1037. Shirou Is Provoked / 1038. The Apollo Familia's Conspiracy

"Well then, everyone, thank you for your hospitality these past few days. I'll be heading back now. If you don't mind, please come find me at the blacksmith's shop at the Hephaestus Familia Headquarters."

"Yes! I will definitely go!"

"Shirou! Remember me when you go back~!"

"Haha, then goodbye." Shirou laughed and waved goodbye to the enthusiastic female adventurers, then left with the white-haired boy and Miss Eina.

"Bell, you haven't introduced your new companion to me yet," Shirou said to the boy.

"Yes, big brother, this is Lili Erd." Bell introduced Shirou to his companions. The first one was a girl who looked even younger than Hestia, but she seemed to be Little Folk.

"Hello, Miss Lili, may I call you that?" Shirou bowed his head and greeted her.

"Yes, thank you for your help to Lord Bell. Lili is a supporter who wholeheartedly serves Bell." The petite little girl said to Shirou with a smile.

"This is Wielf Crozzo, he's a friend who's been on adventures with us," Bell introduced.

"Ah, I know, he's quite famous in the Hephaestus Familia." Shirou nodded to him.

"Hmph! I admit your skill, but neither the demonic sword nor the scabbard is the right path. I will surpass you in forging! Bell is my best friend, and I should be his personal blacksmith!" Wielf said passionately.

"Is that so? Then let's do our best together." Shirou said with a nonchalant smile. He would be more than happy if he could improve his forging skills.

"And this is Miss Wa no Mikoto, a member of the Takemikazuchi Familia. Together we defeated a powerful enemy on the 18th floor of the dungeon! And my older brother! I also advanced to Lv.2 because of this." Bell waved his fist and said excitedly.

Aside from Hestia, Shirou was the first person to acknowledge and help him; he longed for affirmation.

"Is that so? Well done, Bell! You're one step closer to your dream." Shirou gave the white-haired boy a thumbs up!

"Haha! Thank you! This is all thanks to Big Brother Shirou's help." Bell said gratefully, his face slightly flushed.

"Hello, Shirou, my name is Wa no Mikoto."

"Hello, Mei-san, are you from Japan?" Shirou asked, looking at the black-haired girl in a kimono.

"Indeed! I've seen the twelve katana-style magic swords you forged at the beginning. So you're also from the Far East!" the girl asked excitedly.

"Hmm!" Shirou nodded, adding in his mind, "Although it's in another world."

"Really? Then you must know about the benefits of hot springs!" the Japanese-style girl said with a hearty laugh.

"Hmm?" Shirou was a little confused as to why the hot springs had been mentioned.

Loki braced one hand against Hestia's head, preventing her wild, erratic punches from hitting him. His gaze, however, turned serious as he watched Shirou's retreating figure.

If monsters possess sufficient power, even gods can be rendered obsolete. Just as the fire giant Surtr brought about Ragnarok, burning down the palaces of the Norse gods, destroying everything, and then giving humanity a new life.

Regardless of the system in which the gods reside, dynasties will change.

For example, the ancient states of Chu and Qin were not originally feudal states under the Zhou Dynasty. They held the phoenix as a totem, even considering it superior to the dragon. King Goujian of Yue had a snake totem tattooed on his body. Later, when the King of Qin unified China, the phoenix was revered as the Ancestral Dragon.

For example, Taiyi, Dijun, and Wuzhiqi, the prototype of Wukong, are all incredibly revered deities in a particular place or tribe. Even Chiyou, the war god who was jointly worshipped by the two powerful states of Han and Xiongnu during the Han Dynasty and rode a panda, is now considered evil. Only a few regions still retain these indigenous gods and their positive legends.

After becoming more civilized, the Chinese people, relying on the Confucianism of revering antiquity, entrusted their faith to their ancestral sage kings.

For example, Shao Zhengmao, who taught in a private school at the same time as Confucius, often attracted Confucius's disciples to listen to his lectures. Then he was killed by Confucius when he took office, and his body was not allowed to be taken away but left to be exposed to the sun for three days.

After killing the man, Confucius only said that Shaozheng Mao was a heretic and a villainous hero.

