Although the first day's sales had reached a staggering 1.5 billion valis, that was largely the result of aggressive marketing and launch hype. The sales records made it clear: the most purchased item was the cheapest Trial Edition, followed by the Light Edition. The regular and luxury versions sold far less in comparison. Interestingly, the Supreme Edition had decent sales—because the wealthy always bought the most expensive, not the best.
Once the hype died down, Trial Edition sales would likely taper off, but the Original Heavenly Wine, with its superior cost-performance balance, would begin to shine. Su Mo estimated daily sales would eventually stabilize at around 100 million valis—a staggering figure by Orario's standards. After all, weapons and alcohol were the twin passions of adventurers. Beyond that, other countries outside Orario would surely be interested in Heavenly Wine as well. Negotiating international orders could unlock even greater profits.
After a short wait, Liliruca returned in a horse-drawn carriage. Following behind her were two Level 2 adventurers from the Soma Familia. As the one controlling all payroll matters, Liliruca's authority within the familia now surpassed even that of Zanis.
Zanis had relied on factional manipulation to maintain control. But only a small portion of the familia truly obeyed him. Liliruca, on the other hand, held the purse strings. As long as adventurers valued their wages and bonuses, they had no choice but to follow her orders. Within the Soma Familia, her word was law. Yet this dignified, commanding leader—upon seeing Su Mo—immediately hopped down from the carriage with a cheerful "Heave-ho!" and trotted over like an eager puppy.
"Lord Su Mo! I've brought all the magic stones you asked for!" she announced, practically wagging her tail. She looked like a completely different person.
"You've worked hard," Su Mo said with a nod.
"This is the least I could do," she replied, smiling uncontrollably.
She hadn't come alone. An entire caravan followed her; each cart loaded with crates full of magic stones. Altogether, they were worth one billion valis. It was more magic stones than Su Mo could have collected from solo dungeon dives in months. Thankfully, Su Mo had a basement on hand. The stones were transferred inside and piled up until they raised the floor by almost a meter.
"With this much magic stone volume…" Su Mo looked over the impressive haul, deeply satisfied.
Even while managing the affairs of the Soma Familia these past days, he hadn't neglected his monster-hunting efforts. From deep-level dungeon monsters, he had already amassed a decent number of Philosopher's Stones. On top of that, his own mana refinement process had produced even more. And now, with this final shipment of magic stones… the total quantity was finally enough.
After bidding farewell to Liliruca, Su Mo descended into the basement. Placing his hands together in a clap, he activated Alchemy. The immense pile of magic stones shimmered and transformed—all of them turned into Philosopher's Stones. A billion valis' worth of magic stones now stood before him, radiating power.
"At last, the requirements are met." After roughly measuring the amount, Su Mo confirmed it was more than enough—perhaps even slightly exceeding what was needed.
Activating alchemy again, his vision changed. In the blink of an eye, Su Mo found himself standing within an endless white void. All around him stretched an infinite blankness. In front of him stood a massive stone gate, engraved with the ancient symbol of the Tree of Life from Kabbalah—profound and arcane.
This was the Gate of Truth. Within it resided all the knowledge of this world. In front of the gate lay the Philosopher's Stones Su Mo had accumulated over time. With this new addition, they had combined into a towering pillar of crimson-red stone, over six meters tall. Most of these Philosopher's Stones were formed through the refining effect of the Third Magic. The remainder had been supplemented by the magic stones he'd recently acquired. It hadn't been easy gathering this much. But at last, the prerequisites were fulfilled. It was time for answers.
Su Mo turned around. Behind him floated a massive sphere of light. It had many names—Truth, Origin, Omniscience… a manifestation of ultimate wisdom.
"I want to know how I can obtain the power of the gods," he said clearly, without hesitation. Each world's Truth was unique. Even the Gate of Truth operated within the laws of its respective universe. So, in Danmachi's world, only answers relevant to Danmachi would appear. There would be no irrelevant talk of god-slayers or Pandora's black sacrificial rites. And upon hearing Su Mo's question—
Su Mo's stockpile of Philosopher's Stones—nearly half a month's worth—was completely consumed. The six-meter-tall pillar had been reduced to a thin, fragile layer. But such a sacrifice wasn't without reward. The Gate of Truth creaked open.
