Because it involved Familia interests, Shakti returned quickly.
Arriving at the Guild with her was the god Ganesha, wearing an elephant mask on his face.
"I am Ganesha!"
The moment he walked into the hall, Ganesha raised both hands in a bodybuilding pose while shouting aloud. Being long accustomed to this god's opening line, neither the Guild staff, the adventurers, nor the other gods who had received the news and rushed over paid him any mind. At most, they would mutter "There he goes again," either in their minds or under their breath.
As the patron god of the Familia that maintains the basic order on Orario's surface, Ganesha was certainly no fool.
After completing his daily declaration, he walked up to Levi. He didn't speak immediately, instead sizing the latter up for a moment.
"I think I'm starting to understand why Apollo and Freya have their eyes on you."
"Uh..." Levi wore an awkward expression.
He was a handsome young man, but when he awakened his past life's memories, he was still young and focused more of his attention on improving his proficiency in the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and Mana Burst skills, so he never really felt it. It was only after coming to Orario, or more accurately, after meeting Hestia, that he started to put a little effort into his appearance, not wanting to embarrass his lover and patron goddess.
That being said, all he really did was comb all the stray hairs and bangs on his forehead up, and use a bit of ice element to hold it in place. This revealed a pair of red eyes.
(King of Despair, pic! pic! pic!)
And just like that, Levi's previously somewhat gentle and scholarly image instantly gained a hint of aggression. In Hestia's words, it was—I loved you a lot before, but now, mua~ I love you even more.
Men, for the most part, don't really care about their own appearance. In a world without magic, power and influence are the best clothes; in a high-magic world, that's replaced by absolute personal strength.
Levi, with an inner soul over 30 years old, was no exception. He had no interest in wasting words on his appearance, so he smiled and changed the subject: "Lord Ganesha, you came all this way in person. I assume it wasn't just to take a look at me, was it?"
Ganesha paused at his words.
"I do not wish to make an enemy of the Freya Familia, but I am in need of the sparkling wine you demonstrated earlier, the one that can restore adventurers' limbs, so..."
"So you wish to purchase it?" Levi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Ganesha did not deny it.
"As for the price, I can offer a bit more."
If Shakti had been the one to say this, Levi probably wouldn't have responded. Although she was a First-Class adventurer, he wasn't afraid of her at all.
But the god Ganesha...
In Orario, or rather in the entire DanMachi world, even the most powerful adventurer is a step below a god—even if the latter cannot use their divine power in the lower world and are not much different from ordinary humans.
Seeing his plan disrupted, Levi didn't mind.
"Lord Ganesha, I respect the contributions your Familia has made to maintaining order in Orario." He had a smile on his lips, but if one looked closely, his eyes were perfectly calm. "But if a casual word from you causes me to break my promise to other adventurers, that wouldn't be very good."
Ganesha didn't say it, but he knew in his heart that his actions were a bit out of line. However, as the third most powerful Familia in Orario, there were many things that even he couldn't just do as he pleased. If they really clashed with the Freya Familia during the War Game, even if the combatants weren't First-Class adventurers, the slightest misstep could be enough to trigger a subsequent war between top-tier factions.
This was something that neither he, as the Lord of the Masses, nor Ouranos wished to see.
But he truly needed the sparkling wine that could help adventurers regenerate their limbs. Maintaining the city's stability naturally meant a large number of Familia members would be injured. During which, it was natural for many to lose arms or legs; in fact, this was the norm.
Seeing Ganesha remain silent, Levi's expression didn't change, but he shook his head slightly in his mind. As expected, no patron god who could develop their Familia to the pinnacle of Orario could possibly be a fool.
In that case...
"As I said, I have great respect for the adventurers who have dedicated their energy, time, and health to maintaining the stability of the Labyrinth City." Levi repeated his earlier words, then changed his tone: "How about this? I will open a special benefit for medium to large Familias, exclusively for you. If you pay me 500 million Valis each quarter, then during that quarter, all disabled adventurers in the Ganesha Familia can come to me for limb restoration, and adventurers." Levi repeated his earlier words, then changed his tone: "How about this? I will open a special benefit for medium to large Familias, exclusively for you. If you pay me 500 million Valis each quarter, then during that quarter, all disabled adventurers in the Ganesha Familia can come to me for limb restoration, and I will not charge any additional fees."
"500 million Valis?" Ganesha hadn't even spoken before Shakti, standing to the side, couldn't help but gasp.
Not because she thought it was expensive, but because it was too cheap. Previously, if an adventurer suffered a lost limb, they would go to the Dian Cecht Familia to have a prosthetic installed, which would cost at least tens of millions of Valis. If better materials were used, the cost would easily exceed 100 million.
In other words, if one were to calculate the price of this limb regeneration service based on the Dian Cecht Familia's prosthetic prices, it would be no less than 100 million Valis! If six people suffered lost limbs each quarter, they could easily recoup the payment.
And her own Familia, just how many comrades had they accumulated over the years who could no longer go to the front lines because they were maintaining public order? The answer was... nearly two hundred people! The vast majority of them were injured in a surprise attack by a dark faction using human bombs seven years ago, and a small portion were from accidents during daily patrols on the surface.
Levi nodded. "I said it before, I respect you all very much. Therefore, within my capabilities, I am willing to offer some assistance to your cause."
Shakti was genuinely moved this time. If she weren't already a 38-year-old lady, she might have really fallen for the young man before her. Of course, her favorable impression wasn't low right now either.
On the other side, seeing that Levi had taken a step back, Ganesha didn't press his advantage.
"Do we need to sign a contract?"
"If you require one, Lord Ganesha." Levi took out paper and a pen from his inventory. Having already drafted a plan in his mind, he drew up the contract in a few strokes. However, since most of the content was to restrain himself, he did not rewrite it on the parchment using Runes.
Even so, Ganesha waved his hand grandly, signing his name on the contract while having Shakti hand over a bag already prepared with a large sum of Valis coins.
Levi took the money bag and tossed it into his inventory. Seeing the Valis balance on his panel increase by 500 million, the smile on his face grew even brighter.
"Since the Ganesha Familia is my first client, and this month is already more than half over, the remaining few days will be my gift to you. The contract will officially start from next month."
"Of course, for those patients who need their limbs restored, I can help you take care of them today."
___
🔥 New releases are live! 🔥
New Story: COTE: Natsuki Subaru Returns to School, but as the Purge King
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan