1062. Shirou's Request to the Gods / 1063. A Disturbance at the Gods' Meeting

"No... After all, I had some conflicts with Freya when we were vying for a familiar, so it's quite nice to see her get the short end of the stick," Apollo said with a somewhat awkward smile.

"... Okay, I need to keep working on the weapons. I'll leave the task of recruiting the gods to you." Shirou didn't dwell on Apollo's performance and continued with his work.

"Yeah! Shirou, just you wait! I'll definitely snatch my ally from that woman's mouth." Apollo ran off full of fighting spirit.

There's no need to over-evaluate the gods' character, nor to question their choices in the face of temptation. The gods in Orario have diverse personalities and are far more individualistic than humans.

The Gods' Gathering was originally a very ordinary gathering, but as more and more gods came to Orario, and as more gods wanted to join in the fun, the size of the gathering began to expand. Eventually, it became a gathering that could not be ignored.

As times progressed, its purpose also changed. Ordinary casual conversation turned into information sharing, and the content of the exchange of opinions was no longer only related to the various "familias," but also involved "activities" jointly planned by the gods and guilds, covering the entire city.

Although it can be said to exist in name only, the Divine Society, which is regarded by outsiders as an advisory body, still has a certain amount of power, and its influence has also affected adventurers.

For example, it's used for naming clans, or for recruiting help when international changes require the collective strength of most clans. Important decisions with significant impact also require a vote.

Shirou was eyeing this very mechanism. Even if he raised enough military funds, it wouldn't be easy to get more than half of the high-level adventurers to follow him to defeat the fire giant Surtr in the dungeon.

Therefore, the support of the gods is indispensable.

Amidst the undercurrents of tension, Shirou and Freya exchanged several blows in secret. As time passed, the day of the Divine Assembly arrived.

The meeting place of the God Association was in a skyscraper located in the center of the city, on its thirtieth floor. Shirou stood on the stairs of the twenty-ninth floor, waiting for news.

The construction of the tower is particularly unique at the thirtieth floor, occupying almost 90% of the entire floor's space. All the original partitions were removed, and thick, long columns stand in neat rows supporting the ceiling in the distance. In the vast space, only a large Round Table sits alone in the center, with no other furniture or facilities present. The inner walls are surrounded by huge glass extensions, enveloping the space above the thirtieth floor.

Because of the unusually high ceiling, it seemed like a temple floating in the air.

The surrounding stone platforms served as the seats for the gods, arranged in a manner similar to the Greek assembly, where all gods were equal and had the right to vote, with the majority following the minority vote.

The attendees were all different in appearance. There were handsome men with their lips pursed into a straight line, barely concealing their nervousness; there were enigmatic figures like white elephant statues; and there was a silver-haired goddess who was resting with her eyes closed, a smile on her face as she waited for the meeting to begin.

Unlike formal banquets where attendees are required to wear formal attire, the deities attending the 'Divine Assembly' mostly choose their own attire based on their place of origin. Different eras, different pantheons, and even deities from the same region may wear different attire. Therefore, the Divine Assembly here can be described as having a diverse range of styles.

Among them, Hestia sat in the seat prepared for her, casually gazing at the gods around her. She would never have appeared in such a setting before, but now, with Bell-kun, Lili, Wielf, and Mikoto by her side, she had barely managed to become a core member of the Orario gods.

Hestia sat proudly on the stone platform with her arms crossed, her feet not even touching the ground, even though she was sitting in a chair.

Chapter 1062 Shirou's Request to the Gods

"Hestia, aren't you getting a little too excited?" Hephaestus, the red-haired, red-eyed goddess sitting next to her, laughed at her friend's adorable expression.

"That's fighting spirit! I just wanted to help Shirou-kun defeat Freya, but you, despite saying that, are still here to help."

Hestia looked at her friend who had always helped her, and also her biggest creditor, a goddess with dazzling red hair, casually dressed in a loose white shirt and black trousers. Her almost masculine figure, combined with her beauty, exuded a charm that could attract the attention of both men and women.

The goddess, who wore an eyeband over her right eye, slowly shrugged.

"I knew from the beginning how heavy the burden was on that child's mind. I also knew how serious that child was. Although I hope he can cherish himself more, I will not deny his will. But no matter what, I only have one vote, which cannot represent all the gods."

Before reaching the thirtieth floor, Hephaestus had met Shirou once.

"Shirou, I thought you would be more nervous," Hephaestus said, looking at the calm and composed boy.

"No, I've prepared everything I need to. Now I can only leave it to fate. Whether I'm nervous or not won't change reality," Shirou said with a smile.

