Nembesouk
Jin Skyward
"Forw—"
Yank!
"—ard, uh, Fia?"
I was about to take a step forward when Grayfia yanked me back.
"Jin-sama, we are on official business. While I am your maid, and I took your advice, I wish that you would dress a little more appropriately. I understand that this realm is quite hot, but please."
She says it in a formal way. Um, she is aware that all our clothes have those enchantments, right? We won't— She's glaring at me, alright, alright, I'll change. I snap my fingers and the clothes I was wearing change into the black business suit I wear for most formal meetings. I sigh. If it weren't for my enchantments, I would be cooked alive, Grayfia…
"Is this better, love?"
I asked a little sarcastically and she glares at me but also blushes a little. Fia is still weak to things like that and I find it cute. Finally, I sigh and look around the realm again. It hadn't been that long since I—
Shing! Pomf!
"Master Jin!"
A certain Rabbit Goddess appeared in front of me before hugging me. I was a bit surprised, but welcomed it. I wonder if she was here in the realm and sensed me? That small celebration for them hasn't started yet either so I'm still invited to it…
"Hey, Kuro. You were here in Nembesouk?"
I ask her and she nods while still hugging me. Did she miss me that much? Geez… I petted her a little while hugging her. The two women with me looked at her with a bit of confusion. Although I had already told them about her, they had never seen her yet.
"Yes, I was. We are still preparing for the festival. It should happen soon. Will you be…?"
"Yeah, I will. I'll bring some of the girls with me. But today I am here for business, doing some requests and all, you know?"
She nods and separates from me while blushing a bit.
"T-Then I will get back to work, Master Jin."
She bows before disappearing.
"Alright let's go!"
Locating Ra's aura, we started walking towards it. There were also a few other auras around the realm that I didn't recognize. However, I did expect to see other Gods or Goddesses today. But I do wonder what Ra wants me to do. Looking around I don't see any major damage done, although if I go back to West Emzusai there might be.
Glancing at Grayfia she seemed intrigued by the place. I don't think she's been here before; she's probably been to a few limited places that Sirzechs went to in the past.
"Jin, do you still plan on heading to that giant library?"
"Hmm? Ah, if we have time… Also, that fancy hall where they do dance competitions and sell food… Hopefully before we leave back for home."
I glanced at Rose because she was the one to ask that question, and she also seemed quite excited. I promised her to go there but all those attacks happened so we didn't get a chance to go there. She probably wants to learn about the history and whatever magic they have here…
But… On the other hand, a certain maid became curious about that building I mentioned since food was involved. Fia, we think too alike. Maybe I can add some items there to my own menu when we do inevitably go there.
Finally, we arrived at the guards from before and they let me through. It seems I have become a bit more accepted here. This is because the guard who was suspicious of me before didn't even bat an eye when he let me through. I felt a smirk appear on my face. At least some people are willing to change their stance and opinion…
Entering the building and walking through the halls of Ra's home, we quickly reached the same room as before and I pushed it open. Once inside I saw a few familiar faces.
"Oh! Jin! Welcome back!"
Like an excited child, Ra welcomed me back. The others who were there were Isis, Kurousagi, Rashida, Hathoth, Osiris, Bastet and Sekhmet. I guess the other Gods and Goddesses I hadn't met yet are around different parts of Nembesouk.
"Hello, Ra. I'm here for whatever request you want me for."
I put my hand up to greet him.
"Yes, yes, welcome, welcome. It seems you brought someone else this time around."
He grinned at me while I shook my head. However, his grin quickly disappeared and he looked at me seriously. I wondered why there were so many Gods here, maybe it had something to do with the request?
"Jin. You may have heard some stories from Vera, Kurousagi or even Isis about our realm, correct?"
He asked and I nodded.
"This saves me time then. Please help restore some of the destroyed towns and villages that were wiped out by the past wielders of your Sacred Gears."
I guess as much. So that's the reason they wanted me, huh? It makes me wonder what the Slavic Gods want me for…
"Some, or all?"
"Some of them were quite close to each other, so we would like you to merge some of them together and just make them into mini-cities or larger towns. We will pay you a hefty sum of money… Unless…"
Ra looks at me then at Isis, Kurousagi, Bastet and Sekhmet before smirking.
"Or other rewards can be arranged!"
After saying that, Isis rolled her eyes, Bastet laughed, Sekhmet was confused and Kuro blushed... What the hell do you take me for, a pervert?!
'{[…]}'
Shut up! It was a rhetorical question!
[We didn't say anything, Partner.]
"I jest, Jin! Although they are single women!"
Smack!
"Ow?! I'm the Chief God here!"
Isis smacked Ra and then the two proceeded to argue back and forth. However, the rest of the Gods didn't seem too bothered by it, so they didn't try to stop them. This has to be common… But how do they want me to restore them? Like how they previously looked like? Make them modern?
"So… How would you like them to be?"
They looked at each other before talking among themselves. I waited there but noticed that Grayfia had been staring at Kurousagi. She also does the same thing back to Grayfia. Rose seemed to have noticed this as well, and we briefly stared at each other.
"If you don't mind, then would you let the God or Goddess that will be governing those places to choose?"
"If that's what you want, then sure."
I'm also curious as to what they'll ask. I mean I already have a bit of experience thanks to doing it in Tír na nÓg. I'll rely on you on this too Cúntóir, I'm not exactly well-versed in old house designs.
Cúntóir: Answer: Yes dear ~
"Jin, one more thing, well, a few things actually… There are still some places that need help with repairs, and some of the Gods that will be overseeing the construction won't arrive for a few more hours, so you can start when they arrive, but for now…"
They're still not done? I give him that look and he awkwardly turns away and laughs. Oh wait… That reminds me, we'll be taking those flying ships to reach the other places, won't we? I promised Inaie, but she's not here… Oh well…
"I mean, I can at least check this place out a little more. Just call me or use a magic circle to let me know when I can start."
I can also bring some souvenirs for the girls…
"Excellent, then I'll do that when they arrive… Hmm, a guide is in order. Then—"
"I'll do it!"
Before Ra could finish, Kurousagi put her hand up and volunteered. The rest of the Gods in the room stare at her before she turns red. Ra blinks a few times before laughing.
"Is that so? Then I will leave it up to you, Kurousagi! Isis!"
"Shut up, I know, I've already been with him."
Despite her reluctance, Isis agrees to go with us too. I give her a thumbs up and she rolls her eyes at me. Well at least we have the same group as before.
"I'll accompany him too. I'll tell him my spot while I'm at it."
Bastet put her hand up, and Ra nodded.
"There you go, Jin! Not only one, or two, but three Goddesses are coming with you! I have heard through a certain God of a certain Greek pantheon, that you may or may not have started dating a Goddess over there too."
Ra says with a grin, making the rest of them look surprised and stare at me even more. W-Wait a minute, when did Zeus…? How the hell— No, it has to be Hestia or even Hermes…
"Maybe… Anyway, we'll get going…"
"Yes, yes, I will contact you when they arrive, Jin! Now go, his future brides!"
Smack! Smack! Slam!
"…Ugh… It was a joke…"
As I turned around, I saw the three who were coming with me smack him. However, Isis used more force than the other two since he slammed into the ground. But what surprised me was another started following them, even though we were essentially dismissed… No one batted an eye when she did that.
…
"I must ask… Sekhmet what are you doing here?"
Isis turns to her fellow Goddess as she looks at the woman questioningly. I was also curious but didn't really care if she did. But she did have her reasons for following us. She walked up to me and bowed which was a little surprising. Everyone was confused by this.
"I just wanted to thank you again for saving me, Jin."
I thought so… I mean it's no big deal.
[No big deal he says.]
{Creating a body from nothing, reviving a Goddess is no big deal he says…}
Alright, alright, I get it…
"Don't worry about it, anyway, nothing off or weird about your new body?"
