Rethusa guessed correctly; Levi did not intend to ask the Artemis Familia for money.
At least this time, that was indeed the case.
Firstly, giving them a hand was a request Hestia made last night. Since he had already agreed to it, naturally, he would not associate it with money.
Secondly, if possible, he actually did not wish to establish a cooperation with the Artemis Familia. The reason was simple: with the Moon Goddess, an impulsive patron deity, around, once both sides signed a quarterly healing package or team escort service, there was a high probability that he would end up acting as a firefighting brigade for a long time, frantically wiping the asses of Artemis and her dependents.
Such a future was not what Levi hoped to see. He had a pile of things to be busy with on his end; where would he find the leisure to play 'house' with others?
Therefore, even when joking, he merely indicated that the rescue fee for this time was 800 million Valis, rather than implying that by paying the money, they could receive limb regeneration services for free for the next three months.
However, while Levi was feeling disdain for Artemis and her Familia...
The Moon Goddess, with her long blue hair, was evidently plotting her own little scheme.
Hearing the young man's words at this moment, she couldn't help but raise her hand to gently knock her own head, sticking her tongue out slightly, and making a moe expression.
"I just wanted to try to change."
Levi: "..."
Everyone in the Artemis Familia: "!!!"
Levi had no intention of getting involved in the internal affairs of other Familias. After a moment of silence, he replied, "You do not need to explain to me."
"As for the matter of becoming a subordinate deity, it would be better to wait until we return to Orario and you discuss it personally with my main deity, then make a decision slowly."
Having said that, Levi bowed: "I have matters to attend to next, so I will not keep you all."
...
"Artemis, that girl, she really couldn't hold back, huh~"
That night, after listening to Levi recount his conversation with Artemis during the day, Hestia couldn't help but reveal a faint smile that wasn't quite a smile on her face.
"But thinking about it, it makes sense. When her Familia's children were nearly wiped out due to her own arrogance, and she herself was likely to be sent back to Tenkai, you suddenly descended like a hero and saved everyone in a few moves. Any girl would fall for that."
"What's more, when Artemis was in Tenkai, despite her serious personality, she actually loved reading those hero biographies written by the Gods of Stories and History in private. Especially the interactions between the protagonist and the princess in Argonaut; sometimes she would even inadvertently mention them while chatting with us."
Levi was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that Artemis, who was called a 'Disciplinary Committee Member' by Hestia and many other gods, was secretly a maiden yearning for love.
But he was only slightly astonished, and then quickly returned to calmness.
A deity who placed her own arrogance above the lives of her dependents—in Levi's eyes, her favorability score was far below the passing line from the very beginning.
As for whether the other party would truly change as she said during the day...
What did that have to do with him?
Seeing the mediocre reaction of the young man beside her, Hestia couldn't help but say a silent apology to her close friend in her heart.
—Artemis, I tried, but who asked you to be so disappointing? Spitting out the rice even when it's fed to your mouth—there's really no one else like you.
"By the way, after returning to Orario, you'll be sending Liliruca back soon, right?"
Seeming to have thought of something, the twin-tailed Goddess raised her head and asked.
Levi did not deny it: "She is already Lv.3 now. If she drinks the Ice and Fire Wine for a few more days to max out her stats for the current stage, theoretically, she can already hang up and beat the Soma Familia's 'Wine Keeper'."
The Soma Familia's current Captain, Zanis, is a Lv.2, and he has stayed at this level for nearly twenty years.
To say his potential is exhausted is not an exaggeration in the slightest.
Even if he could make up his mind to buy a large amount of Ice and Fire Wine, due to the lack of the most crucial 'Feat', it would be very difficult for him to reach Lv.3.
Lv.3 fighting Lv.2, and that's while possessing the Strengthening Wine and Force Field Wine provided by himself.
If she could still be counter-killed under these conditions, then Levi felt that Liliruca really shouldn't be an adventurer anymore.
Honestly changing her name and hiding away might actually offer a sliver of a chance at survival.
And once Liliruca replaces Zanis as the person in charge of the Soma Familia, not to mention anything distant, Levi would inevitably be able to obtain the Soma Divine Wine that only circulates within the Soma Familia.
At that time, a Lv.5 Ice and Fire Wine with significantly reduced side effects could certainly be concocted.
As for the Lv.6 Ice and Fire Wine... it would depend on how many concept points the Divine Wine brewed by the God Soma himself could be converted into.
However...
Levi narrowed his eyes.
That the Soma Familia was a cesspool, he knew well.
Pornography, gambling, and drugs—most of the time, they are secretly connected and even interchangeable.
With Liliruca's strength, she could certainly become the Captain after defeating Zanis.
But relying solely on herself to suppress everyone within the Familia would by no means be an easy task.
A purge targeting the gray industries within the Soma Familia would definitely require a couple of rounds.
Regarding manpower, initially, she could apply to the Guild for self-inspection, and then ask the Military Police for help, but...
Later on, Liliruca would have to raise a team herself.
Moreover, the addiction issue of the Soma Divine Wine must also be resolved.
With that great scourge present, it would only constantly spawn scum, trash, and good-for-nothings.
Even Liliruca herself—to put it bluntly—because she lacked the influence of the anime protagonist Bell from the previous life, it was highly possible she could be controlled again.
If such a situation really occurred, the scene might become very ugly.
"What are you thinking?" Hestia's voice sounded by his ear.
Levi did not hide it and slowly spoke of his plan: "...The Soma Divine Wine concerns my upcoming strengthening plan, so I intend to help Liliruca, and those adventurers in the Soma Familia, one more time."
The twin-tailed Goddess revealed a gentle expression on her face: "Although that is the truth, it probably isn't your entire reason, is it?"
Levi turned his head away, his gaze looking elsewhere. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a somewhat low tone: "Hestia, I once heard a saying—'In poverty, one cares for one's own integrity; in success, one aids the whole world.' Before, because my strength was insufficient, there were many things I could only pretend not to know, but now..."
He raised his hand toward the ceiling and clenched it into a fist. "I want to try and turn Orario into the appearance I have in my mind."
The words spoken from the pale-gold haired young man's mouth were very arrogant. Since the establishment of the Labyrinth City, it had been an unknown place that even gods could only intervene in slightly, unable to control perfectly.
Yet now, Levi wanted to build it into a 'Utopia'.
If other adventurers heard this, they might not be able to stop themselves from laughing their heads off.
Even if he was now the strongest adventurer in Orario aside from 'The Fierce', as long as he was still a human of the Lower World, a mere hundred years of time was like a drop in the ocean or the light of a firefly compared to the bright moon in the face of the gods' eternity.
However, Hestia couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth at this moment.
She abruptly hugged her lover's neck and gave him a big smooch.
"Hehe~ My Levi is indeed the best!"
____
New Story: FGO: Building a Lostbelt from Scratch, the Winner is Canon
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