The next day, the members of the Hestia Familia rose early. After a final check of their luggage and confirming everything was in order, they headed for the southern city wall.
Shakti Varma, the team leader of the Ganesha Familia, along with several members responsible for taming wyverns, had been waiting for some time. Spotting Levi and his group, Shakti stepped forward.
On behalf of Ganesha, her patron god, who was unable to attend, she said:
"May fortune favor you all, and may you successfully complete the quest issued by The Guild."
"Thank you," Levi replied, then, holding Hestia, he mounted a wyvern.
Alise took Cassandra, Gojouno Kaguya took Daphne, and Lili carried the luggage, each choosing their own mount.
"Then, Team Leader Shakti, we shall see you again in about half a month."
With that, Levi lightly flicked the reins, prompting his wyvern to take flight. The girls followed suit, quickly mastering control of their own wyverns.
...
While the Hestia Familia had temporarily departed Orario for a compulsory Guild quest, the Labyrinth City's relentless pace remained unbroken.
Four days later, in the Denatus hall inside Babel, the quarterly assembly of patron gods was underway. Unlike previous assemblies, this one focused on bestowing a title upon Orario's newest powerhouse, Levi Bright.
Many gods, usually reclusive, had gathered for the occasion. Even gods typically at odds sat quietly in their seats, refraining from exchanging barbs.
The host of this assembly was Freya. Originally, Takemikazuchi, who had only recently arrived in Orario, was slated to host.
However, the male god ultimately succumbed to the Goddess of Beauty's charm and monetary influence, willingly yielding the position to her.
Fortunately, Freya, despite her eagerness to influence Levi's title, managed to restrain herself for the time being. Following protocol, she first allowed the gods to share various pieces of news they had heard.
At first, topics were trivial, often based on hearsay. They gossiped about which upper-level adventurer had foolishly gotten caught in the Dungeon, thinking their misdeeds unseen; who had fallen for a fellow Familia member; or which weapon or potion shop had adjusted its prices.
But soon, someone steered the conversation toward The Guild, or, more specifically, the sparkling wines sold by the Hestia Familia.
"Speaking of which, which of you have had your Familia members try the Ice-Fire Wine brewed by Hestia's little boyfriend? What were the specific effects?"
The speaker was a goddess whose Familia primarily focused on Dungeon exploration. Her Familia was not large, its assets barely exceeding 30 million Valis.
They could afford one bottle of 3-star Ice-Fire Wine, or six bottles of 2-star Fire Wine. But before making a purchase, she naturally wanted to confirm the product's effects.
As soon as the question was posed, the expressions of many gods in attendance grew serious. Clearly, a significant portion of them had come to the assembly seeking similar answers.
Loki raised her hand, gesturing for everyone's attention.
"My Finn purchased a bottle of 1-star Fire Wine from the Hestia Familia to test its effects. The results were quite good. New adventurers who could endure the pain of being scorched by flames could raise their ability values to nearly 200 points in just over two days."
Many gods expressed surprise at her response.
"That impressive?"
"No way, if you can get stronger just by drinking wine, what's the point of all those adventurers who trained hard to improve their strength?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you've got it all wrong. Sparkling wine only enhances the foundation and speeds up the accumulation of ability values. How to choose the right moment to attack and the proficiency of the techniques used still require extensive combat experience to master."
"That's still incredible. I feel like Orario is about to see a surge of Lv.2 and Lv.3 adventurers. It's just a shame that my Familia can't afford sparkling wine." A god said, looking directly at Soma, the God of Wine, who sat in the corner, their intentions unconcealed.
Levi had positioned the sparkling wine as a luxury item. Adventurers from small and medium-sized Familias were advised to purchase a bottle only after accumulating enough Feat for a level-up, using it to push their attributes to the limit.
Even so, 200,000 or 500,000 Valis for a low-grade sparkling wine was not something everyone could afford. Three-star or four-star sparkling wines were even more out of reach. According to The Guild's records, only one bottle of three-star sparkling wine had been sold in the past few days.
Gods were generally arrogant and domineering. If Levi hadn't demonstrated overwhelming strength from the start, many would have had no qualms about banding together to pressure the Hestia Familia into relinquishing some of their profits.
But now, they had no choice but to accept being fleeced. Alternatively, they could try to have the God of Wine create a similar product.
However, the next second, Soma's words caught everyone off guard.
"I can make wine that enhances ability values, but it would require unleashing divine power, or investing materials worth over a hundred million Valis."
A collective gasp filled the hall.
"Oh dear, this is quite something." Demeter rested one hand on her cheek. Astrea, seated beside her, also appeared surprised.
Neither of them, nor the vast majority of the gods present, had expected Soma, the God of Wine, to be incapable of replicating the sparkling wine.
Someone then turned to another god of wine in the crowd. "Dionysus, what about you?"
"Please spare me." The blond god raised both hands in surrender.
"After descending, I focused all my energy on managing my Familia, and my skills have grown rusty. But Soma is right. Without unleashing divine power, the only way to brew sparkling wine is to use materials from the Lower or even Deep Floors, but if we do that, the final product's price will almost certainly exceed the current market price."
The gods fell silent at this revelation. After a few seconds, one god muttered softly, "I guess it's no surprise, given that he awakened the Mystery skill."
"Alright." Freya, from her position as host, suddenly clapped her hands, her cheeks flushed.
"Let's end the small talk here."
"Next, we should bestow titles upon the newly risen adventurers."
"Since we're on the topic of Levi Bright, let's start with him."
____
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
✅ Read up to 40 chapters in advance (all stories)!
✅ Access exclusive posts and updates first!
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters on ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan