Zephyr handed the Divine Wine over to Lili for safekeeping.
Lili was stunned when she took the wine bottle, her expression somewhat dazed. She had never imagined that she would come into contact with the Divine Wine in this way.
Not forced to drink it, not as a tool for control. It was simply safekeeping.
Lili put it into her backpack without asking any more questions. After all, if Zephyr were truly driven by the Divine Wine, this conflict tonight wouldn't have happened.
"Then we'll be going now?"
"Mm."
Since everything was taken care of, Zephyr didn't intend to linger. When he reached the door of the Brewing Room, seemingly noticing the gaze behind him, he paused his steps and waved.
"You're actually quite a decent person. I'll treat you to a meal when I have time."
Soma's gaze followed Zephyr's back—he was leading Lili, his steps quite brisk, with no intention of looking back at all.
After a long silence, he whispered a blessing, "I look forward to it. In the future, being able to hear stories about you in Orario... Zephyr."
"That's for sure."
After the sound of footsteps gradually faded away, the Brewing Room returned to silence.
Soma stood in place, looking at the empty doorway, the display case, and made a decision at this moment.
—
Seeing Zephyr and Lili finally come out of the Familia headquarters safely, Lefiya, Charles, and the others let out a sigh of relief.
Everyone gathered around but didn't say anything.
Charles carried his axe and grinned, but when he glanced at the Adventurers who hadn't left yet, his gaze was full of threats.
Kate stood on the side, arms crossed over her chest, the corners of her lips slightly raised.
No one asked what had happened inside. They just stood there, expressing their stance in their own ways—that they would absolutely never abandon a companion in their party.
Zephyr swept his gaze over everyone and smilingly proposed, "Then let's head back. We still have to continue exploring the Dungeon tomorrow morning."
However, upon hearing this, Charles showed no intention of leaving. He reached out to rub his stomach and sighed, "It was hard to get full, and this battle..."
At this point, Zephyr naturally understood what Charles was trying to express. He had indeed forgotten to thank them for this. After all, things went much more smoothly because of their help.
Monster cuisine wasn't something everyone could appreciate. Besides, they had helped him so much, he couldn't just go back to the Communal Dormitory and cook for them himself.
He shrugged his shoulders and asked, "Then, shall we go get a late-night snack? My treat."
"Yeah!"
Charles was the first to raise his hand in response, almost throwing his axe. His eyes were filled only with longing for a late-night snack.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Can you be a bit more careful?"
"Hehe. It's not often Zephyr is treating, so I have to eat my fill, otherwise it wouldn't be fair to the battle with this bunch of guys tonight."
Amidst the noisy atmosphere, Zephyr and the others left the Soma Familia residence.
The members of the Soma Familia present did not stop them at all. They just consciously made way, their expressions quite complex.
Zanis was dead!
That captain who maintained the Familia's operations and the distribution of Divine Wine had been killed within the Familia residence by a former Supporter, Zephyr.
What should they do next?
The door of the Familia residence was opened. Soma stood at the doorway, his hair fluttering in the night breeze, covering most of his face.
He did not speak. However, the Adventurers present felt that he was somewhat different from before, though they couldn't quite put their finger on what it was.
The Soma of the past would always stay in the Brewing Room, completely abandoning the Familia, and never interfering with Zanis's decisions. But now, he was standing here once again.
Facing the Familia members present, Soma spoke first, "From today on, I will no longer brew Divine Wine."
Everyone was stunned.
For many Adventurers, the Divine Wine was the reason they joined the Soma Familia, the motivation for their efforts. Without the Divine Wine, what would be left of the Soma Familia?
The Adventurers present looked at each other. Some turned pale, but others' expressions gradually relaxed.
Soma looked at the various expressions of the Adventurers before him and said, "If you want to leave the Familia, you can come to me. If you don't, then consider it as your tacit agreement to remain here."
—
Hostess of Fertility.
As the most popular restaurant in Orario, even at night, many Adventurers gathered here, and the atmosphere was quite lively. The sound of clinking glasses rose one after another, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of ale and cuisine.
By the bar, people were boasting about their achievements in the Dungeon today and discussing recent events in Orario.
This was the first time Zephyr had experienced the exotic atmosphere since transmigrating to the DanMachi World. After all, in the time before, he was either cooking for himself in Orario or following a party in the Dungeon, gnawing on monster meat. He hadn't been to a proper restaurant before.
But he was happy today, and besides, he had saved up quite a bit of money from exploring the Dungeon during this period. He couldn't treat friends to a meal and still worry about the price, right?
"Order whatever you want. My treat tonight."
Charles grinned. "That's a given. We must really fleece you for this meal."
"That's right." Kate joined in the teasing, "You have no idea how dangerous it was tonight."
But when it actually came time to order, they all showed considerable restraint, clearly not wanting Zephyr to spend too much money here. After all, they all knew about his current financial situation.
Charles flipped through the menu for a long time, finally ordering a grilled meat platter and ale, while Kate only asked for a bowl of cream of mushroom soup with bread.
Lefiya hesitated for a long time before choosing to have a salad.
Lili sat next to Zephyr. As she flipped through the menu and noticed the expensive prices, she silently handed the menu to Zephyr.
"Aren't you ordering?"
"I'm not hungry yet."
"Then let me help you." Zephyr ordered a cream stew and a dessert platter for Lili.
"I said it's my treat, so let's consider it a celebration of our brand-new future."
"...Our?" Lili's ear tips turned slightly red, but she didn't refute it.
Watching this scene, Charles felt that the situation was a bit off. He nudged Kate next to him with his elbow, winking and gesturing.
Kate expressionlessly stepped on his foot.
"Ouch!"
"Quiet."
Just at this moment. Lefiya finally seized the opportunity to chat with Zephyr.
She looked at Zephyr and Lili, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Have you already left the Soma Familia?"
Zephyr nodded with a smile. "That's right, I should be a free agent now."
What needed to be considered next was which Familia to join. After experiencing the Soma Familia and the whole Zanis incident, he clearly realized that to gain a foothold in Orario, he must possess corresponding strength.
And the foundation of strength was falna. Without a god's Falna, status could not be updated, and one couldn't level up. Therefore, it was ultimately necessary to find a suitable Familia to join.
But the problem arose. As to exactly which Familia he should join, Zephyr didn't have any concrete ideas, as he knew very little about the various Familias.
Since he had to find one, he definitely had to find the most suitable one.
"Next..."
Zephyr poured himself a cup of Divine Wine and carefully savored the taste.
"I should think carefully about which Familia to join."
At this point, he cast his gaze toward the girl beside him. After all, she was a veteran of Orario and must know more than him, so he asked, "Lili, do you have any recommendations?"
Lili looked up. If she were selfish, she would choose a Familia whose overall strength wasn't particularly strong, so she could maintain her current relationship with Zephyr.
However, she didn't want that. She knew how good Zephyr's talent was. Otherwise, he would not have been able to achieve the feat of overthrowing Zanis in such a short time.
His stage was this labyrinth city at the center of the world.
Lili said seriously, "With your talent, it would be best to go to those powerful Familias, such as the Loki Familia."
"And what about you?"
After being asked back, Lili remained silent. The Loki Familia was not lacking in Supporters. To be precise, those powerful Familias basically cultivated new talent from a young age, and internal competition was already intense enough.
Her stats were mediocre and she had no talent for combat.
Her magic, Cinder Ella, could only change her appearance and physique, which definitely wouldn't meet the recruitment threshold for the Loki Familia.
Lili shook her head. "I haven't decided yet."