She shakes her head, but to be sure I quickly scan it and find nothing weird.
"My chest feels a bit heavier."
"..."
Everyone there turns to look at me. I swear I didn't do anything like change her chest! What the hell? It was accurate— She's smiling at me. Was that meant to be a joke?!
"I'm joking, Jin."
"Please don't joke about that…"
I muttered and looked away. I started scanning the entire realm again as I heard her laugh behind me. In Nembesouk there were only two other gods that I could feel. As for who? I had no idea, of course, I could just use a bird's eye view to check, but where's the fun in that?
"Are we going then, Jin?"
Bastet asked as she stands beside me.
"Yeah, any places you recommend? I'm already planning on heading to that dancing hall/food hall and the giant library."
Bastet closes her eyes and thinks about it. Grayfia, Rose and Kurousagi had been talking to each other this entire time. Rose and Kuro seemed to be a bit heated with one another. From the snippets I decided to listen to, I heard something about who'd be the official secretary, or if Kuro could become another one.
[Simp acquired.]
Ignoring the [Welsh Dragon], Bastet finally spoke up.
"Well, there are a few underground bars, a small fight club, and some restaurants and bars I frequent. But apart from those, that's all I personally would recommend… Well, there is the river tour, the mountains, but there really isn't much there. Oh, that's all just here, at the other places… There isn't much, you still need to rebuild them. Oh, do you want to hear about the city I want to be built?"
She goes on a little rant that I half listen to, but, after hearing about the city she wants, I became interested.
"Sure thing."
She grins and explains.
"So, we'll be taking those flying ships over to the spot. The captain of each flight today has been informed about it, so once we reach the place, we'll just jump down."
"So barbaric."
Isis shakes her head while sighing.
"Butt out! Anyway, I want something modern, so something like this city, I guess? But I'll ask you to keep some of them in the old style, so a bit of both. Oh, I want a statue of myself, if you don't mind! But I'll be walking around with you so I will just tell you more in detail as we're there."
"I see, I can sort of understand it, and yeah sure. Anyway, let's get going. Let's just walk the streets for now."
As I begin to walk away, I feel two large melons hugging my arms. It was Rose on my left and Kurousagi on my right… What's happening?
"I'm Jin's secretary! He doesn't need another one!"
"As I said, Miss Rossweisse, I will also be his secretary! Having two would be beneficial for Master Jin!"
"Mmmm!!!"
"Hnnnnnmmm!!"
Rose seemed to be tearing up at the thought of having another secretary or at the thought of her being replaced. Kurousagi made a valid argument... Having another 'secretary' should lighten Rose's load in the future since I'll definitely make this restaurant successful, and of course, I may get more requests in the future, so having another one would be beneficial.
Although the way they are handling this is a bit childish... Both of them were pulling on my arm. I sigh and give them a small shock of electricity to make them stop, then I chop them both on the head.
"Stop and explain. But I think I know what's going on, but I just want some confirmation."
"Master Jin, make me yours! –Wait no, I mean make me your secretary too! I owe a lot to you, so I want to repay you this way!"
Kuro blushes but quickly corrects herself. Rose didn't seem amused by what she said so she stepped forward.
"I am Jin's first and only secretary! I am the only one he needs, right?"
She looks at me for confirmation and I sheepishly look away and scratch my cheek.
"…Jin?"
"Y-Yeah, you're my only secretary for now, Rose."
"…What does that mean?"
I look back at her as tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she was glaring at me. Please, it's obvious… I sigh and face her properly.
"I can understand Kuro's reasoning, and in reality, when my restaurant blooms, I'll create more around the human world and the supernatural world, couple that with my work as the Middleman, and THAT, you'll need help with a lot of things. I was thinking of asking Grayfia down the line, and hoped for more in the future. Raiko wouldn't either, I think."
After saying that, Kuro looked proud of herself and Rose just slumped down. Glancing at Grayfia she was looking at me with a 'You were going to ask me?' face, and I nodded.
"The troubles of the Middleman, harem and secretary, so much tragedy is falling upon him."
Isis replied while rolling her eyes.
"Let's talk about this another time, like tonight. For now, let's move…"
…
"Get your carpets here! It even prevents Gods and Goddesses' pee from staining!"
I turn to the voice who said that and give them a questioning look and they grinned at me. People are weird, and it doesn't matter where in this damn place I go to…
We had left the palace of Ra and were strolling around the streets. Rose didn't say any more after that, however, in order to assert her dominance, and not get too upset, she has been clinging to me rather closely. Kurousagi couldn't do much and has been huffing most of the time now.
Sekhmet went back to Emzusai, and said she'd wait there for when we go there again since she and God Ash were the ones overseeing the place. Before she left, she said that East Emzusai had started to rebuild the place, and they planned on moving some people over there just to populate the place after losing everyone there after the attack.
"It's as lively as the last time I was here. Bastet, where's that fight club you talked about earlier?"
"You're interested in fighting?
She asked a bit excitedly.
"Well, no… But—"
Shing!
"I am."
Aurelia came out and declared. Everyone around us stared at her and I just groaned. I mean, if she wants to then I won't stop her, but—
"I know, Jin-sama. I will hold back. I will only destroy it in ten punches instead... That was a joke."
I felt my eye twitch. I honestly don't know what's a joke or what's not with her because she has followed through with the weirdest things when she mentioned them in the [Pocket Dimension].
"Right, sure, I'm all for it. Anyway, do you mind taking us there?"
Still a bit confused with Aurelia's entrance, Bastet nodded and turned in a different direction and we started following her. Aurelia joins her and the two of them start talking to each other. I feel like those two will get along fine.
"Do you know anything about this, Isis? Kuro?"
After saying Kurousagi's name I felt Rose hug my arm tighter. I couldn't help but chuckle, even though she's supposed to be my secretary during this trip, she's instead just acting her age which I find kind of cute, is that bad of me…?
"It's an underground fighting ring. It's supposed to be unknown and hidden from public knowledge, but we, the Gods and Goddesses know about it. Ra and a few others gave it the okay, and I don't particularly care, so we allow it to stay open. Most of its business takes place at night, but there is some activity during the day as well. That doofus is also a frequent visitor there. I don't understand battle junkies."
Ouch. I'm kind of a battle junkie, even if I don't go around picking fights. I would like to make the few that I do get into (mostly the fair ones, like official matches and sparring) last as long as I can, even if I have to decrease my strength.
"So, they bet money there or something else?"
I ask her and she sighs.
"You can bet anything in there, but yes, money is the most common. The most desperate, both men and women, will bet their bodies on the line. You know what I'm implying, don't you?"
Isis looks at me and I nod. Well yeah, sex or prostitution, whatever way you look at it. But if they're that desperate for money, then their body is the only thing left to offer, I guess. Unless I'm reading this wrong, and she means that they'll offer it through labor.
"And the Gods are okay with this?"
I asked and she gave me a look that said 'Are you stupid?' and I just stared at her back. However, Kurousagi intervened and spoke for them instead.
"Master Jin. Gods and Goddesses have a different mindset. I'm sure you're well aware of that fact, so they don't see anything wrong with this. Even before I left, I had the same mindset. However, after spending time in the Greek realm, and seeing different sides of things, I can understand where you're coming from."
Kurousagi said. I mean, yeah, they do, I was just curious if they were. I don't know if the Irish Gods, Greek, Slavic and the other factions that are in our alliance were okay with this. Well, if they had something like this at all, which I don't doubt that they might have.
"For long-lived Gods... Something like this is rather insignificant. We will live forever and have watched civilizations come and go, so a small and not-so-illegal fighting wring isn't much in their— Our eyes."
She explained calmly. Well, I knew that too. However, I was more surprised to see Kuro refer to herself as a God, and I'm not even there yet... But she's been part of the supernatural since birth, so her mindset was already different from mine.
"Well, alright. I mean I wasn't trying to stop it or change it, I was just asking if they were okay with it."
