Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Great Sage Izay, please subdue this sprite!

Although the queue at the city gate was long, the guards conducting the inspections worked swiftly.

Those who guarded the city gates were undoubtedly capable and experienced; day after day, they performed their duties with practiced ease.

The queue, stretching like a dragon, visibly diminished before one’s eyes.

It wasn’t long before Izay and his group reached the gate, where only a few remained in line.

“Come here for a moment, Izay.”

Just as it was their turn to be inspected, Artemis suddenly turned around and beckoned Izay over.

Izay immediately understood, stepping forward and turning sideways to present the backpack on his back to the goddess. He said, “If you’re looking for the pass and guild certificate, they should both be in the second compartment of the bag.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After more than half a month of companionship, the relationship between Izay and Artemis had grown remarkably.

Both the speed and manner of this growth were quite unusual.

Certainly not the proper relationship between a deity and a mortal, it was more akin to…

Ahem, let’s leave that to your imagination for now…

Neither party had yet broached the subject, or perhaps neither was ready to do so?

Izay was no fool; he could sense Artemis’s special treatment towards him—it wasn’t some illusion of life.

Almost all the young women in the Familial Group had noticed by now. Even if he himself were blind, surely not all twenty girls in such a large group could be blind too, right?

But it was strange—because Izay couldn’t figure out why.

What made this deity of chastity take such an interest in him?

A layer of doubt lingered in his mind.

Until the mystery was unraveled, Izay believed maintaining this unspoken understanding was the best course of action.

Artemis felt the same way.

For some reason, she felt an inexplicable allure towards Izay, something intangible yet undeniably present…

Even a goddess well-versed in many matters found herself at a loss regarding this issue, choosing the same approach as Izay.

Their mutual understanding didn’t escape the watchful eyes of Letsha and Lanti behind them, who smiled knowingly like doting aunts.

They cared little about the thoughts of the two parties involved, believing firmly in what they themselves believed.

In their view, Lady Goddess had finally come to her senses, gradually comprehending the meaning of “love.”

Not only did Letsha and Lanti feel no anger at the possibility of Izay winning over their goddess, but they even wished to encourage him further.

Great Sage Izay, please claim this sprite!

That way, she’ll have no time to meddle in our romantic affairs within the Familial Group…

Then the sea will be open for fish to leap and the sky vast for birds to fly.

All members of the Artemis Familial Group looked forward to this development.

Having been suppressed for so long, they finally saw a glimmer of hope for liberation—how easy it was!

……

With their passes and certificates from the Adventurers Guild, the four entered Orario smoothly.

After passing through the long corridor at the gate, the view opened up, revealing the true face of Orario to Izay.

The scene before him was a bustling street scene unimaginable in the outside world, the unique charm of this otherworldly city captivating Izay’s gaze.

The wide and lively streets stretched from the square in front of the gate, with neatly arranged stone bricks underfoot and throngs of people moving about.

Various races came into Izay’s view. Ignoring the robust dwarves and beastmen, his appreciative gaze focused mainly on elves or female adventurers.

After all, a normal man wouldn’t keep staring at burly men without reason.

On both sides of the street, shops of all kinds stood side by side, and Izay walked along excitedly, taking everything in.

Many stylish women who favored minimal clothing caught sight of Izay and immediately began eyeing him like prey.

The southern part of Orario was indeed fascinating, not just because of its vibrant streets with casinos and grand theaters.

Right next door, in the southeastern district, lay the famous “Red Light District,” home to the Pleasure Quarter, where the headquarters of the Ishtar Familial Group, the largest brothel in all of Orario, was located.

Most of the women eyeing Izay hungrily hailed from the neighboring red-light district.

Recalling that he currently possessed only meager strength, Izay quickly reined in his excitement and edged closer to the goddess.

Orario did have instances of human trafficking.

Though frowned upon, if the victim was a helpless commoner with no real power, even if kidnapped, no one would intervene.

Izay had every reason to believe that, with his handsome features—handsome, elegant, refined, talented, and dashing—those women had good cause to act against him!

Some of them were even blessed by the deity Ishtar.

His frail frame at the moment stood no chance against their clutches.

Staying close to the goddess seemed much safer…

Artemis raised an elegant eyebrow upon noticing his movement, rolling her beautiful eyes but saying nothing.

Before Izay now stretched a long avenue leading straight to the towering white chalk tower known as Babel Tower.

Orario was a nearly circular city, with tall walls surrounding it. At its center stood the even taller Babel Tower, surrounded by a central square that could accommodate tens of thousands of people.

Eight main streets radiated outward from the city center to the walls, each corresponding to a direction and dividing the city into eight districts, numbered first to eighth starting from due north and proceeding clockwise.

Currently, the four were on South Street.

Their destination was Northwest Street, also known as Adventurer Street.

The Pantheon, headquarters of the Adventurers Guild, was located there.

Artemis intended to bring Letsha and Lanti to the guild to submit their mission and collect rewards, while Izay planned to inquire about joining a Familial Group.

Despite the growing closeness between Izay and Artemis, it seemed the goddess wasn’t willing to break her principles for him just yet.

“A Familial Group with twenty members is already sufficient. Adding more would make it difficult to manage, and as a male, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to be alone in my group.”

This was what Artemis had said during a private conversation when the topic arose.

Simply put, it was a warning for Izay not to entertain thoughts of joining her Familial Group.

After all, adding a male to a group composed entirely of pure young women—what would that even be?

The Garden of Eden?

Reasonably speaking, Artemis didn’t want such a situation to arise.

So, in order to complete his tasks and unlock the great potential buried within his body, Izay would have to seek another path.