After filling his stomach, Liang Yue could clearly feel his condition improving. Of course, the main reason was his deal with Lili.
He only had to stop Zanis, the captain of the Soma Familia, and buy Lili enough time to leave her familia. It was a simple task.
The reward? 500,000 valis. It was basically free money!
Including the money he'd saved from dungeon exploring, buying a mid-tier second-class weapon shouldn't be a problem. At the very least, after returning Chikage's two short swords, his efficiency in exploring wouldn't drop too drastically.
After leaving the Hostess of Fertility restaurant, Liang Yue glanced at Lili, who stood beside him still looking visibly anxious.
He understood the logic of getting paid for a job. Turning to the girl's delicate face, he casually asked for details.
"What time tomorrow night, exactly?"
"Where do we meet?"
"The Soma Familia."
Lili pondered carefully. The familia gatherings had fixed schedules—that was part of Zanis's way of consolidating his authority within the group.
Based on each member's recent results, he'd grant them a certain amount of divine wine.
If she mixed Blue Papilio powder into the food, with her Ashes of the Hearth magic, it would make things easier. And if she brought Liang Yue along...
She wasn't worried about anything going wrong—in fact, his presence was more like a security guarantee.
Lili even got the illusion that if she asked for more, this guy would probably demand extra pay just out of principle!
"The time will be a bit earlier than now," she finally added after seeing Liang Yue nod in agreement.
"You know where the Soma Familia is located, right?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then."
"Let's work well together."
Night fell, cloaking the land in darkness. The bustling and lively Orario gradually sank into silence. As she looked out over the city, Lili was suddenly struck with emotion.
If the plan succeeded, it meant she would finally be leaving this city. Looking back over her childhood and everything since then...
She realized there wasn't much here she felt attached to.
If anything, the only lingering regret she had was about that kind couple who had once helped her when she was little, only to be dragged into her mess and hurt because of it.
Even now, Lili still wasn't ready to face them.
"…What a failure," she muttered to herself, shaking her head as if to cast off her tangled thoughts. She was just about to head back to her rented room when she glanced again at Liang Yue.
Compared to a Pallum, he was a towering figure—clearly an adventurer.
But…
He was very different from the kind of adventurer she had imagined. He could've easily used leverage to threaten her, yet he never did.
He was… sort of a good person, if you had to put it one way. The only strange thing was… she still didn't know this guy's name.
Before heading home, she turned to him. Her eyes, for once, lacked the calculating depth she usually reserved for adventurers.
"This is our fourth time meeting."
With her hands clasped behind her back, she turned under the pale moonlight that shone through the clouds, lighting up her delicate face.
"I guess that makes us partners for tomorrow's plan."
"My name is Liliruca Arde. What should I call you?"
Liang Yue, of course, wasn't going to respond with something like "I'm just an emotionless killer." Staring at the girl before him, he simply nodded calmly.
"Liang Yue."
Her sudden change in demeanor and tone was easy to understand. Most likely, once the matter of leaving her familia was resolved, she'd immediately skip town.
Wanting to ensure his own interests were protected, Liang Yue kept a straight face and added seriously:
"In this line of work, we usually have one rule. Payment comes first."
"You get that, right?"
"…?"
The smile on Lili's face vanished instantly, replaced by deep suspicion. She clearly understood what he was implying.
And he wasn't wrong to worry.
She herself was still wondering whether he might just run off with the money!
Still, since they were technically collaborators, Lili didn't reject the idea outright. After all, Liang Yue was pulling his weight.
"Pay everything up front isn't realistic."
"Half?"
"No problem."
At least getting 250,000 valis now as an advance would be acceptable, Liang Yue thought.
After all, trust wasn't something you built through brief interactions.
And once he earned the rest of the reward, even after buying new weapons, he wouldn't be financially strained for a while.
Knowing Lili's cautious personality, she wouldn't be carrying that much money on her.
So naturally, the roles reversed. Liang Yue fell in step beside her as they headed toward her rented place in Orario.
Hephaestus Main Weapon Shop
Hestia had changed back into her usual white mini-dress and was now lying on her best friend's soft sofa, enjoying a rare day without having to work at a branch store.
With nothing to do, she found herself at a bit of a loss.
The main reason was probably having recruited a follower like Liang Yue—someone talented, hardworking, and mature beyond belief.
He was truly no trouble at all.
She hadn't seen him at the Familia tonight even after dinner, so the only place she could think of was her best friend's shop.
Now seated properly on the couch, her eyes gleamed with uncontainable joy. She wanted to share her happiness.
But for some reason, as she told Hephaestus just how amazing Liang Yue was, she wasn't getting much of a reaction.
"In short…"
"Liang Yue-kun is really, really amazing. Recruiting him into my Familia is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me!"
She ended with that heartfelt summary.
Feeling a bit parched, Hestia picked up her tea—only then noticing Hephaestus's expression of helpless exasperation.
"What's wrong?"
"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?"
Hephaestus lifted her gaze, eyes filled with disdain, massaging her temple. Everyone had different standards when evaluating their followers.
She preferred to assess them directly herself.
Liang Yue had been exploring the dungeon diligently, and once he made some money, he used it to pay off Hestia's debt.
Just based on that, his character wasn't bad at all.
Even so, no matter how good her impression was, Hephaestus couldn't handle being talked at like this for so long. If it weren't for their friendship...
She really wanted to say:
"This is the third time already—please shut up, Master!"
"…"
Still, seeing how much her friend had changed in such a short time, Hephaestus decided to let it slide. She remembered something Tsubaki had mentioned today.
Her smile gradually faded into a more serious expression.
"Have Liang Yue come by the main store tomorrow. His weapons are repaired."
"Okay!"
Hestia clapped her hands—then suddenly froze.
Wait a second—she had just now learned that Liang Yue had his weapons repaired!?
Her smile stiffened. She quickly recalled how he always left for the dungeon early and only returned late at night.
They barely had any time together at all.
"Liang Yue-kun should be home by now." Wearing slippers, Hestia got up and waved goodbye to her friend before heading out.
She'd overslept yesterday from drinking too much, and by the time she woke, Liang Yue was already gone.
But now, as one of the few roles a god could actually fulfill, she was looking forward—impatiently—to updating Liang Yue's status.
"I'm heading home too!"
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