In Orario, the largest and strongest blacksmith familia was the Hephaestus Familia—there was no need to elaborate on this familia's level of craftsmanship.
Given that, since Finn intended to seek cooperation with a blacksmith familia, it was only natural that the Hephaestus Familia would come to mind.
However, he actually had another important reason for choosing to work with the Hephaestus Familia.
As a large familia that possessed many high-level blacksmiths, the members of the Hephaestus Familia were not only exceptional in forging skills—their combat ability was also superior to that of ordinary High-Class Adventurers.
It was understandable considering that to become a great blacksmith, one had to acquire the 'Blacksmith' development ability, and to acquire any development ability, the necessary prerequisite was leveling up.
Under such circumstances, many blacksmiths with outstanding forging skills were also formidable combatants.
For example, Tsubaki, known as the city's strongest blacksmith, was a Level 5 First-Class Adventurer.
From this perspective, Finn judged that even if members of the Hephaestus Familia joined his own familia on an expedition to the Deep Floors, they would not easily run into accidents or mishaps, nor would they become a burden, which was why he had designated this familia.
Riezel understood all of these considerations perfectly because, in the original story, Finn had also made the same choice.
"..."
Riezel thought it over and ultimately chose not to comment on Finn's decision.
In truth, if the goal was simply to obtain weapons—to deal with those caterpillar monsters and their troublesome corrosive fluid—the current him had more than enough methods at his disposal.
He could use the Structure System Magic of the Akasha Continent to craft weapons himself, and with his current level of magical proficiency, even if the weapons he produced did not reach First-Class Equipment, they would certainly not be inferior to Second-Class Equipment.
He could also use magic to reinforce and bless Finn and the others' weapons, or even apply magic directly to them, ensuring that they would not be corroded by corrosive fluid while also increasing their power.
He could apply defensive magic to everyone, allowing them to face the caterpillar monsters head-on without worrying about corrosive fluid splashing out when the monsters self-destructed, nor about being injured.
He could even cast Gate and teleport all of his familia's companions directly to the 58th Floor, avoiding early, unnecessary battles and wasted time.
As long as he was willing to act, using Tier Magic alone—which was somewhat terrifying in its effectiveness within this world—most of the problems encountered during the familia's expedition could be resolved head-on.
But could he really do that?
At least in Riezel's view, it was better for him not to intervene in matters like this casually.
Why?
Because a familia's expeditions and adventures were not merely for the sake of honor or success—they were meant to achieve greater strength.
Just think—if Riezel solved every difficulty himself, how were adventurers supposed to adventure?
And if they could not adventure, how were they to accumulate excelia, let alone high-rank excelia, through great feats?
Even if Riezel cast Gate to the 58th Floor and sent his companions there directly, avoiding early battles and wasted time, what would the final result be?
Obviously, the lower-level members of the familia would lose a massive number of adventure opportunities and the excelia they could have accumulated, causing them to stagnate completely.
Even the executives such as Bete, Tiona, and Tione—if Riezel used his near-omnipotent magical ability to resolve their problems and help them reach the 59th Floor safely and easily, their desire to catch up to Ais, to catch up to Riezel, and to advance to Level 6 would be utterly shattered.
If it came to that, Riezel would likely not be thanked at all—instead, he might even be blamed.
In fact, this was something Finn and the other top executives had already reminded him of when Riezel revealed the rule-breaking magic Uchide no Kozuchi, which possessed a level-boosting effect.
"Riezel, this magic is powerful, but unless it's truly necessary, you'd better avoid using it in everyday situations."
"Finn's right. Even if power that's forcibly boosted by magic can get you through anything, it also kinda takes away possibilities that should've been yours."
"Adventures that should have allowed you to achieve great feats—if you resolve them too easily through level-boosting, the high-rank excelia you ought to obtain will be drastically reduced."
With their years of experience and keen insight, Finn, Gareth, and Riveria had pinpointed the true drawback of Uchide no Kozuchi.
It was not its duration or any cooldown time, but rather the fact that it stole the possibility of becoming stronger from those who needed to adventure.
