With perfect insight, Loki, whose archetype was the trickster god in Norse mythology, naturally picked up on the implied meaning in Riveria's words.

She was fully aware of the consequences of offending Hephaestus.

Even if Hephaestus didn't stop her Familia members from participating in this expedition with Loki Familia, the next time might not be so certain.

Moreover, antagonizing Hephaestus, the creator and leader of the most powerful smithy in Orario, would have comprehensive repercussions for Loki Familia.

After all, Loki Familia was primarily a combat-oriented Familia focused on dungeon raiding.

And the one group combat-oriented Familias could least afford to antagonize were the blacksmiths responsible for producing their weapons and armor.

Finn and Riveria sighed in unison, then exchanged wry smiles.

Loki had become somewhat muddled with concern, losing her usual composure.

"Loki, aren't you paying too much attention to Hestia and ignoring Aiden? He's the one you made the bet with." Finn reminded her with a sigh.

Hearing Finn's reminder, Loki finally calmed down. She thought for a moment, then opened her narrow red eyes and clapped her hands together. "We can recruit him. Yes, we can bring him over. If he joins our Familia, those three grimoires won't benefit that chibi penniless goddess."

Loki then flashed a fox-like smile. "Yes, that's it. We'll recruit him, make that chibi goddess lose her only child, hahaha..."

Even in this world, Loki had a history of provoking gods to fight each other for amusement before coming to the lower world.

Not to mention, poaching talent was commonplace in Orario, especially among the larger Familias, differing only in the methods employed.

Most gods, out of pride in their status, used simple enticements, showcasing their Familia's strengths in adventurer levels, dungeon conquests, financial resources, physical assets, and connections. They offered better conditions and a brighter future to attract geniuses.

However, some Familias didn't care about the so-called divine dignity and wouldn't hesitate to use any means to coerce others into compliance.

In Danmachi season two tells the story of Bell rebelling against Apollo, who has set his sights on him, leading to a war game where everything is at stake.

Due to the influence of Loki Familia's members, Loki's character has undergone significant changes.

As Loki spent more time in the lower world, she gradually began to resemble a human, rather than a god who indulged her nature recklessly. She learned to think for the sake of her Familia's children and to care for them.

In becoming more human-like, she also adopted human traits, which partly explains her reaction. Of course, her yuri tendencies remained unchanged.

If Loki had just descended to the lower world, her approach would have been far more ruthless. Besides enticements, she wouldn't have hesitated to use kidnapping, assassination, threats, and other such methods.

Finn smiled and nodded, sharing the same thought.

He then turned to Riveria and asked, "Riveria, you observed that boy's battle. Can you describe the process in detail?"

Riveria got up and poured a glass of red wine for herself, Finn, and Loki. She returned to her chair and recounted the battle she witnessed that morning.

After hearing Riveria's account, Finn, also a close-combat adventurer, frowned and said, "It seems we need to reassess the potential that boy possesses."

Sitting back in his chair and taking a sip of his wine, Finn continued, "From the boy's battle with the infant dragon, the first thing that stands out is that he has magic or a rare skill that significantly enhances his strength. Both are possible. Judging by his character, he seems very confident in his own power. Perhaps his magic or rare skill is the source of this confidence."

Finn swirled his wine, sighed, and then chuckled, "Secondly, it appears he hasn't received any formal combat training before venturing into the dungeon. Even though he is now Level 2, he is still a complete novice. It's reckless to the extreme. Only a newbie would be so careless as to overlook the infant dragon's tail."

Hestia indeed seems to be a goddess favored by fate. In the original story, the first to join her Familia was the genius Bell. Now, it's Aiden, who has inherited the bloodline of the third generation of Sparda. If it had been any other non-main character adventurer, starting with nothing and without the means to provide combat training, sending a novice to explore the dungeon alone would most likely result in no return.

Of course, Aiden, eager to complete his task quickly, chose Hestia Familia precisely because Hestia couldn't provide training, allowing him to dive straight into dungeon exploration.

"Then there's his terrifying growth rate. While Ais, at 15, wouldn't have needed a year to reach that level, even she couldn't have grown to Level 2 within a month. Especially since that boy hasn't undergone any combat training; his growth rate is even more frightening than Ais's."

"And there's his character. Unless there were unusual circumstances, he must have saved those two adventurers. He seems to be a kind and righteous young man. Despite trying to hide it, he doesn't have a high tolerance for pain, which means he lacks experience in evenly matched fights or facing strong enemies. Even injured, he didn't want to miss the chance to level up." Riveria added.

"The conclusion is that this boy is a genius surpassing even Ais." Finn summarized.

"Too similar, so much like Ais." Riveria, who had watched Ais grow up, couldn't help but comment.

"Yes, indeed very similar to Ais. Both are geniuses beyond us, both are just as upright and kind, and even their pursuit of strength is identical." 

Loki swirled her wine, a fox-like smile curling her lips. "Indeed, he's very much like our dear Ais. I'm finding him more and more interesting."

"That's why we need to bring him into our Familia." Finn said, downing the rest of his wine.

"That boy will undoubtedly become the next Ais, perhaps even surpassing her and Ottar." Riveria stated seriously.

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