Chapter 170: The Magnanimous Loki (Bonus)

Morning arrived the next day.

Finn brought 1.58 billion Valis to Hephaestus Familia.

"Yes, it's exactly 1.58 billion Valis."

Hephaestus personally verified the amount.

"Finn, didn't Bell say yesterday that just a deposit would be enough?"

It was, after all, an enormous order—nearly 1.6 billion Valis. Normally, a deposit of 100 million would have sufficed, with the rest paid upon delivery.

But Loki had insisted Finn bring the full amount.

"'Rather than dragging it out, better to just pay it all up front'—that's what Loki said this morning. So instead of just the deposit, I brought the full payment."

Finn smiled lightly. He didn't really object to Loki's approach.

A deposit serves as a guarantee—for both buyer and seller.

But Finn had never once believed that boy would cause trouble. Paying in full ahead of time didn't seem like an issue.

"I actually support that approach."

"Trust has to go both ways. And since this is the start of what could be a long-term relationship, establishing trust and goodwill now is important. Though Loki probably doesn't think that far ahead."

"Well, Loki doesn't seem like the type to think that way."

Hephaestus also knew Loki wouldn't be that deliberate—especially not when the deal involved Hestia.

"Loki might be cautious with others, but when it comes to Hestia, she's the one person she doesn't guard against."

"Loki's feelings toward Hestia are complicated, and the same goes for Hestia toward Loki. Those two have always bickered and fooled around, but it's never gone beyond that."

It was only with Hestia that Loki ever acted so recklessly, without considering the consequences.

Still, Hestia wasn't the type to take advantage of Loki. If she did anything that disgraceful, she knew she'd never be able to face Loki again.

That's why Loki felt secure sending the full payment.

She knew Hestia would never take the money and skip out on her end of the deal.

In a way, the two of them understood each other very well.

"Finn, you've got it rough."

Hearing that, a faint, helpless smile crossed Finn's face. Most of the Familia's members had strong personalities—he was pretty much the only one suited for handling these matters.

"Hephaestus-sama, is Tsubaki here?"

"Yeah, she's out back in the usual spot. Go ahead."

"Thank you."

With the Hestia Familia having just purchased a large amount of supplies, Finn now needed to address the payment for the "indestructible" weapons.

Aside from delivering the funds, today's visit was also to coordinate the payment schedule with Tsubaki.

He was already planning to take a team into the Dungeon for a sweep before the expedition officially kicked off.

At that thought, Finn paused for a moment—then quickly composed himself and moved forward.

"Hephaestus-sama, could you please check if we can get the space pouches a bit sooner?"

"Our Familia has been pretty active lately, and expenses have shot up. We're planning to settle things with Tsubaki first, so we'll need to gather some materials from the Dungeon."

And the amount of material they needed to collect was massive.

Even Magic Stones they used to ignore would have to be dug out from monster corpses this time—it was a huge undertaking.

But now wasn't the time to be picky. The Loki Familia's finances were under real pressure.

No matter the method, as long as it brought in money, it was worth it—even if it meant a lot more work.

That's why Finn wanted to get the space pouches in advance.

With those space items, their trips to and from the Dungeon could be significantly reduced, boosting their efficiency in making money.

"No problem."

"I'll bring it up when I deliver the money later. Those Rune Stones don't need that many pouches to carry—at least half of them can be cleared out."

Hephaestus couldn't give a definite answer, as it would depend on Bell's progress.

Still, she had full confidence that part of the space pouches could be provided early.

"Thanks so much."

With a slight bow, Finn headed out to the backyard to speak with Tsubaki about postponing the payment.

Once Finn had left, Hephaestus glanced at the full payment—1.58 billion Valis—sitting on the floor. She raised her right hand and tapped the table lightly. In an instant, all the gold vanished.

"This thing really is handy."

Raising her hand, she looked at the plain silver ring on her middle finger and couldn't help but sigh.

She wasn't incapable of crafting space-related items, but they required rare materials and had limitations on both stability and scale.

Due to material and technical constraints, even in Tenkai, Hephaestus had never crafted space equipment like this.

'Those magical scripts really are ridiculously versatile—they even work for crafting these kinds of tools.'

Few gods possessed abilities related to spatial control. Even if a god created one personally, it wouldn't be much different from the spatial items Bell had made.

'Could those magical scripts that child uses also be something born from Authority?'

It wasn't a new thought—Hephaestus had suspected it before. The magical scripts she knew of were too broadly applicable and powerful, just like her understanding of "Lightning Command."

Still, she had never voiced it aloud, because she'd noticed those scripts had to be "compiled" before they could be used. The process was extremely complex and difficult—very unlike Authority.

Hephaestus gave a small shake of her head. There was no such thing as a perfect world.

Even with her interest focused on Bell, she didn't believe someone could wield two forms of Authority, even if they were cloaked in magic.

Realistically, possessing even one was already excessive.

"Well, I guess I'll head over tonight."

"Bell should be in the Dungeon by now."