I shrugged, and the conversation ended there. We quietly followed after Bastet and Aurelia; I glanced back at Grayfia as she had mostly been behind us. Seriously? Even now when she isn't working as a maid, she's still acting like it. I stop and wait for her to catch up before pulling her beside me. I give her a look basically telling her to walk beside me and she nods.
…
We made a few twists and turns, and then went down a very discreet area. We descended some stairs, and the area was lit by torches, and we could hear some shouting below us. The stairs below us could only fit one person so we had to go in a straight line. The further we went, I started to see some metallic cages with bones in them.
"Are those real?"
I asked, but it took them a few seconds to answer.
"Yes, you put your life on the line when you fight down here."
Bastet answered quite bluntly. When I used [Observe] on the bones, it was a teenager that was seventeen years of age, and it showed that he had won quite a few fights, but lost to someone called Atinmerit. But after a few more minutes of walking down these barely lit stairs, we finally reached a lobby-type area.
"Goddess Bastet! I'm glad you could come here again; will you be watching from your usual booth?"
A rather muscular man asks her and she nods.
"I'll have some guests with me, and Aurelia here will be participating."
Bastet gestures to Aurelia and the man's eyes bulge out of his eyes.
"T-The one who killed the leader of the Hero faction… Very well, the crowd will love this! Sign up here, lady!"
The man brings out a sheet of paper and Aurelia quickly signs it. He gives her instructions on where to go, and Bastet gestures for us to join her. Everyone else follows and I stay with Aurelia for a moment.
"Aurelia."
"I know, Jin-sama. Not to use too much power, not to destroy anything, and to hold back as much as I can."
She says quite flippantly while looking at me with a hand on her hip. I chuckle at her but shake my head.
"Yes, I know you already know that. I wanted to do something else."
I say to her making her confused. I beckon her to step closer to me with my index finger and she obediently does so. I quickly lean in and kiss her, surprising her quite a bit as she stares at me in shock.
"Well, since Vel won't shut up about me being too passive, I might as well be a bit more aggressive. I'll start to be more active towards the female Electa."
She starts to laugh after I finish saying that. I glance at the man at the reception and he looks rather flustered… What the hell kind of reaction is that? A very buff and muscular man blushing at what he just saw….
"Truly? Then I look forward to it, Jin-sama. I'm sure the rest will appreciate it. I'm sure they heard it."
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ~~]
As she said that, someone screamed in the ring. I'm fairly sure it was Shaula… But after speaking for a few more seconds, we parted ways and I quickly joined back with the rest.
"Did you need to speak with Aurelia, Jin?"
Rose asked and immediately attached herself to me, still sulking a little.
"Yeah, just a few things to tell her."
She nods and we walk in silence until we reach a room that Bastet pushes open. Once we went inside it was quite… Er, fancy for how the rest of this place looked. Like the booth in the Greek realm, there was a giant glass window in front of us. There were multiple seats there, but not enough for all of us. Because of this, I made a couple of them appear and fixed the room a bit.
"You sure are convenient."
Isis comments and I chuckle at her.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it. When will it start?"
Bastet simply pointed to some numbers at the top of the glass window and it seemingly was counting down. I nodded and we all took a seat. As soon as I sat down, and to my surprise, Grayfia quickly snatched up the seat beside me. All that was left was the right seat…
Kurousagi and Rossweisse looked at each other before sprinting towards the seat. However, Kuro didn't play fair as she pulled something out and threw it at Rose. The woman caught it on reflex—
"Kyaaaaaa?!"
And screamed before throwing it away. Obviously, Kuro won the race for the seat. I looked at what Rose threw away and it was… A relatively large praying mantis. In spite of the initial shock and scream, Rose glared at Kuro, and the Rabbit Goddess had a smug look on her face as she sat next to me.
Rose looked upset, but she gained a rather mischievous look but also blushed. This confused Kuro. As Rose strolled over in front of me, all eyes were on her, and it appeared that only Grayfia and I knew what she was planning to do. She plops herself down on my lap and wraps her hand around my neck, then she stares at Kurousagi with a very, very smug look. Basically telling her 'I win' without actually saying it out loud.
[A strange rivalry has bloomed between these two. The original secretary, or the future rabbit secretary… Who will win? See for yourself on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z!]
Doom!
[T-T-T-Tiiiimee outtt, Cúntóirrrrr!! Y-You're choking meeee!!]
"Be nice."
Ignoring the weird commentary of the [Welsh Dragon], and his supposed choking, I lightly reprimand Rose and she just huffs on my lap. It's a bit strange seeing her like this. The first time she forced herself onto my lap was months ago during the Gremory vs Sitri Rating Game, and she was quite embarrassed by it.
But now she willingly puts herself there, and even though she's still a bit embarrassed, she's— I guess proud to be there? My thoughts were interrupted when I heard very rusty and metallic sounds coming from in front of us.
Beyond the glass was an open area surrounded by metal fences. There were also seats around the open area, and I hadn't noticed earlier because of Rose and Kuro, but there were people sitting there now.
[Ladies and Gentle assholes, welcome to the Whispering Camel!]
Everyone hears a voice coming from multiple speakers. The crowd that had gathered went wild. Camels… If Rias were here she'd have a stroke…
[Today, we have many special guests! A subordinate of the Middleman is among them! And she will be fighting first! On the west side of the ring... It's Aurelia Le Guin!!!]
An even louder cheer is heard as Aurelia walks out of the west side of the ring, the usual confident smile on her face. She stands in the ring and waits for her opponent.
[On the east side, a frequent participant down here, the one, the only, Ltolamy!!]
Another round of loud cheering ensued. Looking around the room, I see Bastet quite excited.
"A frequent fighter? Is he strong?"
I ask, and Bastet nods.
"Yes he is, although if we compare him to Aurelia then…"
"Well, yeah, she's a bit of an outlier…"
She chuckles but agrees with me. We stopped talking, and the man finally walked onto the stage. He looked quite intimidating. He was taller than me, at least 7'8", very buff, and had many scars and tattoos.
[As per usual! No weapons and only use your fists! You can use magic to enhance yourself, but no range attacks! Are both fighters ready?!]
The announcer gives us a brief explanation of the rules.
"It's hand-to-hand combat. You can use touki, or magic that can enhance your physical attributes, but no ranged attacks from both touki and magic, and no use of weapons. They only want to see skill in this match. But you know that skill can only get you far if you're physically stronger or faster…"
Bastet didn't need to elaborate any further. We all understood what she meant. No matter how skilled you may be, if you're a higher rank, or just have the better body type, you'll win, or lose depending on who you are. But… I look at Aurelia, her smile never wavering. There are always exceptions.
[Theeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnn begiiinnnnnn!!]
"Hnnnnggggg!!"
The man covered himself in touki and charged Aurelia. He cocked his arm back and punched Aurelia with his full might! A large dust cloud is created and a large shockwave appears after contact is made. The crowd gasped as the woman just stood there and took the punch.
I just shook my head at the blatant disrespect she showed the guy. Once the dust cloud disappeared, Aurelia stood there with her index finger pointing at the man. No, she used her index finger to stop it. The man's face instantly paled. Aurelia's face broke into a grin as she clenched her hand into a fist and punched the man in the stomach. This sent him backwards and out of the entrance/exit he had come out of just around a minute prior.
Boom!
A loud crashing sound is heard somewhere down there and the crowd falls silent. Aurelia stands there and dusts herself off. She reverts to her usual pose, her hand on her hip and waits for the announcer to say something.
[T-The match is over!! It ended in one hit, and the winner is the newcomer, Aurelia Le Guin!!]
"This will be easy for her…"
I muttered to myself and a few more matches began.
…
"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooahhhh!!!"
