Hephaestus looked at the young man coming downstairs. A strange glint flashed in her exposed eye before she turned to Hestia. "Is this the person you brought back from another world?"
Did this idiot goddess step in dog shit to get this lucky? How did she pick up such an incredible seedling? Even with his divine power sealed, in the eyes of a higher-dimensional being, Ren Isana's talent was practically overflowing.
"That's right!" Hearing her best friend's words, Hestia proudly puffed out her chest. Hephaestus must be jealous, right? The thought alone made Hestia ecstatic.
"Talk about dumb luck!" Having confirmed it, Hephaestus was fiercely jealous. Unable to hold back, she blurted out her exact thoughts.
"Hehehe!" Hestia grew even more smug. Bringing Ren back was the most correct decision she had made in her entire life. Earning this kind of envy from her best friend made it all worth it!
"Hello, Goddess of Forging," Ren greeted Hephaestus, neither haughty nor humble. It just so happened he had a business proposition to discuss with her.
"Hello, young man. If you ever have any interest in jumping ship, please let me know. Come to my side, and I'll make you the captain of the Hephaestus Familia." Hephaestus didn't hesitate to start poaching him right in front of Hestia.
Of course, she didn't expect him to switch sides immediately, but she wanted to plant the seed for the future. After all, she desperately wanted a Familia member like him.
"Hey!" Hestia was instantly displeased. She jumped to her feet and glared at her best friend. *You can't play dirty like that! Poaching him right to my face?*
Ren looked at the Goddess of Forging with a slightly amused expression and slowly said, "I'm not considering jumping ship for the time being. But speaking of which, I happen to have a bit of business I'd like to discuss with your Familia."
Ren's words made Hestia breathe a sigh of relief. Knowing he had no intention of leaving put her at ease. Meanwhile, Hephaestus was a bit surprised. "Oh?"
He wanted to discuss business with her Familia? Did they need to buy weapons? If so, given the sheer number of members in Hestia's Familia, it would indeed be a substantial deal.
"I need forty-five sets of armor. I wonder if Lady Hephaestus could offer us a discount?" Ren had no interest in calling her "Lord Hephaestus"; addressing her politely without the grand title was already showing plenty of respect.
Hephaestus didn't mind the address. Hearing his request, her expression turned serious. "What kind of armor are you looking for?"
Over forty sets was a massive order. A standard set of armor cost tens of thousands of Valis, with a full set—including gauntlets and greaves—starting at a minimum of 50,000 Valis.
That would total over two million Valis. If they wanted higher-grade gear, it would be even more expensive. With that quantity, she would definitely make a killing. After all, nothing was more profitable than arms dealing.
"We need full sets of light armor. Intermediate-grade will do. I wonder if you could give us a discount for Hestia's sake? After all, our Familia was just established, and our funds are limited," Ren explained his needs.
Hearing Ren's words, Hestia hurriedly nodded. "Yeah! We don't have much money left right now. Hephaestus, just give me a little discount!"
To get a better price, Ren shamelessly used Hestia as leverage. After all, outfitting so many people would cost a fortune. Even a small percentage off would save them an astronomical amount.
As the captain of the Hestia Familia, it was only natural for him to fight for their interests. With Hestia's connections right there, it would be a waste not to use them. If possible, Ren hoped to scrape together enough money during their time in this other world.
Then, he could have Hephaestus personally forge a Tang Dao for him. After all, it would be a weapon crafted by the Goddess of Forging herself. For Hestia's sake, she would probably be willing to do it, right?
Hearing the duo's blatant scheming, Hephaestus couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You two are just trying to fleece me, aren't you?"
She was already starting to regret coming over so early. She should have waited for this guy to come to her! *Damn it...* She knew exactly how much profit she was about to give up.
However, seeing Hestia's pitiful expression and knowing how hard it had been for her friend to finally form a Familia, she decided to be generous for once.
"Fine. Later, you can go to my Familia to pick them out, and I'll give you a discounted price. Everything will be fifty percent off. I'll just take a tiny profit, alright? I have people to feed too, you know!" Softening her heart, Hephaestus offered a flat half-price discount.
It had to be said, Hestia's face value was incredibly effective. Hearing this, Hestia was overjoyed. She practically leaped onto Hephaestus, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Hephaestus! Hehehe, you're the best!"
