Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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The next morning, after a good night's sleep, August went back to his world early to pick up food and supplies. He stopped by the military base on his way.

Commander James couldn't help himself when he saw the chunk of Mithril and heard what August wanted.

"Holy shit," he swore. "You really don't hold back, do you?"

He meant it. August wanted them to figure out how to connect the ore to his drones, match the frequencies, and use the drones to create a large magical array.

It was as if he expected the military research team to be his personal Doraemon.

The technology made it possible, but getting modern machines to work with magical ore would keep the senior engineers busy for quite a while.

"Not a problem. We'll get it done."

The Head of Research stepped forward and put his hand on the Mithril, answering with total confidence. This wasn't just any mineral from Earth. It came from the Dungeon and seemed like a high-tech, man-made material to them.

Figuring out how it worked would be a huge breakthrough.

Since the piece was so big, they could take some for testing and still have plenty left for August's drone array.

"Thanks," August told the Research Head. The team was a huge help.

"Getting our hands on an ore that's very rare even in another world... the research value is incalculable," the Research Head said. "If anything, we should be thanking you. When do you need it?"

If August needed it by tomorrow, the team would work through the night to build the first prototypes. Setting up a mechanical array to copy an enchantment was not too difficult with standard drone technology.

"We're heading out to the new world today. If things go smoothly, I'll be back the day after tomorrow, maybe even tonight," August explained.

"..." Commander James's expression turned serious.

He remembered what was at stake: August was responding to a Call of the World, and Goddess Hestia was bringing the Moon Goddess Artemis along.

The military would send a team if they could, but their soldiers would not be helpful... In a place facing disaster, regular troops would only be a burden.

James did not have much to offer, so he stayed silent.

"Don't worry about it. We took the Bow of Apollo. Using it as a shield should be easy enough."

August removed the Bow of Apollo from his inventory.

"Oh. Is this a weapon forged by the Gods?"

The Research Head leaned in to examine the bow. It looked like steel but felt almost alive, and the enchantment was so advanced that modern science could not hope to copy it.

Commander James pulled the eager researcher back.

"Hestia put a seal on it. If there's an emergency, we can blow it up to buy time to escape," August said.

He didn't care if they touched it. It was Apollo's weapon, not Artemis's, so they could handle it as much as they liked.

Apollo loved attention anyway.

"If you can't win, retreating is the best option!" Commander James said grimly.

When in doubt, it was better to run. That wasn't cowardly, August was just too important to risk losing.

He nodded and put the Bow of Apollo back in his spatial backpack.

"Incredible," the Research Head murmured. He didn't covet the bow, he was just thrilled to observe it up close.

Watching August work his spatial inventory sparked another question. "Doesn't using that spatial ability exhaust you?"

He guessed that opening a dimensional pocket would use up mental or physical energy.

"Not really," August replied. "Opening the gates takes almost zero effort. The hard part is telekinetically controlling the weapons and tracking targets through the portals. That burns through my mental stamina fast. Compared to the massive drain of an actual spatial jump, cracking open the inventory is nothing."

"I see. That fits with the laws of physics," the Research Head said, writing it down in his notebook with a satisfied look.

It wasn't an unbeatable trick, just a question of energy and stamina.

After staying at the base a little longer, Commander James drove August home himself.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

As usual, the daily scene was waiting for them. Around one in the afternoon, several beautiful women in Greek-style dresses appeared near August's house.

They sat quietly nearby, each with a book.

Unlike the loud heiresses and socialites the military had chased off before, these women were left alone. They were well-trained devotees, pure in mind and body, and August knew exactly who they were: followers of Hestia.

They just sat and prayed. Watching them arrive every day like office workers starting their shift, without bothering anyone, felt odd.

"Honestly, I think I'd rather have the annoying bureaucrats back," August muttered, repeating Hestia's usual complaints.

Loud, pushy diplomats seemed easier to handle than this.

"Me too," Commander James said.

Compared to these devoted followers, he honestly liked the stubborn foreign diplomats who kept coming back after being kicked out. At least you could argue with them.

The real problem was that these women were very beautiful. To the military leaders, this was an obvious honey trap.

It made sense. Hestia was the Goddess of the Hearth, responsible for home and marriage. And August was single, talented, and would only become more appealing as he grew stronger.

Sooner or later, these beautiful devotees would want to be with him, even if they set aside their religious devotion.

August's genes were ranked number one by every superpower on Earth. After news about Adventurers spread and the first cross-dimensional marriages took place, rumors said elite families were eager to invest in those future bloodlines.

Better genetics were a big draw, and August was the top pick. Being with him was a quick path to the top.

But everyone knew Goddess Hestia was very protective and did not give anyone a chance.

That was why foreign powers sent these particular devotees as a workaround. The local military wanted to remove them, but since the women were true worshippers of Hestia, no one touched them out of fear of a divine curse.

"Forget it. It's not like our hands are clean either," Commander James said with a sigh. He knew there was no stopping it.

"Oh? What do you mean?" August tilted his head.

What was James getting at?

