My front door leads to a comic strip

Chapter 122, 121, Astrea's Familia

Orario, a labyrinth city, is hailed as the center of the world.

Gu Yuan finally confirmed the flow of time, took a deep breath, slung his backpack full of gold over his shoulder, and then activated the portal.

After a slight feeling of weightlessness, his feet landed on the solid stone slab.

What comes into view is a street resembling that of the Middle Ages, with white stone houses scattered in an orderly fashion, and the roads are surprisingly clean and tidy.

"Huh? It appeared directly in the city?"

Gu Yuan frowned slightly, quickly looked around, and confirmed that there were no witnesses.

It was just dawn, and he weighed the backpack on his shoulder; its heavy weight gave him a sense of security.

"It's a pity we haven't received the space equipment yet, so we can only bring these as start-up capital."

He thought to himself, "I'll move them slowly later."

To confirm the location, Gu Yuan, seeing that no one was paying attention, immediately unfolded the Orario map he had obtained from the modern world.

Just as he was concentrating on finding the nearest and most suitable member of the gods' kin for his initial development, a voice called out, "Hey, buddy."

A deep, yet undeniably authoritative female voice interrupted his thoughts.

Gu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he looked in the direction of the sound.

The door of a shop next door was pushed open, and a very burly middle-aged woman came out carrying a broom.

"tread."

The woman was wearing a simple coarse cloth skirt, with a few bits of flour stuck to her apron, and looked like she had just finished baking in the morning.

However, the muscular lines of those arms and the calm aura they exuded were not something an ordinary person could possess.

Gu Yuan subconsciously looked up, and the sign that came into view confirmed his suspicions.

A "Prosperous Mistress"

It's here? The landmark pub on West Street. And this person in front of me—

"Mia Grando, the 'Little Giant' and former leader of Freya Familia, one of Orario's strongest Familias?"

Gu Yuan instantly recalled the other party's information.

To be fair, Freya's Familia is top-tier in strength and is indeed within the scope of consideration.

But when he thought of the fanatical atmosphere and extremely harsh training methods within that clan—killing, killing, killing from morning till night, pulling the dying back from the brink of death—he politely declined.

He came seeking power, not to be tortured; at least he didn't want to be so extreme from the start.

Thinking of this, Gu Yuan composed himself, looked at the other party, and showed just the right amount of vigilance and doubt on his face.

Mia frowned slightly.

Her tall, strong figure, easily 1.8 meters tall, exuded an invisible sense of oppression, even temporarily blocking out the rising sun.

I thought she was very tall in the anime, but now that I see her, she's actually a head shorter than me.

As Gu Yuan was pondering this, she saw her place the broom on the ground and speak with a barely perceptible hint of warning:

"Hey buddy, where did you come from?"

Her gaze swept over the ancient, uniquely textured fabric, which had an exotic style but was not the clothing commonly worn by adventurers. Her eyes were thoughtful:

"Judging by your outfit, you don't look like a local—"

"Orario isn't very peaceful right now, so it's best not to stand alone on the street like that."

Were you found out? That's normal.

"Thanks for reminding me."

Gu Yuan nodded, and was just about to take the opportunity to ask about the specific situation of the several clans when "BOOM—!!"

Suddenly, several loud, deafening roars, like the explosion of boulders, came from afar!

The tranquility of the early morning was shattered.

Gu Yuan suddenly turned around and saw black smoke billowing up from a corner of the city in the southeast! Mixed with faint shouts of killing and the muffled sounds of buildings collapsing.

"Thump—"

The roaring sound even made his eardrums itch slightly, and a faint smell of burning wafted in the air.

How could such a rampant attack occur in broad daylight?

Upon seeing this scene, Gu Yuan's mind flashed through the records in the documents.

Only that period could cause such widespread destruction in Orario, with no adventurers on the streets—

"It's starting again!"

Miya took a sip, her tone clearly suppressing her anger, as if she had long been accustomed to this intermittent disturbance.

She simply leaned the broom against the door and swung her strong arm:

"Don't just stand there, come in and talk. Those rats in the gutter never stop running!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan hesitated for only a moment.

Unsurprisingly, we are now in the "Dark Ages," seven or eight years before the main story began, when the Dark Faction was at its most rampant.

Many gods were assassinated or sent back to the heavens; danger was everywhere.

However, this also means countless opportunities for combat. Fighting against strong enemies is the fastest way to gain experience, grow, and improve strength.

Exploring the dungeon takes time.

Without further hesitation, he followed Mia into the dimly lit tavern.

The tavern was empty in the early morning, with only tables and chairs neatly arranged.

The air was filled with a faint aroma of ale, stew, and toast.

As soon as I sat down on a sturdy high stool, Mia slammed a glass of water down on my hand with a "thump," her tone slightly gentler than before, but still direct:

"Have some water first. Judging from your appearance, you seem to be an adventurer planning to venture into Orario?"

She braced herself on the counter with both hands, leaning forward, her strong muscles slightly taut, creating an invisible pressure.

"Listen to me, given the current situation, I do not recommend that you join any clan."

"People in the city are in a state of panic, and the guild is strictly controlling access to and from the dungeon."

"Even if you have some skills elsewhere, you have to start from LV1 again here."

She emphasized, "Level suppression is no joke, kid."

If the martial power of mortals is like glass, then the martial power of those who receive the grace and favor of the gods is like iron.

Upgrading is an evolution of mind and body, far surpassing the physical toil of mere physical exertion.

There are too many examples of people who were once strong, but were killed by weaker people after entering Orario.

Gu Yuan took the water glass, felt the coolness of the glass, and didn't drink it.

He understood the other party's good intentions, but he was confident in his own abilities.

Although the immense force of a hundred tons may be classified as a "basic ability" of LV1 due to the world's rules, its essence remains the same, and self-preservation should not be a problem.

"Thank you for the advice, I understand the risks."

He put the water glass back on the counter and looked at Mia honestly, "But my purpose in coming here is to join the clan."

"Fortune and power are both found in danger. You—you must be the proprietress here, so you must know everything about Orario."

Gu Yuan paused, then took out a finely crafted gold coin from his pocket, but without any markings, and gently placed it on the counter. "I want to know the recent casualty situation and recruitment progress of the major clans. The more detailed the better."

Mia's gaze lingered on the pure gold coin for a moment, then she looked up at Gu Yuan's calm yet determined eyes and sighed.

There was a hint of helplessness in that sigh, but also a complex recognition of the youthful vigor.

"They're all like that. They won't listen to advice."

Mia muttered something, as if she were recalling many similar faces and past events.

Instead of taking the gold coin, she bent down and rummaged under the counter for a while, pulling out a slightly crumpled notice, which she slapped down in front of Gu Yuan with a "thud":

"Take a look, this is a recent announcement from the guild."

"The needs and losses of the other families, except for Freya and Loki's, are all marked on it."

Mia tapped the word "loss" lightly with her finger, "Look at it carefully before you make a decision."

Gu Yuan's gaze was immediately drawn to it.

The announcement listed information about many clans, and at the very top was a name he recognized: the Astrea Clan.