1024. Shirou's Monetary Temptation / 1025. Where Shirou's Money Came From ...

The burly man glanced at the note, then at the stunningly beautiful young woman, and wondered if he should come here more often.

"I request two custom-made scabbards to match my sword! Money is no object!" At the other counter, a dual-wielding adventurer placed a bag of gold coins on the table and spoke.

The Amazon saleswoman's eyes lit up; another person with money and goods had arrived.

"Okay, okay, please come here to pay the deposit and register your family members' names. We will notify you of the specific delivery time after we have arranged the schedule. Amazon also offers door-to-door delivery service and cash on delivery."

That night, the anticipated high tide reached its peak.

What was once an unknown work has now become a hot commodity that everyone is scrambling to buy.

Half a month passed, and more than twenty of the scabbards that Shirou had personally customized had been sold. If the mass-produced basic version is included, the number has exceeded one thousand.

They advertise during the day, and then in the evening, the waitresses who are off work will go out on dates with some adventurers they fancy.

The Amazon receptionists who came to work the next day were all radiant, their faces full of collagen, their skin so good it seemed to reflect the light.

That's a great job!

Recently, for some reason, many swordsmen in Orario have appeared with haggard faces.

Meanwhile, Ais and the Amazon sisters, who were in charge of the performance, had completed their final task for the day and received the custom-made equipment that Shirou had given them from the Amazon store clerk. They were now preparing to leave.

"Miss Ais, Miss Tiona, Miss Dione, Miss Leifya, please wait a moment." Shirou called out to them.

"Is that so, Mr. Shirou? Is there something you need?" The girls were stopped and turned around in confusion.

"I've raised the first sum of money. I'd like to commission your Loki Familia to take me to defeat the master of the fortieth floor of the dungeon. The commission is 600 million falies," Shirou said to the girls.

"Six hundred million!!!" The girls' eyes widened as they shouted in unison.

Chapter 1024 Shirou's Temptation of Money

"Six..."

"Six..."

"Six..."

The girls left the booth at the press conference in groups, each with a dazed expression, still reeling from the shock of dealing with such a large sum of money.

"Everyone! Cheer up!" Leifya shouted.

"But... that's six... six hundred million! How much food could that buy? How many clothes? You could even trade one weapon for another!" Tiona held up her hands, her expression still dazed.

"Even if 600 million is a lot, we are the Loki Familia! How could we end up like this, right, Ais?" Leifya asked the blonde girl.

"Six... Waaaaah~" Ais's mind was filled with images of legendary artifacts hanging in the shops of the Tower of Babel. If she had six hundred million, she could buy a few of them, equip them, and become even stronger. She would be just like a hero in an adventure story.

"Ais ~~! Come back quickly~!" Leifya cried out with a mournful face.

"No, no! We have to fight for this! This is a rare and huge deal!" Tione's eyes widened, her pupils practically spinning with gold coins.

She had previously helped her clan collect spring water to make the highest-grade healing potions, and in return, she received twenty healing potions worth ten million falies. Then, she sold rare items dropped by lord-level monsters, earning eleven million falies.

This is the main source of income from the last dungeon raid; the rest was just a few million.

If she can bring in a 600 million yen business for the clan, she can earn at least 200 million yen once the mission is completed. At that time, her favorite leader will definitely look at her differently.

' Tione, thank you. You really are the most reliable person in the Familia. I can't live without you for a moment. So please stay with me forever.'

"Oh, boss, but if you insist on coming with me... hehehe~!"

Tione stood there, cupping her face in her hands, fidgeting with herself.

"Tione... what's wrong?" Leifya asked in surprise.

"Well..." Ais said calmly.

"I don't know what she's thinking, but it doesn't seem very reliable," Tiona said, waving her hand.

"But... what should we do? Mr. Shirou entrusted us with such an important matter, we have no idea how to decide," Leifya said, covering her forehead. She felt like her brain was about to overheat from the heat of her mind.

