Danmachi- Hell’s Forge

Other than that there wasn't much worth mentioning after the investigation was over besides perhaps that my bone figurines had started going for a higher price as the fame made people want them more but the supply was less than the demand. I specifically told Hestia NOT to sell more of them even if we had the supply to meet the demand because this way the price will stay a nice amount while also being fairly consistent. This may be a bit greedy but it should be remembered that these figurines didn't serve any practical purpose and were purely decoration.-

No one HAD to buy the things or risk some terrible fate. It was purely a luxury item so naturally I would treat it as such and let the customers set the price. As a result it was valuable because people said it was valuable, like diamonds or other "precious" gemstones. The funny part was that some people had tried to copy my bone figurines but failed every single time as they always had flaws and details that became obvious as time went on. My favorite example was this one alchemist guy that melted down bones with a special potion before hardening them again in molds.-

Once the bones hardened again from the potion wearing off the result was indeed a detailed figurine but there were always these small cracks or discolorations that he couldn't get rid of. Honestly I applauded the mans ingenuity and even had a couple of his figurines myself as even while imperfect they reminded me that this world was full of impressive people. One of the biggest issues that these fakes had however was that they failed to mineralize the bones so the figurines would rapidly decay when left exposed to the elements unlike my own.-

My figurines were all entirely mineralized to prevent this exact issue and thus were more stone than bone you could say but no one else has managed to replicate this yet. About a week after the investigation ended Ptah came to visit the church bright and early eager to work out his commissions details.

"As I said previously I would like a life-sized sphinx statuette made. Please feel free to request anything you feel necessary to make this a reality. Money will be no issue at all." He said with a wide smile.

"Well first lets get the material composition out of the way. Now I have a few options that you may choose from as per your own aesthetics and preference. Naturally the detail of the finished product will be the same regardless of the material but this way I can guarantee satisfaction. The materials and solidity are denoted by price so you can even choose an option that is pleasing as well." I said seriously as I handed over the list.

"Oh my! Such fine quality paper, do you by chance make this as well and if so would you be willing to sell some?" the god asked while rubbing my self-made paper between his thumb and forefingers appreciatively.

"I do indeed make the paper and admittedly I hadn't thought of selling it until you asked but I see no reason why I couldn't." I said honestly.

"Wonderful wonderful, now let me take a look at this material list of yours." Ptah said with a happy smile.

I waited for a few moments while the god scrutinized the list seriously. It wasn't a particularly long list as effectively there were roughly six options, normal wood, normal bone, dungeon wood, monster bones, dungeon stone and dungeon crystal. Naturally the stuff from the dungeon and monsters was more expensive depending on the difficulty of acquisition. 

"Hmmm, I must admit you have me in a bit of a bind as while I whole heartedly agree with the prices you have set for these material I am torn between each of them as I can imagine they would each have their own charm" the god said with a sad smile.

I nodded in understanding "I anticipated this issue and went ahead and created a few sample pieces out of each material to help if you'd like to peruse them?" I offered casually with a grin.

"Such preparedness is worthy of praise, please do show me what you have!" the god said excitedly.

I got up and went down below to retrieve these test pieces I made since I figured that since I was treating these figurines like a luxury product I may as well go all out with it. These six figurines were of the same creature in the exact same position and in the same level of detail as well.

Ptah had bright eyes as he looked at each of these pieces with a skilled appraisers gaze.

"Marvelous, absolutely phenomenal! I believe I have my choice made after feasting my eyes on these beauties. I would like to choose the dungeon crystal option! The way the light seems to resonate and cause this figurine to shine would no doubt prove positively stunning in my familias manor, yes I simply must have it!" the god said with an almost fanatical expression.

'Why am I not surprised that the god of art is obsessed with the stuff?' I thought with a mental chuckle.

"Welp this is where my part of this process ends and the rest is between you and my goddess here." I said casually as I pointed to Hestia as I got up.

Honestly speaking Ptah was surprisingly agreeable to whatever Hestia said as they worked out the size, price and payment method that was going to be used. Part of the deal of course was that Ptah would have to provide the materials I would be working with but Hestia assured him that I didn't need a single massive chunk of crystal and many smaller ones were fine so long as together it all added up to the right amount.-

The final price of this single work of mine came out to a whopping four million valis which was a frankly absurd amount of money for what was a decorative statue in the end but hey that's how it is with luxury goods. Half of the payment came upfront and with Hestia's permission i used it and our saved funds to purchase the surrounding land by the church so I have the room I would need to privately work on such a massive statue, my own little workshop if you'd like.