The process to gather an entourage for the diplomatic meeting was… by no means an easy one. Given that the floor they were traveling to was the twenty-eighth, it had to be assumed that creatures born there would be a higher level than even the Maxers of Fyor, even without the benefits of being a ‘chosen race’. For this reason, the ones most sought after were none other than those who had achieved godhood, or were similarly able to fight above their level with ease.
Petra was a given, as she had displayed a wide array of skills. Perhaps due to her nature as the Demigoddess of Shadows, she was able to face off against numerous Maxers at a single time. Furthermore, her scouting ability was unparalleled, able to find a target so long as it either resided in a shadow or cast a shadow.
Next were the native gods of Fyor, Thessa and Theon Grid. Thessa had proven herself in the battle above the skies of Deckan, when she helped to fight back the golem fleet, and often defended cities of the higher floors from monsters in her free time. Meanwhile, her brother Theon was the God of Balance. Even if the enemy was stronger than himself, he could bring them down to his level. This made him someone that they absolutely needed to recruit for the mission.
Finally, there was the God of Paper, a human born on Earth that had ascended long ago. He often worked with the Metong and March empires as a translator, while also possessing significant combat prowess befitting a mortal god.
The guild leader sat at his desk, looking at the names of the four people he planned to recruit for this mission. “Petra Carna, Thessa Grid, Theon Grid, Alex Lobaine…” Petra had already agreed to the mission, and he knew Thessa would agree so long as it was under the premise of promoting peace. Theon had never taken part in such an important mission, so he wasn’t sure there. However, Thessa would likely be able to convince him, even if he had his reservations.
The problem was recruiting the God of Paper. He worked for the golem races due to the joy of being the first person to make contact with a whole new civilization, according to public record. Despite this, the two races paid him an exorbitant sum for his services. Specifically, they paid him with the power of faith, transferable through Sanctum. Both the leaders of the Metong and March were deities themselves, leaders of massive empires. The faith that they garnered on a regular basis would be no small amount.
Given the price that the High Mother quoted for us, I doubt that we can afford him. The guild leader had already sent out his messages towards the leaders of the other worlds, inviting them to join him for this first contact, while also including the list of guards he wished to hire.
Of those who received the invitation, the elven Queen of Gandor promised to send a representative, as did the God-Queen of Deckan and the Queen of Kione. The Metong and March rulers seemed rather surprised at the invitation, seeing such first contacts as a more casual exercise unworthy of gathering all of the races together. Thus, they appreciated the gesture, but politely declined. The Metong’s High Mother did, however, notify the guild leader of the price they typically paid when hiring Alex Lobaine.
Of the remaining worlds, the President of Spica’s Demacry elected not to take part as their emissaries would be weakened by the change in natural laws. Unsurprisingly, Lorek gave a similar reason for refusal. As for Desbar, they declined on the premise that their race would be heavily affected by the conditions of Fyor’s upper levels.
“I guess Black really is special there, huh?” He muttered, glancing at the document for Petra Carna. Despite her race having an aversion to sunlight, she often operated even during daylight hours. Additionally, the gravity of the upper floors often rendered the wings of demons a liability, but she maintained her flight through special methods.
As he was lost in his thoughts, there was a knock on the door to his office. “S-Sir, you have a visitor.” The voice of his secretary called out, making the dovah raise a curious brow.
“I thought I said that I didn’t want to be disturbed?” He questioned, shaking his head. He would need some time to figure out how to recruit the gods on his list.
“T-This is a rather urgent--no wait!” The secretary called out as the door flew open, a pale-skinned youth walking in with light blue hair. At first, the guild leader was about to scold her for barging in unannounced, before he recognized her from various reports he had received over the years.
“I want in!” The Goddess of Adventure slapped her small hands down against his desk, eyes wide and shining. Actually shining, as if she had created light within her eyes. “The diplomatic mission, I want in!”
It took the guild leader nearly a full minute to register this request, gulping thickly. He had not sent the invitation to the Sky Citadel out of consideration to their lack of manpower. It was widely known that only three individuals directly served the Keeper, so he thought it would be rude to ask them to add this mission into their surely busy schedules. “L-Lady Lifre, this is a surprise.”
“I want in!” She repeated again, slapping the dest once more. The guild leader winced when he heard the wood cracking beneath her palms.
“Yes, you said that… you wish to join our first contact party?” He asked in a hesitant tone, to which Lifre nodded her head rapidly, a wide smile plastered across her face. “That can… surely be arranged. However, may I ask why you are interested?”
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“It’s the first meeting with a fantasy civilization!” She said, throwing her hands into the air and stepping back, twirling around. “Humans with a natural knowledge of advanced magic. Dwarves with bodies that can resist that magic while wielding the power of nature. Why are they at war? Given the size of the floor, it can’t be a simple matter of a territorial dispute, right?! Is it a sordid affair, greed over an ancient relic, or revenge for hunting a long-lived beast that they revered as a god? Maybe it’s even just a sibling rivalry on a divine scale! Whatever it is, it’s sure to be an adventure!”