This is what Shirou said to them at the time.

"The price I've offered is the result of careful consideration. This mission will be very dangerous; there's a high possibility of encountering monsters even more formidable than the floor master, and some people may even sacrifice themselves. So please be fully prepared."

"A mutated monster... Could it be the same one that was on fire last time...?" Ais remembered the mutated Minotaur she had encountered with Shirou last time.

Shirou nodded and said earnestly to the girls, "Yes, please consider this as well."

"Mutated monsters? Do you mean a new species of monster?" Tiona asked.

"Yes, that's one way to understand it. I didn't know the specifics before I went in, but I'm certain there will be monsters with unknown abilities inside," Shirou agreed.

"Oh dear, I really hope we don't run into those bugs again, otherwise no amount of equipment will be enough," Tione said, rubbing her head in frustration.

"Of course, it's alright if the Loki Familia refuses. Although I would most like to ask the Loki Familia for help, I will talk to the Freya Familia later." Shirou said, considering the girls' feelings. Although the Loki Familia, with their stronger spirit of conquering dungeons and better team atmosphere, was his first choice, he didn't want to make things difficult for the girls.

Shirou is confident that Freya Familia will agree if asked.

However, what troubled Shirou were other issues. If it was possible to avoid relying on them, it would be best to do so. After all, even if the goddess was easy to talk to, her subordinates were not to be trifled with.

Shirou recalled his previous visit to that petite and adorable goddess, when she affectionately embraced him, and the hostile stares he received from the members of her clan along the way—it was truly unpleasant.

"That won't do!" Tione exclaimed strongly.

"Huh?!" The girls were startled.

"But you should still ask the other members of the clan for their opinions, shouldn't you?" Shirou asked.

"Anyway... let's go back and talk to everyone in the clan, hahaha~!" The girls could only laugh awkwardly as they walked outside.

The girls, each lost in their own thoughts, returned to the Loki Familia's encampment. They merely nodded briefly to the two guards at the gate before entering the courtyard.

"Wow! You guys are finally back! Ahhhhhh!"

Suddenly, a loud, clear Kansai dialect came from inside the door.

As if anticipating the moment when Ais and the others entered the gate, a figure emerged from inside the mansion.

This was a woman with a burgundy ponytail swaying in the wind. She didn't even glance at the men and charged straight at Ais and her group of girls.

"You guys work so hard! Oh, I missed you all so much!"

She leaped high into the air and lunged at the girls who were standing in a straight line. Ais, Tiona, and Tione moved to the left and right in turn, not taking the woman who was rushing at them seriously, and thus easily dodged.

But Lefia, who was at the back of the line, didn't know what to do. She just watched the figure rushing towards her getting closer and closer, letting out a scream, "Eh, wait, ahh~!" before being grabbed and pushed to the ground.

"Loki, your work at the Demon Sword Blacksmith's press conference has successfully concluded," Tione reported to the woman who was pinning Leifya down.

"Mmm... I understand. Welcome home, dear Tione, dear Tiona, Ais ~!"

"Yes, we're back, Loki." Ais nodded expressionlessly.

The woman, who was admiring the elven girl's beautiful body, raised her head and revealed a sly smile.

Her appearance evoked images of wine-red hair at dusk, her eyes narrowed like crescent moons. While she possessed the dignified beauty expected of a goddess, her smile held a touch of wickedness. However, the way she looked at the young girls was exactly the expression of a deity rejoicing at the safe return of her children.

Loki, the god of Norse mythology, was one of the gods who descended to Earth to pursue entertainment after growing weary of the decadent life of the heavens. She is a free spirit who exists in a different dimension from humans and monsters. She made a pact with Ais and others and serves as the chief god of their familiar.

Although she's quite unreliable, she's currently the most popular goddess in Orario, and only Freya, the goddess of beauty, can rival her.

