A journey to another world starting from a sword

"Even on the first floor, your silhouette was etched firmly into my mind..."

"Listen to that, we've known each other for a long time," Lingyin thought to herself.

only......

"Sorry, I already have a boyfriend." Before Lin De could finish his heartfelt confession, Mitt interrupted him expressionlessly.

Her delicate face remained cold, and she didn't even glance at Lind. Her mesmerizing ruby-like eyes looked to the side, her purple ponytail swaying. Even in rejection, this cool girl exuded a fatal charm.

“…What!” Linde froze on the spot.

"M-Mite?" Lind was not the only one surprised; Asuna also murmured in astonishment.

Although I knew Mitt would refuse, I'd never even heard of a boyfriend. Aren't they together most of the time?

What exactly is this so-called boyfriend...? Asuna's heart was thrown into turmoil after considering a certain possibility.

"What's wrong?" After finishing his conversation with Diabel, Dante walked over and noticed that the atmosphere here was a bit stiff.

Then he saw Mitt silently walk over, hide behind him, and place his warm hands on his shoulder blades, with only his head peeking out from his shoulders.

"?" A big question mark appeared in Dante's mind at this moment.

Because Mitt's behavior at this moment is just like Silica's when she encounters trouble, hiding behind herself, which is a bit too childish. Although it is indeed cute to do this occasionally, especially with this fearful expression.

Then Dante turned to look at the only person who could have caused this phenomenon, Lind.

"What did you say?" Dante asked domineeringly, one hand on his hip. He was determined to protect his own girl.

To Dante's surprise, Linde did not refute him. Instead, a complex expression appeared on his face, a mixture of shock, disappointment, anger, relief, and helplessness.

Even Dante was somewhat shocked; he hadn't realized that human micro-expressions could be so sophisticated.

“…I understand.” Linde exhaled a breath of cold air and looked up at the sky as if it were going to snow.

No! You don't know, okay? Can you please stop adding your own drama to the story? Dante thought to himself.

“Miss Mitte is a very good person, Dante! Please take good care of her.”

So, before you start venting your indignant cries, Lind, please get your facts straight.

Mitt, the creature perched on Dante's shoulder like a mole in a field with only its eyes peeking out, also looked at Lind with a speechless gaze.

After feeling a slight tug on the flesh of his shoulder, Dante nodded calmly. "Heh, no need for you to say more."

Then the hand behind her back changed the gesture to a stroking, as if to say "Well done!"

Watching Linde leave with Diabel, who had a strange expression on his face, Mitt finally stepped out from behind Dante and breathed a sigh of relief.

"So Linde confessed to Mitt?" Dante had already figured out the situation. When Linde turned around, his heartbreak was written all over his face.

“Hmm.” Mite nodded coolly. “I don’t even know who that person is. It’s really troublesome that they suddenly showed up.”

“That person is Diabel’s adjutant.” Asuna said with a hint of helplessness, but immediately agreed wholeheartedly, “It’s better to refuse.”

By now, she had calmed down and knew it was impossible; someone had been by her side the whole time.

"What if he's a really nice person?" Lisbeth asked regretfully. "How about we try dating him first?"

This is probably the thought of most girls in the school, especially those who are glad that their friends don't like the people they have crushes on, and they will encourage them even more.

“There’s no need for that.” Mitt shook his head. “I’m not interested in him.”

"Miss Namita, what kind of person do you like?" Lingyin asked curiously, wondering what kind of person such a beautiful woman would be attracted to.

Having always attended an all-girls school and never experienced this kind of topic before, Asuna couldn't help but feel the same curiosity.

When everyone's eyes turned to Mitt, he was speechless and mumbled "uh".

"I...no, it's nothing."

Looking around at the group of people who were full of curiosity, Mitt glanced at Dante and then looked away as she spoke.

"Eh--"

"It's nothing really."

Chapter 88: Guild Name: Eternal Garden

"Wow! So this is what it's like here!" Asuna exclaimed in amazement at the unique rooftop bar.

