After a brief farewell to the girls, Zephyr set off toward North Street—specifically, toward the Loki Familia's headquarters—ready to return to his room and rest.
But on his way back, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar figure in the distance, walking toward him.
Hephaestus.
She was still dressed in her artisan's attire, with the black eyepatch covering her right eye being particularly striking.
However, what was even more eye-catching
was the petite figure of a girl standing beside her. She had long black hair tied into twin tails, wearing a white dress paired with blue ribbons.
Her grand bosom seemed to possess a presence that was completely inconsistent with her apparent age—one that simply couldn't be ignored.
Holy crap!
The moment their eyes met, Zephyr realized that this never-before-seen girl walking beside Hephaestus was, in fact, a goddess.
...
Her close friend had descended to the Lower World. She couldn't just leave her to fend for herself, so Hephaestus decided to take her out for dinner to help her adjust to the environment.
The Hostess of Fertility.
Even as a goddess, Hephaestus frequented it often as the food was quite good. She considered this a celebration for Hestia starting a new life in Orario.
But before she could lead Hestia to the restaurant, she noticed a familiar face approaching from ahead—Zephyr.
He had left a deep impression on her. Among the Adventurers of Orario, few would actively come to customize such a strange weapon. But more importantly, it was the evaluation that Loki had repeatedly emphasized yesterday.
Regarding the matter of the alias, she naturally knew about it after the Denatus had ended, but as for its specific meaning, even now, she couldn't understand what it represented.
Meeting him again now, the curiosity deep within her heart was piqued once more.
Zephyr's impression of Hephaestus was quite good. He might even ask her to forge various kitchen utensils in the future, so it was necessary to build a good relationship in advance.
He stopped of his own accord and greeted her, "Good evening, Hephaestus-sama."
"Mm."
Hephaestus looked at the restaurant not far behind him and asked, "Did you just finish eating?"
"Yes. And I went to handle some business as well." Zephyr nodded.
Since the specifics were inconvenient to mention, he chose to use vague words to gloss over the somewhat sensitive topic.
Then, he remembered his entrenching tool that was still being forged and asked, "Um... Hephaestus-sama, how is the customization of my weapon coming along?"
Hephaestus wasn't particularly surprised by the question, nor had she forgotten what had happened a few days ago.
She explained, "That... weapon of yours is currently being handled by Tsubaki. It should be finished in a couple of days. I'll have someone notify you when it's ready."
"Thank you, Hephaestus-sama. When I get the chance, I will thank you formally in person."
These weren't just polite words. If his system ever issued sharing tasks and changed the targets to the gods of Orario, at least he'd have options.
Zephyr's gaze briefly swept toward Hestia and he said, "Then I'll be heading back first."
"Mm."
Hephaestus watched Zephyr's receding back until he disappeared around the street corner, finally withdrawing her gaze.
He really was a sensible fellow. At the very least, an Adventurer with talent regarded as a Miracle by Loki still maintained a proper sense of propriety in his dealings, without any restlessness. He didn't have an overly stiff attitude when meeting a god nor did he rely on his talent to be arrogant.
It was a pity she hadn't encountered such a promising seed herself. Otherwise, she would surely be able to uncover the secrets Zephyr held.
Hephaestus gradually reined in her thoughts and said, "Let's keep going."
"Mm." Hestia nodded.
Her eyes remained fixed in the direction Zephyr had left, only withdrawing her gaze after the reminder.
This person probably wasn't a member of the Hephaestus Familia.
Although she had just arrived in Orario and wasn't very familiar with the Labyrinth City yet, she could recognize the main Adventurers in her friend's Familia.
As for that Zephyr just now, he was a completely unfamiliar face.
And what made her even more curious was the attitude Hephaestus showed when facing Zephyr. It definitely wasn't just a simple greeting for an acquaintance outside the Familia.
Having known each other for so many years in Heaven, how could Hestia not see it?
Why would Hephaestus show such high interest in that Adventurer?
Hestia couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked, "What's the deal with that Adventurer just now?"
Hephaestus recalled her conversation with Loki. Even as a goddess who had lived for millions of years, she felt an indescribable sense of wonder when she thought about it now.
Perhaps the future of Orario would become even more exciting because of this child's existence.
She reined in the complex emotions surging within her and asked, "Do you remember what you asked me when you first arrived in Orario?"
"Huh? Which matter?"
"The interesting things that have happened in Orario recently... hmm... that Adventurer I told you about, the Zephyr we just ran into."
"?!"
"Damn it, why didn't you say so sooner?!"
—
The base of the Dionysus Familia.
Dionysus sat behind a mahogany desk, his fingertips holding a thin piece of parchment.
Denatus Intelligence.
He had always been too lazy to attend such occasions. After all, if he really sat in the halls of the gods and chatted about nothing with that bored crowd of gods, it would be a complete waste of time with no real meaning.
Before attending, he would have to use Divine Wine to hypnotize himself to avoid being caught by other gods regarding certain sensitive issues.
Therefore, it was much less of a hassle to simply send trusted familia members to gather information than to attend in person—the intelligence could be collected easily.
He frowned slightly and carefully scanned the list of Adventurers who had recently reached Level 2. They were all unfamiliar faces, with no new Adventurers particularly worth remembering, which caused him to flip through the pages faster and faster.
After all, the base number of Adventurers in Orario was already massive. Even though reaching Level 2 required sufficient talent, within such a vast number, the total count was still quite high.
Until he saw the last entry on the list.
Loki Familia, Zephyr
Level 2
Alias: Gourmet Hunter
"Hmm?"
The movement of Dionysus flipping the parchment stopped completely.
The Supporter who left the Soma Familia after that internal strife some time ago—the name seemed to be Zephyr.
So, how on earth did he manage to join the Loki Familia, and even rank up?
Zephyr's record wasn't particularly impressive. It had taken many years to rank up to Level 2.
What interested him most was the alias he had obtained—Gourmet Hunter.
An Adventurer's alias was usually closely related to their exploration experiences.
Sword Princess, Nine Hell, Brave...
Just by hearing them, ordinary Adventurers could conjure up corresponding images in their minds and understand the deeds behind the aliases.
So what kind of exploration experience could earn an alias related to "Gourmet"?
Dionysus racked his brains, but he couldn't imagine the scene. Monsters in the Dungeon were basically inedible and had nothing to do with the word "Gourmet."
"Interesting."
It was a pity that he hadn't attended the Denatus. Otherwise, he could have dug up more details from Loki's attitude. However, it didn't matter now.
He pulled out a memo parchment, recorded Zephyr's name as a routine matter, and then placed it on the left side of his desk. It wasn't exactly special attention, but it was necessary to remember him to prevent him from becoming a hidden danger.
If he wanted his plans to proceed smoothly, the greatest resistance would be the Loki Familia.
"Hmm... I'll observe him slowly."