Chapter 1025 The Origin of Shirou's Money

Shirou walked down the street. After parting ways with the girls and finishing his business, he also set off in the other direction.

"Oh, isn't this Shirou-kun? Where are you headed?" An elegant man with long blue hair, resembling a noble young master, greeted Shirou.

"Ah, God Miher, hello. I was just about to go to your place." Shirou walked towards the male god.

"Is that so? I just finished my business and am heading back. This tea came from a deity in the East. You can try some with me," the Medicine God Miher said with a smile.

"Then I'm in for a treat!" Shirou replied with a smile.

Shirou followed Miher across the street to an inconspicuous little shop, which was the Azure Pharmacy run by the [Miher Familia] he was about to visit.

Although the shop is very small, it is a true specialty shop selling elixirs to adventurers. The Miher Familia used to be a well-developed mid-level family, but now only the shopkeeper remains. However, the quality of the elixirs they produce is still very high. It's just that due to a lack of necessary materials that adventurers bring back from dungeons, they can only make relatively simple elixirs here.

Although Shirou can forge special protective gear to restore certain degrees of injury, he has no idea how to make elixirs. In critical situations, it is more efficient to use elixirs.

I've only heard that each of the [familias] who sell items uses their own unique methods to create healing potions, constantly improving their products to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Shirou, in order to improve his strength, has studied the intricacies of this business extensively. In fact, the strong acid in his silver bow was achieved with the help of the gods and shopkeepers here.

"I'm back, Naza," the handsome, long-haired young man said softly.

"Ah! My Goddess! You're back~!" The Beastkin woman greeted her god lazily.

"Good evening, Miss Naza." Shirou walked in and greeted the Beastkin woman who was half asleep, leaning on the counter.

"Hey! Mr. Shirou! You've arrived! Please come in, please come in." The Beastkin woman's drooping dog ears perked up the moment she saw Shirou, and she quickly stood up to greet him warmly.

Naza Elise, the sole member of the Miher Familia, apparently lost an arm in an accident several years ago in an underground city and is now in seclusion. The Miher Familia also fell into decline because they incurred a large debt to buy her a prosthetic arm.

Shirou previously went into the dungeon to gather information in order to improve his strength, so he collaborated with her and Miher to develop various poisons against monsters, and is now considered a shareholder of this apothecary.

The current Azure Pharmacy not only sells elixirs, but also has developed various poisons, which have gradually improved.

"Make sure you have all the types of high-grade poisons we mentioned before. Prepare enough for 50 million falies. I'll come and collect them later." Shirou took out a magnetic card with a withdrawal limit of 50 million falies and handed it to Naza.

"Fifty... fifty million!!! Mr. Shirou, what are you going to do with this?" Naza took the card and exclaimed in surprise! Was this to start a war? Invasion? Poisoning? To which foreign country?

"Oh my, oh my, that's a really big sum of money," Miher said with a smile.

"Well, a lot has happened, and in order to raise this money as quickly as possible, I've incurred quite a few favors. Let's not dwell on these things," Shirou said with a helpless sigh.

"Haha, Shirou-kun, you've had it tough too," Miher said with a smile, showing his understanding.

"Is... is that so? Let me make it clear first, I've accepted the money, but I won't be returning it." Naza's expression clearly showed disbelief, but considering the money, she didn't press the matter further.

"Can you get all the materials? Although I already had you stockpile them, this amount is a bit too much for you and Miher God. I suggest you outsource some of it," Shirou suggested.

"No! Please leave it to our store! We'll make sure it's ready on time, even if it costs us our lives!" Naza gripped the magnetic card tightly, assuring everyone she knew. She wouldn't miss any opportunity to make money, nor would she share any of the money she could afford with others.

"No, no, that's too much. Just give it to me before you enter the dungeon." Shirou waved his hand and said with a smile.

