You Can't Be the Only One Earning Money

Back at the inn, Hestia immediately emptied her purse onto the table.

The coins, large and small, rolled together. She first separated them by denomination, then borrowed paper and pen from the innkeeper to write down the money needed for lodging, food, and daily necessities.

She leaned over the table, counting coins, her petite body almost touching the surface, the blue ribbon on her chest swaying gently with her movements. Her white short skirt made her look slender and graceful, but her overly full breasts made her figure anything but thin.

Lin Yuan sat opposite her, watching her recalculate for the third time.

"Too little?"

"Nothing is missing." Hestia pen. "I was just thinking about how to divide it."

Lin Yuan originally thought she would take the money to have a nice meal first. When she left the guild, Hestia had already looked at the barbecue stalls on the street several times.

But what she wrote first was the cost of seven days' accommodation, followed by the cost of meals for two people, spare clothes, and supplies for the Dungeon. The remaining amount was divided into two parts, one for Lin Yuan and the other as funds for the Familia.

"There are only two of us in the Familia, there's no need to be so meticulous," Lin Yuan said.

"Precisely because there are only two of us now, we need to make things clear from the beginning." Hestia looked up. "I can't take all the money you earned in the Dungeon."

"I also have a share in the accommodation and meals."

"So the expenses for living together can come from this." Hestia pushed Lin Yuan's share towards her, "But you also need to keep your own money. You can't keep asking me for money every time you want to buy weapons, potions, or anything else you like."

Lin Yuan glanced at the coins on the table.

Fairy Tail doesn't centrally collect mission rewards from its members. Those who complete missions only need to cover the necessary expenses, and they decide their own remaining income. The occasional incident where Makarov chases after members with a bill in hand after guild buildings are damaged is another matter entirely.

"This portion will be used as funds for the Familia," Lin Yuan said, pushing half of it back to the center of the table. "Daily expenses will be paid from here, and I will keep the rest."

Before Hestia could say anything more, Lin Yuan had already picked up the list she had written down.

"Are you going to stay in a hotel again after seven days?"

"Of course we can't stay here forever." Hestia's attention was immediately diverted. "Inns charge by the day, it would be too wasteful to stay long-term. The Familia also needs a place where we can refresh our Falna, store our belongings, and eat together."

She added a "finding accommodation" option to the paper and then circled it heavily.

I'll go look for it tomorrow.

"I'll be with you."

"You should go into the Dungeon," Hestia said. "We only reached the fourth floor today; shouldn't we continue exploring the lower floors?"

Finding a place to stay doesn't take a whole day.

"That won't do either. I can't let you do everything."

Hestia carefully put the money away, leaving only enough for tonight's meal. Her movements were meticulous, as if she were managing the Familia of a large clan rather than a recently filled purse.

The two left the inn and walked along West Street looking for a place to eat. When they passed a brightly lit stone tavern, Hestia stopped.

"This is the Hostess of Fertility, a very famous tavern in Orario. I've heard the food is delicious, but it's not cheap."

The aroma of roasted meat wafted from the doorway. Hestia looked down and touched the purse containing her meal money, but ultimately pulled Lin Yuan inside.

As soon as the two entered, the tall, dwarf female shopkeeper behind the counter looked up at them. A gray-haired girl immediately came forward, smiling, and led them to an empty table.

"Welcome. My name is Syr. Is this your first time visiting our store?"

Another elven shop assistant walked by with a glass of wine. Syr called her Liu, and she simply nodded slightly to the two of them before continuing to serve other customers.

Seeing the prices on the menu, Hestia ultimately didn't order the barbecue that she had repeatedly mentioned on the way, and only ordered the cheapest set meal. Lin Yuan glanced at her and then asked Syr to add another plate of barbecue.

"The Familia has earned income on their first day; it's time to celebrate."

"That's what I think too!"

Hestia immediately dropped her previous frugal expression, leaned over and pulled the plate between the two of them. The blue ribbon on her chest almost brushed against the soup bowl, but she didn't care at all, and quickly picked up the first piece of roast meat and put it into Lin Yuan's bowl.

During the meal, she kept asking about the situation in the Dungeon. Lin Yuan talked about the extraction of magic stones, the hardened skin left behind by chance, and the adventurer team he met on the fourth floor.

"The support staff handle the transport, the adventurers handle the combat," Hestia, "And you're doing both jobs by yourself now."

"The shallow layer doesn't need anyone else."

"Just because it's not needed at the surface level doesn't mean it won't be needed in the future," she said earnestly. "If the Familia gains other members in the future, we can't expect everyone to fight the way you do. Ordinary adventurers will bleed when injured, and their backpacks will be too heavy to move."

Lin Yuan did not refute.

He had seen the Loki Familia expedition team on the thirty-seventh floor. Even though Finn, Riveria, and Ais were all powerful, the team still needed healers, support staff, and people responsible for supplies.

A strong individual can fight alone, but Familia cannot rely solely on its strongest member.

Back at the inn, Hestia refreshed Lin Yuan's Falna. The experience he gained today had increased several of his basic abilities again, but the increase was still small. For Lin Yuan, these numbers were far less important than his actual understanding of the Dungeon.

Hestia put away the status sheet, then took out the day's accounts and added a line under "Looking for accommodation".

I also need to find a job.

"The funds for the Familia are sufficient for the time being."

"Having enough for now is one thing, but having you support me completely is another." Hestia held up the paper in front of Lin Yuan. "I am the supreme deity, and I am also a person living in this house."

She drew a circle next to the newly written line.

"You can't be the only one earning the money."