Riezel naturally understood this flaw better than anyone.
He was currently restricting his own strength to Level 5 precisely to accumulate high-rank excelia and achieve great feats.
If his level were not too high and his strength not too overwhelming, then why would he even need to do this?
He naturally would not miss the forest for the trees, so he fully accepted Finn and the others' advice, nodding in agreement.
By the same logic, he could not take away the possibilities of his familia's companions now.
Understanding this, he decided to stay out of the expedition matters.
Even though he had ways to easily resolve various problems and make the expedition effortless, he had no intention of intervening, instead leaving Finn and the others to handle those roundabout, troublesome preparations themselves.
Instead, he took out a large burlap sack and handed it to Finn.
"Uhh, this is...?"
Finn looked puzzled for a moment, then opened the sack and saw what was inside.
"Pfff!" Loki glanced over out of curiosity and immediately spat out a mouthful of water. "Where the hell did all these jewels, gold, and silver even come from?!"
Indeed, the sack was filled with all kinds of jewels and precious metals, emitting dazzling light from within.
"Well, this is the reward from that quest where Ais and I went to the 24th Floor to resolve the monster outbreak."
Riezel explained with a slight smile.
"It was given by that mysterious magus. I only took two grimoires, while Ais took one. Everything else is here."
"Ais and I discussed it, and we decided to give these to the familia as funds for the expedition."
"We knew that the losses from the last failed expedition were already significant, and this time we also need to prepare a large number of magic swords and Durandal-attribute weapons. Selling these should help cover part of the funding gap, right?"
One should know that weapons with the Durandal attribute were absurdly expensive—each one cost at least 10 million valis, and that was merely the bare minimum. For First-Class Equipment meant for First-Class Adventurers, the price would easily climb close to 100 million valis per piece.
Since the familia planned to prepare one for nearly every executive, wouldn't the total cost approach close to a billion valis?
As for magic swords, special equipment capable of instantly firing magic spells, they were also far from cheap.
A single magic sword already cost over a million valis, while high-grade versions—powerful enough to threaten even First-Class Adventurers—would be an outright loss if sold for less than 10 million valis.
Moreover, they were consumables with limited uses, and Finn was clearly planning to purchase them in large quantities, which alone would burn through several hundred million valis.
And then there were the rest of the supplies.
For example, elixirs—the strongest and highest-quality ones available—carried a retail price of 500,000 valis per bottle within the Dian Cecht Familia, and during expeditions, the Loki Familia routinely purchased them in bundled quantities.
All things considered, it was impossible for the Loki Familia's expedition not to spend several billion valis on supplies and equipment.
Adding to that, during the last expedition, the primary equipment of Finn, Gareth, Bete, and the others had also been dissolved, so reforging those would require another large sum.
However, those were personal weapons, typically prepared by the individuals themselves rather than by the familia, so they were not counted as expedition expenses.
Even so, for the Loki Familia—already suffering heavy losses from the last expedition—to prepare so many supplies and spend so much again this time could very well wipe out the familia's accumulated assets entirely, or even leave them buried under massive debt.
For that reason, when Riezel took this quest reward to Ais, she said to simply hand it over to Finn as expedition funding.
"Ohh, this really helps a ton!"
Once she understood the situation, Loki danced around happily.
"Great! Seriously great! I thought we were gonna have to sell off my collectibles this time—this totally solves our urgent problem!"
Beside her, Finn smiled, not refusing, and accepted the sack full of jewels and precious metals.
"I knew the Guild really is wealthy, to the point where they can just hand over a fortune like this without batting an eye. Still, you don't usually see them being this generous when issuing quests."
Finn's words carried a deeper meaning.
"Hmph, when are those guild guys not swimming in money?" Loki snorted, grabbing a jewel from the sack and messing with it as she bared her teeth. "They're the only ones pumping out magic stone products—the official organization that straight-up monopolizes the whole magic stone trade. They might be lacking in a lotta stuff, but money definitely isn't one of them."
"Let's drop the topic." Finn shook his head, then turned to Riezel. "Since you're heading to the Hephaestus Familia, come with us."
