Rhode paused, specifically instructing.
"When you go to the Guild, don't take Alise and the others. Just let Laila and Kaguya go."
"If that pig-like fat elf dares to morally blackmail the two of them, I guarantee Kaguya's blade will dismember him in the next second."
As the two most pragmatic girls in the Familia, Laila and Kaguya, though equally kind and just, were never naive or foolish!
Rhode then thought of future power divisions and snapped his fingers.
"Oh, and remember to divide the Contribution Point exchange system into three tiers."
"The highest tier is one-time, the second tier requires two times the points, and the last tier is four times. All you girls who are directly affiliated with me are in the highest tier."
This was Rhode's consideration for potentially recruiting subordinates in other worlds in the future, allowing them to collect resources and fulfill various Wishes for him in those worlds.
Future triggered Wishes might not all have the abilities he desired, but precious Wish Points could not be wasted in vain.
Might as well make the most of them and let others do the work.
In this life, he also wanted to experience the thrill of being a capitalist!
However, Rhode would naturally treat all his subordinates equally, giving them equal opportunities to compete for benefits.
But it was clear that Rhode and his female Familia members would be far more 'equal' than those outsiders.
That's right, Rhode was that much of a hypocrite.
In the evening, the girls returned to the Court of the Stars to rest, while Iska quietly stayed behind.
Rhode hugged the soft Amazon girl like a body pillow and comfortably fell asleep.
His sleeping posture was a bit unrestrained and ungraceful. Iska chuckled softly, gently narrowing her eyes, pulling the blanket over both of them, and feeling Rhode's warm embrace, she gradually drifted off to sleep as well.
In the middle of the night, Iska reluctantly opened her dazed eyes slightly and yawned.
"Ugh... I knew I shouldn't have drunk so much... Hasn't my body's water already dried up by then..."
Muttering to herself, she rubbed her eyes hard, carefully lifted the blanket, got out of bed, and dragged her drowsy body to the bathroom.
When she returned, she saw that the blanket on Rhode had been completely kicked off, his body seemed to have turned around because he couldn't hug her, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.
Iska pursed her lips and chuckled, gently picked up a pillow, tiptoed to the other side of the bed, climbed in and arranged it, then gently snuggled into Rhode's arms, lying on her side.
She pulled the blanket over them, tucked Rhode's left arm under her arm, and gently held Rhode's left hand, placing it over her warm heart.
Only then did Iska contentedly continue to sleep, and the slight furrow in Rhode's brows behind her gradually relaxed, a faint smile on his lips.
The next day.
"Rhode~"
A soft, pleasant voice of a girl sounded in his ear.
Rhode didn't want to get up and covered his head with the blanket.
Iska chuckled softly, gently lifted the blanket, and nudged him again.
"Rhode~"
Rhode grumbled reluctantly.
Iska playfully stroked his face with her cool hand, from his cheeks to his eyebrows, from his nose to his lips.
Then, soft lips pecked his own.
"Time to get up, darling~"
Treated like this, even the biggest morning grump vanished.
Rhode reluctantly opened his eyes.
"Alright, alright, I'll get up."
Their eyes met.
Iska was shy about her recent actions, her pretty face flushed, red to her earlobes.
It was a bit like a newlywed wife coaxing her husband... hehe...
She awkwardly helped Rhode get out of bed and dress, tidying his messy hair.
Rhode sat in the chair, letting Iska fuss over him, and sighed.
"Waking up early is definitely humanity's greatest enemy, and the bed is the strongest seal in this world; even the firmest will can be corrupted."
He had already transmigrated to another world, why couldn't he enjoy himself? He still had to wake up early.
Iska listened to Rhode's childish complaints and chuckled softly, covering her mouth.
"Alright, didn't you say you were going to visit Hephaestus-sama today?"
She patted Rhode's shoulder, looking at the handsome and energetic young man in the mirror with satisfaction, then suddenly regretted tidying him up.
"Ah, going out looking this handsome, who knows how many girls you'll attract!"
Rhode stood up, adjusted his collar, and smiled faintly as he turned and hugged Iska.
"The most important thing is that now you are the girl who completely belongs to me."
Iska rolled her eyes at Rhode.
"Sweet words are also worrying, but luckily you haven't been to the Amazonian sacred land of Tyr's Kura."
"Since even I can't resist you, my compatriots who have never left the land of women would go crazy if they saw you!"
Just thinking about having to compete with an entire country of compatriots for Rhode made Iska feel dizzy.
Although Amazon girls were never afraid of competition, she'd rather avoid such an absurd future!
Rhode laughed heartily.
"It's not that exaggerated, let's go, we should head out now!"
Iska sighed inwardly.
Idiot, you just don't understand Amazon girls.
