Asuna sidled up to Ren, unable to hold back the question burning in her mind. "Ren, you don't seem to like that goddess very much?"
This had been puzzling her. Anyone with eyes could see Ren's resistant attitude and his blatant reluctance to interact with Hestia. Why exactly was he acting like this?
Megumi Kato and Yukino Yukinoshita also looked over, highly curious about how Ren would answer. The three of them were simply too intrigued.
"I just get the feeling she's a very troublesome person, so it's better to minimize contact. Besides, everything we just went through in the Dungeon was caused by her," Ren said, bluntly voicing his thoughts.
The three girls were momentarily stunned by his straightforward answer. So that was the reason? Thinking about it carefully, it made perfect sense. Deities and the like were indeed a massive hassle.
Setting aside the Dungeon incident, her very identity was a problem. An otherworldly goddess arriving in this world was more than enough to attract a dangerous amount of attention.
If they rashly associated with her now, they might end up being targeted by various factions as well. Without a doubt, the current Hestia was the epicenter of a massive storm of trouble.
No wonder Ren was acting like that. The three girls completely understood now, and they simultaneously made up their minds: it was best to keep their distance from Hestia. They didn't want to get dragged into any messes either.
In that instant, the four of them reached a silent consensus: *Staying away from trouble starts with me.* As long as they didn't get involved, trouble wouldn't come knocking. Gods from another world were just way too much of a headache.
After muttering among themselves for a bit, the four sat down to rest and recover their stamina, completely dismissing any thoughts of getting involved in other matters.
Watching this scene unfold made Hestia feel incredibly depressed. *Why do I get the feeling I'm not very welcome?* Just as she was wallowing in these thoughts, Manager Go walked over.
"Miss Hestia, please come with me. I will take you to another location; the higher-ups have some matters they would like to discuss with you." Manager Go's arrival snapped Hestia out of her daze.
Hearing his words, Hestia tilted her head. "Where are we going? Is it far? Can I come back here?"
She fired off three questions in a row. Truthfully, she didn't really want to leave. The Dungeon was right here, and she figured she might be able to find a way back home if she stayed close to it.
Furthermore, she still planned to rope Ren and his friends into forming her Familia. Naturally, she didn't want to let go of someone with such a dazzling presence, so she had to try, no matter what.
"Rest assured, it is not very far. Miss Hestia is free to go wherever she pleases; we will not restrict your movements. We simply wish to understand a few things from you," Manager Go answered truthfully.
Hearing this, Hestia nodded. "Then wait for me a second. I'll go with you in a bit."
As soon as she finished speaking, Hestia bolted straight toward Ren. Manager Go watched her with a hint of confusion. The other students were also paying attention to the situation, and seeing Hestia run toward Ren left the entire class bewildered.
"Young man, do you want to join my Familia? I can make you the second-in-command!" Hestia declared, running right up to Ren and issuing her invitation.
Hearing this, Ren's face was instantly covered in imaginary question marks. *I'm avoiding you like the plague, and you still have the nerve to come over?* Without a second thought, Ren flatly refused.
"No. Please don't bother me!" Ren's tone was resolute. This newcomer to their world was a walking disaster, and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.
If the other gods of Orario had also come to this world, Ren wouldn't have minded as much. After all, Orario's Falna system was incredibly useful, allowing people to level up directly by fighting monsters.
But she was the only god here! In this world, she was a solitary seedling, which made her a gigantic target. Even exchanging a few extra words with her could get him marked by dangerous people.
Thinking of this, Ren decisively stood up and moved to another spot. His blatant avoidance left Hestia completely dumbfounded, while many of the surrounding students looked over in shock.
*What's a Familia? Ren just straight-up rejected an invitation from a god? Is it something troublesome? It really feels like Ren despises this goddess.*
"Dammit, aren't you even going to consider it?!" Hestia was beyond frustrated. She directly used her divine power to chase after him, staring intently at Ren.
Ren looked back at Hestia, meeting her gaze. "Miss Hestia, what you need to do right now is go with Manager Go to wherever it is you're going, not waste time on me. I'm just a student, and I have zero interest in joining any Familia."