The crowd went wild as Aurelia beat another opponent and walked off the stage. She advanced to the finals. All we needed to see was the next semi-finals match and we'd see the final fight. As expected, all fights with Aurelia ended in one punch, or one finger flick…
"She's next."
Bastet says. She? Is she talking about—
[On the west side is our reigning champion!! The undefeated champion for the last three yearssss!! Atinmerit!!!]
The announcer screamed. From the west side emerged a tanned woman with long flowing black and purple hair, green eyes and a confident smile. She wore the bare minimum and showed a lot of skin. In a way, she was wearing a black and white bikini outfit.
For some reason, I felt a lot of eyes on me. So I looked around the room again and they all turned away… Did they just…?
[Bahahaha!]
[On the east side, another frequent fighter is joining us again in the semi-finals!!! Give it up for Nefer-rempe!!!]
Another loud cheer. It looks like these two come here often since the crowd seemed very excited to see this, even more excited to see this than Aurelia's fights, though I can understand since this may be a fair fight.
A man with an athletic build came out of the east side. He was dressed quite professionally in a business suit, which confused me. He had slick aqua blue hair, and yellow eyes, and was tanned. Did he dye his hair?
"It's been a while, Nefer-Rempe."
"You too, Atinmerit."
No other words were spoken between the two as they stared at each other.
[It seems both fighters are ready!! Lets the match begin!!]
As the match began, a communication circle appeared beside me. When I looked at it, I heard Ra's voice.
"Jin? Sorry to interrupt you, but it's not time yet, but… Another problem came up. Can you please come back to my palace?"
"…Yeah, sure."
[Aurelia, we're heading back, something came up. Just find me when the matches are over.]
[Yes, Jin-sama.]
After agreeing to go back and telling Aurelia my plans, I got up from my seat. Rose got off me as soon as the communication circle disappeared and I looked at Grayfia who also stood up.
"We'll be leaving."
"Master Jin, I'm coming with you!"
Kurousagi also got up, along with the rest of them, although Bastet was a bit reluctant to do so. We left the room and walked down the hallway and came across the muscular guy from earlier. He seemed confused to see us.
"Something came up for the Middleman. My subordinate will fight the finals, but we'll be leaving."
Bastet explains. I summon some cash in a bag and throw it to him. He looks in it and his eyes grow bigger.
"While short, it was enjoyable… Clean the place up or something."
He thanked me and chuckled before we left via teleportation.
…
"Sup?"
As soon as we appear in the throne room Ra turns to us and sighs.
"I'm sorry for stopping your tour of our realm. It seems like you've only had to do work in our realm since you first came here. But… A bit of a problem has occurred."
He said quite seriously, Hathoth was beside him and so was Rashida. Osiris was nowhere to be seen. But suddenly the door behind us opens and we turn around to see a man.
The man's hair features multiple layers, including long, crocked, pointy locks for his fringe. The rest of his hair features five large black spikes with red (with a hint of magenta) rims all along the edges.
His outfit consists of a mostly blue uniform complete with a closed buckled collar and a large set of Ankh cuff links on his sleeves. Underneath the uniform he wears a dark blue or purple leather jacket with gold-studded buttons.
"Aten, I'm glad you could make it."
So that's Aten, huh? He certainly looks intimidating and proud, but not in an overbearing and douchey way. He glances at Ra before nodding. He looks at us too and smiles.
"I'm glad Ra called you, Middleman— No, Jin Skyward. I'm Aten, the Disk of the Sun in ancient Egyptian Mythology. Now as to why I need your assistance… It is something I cannot get involved with, no, more specifically, it's everything to do with you."
He explains, but I am just confused. Everything to do with me? Does this have anything to do with my haters in this realm? He smiles at me and nods.
"It looks like you understand what I mean. The city that you will rebuild for us— The one that I will govern, has many… The modern term for this is 'haters' is it not? Then I shall use that. The 'haters' do not like the idea of you rebuilding it. However, certain bandits kidnapped the vast majority of them. Now normally I would have stopped them, but they specifically called for you. They wish to question you about certain things."
"If you give them satisfactory answers, they will release them and turn themselves in. Truthfully, I do not understand them entirely. However, I won't risk their lives for this. If things go south, do not hesitate to kill them."
He finishes and looks at me. That last part wasn't a suggestion, it sounded more like an order. Kill them, huh? I'm certainly not against it, but he's a lot more forgiving by letting them get away with it. Maybe Aten has his own reasons? But I'm also curious as to what questions they have for me…
[What will you do, Partner?]
If they hold their ancestors' grudge, or if they're the same survivors from long ago, then I'll answer their questions honestly. If they don't like it, I'll stop them and rescue the kidnapped. If they accept my answer, then I'll bring them back to Aten. He may have a punishment already planned for them. I look back at him and give a one-word answer.
"Where?"
"I like how those eyes look. Stand in front of me and I'll teleport you to the spot. You have companions, correct? Unfortunately, you must go to this alone, those are their conditions."
I nod and walk over to him
'No matter how you look at it. This God is testing you, Aaron. I can smell the lies even from a different universe.'
...Regardless of whether this is real or not, Velgrynd, I still need to go through with it. Since I already accepted Ra's new request, backing out now would seem unprofessional.
'Hmph, it's up to you. I can't stop you.'
"Good. Off you go."
I glanced back at the girls and they didn't seem that worried. Kurousagi was the only one with a worried expression. Rose and Fia already know what I am like. Therefore, they're not too bothered by it. But I can understand why Kuro is worried. I am technically her 'savior' both emotionally and physically…
…
Unknown Location
"So much sand…"
I found myself in the middle of a desert as soon as I arrived. Everything in front of me was just an endless sea of sand. However, I felt multiple auras behind me, so when I turned around, I saw some kind of temple. It wasn't a pyramid, that much I could tell, but it was some kind of square-shaped building. It looked like it was thrown together carelessly and quickly. But I'm certain that's where the kidnappers are.
Not left with many options, I started walking towards it. I wonder what kind of answer they're looking for? Even so, what constitutes a 'satisfactory' answer? Does that mean they only need one of them to be okay with my answer, or all of them? As I considered it, I quickly made my way to the open entrance.
As I stepped inside the building it was quite hollow on the inside. There were torches everywhere to illuminate the building, but directly in front of me there were people tied up and gagged. There were around seventy of them, all looking terrified and angry. The kidnappers totaled no more than fifteen.
"Red— No, Dual Dragon Emperor! Stand there, we have a spot for you!"
The man points to a spot with a rough circle drawn on it. While I felt anger from them, I was able to tell they didn't intend to hurt those they kidnapped. They just wanted to lure me out. That's the conclusion I came to. They were a bit extreme, but I don't think I would have given them the time of day if they didn't do this… Probably.
"So—"
"Shut up, we're the ones asking the questions!"
The man stopped me from speaking and screamed louder. He was quite worked up and was already breathing quite hard.
'You're just going to take that?'
Asked Velgrynd. Take what?
'This… Abuse! They're beneath you, just kill them and be done with it! Who cares if it's a test from that God? If I were you, I would have broken at least a few of their bones already.'
If I did that, it would only prove their point that the hosts of the two Sacred Gears hadn't changed. Also… If I get triggered or want to swing my 'big dick energy' everywhere for every small thing that someone says, I swear I'd have a mental illness beyond my previous depression. If you're so easily triggered by something like that… You need to grow up. Adults do not simply resort to physical violence whenever they disagree with a minute detail.
'...…'
[Boom, got her!]
You're part of that, Ddraig. You're older than me, and you and Albion put a lot of lives in danger because of your past rivalry.
{[…]}
I heard someone snicker in the background, and I'm pretty sure it was Rudra. I just sigh and focus back on the kidnappers. I never had the 'pride of a dragon' or 'god'. While I'm starting to change a bit more, my mindset hasn't changed that drastically. This is because these people just want to ask me questions, and don't want to hurt the ones they kidnapped.
"Do you seek destruction? Why do you want this alliance? Are you here today to form an alliance with the Egyptian Gods? Why should we trust you? Back then, we decided to trust those past wielders, only for it to end in destruction and many lives lost. So I repeat, why should we trust you?"
The kidnapper asks while bringing a knife toward one of the victims. It's a real knife. Using [Observe] on it, I can tell it's real. However, it's dull. Even if he uses his full strength, that would barely cut into their throat… at worst just injure them slightly.
"Hmm. Well, no, I don't seek destruction. It's pretty pointless in my eyes. I mean, I'm kind of a lazy person. Bringing destruction to everything sounds like a lot of effort… Why do I want this alliance? You have already heard of my selfish motivations, and they are true. It will lead to peace, and peace means I can laze around with my current harem and not stress too much about world ending disasters."
"Yes, I do plan on asking Ra to form an alliance with the rest of us. I still haven't given him the documents though; I was going to wait until all the Gods were here. I mean, the alliance gives those who are in it more advantages than disadvantages, you know?"
I told them a bit about the advantages they would gain if they joined, and some of them seemed to like it. Although some were still skeptical which is understandable.
"As for why you should trust me… Honestly, I got no response to that. All I can say is that you need to. I won't try to list all the things I've done since you've probably already heard of them. Instead, I'll just simply say, put your trust in me, even if it's the last shred of trust you have in the Red Dragon Emperor."
In all honesty, I pulled that out of my ass. I don't have actual reasons for them to trust me, apart from what I said. They just need to, and I know it's asking a lot from them, but it's the best I could do, apart from rebuilding their destroyed city. I could offer to revive the dead but... I don't want that to be too public knowledge. Only a few know about it and I want to keep it that way.
I don't want random people coming up to me and them asking me to resurrect their recently deceased grandmother or something... The kidnappers stop staring at me and gather the people they kidnapped into a circle and they start to discuss something.
I don't know if they'll accept my answer or not, but if they don't, I'll just put them all to sleep, and get back to the city. After a full minute of whispering, I start to hear laughing behind me, and I turn to see… Two females?
Both women were wearing very thin clothing, and were exposing a lot of their skin. The one in the middle had cat-like ears, yellow eyes, black hair and had a lot of golden accessories around her body. She wore a black bra and panties and had a black cat-like tail. She was also holding a staff of sorts.
The one beside her had brown hair, red eyes, wore a white bra and panties with some gold accessories around her body too. She held what looked like a scimitar.
I used [Observe] on them and… The one in the middle was Anubis, and the person beside her was someone called Aurera. So, Anubis in this world is female, huh? I didn't expect that…
"You certainly are interesting, Middleman."
She says with a smirk, and begins walking towards us.
"It's fine, isn't it?"
She asks the kidnappers and they stare at her for a few seconds before nodding.
"Yes."
Fwosh!
"Hmm. I did not think you would appear, Anubis."
"Ufufu, Aten, I was the neutral party in all of this. I may have hated him at the start but after hearing quite a lot of his deeds I wanted to judge him on your small test."
She smiles at Aten who closes his eyes, but quickly opens them back up to look at me. So, I was right, this was a test… But I glance back at the kidnappers and they had started to untie and ungag the ones they kidnapped. However, no one was crying or panicking like earlier. Geez, they sure like to do extra things…
"Middleman, it is true we hated you, some still do, but… As you suggested just now, we will put that remaining trust we have in you. You have shown us you were different from the past wielders we have heard about. We expect a lot from you and will be watching your movements carefully."
The leaders of the 'kidnappers' said.
Watching me, huh? I think they mean just through the news that spreads around the supernatural, so I don't really care…
"It seems you have figured it out, Jin. But I thank you for following through."
"Hmm. If it turned south and I killed them, would an alliance be impossible?"
I asked. I didn't expect it to get bloody since I would have just put them to sleep. I wanted to ask him this. But to my surprise he shook his head.
"No, I am not the Chief God, even if I am against it. I believe Ra will want an alliance. You did include him in a meeting not too long ago, correct?"
"Yeah."
Like Lugh, Aten is considered to be in the top ten strongest beings in this world, if I take away everyone I trained up that is. So I believe that he would probably overpower Ra rather easily. Anyway, these two seem to have a somewhat strained relationship.
"So… No punishment or whatever you said to me earlier?"
"No, as I said it's a test and you passed. Ra also knew about it, but was reluctant to allow it to happen. But it turned out well. However, please keep in mind that this is a small fraction of the people who previously hated you. There will be some that you'll come across today especially when you go help with the reconstruction."
I was kind of expecting that too. Therefore, I was already prepared for some verbal abuse being hurled my way. Although the ones in Emzusai were a bit quieter and more passive aggressive, I can only hope that the ones I meet soon are similar. But I'll have a barrier ready so it won't be much of a problem.
"Right… So can I go back now? Unless this is where you want me to rebuild the city or town you want."
"No, it's in a different area. I constructed this by hand in just a few minutes, that's why it's so hollow. I will send you back, Jin."
Aten walks up to me as I stare at him and then turn to Anubis who is still smirking. I wonder what her deal was? She's quite sassy for an old hag loli.
[Pfft— If she heard you say that, Partner…]
Eh, it is what it is.
…
"Yo, I'm back."
After Aten touched my shoulder, I was teleported back here. That order didn't take too long which I was grateful for, and to my surprise, Aurelia was in the palace too. I guess she was done? She walks up to me, kisses me on the cheek and—
"It was boring… I was expecting the champion to provide me with some kind of entertainment, but she was basically a magic assassin. However, the semi-final was fun to watch."
After saying that she slipped back into my ring. I just shrugged. I was expecting that too. However, once I looked back up, I saw two other Gods there, one male and one female.
"Jin, this is Horus and Nehebkau. The other Gods and Goddesses are already at their site just waiting for you, however, these two wanted to meet you beforehand. I guess… This is where your job officially starts?"
Ra replied while nervously chuckling and giving me a 'Please forgive me' look. While I'm not bothered about not being able to explore the realm, I would like to explore that dancing hall and library at the very least, as well as Emzusai, although I believe I am heading there to rebuild it.
Horus was a tall-tanned male, with short grey hair and blue eyes. He wore extravagant yet battle-oriented clothes that were gold, black white and blue. His hood had horn designs and he had a large battle axe on his back. From the looks of it, he seemed to be a warrior type of God.
Nehebkau was also quite distinctive looking as she had short brown hair, blue eyes and wore armor parts around her body. She had a crown that was in the shape of a snake with cat ears on it. Her right shoulder had a shoulder guard in the shape of a lion, and just like Horus, she had a large golden black scythe on her back.
"So that's the Middleman? Hi!"
"Greetings, I look forward to working with you soon."
Nehebkau was a bit more friendly, almost energetic even, but… Horus was short and curt, but I don't think he was being deliberately rude or anything like that.
"Hello, and yeah, where should I start? Actually, wait, about the alliance, Ra…"
"Alliance… Ah, yes, yes, you're meant to give me some documents, right? If you wi—"
Boom!
"...…"
All the Gods present stared at the large stacks of paper. Ra's eyes twitched as he stared at it in disbelief.
"For your information, I've shortened that down as best as I could. If I didn't, it would be even worse. It's all relevant information, so I suggest you bring other Gods that aren't planning on governing a new town I'm rebuilding for them."
"...Very well! Hathoth! Rashida! Please help me get other people…"
"Yes, dear ~"
"At once, Master Ra."
Both wife and maid leave his side and presumably try to find other people to help him read through it all. Now then—
"We'll start with me then, Jin."
Bastet walks up to me and I agree with her.
"We'll be taking the flying ships so you'll have a rough idea of where the other towns and cities you'll be rebuilding are. I'm sure those two will accompany us, but—"
Bastet looks at Isis as her eyes twitched. She walks over to Ra and sighs.
"I'm not part of that, so I'll help."
