Rod's heart was eager to try when he heard this, but on the surface, he feigned hesitation.
"Can I really say anything?"
Hephaestus waved her hand generously, exuding confident divine power.
"Don't worry, this is the Blacksmith God's promise to you. There is no weapon in this world that I cannot forge! Feel free to make any requests!"
"Don't be so slow, be a man, and state your demands clearly and directly!"
It's not like he's forging some divine artifact, why be so cautious?
Hephaestus chuckled to herself, thinking that Rod, this child, still didn't understand the true value of the Blacksmith God.
Rod lowered his head, a glint flashing in his eyes, and lightly coughed.
Since you said so, don't blame me for being impolite!
"I hope my weapon is sturdy enough and sharp enough."
Hephaestus's expression remained calm.
"An unbreakable sharp weapon, that's not diffi—"
"It also needs good magical conductivity, and ideally, it should be able to withstand multiple magic charges without breaking."
Her words were interrupted. Hephaestus heard the latter request and found it a bit difficult but still acceptable.
"Uh, if you have materials from the deeper levels of the Dungeon, that would also be simpl..."
However, Rod's requests were not yet finished.
"Ideally, it should also be able to transform into different forms, because I plan to practice various weapon techniques in the future."
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, spreading his hands out like an accordion, gesturing.
"And, and, I want it to grow with my own improvement, absorbing the characteristics of different materials to evolve autonomously, and ideally, it should have a spirit... uh...!"
Rod awkwardly covered his forehead. Hephaestus angrily withdrew her right hand and glared hard at Rod, her single eye seemingly telling him, "Listen to the nonsense you're spouting, stop joking around."
Rod mumbled a sentence.
"Didn't you tell me to speak?"
Hephaestus sat back in her chair, covering her forehead and sighing wearily.
"I asked you for weapon requirements, not divine artifact requirements!"
No, even a typical divine artifact wouldn't have such outrageous demands.
Could it be that special people also have extraordinary personalities...?
Rod looked at the troubled Hephaestus, a smile playing on his lips.
"Ordinary weapons can't keep up with my growth rate, and you wouldn't want the weapon you forged for me to quickly become obsolete and tarnish your reputation, would you?"
She couldn't refute him.
Hephaestus's expression remained frosty on the surface, but inwardly, she somewhat admired Rod's confidence.
Rod raised an eyebrow.
"So, can you do it?"
"The pinnacle of craftsmen in this world, the ultimate ideal of a blacksmith, Goddess Hephaestus?"
"...."
Hephaestus took a deep breath, slammed her hand on the table, and spoke calmly and dominantly.
"Who do you think you're talking to, you brat."
Her sharp gaze fixed on Rod, countering his provocation.
"A weapon that fully meets your requirements, even without counting my personal labor costs, would start at tens of billions of Valis for materials alone. Do you have that much money?"
"Or... do you really plan to make the impoverished Goddess Astrea work to pay off the debt with you?"
Rod's eyes showed a look of surprise, and he was deeply moved inside.
Goddess Astrea...
She must have said something like that to Hephaestus before, which is why the latter deliberately used those words to remind him.
He hadn't expected that Goddess, who always quietly watched over her, would decide to do something like that.
Now the Goddess's kindness was becoming more and more impossible to repay...
Rod pondered for a moment. To Hephaestus's astonished gaze, he turned his head to an empty space in the room and softly uttered,
"Divine Power!"
After a spatial distortion, several jars of fine wine appeared out of thin air, almost filling the entire corner!
"!!!"
Hephaestus shot up, rubbing her left eye in disbelief.
"Space magic?!"
Hephaestus's eyes sparkled with undisguised excitement. She even walked around the table and excitedly grabbed Rod's hand, examining him with curiosity.
"Hey, hey, hey, Astrea is too cunning, isn't she? She didn't tell me you actually awakened such an ability!"
He felt like he was somehow making the Goddess of Justice take the blame.
After all, Goddess Astrea didn't know at the time...
Rod smiled and squeezed Hephaestus's hand.
"Shouldn't you be focusing on what all these are?"
Hephaestus then realized that her actions had been somewhat inappropriate. She quickly withdrew her left hand, a little flustered.
She hastily turned around, covering the spot on her left hand where they had just held hands with her right hand. There seemed to be a lingering warmth, and her heart was pounding erratically.
"....That, that strong smell of wine, how could I not know!"
Hephaestus quickly raised her voice to cover her inner unease, even feigning a majestic glare at Rod.
"You're not thinking of something as outlandish as using wine as payment, are you?"
The Blacksmith God's contrasting maiden-like demeanor made Rod exclaim inwardly that he couldn't take it.
She looked like a sophisticated older woman, but she actually had a naive and innocent side.
Although he wanted to continue teasing her and see her blush, considering that he ultimately needed her help, Rod regrettably chose to get to the point.
"This is the only remaining part of Soma's Divine Wine in the world."
"Although I disdain Soma's attitude towards humans, I have to admit that his wine is a rare treasure in the lower world."
"And now, the out-of-print Soma's Divine Wine, in the eyes of wine lovers, will fetch sky-high prices."
Hephaestus covered her hand. Although she wanted to retort, she had to admit that Rod was indeed right.
Considering the truly out-of-print nature of the Divine Wine itself, it might even be more expensive than rare drops from floor bosses in the deeper levels of the Dungeon.
She couldn't help but marvel at Rod's intelligence.
Regarding the Soma Familia incident, his initial goal was merely to rescue Lili.
However, the outcome was that he achieved many additional goals.
He single-handedly annihilated the Familia and even sent the God back to heaven, making others wary of his actions, thereby indirectly providing a layer of protection for his companions.
He deepened his friendship with the Loki Familia, even getting Finn to promise to protect the Astrea Familia.
Soma's return to heaven also left an open spot in the lower world for Hestia.
Finally, he didn't forget to plunder some of the Soma Familia's most valuable treasures...
If he had already planned how to maximize the profit from these Divine Wines, Hephaestus would have believed it.
But she still had a question.
That red-haired Goddess had brazenly flaunted the stolen wine in Orario, and she knew that those were specifically left by Rod for the Loki Familia, or more precisely, for Loki.
Hephaestus stared at Rod without blinking her single eye.
"I'm very curious, since you clearly knew the precious value of these Divine Wines, why did you leave half for Loki? You were the one who wiped out the Soma Familia from beginning to end; you didn't have to give her any."