Steve drummed his fingers on the table as he laid his hand on his chin and stared out of the window of the apartment at the top of Babel. The view from up here was crazy. Far below, he could see clouds moving about and beneath that was sprawled out the Labyrinth city. From up here, he may as well have been looking at a map, and even Godzilla who was still snoozing in the colosseum was little more than a big spot.
He looked around the room he was situated in. What once was a chamber that held Freya's chair and a multitude of bookshelves containing her tomes and her books and her grimoires and whatever else she stored there was now gone. Instead, there was a large oval table with fancy chairs put up alongside it so a good few people had space to sit. And for this occasion there were rows of chairs put up against the wall side so the extra people that were going to be in attendance for this meeting would have somewhere to sit...not that standing for long periods of time was a bother to superhuman adventurers.
Turning back to the window, he couldn't help but marvel again at the landscape. He'd truly underestimated how big Orario really was because even from this height, the city was vast. He'd once heard it said that the Labyrinth City was big enough to fit two or three kingdoms inside. Of course, that could just mean two or three tiny kingdoms because there was no way that the city was as big as a country.
It was big...but not that big.
But he did have to wonder how Freya was able to see and differentiate between the souls she would see down below. From this viewpoint, they would have all had to been gathered together like the light of lamp posts; clustered and hard to pick apart. She had to also have some sort of x-ray or zoom in vision alongside that soul sight if she was able to pick out Bell from the crowd, regardless of his unique colour.
That aside, the sunset from here had to be amazing.
Just a bit more than a month ago, he had woken up on the tallest of the Beol mountains which he could see in the distance from here, right to the North. He remembered standing on the top of that mountain and gazing at Orario from afar, staring pointedly at Babel tower.
Now here he was, eighty chapters onwards and he was finally sitting at the very top of that tower, even before the main story had begun, before Enyo's machinations started to take form...before Argonaut began his era once more.
...
Right now he was sitting in Vanish Mode waiting for his guests arrived. Mainly he was expecting the patron deities of those Familia that had signed the Accords, alongside their captains and some of their key executives. He was also waiting on his own Familia and Royman with a few guild officials at his side. He was seated in vanish mode because some service people he'd paid for the occasion were still setting up the place with more chairs as well as refreshments.
When Babel was more fitting to be referred to as some kind of supermall, what with different stores and businesses existing on almost every floor, these kind of services were not all that hard to come by. He just wanted a bit of peace for now after a long morning of paperwork and didn't want to deal with people asking him questions and directions, so for now he just sat patiently and waited while also glancing at the hires now and then to make sure none of them were acting shifty.
Well...no more shifty than the grim reaper looking guest of his standing in a corner of the room. Fels had used his invisibility to hide in the corner, though he'd come in completely unawares that Steve was in the room as well. Why wouldn't he be? Vanish Mode was overpowered as hell. But knowing that Fels could still be sensed by higher levelled people even through his invisibility, Steve had also cast Vanish on him, ready to undo it when the meeting concluded.
It was a shame that Ouranos could not just come here and attend himself. But with both Fels and Royman there, Steve assumed the Olympian Primordial would get full details soon enough.
Meanwhile he himself couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He'd worked quite a bit to get to this point in his plan. After the party, no time had been wasted and they'd immediately begun work on the Outer Sanctum, building all the workshops such as a forge for whichever of them was going to do the blacksmith things. Most likely for the time being it would be Makena and if they couldn't forge anything...well they were Minecrafters. They could just craft stuff.
Not to mention that in his Creative, he could duplicate an item and just increase stock. Though he did prefer not to do that, because he wanted to keep up a front about their resources. The Loki Familia knew he could create weapons at will but they didn't know how it worked. In fact, he didn't think that even Ptah fully knew or understood how his Creative Mode worked. And he would like to keep things that way.