Su Mo stepped inside. A surge of knowledge regarding the ways to obtain the power of the gods flooded into his mind. The influx lasted for over ten minutes, the sheer density of information making his head throb. When it finally ceased, the Gate closed quietly behind him. Now filled with arcane understanding, Su Mo stood in place, digesting what he had just received.
"So that's how it is… Overlaying, Devouring, Stripping, Contract, Sharing, Blessing—all of them are viable paths." From the ocean of knowledge, Su Mo summarized around a dozen different methods to acquire divine power. The simplest method was Devouring—consuming a god's power entirely into oneself. It was the same method that the monster Antares had used—gaining strength by devouring the gods. While undoubtedly efficient, it also resulted in the god's death.
However, the Gate of Truth offered an even stronger version of this technique—one that didn't bear such a fatal side effect. The catch was that it only allowed the user to obtain power, not the knowledge that came with it.
And to absorb both divine power and knowledge, the conditions were even harsher—essentially requiring the god to not resist at all. Su Mo had no appetite for such acts, literally or figuratively. Not to mention, devouring a god's power left behind a distinct signature. Any deity could immediately recognize it and would treat him as a threat.
Then there was Stripping, a method that did not result in the death of the god but would forcibly send them back to Heaven. It was somewhat akin to how God-Slayers gained their Authorities—but subtly different. In this world, even gods banished to Heaven could still communicate with their peers.
Not ideal.
Among the remaining methods—
Blessing was similar to the divine blessings given by Pandora or Ishtar, where gods allowed mortals to borrow fragments of their powers. At the highest level, these blessings could allow the recipient to even wield a deity's Authorities. Su Mo himself carried two such blessings. However, this power was ultimately limited, a mere borrowing—not true ownership.
Sharing referred to something even deeper—the literal transference of Authority. It required a legacy system that could even elevate mortals to godhood. But in a world where humans could not ascend, this method was currently impossible. Which left one final method—
Contract.
This was the most suitable choice for Su Mo. Through a divine contract, one could gain both knowledge and power—without harming the god in any way. It was by far the most efficient and least destructive method. While the prerequisites were strict—requiring a god's willing participation or manipulated consent—for Su Mo, that wasn't really a problem.
Especially considering that he already possessed the divine authority of Mithra, the God of Contracts. With such leverage, he could maximize the power of this method more than anyone else. So, without hesitation, Su Mo made his choice. Although the Moon Festival hadn't yet arrived, and Artemis hadn't sent out any distress signals, Su Mo didn't need to wait. Because there was already a goddess standing right beside him.
After fully digesting the knowledge, Su Mo ascended from the basement and walked upstairs. He gently pushed open a door. Hestia had just woken up after sleeping in. Her hair was still messy, untied into her usual twintails—a rare and oddly fresh sight.
"Su Mo? Everything settled with the Soma Familia?" she asked, stretching slightly. She had a general idea of what Su Mo had been up to lately, and she knew that the wildly popular "Heavenly Wine" taking Orario by storm was his creation.
"Yeah," Su Mo nodded as he walked toward her. "Heavenly Wine exploded yesterday. According to Liliruca's report, the business is solid now."
"That's good," Hestia replied with a smile. Though she wasn't deeply involved, since the business was Su Mo's, it naturally counted as a venture of the Hestia Familia. She couldn't help but care.
"But why work with the Loki Familia, though?" she suddenly pouted. "That flat-chested troublemaker Loki is awful. Wouldn't Freya be a better option… Wait, no! On second thought, maybe Loki is the safer choice."
She had barely finished complaining when she realized that Freya was far more dangerous. She absolutely didn't want her precious child being lured away by that seductress. So, she promptly changed her tune, now supporting Loki as the better option. Her petty jealousy and nervous muttering were surprisingly adorable. After speaking, she nervously glanced up at Su Mo, as if worried he'd really go and work with Freya's group.
By now, Su Mo had already reached her. Hestia looked a bit confused. "What's up? Wait… what are you doing?" She blushed deeply as Su Mo gently placed both hands on her shoulders. Her baby-soft face flushed red.