But fortunately, that place was far from Orario, so Rhode shouldn't have any connection to it... right...?
Astrea Familia was still quite busy today.
Ever since Rhode and the girls signed the contract, he had become the de facto leader by everyone's unspoken consent.
Alise not only showed no sadness but actually let out a long sigh of relief.
Don't let her usual carefree demeanor fool you; she actually carried a lot of psychological pressure.
Even though they were all girls of similar age, simply because she was the captain, she could never show any confusion or disappointment.
Fortunately, Rhode had taken over part of the captain's duties, and Alise's girlish nature began to gradually return.
However, Rhode was more inclined to handle practical matters, while Alise's inspiring spiritual attribute was still considered an indispensable presence in the Familia.
"Alise, Ryu, and Suzuki Jun, go to Ganesha Familia to discuss cooperative patrols."
Rhode succinctly explained their respective divisions of labor again, while giving Laila a look.
"Kaguya, Laila, and Shimomura Izumi, go to the Guild to discuss scheduled matters."
Laila nodded slightly, made a gesture, and smiled, pursing her lips.
Don't worry, I'll definitely easily handle that fat elf.
Rhode turned to Astrea, who was watching everyone, and smiled, waving his hand.
"The rest of you are responsible for protecting the Goddess at the base. After everyone finishes their official business and returns, you can switch shifts and carry out patrol missions."
As they were leaving, Astrea suddenly took Rhode's hand and earnestly instructed him.
"Be careful, and remember to return safely~ I always feel that Orario has been a little too quiet lately...."
The Goddess's warning made Rhode narrow his eyes slightly, then he smiled brightly.
"I understand."
Valka Red House.
In Tsubaki's private workshop.
"Huh? Hephaestus went on a long journey?"
The blacksmith, shaking her bundle of black hair, crossed her arms and looked at Rod with a smirk.
"That's right~"
Rod had just arrived at the Hephaestus Familia's headquarters when he heard this unexpected news, and couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Going out at such a dangerous time?!"
Tsubaki shrugged, stating the reason as a matter of course.
"After all, a weapon that can meet your unprecedented and outrageous demands can't be forged in Orario."
...
"Don't look so conflicted. A blacksmith's value is to deliver the best weapon to the most suitable person. Since meeting you, Hephaestus-sama has had many more smiles on her face!"
Tsubaki, who should have been the most worried about her goddess, instead laughed heartily and reassured Rod.
"After all, before this, that goddess hadn't had the urge to forge herself for a long time."
Rod took a deep breath, silently noting Hephaestus's efforts.
"Where did she go?"
Tsubaki narrowed her right eye, gazing towards the distant east.
"The Sword City, Solingen."
!!!
From the Labyrinth City, located at the westernmost tip of the continent, it was an industrial city further to the east, past the treacherous Alf Mountains.
As its name suggested, it was a city of blacksmiths that primarily produced armaments, with swords at its core.
"Hephaestus-sama has visited there several times in the past, and this time, she is also protected by my companions, so you don't need to worry too much about her safety."
Rod took a deep breath, rubbed his temples, and guessed Hephaestus's intention.
"Does she want to borrow the Spirit Forge?"
Tsubaki turned her head, looking at Rod in surprise, and asked with great interest.
"You're not even a blacksmith, yet you know about this? Have you been to the Sword City?!"
The Sword City had a deep connection with Spirits in ancient times, and many buildings constructed by Spirits still remained there.
The Spirit Forge was a special device that blacksmiths could use to strengthen weapons more powerfully than ordinary forging methods.
It was especially valuable when creating 'Magic Swords' or special armaments.
Essentially, it was a method of improving forging skill through external forces.
Given Hephaestus's forging skills, she wouldn't normally need such external aids.
But that goddess was probably genuinely stirred by Rod's competitive spirit and decided to use all her power to forge the strongest weapon to surprise Rod.
Rod shook his head.
"I've only heard of it. Since Hephaestus isn't here, I'll visit again next time."
"Wait, don't rush off!"
Tsubaki quickly stepped forward and hugged Rod's arm, chuckling.
"Did you come here for something this time? To repair armor? Or to forge a sub-weapon?"
"Even though I don't get to make the main weapon, I still want to feel involved in other aspects."
Tsubaki's face was beaming with confidence.
"While Hephaestus-sama is away, I am the strongest blacksmith in all of Orario! If you need anything, you can ask me!"
With that, Tsubaki stared at Rod with sparkling eyes, full of anticipation.
Rod asked curiously.
"You said you're the strongest now?"
"Of course!"
"Stronger than Gobniu-sama?"
....
Tsubaki suddenly froze, blushed, cleared her throat, and emphasized loudly.
"I'm talking about not counting the gods, of course!"