There was also a potions shop for Noor. He decided to have her use her talent for potions instead of monster taming for now. But he knew that as superpowered as she was, he couldn't just leave the whole thing to her. So he'd already begun making plans to employ a certain impoverished but highly skilled alchemical Familia who would be sworn to secrecy but would work to make their potions in large quantities. He just hoped that having them go through the ropes would not make them unlearn anything from their previous endeavours.
And then there was an enchanter's hub where Zuri would handle the enchants mainly. Steve didn't think it would be active though since enchants would be high priced, the kind that only well-going Familia could afford the enchants or adventurers above level 3. Not that it would be open to all customer's just yet. First they had to get their allies out of the way first. Already the Loki Familia wanted upgrades to their enchants.
Gareth's axe was in for an efficiency upgrade since the dwarf liked being able to swing his axe faster and Tione was demanding sharper knives. To be fair, even he was surprised by how well the level 1 enchants went and had he been in their position and learned there were more levels to the enchantments, then he too would have liked them. After that came Hephaestus and her ilk who were interested in their special metals. After turning on one of his mods, they had more kinds of metals and gems in storage to pull from as materials for crafting.
He was hearing whispers also of the Freya Familia wanting to commission something from him and his Familia. Whether her children liked or hated them after the War Game, the enchanted gear seemed to leave an impression on them and they knew how effective they were. It was only natural they'd want some of that power too. And considering many of their best weapons were also destroyed during the War Game, he could understand the need to replenish them. The fact that the Freya Familia was filthy rich certainly helped them in this regard.
---
It was about half-an-hour later that all his expected guests were assembled in that room. Royman was there along with two officials and he was seated at the head of the table on the other end right across from Steve. Ptah was seated on his right hand side with Alex on his left. Loki, Hephaestus, Ganesha and Freya were there along with their executives. Of course Hestia had nothing to contribute just yet so she could not attend and it would have mounted a lot of pressure on the young Bell to be in a room full of such high profile individuals.
Loki had brought her whole executive team with her, as did Freya. Ganesha had brought Shakti and a couple other of his children with him and Hephaestus had just brought Tsubaki. Apparently the half-dwarf was all that was required to attend this meeting on her end. The captains were seated next to their patrons while the extra guests sat on the chairs on the wall side facing the table, like a little assembly. Among them was Royman's attendants, one of whom had writing paper ready to perhaps record everything that was to go down here. It was after all a meeting of great importance.
Steve was still in Vanish Mode and so nobody knew he was here yet, besides his Familia members who already suspected he was in there. It did not need to be said that the four new girls were not there at the meeting. Haruhime was most likely buried in books again, and Aisha was probably drinking or monster hunting...or perhaps spending time in the entertainment district. Even if leaving the Ishtar Familia meant leaving her other profession behind, it did not mean she didn't enjoy the things she did. Steve saw no problem in allowing her to continue but Tiona had kicked up a fuss when Aisha started sweet-talking him.
It seemed his Amazon wife only had a jealous streak where other Amazons were involved. As for what the other two girls were doing, he couldn't care less.
Sitting there though, he could definitely confirm that nobody could see him, not even Freya as her eyes didn't even lock onto his position nor could he feel her gaze like he usually could. Even her soul sight didn't let her see him when in Vanish Mode. It truly was the best camouflage.
...
"Well, we're all here aren't we?" Loki said as she folded her arms and looked around. "I know we agreed three days and all but shouldn't the guy who called for this meeting be here himself?"
"Perhaps he is just running late." Royman offered. "As the one spearheading this marvellous alliance and organisation, I'm sure he's preparing something big for this first meeting."
"Well he certainly isn't making a very good first impression then." Freya said. "Imagine turning up late at the first gathering of this interesting ordeal."
"You all signed the contract." Ptah said. "You all follow the rules. He'll be here exactly when he means to. All you have to do is wait."
"Could you at least give us some idea on what is about to take place here Ptah?" Hephaestus asked. "Are we negotiating business deals? Or the commissions?"
