People of all kinds filled the streets. Some wore full armor with swords at their waists, others carried bows slung across their cloaked backs. There were stout and boisterous dwarves, beast-kin swishing their tails, and Pallums with humble yet stern expressions and the ever proud Elves.
Only now did Fron Argon truly feel the reality of being in another world.
'Elven girls, beast-ear girls—are you ready for me? Hahaha! Here I come!' Shouting out loud in his mind, he spread his arms out wide, standing in the middle of the road.
Ignoring the strange looks, Fron was so excited he could hardly contain himself.
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Every building in the city, every passerby, every scene felt fresh to him. The bustle of the crowd had an incredible energy that cleared his mind and made his whole body feel relaxed.
"Mm, it's like the joy of getting a new toy as a kid."
Tightening the pack on his back, Fron walked along the main street with a look of excitement on his face.
This avenue, stretching from the North Gate all the way to the massive white tower "Babel," had a very fitting name—North Street.
According to the information from his previous life, there were eight such avenues in the entire city, each corresponding to a direction.
The eight avenues sliced the circular city like a cake, neatly dividing it into eight sections. Right now, Fron was in the northern district.
As he walked, he pulled a precious parchment book from his shabby leather waist pouch and flipped to a certain page to double-check his prearranged plan.
"First, I should find an inn to stay at, then gather information about the locations of the Familias."
Yes, since Fron was a transmigrator, of course he would choose the Familia that would benefit him the most.
Selecting the optimal option from his limited intel was, in a sense, a manifestation of his cheat ability.
With such a blessing, how could he not use it?
As for his target Familia, after carefully eliminating other options, he had already made his decision.
The protagonist's Familia in the story—[Hestia Familia]—regardless of its strength, with Bell Cranel's saintly personality and Hestia's doting affection, Fron knew he couldn't handle that.
Besides, the behavior of that boy completely contradicted Fron's plan of quietly developing in the shadows.
After all, he didn't have any protagonist aura, and running wild in a high-risk place like the dungeon was basically suicide. So he passed on them first.
[Freya Familia], the strongest faction in Orario, possessed the city's most powerful man, the level 7 warrior Ottar—absurdly strong.
But the atmosphere within the Familia wasn't friendly. At their southwest headquarters, "Folkvangr," the familia members went all out every day just to win the goddess's favor.
Due to their past experiences, they were extremely starved for affection, and the goddess became their sole emotional support.
The whole Familia were simps—unbearable. Pass.
[Ishtar Familia], a group mostly made up of Amazoness, had dozens of level 3 Berbera.
Even if they didn't raid dungeons, they made massive profits from their side business.
Their turf was the Pleasure District in Orario's southeast sector.
Nighttime earnings alone accounted for 40% of the entire familia's revenue.
A true "gray market overlord."
As a degenerate, Fron was somewhat tempted to join, but once he thought of their toad-like captain, he immediately declined.
[Hephaestus Familia], the strongest smithing faction, a wealthy Familia.
The main god had a great personality and smithing skills that had reached the "divine realm."
They had money to burn—just one magic sword started at a million, and the high-end ones went for tens of millions.
The top-tier armaments even sold for over 100 million valis.
They weren't weak either, with dozens of upper-class level 3 smiths.
The captain was a seasoned powerhouse among first-tier adventurers—a level 5 "One-Eyed Master Smith."
This was originally the Familia Fron most wanted to join.
But as a magic fanatic, he had to reluctantly let go.
[Ganesha Familia], an eleven-member level 5 large faction, held law enforcement authority in the city and was basically in bed with the Guild upper ranks.
As a god of the people, Ganesha was quite reliable.
But again, Fron was chasing after magic.
Therefore, the [Loki Familia], which boasted the city's strongest mage, was the best choice.
And that wasn't their only advantage.
The [Loki Familia] was very united, matching the [Freya Familia] in power, but without the same tension.
The whole Familia felt like one big family.