"Great to have you aboard, Isis!"
"Just shut up and start sorting them out."
Isis dismisses her staff and starts sorting through the hundreds of documents they'll need to read through. Bastet looks at me and winks. She seems too happy about avoiding this…
…
"Oh boy, am I glad I don't have to go through all of that, right, Nehebkau?"
"Hehe, yeah… I'm not that interested in sitting down and reading through all of it. That's why I usually avoid large meetings."
"You two are too irresponsible."
The two female Goddesses were chatting, but then Horus interrupted them. All of us were walking through the streets of Nembesouk. We were walking at a leisurely pace towards the flying ship's center.
Rose, Grayfia and I were at the back as we watched all three Gods interact. Kurousagi was forced to stay as she didn't have a place to be rebuilt, and she also had the festival in the Greek realm to get back to. Rose gave her a smug look before we left. I'm not sure if what they have is a healthy rivalry or not, but I'll watch it grow for the time being.
"You are aware that when Jin finishes building our towns and cities we will need to join Ra to read through those documents and discuss the pros and cons of joining the alliance, correct?"
Horus asks them and they both flinch. So they were aware?
"I know! But let us live a little, geez!"
"Stuck up idiot, bleeeeeh!"
Their reactions were a little childish. Is this how it feels like to know each other for a long time? Horus cracked a grin, as Nehebkau stuck her tongue out at him.
"So, Bastet is first. Who wants to be after her?"
I ask them, and they turn around to look at me. Nehebkau brings her hand up to Horus and starts forcing him to play rock-paper-scissors. The male God sighs and plays along. In the end, Nehebkau won.
"I'll be second! Then Horus is last. After that, I'll give you a list of the other Gods and their locations."
Nehebkau tells me and we speed up. I didn't mind, I just hope it isn't all desert, although I do want to see the night sky here again, it was pretty breathtaking. We eventually arrived at the 'airport' for the flying ships, and as previously mentioned by Vera, the fare was quite cheap. So I paid for everyone else's ticket.
"Oh! As expected of the harem king, thank you!"
Nehebkau cheered while prancing around like a child. We were free to board the ship, but we wouldn't be taking off for at least ten minutes. Therefore, seeing some vending machines, I go over and get a few snacks out of them for the journey. If I remember correctly, the journey to Emzusai is around three to four hours. I don't know how far it will be or how close the places they want to build will be, but I hope it isn't too far.
After buying the food, we decided to board the ship. Before stepping onto the ship, we had to pass through a small tunnel. The interior was a mix of metal and wood; however, everything was enchanted by magic making everything sturdier. Nehebkau suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me away. The rest of them were forced to follow.
Once we were outside, she had brought me to the deck and the view from here was certainly something. I could see the majority of the city, and we hadn't even taken off yet.
"You can stay here the entire time of the journey too! The breeze is pleasant here and look, they have the same vending machine!"
She points to a vending machine beside the door and I sigh, so they had some on here, huh? But it's just like Vera said, it's basically a luxury cruise in the sky. A lot better than planes since we can move around like in those giant ships or cruisers.
Should I make this part of an experience in the human world? The first flying ship restaurant? It'll go around countries and is relatively affordable… Hmmm…
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!
[Attention all passengers, the Flying Mirage will take off in three minutes, I repeat—]
An announcer said through the speakers, there were quite a few seats on the deck, so we decided to choose one where we could all have a seat. Once we were seated, everyone started to converse while I just sat back and relaxed. After a few minutes the ship started to move and we eventually took to the skies.
"Jin…"
I felt Rose tug on my arm and I turned around to realize that we were flying at a relatively fast speed, and the view was even more amazing. Below us, we could see the city starting to disappear as we moved further away. For the most part it was nothing but sand, but I could see a couple of oases, and small villages and ruins. I wonder if I'll be repairing those places in a couple of hours, or if they'll be skipped over.
…
A little more than an hour had passed and it was mostly desert below us, but the breeze was quite pleasant, as Nehebkau had noted. I'm in a different part of the flying ship now because I wanted to explore it, and Rose and Grayfia accompanied me.
We were in the lower part of the ship and it seemed like a casino. They were serving alcohol, the typical pool table, darts, and other entertainment were there. It looked rather expensive, but we didn't spend too long there since nothing really interested me. Other than the drinks, they just seemed like regular alcohol.
"Hmm? This is…"
I saw a certain hallway that said 'For Adults Only' and I can kind of understand what it was—
Yank!
"Jin?"
"Jin-sama?"
"...I was just looking, geez. I wasn't planning on going down there…"
Even after saying that they dragged me back to the top deck and the Gods with us were still chatting. But Bastet sees us and beckons for us so we walk over to her.
"Need something?"
"In around fifteen minutes, we're going to be jumping off. I've already informed the captain. These will also be joining us."
Bastet gestures to Horus who nods and Nehebkau who waves at us. Actually, I've been meaning to ask…
"Which other Gods will I be going to?"
I asked. I expect Aten and Sekhmet, and maybe Ash?
"Well, you've met Aten, so him, Anubis, me, Nehebkau, Horus, Sekmet, Ash, Shu and Neith. The rest aren't interested, but we do hope you can restore some others, and hopefully they'll move into them eventually. You saw that little village that was abandoned right?"
She asks and I nod.
"Yeah, so we hope you can rebuild them as well. I mean, I know it's quite a very demanding task… Hmm, what kind of compensation do you actually want? I know Ra joked about letting you have some Goddesses, but hearing that you're even dating a Goddess in the Greek pantheon, it makes me wonder."
Why is Bastet asking me this now? No, I'm not that bad… So, I just shrug.
"Dunno, my original goal was to get a harem, I've pretty much got that now, but… It slowly turned into me just wanting to explore different pantheons, meeting people and getting new friends. If I find someone I'm interested in… Then so be it. I mean, I'm getting paid so that's still a plus."
Even if I don't need the money… But that's beside the point. After my explanation Bastet looks at me with a sort of proud look before patting me on the head.
"Uhh…"
"So you're not just a pervert, I'm proud of you! Although being one is bad! Anyway, it's coming up, get ready!"
She stops patting my head and walks over the edge and puts her foot on the railing. There were a few people out there with us and they saw us standing near the deck and they became a little alarmed. I turned around to give them a thumbs up, confusing them further.
'You might as well scream you're an idiot if you're going to do that…'
"Okay let's—"
However, before Bastet could finish, I ran and jumped off, shocking them.
"I'm an idiot!! And so is Velgrynd!!!"
'What the hell?!'
I shouted and I saw the shocked faces of everyone slowly shrink as I plummeted to the ground.
…
Rossweisse
Ehhhhhhhhhh?!?!?
"Jin?!"
"Who is Velgrynd?"
I shout, but Grayfia remains calm beside me. I mean, I'm also quite curious about it, but that's not the time!
"Me next!!"
However, Nehebkau-sama also jumps off followed by Horus and then Bastet. They just shrug and grin at us. We're really just jumping off?! I hear Grayfia sigh beside me as she spreads out her bat-like wings and flies down.
"R-Right we can use our magic…"
I muttered to myself and flew down after that. I flew beside Grayfia and we started to speak to one another.
"Jin—"
"He is an idiot, we know that. But we also love that idiot… He will be the death of me someday…"
Grayfia sighs but smiles at the end. I don't think she hates this side of him, no, not many of us do. In a way, it's almost endearing. As opposed to his near constant negative moods and depression, we prefer this. I think it balances out since when the time calls for it, he can be quite serious.
"But… Who's Velgrynd? Shall we ask him about it?"
"Yes, I am curious about the name…"
Grayfia squinted her eyes at Jin who hadn't used his powers to fly or float, and he was getting increasingly close to the ground. But as we neared it he didn't do anything and I was getting even more worried.
"He's not doing anything."
Boing ~
"...Huh?"