"Nothing of the sort." Zuri answered for Ptah as he carried in a chest and set it on the ground. "The captain as a matter of fact is already here."
"Where?" Ganesha asked as he put hand over his eyes and looked around in a cartoonish style. "I can't see him."
More people began looking around for him and he chuckled before revealing himself.
"Right here." He said as he undid the Vanish command.
To the occupants of the room, it was like he was just...there. No fancy teleportation spell or super speed. One moment he wasn't there and the next he just was, like an inevitability that was always there except you didn't notice it unless you really focused. Reality just seemed to suddenly recognise him and his form just blinked into view. They stared in shock at him just casually sitting there like he hadn't been missing for the last few minutes.
"How long have you been there?" Freya asked in shock as she just stared at him. This solidified his theory that she could not see him when he was in Vanish.
"Since always." He said. "I know how to get around well without being seen unless I want to be seen."
"How?" Hedin asked from his seat before the elf's eyes widened as he remembered something. "Is that how you snuck up behind us during the War Game?"
"Nope. I was just too fast then for you to notice me." Steve smiled.
"Ugh." Alex just rolled her eyes before addressing the room. "He has this ability which hides him absolutely from all of our senses. Useful for when you don't want the monsters to know you're there but believe me, he's abused this ability more than once."
"Abused it?" Shakti narrowed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself a bit tightly. "How?"
"Not in any way you're thinking." Steve smirked and he caught Tiona giving him a sly side-eye. "That is if you're thinking what I think you're thinking...which I think I'm quite sure your thinking."
"I'm not entirely sure what you're suggesting." Shakti said a little competitively.
"I'm entirely sure you're entirely sure what I'm suggesting." Steve grinned.
He got a nudge from Alex again. Ari sighed from the corner.
"He's used it for pranks." The gun loving girl said. "Back when we were younger, he was quite a jokester. Loved pulling all sorts of crap with us."
"Good days." Steve said before clapping his hands. "Right, let's get down to business. Zuri, door."
The Sage obeyed his captain and closed the door before locking it. A click from Steve's fingers had Kai pulling down blinds over the windows, making the room go a little bit dark. Steve lit a candle that was on table before lifting a cup of drink in his hand. The other occupants of the table did the same and lifted their own cups.
"First, a toast to our good fortune." Steve said. "That all of us mighty and powerful folk, who have been in competition with one another for so long can finally come together over common grounds, so that we may reap great rewards from our shared efforts. A long life to our friendship...and long may we prosper." He lifted the cup a little higher.
"Hear, hear." Royman said, more than eager to partake in this as he lifted his own goblet a little higher.
""Long may we prosper."" They all said before lifting their drinks and toasting to each other's goodwill. The cups were full of the golden apple wine that the Ptah Familia was quickly becoming famous for and both Loki and Ganesha's eyes widened as they found the taste of what was quickly becoming their favourite drink, though they could tell that it was bit different.
Steve had made a different press to the wine this time by adding a dash of Minecraft sweet berry which gave it a bit of tang that just enhanced the taste all the same. To the disappointment of several, those cups were all the wine there was on the table but they supposed it made sense given the gravity of the meeting that was about to take place.
"As the honorary chairman of the Craftsmen's League and the propagator of the Crafter's Accords, I hereby declare that our first gathering shall commence, now." Steve put his hand on the table as he waited for someone to say something. It didn't take long.
"So why did you gather us here for Steve?" Finn asked. "From the setup and all, it seems very important."
"You couldn't be more right Finn." Steve said before he looked around at the room. "This coalition was created for the purpose that we may benefit from one another in certain endeavours. The most sought of which are the goods that my Familia can produce en masse for adventurers of all walks. The Ptah Familia and Hephaestus Familia shall be shouldering most of the crafting and production. Which just leaves the rest of you with one particular job." Steve made a pointed look at everyone else in the room.