"Hmph, if it weren't for Xiaoya asking me, I wouldn't have told anyone else." Argo puffed out his chest smugly.

"Oh, Argo, wasn't it me who sent you the message?" Dante said helplessly, standing behind Argo.

"What? Aren't you and Xiaoya teaming up?" Argo waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to worry about such details.

The truth is that after Dante asked Argo if there was a quiet tavern on the third floor, Argo said that there was a shop on the seventeenth floor of a baobab tree that met his requirements, and offered to take them there.

This bar is really good, considering Argo's recommendation.

Although the other shops Dante had visited before all had wooden decor, this one seemed to be the only one that could be described as luxurious.

The unique woodworking techniques of the third floor, Zmford, are perfectly showcased here.

And the view from the window is just as beautiful as the hotel room during an afternoon nap.

"Hey, everyone, please sit down." After saying that, Asuna took the second seat from the far end and picked up the menu that was on the table.

Dante walked to the very end, and only after all the girls had taken their seats did he sit down at the very back.

"Let's agree on who's treating first." Leaning back, Argo looked past the others at Dante with a wicked grin.

"It's my treat, order whatever you like," Dante laughed.

Upon hearing Dante's words, Lisbeth nodded hesitantly and said, "I understand."

"Mmm." Lingyin nodded, but she was probably nervous too.

"Then let's start with a ham platter for each of us." So Asuna raised her hand to the owner and said, then looked down at the menu. "Hmm, as expected, there's no second-tier cheese platter."

“That should be considered a specialty of the second floor,” Dante replied to Asuna as he slowly flipped through the menu.

The cheese and wine mixed together in the stomach, and even the burps emitted a milky aroma. To savor this wonderful feeling, one had to return to the second layer.

Dante glanced across the desktop at Lingyin and Lisbeth, who were whispering with Silica, and chuckled, "You can click on all the names that interest you."

“Even so,” Lisbeth said with a wry smile.

Well... the girls sitting in the seats probably haven't been to a bar in real life, since they're all still minors.

Among the female gamers I know, it seems that only Ashura is an adult, perhaps a college student or a young woman who has just entered the workforce.

Furthermore, the names of the drinks in SAO are all in English, which makes it even more difficult to understand what they are. I basically just order them based on my gut feeling, but this feeling of exploring the unknown is also very wonderful.

“Sea Breeze,” Dante said to the owner, putting down the menu.

The boss made a gesture and began making elaborate preparations.

"I'll have an 'Affinity' then," Asuna quickly decided, and suggested to the people on her right, "Usually, cute names are easier to drink."

Asuna's statement wasn't absolute, but it was enough to serve as a reference. Dante picked up a piece of ham with his hand, put it in his mouth, and chewed it. The fat was very fragrant, and it had a unique smoky flavor.

“I recommend this Elk’s Own,” Mite said to Lingyin on his right.

"Then I'll take Elk's Own." Lingyin decided not to think about it anymore.

"I'll have this one too, Erk's One?" Lisbeth was planning to order the same thing as Lingyin.

“No,” Asuna chuckled. “It’s Elk, which means elk. This drink should be called Unique Elk.”

"Oh, I see." Lisbeth blushed; she was the only one who misread it.

When the drink she ordered was brought to her, Lisbeth picked it up and took a small sip.

"It's delicious..." she couldn't help but praise.

"Ah, I figured these out one by one myself." Mite raised his fair neck and took a big gulp.

Seeing this, Lisbeth also relaxed and raised her glass with great flair, almost drinking it all in one gulp.

After finishing her drink, she excitedly discussed with Lingyin and Silica what to drink next.

"So...Dante, have you and Xiaoya decided on a name for your guild?" Argo grinned, lifting his beard as he tossed a piece of ham into his mouth with a wooden skewer.

"No, we were just about to discuss it," Dante said, waving his hand. "Although I personally prefer names like Brotherhood."

"Pfft, hahahaha..." Argo burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "A guild full of cute girls, yet you call it the Brotherhood? What were you thinking?"