Hearing this, Hestia puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. The more Ren acted like this, the more she wanted him to be the Captain of her Familia.
However, Ren's words made sense. She really did need to leave with these people first, and it was obvious this guy wasn't going to agree anytime soon.
Though she didn't know why he was so resistant, Hestia refused to give up. After a brief moment of thought, an idea sparked in her mind. She reached out and poked Ren directly on the chest.
A wisp of divine power transferred from her fingertip onto Ren. Having done this, Hestia nodded in satisfaction. "Done! I'll come find you to talk after I'm finished with my business!"
With that, she turned and marched off without looking back. Ren was left speechless. *She really isn't going to let this go, is she? Is she planning to fight to the bitter end?*
Looking at the spot she had just touched, Ren frowned. He could feel a lingering energy resting there. *Hestia's divine power?*
Realizing this, Ren decisively activated his talent. If something was delivered right to his doorstep, he would gladly accept it! It wasn't like this stuff couldn't be learned!
Hestia jogged back to Manager Go. "Let's go! I want to get this over with quickly so I can come back and recruit him to be the Captain of my Familia!"
She bluntly stated her intentions regarding Ren. Seeing this, Manager Go couldn't help but advise, "Miss Hestia, if he is unwilling, please try not to bother him too much."
He had a strong impression of Ren. After all, out of all the students, Ren was the only Tier 4 Awakened. His potential went without saying. He wasn't entirely surprised that this goddess could spot Ren's excellence at a glance.
If she couldn't tell, he would have found it strange and might have doubted her authenticity as a god. However, he had no intention of interfering too much with her attempts to recruit Ren.
After all, the two worlds would completely connect one day, and situations like this would likely continue to happen. It was impossible to stop.
Besides, becoming a god's dependent wasn't a bad thing. From what he understood, their system allowed people to grow rapidly.
The higher-ups might even reach some sort of cooperative agreement with Orario to help the people of this world grow stronger. As it stood, humanity's foundation was still far too weak.
Hearing Manager Go's words, Hestia readily agreed. "If he still refuses by then, I won't force him."
But no matter what, Hestia didn't want to give up. She had to at least try. Trying wouldn't hurt anything, and what if Ren actually agreed later?
Manager Go nodded, then gestured forward. "Please come with me, Miss Hestia. I have already arranged a car."
Under Manager Go's lead, Hestia departed. Not long after they left, Ren's homeroom teacher, Rina-sensei, arrived at the scene.
Rina-sensei swept her gaze over the students, instantly breathing a sigh of relief. Seeing that no one was injured, the heavy weight in her heart finally lifted.
"Rina-sensei!" Seeing her arrive, the students eagerly called out their greetings. Ren also stopped his research into the divine power and walked over. It seemed this energy was a bit too advanced for him at the moment.
He discovered that copying divine power required time; it wasn't something he could replicate instantly. Still, this was good news.
Even if this wisp of divine power dissipated, his talent had already recorded it. Figuring it out wouldn't be too difficult for him in the long run.
Please never doubt Nanami-san's talent! Just because he couldn't instantly reproduce it now didn't mean he couldn't do it later. Besides, he had only been in contact with it for a very short time. Instantly mastering the power of a god would have been the truly abnormal outcome!
"Sensei, what's the plan for us now?" Ren asked, temporarily suppressing his thoughts to inquire about their next steps.
Hearing Ren's question, Rina-sensei sighed. "The Dungeon is temporarily closed off, so everyone will head back for now. The buses will be here shortly. I've already spoken with the Director, and everyone is to return to the school."
With an incident like this, the school naturally couldn't allow the students to continue their adventure. The activity was temporarily suspended; they would return once the aftermath was properly handled.
Ren wasn't surprised by this outcome, and the rest of the class nodded in agreement without any complaints. Safety came first, and everyone understood that.
"Oh, right, Ren. These are your patent certificates. The school has already finished negotiating on your behalf. Take a look." After addressing the class, Rina-sensei handed Ren a document folder.
