After having dealed with the goblin and seen that he was followed by the exclusive of the Loki Familia he knows that he wouldn't be able to hunt peacefully, so he exits the Dungeon early, going to exchange his crystal at the guild.
Since it wasn't 8 still, it was nearly an empty guild that receives him, going from the exchange point, it was still the same man behind the partition. Seeing Alex came, he was puzzled.
"Your early today kiddo, something happens?"
"Some stalker, I couldn't hunt in peace, plus I have an appointment with goddess Heaphaistos at ten."
"Finally entering a Familia?"
"I wish, but not, just a business meeting."
"I see, a shame, their loss. So what have you for me on this fine morning?"
Alex smile at him before detach his goblin pouch and up siding it in the drawer, the mouth below. At this, the goblin opens it mouth delivering a small mountain of crystals. Seeing this, the pull the drawer toward him, making the crystals fall in the device installed there.
"359, I don't know how you did it but you sure gain quite a lot with those ones." Says the man shaking his head at the absurd amount of goblin cores. " Well at least we won't lack street light thank you, hahaha, here you go kiddo and good luck for you're meeting with the lady."
"Thank, uncle, take care." Fixing his pouch and taking his valis, he exits the guild to return and prepare for the meeting. Since he has time he takes a good soak, relaxing for the first time in a week. Once done and seeing that he still had a good hour before it, he takes different materials he had gathered, looking if he could make something nice.
Going for a slightly decontracted look, he made a comfy and slightly loose trousers, a white T-shirt, and a light grey hoodie. Braiding his hair before tieing them with a leather band bearing his coat of arms engraved in the shiny stainless steel.
Making his way there, he sees that he actually was early of twenty minutes, so he take a look around while waiting for the appointment time after warning of his presence. Five minutes before his time, he hastily turns around, facing his back to the stair leading to Hephaistos office.
Why did he do so? Because a silver-haired pervert was coming down alongside her trusty Boaz. Unwilling to even tempts fate, he made his way deeper inside the shop as naturally as possible. Thankfully for him the two exit the shop without spotting him.
-That was near.-
'Too ner for my taste, after the Loki Familia, now Freya and I will see Hephaistos now? Something big will happen for sure.'
-Hue?-
'It evident, you don't encounters the three big shot or their immediate representant in less than two hours without raising flags, it the basis!'
-If you say it.-
"Mr.Evans?" An employee asks.
"Yes?"
"Hephaistos-sama is free to receive you."
"Thank you, lead the way, please."
"Mnn, follow me."
And he does so, after climbing the staircase and passing various rooms, he was lead to the sole one standing a the end of the corridor. The employee knock at the door before announcing.
" Hephaistos-sama, your 10 A.M meeting his here."
"Make it enter." The somewhat muffled voice of a woman was heard through the door.
He thanks the employee as he enters, he soon faces a mature woman wearing an eye patch on her right eye. While they share red hair, she was a little darker, stoping at shoulder length while her crimson eye bore in his gaze. If his particular appearance surprise her, she didn't let it show in her face. While she was critically scrutinizing him, he says nothing, waiting for her to make the first step.
"I hear you wish to buy ores for us?" Finally say her, with a still impassible face.
"First I would like information if possible, following that, I may come to ask for a selling agreement, yes."
'At least the boy his straight to the point.' "What type of information?"
"First, the price of raw, unprocessed iron, iron, steel, magic steel, copper, silver, gold, titanium, or even raw platinum."
She couldn't help but raise a brow at the boy's knowledge of metal, even some of her children don't know of the lasts one yet as they were difficult to work with.
"Give me a second." She starts to look through the various reports on stock, quantity, market price, and the like, compelling a small document for him to go through, after all, he seems to know what he wants. She can't think that he would have just try to learn of them just to encounter her.
While she was doing so, the promised flag was truthfully raised as the side door leading to a personal working station, open.
"She has gone, now?"
The two of them turn their head to the barefooted, white dressed girl standing in the frame. Her childish face, accentuated by her long twin tail and small size, clash with her ample breasts emphasized with the sky blue ribbon pushing her breast up.
'I know it, the loli kyonuu herself! I couldn't see two goddesses without meeting the third one.'
When she enters the room, Hestia was surprised to not see one but two redhead, her friend Hephaistos and a young child. When their two gaze cross, the two of them froze, drawing the other in their eyes, mesmerizing the two of them. It had never happened to her before, but she could feel something click in her as if she shared a special link with him. Unknowingly for the two of them, the second redhead look at them intently.
Hephaistos know that the two didn't know each other, it wasn't possible since she asks for a rundown of the boy background before meeting him. When she learned that he wasn't in the city for more than a week, it was evident since her friend also ascends to the lower world at the same time, passing the past week with her.
