Emiya wasn't surprised that Hephaestus could see through his identity.
She was a goddess who had lived for hundreds of millions of years and had more knowledge in a single strand of hair than Emiya had in his entire life.
So, it was no surprise that she figured him out.
"I just chose not to hide it from you. After all, we'll be partners in the future," Emiya said calmly.
Hephaestus's eyes flickered. "My Captian told me you're from the Loki Familia."
"That's right."
"So, Loki knows about your identity as well."
"She does."
"Tsk, and she still let you come to me." Hephaestus's relationship with Loki had always been lukewarm.
This was evident from the Loki Familia's business partners. As a Familia that relied on adventurers to explore the Dungeon, the Loki Familia's weapon attrition rate was astonishingly high.
But the partner they used for buying and repairing all of
their adventurers' weapons was not the Hephaestus Familia.
It was the Goibniu Familia, which was second only to Hephaestus. This showed that the two Familias weren't particularly close.
That was why Hephaestus was surprised that Emiya had come to her instead of the Goibniu Familia.
Emiya's answer was simple. "Why would I want to work with an old man when I could work with a beautiful goddess?"
Hephaestus was stunned. "Don't make jokes."
Emiya was taken aback, then he understood. Hephaestus had never considered herself a beautiful woman.
Her face underneath the eye patch was said to be terrifying. In the past, all the gods except for Hestia had made fun of it, and it had even frightened some of her Familia members.
Therefore, she was very insecure about her appearance, which was why Emiya's words made her unhappy.
"I'm not joking. Hephaestus, you are a very beautiful goddess."
Hephaestus said, self-deprecatingly, "You'll change your mind when you see my real face."
"I..."
Seeing that Emiya was about to say something, Hephaestus interrupted him impatiently. "Enough about my appearance. Let's talk business."
Emiya shrugged helplessly. Since Hephaestus didn't want to discuss it further, he didn't push it. He followed her lead.
"All right, let's talk business. You've seen what this thing called a cell phone can do, right? What do you think?"
"It's a very novel thing. If it's as good as you say, it could be a massive hit in all of Orario, no, even the entire world." Hephaestus couldn't help but say.
Emiya replied, "I have no doubt. A cell phone has changed our world, and I believe it can change this one as well.
Once this thing becomes popular, the profits will be staggering. It'll be more than just hundreds of millions of Valis; it could be trillions, or even tens of trillions."
Hephaestus said thoughtfully, "So, you're going to give me the technology to manufacture a cell phone?"
Emiya nodded. "That's right. But before that, you have to solve a problem."
"What problem?"
"Magic-modification."
"Magic-modification?" Hephaestus was surprised.
"As you know, the cell phone is a product from another world. The technology used is completely different from this world's. So, I hope that once you have the technology, you can modify it to work with this world's magic."
Emiya believed that Hephaestus could do it.
After all, if mere mortals could create a cell phone, there was no reason a god couldn't modify the technology with magic.
And she wasn't just any god; she was a god who specialized in blacksmithing.
Hephaestus thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay, I agree. When are you going to give me the technology to make this cell phone?"
Emiya said, "That will take some time. I need to prepare."
Hephaestus nodded. "All right."
Emiya turned to Erina. "When you go back, can you have your grandfather, Senzaemon Nakiri, prepare the cell phone manufacturing technology? Can you do that?"
Erina nodded. With the power of the Nakiri family, it wouldn't be difficult. She asked, "Do we need to buy a cell phone production line?"
Emiya thought about it and didn't refuse. "You can. Just in case."
When Hephaestus heard this, she immediately understood. "So you can travel back and forth between the two worlds."
"Basically, yes. If you want, I can take you to my world for a tour," Emiya said without any hesitation.
Hephaestus was instantly interested. "Can you?" Most gods would be interested in another world, including her.
"Of course. It's not a big deal," Emiya said. "Loki is currently at my house, and she's refusing to leave."
"Loki... that's just like her," Hephaestus said casually. She looked at Emiya. "From now on, we're partners, right?"
Emiya nodded. "That's right. From now on, we're partners.
But as your partner, I need a small favor from you. Can you help me?"
"If I can," Hephaestus agreed readily.
Emiya didn't hesitate and went straight to the point. "I need a magic item that can strengthen my mind and mental power. I hope you can personally forge this for me."
Hephaestus narrowed her eyes. "So, you want me to do it myself."
"Yes. And if you can, I hope you'll use your divine power to forge a Divine Item for me."
"You should know that gods in the Lower World are not allowed to use their divine power," Hephaestus said, not explicitly refusing.
Emiya's heart leaped with joy. "Yes, I know that rule. But that rule only applies to this world, right? It doesn't apply to another world, does it?"
Hephaestus said, "That's right. The rules of this world don't apply to another world. If you can really do that, I'll personally forge a Divine Item for you."
"Thank you, Goddess."
Emiya was overjoyed. Since his goal was basically achieved, he said, "Now that our business is done, shall we talk about the other matter?"
"Hestia, right?" Hephaestus said as her eyes fell on Erina and Hisako.
Emiya nodded. "Exactly."
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