"Alright."
Riezel had no objections.
Not long after securing the sack, Finn left Twilight Manor together with Riezel and Loki, heading toward Northeast Main Street.
===
As Orario's pride and joy—the manufacturing hub for magic stone products—Northeast Main Street looked just as it had when Riezel last visited.
Thanks to the thriving manufacturing industry, even in broad daylight, it was filled with the atmosphere of a classic men's factory district.
Riezel, Finn, and Loki walked down the street, chatting as they went, and before long, they arrived in front of Tsubaki's workshop, where someone had already arrived early and was waiting for them.
"Yo! Phae! We're here!"
As soon as Loki spotted her, she raised her hand at once, stretched her limbs, and waved energetically.
"Long time no see, Loki."
At the call, the person turned around and looked their way.
It was a woman with vivid, fiery short red hair.
Her appearance was less beautiful and more valiant, and she wore a large eyepatch that covered the entire right side of her face. Her remaining eye was the same blazing red as her hair, burning like flames and making others hold their breath.
"Greetings, Goddess Hephaestus."
Finn bowed and greeted respectfully.
Indeed, the one-eyed, red-haired woman was the goddess of Orario's largest blacksmith familia, the Hephaestus Familia.
She was the Goddess of Smithing.
She was the Goddess of Fire.
She was Hephaestus.
"Greetings, Goddess Hephaestus."
After confirming that she was indeed the goddess he was looking for, Riezel also offered a respectful bow.
"Hm?" Hephaestus looked at Riezel—her exposed left eye studied him for a moment before she seemed to realize something. "Don't tell me—you're the city's strongest magic swordsman, the Loki Familia's prized monster rookie, Riezel Brynhart?"
Clearly, she had identified him at a glance.
"Haha, so you figured it out that fast!" Loki laughed proudly.
"Tsubaki mentioned him to me," Hephaestus said with a calm smile that was as heroic as ever. "Well, this is the kid she couldn't stop praising—someone she even offered her greatest life's masterpiece to. I've wanted to meet him for a long time."
"Perfect timing, then," Loki said casually, sticking her hands into her pockets. "Looks like this kid's got something he wants to talk to you about, too. If you don't mind, you can chat with him later."
"Wants to talk to me?" Hephaestus froze, looking puzzled. "What for?"
"Eh, he'll tell you later." Loki waved her hand dismissively, then added as if it were nothing, "Let's talk business first, okay? Riezel?"
"Of course," Riezel replied with a calm smile. "Let's discuss the expedition first. My matters can wait."
"Alright," Hephaestus said with a nod. "Let's head inside, then. Tsubaki is already waiting."
With that, the group followed Hephaestus into the workshop.
Tsubaki's workshop looked just as it always had—dirty, cluttered, and completely lacking in order.
Tsubaki herself was also the same as last time, deep inside the forging workshop, forcefully hammering a piece of metal.
"Tsubaki, we're here."
Finn called out to Tsubaki, and only then did she snap back to reality and notice the group standing outside the forging area.
However, Orario's strongest blacksmith immediately fixed her attention on Riezel, who was standing off to the side, and rushed over.
"Brat! You finally showed up!"
As soon as she reached Riezel, Tsubaki spoke in an extremely irritated tone.
"Uhh, did I offend you or something?"
Judging from Tsubaki's tone and attitude, Riezel was somewhat stunned.
"No, not really..."
Tsubaki remained just as irritated and even glared at him.
"But like, ever since you took my greatest masterpiece, you haven't shown your face for almost two whole months. Do you even realize how stressed that made me?"
"You could at least bring the sword back so I could polish it or, like, do some maintenance!"
"I mean, that's the best thing I've ever made, all my blood, sweat, and tears went into forging that! At least let me see how you're using it!"
Tsubaki was actually sulking for such a reason, leaving Finn and Loki exchanging glances.
"Tsubaki, honestly..."
Hephaestus sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"..."
Riezel was left speechless.
Was that the reason?
Needless to say, only one conclusion could be drawn—as expected of a blacksmith.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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