They couldn't know each other, but still, it was undeniable that the two were sharing something profound. While the two couldn't tell as they were lost in each other eyes, it wasn't the same for her. Even if it was faint, she could feel a wisp of Hestia divinity reach for the boy. Somewhat, he was resonating with her divinity, knowing that the loli reign on the Hearth, family and sacred flame.
Knowing this, she now knows that the boy couldn't be bad, otherwise, he wouldn't be reacting that strongly to the innocent goddess. She was inwardly also happy, knowing that she would surely ask him to join her family. She hadn't tried to form one yet but she somewhat knows that she would have difficulty doing so. Now that she meets him, that stubborn girl wouldn't let him go.
"Hmn" Clearing her throat, she snaps the two of their trans. "Here."
"Heu? Ha, thank you." Still a little dazzled, he rapidly snaps out of it, burying his face in the document, doing his best to make as if it never happens, to the clear amusement of Hephaistos while Hestia was still high.
Rapidly going through the document, he was surprised to see that chunk of unprocessed platinum was as cheap as processed iron their.
"Excuse me, Hephaistos-sama, but would you perhaps have a semple of unprocessed platinum here. While the name is the same, this difference in price seems somewhat off to me."
"Sure." She raises from her seat and enters her personal working area, leaving the two of them together.
"Ne, kimi. Do you have a Familia?" Surprised by the blunt query, he shakes his head negatively, brightening the dazzling smile on her face, but before she could go further he speaks.
"Would it be possible to speak of this after I'm done with Hephaistos-sama?"
"Hum, that good."
Says goddess chose that moment to return, not knowing that Alex knows she had waited for his answer before showing.
"Here."
"Thank you, may I?"
"Knock yourself."
The two look curiously as Alex tentatively lick the rock, before two hear a pop on his head, as he closes his eyes. "It's does it the same, would it be because of the Dungeon? That could explain the lingering taste of magic similar the magic crystal."
While he was mumbling, he was still in hearing sight of the two and is observation greatly surprise Hephaistos as it does come from the Dungeon.
"Yes, that would do it. On which scale are you basing your price, grams? kilograms?"
"Kilograms." Confirm the redhead, making a look at the list once again.
"Then, if I were to ask for 1t of unprocessed iron and a 1t of unprocessed Platinium, on witch time frame would it be available? Depending on this, I would need to also know you policies on partial payment."
"For that quantity, we need a few days to be able to deliver it depending on the disponibility, as for payment, it could be spread on a month with a third to pay upfront. Since expeditions are near, we will soon restock on them. If you really want that much I won't have to have it to the charts as they always mine more just in case. I could reserve it for you. for 1t of unprocessed iron it would be 152,000 valis and for platinum 468,000 valis."
"When the expedition would come back?"
"They depart next month and would need around a week to mine their quota, had to that four days for the travel"
With is earning going up around 80,000 valis a day he wouldn't need to worry at the cost. Nodding at this, he takes out his pouch, counting 220,000 valis he put them on her desk.
"Please."
The two were astonished of seeing him pay upfront a little more than a third of the trade, Hephaistos more so knowing that he was un-affiliated and without even a first blessing. She rapidly draws a contract for the two, before calling for an employee to came take the money and the contract. Since he had already put the first payment, she would be assured that he would have pay for his command even before the expedition was sent, and while a small sum for her, she would be assured that her friend would be taken care of.
"Thank you for having me today Hephaistos-sama."
"Pleasure."
He exits her office after giving a slight nod at Hestia, who rapidly follows behind, earning a small 'good luck ' form her friend, flashing her a smile.
"Would you like to speak in a comfortable or private place?"
"Better private." She says her index resting on her chin as she thinks.
" If you would follow me, I can bring you to a private place but you should know that the surrounding is empty."
"Okay, let go!" She says while nodding, understanding his warning, and happy that he did.
Even without sensing the adventurer send by Hephaistos, he would have done the same. He leads her to the abandoned area of Orario, and to the walls, he has raised around his house to conceal it among the rest of the degrading building around. As he had perfectly copied the actual state of the other walls, once wouldn't know of its existence, if not lead by someone in the know.
After passing the natural defense, they arrive at the house on itself.
"It not much put at least it mine."
"I didn't know they were house here." She could feel the secure feeling sturdy houses in the city were giving in this one.
"They don't, I construct it myself." Says him proudly. "Please came in."
"Hmm!"
Each passing second was reinforcing the feeling that she had made the right choice in deciding to ask him to join her Familia. She liked very much the coziness and homey feeling the house was giving off.