Loki had always been a heavy drinker. And now that she'd confirmed this was indeed a legendary wine, she downed the entire bottle in just a few gulps.
"Hic~"
A wine-laced hiccup escaped her lips.
Even though Su Mo personally didn't consider this wine particularly valuable, watching Loki treat such a fine creation like a drunken pig gulping down ginseng, he couldn't help but feel as if he'd just witnessed a boar chewing on peonies.
After finishing, Loki glanced at Su Mo, her eyes sparkling with anticipation—only to look a bit crestfallen when she realized he wasn't carrying a second bottle.
Still, the divine taste of the wine gradually faded from her mind, and her curiosity reemerged.
"You mentioned you had something to discuss. What is it?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively.
She didn't believe Su Mo was here just to ask her opinion on the wine. Nor did she think he had come to sell it to her—such a rare treasure could fetch astronomical prices just by hitting the open market. It certainly didn't need to be offered directly to a deity like herself.
Besides, if it was about wine-related affairs, surely he would've gone to the Soma Familia instead.
Su Mo gave a straightforward explanation and explained his plan. "It's like this... Due to the lack of proper third-party oversight, I'd like to request that your Loki Familia dispatch a team of adventurers to supervise members of the Soma Familia and ensure the sales process runs smoothly. I'll compensate you accordingly, of course." Hearing this, Loki's interest immediately peaked.
As the deity of her familia, she didn't manage their finances directly—but she was well aware of their general economic standing. The Loki Familia primarily sustained itself through the efforts of its core members, who delved deep into the Dungeon to gather magic stones and other resources. Those funds were used for equipment upkeep, gear purchases, and daily operations.
But that model came with a serious drawback—it demanded continuous expeditions into the Dungeon. Without a steady flow of magic stones, their finances would dry up, and the familia would grind to a halt.
Thus, the Loki Familia's elite units were almost always out on expeditions. While they did have downtime, it never lasted long. Even though they weren't exactly short on money thanks to their high-level members, they couldn't exactly be called wealthy either. Most of their profits were immediately reinvested into future expeditions.
It was a constant cycle of war feeding war. Now, at a time when they were stretched thin, Su Mo had offered them a new revenue stream. For Loki, it was a godsend. After all, the strongest members of the Soma Familia were only Level 2 adventurers—barely even considered trainees by Loki Familia standards.
Sending a small, disciplined team to supervise and intimidate the Soma Familia would be trivially easy. And in return, they'd gain a lucrative income stream that didn't involve risking life and limb.
With more funds, they could ease the burden on their core adventurers, giving them more time to rest—or even train the younger generation. From every angle, it was a win for the Loki Familia. And yet, Loki didn't give her answer immediately.
"Can I ask something first?" she said, her tone turning more serious. "How much of this wine can you actually supply?" It was a fair question. Loki might be eccentric, but when it came to matters like this, she was anything but careless.
Su Mo, of course, had no intention of being as transparent with her as he was with Liliruca. Liliruca was in a fragile position, alone and with no allies—completely dependent on him. She had no reason to betray his trust.
But Loki was a god, the head of a powerful familia. Her priority would always be her own people. Su Mo would never trust her too much, especially not with confidential information.
"Let's just say... enough to fill an entire warehouse," he replied with a light smile. The moment those words left his mouth, Loki jumped to her feet, eyes gleaming.
"Are you serious?! A whole warehouse of that wine?! That's paradise!"
For someone who lived for alcohol, this wasn't just good news—it was transcendental. Loki had expected maybe a dozen barrels of such wine at most—if not just a few rare bottles. Something limited and precious. But now, Su Mo was talking about warehouse quantities. This level of production far exceeded even the divine brews crafted by the god of wine himself. If she could just bathe in that wine, she'd be willing to offer up all her wealth without hesitation.
"Can you show me?" she pleaded shamelessly. "Just a peek?" For a deity, begging like this was utterly undignified. But Su Mo wasn't moved. He merely looked at her with mild exasperation.
"This kind of thing is a trade secret. I can't just show it to anyone," he said bluntly.
It was basic commercial security. If someone knew where the warehouse was and set it on fire, everything would go up in smoke. Of course, in reality... there was no warehouse. His so-called storage was really just the nearest water tap.
"But come on—we're allies, aren't we?" Loki tried again, not giving up. "Isn't it fine to show a partner a little something?"
"Is that your way of saying you accept my offer?" Su Mo raised an eyebrow.
Loki chuckled. "An opportunity like this doesn't come every day. Why would I say no?" Then her tone shifted.
"However, before I formally agree, I need to confirm something," she said seriously. Her eyes sharpened, all trace of drunken playfulness gone.
"This wine... it wasn't brewed using divine power, was it?"
"If it was, then I'm afraid the Loki Familia can't be involved—though rest assured, I would never report you." Her voice carried the weight of solemn conviction.
It was a well-known rule: gods were forbidden from using their divine power in the lower world. No exceptions. Loki couldn't begin to fathom how this wine could exist. How could something even more exquisite than the brews of the god of wine be made—without divine intervention?
There were only two possibilities.
The worst-case scenario: Su Mo was using a god's power to illegally brew wine. If that was true, then out of respect for his bond with Ais, Loki wouldn't report him to Ouranos—but she could not participate in something so blatantly illegal.
The other possibility was technically legal, though exceedingly rare. After all, even the finest vintners under Soma's guidance had pushed the limits of what humanity could achieve. To surpass even divine wine, one would need power equal to that of the gods—and mortals weren't supposed to possess that. Except for one exception.
"There's a skill called [Mystery]," Su Mo said calmly. "I infused the wine with [Mystery]." It was the answer he had prepared long ago. From the moment he acquired the [Mystery] development ability, he knew it would serve as the perfect cover story. A mortal skill that allowed the wielder to channel godlike power—what better alibi?
"This wine wasn't brewed with divine power. I created it myself," he said. "When I levelled up, I acquired a development skill called [Mystery]. It allows me to tap into the essence of divine craftsmanship."
Every word Su Mo spoke was true. Yet, when put together, it easily gave a misleading impression—one that made it sound like this divine-level wine was only possible because of the [Mystery] skill.
Loki, smart as she was, still couldn't imagine that Su Mo could wield the power of the gods himself. So, the moment he stated that the wine was his own creation, she naturally concluded—based on the logic of this world—that it must have been brewed through the [Mystery] development ability.
"Hiss..." Loki sucked in a sharp breath as realization sank in.
The [Mystery] skill was a hallmark of the elite. There were barely a handful of adventurers in all of Orario who possessed it. And Su Mo, right before her, just happened to be one of them. Not only that—he had refined the skill to such a degree that he could produce wine that surpassed even the God of Wine's own creations.
If it had been anyone else claiming this, Loki would have scoffed. After all, [Mystery] wasn't an omnipotent skill that could replicate any divine power; it could only reproduce abilities the user deeply understood. Normally, adventurers developed it under the guidance of their own deity.
But Su Mo wasn't like other people. Loki already viewed him as an anomaly—someone who defied all conventional limits. If he could easily slay a Floor Boss several times the level of a typical Level 7 adventurer, was it really so strange for him to brew god-tier liquor?
While she loved wine, Loki didn't actually know how powerful [Mystery] had to be to reach such results. And since adventurer abilities were private, she had no way of confirming it. So, from her perspective, Su Mo's explanation sounded perfectly reasonable. Once she confirmed the wine's origin was aboveboard, Loki relaxed and immediately agreed to his proposal.