1010. The Amazon CEO / 1011. Since the World Needs a Hero ...

"Although I knew that Shirou-kun would definitely become a master craftsman in the future, I never expected that day to come so soon," someone said with a sigh.

"Gah..." Ais stared blankly at the number, frozen in place. She felt that Shirou's friendly smile was an illusion, and that the man in front of her was a demon who wanted to steal all the adventurers' money.

"Well, as I mentioned before, this scabbard was originally intended as a gift for you. However, I'm planning to launch a scabbard sales campaign, so I need you to act as my spokesperson and help promote it. You'll be demonstrating how to use the scabbard to customers at designated locations in the city. Let's set it for ten times. Of course, there won't be any activities that you'll find objectionable. What do you think?" Shirou asked with a smile.

"Say yes, Ais. It's a hundred million." Tione nudged the blonde girl and said.

"Mmm." Ais hugged the sword sheath tightly and nodded heavily.

"Alright, it's decided then," Shirou agreed with a smile.

Both Ais and the two Amazon girls underestimated the fame of the title 'Sword Princess' in the city. This adventurer city worships the strong, and Ais, the most talented, young and beautiful girl in the city, is simply the most dazzling gem, a born superstar.

Those stronger than her are all established veterans.

In exchange for just a sword sheath, she became the spokesperson and actively cooperated in promotion, participating in ten large-scale events. It couldn't be more cost-effective. Before long, the same top, middle, and bottom configuration of the sword sheath used by the Sword Princess would appear in the labyrinth city and even in various countries outside.

Although he felt somewhat apologetic towards Ais, Shirou did indeed need this sum of money as funding to invite many of his fellow members to join him in conquering the dungeon. He then took out the parchment he had prepared, which contained a contract with the function of a divine covenant, and had Ais sign it on the spot.

"What are you planning to do with the release? Hand it over to the guild? They take a lot of cut, you know. How about you list it under my name in one of my shops? It'll be much cheaper. Or you could just transfer your patent to me, and I'll give you a share of the profits," Hephaestus asked with a smile, hooking her arm around Shirou's neck.

"No, Goddess, I've already had someone contact a professional for me," Shirou said with a smile, politely declining.

With a creak, the door to the nearby blacksmith's shop opened, and a tall, red-haired young man stepped out.

"Hmph!" The man glared at Shirou, then turned around angrily and walked away with his legs spread wide.

"Ah, this stubborn child still hasn't gotten over the trauma. He clearly has the talent to forge a magic sword, but he insists on forging a sword that surpasses even the magic sword," Hephaestus said helplessly.

"Well, the choice of direction is personal, and while the outcome can't be guaranteed at any time, only hard work will not let you down. Perhaps one day he can forge a sword that will amaze the world," Shirou said with a nonchalant chuckle.

"I hope so," Hephaestus sighed.

At this moment, Bell mustered up his courage and walked up to the blonde girl, but he was still too nervous and spoke in an awkward voice.

"Um... Miss Wallenstein, con... congratulations."

"...Thank you." Ais looked earnestly at the white-haired boy, feeling a strange sense of concern for him.

"No, no, someone like me doesn't need thanks or anything." Bell stood up straight nervously.

"Ah~! Speaking of which, could this child be the one we were talking about before?" Tiona exclaimed in surprise, looking at Bell as if she had just remembered something.

"Hmm~! This child who looks like a white rabbit, isn't that the one Ais mentioned?" Tione said, looking at Bell curiously.

"No... um... this..." Bell was surrounded by two Amazon women dressed in revealing animal skin bikinis, her face flushed, and she was at a loss for words.

"Tiona! Tione!" Ais chased away her two laughing friends.

After everything was settled, Shirou saw the three girls out. Just as he reached the door, he heard a shout.

"Hey~! Shirou, the person you asked me to find has arrived."

At that moment, outside the gate, a brown-skinned Japanese-style woman named Tsubaki walked over with a group of people. Upon closer inspection, she was a silver-haired girl in a business suit and tie, followed by a large group of Amazon women.

"Hey? Isn't that the boss?"

"Hey! Boss!"

Tiona and Tione saw the silver-haired woman leading the group, and their expressions immediately changed.