After hitting the ground... He bounced back up, he passed me and waved. Eh? W-Why did he bounce all the way up like a bouncy ball?! Along with the rest of us, I reached the ground and Jin eventually landed on his feet. He winks and gives us a thumbs up.
Smack!
"Stop."
"…Yes ma'am."
A light smack from Grayfia makes him regret his actions… Just a little bit. He says his life isn't boring when we're around him constantly. I believe that to a certain extent, but I believe the same for him. He makes our lives in his home even more chaotic. Even though he sometimes initiates those events, he is not aware of the fact that he is doing so.
…
Jin Skyward
Making my own body into rubber and bouncing off the ground sounded like fun, but I wasn't expecting to be smacked by Fia. Alas, my heart has been shattered. I try to give her the 'puppy dog eyes' but she just stares back at me coldly. Point taken, Miss Lucifuge!
I dust myself off and look around. The place was, well, mostly destroyed. Large craters littered the ground everywhere. Buildings that looked like they were once standing tall have fallen and are crumbling away.
"This is the place you want me to rebuild, Bastet?"
"Yes, it's much larger. Let's fly back up."
The whole group floated in the air and we could see the place was much bigger. If I had to compare it to another place, it was about the same size as the Vatican City. I was wondering if the other places were the same size or even larger…
"Any specifics you want here? Shops, swimming pools, casinos… You know, things like that?"
Bastet looked around at the ruined city in front of us after hearing my question. I also looked around and could see a lot of potential, but Bastet suddenly summoned a blueprint. She smiles and hands it over to me, then she summons another piece of paper and hands it over to me. It's a drawn picture of what she wants…
This is certainly interesting... It feels more like something I'd see in a different country's architectural design rather than an Egyptian one. However, I'm not an expert on any of that. But I'll need to completely flatten the place first before doing anything.
"Please stay here."
I tell them and they agree. I go back down and stomp on the ground. Once I do that everything in the area crumbles into dust. The craters that were around the area also filled themselves up. Now it was just a large flat area with nothing in it. Glancing one more time at the blueprint and drawn picture, I started with the water canals, pathways and streets. Having created all of that, the next step was to build the buildings.
The area was in a large circular shape. In the middle was the main building that Bastet would live in. The building had a large circular green dome. The rest of the city had various commercial buildings and regular homes. At various points were watch towers where her future guards would be position at. The entire city is surrounded by a large wall to protect it from attacks from the outside but… Well, whatever the hell is out there.
One last thing I add is a barrier. Only people that Bastet or me can go into it. They will need express permission to enter it. So they need to contact Bastet about their arrival. Of course, she has full control over it, so if someone she trusts is asked and gives them the okay, that person can also enter.
Construction didn't last long. With me and Cúntóir working together, it was all built up nearly instantly. I just added a few details like trees and other stuff. But as per Bastet's request, she requested her own 'underground' fighting club/ring. So she did support that! …Hmm?
"Bastet, what's this?"
I flew back up and pointed at this weird bedroom design. She just gave me a weird look like I was meant to know what it was. Sorry lady, I don't.
"Our bedroom?"
She said it like it was the most natural answer. Everyone there just stared at her. The hell does she mean 'our'?! I sigh and hand the blueprints with the hand drawing back to her.
"Ra did say that you'd need to be compensated, and you seem like a fun guy, so I don't mind joining your harem."
"..."
This was way too random. I admit she's attractive, but I never agreed to any of that. I sigh and point at the building and create the bedroom.
"Let's talk about that at a different time, but don't assume that I said yes to your suggestion…"
Bastet just laughed at me and then flew off to check out her town. Everyone else joined her as I just floated there. I knew what was in them, so I didn't have any desire to join them. Grayfia and Rose stayed with me for some reason.
"Not going to check it out?"
They both shake their heads.
"I am fine, Jin-sama."
"We can just assume you and Cúntóir customized everything here based on Bastet-sama's wishes. So I see no need to go on a tour."
Rose didn't need to go into so much detail… But I understand why they're staying and it seems like Grayfia agreed with her. We watch as the Gods fly around checking the place out. Nehebkau is the one enjoying it the most as we hear her screaming at times.
"Jin, what she Ba—"
"Stop, stop, I don't know. Ra was joking about what he said… Probably. Anyway, don't think too hard about it."
I stopped Rose from asking about what Bastet said. I do hope they'll just pay me in money and be done with it. At the very least none of them took him seriously when he said it, apart from one of them…
[What about Kurousagi?]
What about her? I know she likes me, and I'll ask her when I go to the festival. I think that would be good timing…
[If you say so, Partner.]
…
Around thirty minutes later, the Gods came back to us. We had landed back on the ground and were eating the snacks I had bought earlier on the ship. We ate some of it, but most of us weren't hungry anyway. Well, some of them disappeared since apparently Ophis asked Cúntóir to give her some.
"You guys ready?"
I asked while popping a piece of candy into my mouth.
"Yes, next is me!"
Nehebkau jumped in joy. It's still strange seeing a mature woman like her act like this. However, I could say the same thing to Gabriel, although she's a lot more naïve than Nehebkau, so she gets a pass. But she has become aware of a lot of things over the course of our stay in the [Pocket Dimension].
"Stand by me ~ and I'll teleport us away ~"
We all stood near Nehebkau and with a small twirl we finally left the newly built town.
…
"Jin! I want a futuristic look!"
Nehebkau blurted out as soon as we arrived at the spot. I looked over at the destroyed plot, and sighed. Additionally, she gave me only a rough sketch of what she wanted. Looking over it… She wants futuristic flying planes? I was a bit baffled by this. I mean, I don't mind but… I was expecting something more modern or even something from the old era.
"Do you also want that giant mountain to stay?"
I ask and point at it.
"Yes! Incorporate it and make it look like a futuristic desert city! And with this—"
Nehebkau went on to tell me what she wanted the city to look like. It was quite ambitious, of course, nothing too super futuristic, only in look since the rest is powered by magic. I wasn't expecting her to be the type to like this kind of thing, but eh, who am I to judge?
"Alright sure, gimme a minute."
I landed on the ground, did the same thing and flattened the area. I made sure not to accidentally destroy the large mountain in the background. Cúntóir, I'll have to leave it to you for the futuristic stuff since I don't know anything about it.
Cúntóir: Answer: Yes dear ~
I put my hand out and let Cúntóir do the rest. I'm also leaving the interior design to her since what I might know from films might not actually work in real life…
Throughout the city, very tall metallic buildings started popping up, along with some medium and small ones, but the large ones stuck out the most. There were also several dome-shaped ones, but since I left it up to Cúntóir, I have no idea what they do. Nehebkau didn't exactly tell me what buildings and functions I should add, so we added what towns and cities needed.
Cúntóir, what the hell is the large dome for?
Cúntóir: Answer: It's a mix of a school and a hospital. Middle school, high school and college divisions go there. The smaller dome-shaped ones are other official buildings like law enforcement and the fire brigade.
Well aren't you meticulous… As I floated there, more buildings started to get constructed, and some of the terrain around the place was raised or lowered depending on what was being built by Cúntóir. All the while I heard Nehebkau shouting in excitement above me.
Not too long after, I finally finished construction. I had done two out of seven. I just hope the rest don't demand too extravagant cities out of me. Nehebkau flies down to me.
"W-What about t-the flying spaceship things?!"
"…There are a few of them. The largest building and the top floor are your home, so I have a few of them parked there. If you want to sell them or give them to others, then you can, but for now they're solely yours. They're powered by magic, so no future sci-fi shenanigans are happening."
…Right?
Cúntóir: Answer: Yes dear ~
After explaining that, Nehebkau bear hugged me while screaming thank you before flying towards her new home. The other Gods followed her too.
"Was this based on something in your old world, Jin?"
Rose asked as she looked at the buildings. We had landed on a small cliff that overlooked the new city so we didn't need to float constantly.
