"Why do I have to come along too?"
The next morning.
Eiji carried a package weighing several thousand pounds as he walked up and down Northwest Avenue with the sisters Tiona and Tione.
"You're an executive now, show some awareness!" Tione shrugged while balancing an equally heavy load on her shoulder. "Dealing with other familia's leadership has always been the responsibility of executives."
"Even if you say that, making me handle business matters..." Eiji averted his gaze guiltily. "If we end up losing money, don't blame me!"
"We're Loki Familia! It's not that easy to take advantage of us!" Tiona declared confidently.
Ten minutes later.
The trio emerged from another familia's stronghold, the Amazon sisters wearing thoughtful expressions. Their packages had halved in size—they'd sold much of their dungeon spoils to this familia, receiving a sack full of coins in return.
"How did you manage to sell at such low prices?" Tione looked up at Eiji in utter bewilderment.
"Well, I'm not exactly familiar with market rates," Eiji cleared his throat with feigned seriousness.
"Good thing we came along. If you'd handled this alone, you'd probably get scammed out of your underwear."
"Come on, I'm not that stupid."
Yet half an hour later, the Amazon sisters were questioning their life choices.
"Enough! Just don't touch any business matters from now on," Tione said, genuinely distressed. Though they'd never assigned him such tasks before, his lack of basic common sense went beyond mere clumsiness into outright ignorance.
Thank the gods they'd accompanied him—otherwise the losses would've been catastrophic! Tione reached an epiphany: this man must never be allowed near business dealings. The gods were indeed fair—while granting him unparalleled talent, they'd stripped him of other abilities. This realization actually made her feel more balanced.
Eiji sulked. He'd told them not to make him handle business—this was on them.
"According to Finn's list, the last delivery goes to Dian Cecht Familia," Tione checked the inventory.
"We're going to Airmid's place?!" Tiona gasped. "Eiji, put on more layers!"
"Stop it, are you trying to suffocate me?"
Near the northern outskirts of Northwest Avenue stood a pharmacy bearing the emblem of a luminous orb and medicinal herbs—Dian Cecht Familia's headquarters. The group arrived with practiced ease.
"Listen well, little girl. This is my final warning!" A domineering voice reached them before they even entered. "Join my familia, or this so-called Dian Cecht Familia will cease to exist!"
"Troublemakers?" Eiji raised an eyebrow at the ruthless threat. "Sounds like a god with that tone—and what arrogance!"
"Regardless, they're allies of ours. We can't just ignore this."
Tione wore an expression of utter annoyance as she sighed and walked toward the entrance.
It was unclear which deity was inside, but judging by the tone, it might be one of the arrogant types. Whether the name of Loki Familia could drive them away remained uncertain.
At the front, Tione didn't notice that her twin sister behind her seemed to have realized something, her expression turning strangely stiff.
Inside the pharmacy's main hall.
Airmid's doll-like delicate face showed a trace of helplessness.
The deity before her was relentless, showing no respect for her patron god, boldly declaring in broad daylight, "This Familia has no reason to exist anymore," as if looking down on everyone present.
"Please leave, honored deity. I'm flattered by your interest, but I'm quite satisfied with my current Familia. I hope you won't take offense."
Though she disliked this deity, she couldn't disrespect a god, so Airmid maintained her politeness.
"So, you're refusing me no matter what?"
Standing before her was a petite goddess.
The goddess was extremely short, resembling a child of seven or eight, yet her speech carried an air of aged authority.
Perhaps due to some peculiar preference, she wore a mask with only eye holes cut out.
"I simply don't wish to leave my Familia."
"Hmph, being noticed by me is your fortune. How dare you refuse…"
The masked loli goddess narrowed her eyes, revealing an intensely dangerous gaze.
In that instant, an overwhelmingly bloody aura radiated from her, unfathomable like towering mountains and deep seas, causing Airmid to pale instantly.
That was divine might—distinctive divine might.
Without a doubt, this was a bloodthirsty deity!
"I don't know which deity you are, but if she says she doesn't want to, isn't it beneath a god's dignity to keep pestering her?"
Just then, Tione stepped into the shop, delivering her words with neither subservience nor arrogance.
"Oh?"
The masked loli goddess's eyes flickered slightly at the remark, turning her head with a mocking glint in her crimson pupils.
"If it isn't Tione? It's been years—have you developed a taste for playing the hero?"
"You…?!"
The moment she saw the goddess's face, Tione's eyes widened sharply.
Violent turmoil flashed across her expression, her features twisting into something unpleasant.
"Ah, so it's you. No wonder the tone was so haughty!"
Her voice instantly turned hostile.
Not a shred of reverence remained as she directed her most venomous attitude toward the goddess.
"Hehe, it's been years, and now you've got quite the mouth on you. Back then, you didn't even dare to breathe loudly in my presence. Has joining Loki Familia made you this full of yourself?"
The masked goddess swayed playfully, her crimson gaze lingering with amusement on Tione's chest.
"Hmm, this has grown quite a bit too~!"
"Where the hell are you looking?!"
Veins bulged on Tione's forehead as she gnashed her teeth and shouted.
"In comparison, this one here…"
The masked goddess's gaze then shifted to Tiona, who had just entered.
"Ah, still as flat as ever~!"
"Who the hell are you calling flat?!"
Tiona, who had been silent until now, exploded in fury at the goddess's blatantly disappointed remark.
"Acquaintances?"
Eiji looked at the two parties before him.
It was clear that Tiona and the others knew the masked goddess well, and judging from their attitudes, they likely shared an unpleasant past.
"She calls herself Kali," Airmid said as she approached, explaining softly to him.
"She's probably the goddess reigning over the Telskyura Kingdom. If I'm not mistaken, she should be Tiona and her companions' first Familia."