Chapter 268

Chapter 271: Guest Guardian and the Feast of the Gods (Please Subscribe!)

“The Monster Festival.” It was a celebration that had only recently become popular in Orario.

Held at Orario’s arena, it was organized and initiated by the Ganesha Familia and the Guild Headquarters.

The event featured Ganesha Familia beast tamers handling ferocious monsters brought up from the labyrinth. The objective wasn’t to defeat them but to showcase the entire process of taming the beasts—performances of subjugation for the audience.

For this reason, every time the Monster Festival approached, the Ganesha Familia would go on expeditions around this time.

They would bring out a certain number of monsters from the Dungeon Labyrinth, including a few rare deep-level creatures.

Many questioned the Guild’s planning of such an event, worried that adventurers bringing monsters from the dungeon to the surface could pose potential dangers.

Others sneered and laughed, dismissing it as a shallow policy to please the citizens. Or perhaps an event held to satisfy the curiosity of deities unable to enter the dungeon.

The Guild never revealed the exact reasons, and all rumors circulating now were merely speculations.

However, there was no denying that the Monster Festival had indeed brought profits to Orario in recent years, becoming a widely celebrated event.

To witness this spectacle, many wealthy individuals even traveled great distances from outside the city. A common term for joining the fun.

Izay had attended last year’s Monster Festival with Ais and the others; overall, it was decent, and attending again this year would make it his second time.

Though it might not be as peaceful as last year.

“By the way, Ais.”

“Hmm?”

“Looks like we can eat out today.”

“—?”

Faced with Izay’s sudden change of topic, Ais tilted her head slightly, waiting for his response.

“Didn’t Loki say she’d be attending the ‘Feast of the Gods’? She won’t be home for dinner today, so we’re supposed to just get by.”

“It seems…that’s right.”

“Be more confident, take out the ‘seems’—”

Izay corrected her slightly, but at this moment, Ais thought of something else.

“Can we buy fried potato balls?”

Her tone carried a rare hint of anticipation.

It was the kind of tone where, if no one was watching, she’d happily substitute her favorite snacks for a main meal.

“Uh…wanting fried potato balls is fine…but eating only fried potato balls isn’t allowed.”

Taking on the role of a guardian, Izay spoke up.

“Mm!”

And Ais nodded cheerfully.

As they observed the “boom, boom” shaking cargo boxes and the teams transporting them, they moved toward the lower urban areas.

During this time, they briefly encountered the leader of the Ganesha Familia, the Level 5 [Elephant God’s Staff] Shakti Falma, returning from their expedition.

Izay and Ais didn’t want to disturb their thoughts about the return from the expedition.

Although the Loki Familia and the Ganesha Familia had a friendly relationship, and the three of them knew each other privately, it was better to keep to themselves during such times.

They were busy with important matters, after all, while the two of them were just passing time and exercising down in the dungeon—it wouldn’t do to interfere.

…

…

…

…

The sun set in the west, dyeing the city a dark red under the amber skyline.

Adventurers who had been busy in the dungeon all day began to return with their companions to their Familia bases for rest.

The bustling night scenes of the city thus began.

That evening, revelry echoed through the alleys without pause, and scenes of various races drinking together in taverns were still commonplace.

But if you looked closely, you’d notice that the usual figures of the gods were absent from these places.

In contrast to the returning adventurers, one deity after another left their mansions dressed in formal attire.

These gods had been invited to attend a “Feast of the Gods” hosted by a fellow deity.

Compared to the “Assembly of the Gods,” which limited participation to only dozens of deities based on Familia strength, the Feast of the Gods was much more intimate.

There were no restrictions on attendance; all that was needed was an invitation letter from the hosting deity.

The number of “Feast of the Gods” invitations was limited and related to the size of the hosting deity’s Familia.

Large Familias naturally sent out more invitations, while smaller ones sent fewer.

And tonight, the destination for these deities was a massive statue-like structure shaped like an elephant-headed humanoid.

Among the countless glittering lights of the enormous city of Orario, this building stood out remarkably—or rather, bizarrely.

An elephant-headed giant sat cross-legged, proudly raising its chest as if waiting for admiration, a sight that left one speechless.

This was the headquarters of a large Familia, similar to the “Twilight Manor” of the Loki Familia—a Familia base.

However, it had a more vivid name: “I Am Ganesha,” the base of the Ganesha Familia.

It was a whimsical creation of the chief deity, who spent all the Familia’s accumulated wealth to construct this colossal edifice.

The Ganesha Familia was also one of the largest factions in Orario, ranking third in overall strength within the city.

This faction boasted eleven Level 5 members, surpassing even the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia.

However, since none of the adventurers had reached the “Hero Domain,” they seemed somewhat lacking.

But thanks to this powerful Familia strength, all the gods residing in this Labyrinth City were invited to this Feast of the Gods.

“This shape…”

“Pretty weird, huh? I understand you. I felt the same way when I first came here.”

Artemis and Demeter arrived at the location of the “Feast of the Gods,” the two goddesses coming together.

It should be mentioned that all members of the Ganesha Familia had complaints about this thing (their base).

It wasn’t about the money; rather, the entrance to this building was located beneath the cross-legged seated giant…

Every time they went in or out… damn!

“Alright, let’s not talk about this awkward shape. This Feast of the Gods is quite timely. There hasn’t been a banquet like this for some time.”

Demeter lightly covered her cherry lips and chuckled.

“Hmm, I haven’t attended a banquet in a while either, and I miss it. And I heard Hestia descended recently; I wonder if she’ll come.”

While speaking, Artemis displayed a nostalgic expression.

Who knows how long this goddess meant by “a while”?

“Hestia… she should come, right? It doesn’t seem like her to miss such a grand feast—even if just for the food.”

“Oh, by the way, Artemis, did you hear? At first, Hestia didn’t come to me or you but went to stay with Fifi.”

“She freeloaded at Fifi’s place for three months and got kicked out! Now she’s living self-sufficiently, working hard in the shopping district in the north. Still getting her head patted at the market stalls.”

As soon as she started talking about her old divine friends, Demeter couldn’t stop.

She wasn’t the type to remain silent, and chatting freely with her honey-friend was natural.

However, this topic truly hit Artemis’s blind spot.

To be honest, ever since she arrived in Orario, she had either been interacting with the children at home, communicating feelings with Izay, or chatting with Demeter. The rest of her time was spent finding knowledge gaps.

She hadn’t really paid attention to how Hestia was doing.

She only learned about her descent recently.

Because Izay had gone on an expedition those days…