Holy crap I didn't think this through.

Yesterday's conference was already a struggle with my stage fright.

And that was for Alexandra's Orcs and a few extra.

Today, we have over two hundred guests, from Orcs to Goblins, Beastmen, Kobolds, Dwarves, and more I can't name. Who would have thought there were so many small tribes nearby?

[Notice: These are refugees from the Old Capital. Apart from the humans, most other species returned home after the teleportation incident. That's over five hundred thousand people.]

Shit. Why didn't you tell me sooner? So it's not even every tribe's envoys?

And to make it worse, Dioneras and his men remained for the show too.

I call it the first Defense Expo.

I told the Orcs to show off their best side, and how efficient the new weapons are.

They engage in mock duels most of the morning to entertain our guests.

The camp went through quite the transformation to be presentable too.

But I need a larger mess hall to fit this many people.

It's funny that raising more buildings is faster and easier than setting up tents.

I have wood and nails, and Masterful Crafting finishes everything in seconds.

Tents and pavilions would need materials I don't have. I'm surprised the Orcs said they can prepare a feast for this many people. Or did they also think we'll have fewer visitors?

With this many guests, I reserve the main mess hall for the chieftains. There are still more people than yesterday, most of whom are strangers. How am I supposed to repeat my earlier offer?

[Querry: Didn't you practice?]

I did. Alone. Not in front of almost a hundred monsters. This is more stressful than I thought.

Deep breath, clearing throat, and here I go.

"Welcome all the elders and leaders of the nearby tribes. I'm happy that so many of you came."

It's not true, this could have been a group email in my world. Damn it, they are all staring at me.

I know I'm hot, and the Goddess is more than a celebrity, but please.

"The Demon Lord broke out from his dungeon, and he will reconquer his former territories. It's all good, but the First Bride plans to challenge his authority."

It's part of a monologue I practiced all day yesterday. I wrote it down, memorized it, and repeated it until I was sick. It's still a miracle I could get the first sentences out without stuttering.

The murmur of these strangers sounds like a whirlwind of thoughts with these sharp cat ears.

I wish my senses weren't this good in this body. I want to blank out and get over with this.

Most of my speech goes by without remembering that I said those words. How did I survive until the end?

"What I offer is a Mutual Protection Pact as a Neutral League. I don't want to fight either side if I don't have to, but banding together is the best way to deter them from attacking."

There is some sporadic clapping and even more chatter once I finish.

The hecklers like Fenna yesterday won't hold back either.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

I raise my hand though, I won't attempt to answer them all.

And as a literal deity, Alexandra wouldn't have to bother with such a thing.

"I'm sure you have many questions about my capabilities, even after seeing my Orcs fight. Or if I'm serious about this Neutral League, and would stick around to defend everyone."

They quiet down a bit, so I motion towards my Vice Commander.

"I instructed my officers to answer most of your questions. But before that, I'd like to show you what edge we hold over any other tribe."

Hoping that my crossbows would convince them, I prepared quite the show.

I didn't expect that I'd have to perform it in front of this many, but I have my helpers too.

One volunteered, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Mabel doesn't struggle with the same stage fright as me. And she is the perfect specimen to show off what's so great about my weapons.

Omerta was a little harder to convince, but she feared me more than the crowd.

"This is a new weapon I invented, and only our closest allies will have access to it." Holding up the beat-up prototype crossbow, I begin the show. "It's like a bow, but much stronger."

"It doesn't need an insane strength to use, or years of training to master." Cocking the weapon, I target a log, and my bodkin bolt shatters the wood on impact.

Judging from the crowd's reaction, only a few people found it interesting.

But this is where my MVP, the adorable Mabel comes in.

I hand over the crossbow, and she recocks the weapon with the windlass I made.

"As I said, anyone can use it, and it's as simple as a child's toy." To support my claim, the Orc girl shatters another thick log, and this causes quite a stir. But I'm not done yet.

"And to show how powerful the bolts are, why don't we have the Demon Lord's strongest witch cast a barrier on the target?"

I don't know how strong Omerta is, but she was the only spellcaster in the Twelve Champions.

She held her own against the First Bride too, and well, who could prove her otherwise?

It's all a marketing trick anyway. She steps forward and coats the last target in an orange force field.

Of course, I tested the thing yesterday.

It would be lame if it didn't penetrate it after such claims. And a few hecklers volunteer to help prove my case too.

"How do we know it's a proper barrier, or that she's strong?" A humanoid Hyena asks.

[Notice: It's a Gnoll. They are a mixture of Beastmen and...]

Shush, dump exposition on me later.

"Be my guest and try to smash the target." I offer the Gnoll. It's a spectacular fail, and no matter how far they escalate it, not even Bastion can crush the barrier.

"And now, Mabel, please, if you would." It's impossible to suppress my grin. The Orc girl aims and shoots, shattering the log into pieces. The crowd goes wild.

Nobody notices that we switch crossbows, they are too busy trying to smash the barrier. That was the heaviest model, a literal ballista shrunk down and lightened by magic.

Masterful Crafting is a pure cheat skill.