"That's true... but do you really have to take such a risk?" Hephaestus looked at Shirou's smiling face, hesitating to speak.

"Hey! Let me make this clear first, don't expect me to speak. In a system where the minority obeys the majority, my opinion is just one vote."

"I understand, thank you, Goddess." Shirou was very grateful to this goddess who had a cold exterior but a warm heart and had helped him a lot all along.

At that moment, a handsome man with messy long hair and a beige cloak walked in from outside.

The other gods, upon seeing this male god, all showed unprecedented astonishment.

"They've actually come! That lonely god!"

"Before, all I was thinking about was brewing wine."

"He actually came! What happened?! He used to just sit in the corner of the room with his knees drawn up and not move at all!"

"It's been so long since I've seen him. I'll go and comfort Soma a little!" A Hindu deity revealed a malicious smile, wanting to greet Soma.

"Hey, don't provoke him." Although he said this, the god grabbed the former's hand and ran towards Soma's side.

"... Don't push your way in." Soma patiently shooed away the gods who were watching the spectacle. He had come here to fulfill his promise to Shirou. Even after drinking the magic wine he had made, Shirou was still able to maintain his true self, and it had been a long time since he had seen him.

Such a person deserves his support here.

Just as Soma was getting so frustrated by the teasing that he was about to explode, a drawn-out voice rang out. "Well then, let's begin--".

The noise surrounding the Round Table subsided in an instant. The person who had spoken stood up, shaking her red hair.

"The Nth thousandth Divine Assembly is now officially beginning, and Loki will be the master of ceremonies this time! Please give me your guidance!"

"Yeah--!"

"Waaaaaah!!!"

Amid cheers and howls, thunderous applause erupted. The scene was truly spectacular.

Loki, with his burgundy hair tied back and dressed in a men's emcee's outfit, raised his hand as he curved his narrow eyes into a smile.

"Hey, Loki, you look great tonight!"

"Thank you for your support! Thank you for your support!"

From lighthearted banter to serious conversations, the topics at the Round Table shifted gradually and steadily.

Maintaining a relaxed atmosphere, the gods either casually brought up all sorts of random topics or echoed the opinions of others, despite the utterly chaotic scene before them.

"Alright, quiet down! Now let's get down to business!" Loki's shout as the emcee silenced the surrounding noise.

Loki will compile and report the submitted reports:

"Well... first, let's look at the latest information on the dungeons compiled by the clans. A large number of mutated monsters have recently appeared. We suggest the guild revise the difficulty levels of the dungeons."

"Oh, my child said the same thing, they encountered Minotaur and suddenly everything caught fire."

"Yes, my child encountered a lizard."

"Is there something wrong inside the dungeon?"

The gods spoke all at once.

Hestia whispered to Hephaestus, "This is the same as what Shirou said; the frequency of mutations has increased."

"..." The red-haired goddess frowned, lost in thought.

"Quiet, quiet. Let's submit this matter to the guild and let them handle it. Secondly, it seems the kingdom is about to send troops to attack Orario again."

"Ugh, that muscle-bound idiot."

"Why is it that someone like that can command the faith of an entire kingdom?"

"It's probably because he's good-looking and has a lot of passion; kids like that type."

"Okay. To summarize, what I'm more concerned about right now is the Kingdom. I'll report to the guild later. The 'familias' present here might all be summoned later, so I'll have to look after them then."

"Learn."

Loki was surprisingly reliable, concisely summarizing the information presented at the meeting and extracting only the key points. The Divine Assembly not only brought together the main gods of Orario's major "Familias," but also served the task of conveying highly relevant information.

Of course, for gods who have lived through countless ages, there's hardly anything that can surprise them anymore. It seems that most people will just excitedly cheer and applaud.

Loki continued the meeting uneventfully until she turned to the most unusual page, which contained a request from a certain person.

"This... this is really insane..." Loki held the page of the request, and even she, who was usually lawless, was shocked at this moment.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Loki, what's on your mind? Tell us what's going on."

The other gods, seeing Loki in this state, urged him on curiously.

"That's right! Loki! Hurry up and read out the most important report!" Hestia shouted, waving her hand.

"Shut up! Kid! You and that Shirou got involved together just to do this kind of reckless thing?"

"Speak up, Loki!"

"Shut up! I know! This is a quest, open to adventurers of level four or higher from all the Familias of Orario. It requires you to lead the client, the Demon Sword Forger Shirou, on an expedition to the 50th floor, into the lava zone of a special cave! To slay the Giant King Surtr! The reward... is five billion faeries!"

