Soma leaned forward curiously to ask, as if he hadn't noticed the blank look in Loki's eyes at all.
But clearly Loki misunderstood Soma. As an outsider to the entire incident, Soma certainly wasn't trying to pry for intel or anything like that.
What he wanted to know had nothing to do with information. As a bizarre god whose thought process even the "Trickster" Loki struggled to follow,
Soma, who grew endlessly curious when something touched on his own field of expertise, now had eyes that, in Loki's perspective, literally changed color and gleamed.
Clearly, being a god who presides over alcohol, his passion for liquor was in no way inferior to Loki, the hopeless drunkard.
"Uh, you should understand what I mean. I'm not trying to pry into your Familia's internal affairs. I just want to know, right now, in the lower world besides me, is there someone else here producing something on the level of divine wine. If you know anything, you absolutely must tell me. I'll offer three bottles of my newest prized [Wine Collection] as thanks."
Obviously, Soma was overflowing with curiosity about this "person" he'd never met. To bribe Loki, he even took out his precious collection while bleeding internally.
A thank-you gift from him would definitely not be the failed products circulating on the market or black market. Anything Soma treasured could only be a masterpiece he personally considered a rare, out-of-print gem.
"W-wait, wait!? Divine wine!?"
Loki swallowed hard, the saliva in her mouth audibly gurgling down her throat. Her eyes went blank.
"Even though I want your thank-you gift, the point is-"
Before Loki could force herself to refuse, she stretched out both hands, intending to push back the overly talkative Soma.
But seeing the thoughtful expression on Soma's face and the whisper that lingered near her ear, Loki suddenly froze.
"Whether it's the brewing method or the type of alcohol, it's completely different from what I make... Let me see, hmm, this is grape wine, isn't it? The style is totally different from mine."
"----?"
At the moment he heard that sentence, Loki felt her head go boom, ringing loudly.
"...Don't tell me-"
Scenes flashed through her mind like a movie reel, eventually forming a complete "something" pieced together from various clues.
Loki's eyes shot open, and before Soma could understand what was happening, she suddenly bolted off.
"Soma! Come with me! You're not allowed to refuse!"
Seeing Loki bolt like a reflex, Soma, trusting her, didn't bombard her with questions. Instead, he silently followed.
He was a indoor-type, not an idiot. From Loki's expression, he more or less understood, she probably thought of something from their earlier conversation and wanted to verify it. So he followed.
The two gods hurried out of the alley one after the other, and under the puzzled gaze of the staff at the Guild headquarters and the adventurers of the Ganesha Familia, they left Daedalus Street, then sprinted all the way to the south-eastern part of Orario.
In front of them was a place Loki had never directly visited, though she knew of it through intelligence.
To be honest, it was quite unfamiliar to her.
Of course, the reason she avoided coming near wasn't just simple unfamiliarity, there was also a subtle sense of caution, even wariness.
After all, Loki still hadn't figured out the true identity of the mastermind. Anyone who proactively approached her automatically got a question mark in her book. So even now, she had never wanted to get close to this "base."
Panting heavily, Loki nearly collided with a passerby as they reached the building.
"Haa... haa... this is it."
Soma, who spent most of his time indoors brewing wine, had far poorer stamina than Loki, who constantly drank, flirted, and prank-ed without pause.
Compared to Loki's heavy breathing, this run had nearly killed Soma.
"You... you couldn't have slowed down a little... huff huff, " Soma rolled his eyes, feeling as if his brain were about to crash.
But Loki had no mood to deal with his complaints. In her eyes, everything was directed toward the building before them.
This place was none other than the base of the Dionysus Familia.
This vine-covered manor, blending with nature, looked like a once-luxurious manor abandoned by its god now.
Though its exterior still carried an ancient elegance and traces of ornamented luxury, there was not a single hint of human presence.
From what Loki knew, the only survivor of the Dionysus Familia, the elf mage rescued by Asfi, was in a condition no better than Lefiya's. Her mind had collapsed, and she had been sent to the Dian Cecht Familia's treatment center, personally entrusted to Amid.
...
Back to the Dionysus Familia's base.
With the god Dionysus already back in Tenkai, causing the Familia to dissolve or be destroyed, the rules jointly established by the Guild headquarters and the "Denatus" stated:
In such cases, the property would be temporarily repossessed by the Guild.
But clearly, until now, only one day and one night had passed since the destruction of the Dionysus Familia.
On top of that, with the artificial labyrinth Knossos and countless other matters piling up, the Guild, lacking in manpower, could barely handle its workload.
Even that greedy "fat pig" Royman had no energy to start confiscating property right now.
Judging by the surroundings, the base seemed to be in the same state as yesterday. No one had gone in or out, meaning nothing had been taken yet.
Understanding the situation, Loki relaxed a little.
"There really is a scent similar to yours."
Sniffing, Soma closed his eyes and followed the aroma, slowly searching.
"The smell here… is this the wine cellar? So rich. It's this way."
Before Loki could ask, Soma said this and walked toward the back of the base, moving on his own as if it were the most natural thing in the world.