In DanMachi, Freya Set Her Sights on Me from the Start!

Facing Freya, Cao Ye did not hide anything and told her everything outright.

Freya was not particularly shocked by the answer, only slightly surprised. After all, an Lv. 2 had actually found such a profitable avenue, making her see him in a new light.

"You've got some nerve, going around me, the goddess of this Familia, and cooperating directly with another Familia."

"I was afraid of disturbing you, Lady Freya. Besides, I'm carrying a debt of 20 million Valis. I have to find a way to pay it back."

"Hmph, you make it sound better than it is~"

Freya rolled her eyes at Cao Ye but did not pursue the matter.

As the saying went, those who were favored feared nothing. Cao Ye was more or less in that situation.

In all of Orario, there were few people Freya valued, but they certainly were not nonexistent. Yet he was probably the only one who had been kidnapped off the street and brought home to be kept by her.

Coupled with how indulgent she had always been toward him, Cao Ye naturally had a pretty good idea of where he stood.

"Is your 'spatial ring' only this large?"

Freya brought up what concerned her most. If it were only 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm, its value would be quite limited.

"Of course not. This is merely the best I can make right now."

"What do you need?"

"Gemstones. 'Magic gemstones' would be even better."

"You really dare to ask. Do you know how many Valis a single 'magic gemstone' costs?"

"I do. That's why I haven't used any."

Cao Ye was like a manufacturer seeking sponsorship, while Freya was the investor.

She was clearly interested in the 'spatial rings,' so why not take the chance to fleece her a little? He knew that aside from Tsubaki, they had obtained a full 2 billion Valis from the Ishtar Familia.

And what about him? He had started all of this, it had been his plan, and he had even brought a talented person into the Familia. Asking for a dividend of a hundred million or several tens of millions of Valis was not too much, was it?

But what was the result? He had not received even a single Valis. It made Cao Ye furious. They were far too stingy.

Freya found Cao Ye's expression amusing. She could naturally tell that he was using this opportunity to complain about being poor, perhaps even hinting that he wanted money from her.

"There are still four good-quality magic gemstones in the Familia warehouse. I'll have Ottar deliver them to you later. As for your cooperation with the Hephaestus Familia, you may also carry it out in the Familia's name."

"Lady Freya, what is the price?"

"Once this technology of yours is mature, I want two of your finest works."

"Lady Freya, you really know how to do business."

Good heavens, two of his finest works.

Never mind how far he might advance in the future—the phrase "finest works" alone was deeply thought-provoking.

"Not only that, the Familia will also provide 200 million Valis as support for you."

"Two hundred million?"

Good heavens, she really was loaded. She opened her mouth and it was two hundred million.

But when he thought of those 2 billion Valis, he felt that 200 million was not much either. It was only one-tenth, after all.

"This is only the first payment. If you can prove that you will not stop here, there will be more to come."

Freya smiled at Cao Ye. The Freya Familia was never short of money.

To Freya, anything that could be solved with money was not a problem.

"Alright, I accept. It's only two of my finest works. Fine."

"Also, from now on, your creations must be supplied to the Familia first. Of course, you will be paid."

"Fine."

Cao Ye naturally had no objections to that condition. No matter who it was or where they were, there was always a distinction between those close and those distant. And in Orario, no one was closer to him than Freya.

Having received the answer she wanted, Freya smiled in satisfaction.

Though this had only begun as a whim of hers, Cao Ye had surprised her too many times. So this time, she believed he would not disappoint her.

The Fragile Lewd Fox!

Over the next few days, no longer strapped for funds, Cao Ye purchased a large quantity of materials.

Aside from gemstones for making 'spatial rings,' he also bought materials for making 'cursed corpses.' He had not forgotten about Puppet Manipulation and had been working hard at it all along.

Under these circumstances, the space inside the spatial rings Cao Ye made steadily grew larger.

At the same time, he made several other simple cursed corpses. He became increasingly proficient at creating them, especially with the boosts from 'Item Crafting' and 'Mystery.'

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, and every day of Cao Ye's life was incredibly fulfilling.

Bzzzz—

As a faint glow flickered, Cao Ye looked at the ring before him, his face filled with delight.

This was Cao Ye's first attempt at using a 'magic gemstone.' Just as he had guessed, using such a high-quality 'magic gemstone' allowed it to support a much larger Imaginary Space.

"20 m³. A twentyfold increase. As expected, expensive things have their advantages."

After becoming increasingly skilled, ordinary gemstones had more or less reached their limit, able to support only 1 m³ of space. Yet this magic gemstone had reached 30 m³ on the first attempt, and there was even room for improvement.

A box beside the table was already filled with rings.

Without exception, all of them were Cao Ye's creations. Their internal spaces varied in size, bearing witness to his progress over the past few days.

Creak—

"Lord Cao Ye~"

"Hm? Tsubaki, you finally came. I'm starving to death."

Because he spent every day researching these things, Cao Ye had become so absorbed that he forgot to eat and sleep. If Tsubaki had not delivered his three meals at fixed times, he did not know what state he would have ended up in.