"I will do my best to help, so there shouldn't be any problem completing it within the agreed timeframe," Miher replied.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you." Shirou nodded and said.

Given the speed of Azure Pharmacy, it's still achievable. The price of the highest-grade recovery potion is generally set at 500,000 Fali. As for the corresponding poisons, even if they are cheaper, they won't be much cheaper, and special types will be more expensive.

Because Shirou has a stake in the business, Azure Pharmacy will offer a 30% discount on prices. Therefore, the price of ordinary poisons will be around 350,000 yen, while special poisons will cost over 700,000 yen. Calculated at the average price, 50 million fali is only enough for a hundred bottles of poison, which is frankly not much.

If you're going for a item-based monster-killing strategy, then you're going down a path that requires spending a lot of money.

The fake silver arrow that Shirou used before, which would melt upon contact with blood, was not cheap at all; each shot cost over 700,000 falies.

While Shirou's scabbard is indeed a groundbreaking product, it's impossible for all the adventurers in Orario to afford it outright in a short period of time. Therefore, it's unrealistic for Shirou to gather enough funds to conquer all the dungeons in a short time.

Even the funding for this scouting trip was largely thanks to goddesses like Ishtar and Astraea, who sent their kin to Shirou's shop. Unexpectedly, Ganesha's kin also purchased a considerable amount of equipment.

He didn't know whether it was Ganesha or the girl who had left a deep impression on him, the god Kama, who sent them here.

Shirou reciprocated by offering a discount to the women who were making large purchases, ensuring their satisfaction. Overall, he still owed these goddesses a great deal of favor.

After finishing their business discussion, Shirou and Miher put aside worldly matters and leisurely enjoyed tea together.

"This is truly excellent tea; it has calmed my restless heart," Shirou said, lying in the rocking chair with his eyes closed.

"But... after all this preparation, you're still going deep into the dungeon, huh?" Miher's smile faded, and he looked at Shirou seriously. He wasn't acting as a business partner, but as a friend, offering Shirou advice. "It's very dangerous."

"Exactly! Mr. Shirou, it's so reckless of him to keep trying to go into the dungeon when he hasn't even received any favors. I just can't understand it." Naza pouted and said, she never wanted to go into the dungeon again in her life.

"Thank you, but my mind is made up. I must go down and check on things one last time before I can feel at ease," Shirou said firmly with a smile.

Shirou had a bad feeling; he didn't have much time left.

Somewhere beneath the earth, magma is churning, something within seemingly gathering strength, waiting to erupt and burn everything in its path when the power is sufficient.

Chapter 1026 The Loki Familia's Decision

Back in the Loki Familia's courtyard, the red-haired goddess was still pressing against the elven girl, rubbing against her.

"Loki, you're bothering Lefia, please let her go~? We're all exhausted~." Tiona pleaded for her junior elven girl who was pinned to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lefia. I was just too touched." The wine-red-haired goddess, who was hugging Leifya, breathed into the girl's ear and apologized.

"No, no..." Leifya couldn't handle such excessive intimacy, but since the other party was her supreme god, she could only blush and whisper.

"Speaking of which... hmm, has your ** gotten a little bigger?" Loki said, completely unrepentant, as he felt the sensation with both hands.

"N-no way!" Lefia cried out, her face flushed red as she saw her head of household's lewd smile.

Although she exuded an aura unlike any other, possessing a unique divine power, her behavior, often resembling that of a middle-aged man, ruined it all. Her perfect face, envied by those in the lower realms, was only unbearably ugly at these times. Despite being a goddess, she harbored a troublesome fondness for women.

However, the Loki Familia, which has reached its current size through her persuasion, boasts a plethora of beautiful female members, regardless of the male members, greatly reflecting her interests. Of course, all the women in the Familia are annoyed by her harassment.

Loki sprang to his feet and moved closer to Tione, the most voluptuous of the four girls. His eyes were on the sheath, but his hand roamed over the girl's body.