"They shall be the divers." Royman said what was on everyone's mind. "They'll be the ones that collect raw materials and minerals for you."
"Indeed." Ptah said. "And as you can tell by the kind of adventurers we have in attendance today, the items my children and I aim to make are of high quality, and therefore need hard sourced materials. Riches such as the adamantine deposits in the Valgang Vase or even the crystals from the water capital. Not to mention good quality drop items from high levelled monsters."
"Which only adventurers of level 5 and above can get for you." Tsubaki said as she looked around. "It's a hard business trying to get such high-levelled adventurers to just dive down to get resources for us. Not to mention the time it takes and what it costs for transport. And let's not forget how much is lost because of monsters along the way."
"Exactly." Steve said as he leaned forwards with his hands clasped. "Which is not a problem for us. But of course, like you said, you cannot just commission S Rank Familia to go down that deep. Excusing what it costs to hire such a party, some incentives just aren't worth the trouble for most people. So I had to find a way to get all the most powerful adventurers in the city together in one space, for one unified purpose."
"That was why you proposed an alliance with us." Loki realized. "And you made that spear for Finn just so that it was difficult for him to refuse."
"Indeed." Steve nodded to the Pallum. "Show them."
Finn reached his hand under the table and rolled Fleinnleptr onto the table. There were gasps all around as people marvelled at the membrane of magical wisps flowing off of the weapon that reeked of great power. The design was absolutely beautiful, but fearsome. Most stunning of all however were the runes carved into the spear. Freya's eyes widened as she recognised runic language of Yggdrasil and she stared at Steve, wondering how he came to know such a tongue.
"I appraised this weapon shortly before the War Game Denatus." Hephaestus said as the people turned to her. "It is a weapon made of heavily condensed Orichalcum for the shaft, pure yet with enough material just stacked in to enhance durability. And the entire spearhead is a singular cut diamond brimming with some sort of lightning magic and other magics the purpose of which I cannot glean."
"A DIAMOND!?" Royman exclaimed as he stared at the spearhead, the eyes of the people seated at the table wide with amazement. "That big?! Where did you find such a thing Mr Hewer?"
"We'll come to that later." Steve said. "This type of weapon was a one off occasion. The Ptah and Loki Familia share a more personal relationship given that...well, my relationships are no secret." He looked over at Tiona and Ais who were both paying apt attention. "But carefully manufactured weaponry along with powerful enchants is a key specialty amongst the Ptah Familia. Through our own conservative methods, we are able to place an everlasting enchantment on a weapon that is placed after the weapon's completion and not throughout the process of forging. But I am an ambitious person, and just the Loki Familia alone would not have sated my need for more resources. I am powerful but I cannot be in two paces at once. I needed more adventurers to farm resources for me."
"And so you used my War Game challenge to your advantage." Freya said, her voice capturing the very sentiment that echoed in everybody's head. "You used it to bring my Familia into the fold of your design."
"With promised benefit of course." Zuri said as he pushed up his glasses. "After all. Many of us have our own...personal interests in this arrangement. It would be a shame not to make the most out of golden opportunities where we work together instead of working against one another." Zuri quickly glanced at Riveria for a moment and a warm spark fluttered between them as the elf princess grew a bit warm inside. "You deliver the materials and we make the goods."
"Naturally we also made good on friendships we'd already established." Ptah added as he looked at Ganesha and Hephaestus. "It just so happened that they were also the other powerful and influential Familia too. In the end, it all came down to a melting pot of opportunities, of which we capitalized on each and everyone."
"Leading us all to this table on this very day." Shakti said. "But I can't help but feel there is much more to all of this than just what has been said here. Do you seriously need everyone here just to be resource monkeys for you?"
"I am Ganesha! A bit harsh you're being there, aren't you Shakti my dear?" Ganesha said.
