Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Without much else to do, as he was just watching over construction efforts within the Dungeon, Vahn decided to spend time with his children until the goddesses returned. He found Eina breastfeeding Eiko within the maternity ward so they talked about everything that had been going on while he played with his sons and daughters in their cribs. Surprisingly, it seemed that Misha and Rose had officially become a couple at some point, bringing a somewhat strange smile to Vahn's face. He had sort of expected the relationship between him and Rose would develop at some point but, with everything that was going on both inside and away from the Manor, things never really had the opportunity.Rose never spent that much time within the actual Manor and, as he didn't proactively seek her out, it wasn't that strange for things to develop differently than expected. Though there were signs from both girls in the past that they might like him, Vahn had to accept the fact that feelings weren't something that could withstand the test of time without proper care. This realization was something he had already come to in the past but, having an actual example of people 'moving on', Vahn knew he needed to treat his own relationships better. Over the course of an eternity, the odds that one of his current relationships would end up falling apart were functionally one-hundred percent. In order to delay that inevitability, Vahn knew he needed to become a 'better' lover for them...Eventually, sometime after dinner would usually take place, the goddesses returned to the Manor in relatively high spirits. This time, Vahn was the one to greet the girls at the door, welcoming them home and sharing an embrace with each of them before they moved to the dining room. Once they had settled in, Loki broke the ice, explaining, "During my investigation into any 'enemies' within the Alliance, we managed to uncover a number of former servants of Nobles that had been infiltrating into several of the smaller Familia. Since this was another obvious attempt by those idiots to cause chaos within the Alliance, combined with the fact that they had colluded with the Iron Hills to bomb Lil Geirr, we essentially told that Old Fool that the Nobles had outlived their purpose. If you want to take care of them, feel free to act as you please, Vahn...kukukuku~."Though his expression didn't change much, Vahn's eyes had started to emit a small amount of illusory light and, though it was imperceptible by those gathered, the armored figure within drew its sword out of the ground. Vahn was fed up with the schemes perpetrated by the Nobles and, though he may not seize their properties and businesses, their 'authority' would be removed in the future. They were no longer qualified to pass laws and, as they weren't even in charge of security for the City in the first place, their usefulness had outlived itself. The moment they allied themselves with the Iron Hills and became the patsies of the Dwarves, they had lost what little remained of Vahn's mercy towards them...Even though it was subtle, Loki noticed the change in Vahn's expression and was wondering what he was cooking up in his mind for how to deal with the Nobles. No gods were allowed to assume control of the politics of Orario so it was very likely the Civilian Council would become the new legislative branch while Vahn would undoubtedly be the Chief Executive, even if he didn't assume the position of Governor. It was a secret that Vahn hadn't been privy to, but many of the members comprising the Civilian Council were people she had supported to rise to their current positions. Loki wanted to establish a foundation so that, if Erika wanted to get into politics one day, the stage was already set for her to do so. Now that things were playing out according to her expectations...well, she wouldn't be able to deny that there was a mess in her shorts...Vahn had noticed the small changes in Loki as well but didn't inquire about what schemes she had cooked up since he had long accepted that she acted behind the scenes in the interest of the Alliance. Instead, he looked to the rather distracted Hestia and asked, "What's wrong, Hestia...? Such a melancholic expression doesn't suit you..." Upon hearing Vahn address her, Hestia adopted a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before explaining, "We also talked to Ouranos about the existence of Enyo and the location of Hermes...haaa..."When Hestia spoke, Hephaestus' expression turned slightly sour and even Loki became serious as she added, "That Old Fool was definitely aware of Enyo, but he wouldn't give us any information at all. As for that cheeky bastard, Hermes, he apparently didn't just skip the City, but the entire fucking Continent. He is on a secret mission issued by the Guild and, though that Old Fool wouldn't give us the key details, he did mention it was related to the Artemis Familia. She and Hestia had been good friends back in Heaven, as they were both one of the three virgin goddesses of the Northern Pantheon, and it seems like there might be some trouble based on how Ouranos was acting..."Hearing Loki mention other continents, Vahn's brows perked up and, after levitating a slightly startled Hestia into his lap to console her, asked, "I can't imagine the Guild having any involvement with the Empire...did he go to the Dark Continent?" From the information Vahn had about the rather enigmatic Empire, there were very few gods within the Empire and even its location wasn't publically known. If not for the fact Vahn had purchased a world map through the system, discovering that the record was actually much larger than expected, he wouldn't even know where to begin looking for them. When he had learned that the Empire was located nearly 400,000km to the West, Vahn had been shocked at the sheer size of this planar world...Loki nodded her head, opening one of her eyes to reveal a slightly envious glint as she looked at Hestia sitting in Vahn's lap, saying, "Though you could probably make it there in an instant with your ridiculous speed, the trip would take more than a week of constant flying if you flew on the back of a Wyvern. That place is very dangerous for both mortals and