Seeing Hestia's antics, Hephaestus felt a bit helpless. What could she do with a best friend like this? Spoil her, of course.
In the anime, she frequently looked out for Hestia in secret, even taking her in and feeding her for a long time after Hestia descended to the lower world.
Furthermore, after Hestia formed her Familia, Hephaestus had forged a weapon worth a staggering 200 million Valis for Bell at Hestia's request.
It was safe to say that this Goddess treated Hestia exceptionally well. Not to mention, Ren wasn't asking for freebies this time; he was actually paying. She had no reason to refuse.
"Alright, bring your Familia members and come with me later. You can pick them up directly from my Familia's shop. After all, it's highly detrimental if armor doesn't fit properly." Hephaestus flicked Hestia's forehead, finalizing the deal.
Hestia immediately hopped off Hephaestus and hurriedly said, "I'll go wake everyone up right now so they can go with you!"
With that, she dashed off to gather the troops. In truth, the other students were already waking up, as their usual school biological clocks were set for this time. With Hestia's shouting, the sound of footsteps soon echoed throughout the Familia manor.
Hephaestus clearly understood Hestia's personality and didn't mind. Her gaze fell back onto Ren. "You all need to be careful when operating in the Dungeon from now on. Orario isn't exactly a peaceful place."
Hephaestus began to advise the captain. Although she didn't know what kind of agreement these otherworlders had reached with Hestia, seeing Hestia's current state made it clear that the arrangement was mutually beneficial.
Otherwise, Hestia wouldn't be acting like this. Despite her usually goofy demeanor, Hestia was actually quite shrewd.
Coupled with the fact that Ren's group had instantly spent a fortune to buy a manor as their headquarters upon arriving, it wasn't hard to see that both sides were serious.
The other side clearly wanted the Hestia Familia to thrive. Since that was the case, she couldn't be bothered to pry into the specifics of their agreement, as long as it didn't harm Hestia.
Not to mention... if that world and this world fully connected in the future, the Gods would definitely want to visit that world too. Building a good relationship now was a smart move.
Before Hestia returned, Hephaestus explained many things about Orario to Ren, including a warning to be careful if they ever looked for a Supporter.
Ren silently memorized the Goddess's kind advice. As for a so-called Supporter? Ren didn't think they would need one.
Remembering that she was the Goddess of Forging, Ren suddenly had a thought. He took off his Spatial Ring and asked, "Lady Hephaestus, I wonder if you are capable of forging a ring like this?"
Hephaestus was a bit confused. She looked at the ring Ren had taken off and asked in surprise, "May I take a look? It seems quite interesting."
Upon closer inspection, she discovered the ring's profound mysteries. It emanated a spatial aura? Was this spatial equipment? Now, Hephaestus was thoroughly intrigued.
"Of course." Ren didn't mind and handed the Spatial Ring directly to her. If she could actually forge them, he would definitely commission a batch to take back.
Taking the Spatial Ring, Hephaestus began to examine it carefully. The more she looked, the more amazed she became, prompting her to ask, "Was this forged in your world? It's a completely different system."
A trace of divine aura flashed in Hephaestus's eyes. Though it disappeared in a flash, Ren still caught it. Unsurprisingly, she had secretly used a bit of divine power, though it hadn't triggered the seal.
Or perhaps, this was within the permitted limits? After all, it was perfectly normal for the Goddess of Forging to use a little divine power when inspecting crafted items, right? Ren didn't dwell on it too much.
"It's a pinnacle product of our world. I wonder if you can forge it?" Ren admitted openly. This item could indeed be considered a masterpiece from their world.
"It's a pity. Materials with stable spatial properties are incredibly rare in our world. Replicating it would be too difficult." Hephaestus handed the ring back to Ren, expressing her inability to help. Even a master smith couldn't forge without materials!
"Incredibly rare doesn't mean they don't exist, right?" Ren took the ring back and slipped it onto his middle finger, catching the underlying meaning in her words.
"Correct. Such materials are just too hard to come by. If you can get your hands on those materials, and with your ring as a reference, it shouldn't be hard for me to recreate it," Hephaestus nodded.
She had already figured out the forging process of the ring. As long as she had the materials, forging it wouldn't be difficult. Unfortunately, such materials were exceedingly scarce.