"I just don't feel like it is worth our talents to just be gathering materials and stuff for these Familia in order to make expensive magical items we're not likely to afford anyway." Shakti said. "And besides we specialise in monster taming, not smith work. Already one of our best sites has been affected by a monster that they conjured forth and have not dismissed yet. It may have gone past you all in the heat of the War Game, but don't forget that these guys can just summon monsters out of the blue." Shakti stared daggers straight at Steve. "Nothing about any of that gives me even the slightest reason to trust these guys. They come to Orario with no reputation, suspicious items, and entire nightmares as well as absurd power and turn everything on its head, then expect us to play friends. You'll forgive me if I'm not convinced."
"She does have a point." Loki shrugged. "It looks fishy no matter what angle you come at it from."
"There is much reason to be cautious of us. She has valid concerns." Steve said. "But only greater power would have brought all your heads together in the game. The Freya and Loki Familia have been at each other's throats for ages and just about ready to kill one another, as past feuds have shown. The Ganesha Familia have continuous struggle in trying to tame monsters and undergo many unpleasant mishaps. The Hephaestus Familia are focused on outdoing one another instead of amassing collective benefit for the Familia, and I can see that this toxic competition is suppressing some very valuable talent amongst them." Steve looked at Hephaestus.
The red-haired goddess wondered for a moment if Steve was possibly making an insinuations regarding anybody. But she ruled it out since there was no way he could know about the quiet recluse in her Familia with a curse upon his bloodline despite his immense talent.
"Not so very much to be impressed about when you look at it from an outsiders perspective." Ari's voice rang out. "This Game you're playing was a powder keg just waiting for a spark. The rivalry would have spilled over at some point and razed all in its way. You lot needed a much outstanding reality check, which we graciously provided."
That bristled a few skins in the room but...she was not wrong.
"Thank you Ari." Steve drawled flatly. "But yes. You were all too distracted and its been that way ever since the Great War seven years ago. Competition is good but not when there is so much bad blood involved. And the way things were going, rivers of gold were slipping through your fingertips. The Loki Familia's profit deficit from their many expedition mishaps is just the tip of the iceberg. So many missed opportunities, so many chances lost." Steve then leaned forward, much more serious. "But not now. The Ptah Familia do not only specialize in weaponry. We also have much to offer in the way of alchemy, animal husbandry, agriculture, construction, magic and a multitude of other things. Things we could accomplish with raw indomitable power. Now I'm sure, it has crosses many a mind here in this room...how did my friends and I get so strong?"
Everyone exchanged glances, knowing he was right. They'd asked themselves that question so many times now. Mind-boggling power like that could not possibly have just gone unnoticed for so long. How did the Ptah Familia manage to hide themselves like that?
"I told my children the things we discussed in the Gods' viewing room during the War Game." Ptah said to his fellow gods as they stared at one another, exchanging wary and knowing looks which confused their captains and made Royman scratch his head like he'd missed something.
"You know what we are." Sunny said simply to the gods, like it was a matter of fact.
"Loki, what are they talking about?" Riveria asked.
"Yes, Lord Ganesha." Shakti lifted a brow at her patron. "What's going on?"
"Lady Freya?" Allen piped up, the first words he'd spoken during this whole thing, though to be fair, not very many people had had the chance to speak since the meeting had only just begun.
"...You're Otherworlders aren't you?" Freya broke the ice as she stared at Steve. "You're not from here."
"About time you figured it out." Steve chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. "I mean how obvious could it have been up until the War Game?"
"I recognised it because of the foreign magic on your items." Hephaestus said. "I'd say I'm the one who discovered that little secret you'd been hiding first. I can be spared from your judgemental eye."
"My activities were certainly not spared from yours." Steve said.
"Otherworlders?" Tione tilted her head questioningly.
"Steve, what is she talking about?" Tiona asked. "What's going on? Why are they calling you that?"
"Simple. There is a much deeper reason why this coalition was created. Us nine here are not from Genkai." Steve said as the Minecrafters gathered behind him. "We're from another world."
...
""WHAT?!!""
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