summon a few Zaun heroes!" 

Sol lowered his head and smiled, trying to mask the pain of watching his finances shrink.

Today marked the return of the Loki Familia's expedition team, and Sol had gone out of his way to arrange for someone to purchase all the high-quality magic stones the Loki Familia had harvested during their expedition. 

These were top-grade magic stones sourced from beyond the 50th floor, and their price reflected their quality—extremely high. 

Before Janna returned, the warehouse at the back of the Familia's station was already half-filled with the massive magic stones. Another two trips would likely complete the haul. 

Unfortunately, the stones were far too large to be transported in bulk, and the helpers Sol sent could only manage a limited amount each time. 

Still, as Sol stood in front of the warehouse now packed with towering piles of magic stones, he finally felt a little less regret about spending so much money. 

At least there was tangible value for what he had spent. 

With an exaggerated flourish, Sol waved his hand. The magic stones piled high in the warehouse slowly sank into the floor, disappearing into the Familia's storage system. 

"Zaun Progress: 35.4% (previously 9.7%—now 35.4%). Remaining summons: 4." 

Although it had cost a fortune, the progress was impressive. Four summons were now available, which was enough to begin building a basic roster for the Janna Familia. 

However, summoning heroes from Zaun was always a gamble. Zaun's heroes were known for being wildly unpredictable—some hailed from "heaven," while others emerged from the depths of "hell." 

If heroes like Twitch, Zac, or Blitzcrank were summoned, those opportunities would essentially be wasted. And unfortunately, Zaun had quite a few "shady" characters like them. 

The summoning began. 

"Summoning successfully. Target: Alchemy Baroness—Renata Glasc!" 

"Summoning successfully. Target: The Alchemist—Singed!" 

"Summoning successfully. Target: The Loose Cannon—Jinx!" 

"Summoning successfully. Target: The Madman of Zaun—Dr. Mundo!" 

Ah… this. 

How did it end up like this? 

The results were… mixed. 

Good news: None of the truly "shady" heroes had been summoned. 

Bad news: Not one of them could be described as "nice" either.