Chapter 1010 Amazon's CEO

The Amazon are a distinct race, similar to other demi-human races such as the Little Folk, Dwarves, and Beastkin. Although they may appear no different from Homo sapiens, they are in fact a unique and independent race. They may all share a common origin, but things have changed since then.

The Amazon possess brute strength and a talent for combat, and they only give birth to women. The newcomer is none other than Penthesilea, the royal family of the Amazon, whose status is equivalent to that of the Elf royal family.

Although the Amazon are free to choose which clan they wish to join and obey the commands of their respective gods, all Amazon still hold considerable respect for their royal family.

Of course, strength also plays a role here. Penthesilea is a top fighter among the Amazon, and at the same time, she is a CEO who has led her people to make a name for themselves in the business world.

Penthesilea, as the apex of her race, is both loving and strict like a mother.

They usually get along like blood relatives, laughing and playing together, arguing and fighting.

When mistakes are made, royalty acts like a stern elder, showing no mercy when punishing someone, using whips meant for wild beasts, clubs, and hammers.

Tione and Tiona are usually lawless and troublemakers, but they become well-behaved children in front of Penthesilea.

"Hey, Shirou, I've got everyone here for you!" Tsubaki ran up to him, showing off her accomplishment.

"Yes, thank you, Tsubaki." Shirou tossed the scabbard of a short sword to the brown-skinned woman.

This is a simplified version of the style Shirou created, and also the reward he promised to Tsubaki. He was very enthusiastic, but to be honest, he wasn't really suited to go to the Amazon or the red-light district of the Nightless. Those places are full of ferocious female beasts who kidnap men and won't let them leave until they've been completely drained for three days and two nights.

"Oh, so this is the new technology? I'll go take a look at it. You guys go ahead with your work." Tsubaki took the scabbard.

And so, the Amazon female warrior standing in two rows outside, these brown-skinned, shapely, heavily made-up older women, all cast wolf-like glances at the men passing by, their gazes burning as if they wanted to pierce through the fabric of their clothes.

Under such gazes, Bell shrank back behind Shirou in fear. The shirtless, burly blacksmiths quickly put on their clothes. The men passing by the door quickened their pace and retreated.

If it were just something to be avoided, that would be one thing, but the key point is that everyone in the Amazon is armed with sharp and fierce weapons. Some wield iron hammers twice the size of their heads, while others easily lift swords taller than a person with one hand. However, the clothes they wear cover less than a bikini, and even when they wear skirts, they are like transparent, brightly colored tulle.

As expected of a race that abducts men to reproduce, they are incredibly fierce, well-armed, and very convenient in their operations.

Of course, most of these gazes eventually fell on Shirou.

"That's the Demon Sword Forger."

"Oh dear, that boy hiding behind him looks pretty good too."

"Hey? Do you prefer smaller men with less muscle than you, to hold in your arms?"

"I don't understand, but this just reduces the competition. I'll give you the smaller one, and you can withdraw Demon Sword Forger."

"Too cunning. I'll go second then. Take a closer look at that muscular physique. A rich and strong man must taste really good."

"He's developed a new type of scabbard this time, but I'd rather try out his sword."

"Really? What a coincidence! Me too! I want to examine every inch of your body carefully, hehehe..."

Hehehe...

If this weren't Hephaestus's territory, Shirou would almost suspect they were about to pounce on him.

"Shut up! This is an important client!" the silver-haired girl in the lead snapped.

"Yes! I'm sorry!" The Amazon women were startled and quickly lowered their heads.

Fortunately, the person in charge was a normal person.

"I'm entrusting this shipment to you, CEO of Amazon," Shirou said, shaking hands with the silver-haired girl. As long as it didn't involve the heroes of the Greek city-states in the Trojan War, this royal girl was a normal person who was easy to get along with. In this world, the Amazon company she founded had spread all over the world.

"Leave it to us, Shirou. We at Amazon will provide the best customer service and deliver the goods to every customer." Penthesilea her silver hair in a ponytail, pushed up her glasses and solemnly agreed.

"By the way, you two sisters, what are you doing here? I heard that the Loki Familia is busy with major renovations after their previous failed attempt. Are you just loitering around here?" The silver-haired girl questioned her two fellow Loki sisters, who seemed to be taking a break, with the air of a stern mother.

"No..." The two girls, Tiona Tione, choked up.

"They came here to assist with the brand ambassadors I'm currently planning," Shirou explained, pointing to Ais.