"Hey hey hey!!!" A huge uproar broke out in the hall, and many gods were shocked and their mouths were agape.

Chapter 1063 The Disturbance at the Divine Assembly

The news was so overwhelming that the gods were immediately thrown into a frenzy.

"Surtr?!"

"That giant of Ragnarok?!"

"Fifty billion? Fifty billion! How can there be so much money?" Hestia exclaimed in surprise.

"Hestia, you know the plan, so why are you making such a fuss?" Hephaestus, sitting to the side, said to her old friend with a hint of annoyance.

"But, but... that's five billion!" Hestia's eyes widened in disbelief. She had signed a nearly two-hundred-year labor contract to pay off a debt of two hundred million fali.

If it's 5 billion, and she's to pay it, wouldn't she have to repay it for 5,000 years?

"How did you manage to do that Shirou-kun? I just can't imagine it!" Faced with such a huge sum of money, Hestia felt her head spinning; it was an amount far beyond her comprehension.

"Ha, so that's why you're working for me here now," Hephaestus chuckled, revealing the harsh reality.

"Wait! Is this news reliable?" At this moment, a deity stood up and asked loudly.

"Yes, yes! Let's bring him here in person and question him in court!"

"Idiot, this is a divine assembly. There's a magic array in place during the meeting; mortals can't get in."

"However... it is indeed necessary to confirm this. We need to send someone to the guild to call someone over; we need to verify the authenticity of this request."

Clearly, the gods did not believe Shirou's request. Firstly, Surtr was an enemy of the gods, whose strength could threaten their lives. In fact, they could be considered gods, but they were not on the same side; they were mortal enemies vying for survival. However, the gods and these powerful enemies had already parted ways hundreds of millions of years ago.

In the realm of gods, the pampered deities who had lived in luxury for many years never even considered the possibility that these powerful enemies might be resurrected.

"Yes! We should also send people to find the Demon Sword Forger and keep an eye on him."

"That's right! Fooling the gods is a grave sin!"

"No need! I can testify!" At this moment, a stern female voice came from the upper seats.

"What?"

It was Astraea, the goddess with golden hair and a drill-like curl, who stood up and walked towards Loki.

"What exactly is going on? Astraea? This is no time for jokes," a deity warned.

"I swear by my god's name, I have tested Shirou, the forger of the Demon Sword Forger. He did not lie. This commission is valid." Astraea walked up to the high platform where the master of ceremonies stood and announced loudly.

"It's actually true!"

Has Surtr really been resurrected?

The gods might suspect the commission was flawed, but they wouldn't doubt the goddess herself. Although Astraea was adept at amassing wealth and often went berserk when with Ishtar, as a goddess of justice, she would never lie to protect someone in such a matter.

The gods nodded and began to discuss it.

"If that's the case, then it is indeed a problem, and it should be resolved as soon as possible."

"If it were to crawl out like a black dragon, that would be a truly horrific sight."

"We absolutely cannot let him out!"

The gods cannot interfere with this world, otherwise, the situation might actually worsen. However, if extraordinary monsters were to emerge from the earth, the world would inevitably be devastated, and countless lives would be lost.

When the monsters from the last three major missions appeared, they paid a heavy price—the complete annihilation of their two strongest clans—just to suppress the situation.

"Wait! Don't rush to speak, there's still the most important issue that hasn't been clarified! The commission! Fifty billion! How long has the Demon Sword Blacksmith been in Orario? Can he really come up with that much?" A god in charge of commerce raised his hand and questioned.

There's no need to worry about that!

At this moment Hephaestus stood up and explained:

"Shirou has transferred most of his brand shares to me, and then the Hephaestus Familia guaranteed a loan of 3 billion falies from the guild for Shirou."

Then, with the long-term weapon orders placed by the gods for Shirou, as long as a stable supply is maintained for fifty years, it can offset the 1 billion fali reward. Shirou has already earned the remaining 1 billion fali by selling magic swords and scabbards to various city-states and kingdoms, and by customizing first-tier weapons for adventurers."

"What!" The gods who had signed a long-term contract with Shirou looked surprised.

"Hephaestus, what is going on?" the gods asked loudly, for they had not heard of this matter.

"In short, as long as you help out, the weapon supply to your clan will not be interrupted. That's all. All these actions have been certified by the guild and are legal. You can confirm the specifics with Shirou after the Divine Assembly ends," Hephaestus replied coldly.

"This..." The gods were speechless; they seemed to have been pulled onto the ship without even realizing it.

Hephaestus ignored the gods and announced to them: