endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 133

After everything was moved inside the material storage, Hephaestus gave Vahn a list of all the materials and it shocked him greatly. Not only did it include the names of every material, it also included their quantity, weight, and price. Though Vahn had noticed there were quite a lot of materials, he hadn't expected the total price to be 2,183,449,812 Valis. Seeing the astronomically high number, he looked at Hephaestus with a bit of concern on his face.

Hephaestus saw his look and said in a firm tone, "You don't have to worry about the price of the materials, as it's only a small portion of my actual assets. If you want to pay me back, don't slack off!" Vahn found her words to be somewhat penetrating, so he nodded his head without refusing the materials. He couldn't deny that this was exactly what he needed to start forging his own equipment in the future. One of the biggest expenses he would have had would be the procural of materials. He had no mining rights and he couldn't hire people to gather for him, so he would have had to purchase everything from the distribution center of the Hephaestus Familia.

After everyone was cleared out, Hephaestus gave Vahn a 'key' that would activate the defensive formation. He, as well as anyone he attuned it to, were the only ones that would be able to access the area where the materials were stored. Vahn was very grateful since it would have been impossible to transport the materials without anyone noticing. Vahn expected there would be endless troubles with burglars if he didn't have such an extensive formation setup. He wondered why they weren't more common, and it wasn't until much later in the far future when he learned the reason. The formation itself had cost nearly 900,000,000 Valis to establish.

Once everything was ready, Hephaestus was preparing to leave without staying any longer. She had a lot of work to do and several other matters to attend to. However, before she could leave, Vahn ended up stopping her. Before she could complain, Vahn suddenly pulled her into his embrace and kissed her passionately. He felt so thankful for everything Hephaestus was doing for him, that it made him feel sad to see her leave without him thanking her.

Hephaestus wanted to resist, but after the previous night, which still clouded her mind, she couldn't muster the willpower to resist Vahn's embrace. Even without him using [Hands of Nirvana], just his touch made her body feel warm and she was quickly losing herself in the passionate kiss. Hephaestus wrapped her arms around his back and held him close as she sought out more pleasure from his lips. It wasn't until Vahn's hands found their way to her butt that she was finally freed from the spell and pulled away with a flushed expression.

She gave him a 'mean' look with her still blushing face as she sharply asked, "Why are you always grabbing my butt!?" Vahn, who seemed a bit sad when she pulled away, tilted his head and began to seriously ponder her question. The longer he delayed, the angrier Hephaestus seemed to get, as Vahn's 'innocent' and contemplative state was very frustrating for the goddess. Luckily, before her anger materialized fully, Vahn said in a very serious manner, "I think it feels really good to touch. It is very firm, but it's also soft enough for me to sink my fingers into. I feel like I can pick up your whole body easily just by lifting up your butt a bit."

Vahn's 'serious' and honest words made Hephaestus's mind blank a bit as she repeated them in her own mind. She didn't know if she should be happy or annoyed by the boy in front of her, but her body seemed intent on being 'happy' without her permission. She could feel a sweetness in her chest that slowly clouded her mind. Eventually, Hephaestus sighed before closing the distance between Vahn and hugging him again. She knew he was giving her a compliment, and hearing him seriously consider and respond to her question made her feel a bit of pride as a woman.

Vahn put his hand around her lower back and just held her for a bit while she hugged him. He was glad that she seemed to be less upset now, but her next words made him feel even better. Hephaestus leaned into him a bit and pressed her body into his as she whispered into his ear, "Then grab it...and never let me go, okay? Work hard, because not even I can wait forever."