The main god gave off the vibe of a parental figure, quietly supporting the children chasing their dreams and ambitions.
Even a shut-in like Fron wouldn't feel out of place there.
Moreover, the higher-ups cared deeply about nurturing newcomers, making it perfect for his current situation.
Also, they were very active in dungeon exploration, which was what mattered most to him.
Shaking his head, he looked up at a sign pointing toward a side alley branching off the main avenue.
Seeing the sign for "Golden Wheat Inn," Fron turned in.
Though old, the inn's tidy exterior showed the innkeeper's responsible attitude.
Even before entering, such a place gave off a positive impression—Fron was no exception.
He pushed open the wooden door of the inn and greeted the elven proprietor behind the wooden counter, who was focused on writing something.
"Boss, I need a room."
Hearing the voice, the middle-aged elf with perfectly combed hair and a stern expression looked up and replied in his race's uniquely stubborn tone:
"900 valis per night. How long are you staying?"
"Mm, just one night."
Handing over the few gold coins he had on him, Fron's mouth twitched slightly.
No matter the world, money was always a topic one couldn't avoid. He touched his empty wallet, feeling a headache coming on.
"Your key. Third floor, the innermost room. Don't lose it."
"Thank you very much."
"It's nothing."
He originally planned to drop off his luggage in the room before heading out to gather information, but suddenly thinking of something, Fron looked up and asked softly:
"Um, boss. Do you know of any taverns nearby? The kind where you can get information."
The man, his expression unchanged as if he was used to such questions, pointed southwest without even looking up:
"District Five, Flamebee Pavilion."
"Thank you."
Stepping on the creaky wooden stairs, he made his way to the third floor and found his room.
Unlocking the door, Fron gave the place a casual glance.
Very clean—he had chosen well.
Closing the door, he walked into the small space that would be his for now. After placing his bundle on the only chair, Fron lay back on the bed, hands behind his head, and exhaled deeply.
The ten-day journey had left him utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally—not to mention the first few days after arriving in this world, when he had to gather information, confirm intelligence, and survive the attacks of monsters that appeared out of nowhere.
Now he finally had a safe place to stay, and the heart that had been beating wildly since entering the city began to calm.
"Flamebee Pavilion Tavern, huh… sounds familiar. Whatever, no need to think too much. I'll go check it out after a short rest."
He closed his eyes, intending to nap for a bit before heading out—but without realizing it, he slept straight through to dusk, under the rising moon.
…
"..."
Staring blankly at the unique nighttime scenery of the labyrinth city lit by brilliant magic stone lamps and veiled in a black silk sky, Fron smiled bitterly.
"Was I that exhausted? I slept for so long."
He wiped his face casually, dried and cleaned his boots, tidied his clothes, then donned his cloak and set out for the destination in District Five.
At night, Orario was even livelier than during the day.
Adventurers returning from the dungeon walked shoulder to shoulder, eager for a drink; merchants hoping to get rare magic stone crafts entertained their patron gods.
Blacksmiths, alchemists, healers, bards, and courtesans—on this noisy, bustling night, all the professions that revolved around the dungeon created a unique atmosphere belonging solely to this city, and Fron found himself completely immersed in the enchanting chaos.
"Is this the place?"
This was a bustling alley in the southern district. Along this back street hung signs of various taverns. Fron now stood in front of a shop with a vivid red bee sign resembling a Familia emblem.
Next to the Flamebee Tavern sign, there was a warning board stating in red ink: No drunken brawling allowed, or something like that.
Fron rolled his eyes and pretended not to see it.
As an adventurer, wasn't fighting in taverns an everyday occurrence? This boss was probably just trying to extort money. That must be it.
Nodding to himself as if convinced, he reached out from under his cloak and pushed the door open.
"Whoosh!"
All of a sudden, a loud, buzzing atmosphere, like a swarm of bees in a hive, overwhelmed him—Fron was experiencing for the first time the raucous noise of a tavern in another world.