Looking at Ais, who stood there calmly and expressionlessly, Penthesilea nodded, approving of the method.

"Oh, then you two do a good job," Penthesilea said to the two.

"Yes, sir!!!" The two girls, usually so lively, stood at attention, saluted, and answered loudly.

After finally being let go, the two gave Shirou a grateful look and quickly retreated to the back. However, once they were out of the CEO's sight, they brazenly greeted the other Amazon.

"Then let's go inside for a formal meeting. There are a few points I'd like to discuss with you regarding the draft contract," the CEO said.

"Okay, I'll lead the way for you," Shirou nodded in agreement.

The reason they approached Amazon was not only because of their vast wealth and global reach, but also because they recognized the large number of powerful warriors among them, many of whom were level 5 experts. Even on average, each warrior was at level 3, making them a true warrior race.

Shirou led the silver-haired woman and her two personal attendants to a room. He dismissed everyone else, leaving only the goddess Hephaestus in the room. At this point, only the four people and the goddess remained in the room.

"Mr. Shirou, what's the deal with the contract that you've entrusted the sale of all the scabbards to our Amazon, but on the condition that we Amazon accompany you to hunt down the monsters deep underground when you're fully prepared?" Penthesilea asked.

"Yes, you all know about the three major missions, right? I want to issue a fourth mission of the same level," Shirou said.

"What!!!" Penthesilea and his attendants stared wide-eyed and exclaimed in surprise.

Chapter 1011 Since the World Needs Heroes

This world has three great lords: Behemoth, the King of Land; Leviathan, the King of Sea; and Black Dragon, the King of Sky. They are monsters who crawled out of the dungeon labyrinth and caused great damage to the world.

The first two were defeated by the two strongest Familias at the time, but the remaining black dragon annihilated both of them. The human heroes paid a heavy price, managing only to blind one of the black dragon's eyes and drive it away. The gods of those two Familias also left Orario as a result.

Legend has it that a one-eyed black dragon slumbers somewhere, and when it awakens, it will bring destruction to the human world. At least for now, human adventurers are simply powerless to resist its vengeance.

The fire giant Surtr, whom Shirou will face, is by no means inferior to these top-tier monsters.

After all, it was a world-destroying giant in a certain mythological system that actually caused Ragnarok, annihilating all the first generation of gods in Norse mythology. Of course, it was precisely because of this that humans later came to be the masters of their own destiny.

Even in a world where people can become powerful adventurers simply by becoming a familia, monsters of this caliber are still devastating. Even top-tier Servant summoned by the Counter Force with unlimited firepower would need at least seven riders to deal with such monsters, and might even require the blessing of Grand Class Spirit Origin.

Worst of all, Shirou is currently unable to delve deeper into the dungeon to investigate whether there are other dangers besides the fire giant. Due to the white god's rampage, the power Shirou received when he was born into this world is clearly problematic.

The portion of the world that flowed out directly connected with multiple worlds, merging them together into a chaotic hodgepodge where many things had spiraled out of control.

The only thing that can be confirmed is that whether it's a goddess or a reincarnated Servant from another world, there must be some reason why she's here.

Or perhaps the crises facing the world cannot be overcome without these things.

"Why didn't you contact the guild to explain the situation?" Penthesilea questioned.

"I don't have enough evidence. Even if I convince some of the members, the other gods might not necessarily be on my side." Shirou shook his head. After all, according to the records in the mythology, the monsters that destroyed the world along with the fire giants—the giant wolf Fenrir, the giant Jörmungandr, and the goddess of death Hel —were actually all born from Loki.

"Since there's no evidence, why are you going to all this trouble? Wouldn't it be better to just be a rich man? As far as I know, there are only a handful of humans in the entire world who can become billionaires without the support of their clan or the gods," Penthesilea said.

"I felt it, so I couldn't have peace of mind if I didn't do it."

Shirou recalled the accounts of Ragnarok:

Almost all the gods and Valkyrie perished or were killed. The fire giant Surtr wielded his flaming sword wildly, instantly filling the heavens, the earth, and the nine realms of the underworld with flames. The World Tree Yggdrasil was reduced to ashes, and the flames spread to the palaces of the gods, turning the land into scorched earth, and the waters of the oceans boiled and evaporated. This fire consumed everything in the sky, the land, and the underworld, good and evil perishing together. The charred and broken earth slowly sank into the boiling sea. The end of the world had come, and chaotic darkness enveloped the universe.

