Since they didn't need to register, it saved them a lot of trouble. With that thought in mind, Ren Isana and his group continued toward the Guild. Because it was still early in the morning, the Guild was relatively quiet.
After all, this was the prime time for adventurers to head down into the Dungeon, so not many people would be hanging around the Guild. Ren and his group were among the few who had come here.
Their arrival quickly caught the attention of the staff inside. However, Eina Tulle didn't seem to be around. Ren noticed her counter was empty. Instead, they were greeted by another young woman who had previously helped Eina process their Magic Stones.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Ren?" the unnamed receptionist asked as she approached them. Seeing this, Ren explained the purpose of their visit.
When she heard that Ren was here to sell materials and Magic Stones, her eyes lit up, and she hurriedly welcomed them with great enthusiasm. After all, Ren was a major client for the Guild.
Ren took Asuna and the others to handle the Magic Stones and materials, while Hestia took Bell Cranel to register. The receptionist didn't even need Ren to say anything; she directly led him to the back warehouse and called her colleagues over.
It was obvious she was well-prepared. Every time Ren came, he sold a massive amount of goods. The Guild was already aware that this group possessed spatial items. Even though there were only a few of them, the sheer volume of items they carried was staggering.
The amount of loot Ren and his group were about to pull out could scare someone to death, so bringing them straight to the Guild's warehouse saved a lot of time. Once everything was counted, it could be stored away immediately.
Upon arriving at the back warehouse, Ren began taking out the materials he intended to sell. The Magic Stones, which had already been sorted, just needed to be weighed.
Seeing the mountain of materials, the Guild staff immediately got to work, calculating everything and providing a price. When they announced the unit prices, Ren couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Sure enough, the prices had been driven down. It was obvious that because the quantity was too large, the Guild had started to lower their buying rates. No matter what world you were in, when supply increased, prices naturally dropped.
Ren didn't mind too much. He opted to take the entire payment in Valis. He had no intention of buying any materials from the Guild; instead, he planned to restock from the Loki Familia.
He would see what the Loki Familia lacked and then come back here to fill in the gaps. If worse came to worst, he could always go to Hephaestus to buy supplies. After all, her Familia specialized in forging weapons and definitely had all sorts of materials.
The total haul for this trip came out to over 200 million Valis, and that was after Ren had already filtered out many of the Magic Stones. If he had brought the ones he kept, the payout would have been significantly higher.
After receiving the money, Ren and the others went to find Hestia, who was already waiting in the lobby. She and Bell had finished their business and were waiting for them.
"Let's go. We need to buy some things, and then we're heading to the Loki Familia," Ren said as he walked toward the exit. His words made Hestia freeze for a moment. *They were going to the Loki Familia?*
Hestia chased after Ren and couldn't help but ask, "Why are we going to that jerk Loki's place?"
The very thought triggered an immediate stress response in Hestia. *Why go out of our way to find that Ironing Board? Is there something we need her help with?*
"To restock on some goods. Aria said they could sell us some materials. Since that's the case, I naturally won't pass it up. It's much cheaper than buying from the Guild," Ren explained.
Hearing this, Hestia instantly perked up. Her face filled with excitement as she said, "Let's go, let's go! Only an idiot wouldn't take advantage of a good deal. We need to buy a lot and squeeze the price down even more."
In her eyes, this was taking advantage of Loki, and she supported that with both hands. The more Loki sold to them at a discount, the happier Hestia would be, because it was pure profit.
Seeing Hestia's excited expression, Ren was a bit speechless, not even knowing where to begin roasting her. The relationship between her and Loki really hadn't improved one bit.
Even though their two Familias had started cooperating, her personal relationship with Loki remained exactly the same. Neither was willing to yield to the other, and if there was a chance to screw the other over, neither would hesitate.
*Bringing this girl along might actually ruin things,* Ren thought. He couldn't help but say, "Hestia, how about you head back first? I'm worried that if I bring you along, Loki might refuse the trade."
To put it bluntly: *Don't come and cause trouble. Go take a walk by yourself and don't interrupt my shopping.*
Hearing Ren's words, Hestia paused. She wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what he meant. If she tagged along, that bastard Loki really might refuse to sell.
Realizing this, Hestia agreed. She glanced at Ren and then turned to Bell and the others. "Then Bell, Haruhime, and I will go for a stroll. You guys go on your own?"
Ren nodded. That was for the best. Only a few of them needed to go. It was better if Hestia stayed out of this, otherwise, an accident was bound to happen.
Having reached an agreement, the group split up. Hestia took Bell Cranel and Haruhime Sanjouno to wander around Orario, while Ren and his group headed to the Loki Familia.
