"Lord Soma, as a deity, you really are a failure~"
A smile hung on Levi's face, yet the words he spoke carried immense disrespect.
Fortunately, only the four of them—he, Hestia, Soma, and Liliruca—were currently inside the room.
Had they been in the public eye, the believers of the gods living in Orario might have long since been unable to hold back, attacking Levi on charges of blasphemy.
Even Soma had never been humiliated to his face like this since descending to the Lower World.
He was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and then, the Divine Might already leaking out inevitably became increasingly turbulent.
However, he was, after all, an ancient existence who had lived for tens of millions of years. After his emotions ran wild for a brief moment, he regained his cool.
"Since you refused my 'trial,' then, please leave."
As soon as his voice fell, the pale-gold-haired youth standing opposite him let out a sneer.
"Heh~"
"I originally considered reaching a cooperation with the Soma Familia regarding sparkling wine. It was only because that fellow, the 'Wine Keeper,' is associated with 'the Evils' that I was afraid of being pitied by him. That is why I specially cultivated an adventurer with a relatively clean background for your esteemed Familia."
Levi's face was calm, yet his words carried a trace of mockery that everyone present could hear. "But evidently, Lord Soma, you did not see the goodwill and effort of the Hestia Familia. Instead, you believed I wanted to control your Familia through Liliruca."
"In that case..." Speaking to this point, Levi's expression and tone suddenly turned cold. "Then I really will overstep my bounds and show you."
It was that saying again: when others falsely accuse you of doing something, you had better actually have the ability to do it.
And as it happened, Levi—whose base combat power had fully stepped into Level 7, and who could fight against a Level 8 after activating his possession state—possessed the ability to be the absolute authority in Orario and oppress others with sheer power.
"Liliruca, pass down the order. Next, the Hestia Familia will launch a War Game against the Soma Familia."
Levi turned his head and looked at the Pallum girl standing at the side.
Liliruca was stunned upon hearing this, but she did not choose to refuse.
"I understand."
She immediately prepared to walk out of the room.
"Come back!" Soma suddenly roared, his Divine Might released forcefully along with his voice.
Yet, it did not affect the girl as it had before.
Because at this moment, the pupils of Hestia, who was standing beside Levi, also turned a pale blue color.
"Soma, you clearly descended to the Lower World longer than I have, so how does it seem you understand the rules of Orario even less than I do?"
'The Blue Ribbon' crossed her arms over her chest, her words carrying a similar trace of ridicule.
"The strong bully the weak, and the weak huddle together for warmth."
"Right now, Soma, you and the children of your family are completely and utterly the 'weak' to my Levi~"
The words spoken by the twin-tailed goddess were harsh, but they clarified the operating logic of the Lower World.
"Aside from Liliruca, whom Levi cultivated, who else in your family can shoulder the heavy burden of the coming battle?"
"As for Liliruca..." As she spoke, Hestia looked at the Pallum girl not far away. "If given a chance, would you be willing to convert to my side?"
Liliruca paused upon hearing this, and immediately, a look of incomparable ecstasy appeared on her face.
"I am willing! I am very willing, Lord Hestia!"
Liliruca had long wanted to break away from the Soma Familia. It was only because of the contract signed with Levi previously that she had no choice but to take over this epic-level cesspit.
"Look, Soma. No one is truly standing on your side." The twin-tailed goddess spread her hands. "Or do you think those guys downstairs, controlled by your Divine Wine, will put their lives on the line for you?"
Soma: "..."
He was just a shut-in, not a fool.
Even if there were truly members in the Familia who were unafraid of death, it was mostly for the sake of the Divine Wine, not for him personally.
However, Soma did not intend to surrender just yet.
"Hestia, Hero King, you cannot control me."
The Divine Might leaking out of his body became increasingly pervasive, looking as if it were about to break through the seal of the Lower World.
But in the next second, the pale-gold-haired youth standing on the other side suddenly made a 'please' gesture.
"If you have the capability, send yourself back to Tenkai today. I will respect you, Soma, as a ruthless man."
"But..."
"If you really do that, for the next few hundred or even thousands of years, there will be no one able to provide you with brewing materials. You will only be able to spend your own effort slowly collecting them."
Soma, who had been on the verge of liberating his Divine Power, saw his entire imposing aura instantly deflate.
Seeing this scene, Levi couldn't help but laugh.
His laugh was incomparably mocking.
"Lord Soma, I heard the reason you are unwilling to manage the Familia is that you feel the people under your command cannot even pass the trial of the Divine Wine, and thus are not qualified to attract your attention."
"But is there even the slightest difference between you, who are controlled by the source motivation named 'Winemaking,' and the children under your command?"
"What both sides pursue is nothing more than one chasing a visible, tangible object, while the other chases a more abstract concept."
Levi was actually speaking relatively gently.
According to Hephaestus, the reason Soma originally established a Familia was to have humans collect brewing materials in the Lower World on his behalf.
Although this in itself was beyond reproach—after all, patron gods of logistics-type Familias like Hephaestus, Demeter, or Goibniu all harbored similar ideas.
But too much of a good thing is as bad as too little. If it were merely exchanging the bestowal and updating of Falna for the children's loyalty, this would barely still be considered normal operation.
However, in order to accelerate the collection of materials, Soma subsequently distributed the Divine Wine he brewed.
To put it nicely, it was to reward everyone.
To put it plainly, wasn't it just wanting to control them through the Divine Wine?
As for the excuse of 'rotting away because no one could pass the Divine Wine's trial'... it sounded as if Soma had actually managed the Familia before bestowing the Divine Wine.
Blocked by Levi's words, Soma found himself unable to advance or retreat in this moment.
He actually wanted to tough it out, directly liberating his Divine Power and returning to Tenkai.
But the moment he thought about how there were still many materials he hadn't seen or used to brew wine...
He couldn't help but feel it would be a pity.
It was precisely because of this that a conflicted expression subconsciously appeared on his face.
Seeing this scene, let alone Hestia and Levi, even Liliruca at the side inexplicably gave birth to the thought in her heart that 'Gods are nothing more than this.'
Seeing that the timing was about right, Levi suddenly changed his previously tough attitude.
"Actually, Lord Soma, the Hestia Familia can completely cooperate with the Soma Familia."
"How much hard-earned money can you make through that white glove, Zanis? Furthermore, you have to live in fear, facing inspections and inquiries from the Guild."
"But if you sell the Divine Wine directly to me, the situation would be different."
"I will process the Divine Wine into 'Ice and Fire Wine' that helps high-level adventurers increase their Ability Stats. Subsequently, I will also utilize the status of the Divine Wine itself to develop more products with different effects."
"You must know, the best-selling items in Orario have never been inferior Divine Wine costing tens of thousands a bottle, but potions that genuinely and tangibly help adventurers!"
____
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