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Asuna said, nudging Dante’s shin under the table with her toe. “This one definitely has to pass.”

"..." Dante shrugged. After all, they all liked wearing hooded cloaks, and the Roman Brotherhood looked really cool, okay?

"Are there any other options?" Asuna asked, tilting her head.

"Yes, there are: Wings of Liberty, Tea Party of the Liberty, Masquerade, Silver Dawn... Which one do you like?" Dante listed them one by one.

"I tell you, this sounds like a name from another game," Mitt said with a sigh of exasperation as he raised his glass.

"Huh?! Really?" Silica exclaimed in surprise, she had initially thought these names were quite nice.

"Be serious! You're the student council president, right?" Asuna kicked Dante's shin again with her toe.

it hurts.

"Ah, does the vice president have any options?" Dante asked, crossing his fingers.

"Hmm... this is my first time playing an MMO game," Asuna said, somewhat troubled, turning to the others and asking, "Does anyone have any good ideas?"

"How about calling it a knight order or something?" Lisbeth tried to suggest, since their guild leader was called a knight.

"Pass," Dante said curtly. "I don't like wearing metal armor."

Most of the members were lightly armed swordsmen dressed in cloth or leather, so calling them a knightly order was too strange.

Furthermore, Lind was originally supposed to establish a guild called "Dragon Knights" after Diabel's death, and later Kayaba Akihiko personally intervened and established a guild called "Knights of the Blood Oath".

He then named the guild the Knights Order, as if he were competing with them.

"I see..." Lisbeth shrank back and chuckled awkwardly.

"How about calling it a tea party?" Lingyin raised her hand and suggested, inspired by Dante's earlier description of the libertines' tea party.

“It’s a bit too sweet,” Mitt objected, sounding rather weak and unappealing, like a woman’s club.

Dante wasn't surprised that Mitt objected, because when she first entered the game, she had created a strange old man wearing a mask.

When asked about her ideal type, she hesitated and said she liked someone more mature. It's clear that this name with its pink and white vibe is quite cute.

Within two minutes, many more names were suggested, but they were all rejected for various reasons.

Some of them sound like the names of fan clubs, and others are just not very handsome. Most of the people who objected for this reason were Mitsu.

"Oh dear, I didn't expect the guilds to be so incompatible from the very beginning," Argo remarked.

"What do you want?" Dante joked.

“Hmm…” Argo thought for a moment, then shook his head in resignation, “After all, it’s your guild, I’ll pass.”

"Then why don't you join us?" Dante casually raised his third glass of wine and invited.

“Hey, I’m a closed beta tester.” Argo pointed to himself. Closed beta testers are still in the spotlight, and this predicament will probably not ease until they reach the eleventh level, which even closed beta testers haven’t reached yet.

“Argo, we don’t care,” Asuna reassured her.

"Hahaha... I'll think about it some more." Argo laughed it off. "Besides, joining any guild now wouldn't be convenient for me to carry out my operations, since intelligence brokers should be neutral."

"But if there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask." She tapped her glass on the table, then raised it in a gesture of acknowledgment before downing it in one gulp, "Ha—"

Intelligence providers need to remain neutral, but they also have their own stance.

As long as Dante doesn't betray the players, Argo will maintain a close relationship with them.

"If we buy guild territory later, I'll reserve a room for you." That was all Dante said.

"Hehehe, then I won't dare to take your money in the future."

Guild headquarters are very expensive, usually purchased with funds collected by the guild leader. Therefore, the more members fighting on the front lines, the more funds the guild has. Sometimes, the location of a guild headquarters is also an important indicator of its strength.

"So, the guild's name! The name!" Lisbeth slammed her fist on the table in an unladylike manner, like a drunkard.

"I'd better not tell her that the sake in SAO doesn't actually contain alcohol," Dante thought to himself.

When Asuna and Mito both turned to look at him, Dante knew it was time to make a decision.

“Aeterna Hortum”.