Hearing how enthusiastic she was about joining the mission, the guild leader simply let out a resigned sigh. Thankfully, the three servants of the Keeper’s Citadel were all extremely powerful, so he knew that she would be a safe addition to the team. Especially since she made it to the core of Fyor, proving that she had not yet surpassed the world’s level restriction. “Ver--”
“Oh, also, I have a message for you from Tsubaki.” Lifre interrupted just as he was about to accept, producing a crystal ring from the palm of her hand and setting it down. Once she had done so, she tapped the ring to infuse it with just a bit of mana and activate the projection saved within.
The guild leader’s body stiffened as he saw the holographic image of Tsubaki, the true Servant who was renowned as the Ancestor Fox by the Heroc and Irena’s enforcer to her enemies. Tsubaki gave a polite smile, bowing her head slightly. “Sir Gestople, I apologize for the sudden intrusion upon your work today. The matter you are facing has been brought to the Citadel’s attention.”
“Please know that we find no fault with you in this matter.” The projection said, as if sensing the dovah’s nervousness. “The Citadel would like to sponsor this operation in the name of meeting new civilizations that may be brought into the allied forces. As part of the report you submitted to the different races, it was mentioned that you wish to recruit no less than three deities as an escort. As a show of our support, the Citadel will pay the fees required to hire these three individuals.”
The guild leader’s eyes went wide at that offer, having a hard time believing what he was hearing. “In exchange, we only ask that our own Goddess of Adventure, Lifre be added to the list of escorts. Please do not fret, as we do not wish her to have any level of authority in the mission beyond that of a simple guard. All right to command the mission will reside solely with the Guild. If you have any questions, Lifre is perfectly equipped to answer them. In the meantime, I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.”
After saying that, the projection flickered away, Lifre storing the ring that contained it once more. The guild leader directed a slight look of pity towards the pale-skinned goddess, though he wasn’t entirely sure if he felt more pity for Lifre or Tsubaki. From this short exchange, he was able to read between the lines somewhat and understand the situation.
When the report came in of the upcoming mission, Lifre no doubt begged for the chance to be involved in it. This could be seen by her almost childish attitude after entering his office. Tsubaki, meanwhile, eventually relented. Not only did she allow Lifre to participate, but she even offered to sponsor the entire mission in exchange.
Lifre wants to join you for a while, so could you look after her for us? In exchange, we’ll pay you for your trouble. That was the message he ultimately received from the recording. As he thought that, Lifre glanced over at him, tilting her head with a curious expression.
“You were just thinking something incredibly rude right now, weren’t you?” She asked, pouting her lips. The guild leader gulped, shaking his head quickly. “Well, it’s fine! I look like this, so I kind of expect that people won’t take me seriously! It’s more fun that way.” The bright smile on her face served as a stark contrast to the ominous feeling that the guild leader was experiencing.
“Just to confirm, you only wish to act as a guard, yes?” He firmly believed that it would be a terrible idea to allow Lifre to speak directly with the other party during the first contact. No, it must absolutely not be allowed to happen.
“Those were the rules!” Lifre nodded her head. “Tsubaki said that if I break these rules, I’ll be on paperwork duty for a month… without my domain.” Lifre’s shoulders dropped at that, but her reaction was enough to let the guild leader know that it was definitely a punishment that she didn’t want to happen.
How in the world would she even use her Adventure domain for paperwork? As one that often had to deal with such matters himself, he had long since grown accustomed to the tedium of paperwork. “Very well, then. I’ll make contact with the relevant parties. If I may ask, how exactly does the Citadel plan to handle this sponsorship…?”
Lifre’s head lifted back up, her smile as bright as ever. “Tsubaki said that you can use her name in the negotiations, and that those who required divine payment could seek it out at her palace of light in Sanctum.”
So you’re not going to be the one doing it yourself. The guild leader let out a sigh of relief, nodding his head. When it came to combat prowess, he dared not doubt a member of the Citadel. However, as for her personality… all that he could say was that she was eccentric.
“I understand. In that case, I’ll begin making the necessary arrangements. Would it be fine for me to call the Citadel when it is time for the party to gather?”
In response to his question, Lifre shook her head quickly. “I’ll be staying in Fyor. Let’s see… it’ll be fine for me to play around on the twenty-seventh floor now. Just send me a message there whenever it’s time.”
The guild leader’s eye twitched slightly at those words. Despite not giving him any contact information to use to reach her, she seemed confident that he would be able to pass a message along. Was she overestimating his resources, or did she truly plan to make a big scene on the twenty-seventh floor?
“I understand.” He repeated with a low sigh. “In that case, is there anything else that you need taken care of?”
Lifre seemed to think about it for a moment, before shaking her head. “Nope! I think that settles everything important. Though, I’ll be using my domain to provide a buff for our party once it’s time. Hopefully it will help everything go over smoothly? Either way, I’m looking forward to your message, so don’t forget!” As she said that, she turned and ran out of the office, clearly ready to go and ‘play’ on the most dangerous inhabited floor of Fyor.