Shirou pulled out an enormous ring from a box in the room, which looked like a ring worn by men, magnified more than ten times.

"Indeed... the aura emanating from this originates from some powerful energy, flames, carrying violence and despair... and the giants..." Hephaestus said, her expression changing as she looked at the giant's ring.

"I have a responsibility to the Amazon, and I cannot accept such a reckless mission from you," Penthesilea said earnestly to Shirou.

"I promise I'll set off only when everything is fully prepared. I'll start with a small elite unit to investigate thoroughly," Shirou said sincerely.

"Men's promises cannot be trusted. What exactly are your criteria for being so well-prepared? If it really is that level of monster, who knows how many children will lose their lives because of it!" Penthesilea refused outright.

"What do I have to do to make you believe me?!" Shirou asked, looking directly at the silver-haired girl. This was also one of the key reasons for choosing the Amazon among the many races, as they were a race passionate about adventure.

"Prove your strength, Shirou! We Amazon only believe in strong heroes. Since ancient times, any man who dares to enter the Amazon kingdom will be rewarded with beautiful women and fine wine, while the cowardly will be killed and thrown into the sea, not even worthy of being used as manure in the pigsty. Come and prove which side you belong to!" Penthesilea stood up and stared at Shirou as she spoke.

"What do I need to do to prove myself?" Shirou asked.

"Ganesha! Soon there will be Monster Festival hosted by this elephant-headed god. At that time, our Amazon will also be sending a monster there. I will personally go down into the dungeon to select a suitable monster for you. Let me make it clear that the selection criteria are based on the standard of crushing you into mincemeat."

"Go and sign up for the challenge. If you show your manliness in this duel, and if we judge that you have the potential to become a hero, then we will help you with this!" At this moment, Penthesilea's eyes turned completely black, leaving only golden pupils that flashed with bloodlust and madness as he gritted his teeth and said.

"Don't be foolish! Shirou, your strength has indeed been improving, but no matter how fast you do it, you still can't reach level three on your own. Don't be too reckless," Hephaestus said, grabbing Shirou's hand to dissuade him.

She knew perfectly well that the Amazon princess was serious. This warrior race was incredibly cruel to men. And Penthesilea was the most insane person in the tribe. Although she was usually a shrewd and capable businesswoman, when she was enraged, she wouldn't even spare the gods.

If this were a trial arranged by the Amazon for men, it wouldn't be something that could be resolved by breaking a few bones; even nine lives wouldn't be enough.

Penthesilea is right. To defeat the monster that is destroying the world, we need a hero to save it. The adventurers are already quite strong; what they need is someone who can give them confidence and hope.

But can Shirou shoulder such a heavy responsibility alone?

Chapter 1012 Then Become a Hero

Once a Servant reaches level 5, they already possess combat power comparable to low-level Servant. At level 6, they can be considered mid-level Servant. At even higher levels, they can be active in the Holy Grail War.

Level 7 is currently the strongest in Orario, but there are still differences in strength among them. Penthesilea is in the middle tier.

However, true heroes are not ranked according to the levels and stars prescribed by gods. They often represent the unified voice of a certain segment of the people and carry the hopes of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people.

Such heroes must possess abilities that transcend their level. When people face dire crises, when they need miracles to save them, they will step forward, pouring their souls and passion into the fight, risking their lives to protect the places they want to protect and to complete epic adventures.

"I promise you! Bring on whatever trials you face! You won't have another chance to refuse me then!" Shirou stood up, his eyes burning with fire, and said to Penthesilea.

"..." The two attendants behind Penthesilea looked at Shirou with gleaming eyes.

"Hmph! Then let's discuss our cooperation on that day." Penthesilea chuckled and turned to walk outside.

"No need, the contract takes effect now. I'll prepare the scabbard for the auction in the next few days. You should also prepare the appropriate stage. If I die at the Monster Festival, you can have the proceeds from the scabbard." Shirou signed his name on the contract and handed it to the silver-haired girl.

"Is that so? Then I'll take it!" Penthesilea took the contract, pulled out a knife, cut his finger, and pressed his fingerprint there.

The contract is officially established!