1067. The Expedition Team Sets Out / 1068. Advancing into the Dungeon

Kama remained calm and unconcerned about the opinions of the male gods. She turned to the goddesses present and said, "The male gods are all idiots. As long as you give them a little something or a flirty glance, they'll fawn over Freya."

"Huh?" The male gods were all stunned.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" The goddesses frowned and looked at Kama impatiently.

"Look at her, even now she's sitting upright in her chair, looking completely calm. It's like the world revolves around her. Don't you guys find this infuriating?" Kama made no attempt to hide his provocation at Freya.

Other goddesses, perhaps out of consideration for their reputation or out of fear of Freya Familia's power, dared not be too overbearing towards Freya.

However, Kama doesn't have a single familia left, but she doesn't care about Freya's threat at all.

She doesn't care about the opinions of other male gods. As a rebellious goddess of love, she still hates the rampant love of others. Now she is only focused on her own feelings and just wants to help Shirou as promised.

Kama simply kept using words to incite the goddesses' malice towards Freya.

"That's all I have to say. Do whatever you want. You guys over there, it's been a long time since we last met. Old friends, come sit down and chat with me." Kama beckoned to the still hesitant male gods and sat down in the Red Faction's seats.

The Hindu deities, having no other choice, smiled broadly and walked towards Kama.

The goddesses, left standing there, exchanged glances, their minds racing.

In this world, Freya stands out from the crowd, outshining all others. Whether it's treasures and jewelry, male gods, or her own kin, once she sets her sights on something, no other goddess can take it from her. Even the most loyal kin cannot resist Freya's charm if she tries to steal it.

It would be impossible to say that the goddesses had no emotions at all.

It's like how girls who are always surrounded by boys in class find it difficult to have female friends.

Freya is incredibly popular among male gods, but she's not so popular among female gods.

Hestia made it very clear that she was somewhat afraid of Freya and did not want to have too much to do with her.

The goddess in reality might not say that, but she probably thinks even worse things, wishing she could kill her and send her back to heaven.

"..." Freya maintained her smile, but her heart was far from as calm as it appeared. She had originally gathered a bunch of male gods and wanted to bribe some goddesses to join her side. Anyway, they were all vain goddesses, and she could get them to her side by giving them some benefits.

They originally intended to use Aqua, the goddess, as a starting point to get the other goddesses to set aside their pride and come to their side, but unexpectedly, they were stopped by a goddess who was usually inconspicuous.

However, she maintained the elegance of a top-tier familia, and she still held the advantage in the votes. Although she didn't have as much preparation time as Shirou, she still put in a lot of effort. Recently, she has been holding parties and inviting many gods to participate.

"I know you are all wonderful gentlemen, please help me, let's do it together," Freya pleaded softly to the male gods on the stage.

The originally neutral gods were instantly melted by the goddess's humble request and headed towards Freya.

At this point, the blue team has 99 votes and the Red Faction has 94 votes.

At this point, only the goddess remained on the stage.

"Loki, come over here too." Freya turned her gaze to the wine-red-haired goddess inside and waved to her.

"Hey Freya, can you please not drag me into this? You guys are going a bit too far," Loki said helplessly, hiding among the neutral faction.

"Please do me a favor, I beg you," Freya said, clasping her hands together and pleading with her old friend.

"Sigh... alright." Loki scratched his head, shrugged helplessly, and walked over to Freya, sitting down.

Great! With Loki joining the team, Freya's score has now reached 100!

If they could just bring in one more god, Freya Familia would win.

"Everyone, come over here. As payment, I will open my treasury, and you can choose any treasure from it," Freya invited the goddesses on the stage.

The remaining neutral goddesses, upon hearing Freya's words, also began to move.

"Snort!!"

These goddesses, who did not accept Ishtar's bribes and were generally indifferent to money and treasure, would be different if it meant making Freya suffer.

So the Red Faction got 6 more votes, bringing their total to 100 votes.

"That's wonderful!" Hestia exclaimed happily.

"Since it's a tie, there's no result. Since the meeting is a draw, it can't be passed. We'll discuss it again another day," Freya said. She had already anticipated the worst-case scenario when she called Loki over.

As the emcee, Loki should have been the one to vote last. If the score remained deadlocked, she, as the emcee, could abstain from voting and let the meeting decide the outcome.

However, Loki was summoned by Freya beforehand, which led to the current stalemate.

A draw would not count, and Freya could use the next divine assembly to recruit more gods, which would be a piece of cake for her. If she had just one more day to prepare, it would be a victory for her.

