After Lili left the Soma Familia, the divine blood left in her body wasn't reclaimed. Hestia only needed to use her own divine blood to overwrite it.
All she had to do next was report the adventurer's information to the Guild.
She already suspected that the destruction of the Soma Familia was definitely connected to Lili. Normally, she would have considered the matter carefully.
But now, there was no choice.
The compulsory expedition would start in three days. For someone to apply to join the Familia knowing it would be dangerous—that in itself was admirable.
Any other flaws could be overlooked for now.
Hestia didn't cut corners in overwriting Lili's divine blood and updating her status. She preferred to treat her Familia members like family.
Liang Yue was an exception.
After finishing up, Hestia sat on the sofa, restless. Liang Yue had only been an adventurer for a short while, and now he had to join the expedition.
What could she do to help?
Among the gods she knew in Orario, Hephaestus was mainly involved in business. Even if she wanted to help, she would have to consider her Familia members' willingness.
Thinking of that, Hestia suddenly remembered another god who also worked part-time at the "Fried Potato Ball" branch.
A fellow broke god—but in his Familia, a few Far Eastern children included two adventurers at level 2.
Hestia felt as if she had found the key to breaking the deadlock. Patting her chest, she swore confidently:
"Liang Yue-kun, you must not be reckless with this expedition!"
"There are still three days. Leave finding companions to me."
"Alright."
The Guild's target for the expedition was to reach the end of the middle floors, the starting point of the lower floors—the "New World."
Only Ais Wallenstein could make a round trip to that floor in a single day.
Liang Yue didn't think he could do that at his current level, but seeing Hestia's determined expression, he had a guess.
Takemikazuchi, another broke god.
As long as they didn't pull a "monster delivery" stunt, he wouldn't mind getting help—things would be much easier.
As for weapons and gear, the planned trip would take 10 days.
No need to repair in advance—second-grade weapons could last the round trip. The key issue was that his status couldn't be updated during the trip.
Clearing his thoughts, Liang Yue smiled:
"In that case, I'll spend the next two days in the dungeon to keep improving my stats."
Although he wanted to respect Teacher 2.5's plan, the disruption oddly fit the mood.
Not a moment to enjoy leveling up—next comes a deadly expedition.
"As for you—"
Noticing Lili's expectant gaze, he thought briefly before deciding:
"Gather as much information on monsters from every floor as you can."
"No problem!"
Lili agreed instantly. Sweeping her gaze over the Familia's shabby home, any thought of moving in vanished. Her rented place was… pretty nice, actually.
"I'll head back then. I'll spend the next few days gathering intel and buying weapons from the Guild, so I can't explore with you."
"Alright."
After two straight days in the dungeon, the fatigue hadn't faded despite leveling up. A quick wash later, hunger hit hard.
He changed into clean clothes, ready to invite Hestia for dinner—
—but she was nowhere to be seen. She had probably gone out to handle expedition matters, and Lili had already gone back home.
Celebrating could wait until after the expedition.
After buying a second weapon, his funds had dropped sharply. He could still afford normal meals, so the choice was obvious—
The Hostess of Fertility.
Leveling up hadn't derailed his plans—he could keep improving both his stats and his Sword Soul profession experience.
"Better to stay busy."
——
As Liang Yue guessed, after leaving the abandoned church, Hestia went straight to Hephaestus for advice.
She was also on friendly terms with Takemikazuchi.
But since this involved an expedition, there was no way to freeload help—it would have to be paid for.
And where would the money come from?
From whoever had it, of course!
Looking at her close friend Hephaestus sitting in her chair, Hestia, concerned for Liang Yue's safety, didn't hesitate.
She offered her most sincere plea—
A dogeza.
Meeting her friend's confused and complicated gaze, Hestia pleaded:
"Hephaestus, you're the only one who can help me now."
"…."
Being close to Hestia always seemed to mean trouble.
Hephaestus set her wineglass on the table, her expression strange. Was this going to be like last time, when she wanted weapons on credit?
And then spent the whole evening muttering about them afterward.
This time must be more serious.
She sighed, helplessly asking:
"Alright, tell me—what do you want me to do for your Liang Yue-kun this time?"
"Lend me money."
"I need a lot of it. The Guild has issued a compulsory expedition for some reason, and I'm worried about him."
"So I want to hire adventurers from other Familias."
The fact that her friend hadn't refused meant there was room for discussion.
Not wanting to test Hephaestus' patience, Hestia quickly explained her request.
After hearing the reason, Hephaestus frowned deeply. She knew the state of Hestia's Familia, and Liang Yue—her treasured member—indeed had exceptional talent. Otherwise, Hestia wouldn't keep talking about him.
What she couldn't understand was why the Guild would send a newly formed Familia on a compulsory expedition!
"A compulsory expedition?"
She sat up straighter and asked:
"Tell me, what caused this?"
"…Well."
"The Soma Familia's destruction."
"?"
"It's a bit complicated. If you really want to know, maybe we should talk somewhere else?" Hestia lifted her head.
Keeping a dogeza while explaining felt… weird.
Hearing the cause, Hephaestus stiffened for a moment, but her curiosity was piqued. The Soma Familia wasn't that strong—
But no matter what, how could their destruction be connected to Liang Yue?
Only after Hestia explained the whole sequence of events did Hephaestus' confusion remain, now mixed with disbelief.
"So according to you—"
"Before Liang Yue even leveled up, he destroyed the Soma Familia, and while the Ganesha Familia and the Guild were investigating—"
"He spent two days in high-intensity training, raised his stats, and then leveled up—"
Hestia nodded without hesitation.
"And forced Ouranos to make a choice, letting the Ganesha Familia handle the matter—at the cost of this compulsory expedition?"
By the end, she didn't even notice her pace of speech had quickened, her eyes complicated:
"You're sure you're not joking with me?"
"No matter how unreliable I am, I wouldn't make up something like this!"
"…."
After confirming, Hephaestus opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. At this point, refusing would be impolite.
Unable to calm the shock for a while, she finally clicked her tongue:
"If it's really like you say, then Liang Yue isn't just a genius—"
"He's an outright monster!!"