Danmachi: Strongest Familia

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"Have you ventured into the dungeon recently?" Sol asked, recalling that Heimerdinger's last favor update had been a week ago.

Unlike most heroes, Heimerdinger rarely ventured out or took risks, so his growth was slow. There was no need for daily favor updates.

For him to come here specifically to renew his favor was a rare occurrence indeed.

"I've entered twice. I just came back with Kennen and the others not long ago. I used an infant dragon to test my newly built fort in the dungeon," Heimerdinger replied.

"You didn't cause any trouble, did you?" Riveria interjected, her tone reflexive. Sett's behavior had made her a bit nervous, and the thought of any dungeon experiments now made her skin tingle.

"Relax, I kept everything under control," Heimerdinger assured them in his usual concise manner, his words carrying an air of reliability.

"Okay, let's update your favor—oh, it can be upgraded." Sol noted that taking on a infant dragon had been enough to fulfill the upgrade condition.

"Please upgrade it directly," Heimerdinger said, his expression still calm and unruffled by the prospect of an upgrade.

As a scientist, Heimerdinger didn't prioritize boosting his stats. If an upgrade was available, he took it without hesitation.

——

[Cecil B. Heimerdinger] 

LV2 

Strength: 10 

Durability: 10 

Dexterity: 10 

Agility: 10 

Mana: 10 

Magic: 

[Upgrade!] 

- Enhances the power of items 

- The next item used will not consume mana 

Skill: 

[Technology Magic Affinity] 

- Improves clarity in research 

- Increases the power of items 

- Significantly boosts Agility 

——

Heimerdinger's status panel wasn't particularly impressive compared to others, but most of his abilities came from the props he created. As long as he made similar items in Orario, he would naturally master those skills.

It was like how Gnar had acquired abilities. Just because it didn't show on the Favor panel didn't mean the skill wasn't there.

"Congratulations on the upgrade. What would you like to develop next? You have the options of 'Magic Defense,' 'Precision,' and 'Mystery.' Which one do you prefer?" Sol asked with a smile.

"Do you have any recommendations? Both 'Precision' and 'Mystery' sound good," Heimerdinger responded, the option of 'Magic Defense' seemingly ignored.

"Well, 'Mystery' is likely the rarest, and it could be beneficial for your research," Sol suggested.

"Then please select 'Mystery' for me," Heimerdinger confirmed.

After the update, Heimerdinger glanced briefly at his newly updated favor, gave a brief nod to Sol and Riveria, and then returned to his workshop.

——

"Mystery, huh?" Riveria mused after Heimerdinger left. "They say people with the ability to develop 'Mystery' are often either big shots or destined to become important figures."

There were only a handful of people in Orario who could develop 'Mystery,' and each one was considered a treasure by their family. To think a 'Mystery' talent had appeared in Sol's family was unexpected.

"Don't worry, this is just the beginning. More people will awaken 'Mystery' in the future," Sol reassured her.

"I hope so," Riveria said, feeling intrigued by the future Sol had spoken of.

After seeing Heimerdinger's development ability, Sol started to plan ahead.

"Riveria, keep an eye on the magic books in the market and buy any that are available," Sol instructed.

He recalled that Haruhime's Kokonoe needed to be awakened by a magic book. However, magic guide books were rare, and only those with the abilities of both 'Mystery' and 'Magic Guide,' along with an adventurer level of at least LV3, could create them.

There was no one openly creating magic books in Orario, though Fels, who worked in the shadows, didn't count. People simply didn't know how to handwrite them.

But now that the family possessed the 'Mystery' development ability, Sol was confident that, as a genius among the yordles, Heimerdinger could easily awaken. The only issue was how long it would take for him to upgrade again, since he didn't practice magic. Without practicing magic, he wouldn't be able to awaken the 'Magic Guide.'

Mage heroes like Vex, Lulu, Ziggs, and Ahri had gained the 'Magic Guide' ability as they leveled up. However, the chance of any of them awakening 'Mystery' was low. Lulu had the best potential, but she didn't have much hands-on experience.

Being an excellent mage didn't necessarily mean one could create magic books. Alfia was the perfect example of this.

"If a person has excellent talent and specialization in a particular area but lacks 'Mystery,' then they won't have it," Sol concluded.

"Sol-sama, do you know how much the magic books cost? The family doesn't have enough funds to buy them," Riveria inquired.

"I know," Sol replied, "That's why I want you to keep an eye out. While the family has been working hard lately, the frequency of dungeon explorations has increased. The problem is that there are many newcomers, and unless we delve into the deeper levels or encounter rare materials, the earnings are minimal."

"After all, adventuring comes with expenses, and potions and equipment are the most expensive."

"In the end, there aren't enough healers. If we had more, we'd save a lot of money. Fortunately, most of my family members don't use magic swords, or else the expenses would be even higher."

"Speaking of which, Poppy might have a chance to forge magic swords now that she's reached LV2 and gained the forging development ability," Sol added.

"By the way, what's the status of Ziggs' bombs with the guild?" Sol asked.

"They're powerful, but dangerous. If we want to sell them, we'll need to go through an audit," Riveria explained.

"Damn it, why don't the guild have such high standards for magic swords?" Sol complained, clearly frustrated.

Ziggs had added Flame Stone powder to his bombs, significantly increasing their power. The best part was that these bombs were much cheaper to make than Explosive Stones. A single Flame Stone could be used to create a large number of bombs—perfect for the market.

Sure, the bomb could harm everyone nearby, but when it came to saving lives, it was much more cost-effective than a magic sword. The price of a magic sword was much higher than the price of a bomb.

"Alright, I guess the review will pass soon. Should we look for a store in the Tower of Babel first?" Sol suggested.

"That's necessary. Once the bombs are ready for sale, we'll need a big store. And who knows, we might be able to sell other things too."

"I'll keep an eye out. If no stores are available, I'll buy a few more," Riveria said.

"Just do that. Use up the last bit of our money so I don't have to worry about it anymore!" Sol laughed. 

Alfia's personal savings were running low after establishing the family's residence, as they had planned from the start to use the remaining funds to open a store. 

Now, the money could finally be spent. 

Seeing a pile of money sitting idle every day felt like a form of torture. 

All they had to do now was wait for Ziggs' bombs to start selling, and then a steady stream of income would flow into their pockets!