Chapter 71: A Gift From Astraea

Because the Astraea Familia's base was located near a bustling, noisy vegetable market, Astraea could easily purchase all the ingredients needed for tonight's dinner from nearby stalls. Of course, Akira was the one who paid. Just one look at Astraea's elegant divine robes made it clear she couldn't exactly carry a coin pouch. And as a proud member of the Astraea familia, how could he possibly let his goddess foot the bill? When Akira took the heavy bag of groceries from her hands, he turned without hesitation into a narrow alleyway. Moments later, he emerged empty-handed, his expression calm and composed. Storing everything in [Backpack] makes it easier to keep holding her hand, after all. Just as Akira was enjoying the moment of walking hand in hand with Astraea, she spoke softly beside him, "Didn't I promise you a reward if you guessed the flower's meaning correctly? Come with me." She led him to the clothing store where they had shopped before—more precisely, to the inconspicuous watch shop nestled beside it. "Welcome." The store manager greeted them with a warm smile. He was a middle-aged man with a gentle expression and wore a single-sided monocle, adding to his vintage charm. Akira stepped inside, his gaze drifting curiously across the walls. The shop seemed like a shrine to time—ancient wooden wall clocks, gleaming metal table clocks, and artistically shaped timepieces filled the room, each one ticking with its own rhythm. In a glass display case in front of the manager were an assortment of delicate pocket watches. Some were embedded with dazzling gemstones, others engraved with intricate patterns, and still others clearly made of rare and valuable materials. Akira glanced at Astraea with understanding. So this is the reward she mentioned. Astraea approached the counter and said in a whisper, "Manager, is the special pocket watch I commissioned last time ready?" The manager nodded. "Yes, Astraea-sama. I will bring it out now." As the man disappeared into the back room, Akira leaned down slightly to observe the pocket watches up close, then whispered, "So... you're giving me a pocket watch." Astraea tilted her head amd asked, "What's wrong? You don't like pocket watches?" Akira smiled gently and said, "I like anything Astraea gives me. I'll treasure it." Soon the manager returned and set a pocket watch carefully on the counter. Its surface was a warm rose-gold hue, like the soft blush of a blooming flower. The outer cover was carved with the emblem of the Astraea Familia—delicate, divine, and unmistakable. When opened, the inside revealed the same insignia in fine detail, inlaid around the edge. Most striking of all were the hands of the watch. They shimmered faintly in the fading sunlight, casting a soft blue glow that resembled twinkling stars in the night sky. "This is the custom piece you ordered, Astraea-sama." The manager said. "I hope it's to your satisfaction." Astraea turned to Akira and gently handed him the watch. Her eyes gleamed with affection as she asked, "What do you think? Do you like it?" Akira took it with both hands, a bright smile lighting up his face. He happily said, "It's perfect. I think any man would fall in love with such a beautiful watch. Thank you, Astraea." Unable to contain his gratitude, he stepped forward and embraced her lightly, returning the warmth she had shown him. After returning to the base, Akira helped Astraea wash and prep the ingredients as usual, chopping them into neat pieces. Once that was done, the two sat together in the hall, waiting for the others to return home. Every night was the same—they waited until the rest of the familia came back before officially starting dinner. After all, it was hard for Astraea to cook for everyone by herself, and their group included some rather ravenous eaters. "Astraea-sama! We're back!" Even before the door opened, Alise's vibrant voice echoed through the entrance. Footsteps approached quickly, and Alise burst through the door of the hall, rushing straight toward them and throwing herself down across their laps. "Ugh! I'm so tired. Everything today was such a hassle!" She groaned, resting her head dramatically. Akira chuckled and gently tapped her thigh as if massaging it and asked, "Weren't you patrolling Orario today? What kind of trouble did you run into?" "We're preparing for a dungeon expedition." Kaguya's voice cut in as she entered the hall. She looked particularly exhausted. "If we don't take more commissions and make more Valis, we won't even be able to maintain our equipment." "That's right." Lyra added, throwing up her hands. "The guild's compensation barely covers the essentials. And don't forget—we have a whole logistics team to feed." Ryuu spoke next, her expression calm but serious, "Plus, some of our patrols are self-initiated. If this keeps up, we might even struggle to put food on the table." "It's not that bad yet, Ryuu. Don't scare Akira." Noin said brightly, holding Ryuu's arm with a teasing grin. Akira raised an eyebrow and said, "I am not scared. I know how much it takes to keep a familia running. Besides, didn't I give Lyra a pile of materials from my last dungeon run? I figured they'd help with the finances." Lyra nodded and said, "True, but I didn't sell them. You've been leveling up so fast that your gear soon be obsolete. You should start investing in new gear." "I already placed an order with the Hephaestus Familia. Custom weapons tailored to me. So, you can use the remaining Valis." Akira explained. "Oho? Tell me how much did it cost. I'll help you collect it." Neze said, scratching her head. "Well... I paid two million Valis upfront as a deposit. The final cost will be around ten million." "Ten million Valis?!" Everyone gasped. Even Alise sat up in shock. Ryuu immediately got in Akira's face, pushing Alise aside as she grabbed his shoulders. She said, "Are you sure you weren't scammed? Even if it's the Hephaestus Familia, there could've been a con artist involved." "That's way too expensive for a level two weapon!" Alise added.