"We ended up selling some of the monster materials and healing potions you gave us," James admitted.

"You don't need my permission for that. Use them however you want," August said. "I'm just curious why you'd sell such valuable stuff."

"Technology exchange."

Commander James said, crossing his arms. "Foreign countries were ready to trade top-level tech and restricted patents just to study our samples, so our leaders agreed. Swapping a few monster parts for new technology, advanced machines, and exclusive rights is a huge win for us. Plus, the materials are really limited. Getting more won't be easy,"

James added with a chuckle. "Even if they figure out how to make a new weapon from the samples, they won't have enough material to mass-produce it."

It was a brilliant bottleneck.

"Smart," August said.

He hadn't considered using their advantage like that. It was a bold move.

In truth, the supply was small—just some extra drops and items August had given them. Even if foreign scientists made progress, the lack of materials meant they couldn't do much with it. The resources only existed in another world—so unless someone else learned how to travel between dimensions, mass production was out of reach.

"I'll head out now," Commander James said, taking the compliment and letting it be.

There were bigger political games happening, but August didn't need to know the details. They just wanted to keep things simple for him.

Making sure August survived this trip was their main goal. The military was putting everything they had behind him, and normally, a mission this big would have been impossible.

James turned and left.

August smiled, walked inside, opened the portal, and stepped back into Orario.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Hestia and Lili were busy packing up the ruined church, getting ready to move everything to the new Apollo estate.

"Oh! You're back!" Hestia cheered as soon as she saw him.

She ran over and jumped onto him, clinging to her usual spot like a koala.

"Lady Hestia, weren't we supposed to be packing your things? Stop slacking off," Lili said, giving her a sharp look.

Lili was annoyed by her Goddess's usual lack of focus.

"I haven't even mentioned your little stunt yet!" Hestia shot back. "Who was the one cuddling up in August's arms yesterday??"

Did Lili really think Hestia hadn't noticed her sneaking in a hug with August while she was distracted?

"Ahem... That was an accident," Lili said, coughing and looking a little embarrassed. She quickly pulled herself together. After reading so many stories, she knew being shy never worked. "Though, I guess I have the Apollo Familia to thank for that."

Lili gave a thumbs-up, her eyes bright as she looked at August. "Honestly, being held by Lord August like that... made me really happy."

It was a shy confession, but with that bold look, it was almost like she was saying it directly. If he wanted to do it again, Lili was open to it.

"Don't even think about it! No impure thoughts allowed!" Hestia jumped down from August's back, rushed over, and gave Lili a quick karate chop to the forehead.

If anyone was going to claim August, it would be Hestia, not her tiny Supporter.

"Lady Hestia, being this territorial over your food is bad manners!!" Lili said, rubbing her head.

Lili knew that Goddesses like Hestia didn't have to follow the strict rules from Earth's myths.

Hestia just hadn't met anyone she liked before. Now that she had, she wanted August for herself and wasn't letting go. Lili could see that kind of territorial instinct right away.

"So what if I'm territorial?" Hestia said, lifting her chin proudly. She wasn't ashamed at all...

"..." Lili pouted in frustration.

Lili had planned to sneak August away for a private date and get closer to him. But with Hestia watching him so closely, her plans were hopeless.

"Who's being territorial?" someone asked, interrupting their argument.

Artemis walked into the ruined church with her Familia following behind. She had heard the end of Hestia's strange outburst, and seeing her in the middle of a karate chop on Lili's forehead made everything clear.

"Hestia, really..." Artemis sighed.

Hestia was obviously jealous. Still, Artemis understood. If she had a child as special as August, she'd probably want to keep him hidden too, or even run away with him.

"Lady Artemis," August said with a nod as she arrived.

It was time. They were ready to leave.

"Oh, Artemis." Hestia quickly noticed the divine weapon in her friend's hand. That bow was their best backup plan.

"It's about time. Let's get this over with," Artemis said, spinning the huge bow and holding it at her side like a spear.

"Right." Hestia nodded. Everything was ready—time to move out.

Artemis turned to her followers. "Rethusa, Lante. Secure the perimeter."

She signaled her Familia to start guard duty. The Xenos and August's automated defenses could handle regular Adventurers, but mortals weren't her main concern. Her followers were there to stop any curious Gods.

"Yes, Lady Artemis," Rethusa said, bowing before leading her squad outside to secure the area.

"Please be careful, Lady Artemis," Lante said with a salute, while the rest of the Familia quietly wished her luck. It was their Goddess's first time going into battle, and they were nervous.

"Don't worry, we've set Apollo's weapon to explode if needed. That should give us enough cover to escape,"

Hestia said with a smile. "Lili, take care of things while we're gone."

"Leave it to me."

Lili quickly switched back to her professional side. Competing for August's attention was one thing, but this was a serious mission, and she wasn't going to act childish now.

"Lady Hestia, Lord August, Lady Artemis. Good luck out there." Lili bowed deeply.

"Yeah." August nodded and opened the portal.

August and the two Goddesses stepped through the portal together.

New world, here we come!

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