Seeing Hermes approaching, Hestia took the initiative and stood alertly in front of Link, pulling the man apart.
"You guy? You're not planning any bad ideas, are you?"
No wonder Hestia was suspicious.
Hermes is the god of trade, travelers, thieves, and livestock in ancient Greek mythology, as well as the messenger of the gods.
He is intelligent, cunning, and crafty, and is also regarded as the creator of the art of deception.
He is like that in myth, and his reputation is not very good.
Anyway, let's hear what the request is first.
"What's wrong, God Hermes?"
"I hope you can accompany Artemis on this mission. How about that?"
"Okay," Link nodded without thinking.
If they went together, Artemis would have more protection.
"But since it's a commission, what kind of reward is the God Hermes willing to offer?"
"How about a date with the leader of my family, Asfi?"
Hermes completely missed the point and instead pushed Asfi, who was already blushing beside him, forward.
"Stupid!"
As a result, Asfi was pushed straight into the pasta on the nearby table, and the sauce stained his face.
He seemed to be used to it.
he wiped the sauce off hIS face with a napkin and looked back at Link.
"What do you think? This reward is pretty good, right?"
"Okay, I agree!"
"Huh?!"
Ignoring Asfi, who was already very embarrassed, the two men came to an agreement on their own.
Link wanted to go to the ruins anyway.
Now that he had a commission and a reason to go, wouldn't it be better?
With Hermes joining, this small group became even noisier.
While the gods chatted, Link approached Artemis, who was alone and quietly sipping red wine.
"What's wrong, Artemis? I feel like you're a little down. Have you encountered something troublesome?"
"Link, I..."
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry, Link. I rejected you back then, if..."
Artemis opened her mouth, but she couldn't articulate the words that lingered on her lips.
He was now part of Hestia's family.
'Are you going to compete with Hestia?'
"It's okay, Artemis. Those things are in the past, and I don't take them seriously. This time, I will accompany you to the Ersos ruins. I also ask you to take care of me along the way. Please look after me well."
"Well..."
Artemis suddenly looked up at Link.
"I heard that at your previous dinner with Hestia, you played a song for her. Can you play a song for me too?"
At the very least, she didn't want to lose to her best friend in this respect.
Link was slightly surprised, but he didn't take it seriously.
This kind of request wasn't a request at all. Although Artemis is the goddess of hunting, she also holds the priesthood of the goddess of the moon, with songs that praise the moon.
He could think of many things just by pondering it.
"It's okay, right now..."
"Alright, I'll take care of it."
With that, Artemis walked up to Ganesha on the high platform.
Not long later, Ganesha made a flashy move and shouted, "Next, the adventurer of the Hestia Familia, Link, known as the 'fastest', will play a song for Artemis!"
Suddenly, the chattering gods and goddesses surrounding the area fell silent, and all their eyes turned to Hestia.
Link bowed to the room without any shyness and headed straight for the piano that had been vacated for him.
"Is that the 'fastest' Link? He's so handsome! I feel like I'm already wet!"
"Yeah, I heard it only took him two weeks to reach LV.2!"
"He's cheating; how is that possible?"
Some gods were discussing in low voices below.
Under Ottar's protection, Freya held a glass of red wine, slightly raised the corners of her mouth, and looked at Link with intense heat in her eyes.
'What kind of surprise will you bring me today?'
...
At Artemis's request, the lights in the venue went out, leaving only a ray of moonlight that struck Link's body.
The entire venue became a stage for their performance.
Soon, a beautiful note rang out.
Throughout the venue, the gods who were previously speaking in low voices also fell silent at this moment.
They couldn't bear for their disordered voices to affect this beautiful music.
"Damn it... damn it!"
This is the first movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Moonlight Sonata!
The first movement is rich in emotional expression, including meditative tenderness, sad chants, and dark premonitions.
Although the accompaniment, theme, and intensity have not changed much, the fluctuations of the heartstrings are still delicately expressed through changes in harmony, register, and rhythm.
This sonata contains Beethoven's most original ideas.
Its dreamlike nature of improvisation and its exploration of the resonance of piano sound anticipated Debussy's impressionism about a hundred years later.
Such a piece of music, even in this age of the gods, shines with its unusual brilliance.
Artemis's eyes seemed to shimmer with tears.
Under this moving note, it felt as if she were on the moonlit lake at that moment, driving a rocking boat and moving forward slowly under the guidance of the moonlight.
"Ah... my Orion..."
Looking at the handsome and charming Link, Artemis nodded vigorously as if she had made some sort of determination.
Not far from her, a blonde male god suddenly whispered to Hestia, "Hestia, at what price are you willing to give him to me?"
The speaker was none other than Apollo.
Before Hestia could respond, several cold eyes stared at him.
Apollo felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.
When he looked carefully, he saw that Hephaestus, Artemis, Astraea, and even Freya were all staring at him from a distance as if they were gazing at ants.
He trembled, not daring to say anything further, and immediately retreated.
As the last note was played, the song ended.
The lights in the venue lit up again, and the gods and their families cheered.
Amid thunderous applause, Link bowed to express his thanks and walked off the stage, looking at Artemis.
"What do you think, Artemis? Are you satisfied with this song 'Moonlight'?"
"Very satisfied, my Orion!"
Artemis suddenly grabbed Link by the neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Link on the lips before everyone's surprised gaze.
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