Danmachi: Strongest Familia

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"Has the guild come looking for your Familia again?" 

"The guild really loves to meddle, always thinking about forming coalitions," Sol said, curling his lips in disdain. 

The guild's intentions were painfully obvious. As dungeon exploration delved deeper and became increasingly dangerous, a single familia's strength was proving insufficient. 

It was reminiscent of the Zeus and Hera familias from back in the day, where only through joint efforts could they achieve success in the deeper levels. 

While the current power structure in Orario wasn't as centralized as during Zeus and Hera's era, it was instead divided among several powerful factions. 

At the top stood the three pillars: the Freya Familia, the Loki Familia, and the Sol Familia. Below them were the Ganesha Familia and the Astraea Familia, forming the second tier of influence. 

However, unlike in the past, there was no inclination toward collaboration or mutual benefit among these familias. Instead, they focused solely on their own development. 

Ironically, it was the second-tier familias that showed more willingness to cooperate with the guild's directives. 

As for the top three familias, the guild was lucky if they weren't openly fighting among themselves. 

The Sol Familia, in particular, had a reputation for outright ignoring guild requests. They would delay and sidestep any task assigned by the guild whenever possible. 

When it came to this coalition proposal, they didn't even bother pretending to engage—they rejected it outright. 

The guild had initially hoped to use the abnormality on the 59th floor as an opportunity to unite Orario's powerhouses. Yet, the internal resistance turned out to be far greater than anticipated. 

The Freya Familia, at least, participated in public discussions, if only for appearances. The Sol Familia, on the other hand, didn't even bother with the pretense of cooperation. 

In the end, the guild's grand plan was doomed from the start. It never even got off the ground. 

Someone had apparently suggested that the guild leverage Sol and Astraea's personal relationship to sway him. 

But such a complex issue couldn't possibly be resolved by a friendship between two gods. 

Both Sol and Astraea understood the deeper reality: as leaders of their familias, they were responsible for the children who placed their trust in them. 

Astraea never tried to force Sol to agree to the guild's proposal. From the very beginning, she let things unfold naturally. 

"I have no interest in dungeon exploration. You already know that I've applied multiple times to change the nature of my familia," Sol remarked, breaking the silence. 

"You, of all people, talking about changing your familia's nature?" Astraea said with a raised eyebrow. "With so many outstanding children under your care, how could the guild possibly approve that?" 

"Ugh. Don't merchant familias pay even more taxes? It's not like I'm avoiding my dues," Sol replied with a dissatisfied pout. 

"You've really changed ever since you got rich," Astraea said with a teasing glare. "It's honestly kind of enviable." 

She shot him a glance that was both amused and exasperated. Sol, after all, had become the very definition of a wealthy landlord. 

The profits from those bombs were astronomical. Even the familias that joined in later to "share the pie" were left fat and content, their plates overflowing. 

No one could truly fathom how much wealth Sol had accumulated after dominating the bomb market for years. 

Even now, Ziggs' bomb store remained a veritable gold mine. 

Countless eyes had been fixed on the store, hoping for a slice of the riches, but all were deterred by the fearsome reputation of the Sol Familia. 

Although the Astraea Familia's elite-focused approach significantly reduces expenses at the core, it comes with its own challenges. 

Elite adventurers require top-tier weapons and equipment, and the cost of such gear is staggering by any measure. 

Thankfully, the Public Security Association provides occasional subsidies, and the familia doesn't need to embark on dungeon expeditions as frequently. Without this support, the Goddess of Justice herself might have faced financial ruin.

"It can't be helped. My personal charm is just too irresistible—those Excellent children came knocking on their own." 

"Tch, don't give me that. It's obvious you scooped up all those Yordle tribes in one go!" 

After all these years, no matter how much he tries to hide it, some flaws will always slip through. 

Take the peculiar-looking Yordles, for instance—especially ones like Fitz, Gnar, and Kled. If unsuspecting adventurers encountered them, they might even mistake them for a new type of monster.

To the outside world, Sol claimed the peculiar beings were a race called Yordles. Naturally, such an excuse didn't fool the gods. 

Though often unreliable, the gods' vast life experience over countless ages made them difficult to deceive. They knew there was no such race as the Yordles. 

Still, Sol paid no mind to their doubts. He had already given his explanation, and whether they chose to believe it was their own concern. He saw no reason to waste time entertaining their questions, especially when their true motives were so transparent. 

They all wanted him to reveal where he had discovered these so-called Yordles, their envy of his familia glaringly obvious.

"Either way, you should seriously consider the guild's proposal," Astraea said firmly. "If Orario wants to explore the dungeon more efficiently, it needs to unify its combat power."

"It's not so simple to consolidate combat power," Sol replied. "The issue of command alone is a major challenge."

Riveria, who was usually agreeable within their familia, was far more assertive when it came to protecting their interests. In that sense, cooperation might be smoother for the devoted members of the Freya Familia. 

After all, with a single word from Freya, they would fall in line and cooperate with the Loki Familia without question. 

But whether such cooperation would be seamless was another matter entirely. The reality remained that the Freya Familia's strength still surpassed that of the Loki Familia, complicating any attempts at true unity.

"Let's talk about it later," Sol said dismissively, cutting off Astraea's attempt to persuade him with a casual procrastination tactic. 

Sol's gaze briefly lingered on Hephaestus. He didn't usually pay her much attention, but tonight was different. The low-cut, crimson dress she wore suited her remarkably well. The black eyepatch over her eye, far from diminishing her allure, seemed to enhance it in a unique way.

Still, as much as he could appreciate her charm, tonight was chaotic enough—adding another complication would be too much.

Her figure was undeniably impressive, easily ranking in the upper-middle tier among the many goddesses. It's just that there's a small figure in front of the other party, which is a bit of an eyesore.

"Who on earth taught you to ask for help like this?" Hephaestus muttered helplessly, her voice tinged with exasperation as she approached Hestia, who was now on the ground in a full dogeza pose, surrounded by a growing crowd of onlookers.