Everyone in Orario knew where the Loki Familia was located because their reputation was simply too massive. As the group made their way there, they ran into Aria, Lefiya, and Riveria, who seemed to be heading out toward the Hestia Familia.
They were a bit surprised to see Ren and his group. Aria quickly stepped forward to greet them. "Ren, what brings you here? I was just planning to go look for you."
As Aria spoke, Ren could sense the joy in her tone. More importantly, feeling the change in her aura, Ren asked in surprise, "You leveled up?"
Ren felt a much stronger presence from Aria. Unsurprisingly, she must have broken through this time.
"Mhm, thanks to you guys. After returning this time, I broke through and reached Lv.6. Even Lefiya broke through to Lv.5." Aria couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"Congratulations!" Hearing this, Ren couldn't help but offer his praises. This was truly something worth celebrating, especially for Aria, who had been waiting for this breakthrough for a long time.
"Are you heading somewhere, Mr. Ren?" Riveria couldn't help but ask. Judging by their direction, were they planning to visit the Loki Familia?
Lefiya and Aria also turned their gazes toward him. Ren didn't hide anything and stated his purpose. "I was planning to go to the Loki Familia to find you all and purchase some materials."
Hearing this, Riveria immediately understood. She smiled and said, "In that case, let's head back together. Tell me what materials you need, and I'll have someone prepare them for you. How about we use the Guild's purchasing price?"
This price was already extremely fair. After all, if Ren went to buy from the Guild, it would cost much more than that. Ren was well aware of this, so he had no objections.
The two of them finalized the details right there on the street, and then everyone headed toward the Loki Familia together. When Ren arrived, he noticed that the place was pitifully empty. None of the people he recognized were around.
Including the captain, Finn Deimne, and that simp, Bete Loga. There were only a few relatively weak members present. Seeing the state of the Loki Familia, Ren felt a bit puzzled.
"Finn took the team on an expedition, so there are only a few people left right now. I didn't go because I need to study magic, so I'm in charge of the Familia's affairs at the moment," Riveria explained, seemingly noticing Ren's confusion.
Hearing this, Ren understood. No wonder no one was here—they had gone on an expedition. But since Riveria was calling the shots, things would be simple.
"Members of the Hestia Familia? What are you doing at my place? Could it be that you want to leave that Dwarf Hestia and join our Familia?" Just then, Loki's voice rang out.
She looked at the arrivals with some surprise, her eyes sparkling. She assumed Ren was here to join the Loki Familia, which instantly put her in a fantastic mood.
"Sorry, we're not here to join your Familia. We just want to purchase some materials from the Loki Familia," Ren said, spreading his hands and looking at Loki with a hint of pity as he personally shattered her beautiful dream.
When Loki heard Ren's words, her excitement plummeted to rock bottom. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a sour, grumpy expression. What a shame. She really thought Ren was here to join the Loki Familia.
However, she didn't have any real issue with Ren, so she wouldn't make things difficult for him. But if Hestia had been here today, she definitely wouldn't have been happy. After all, bringing Hestia along versus not bringing her yielded two completely different results.
"Fine, what a letdown. Just tell Riveria what materials you need. Riveria, give them whatever they want. Consider it a thank-you gift for helping Aria and the others this time. Just set the price at twenty percent lower than the Guild's purchasing price," Loki said with a bored expression, directly making the arrangements.
She even offered a lower price than Riveria had, which was a pleasant surprise. Sure enough, not bringing Hestia was the right call. If she had come, even if Loki agreed to the trade, there probably wouldn't have been any discount.
"Thank you for your generosity!" The corners of Ren's mouth curled up slightly. Twenty percent off? That made the price even lower. And since he needed a massive quantity, the amount of money he'd save would be far more than just a little bit.
Hearing Loki's words, Riveria couldn't help but roll her eyes. Loki really didn't know the pain of managing the finances. But she didn't undermine Loki's authority. If she wanted to give a discount, let her.
"Heh, I like the way you talk, kid. Even though that Dwarf is useless, you guys are really something. If you ever want to join the Loki Familia, come find me anytime. The doors of the Loki Familia will always be open to you!" Loki couldn't help but praise Ren, feeling incredibly smug on the inside.
*Did you hear that, Hestia? Your Familia member called me generous. This kid knows what's up. Since that's the case, I won't hold a grudge against him for drawing tally marks on Aria before.*
Suddenly remembering something, Loki narrowed her eyes and couldn't help but say, "Ren, right? I have a pretty good idea, want to hear it? As long as you agree, I can give you whatever materials you want this time for free!"
Hearing this, Ren raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it. What is it you want from me?"
