The meeting place arranged with the Takemikazuchi Familia was the Hostess of Fertility tavern, serving as a farewell party before setting off on the expedition.
Liang Yue found this perfectly reasonable—an opportunity for teammates to get acquainted.
The Hostess of Fertility was chosen as the venue, and in addition to the familiar faces from the Takemikazuchi Familia, there was also the War God himself—Takemikazuchi.
Like Hestia, he was a poor god, but unlike her pleasure-seeking, live-in-the-moment nature, he worked to earn money to care for the orphans he had taken in.
All of his Familia members were children he had personally raised.
The dinner was just a simple introduction. Among the adventurers were Kashima Sakura and Yamato Mikoto—both Level 2 adventurers—
and one more, Hitachi Chigusa.
In terms of strength, their Familia was average by Orario standards, with their deepest forays going only as far as the 18th floor of the Dungeon.
But as support for this forced expedition, Liang Yue felt their power was sufficient—only needed to provide covering support when they were exhausted and unable to fight for a while.
If they could execute a "Monster Delivery" to protect themselves in danger, there was no need to over-rely on them—in fact, he trusted the unpaid Lili more.
The dinner ended with most of the expedition's details discussed by Lili.
Once their bellies were full, Liang Yue impatiently dragged Hestia back to their home to perform a status update after the past two days of Dungeon training.
The process was simple.
When Hestia traced his status onto parchment, the growth from just two days left her emotionally numb.
Liang Yue
Lv2
Strength: i0 → H121
Endurance: i0 → H101
Dexterity: i0 → H133
Agility: i0 → H120
Magic: i0 → H101
Development Ability: Sword Soul
Magic: War Fervor
Skill: Power of the Sword Soul
After two days of intense training, the total growth was nearly 600 points. Hestia had no idea how he was managing this.
Updating his status before the expedition and securing support from another Familia—this was the limit of what she could do. Without a word, she simply handed Liang Yue the parchment with his updated stats.
"Here, take a look."
Scanning the numbers, Liang Yue wasn't surprised. Compared to when he first received Falna, his growth rate was starting to slow toward a more normal pace.
The upper floors of the Dungeon could no longer threaten him—his training there was just routine exercise now.
Finally, seeing Hestia's worried expression, he put away his relaxed smile and said seriously,
"About this expedition—
I'll take it seriously. I won't risk my life carelessly."
"…Alright."
Hestia nodded absentmindedly. She knew everything he did was for the future development of their Familia, and as a god, she too had to do her part.
She didn't tell him about the upcoming Gathering of the Gods—the meeting that would decide his new title—so as not to distract him during the expedition.
"I believe in you."
After finishing Dungeon exploration and the status update, Liang Yue went to bed early to be in top condition for the long journey ahead.
This expedition was a little different from usual.
At dawn, Lili—her pack already filled with half a month's worth of supplies—waited outside their home.
Even Hestia woke up early.
Her eyes were full of reluctance, but she said nothing. Just before departure, she helped Liang Yue tie the cord on the gray-brown cloak she had prepared for him.
The meeting place was the informal base of the Hestia Familia. Morning sunlight spilled across the ground, driving away the night's chill.
The Takemikazuchi Familia was punctual.
When Liang Yue, Lili, and Hestia stepped out of the abandoned church, the fully geared Kashima, Chigusa, and Mikoto were already waiting.
Sakura, in her neat combat gear, didn't try to take the lead—she was mindful of the command structure. She looked curiously at Liang Yue in his full cloak and armor.
She had heard Takemikazuchi mention his strength, but what really intrigued her was why a Familia with only two members like Hestia's would be forced into an expedition at all—surely there was a story behind it.
"Liang Yue, we're ready. Is there anything else you need to handle?"
Liang Yue shook his head, scanning the unfamiliar faces before turning his gaze toward the Tower of Babel standing tall at Orario's center.
The forced expedition was the main mission.
The priority was the journey itself—to train his stats as much as possible, and afterward to advance the Sword Soul template to the next profession rank.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Hestia standing in the doorway, then turned away and gave the order,
"Let's go."
"Right."
Lili answered, matching his resolve with her steps.
The hired Takemikazuchi Familia members had no objections—they carried their curiosity about Liang Yue into the road ahead, beginning this forced Familia expedition.
The timing of the Gathering of the Gods was no coincidence—it had been decided by the great god Ouranos, and was to be held on the 30th floor of the Tower of Babel.
His intent was obvious—he likely didn't want the expedition to face unnecessary interference, a sort of indirect protection that Hestia greatly appreciated.
After seeing Liang Yue off, Hestia didn't idle away her time. With a nervous heart, she went to the main weapon store of Hephaestus to wait for the meeting to start.
Liang Yue's Level 2 title was still an unknown. She knew those idle troublemakers wouldn't let her easily secure the Sword Soul title for him.
Then there was the matter of his record-breaking speed in reaching Level 2—
And especially the annihilation of the Soma Familia.
This Gathering of the Gods would be unprecedentedly lively, and she couldn't imagine what kind of uproar it would cause.
As time passed, she glanced at Hephaestus—who had, for once, put on a formal dress. Feeling the tension in Hestia's eyes, she asked,
"So… about Liang Yue's title… I'm guessing the other gods—"
"Just let it be," Hephaestus interrupted.
She was just there for the fun of it, accompanying Hestia to the meeting, but she also had a mischievous curiosity—she wanted to see the other gods' faces when they learned of Liang Yue's feats.
When they arrived at the meeting hall, the scene was exactly as expected—after the fall of the Soma Familia, the place was buzzing.
Sweeping her gaze around, Hestia saw many familiar faces—Loki, Freya, Apollo (who had once pursued her in Heaven), and the host of this meeting, the elephant-headed Ganesha.
The only one missing was the initiator, Ouranos.
Seats were assigned to gods with high-ranking adventurers whose strength was recognized—something Hestia didn't bother worrying about right now.
She sought out familiar faces in the crowd.
But before she could mingle, she was spotted by Ganesha, who decided the time was right—the main participants were all here.
Standing at the edge of the podium, wearing his elephant-nose mask, Ganesha's voice rang out with excitement:
"Since everyone is more or less here—allow me, Ganesha, to announce—
The Gathering of the Gods… begins now!!"