After a simple tease of the handsome Pallum, Rod felt that Tsubaki was trustworthy, so he simply took a pistol from his Pregnant and handed it to Tsubaki.
"I originally wanted to discuss it with Hephaestus, but since you put it that way, I'll leave it to you."
Tsubaki curiously took the pistol, observed it carefully for a moment, her eyes growing brighter, and her face showing the excitement of a child who had received a beloved toy.
"Such fine craftsmanship, such ingenious mechanical structure!"
"What is this? Where did it come from? How do you use it?!"
Rod took out a second pistol and demonstrated it calmly.
"Like this, take out the magazine, check the number of bullets. Turn off the safety, pull the slide, confirm a bullet is chambered, then... pull the trigger."
Bang—
The high-velocity bullet directly shot a hole in the wall.
Tsubaki immediately pounced on it excitedly, examining the damage.
"Oh oh oh oh, this power, even a Level 5 probably couldn't withstand it with their bare body!"
"However, if facing a somewhat affluent Level 2 adventurer, it would probably be difficult to penetrate their carefully acquired armor."
She analyzed the pros and cons of the weapon to herself.
"Although the speed of that 'bullet' just now was indeed fast enough, a Level 3 adventurer could easily react to it."
"But for such a small weapon to generate so much energy is truly surprising... Is it a new work by some master?"
"The strange thing is, on this weapon called a pistol, all the structures are very regular, not at all like something forged by hand.... Wait....!!!"
As she spoke, Tsubaki, who was fiddling with the pistol, suddenly widened her eyes, twisted her head sharply to look at the faintly smiling Rod, her pupils filled with disbelief.
She swallowed, her heart pounding wildly at the bold conjecture in her mind, even feeling a sense of fear.
"Rod, this thing... is it mass-produced?"
"Yes."
Rod's casual affirmation completely shattered Tsubaki's last bit of hope.
She staggered a few steps, leaning against the wall, looking down at the pistol in her hand with a deep frown, as if looking at something extremely terrifying.
"No Grace needed, no magic power consumed, just a little wrist strength, and you can gain the power to kill adventurers... It's truly terrifying that you could produce such a weapon, Rod."
For a moment, Tsubaki didn't know how to handle this hot potato, and scratched her hair with a wry smile.
"I shouldn't have boasted so much... It might be better to let Hephaestus-sama handle it when she returns."
Unlike her boisterous exterior, Tsubaki's inner self was equally delicate and astute.
Initially, she was only attracted by the craftsmanship of the firearm, but after calming down, she immediately understood Rod's intentions.
Although the pistol's power was decent, it could only pose a threat to high-level adventurers when its numbers were extremely large.
And with Rod's current strength, there was no need for him to rely on such a weapon with a visibly limited upper bound to fight.
Under what circumstances would one specifically collect mass-produced weapons that even ordinary people could use?
The answer was obvious.
Only when intending to establish an empire!
Adventurers possess great individual strength, but their numbers are relatively too few compared to the potential land area of a country. It is essential to enable ordinary people without potential to also possess the strength to maintain peace.
Pistols are precisely the kind of weapon that can brutally level the playing field.
But if it were just that, Rod wouldn't need to specifically seek out Hephaestus for a discussion.
"So, you want to re-forge a pistol with special materials to test the true upper limit of this type of standardized weapon?"
Facing Tsubaki's complex gaze, Rod frankly admitted.
"I'm only somewhat curious about it at most... But a few of my companions are limited by their naturally frail bodies and need this type of weapon for assistance. Pistols are still too weak for them."
Rod had long noticed Laila's fervor upon learning of the existence of firearms, and her disappointment after personally witnessing their power.
This cunning mouse did not want to always play the role of an advisor; she also wanted to fight alongside everyone.
But as everyone gradually grew stronger, Laila would only fall further and further behind, and perhaps in the future, she wouldn't even have the qualifications to fight alongside them.
Not all Pallums are heroes.
And Lili was even frailer than Laila; she needed this type of weapon even more for assistance!
Tsubaki, who was originally nervous and anxious, no longer struggled after hearing Rod's words and smiled with relief.
That's right, since he's someone who cherishes his companions, things wouldn't turn out for the worst.
She perked up again, a look of eagerness on her face.
"Alright, you want to strengthen this pistol, right? I'll take this commission! Do you have any requirements?"
In fact, as soon as she said this, Tsubaki's heart sank.
Damn it!
I spoke too quickly!
She hadn't forgotten Hephaestus's expression after she spoke, and for a moment of impulsive promise, she was now still trekking through mountains and rivers!
"Wait...."
However, before she could make amends, Rod joyfully shook Tsubaki's hand.
"Don't worry, I know even the most powerful mortal blacksmiths have their limits. So I won't make a bunch of outrageous demands, just one very basic request."