For her to say something like that meant she wanted something from him. Ren couldn't help but guess—did she want a magic spell? It seemed like that was the only thing that could attract her attention.
"Set up that Magic Circle your Familia has for our Familia too. And also, teach Riveria and the others that communication magic!" Loki stated her demands.
This time, she had her eyes on Ren's communication magic. If possible, it would be best to erase the mark on Aria's hand and replace it with Loki's. Not to mention, the Array Magic inside the Hestia Familia estate was well worth the effort.
Because that thing boosted the effects of [Meditation]. Now that the members of the Loki Familia had learned [Meditation], getting their hands on that Array Magic would be a massive benefit to them.
Hearing this, Ren immediately understood. So that was it. Beside them, Riveria's heart also skipped a beat. If they could acquire that magic, it would undoubtedly be a great thing.
"I need quite a lot of materials this time. Are you sure?" Ren looked at Loki. He needed a massive amount of materials this time, and she actually dared to say she'd waive the cost? Hilarious. Wasn't she afraid he'd empty out the Loki Familia in one go?
"500 million. I'll waive up to 500 million Valis. That's the highest price I can offer!" Hearing his words, Loki suddenly realized he had a point. What if this kid actually emptied out the Loki Familia?
So Loki hurriedly set a limit. She could tolerate anything under 500 million Valis, but any more than that was a no-go.
Her offer startled Ren and the others. Good lord, she was truly generous. Throwing out 500 million just like that? Ren had only come here intending to buy a little over 100 million worth of materials. It seemed his vision had been too narrow.
Thinking of this, Ren said seriously, "Alright, but you'll have to provide the materials for setting up the Array Magic yourselves. I can build it for you right now. As for the communication magic, I can teach Lefiya during this time and let her learn it using her own magic!"
He didn't want to spend a single cent. Setting up the Array Magic was fine, but they had to provide their own materials. He would only provide the labor, and on top of that, they still had to give him a pile of materials.
"Deal. When do we start? What materials do you need? Have Riveria get them for you first. I'm a very generous person; I usually pay before receiving the goods. But if your work doesn't satisfy me, you'd better be prepared to pay compensation!" Loki waved her hand grandly, finalizing the deal on the spot.
"I can start right now once the materials are ready. As for the materials I need, I'll give you a list. Just give me whatever fits within the 500 million limit," Ren grinned.
Excellent. What a generous and open-handed goddess. Since that was the case, Ren couldn't be stingy either. He would guarantee they could use their new Array Magic today.
"Then give me the list of materials. Also, tell me what materials are needed to set up the Array Magic, and I'll go prepare them." Riveria was quite tempted at this point. She knew about Ren's communication magic.
Especially after understanding its utility in the Dungeon, the value of this magic was even higher in her eyes. In the future, she wouldn't have to rely entirely on shouting to issue commands.
Not to mention that massive Array Magic. After experiencing the effects of [Meditation] at the Hestia Familia estate, one could truly feel the difference between meditating with and without the aid of an Array.
After they finished discussing, Ren began listing a series of materials, and Riveria had someone come over to write down all the names.
Once he finished listing the materials he wanted, Ren added, "For the Array Magic, you'll need to prepare some decent quality Magic Stones. Medium quality will do. Of course, the higher the quality, the longer the Array's lifespan will be. You can decide that for yourselves."
Ren listed all the materials needed to construct the Array Magic, along with its drawbacks. Hearing this, Loki couldn't help but ask, "What quality of materials does the Hestia Familia use?"
Hearing Loki's question, Ren answered without overthinking it, "Just medium-grade Magic Stones. They should last about two or three years."
From the very beginning, they had no intention of staying in this world for long, so two or three years was more than enough. But upon hearing this, Loki immediately grinned and turned to Riveria. "Swap them all out for Magic Stones obtained from the deep floors. If others found out, they'd think our Loki Familia couldn't afford it."
Hilarious. Mere medium-grade Magic Stones? Who was she looking down on? If they were going to use it, they were going to use the best. So Loki didn't hesitate at all, determined to outdo the Hestia Familia.
Ren didn't even know how to roast this damn competitive spirit anymore. But whatever, it wasn't like he was paying for the materials. They could use whatever they wanted. Ren even opened his mouth to add fuel to the fire, "In that case, you should upgrade the other materials too, otherwise those Magic Stones will be completely wasted."
Saying that, Ren listed the materials that needed to be changed and had Riveria write them down. Loki didn't care at all. If they were going to use it, they would use the best—that was her mindset.
As Riveria recorded the items, she asked, "If we use better materials, will the effects of [Meditation] be better? What kind of changes will there be?"
She supported the idea, but surely there had to be some difference if they swapped out the materials, right? Otherwise, it would just be a waste.