"I understand!" Ren nodded. Though he felt a bit of regret, he didn't say much more. Without materials, what could he do?
The two ended their conversation, not dwelling on the topic any further. Instead, Hephaestus offered Ren a warning. "You'd best not expose this ring casually, or it will draw the covetous eyes of unsavory characters."
Ren nodded, naturally understanding this point. However, he wasn't panicked. Besides, if it was going to be exposed, it probably already had been yesterday. After all, he had pulled gold bars directly out of the Spatial Ring at the Guild.
But speaking of which... with the Hestia Familia entering Orario in such a high-profile manner and buying a manor so ostentatiously, there were probably already people eyeing them, right?
Rats that hid in the dark existed in every world. Some might see them as newcomers and try to use various underhanded methods to extract profit from Ren's group.
It seemed they needed to beef up their security. Or perhaps, he should just set up a large-scale Array Magic around the headquarters? At this thought, the [Spatial Barrier] he had learned from Natsuki Minamiya yesterday flashed through his mind.
*Yeah... I'll set that up later, and engrave a Meditation Array into it as well. That way, we can experience that distinct feeling of being at home even at night.*
Just as Ren was smiling at the thought, Asuna and the others came downstairs. Seeing the stranger in the living room, they all paused. Asuna asked in surprise, "Ren, do we have a guest at the headquarters?"
Hearing Asuna's voice, Ren slowly snapped out of his thoughts and explained, "This is Hephaestus, the best friend Hestia was talking about."
Everyone was stunned for a moment. *The Goddess of Fire? The Goddess of Forging?* Asuna and the others hurriedly greeted her.
Seeing this, Hephaestus smiled and returned the greetings, observing the group at the same time. Seeing their condition, Hephaestus couldn't help but feel fiercely jealous in her heart.
That idiot Hestia really had stepped in dog shit. They were all incredible seedlings! With proper training, any one of them could be the pillar of a top-tier Guild. To think Hestia had picked up so many of them all at once.
Right at that moment, the others began to trickle into the room. Hestia happily shouted to Hephaestus, "Hephaestus, my Familia members are all here! Let's go, we're heading to your headquarters!"
She couldn't wait to get everyone armed and ready so they could move on to other things.
Hearing Hestia's words, Hephaestus looked at the people Hestia had brought over. The strength of these people... *Tsk, damn it, I'm jealous!!*
They were all top-tier talents. Were the people on the other side crazy? Weren't they afraid of something going wrong by sending over so many prodigies at once? Or did they have some sort of backup plan?
Hephaestus couldn't help but wonder internally. But now wasn't the time to overthink it. She was about to bleed money. Since she had already agreed, she might as well take these kids to get their equipment sorted out first.
"Alright, let's go!" Although Hephaestus was full of questions, she decided to get this over with first. She would slowly interrogate Hestia later about exactly what kind of benefits the other side had offered her.
Hephaestus stood up and walked outside. Seeing this, Hestia called out to the crowd, "Let's go, let's go! Hurry up and follow, we're going to the Hephaestus Familia!"
With that, she immediately followed suit. Ren trailed closely behind. Everyone was still a bit confused about what was happening, but seeing Ren leave, they hurriedly followed.
Asuna and the others quickly caught up to Ren and asked in confusion, "What's going on?"
"We're going to her place to buy some armor. For Hestia's sake, Hephaestus is giving us a fifty percent discount!" Ren explained everything.
Ren didn't lower his voice, so everyone heard him. Their eyes lit up. *A fifty percent discount on armor? We can definitely get behind that!* Immediately, everyone hurried to keep up.
"Ren, do we need to pay for ourselves?" Sora chimed in at this moment. As she spoke, she pulled out several pure gold coins she had brought with her, ready to hand them over to Ren.
She had prepared these specifically before coming. She had originally planned to exchange them for this world's currency, but since they were buying armor now, she figured she might as well give them to Ren!
Ren glanced at Sora, who was ready to whip out gold coins at the drop of a hat, and immediately explained, "No need. I plan to use the remaining funds to buy everyone's gear. This money is our operational budget. Keep your own money; you can use it to buy other things later!"
It would be a waste not to use the school's funds! Since it had all been converted into Valis anyway, they might as well spend it!