Hephaestus was hooked by Loki's attitude and asked, "Tell me carefully, what exactly is the situation?"
"It's just... This child, in terms of personality, talent, and every other aspect, is the most excellent I have ever seen."
"Compared to Ais?" Hephaestus immediately followed up.
The best example of a Genius she could think of was the girl in the Loki Familia known as the 'Sword Princess,' who was a bit of an airhead.
"The latter falls short." Loki shook her head.
If one were to look solely from the perspective of skills and stats, Ais simply could not be compared to Zephyr.
Loki's smile was filled with pride at this stroke of luck. "I feel that child is like a miracle. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hephaestus knew very well that Loki definitely didn't come here just to whet her appetite, she absolutely had a goal and a plan.
She leaned back in her chair, her pupils filled with seriousness.
An Adventurer who could be called a Miracle by Loki...
To her, even if this Unknown wasn't some novel weapon, fresh things were always attractive to gods.
Hephaestus sais, "There is red wine in the wine cabinet, you can go take 3 bottles."
"Deal."
Finally managed to fleece her!
Loki started walking toward the wine cabinet, taking out 3 bottles of Hephaestus's cherished red wine. According to the market price in Orario's commercial district, each bottle was worth at least 100,000 valis.
Of course, Loki couldn't bring herself to leak Zephyr's secrets in exchange for wine. After walking back to the sofa with the 3 bottles of red wine, she chose to offer a hint in a roundabout way.
"Do you remember that Adventurer from the Hera Familia, known as Silence, Alfia?"
"Yes." Hephaestus nodded.
She had spent enough time developing in Orario, and had witnessed those few disturbances with her own eyes, so she was no stranger to Alfia.
Monster of Calamitous Talent.
"That child's talent is even better than hers."
"?"
Hephaestus frowned and asked, "And then?"
"That's it."
Loki was just about to dust off her rear and leave. She didn't feel like she had scammed Hephaestus. After all, the piece of news she had just leaked was very explosive. It was a bargain for 3 bottles of red wine.
She waved her hand. "I'm heading back now. About the weapon, when the time comes, I will ask him for his specific thoughts. Then I'll come back to you to buy a transitional one."
Surpassing Alfia!
Hephaestus leaned back in her chair, her eye was filled with unprecedented seriousness.
Having come to Orario to develop for so many years, she was certainly aware of just how unbelievably talented Alfia was.
The only Adventurer capable of breaking the S-rank rating in stats.
So what kind of incredible luck did Loki have to encounter such a promising talent?
Noticing Loki wanting to leave, Hephaestus looked up, her tone helpless. "Bring that child of yours over to purchase equipment, and I can give you a discount."
There's such a good thing?
Loki's footsteps as she was leaving with the red wine halted. When she turned around, her face was filled with unexpected surprise.
A discount!
The monthly expenses of the Loki Familia were an astronomical sum, so she had to save where she could.
"No problem. When the time comes, I will definitely bring him over."
— — —
Returning to the Familia headquarters, Loki estimated the time. She was prepared to bring the surprise of weapons from the Hephaestus Familia to Zephyr, who was about to return. It would certainly be a very good choice for a Rookie Adventurer.
Most importantly, this was a process that she had personally run to help with. With Zephyr's intellect, he would certainly be able to interpret it.
However, as she drank wine in her room, the time constantly slipped away on the clock.
Late at night.
Zephyr, Lily, and Lefiya still hadn't returned.
"Hm? Why haven't they returned yet?"
The slight tipsiness from the red wine Loki felt gradually sobered up in the quiet Familia headquarters. According to the original estimate, they should have returned by tonight at the latest. Yet until now, the Familia's door hadn't made a sound of opening.
However, she wasn't particularly worried about safety issues. After all, she was clear about Zephyr's strength, plus there was Lefiya and that group of partners from the School District by his side. That party was definitely more than enough for exploring the middle floors.
Just like that, she hugged the wine bottle and fell asleep in a daze.
...
The sky outside the window gradually brightened.
Footsteps finally came from outside the Familia headquarters.
Loki, who had been sleeping while hugging the wine bottle, gradually sobered up. Her thoughts quickly broke free from sleepiness, and she stood up, lazily stretching her waist.
Just as she reached the corridor, she saw Zephyr, Lili, and Lefiya walking towards the room, fully loaded with spoils.
Loki squinted her eyes, her face changing to a relaxed smile. "You're finally back?"
"Yes, Loki-sama." Lefiya felt a bit embarrassed.
Choosing to camp on a safe floor was an on-the-spot decision.
She explained, "The team decided to hang out on the safe floor."
"I can understand."
After learning what happened, Loki waved her hand indifferently. "After all, those companions of yours are about to leave Orario. So, was the exploration process smooth?"
"I suppose?"
Lefiya briefly summarized this experience—killing the Crab Pig, arriving at the 18th Floor, that unprecedented level. Including those Gourmet Creatures.
While Lefiya was telling the story, Loki's suspicious gaze turned towards the boy beside her.
No need to think about it, it was definitely this guy who caused it.
If it weren't for her status as a goddess, she really wanted to follow them into the Dungeon to see those unprecedented Gourmet Creatures.
Loki said in a relaxed tone, "It's good that you came back safely, Zephyr. I was worried you might have an accident last night."
"It was quite smooth."
Zephyr hadn't forgotten the words he had promised Loki yesterday.
"I brought back quite a lot of ingredients. Lili."
"Okay."
Lili placed the huge backpack on the ground and unzipped it.
The backpack was piled full of unprecedented Gourmet Creatures. Those meat cut from the meat tree, chocolate mushrooms, macaroni grass, Crab Pig hind legs, and so on.
"?"
Faced with Loki's incredulous expression, Zephyr didn't have many thoughts about hiding anything from this goddess who knew him inside and out.
He explained, "I felt they were all very novel creatures. I wonder if you are interested, Loki-sama?"
"?!"
Loki had something she wanted to tell Zephyr. But as she looked at the dazzling array of strange creatures in the backpack, which she had never seen before in her long life, her mood gradually became complicated.
When Zephyr set off to explore the Dungeon, she had actually only said it as a joke, meaning she hoped Zephyr would come back safely.
She hadn't expected that this thing she mentioned casually would be remembered by Zephyr, and that he would even bring back so much food that looked very novel.
Thinking of this, Loki felt an inexplicable sense of guilt in her heart. She felt that the gift she had prepared for Zephyr seemed a bit embarrassing to present.