"Why?! We went through so much trouble to get the vote done, how can it not count now?!" Ishtar protested loudly.

"I didn't say I was going to overturn your proposal, I just said we'd discuss it another day," Freya said with a smile.

"How can this be! At least let's have a revote!" Ishtar exclaimed.

"The gods here have already made their choices. Are we going to let them go back on their word? There are no gods left in the conference room, so let's end it here for today," Freya said.

"No! There's another god who didn't vote!"

Just then, a sound came from outside, and the doors of the church were pushed open!

"What!" The gods were stunned as they looked at the figure walking in through the door.

Because the person who entered the meeting room was not one of the gods they knew, but Shirou.

"Disrespectful one! How dare you overstep your bounds and trespass into the divine assembly!" a deity shouted angrily.

"No, there's a barrier outside that mortals can't enter. How did he get in?" a deity asked in surprise.

"Every god present in the meeting room has the right to vote, right? So I'll cast my vote for the Red Faction! This delegation is approved!"

Shirou spoke, he instantly became a god! His hair turned pure white and began to grow rapidly, eventually becoming long hair that almost reached the ground. Pure Divine Power emanated from his body, and the entire platform was covered by the white light of the Creative Power.

Chapter 1067 The Expedition Sets Off

At the entrance to the dungeon, a large crowd had gathered, with dozens of high-level support characters carrying enormous packs and waiting in the wings. Behind them, tamed monsters continuously delivered weapons and other supplies.

On the other side, the high-ranking adventurers, who formed the main force, were talking with their fellow clan members who had come to see them off. However, some of them couldn't help but appear nervous. The younger adventurers were reluctant to part with their seniors.

Although they didn't know exactly what happened at the Gods' Gathering that day, nearly half of Orario's high-level combat power had been mobilized for this expedition, so one could imagine how dangerous it would be.

"Delicious fried chicken nuggets~!"

"Hot and fresh takoyaki~!"

Freshly baked croquettes!

"Warriors on the expedition, come and see! You won't be able to eat this once you enter the dungeon!" a nearby vendor shouted loudly.

In a restaurant not far away, a group of gods were gathered, watching their kin on the ground.

"This operation has involved the entire city, Shirou. Don't mess things up. Restrain your Divine Power and don't let the problems in the dungeon erupt prematurely." An old, white-haired deity solemnly addressed the boy whose hair was covered by a cloak.

He is Uranus, the chief god who created the guild, and can be said to be the one who sustains Orario's operation.

"Don't worry, I know what to do. Haven't we discussed this many times already?" Shirou said with a light laugh to the old god.

Although Shirou doesn't believe Uranus is a purely good being, it doesn't prevent them from having a common goal.

Orario has many problems, but the biggest hurdle right now is Surtr, so everyone should hold back and solve the biggest problem first.

At this moment, another large group of clans passed by downstairs. However, all of them were members participating in the expedition, and none of them were strong individuals below level 4.

"Haha, this is really a big deal. But what people really care about is what the guy who started this is planning to do."

A pretty cat-eared girl walked ahead with her hands behind her back, followed by the Loki Familia.

Anna Oldam, also known as 'Lady Cat,' is undoubtedly a Level 2 adventurer at the top of Lv. 4 in the city.

Within her beautiful face, which captivated Loki at first sight, resided a cold flame. She was a cat-person of both talent and beauty, a noble cat breed recognized by the gods.

"Ans, don't worry, Shirou, you've seen it before," Tiona said.

"That's right, Shirou- san, he wouldn't do anything to betray everyone," Leifya chimed in.

"Hmm." Ais touched the scabbard at her waist and nodded.

"It's not that I'm worried, it's just that I'm a cat, so I can't help being curious," Ans said, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"Wow! 'Sword Princess,' 'Great Severance,' 'Raging Serpent'... even 'Nine Demon Princesses' is here! Amazing!!"

"So beautiful... so handsome!!"

The residents of the labyrinthine street, who were gathered around to watch the spectacle, all exclaimed in amazement.

Humans, Amazon, and fairy royalty—the children watching the grand event from the outside—saw the first-class adventurer who had arrived shining in their eyes.

Loki Familia left behind their leader Finn and Heavy Master to hold the rear, while the other members, all level 4 and above, joined the expedition.

Only the wine-red-haired goddess sat sulking to one side, pouring herself a drink. "Waaah, that wretched Shirou! He's stolen so many of my lovely girls away all at once, leaving me all alone in the familia! How hateful!"

"Loki, you should drink less," the silver-haired goddess advised from the side.