"No… Cúntóir had free rein on this, so it's based on her own design, I think."
We waited there and chatted about future city designs, and speculated about what Horus would want. He seemed like a practical person, so I was expecting something simple. I did see him with a pen and paper earlier since both Bastet and Nehebkau gave me a drawing of what they wanted, so I guess he did the same thing.
…
"This place sure is something. It's like those films humans make, very futuristic, but it's powered by magic. Maybe I should have mine changed a little…"
Bastet says and mutters the last part while staring at me. I just shrug in response.
"I am next then. Let's go."
Without waiting for our answer, Horus teleports us away.
…
"Hmm? This place is a lot flatter and tidier than the other two."
"Mmm. Since I heard what kind of request Ra was going to give you, I decided to make it easier for you. However, after seeing how easily you did it with the other two cities, this may have been pointless... In any case, here are my blueprints and drawings. It's a bit more... Detailed than what Nehebkau and Bastet gave you."
I inspect the blueprint and the other documents that he handed me. I was surprised at the level of detail he wanted to put into everything. He has already given the town a name. 'Desert Town of Ozarion'.
What stood out to me was there were farm fields, what seemed to be a gladiator arena, a large park, and many other areas. Horus definitely spent time on this. Maybe I just saw him adding a bit more to it? There are some areas that seem to have been recently added to.
"This is very detailed, Horus... but it's not too difficult. Is that large building/pyramid structure going to be your home?"
I pointed to the middle and he nodded. Well, it's kind of expected at this point. I fly down and get to work. I start with the middle area and Horus' home. Horus included detailed plans for the rooms in his home, so I didn't have a problem following those; heck, many of his buildings included plans, so I won't have a problem making them.
Afterward, I focused on the park that was beside his house. From what I could see, there were a lot of water sources everywhere. After building the large fountain, I went to the site where he wanted the Colosseum. There were a bunch of small food vendors outside it, so I included them in the construction.
I was already in a colosseum type place thanks to fighting Sairaorg in one a couple of months ago, so making this place wasn't that hard. After that, I rebuilt the rest of the large town. From the normal houses, small apartments, shops and entertainment districts. Horus really was prepared for this; it makes me wonder about the rest of the Gods.
Finally, I worked on farms. I wasn't sure how to start since there weren't any farmers... but I made the soil very fertile. As soon as everything was finished, I raised the earth around the town a bit and covered it with a barrier.
"Wonderfully done, Jin. You have my thanks. I shall take a look around my new home."
Horus patted me on the shoulder before flying towards it. However, Nehebkau beat him to it as she was already shouting at all the extravagant things around the place. Honestly this, even if it was a bit larger and over the top, it's the most normal one out of the last three I made.
…
"G-Go fish?"
"Rossweisse, we're playing blackjack... Jin-sama, don't you dar—"
"Go!! Exodia, obliterate!!"
I slammed all five cards of Exodia onto the ground and all the cards shot up into the air. Rose looks at me dumbfounded and Grayfia looks annoyed.
"…Huh?"
"…"
Pinch ~~
"Behave."
"Yesh sowwy."
Rose was mostly confused by what had just happened. The time Kuroka did this a few times, she was drunk so she wasn't totally aware of it. However, my amazing maid was annoyed, very annoyed. Her pinch was a little harder than usual too.
"Jin! …Uh, what's happening?"
We looked back and saw that the three Gods had come back. Nehebkau had a bag of something. She pulls something out and pops it into my mouth… It tastes sweet, some kind of candy?
"Ishh sheet, shanks… Gwayia…" (It's sweet, thanks… Grayfia…)
Grayfia finally let go of my cheek and I repeat myself only getting a giggle out of Nehebkau.
"No problem! I have a bag of it, anyway… The next one should be… Hold on a second…"
Nehebkau pulls out a list and goes through it. She nods and hands it back to me.
"Sekhmet, Anubis, Shu, Neith and finally Aten. That's how the rest are, but you won't be too long in Emzusai, ah, we won't be going with you since we want to go back to our own towns since we need to get it ready, contacting Ra and the rest… A-And I guess going back to the main city to help with the documents…"
Nehebkau muttered not liking the sound of reading through all of it. No person would, but eh, can't do much about it now, can we? It's for the alliance after all…
"Anyway, bye Jin!"
"Stay safe, Jin and his women."
"I'll see you soon, Jin. Also, I was serious about that proposal!"
They each said a line before leaving. I already knew where Emzusai was so I could teleport there. I'll just ask Sekhmet and Ash about where Anubis, Shu, Neith and Aten are…
…
East Emzusai
"Jin, who's Velgrynd?"
After we teleport to East Emzusai, Grayfia turns to me and asks that question quite abruptly. I freeze a little and hear Velgrynd snicker in my head.
"I'll tell you two about it later, let's get this done for now…"
She nods and looks up at the sky.
"By my estimation it should be around four to five in the afternoon. Night is coming. Shall we be looking for an inn or hotel here?"
"Seems like the only logical solution, or we can ask Ra to let us stay in his place like what happened last time. Anyway, we can worry about that later. Let's knock out a few more towns for the Gods."
They both agreed with me and I located Sekhmet's aura and it seemed both her and Ash were together. So I walked towards that area, and we weren't too far from it since it was near the resort area.
"Hey."
I called out to the two of them. Both of them turned to us and walked over to us.
"Jin, it's a pleasure to see you again. Are you here to help with the reconstruction of West Emzusai?"
Ash asks me and I nod.
"Yeah, I finished three other towns just now. Emzusai is next… So Sekhmet shall we get started?"
She nods, takes my arm and drags me away. I saw Ash smirk at me before walking away from us.
"I will wait here. I wish to have a few things done here too, Jin, so when you're done over there, please come back here."
"Y-Yeah man!"
…
West Emzusai
"Oh, you've flattened it like Horus did."
Upon arriving there, I noticed that the previous destroyed buildings and rubble had already been cleared. In addition, most of the land was flat, other than the small pool of water near the middle.
"Yes, once I found out Ra was going to ask you this, I set out to make it easier for you. I believe Aten, Shu and Neith did something similar. If you would…"
As soon as Sekhmet let go of my arm, I jumped towards the lake and floated there. I remember what the old buildings looked like. Therefore, I'll just remake them all like them. I'll just reinforce them with magic and stronger materials, and add a barrier around the place. It'll be an easy fix.
The buildings quickly started to rise from the ground. Once that was done, I reinforced them, and then finally added the barrier over the town.
"That should be it. Quickest one yet, hell, I might finish before one or two more before today ends."
I grin. Then finish the rest tomorrow, check out the library and dance hall before going back home, getting Gabriel, Asia, Xenovia and Scathach before immediately going to Ireland. I want to see where that Deer God went too… But I have to check up on Áine first then go to Queen Halloween.
[After that you're heading to the Slavic realm, right?]
Yeah, I've got a request from Perun, apparently. I'll try to make the request from Queen Halloween quick, but if Nuada has a request then I don't mind doing it too.
[I can help guide you in that place, Partner. Lavinia and I saw a bit of it, although it's quite small.]
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Tug ~
"Jin? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I was just speaking with Ddraig. Sorry about that. Let's go."
Sekhmet pulled on my sleeve looking a bit worried. I laughed it off and told her not to worry about it. We then headed back to East Emzusai
…
East Emzusai
"Jin, come with me!"
As soon as we arrived, Ash pulled me away with him making Sekhmet who was still holding my arm stumble a little.
"Is something wrong?"
I asked a bit confused by the sudden and slightly violent yank. I couldn't feel anything wrong around the town.
"You'll understand once we get there!"
He didn't elaborate and just kept on pulling me. Once we got there, I was completely stunned…
"What in the…"
"Master Jin!!!"
Ash releases his hold on me and steps away. What I saw was Kurousagi, who was on top of a building. She suddenly jumped down towards me.
…
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