But upon closer reflection, Shao Zhengmao was a member of the Legalist school. The Legalist and Confucianism have always been rivals. Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, only a few, including Daoism, Mohism, Confucianism, and Legalism, truly achieved prominence. These schools of thought have always copied and slandered each other, saying plenty of bad things about one another.

To put it bluntly, this was a factional struggle. Confucius felt that Shao Zhengmao, who was more popular with his students than him, was a threat, so he purged him.

To the gods of this world, Surtr was like Shao Zhengmao, a being who could potentially overthrow the divine realm. Loki couldn't help but feel tense.

Chapter 1037 Shirou is Provoked

Surtr is the king of giants, a powerful being on par with the gods, and a threat that could overthrow the divine realm. Even if he personally guarantees that he will sleep forever underground, the gods would not be able to remain indifferent.

Shao Zhengmao was merely running a private school and had not done anything heinous, yet Confucius still had him executed.

In hindsight, Confucius did not make a mistake. During the Qin Dynasty, the heavy reliance on Legalism led to the burning of books and burying of scholars alive. In the early Han Dynasty, the Huang-Lao school of Daoism was also revered, and Emperor Gaozu of Han even treated Confucianism like a chamber pot. It was only during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han that Confucianism achieved a resurgence, thanks to the reforms of Dong Zhongshu.

Perhaps Confucius foresaw the future. If he had allowed Shao Zhengmao to continue his teachings, his disciples would have spread throughout the country, and a society governed by the rule of law might have arrived a thousand years earlier. In that case, there would have been no place for Confucianism. So, he simply took advantage of his power and beheaded Shao Zhengmao.

This is how he preserved his eternal reputation as Confucius, making him no less impressive than the Buddhists.

Of course, these are all from too long ago and are merely speculations by later generations. Only when technology is invented that can recreate events that occurred more than two thousand years ago can we have a definitive answer as to what actually happened.

However, Confucius' descendants inherited his legacy and continued to thrive, becoming a rare and powerful clan in the world. When each dynasty fell, they relied on their ancestor's reputation to directly kowtow and welcome the new emperor, thus securing official positions for every generation. When Confucianism was in power, they became the Duke Yansheng.

For two thousand years, the tradition has continued unbroken, with emperors coming and going, but the name of the Confucius family remains constant. In ancient times, along with the scholar-officials, they oppressed the common people; in modern times, they have abandoned Shandong altogether and gone straight to 4V.

In another world, modern people have let go of Confucius and many other deities, but seem to have ushered in a new deity, incomparably profound and lofty, inspiring both superstition and fear. This is a 'black technology' that has yet to be named.

They hope that this will lead to an ideal and harmonious future.

Ironically, even becoming a god doesn't solve everything; even the creator god who created all things didn't achieve a satisfactory result. This is Shirou's 'experience'.

Therefore, whether the adventurers in this world regard gods as their faith, parents, or even powerful beings they can exploit, Shirou will not offer much comment.

After leaving the Loki Familia, Shirou sorted through his spoils. He gave most of the loot to the Loki Familia, but kept some forging materials for Shirou. That evening, the group gathered at a tavern for a celebratory dinner.

Besides congratulating Shirou on his return and his thriving career, and Bell's upgrade, there's another thing worth celebrating: Wielf.

"Congratulations on your upgrade, Wielf!" Bell raised his glass again to congratulate the blacksmith man.

"Now you're officially a senior blacksmith, congratulations." Shirou said to the hot-blooded man. In the Hephaestus Familia, blacksmiths are divided into 'apprentices' who just help out, 'masters' who specialize in a process or a specific piece of equipment, and then master craftsmen who run a blacksmithing workshop and are responsible for guiding their craftsmen and helping them overcome difficult problems.

Shirou started as an apprentice until he was appreciated by the goddess Hephaestus, which gave him the right to forge weapons independently.

Being a superior blacksmith is one of the necessary conditions to become a master craftsman. Those who reach this level are considered the backbone of the Hephaestus Familia.

Generally speaking, to become a senior blacksmith, one needs to possess special blacksmithing abilities, the most common of which is the development ability that can be chosen after reaching Lv.2.

As a combat adventurer, you will choose 'Hunter', which is the ability to deal more damage to the same type of monster the more times you hunt it.