The surrounding students immediately perked up, highly curious about what kind of benefits Ren had reaped from his improved potion formulas.
Ren opened the folder and began reading. The patents were a given—both formulas had been successfully registered. A quick glance showed no issues. The main event, however, was the draft contract with Baoshutang.
It was a sales revenue-sharing contract. Ren was quite satisfied when he read the terms: a 5% cut of net sales. That alone was fantastic.
He was already very happy to secure such a high percentage. While he wasn't an expert in business, he knew enough to understand that if it had been a net *profit* share, he likely would have been scammed.
Profit sharing was basically a magic trick. If the other party wanted to, they could easily lower his earnings with a flick of a pen, using things like amortized management costs and marketing expenses to bleed him dry.
Net sales, on the other hand, were simple and transparent. If they sold a hundred bucks worth of potions, he got five bucks. It was basic math. If a bottle sold for 300 Valis, Ren would get 15.
Furthermore, the contract included various clauses heavily in his favor. For instance, it clearly defined the intellectual property rights of the formulas to prevent them from being swallowed up. It also included a minimum guaranteed royalty—regardless of how sales performed, Party B guaranteed Ren a set amount of money every month.
On top of that, it outlined his various rights, such as the right to audit their accounts.
Reading through the entire document, it was an incredibly generous contract. The school had genuinely fought hard for his interests; otherwise, Baoshutang would never have offered such excellent terms.
Ren was highly satisfied with the contract. Rina-sensei spoke up, "Finished reading? If you have any thoughts or concerns, you can voice them now, and the school will continue negotiating with them."
"The terms are very generous. I have no objections; let's just go with this contract," Ren said, handing the document back to Rina-sensei. This was only a draft; the formal contract would still need to be officially signed.
The clauses were clear, and his income was guaranteed. What was there to be dissatisfied about? If he had gone to negotiate himself? Please, they probably wouldn't have even given him the time of day.
Plus, getting paid every month was incredibly comfortable. It meant Ren had a steady stream of passive income. This was a long-term investment. It was safe to say that with these two formulas, Ren would never have to worry about money again.
"Alright. When we get back to school, I'll take you to sign the official contract with them based on these terms," Rina-sensei nodded, considering the matter settled.
She was well aware of Ren's family situation. With this source of income, Ren wouldn't have to stress over finances anymore and could focus entirely on his studies and training.
"Sensei, could I take a look at that?" Just then, Asuna Yuuki spoke up. She was eyeing Ren's contract, wanting to review its contents.
Her main concern was whether there were any hidden traps. As a child from a wealthy family, reviewing contracts was something she was actually trained to do. As Ren's good friend, she naturally didn't want to see him get scammed.
"No problem. You and Yukino can look it over together. If you have any suggestions, you can discuss them and let me know," Rina-sensei readily agreed to Asuna's request, handing the contract straight to her.
Asuna didn't stand on ceremony. She took the contract and pulled Yukino Yukinoshita aside to examine it carefully. Soon, a few other girls from the class also gathered around to look.
Unsurprisingly, all of these girls came from wealthy backgrounds. Seeing this, Ren felt a surge of anticipation. He was actually quite curious to see what kind of advice they would offer.
After all, Ren truly wasn't an expert in this field. Brainstorming was always good; the more people looking at it, the more potential issues they might catch.
The group of girls muttered among themselves for a while before Asuna returned with the contract. She spoke directly to the teacher, "Sensei, there are a few points that need to be clarified."
Pointing at specific sections of the contract, she offered her advice. "For example, the definition of net sales here. It's best to specify that it means the total tax-inclusive ex-factory price of the product, minus statutory value-added tax and actual returns, while excluding any related-party transactions. This will prevent them from using internal low-price transfers to dilute Ren's share."
"Also, the specifics regarding audit rights and the exact duration of the contract term—these all need to be explicitly stated."
Asuna rattled off all her suggestions in one breath.
Listening to the points Asuna brought up, Ren couldn't help but sigh in admiration inwardly. *None of these rich girls are simple. They muttered for half a day and actually managed to find real loopholes!*