The upcoming Joint Expedition required an enormous amount of coordination and preparation.
Even though the Loki Familia, Astraea Familia, and Hephaestus Familia were already in a practical alliance, within the Hephaestus Familia this alliance remained unofficial—an unspoken understanding.
That meant the craftsmen chosen to participate had to be carefully screened.
But what did "carefully" mean in this case?
It meant Tsunayoshi had to personally oversee the entire process—standing beside Hephaestus herself, using Mist to induce hypnosis, and Memory Worms to confirm memories.
Hephaestus handled lie detection.
Tsunayoshi handled memory verification.
Only after passing both trials could a craftsman qualify for the expedition.
It was a process so exhausting that Tsunayoshi had to remain inside the Hephaestus Familia for several days straight.
By the end of the ordeal, the normally composed goddess looked visibly drained.
"Unbelievable," Hephaestus muttered, her face darkening. "I didn't realize so many of my children were planted by other gods."
The truth was, many had used the same trick Tsunayoshi once developed himself—deleting specific memories to bypass divine lie detection.
If the information simply didn't exist in their minds, there was no lie to be caught.
No lie, no trigger for a god's power.
But this time, that method failed. Because even if Hephaestus couldn't sense a lie, Tsunayoshi could see the gaps—the missing frames in memory.
Hephaestus sighed heavily.
Tsunayoshi spoke calmly. "It's normal. Production-type Familias are always targeted by others. Gods want inside information—it's inevitable."
"And since they all know how divine abilities work, it's not hard to find ways around them."
Hephaestus shot him an irritated look. "Easy for you to say."
Tsunayoshi smiled faintly. "Still, they chose your Familia because of your craftsmanship. No one would bother planting spies in a lesser workshop."
"…Hmph."
She tried to hide it, but that last comment clearly pleased her. Praise for her forge always struck the right chord.
Back in Heaven, Hephaestus had been one of the finest artisans among the gods—her weapons prized beyond compare. Hearing Tsunayoshi acknowledge that made her irritation fade.
"Then what do we do with them?" she asked at last.
"Expel them," Tsunayoshi answered without hesitation. "This expedition will involve secrets tied to my power. We can't risk anyone leaking it afterward."
Hephaestus understood immediately.
If those infiltrators remained, once the expedition ended, Tsunayoshi's abilities would no longer be a secret. The entire city would know.
Of course, there was an easier—darker—solution: send them into the expedition and "lose" them in the Dungeon. No one would ever trace it back.
But Hephaestus couldn't bring herself to do that.
Those spies were still her children.
No matter the risk, she couldn't sacrifice them.
So, she would do what she could live with—drive them out.
"Once they're gone," she said, "we'll have to be more careful with future recruits. Tsunayoshi, I'll be counting on you again when the time comes."
"Of course," he replied. "If there's any break in their memory sequence, I'll detect it. No deception can hide that."
Gods could be tricked through words, but not through memories.
And none of them would ever suspect someone capable of reading memory directly.
Hephaestus nodded, then shifted the topic. "Now, about the expedition itself…"
"Our Familia will serve in a support role. Tsubaki will lead a team of smiths to maintain and repair the front-line weapons and armor. In return, we'll receive priority access to any materials recovered from the deep floors."
That arrangement was only fair.
For production Familias, materials were life.
Deep-floor monster materials were especially precious—nearly impossible to find on the surface.
Ever since the fall of the Zeus and Hera Familias, such materials had dwindled to near extinction. Those old reserves were almost gone.
Now, to forge stronger weapons, there was no choice but to delve deeper.
Especially since both Hephaestus and Tsubaki had recently achieved breakthroughs in divine smithing—using Feats as part of their forging process. That new method demanded vast quantities of rare resources.
"I don't think Loki or Astraea will object," Tsunayoshi said. "After all, your weapons—and Tsubaki's—will benefit them directly. As for pricing or special commissions… that's between you and them."
Hephaestus chuckled. "So I'll have to negotiate with those two goddesses personally, huh?"
Then she smirked faintly. "Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you."
"With me?"
Tsunayoshi blinked, uncertain.
Hephaestus lifted her left hand, pointing at the Mare Ring glowing faintly on her middle finger.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten this?"
"The flame that ignites from this ring—its material doesn't exist in this world. If we want to forge weapons that can channel that fire, we'll need to reproduce its source."
She leaned closer, her tone half serious, half curious.
"Not just me—even Tsubaki has been itching to work with that material since she saw your rings. She wants to craft something capable of resonating with the same energy."
Tsunayoshi sighed softly. "That won't be easy. To obtain that material, I'd need to return to my own world. I can faintly sense the coordinates, but I still can't open the gate between the realms."
Hephaestus smiled slyly. "I'm not saying you can right now. I'm saying—when you finally can, take me with you."
"…Huh?"
Her sudden request left him completely speechless.
The goddess of the forge wanted to follow him beyond worlds.
And somehow, the spark in her eye said she meant it.
(End of Chapter)
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