"Isn't it because you always lose track of time, Lord Cao Ye?"

"Can't be helped. When I have such a considerate little beauty bringing me meals, why would I need to keep track of time?"

"I-I'm not some 'little beauty.'"

As she said that, a faint blush spread across Tsubaki's cheeks.

Ever since that previous social death incident, Cao Ye had understood that this lewd fox definitely had unusual feelings for him.

Since that was the case, he had to seize the opportunity properly. He was not one of those "yasashii" eunuch protagonists who would not eat the meat delivered right to their mouths and instead kept stringing the other person along.

With one party having feelings and the other having intentions, Cao Ye and Tsubaki's relationship grew increasingly intimate.

"Hm? Tsubaki, where are the white stockings I gave you before? Why aren't you wearing them?"

At that moment, Cao Ye noticed that Tsubaki, dressed in a maid outfit, was no longer wearing the white stockings he had been thinking about.

A maid outfit paired with white stockings—the perfect combination for an innocent yet lewd fox.

"I-I don't want to wear them. Every time I do, Lord Cao Ye starts getting handsy with me."

As she spoke, Tsubaki's expression changed slightly. Compared to her white stockings, Cao Ye seemed to prefer the goddess's black stockings. He often sneaked glances at the goddess's legs clad in black stockings.

His hand would clearly be on her leg, yet his eyes would always drift toward the goddess. That left Tsubaki with a small grudge.

"That wasn't getting handsy. That was normal, friendly interaction."

"Lord Cao Ye, I used to be a 'prostitute'~"

That one sentence left Cao Ye speechless. Though she was still physically pure, she had received instruction from her "seniors" while in the Ishtar Familia, including how to please men and what men liked most.

"Cough, cough, um~~~"

Cao Ye had no idea what to say now. Being exposed to her face for taking advantage of her was rather embarrassing.

And besides, why had she not said anything for the past several days? Now that it had been so long, she was unwilling again.

"Hmph~"

Seeing Cao Ye remain silent, Tsubaki said no more and instead took the food from the lunchbox.

"Um, Tsubaki, there's actually something I've never told you."

"Hm?"

Cao Ye's sudden change in tone caught Tsubaki off guard.

"W-what is it~?"

Tsubaki's voice trembled slightly. Deep in her heart, there had always been a thorn.

It was her background. As a "prostitute," she was already satisfied just being able to stay by Cao Ye's side. Though she occasionally threw little tantrums like this, deep down, she felt inferior.

Because she was no longer "pure." Did someone of her status truly deserve to remain by his side?

The longer she spent with him, the more she discovered just how powerful and mysterious Cao Ye was. He was practically like a hero from the tales of heroes, while she was the "unclean person" who had been saved.

Did she truly deserve to stay at his side? She had always doubted herself like that.

"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you wear white stockings or not. I prefer beautiful legs like these."

As he spoke, his sinful hand reached beneath Tsubaki's skirt.

"Ah!"

Smack—

In that instant, Tsubaki felt as though she had been shocked by electricity. The moment that hand touched her thigh, her entire body went numb and tingling.

Out of a woman's modesty and shyness, Tsubaki reflexively struck back.

By sheer coincidence, she hit Cao Ye right in the face.

"Uh—"

Cao Ye froze. He had taken greater liberties with Tsubaki before, yet she had not reacted so strongly. Why was her reaction so intense this time?

Tsubaki, meanwhile, panicked. How could she hit someone? And the one she had hit was Lord Cao Ye. She had gone too far.

"Lord Cao Ye, are you alright?"

Coming back to her senses, Tsubaki hurriedly asked.

In Orario, for a man to be slapped by a woman was absolutely considered an insult.

"Tsubaki, you have deeply hurt me."

Looking at the flustered Tsubaki, Cao Ye instinctively wanted to tease this lewd fox a little.

"Ah? Please don't be angry. I didn't mean to. If you're angry, you can hit me back. Tsubaki really didn't mean to."

Cao Ye's feigned displeasure immediately sent Tsubaki into a panic, and she was so anxious that she nearly began to cry.

Only then did Cao Ye realize that this little fox seemed genuinely frightened.

"Tsubaki, don't cry. I'm not angry. I was just joking."

"Really?"

Her misty eyes were filled with hope and expectation.

"Really. Even if someone was at fault, it would be me. There's no way it could be my Tsubaki's fault."

"W-who's yours~?"

In an instant, sorrow turned to joy. The fox girl before him gave Cao Ye a perfect demonstration of how quickly emotions could change.

Tears were nearly falling from her eyes, yet the expression on her face was shy.

The Great Tree Labyrinth Area!

Tap, tap, tap—

Within the deep, dark cavern, a man and a woman walked side by side.

"Lord Cao Ye, is this really alright?"

Tsubaki looked at Cao Ye, her face full of worry.

She had practically no combat ability, and Cao Ye was only an Lv. 2. Wasn't it too reckless to enter the middle floors so rashly?