"And you, Freya, weren't you trying to stop that man? Why are you standing by and doing nothing now? Get your revenge!" Loki, drunk, shouted at the silver-haired goddess.

"I never intended to take revenge on Shirou. But I understand that once a boy makes up his mind, nothing can change it. So all I can do is try my best to protect him." Illya gave a helpless and poignant smile.

Illya considers Shirou her only family, while Freya is in charge of "beauty" and "love." She will stop at nothing to protect the person she cherishes, and she will not let anyone take Shirou away.

This time, Freya Familia deployed even more combat power Loki's, leaving only Berserker to protect herself while all the other members went out, including the level 7 leader, Ota.

Although the vice-captain Allen was unwilling, no one in Freya Familia would defy the goddess's will.

At this moment, Freya Familia also arrived at the gathering square, and the surrounding adventurers consciously made way for them to enter.

Ota, the leader, was the first to approach the Loki Familia.

"Riviera, are you leading the team this time?" Ota asked the green-haired Nine Demon Princesses Elf royal family.

"Ota, not Finn, but me. Is there something you're unhappy about?" Riviera asked with a smile. Her long, smooth hair, draped over her shoulders, shimmered with an emerald-like luster, and her high-ranking mage robes, which covered her entire body, made her radiate a sense of holiness.

"No. In that case, we can also charge forward without restraint," Ota replied sternly.

This high-ranking fairy, who resembled a celestial being descended to earth, once suffered collateral damage due to the jealousy of a goddess, which has become a major topic of conversation within the labyrinth city.

Of course, no one dared to underestimate her strength because of her beauty. She was one of the world's most outstanding archmages, and was known as the strongest in Orario in terms of True Magic.

The two sides have a long-standing relationship, and given the complicated romances between their respective goddesses, their relationship can be described as both rivalry and friendship. Although they sometimes have disagreements, they still cooperate tacitly when it matters.

The people around were relieved to see the two great clans gathered here; there was no stronger force in the whole world.

As the midday sun reached its zenith, the combined expeditionary force of the clans began to enter the underground city in batches.

Shirou also arrived at the plaza. He would be under the army's close protection until they reached the fiftieth floor, at which point he would make his move.

After he left the restaurant, the gods above resumed their discussion.

At the meeting of the gods, Shirou's vote was forcibly passed.

However, this does not mean that the gods can accept Shirou as Outer God.

"We've been tricked this time, but once he gets back, we'll have to discuss how to deal with Shirou-kun," Arishin said grimly.

Chapter 1068 Invading the Dungeon

At the previous guild meeting, Uranus was actually tricked by Shirou. If the guild did not recognize Shirou's identity, then Shirou could easily renege on his promise.

The guild initially recognized Shirou as a member of Orario, which is why they arranged the loan for him. Now, with preparations for the expedition, Shirou has borrowed a considerable amount of money, which will also be affected.

The enormous sum of five billion Faris has a huge impact; it will destabilize the entire economy of Orario.

If this request is not fulfilled, Shirou will drag everyone along, and all expeditions have reached a point where they have no choice but to launch them.

Therefore, the guild had to acknowledge Shirou's status as a god of Orario, but many gods harbored resentment towards Shirou and wanted to deal with Shirou and seize his property in the city.

"We'll have to wait until he's dealt with Surtr before we can talk about anything else," the guild's chief deity Uranus, said in a deep voice.

"Wait, Shirou was also acting against his will back then, and he's risking his life to fight the fire giant for our sake! How could you..." Ishtar said, indignantly.

"No! In the end, Surtr only appeared because of him! He broke into the Divine Assembly and admitted to being a member of Orario, so he should be dealt with according to the rules of the gods!" a god interrupted.

"Hmph, say whatever you want. I've already instructed the children that if they encounter any danger, Surtr should be left to that Outer God to handle, whether he destroys the monster or perishes with it."

"It would be better if he died! That way, I could at least give him a name of sacrifice."

Some gods harbored ill will towards Shirou, while others were hesitant and unsure. Only a few gods were willing to speak up for Shirou.

However, these are things that Shirou cannot change.

He stood before the entrance, cloaked in his robes. He had only one goal: to defeat Surtr and resolve the crisis the white god had brought to the world.

As for divine retribution, Shirou no longer had the energy to think about it. Punishment was unavoidable; he might be banished or even killed.

If he could defeat Surtr peacefully, he might be able to atone for his mistake. But if he failed... Shirou had never considered the consequences of failure. If that were to happen, he would never choose to live.

"Big Brother Shirou ~!"

"Shirou-kun ~!"