The ability to develop forging skills improves with experience; the more experience one has, the stronger the weapons and armor one can create.

"Um... thank you."

Wielf was unusually shy. The smile that crept onto his face was evidence of his uncontrollable joy after his wish had come true.

"In that case, Lord Wielf can use the [Family] name as he pleases, right?" Lili said, her eyes shining. As long as the brand is attached, the forged weapons will be elevated in status and their value will be greatly increased.

"It's not at the level of 'casual' yet. Only weapons that Hephaestus or other high-ranking officials have confirmed meet the requirements can be branded with the name. Selling inferior products would only tarnish the goddess's reputation," Wielf agreed.

Those blacksmiths who caused trouble at Shirou's sword sheath launch event don't qualify as a brand. Even if they use high-grade materials, the weapons they sell won't exceed one million; in fact, five hundred thousand is the limit.

Shirou's sword scabbard, if customized to the highest level, could sell for over 100 million yen. Of course, such clients are extremely rare.

As Wielf rose to the bottom of the ranks of advanced blacksmiths, he was also allowed to engrave Hephaestus's name on weapons. Not all weapons could be engraved with a name... However, Wielf's creations would surely become highly sought-after items in the future. Hephaestus's signature name was indeed that resounding.

The work of a high-level blacksmith is already incredibly valuable. If this upgrade were to be publicly announced, Wielf's reputation as a blacksmith would likely spread like wildfire.

"Well, at least we've upgraded! That means we've finally made it through. Please continue to guide us from now on, Bell," Wielf said with a Bell.

"Yes, please guide me, Wielf!" Bell said with a smile.

"Lord Bell defeated that unreasonable Gloria, and has grown stronger ever since," Lili said with a smile.

"Well, thank you, but I'm still far from good enough. Actually, it's all thanks to everyone this time; I just happened to be there." Bell touched his nose sheepishly, but he was still a little proud. After all, he had gone from being a complete novice to starting to gain recognition, and he was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Hehehe..." A sneer came from the side.

Golden bow and arrows, plus a burning sphere... no, it's engraved with the symbol of a radiant sun.

The six adventurers at the other table, including the Little Folk adventurers, all wore such badges on their shoulders. They were members of the same faction.

The Little Folk man leaning back in his chair downed his beer in one gulp and gave me a malicious smile as I stared at him speechlessly.

"Oh dear, it seems it escaped pretty quickly. It probably leveled up because it was constantly being chased by the Minotaur while wetting its pants, right? No wonder it's a 'rabbit,' truly a remarkable talent!"

Chapter 1038 The Apollo Familia's Conspiracy

The Little Folk adventurer with large eyes seemed to be deliberately speaking in a voice loud enough for the entire hotel to hear, repeating his sarcastic remarks. His fellow adventurers were also seated around the table, seemingly not intending to stop him, watching the scene with amusement.

The other party's taunts certainly didn't make Bell feel comfortable... but he still chose to remain silent.

Friction between valves and valve stems should be avoided if possible.

Upon joining the group, Bell was immediately instilled with the rules of the [Family] by God and Miss Eina, and decided to frankly follow their instructions.

Bell also felt inferior, but he lacked both the determination to get completely angry and the courage to retaliate.

"What? It really isn't anything special."

"Just because a weapon was forged by a show-off blacksmith, he thinks he's all that." The Little Folk looked at the silent Bell and laughed even more arrogantly.

"The goddess has no dignity or respect whatsoever. She works at a potato ball shop and even gets her head patted by customers. In the end, she's nothing more than a weak, solitary member of the clan?"

"With a useless god and a blacksmith who doesn't even have a clan, and your team made up of weaklings from other clans, what's there to be proud of?" the Little Folk said with a wicked grin.

You may laugh at me, you may even insult me, but! You must never speak ill of the Goddess or my companions!

In a moment of impulsiveness, Bell threw a punch.

"Whoa!" The Little Folk was sent flying by the punch.

However, this was exactly what the other side was waiting for! The other five members were prepared and immediately pushed back their chairs and stepped out.

"Damn it! You want to fight?! How dare you provoke the Apollo Familia! If you want to leave today, you'll have to crawl on your knees!"

"You're the ones who started this trouble!" Wielf also stepped forward and said.

Four men rushed at him. Bell clenched his fists, assumed a boxing stance, dodged two punches, and landed a blow on the opponent's lower abdomen. Bell also took a punch from another man, but quickly retaliated.

Wielf, tall and strong, charged forward, knocking one person aside. However, two people opposite him pounced on Wielf, trying to grab his arms and subdue him. Fortunately, Wielf's years of experience in metalworking had given him a well-proportioned physique.

Two against four! But Bell and Wielf were more formidable, pushing their opponents back step by step.

At that moment, the last member of the opposing team moved. He kicked out, sending Wielf flying, and then threw a punch at Bell.

Bell tried to dodge, but found that the other person's fist had caught up and hit him in the nose, causing blood to spurt out.

The opponent was clearly of a different level, at LV.3, with significantly improved physical abilities and favors compared to Bell.

"Lord Bell!" Lili exclaimed.

"Although you'll become a partner sooner or later, such rudeness goes against the taste of a clan. Since you're so arrogant, I'll teach you a lesson." The man with the ponytail said this, but his eyes revealed jealousy as he looked at Bell. He grinned maliciously and threw a punch at Bell's face.

A strong hand reached out and grabbed the fist that was about to strike Bell.

"Ugh!" The man's face turned angry, but his fist seemed to be embedded in Shirou's, and he couldn't break free from Shirou's grasp no matter what he did.

"Whether I'm just trying to attract attention or not is none of your business. Get lost," Shirou said in a deep voice, staring into the eyes of the man with the ponytail.

"That's enough, let's go!" the man said, looking away.

Shirou then released their grip and let them leave.

"Lord Bell, are you alright?" Lili asked, helping the boy up.

"Big brother, I'm sorry. I meant to have a celebration, but I messed it up," Bell apologized to Shirou.

"No, they really deserved a beating. Bell, you've become a lot stronger than you were at the beginning," Shirou said with a smile.

"Really... Haha. Ouch~!" Bell laughed, but it aggravated her wound.

"Don't move, Lord Bell! I'm cleaning your wounds!" Lili exclaimed in annoyance.

'But if that's the case, I haven't even convinced the gods yet, and I've already made enemies with a clan.' Shirou thought helplessly. Of course, Bell was standing up for him, so he couldn't just abandon Bell, and besides, the other party had indeed gone too far.

However... such blatant provocation makes me feel like there's some conspiracy behind it.

Shirou, the 'Apollo Familia', had done some research on this in preparation for his future plans...

This faction is very powerful, and the quality of its adventurers is also very high. It seems that they defeated the floor master of the 17th floor with their own team.

It has nearly a hundred members, all of whom are level 1 to 3, but all of them are quite talented. Their overall strength is considered to be above average among the Familias in Orario. However, this is actually due to the interests of the main god. He values his emotions more than strength, and his members are all handsome men and beautiful women of various styles, and they are treated as his personal possessions.

Furthermore, Apollo is very obsessed with things; he will get his hands on anything he likes, no matter what. Even if the other party already has a chief god, he will force them to break their contract and join his own familia.

I have a really bad feeling about getting involved with a clan like that.

"Bell, if you ever run into trouble, be sure to come find me," Shirou said to the boy.

"Huh? Yes." Bell was taken aback, but thinking that his older brother would never harm him, he nodded.

After sending the two wounded men back to their lodgings, Shirou returned to the blacksmith shop that Hephaestus had assigned to him. Since Shirou had already established his own brand, Hephaestus simply gave Shirou a forging shop on the condition that he purchase all the basic materials from the Hephaestus Familia.

Shirou is preparing to develop high-temperature resistant equipment with fire and poison resistance for the underground lava zone. Otherwise, he might not even be able to get close to the fire giant and could die directly in the sea of fire. Even if he is not burned to death, he might die on the spot from inhaling the sulfurous gas.

Because he was so engrossed in his research, Shirou completely forgot about the Apollo Familia.

A week later, the seventh ward was located north of the main western district.

The area, nestled between the Northwest and West Main Streets, was a residential district with a large number of citizens. The massive explosion originated from there, sounding like True Magic constantly bombarding the ground. The location was an abandoned church, whose basement was now engulfed in flames from the bombing.