gods, however, so wait until we have more information before you decide to run over...that goes for you as well, Hestia. Remember, we already have enough problems here on Eden to be worrying about what is happening elsewhere. Artemis is a big girl, she can take care of herself..."Hestia's face became even more melancholic when she heard Loki's words, knowing the latter spoke the truth. However, she just felt like something was 'wrong' about this entire situation, especially with Ouranos going out of his way to reveal specifically that it involved Artemis, her only friend in Heaven besides Hephaestus. Since the red-haired goddess also had a similar feeling, she decided to speak up in response to Loki, saying, "The way everything is lining up worries me more than a little, Loki. We should talk with Ganesha about securing some Wyverns before sending an Investigation team to at least collect information..."Loki immediately frowned when she heard this, questioning, "And where would we even send them, Hephaestus? The Dark Continent is three times the size of Eden and there are almost no significant landmarks. You know very well what kind of environment the investigation team would have to face...I think the existence of everyone in the Manor is affecting your thinking. Not everyone is as powerful as those residing in the Hearth Manor and we can't start treating the lives of the Alliance members as if they are expendable. We just thwarted a large-scale attack on Lil Geirr and Vahn is currently wrapped up in trying to establish Haven on the 50th Floor. You really want to divert even more of our forces to send a group of people to search a massive continent where they wouldn't even know where to begin their investigation...!?"Instead of letting Hephaestus and Loki argue, Vahn held up his hand to ease tensions, giving an apologetic smile as he explained, "Loki is right...until we have more information, there isn't anything we can do about the situation. Our best option is to try and contact Artemis by sending a message through an oracle and seeing if any messenger gods are willing to reach out to her for us. There are just too many things going on right now for us to split focus and stick our fingers in a matter that may not benefit from our intervention...if something does happen, or we find out Artemis is in trouble, I promise to help out...okay?" Vahn cursed the comprehensive lack of information regarding the history of this record as, other than some relatively vague information, there were almost no historical texts within the system that related to the record of Danmachi at all.Since he could purchase items from the future of his own timeline, as the future no longer existed after he entered into the world, the only option was to seek out texts from alternate worlds. Though some of these undoubtedly had events that followed the original events, there were actually hundreds of thousands of years of historical texts with almost no information at all. It was like the mortal world was stuck in a ten-thousand-year cycle and even Enyo was completely missing from every single record he had obtained. All Vahn knew was that Orario had both faced and overcome destruction an infinite number of times, sometimes with Heroes other than Bell being the one to carry the mantle of the record's fate...Hephaestus showed a slightly troubled expression, especially when she looked at Hestia, but eventually released a sigh before nodding as she said, "I understand...it just feels like something terrible is going to happen..." Hestia nodded in agreement, causing Vahn's mind to begin racing since he knew very well that intuition wasn't something to be ignored. If both Hestia and Hephaestus felt like something was wrong, it may be 'too late' to act by the time something actually happened. He just didn't know what he could do about the situation without knowing more details about what was going on. Finding a single goddess on a landmass nearing 118,000,000km² wasn't exactly a small feat, especially without any leads to her approximate location...Loki also knew better than to underestimate the intuition of women, especially when they were goddesses, so she had a complicated expression as she said, "We need more information...someone in Heaven must know where Artemis is located. If we can find her location, it wouldn't be that difficult to assist her...we need to understand the situation better, though, or everything we're working for here in Eden may be jeopardized. The worst case scenario would be Artemis being forced back to Heaven so don't stress out so much..." Even as she spoke, Loki felt there was something 'wrong' about her statement and immediately found herself recalling the information Vahn and Freya had sent through the Network earlier.She had been 'extremely' intrigued in the concept of Vahn performing yet another 'impossible' feat, allowing a god to fully manifest in the Mortal World. However, if he was able to do so, that meant it was intrinsically possible within the laws and restrictions of the natural world. The question was, if a god fully manifested in the Mortal World, what would happen if they somehow managed to die? Could they even destroy their Avatar and return to Heaven after the fact? As excited a thought as gods in the mortal world was, there were many unknowns and she had been looking forward to uncovering each and every one of them. Now, however, a small amount of dread spread through Loki's heart as the thought of 'meaningful death' in the Mortal World become a real possibility. Previously, returning to Heaven for a few decades wasn't that big a deal...but would that be the case if her Arcanum manifested completely and she was somehow killed...?A silence fell over the room as no one knew exactly what to say at the moment to try and ease the tension. Hestia and Hephaestus were obviously concerned about their friend and Loki seemed to have come to some form of realization as she fell into deep thought. Vahn continued to hug Hestia's waist, gauging the reactions of everyone present before his eyes rested on Anubis. She was the least affected by the current situation as she and Artemis had never closely associated in the past. Being a Goddess of Chastity, Artemis had never really been fond of Anubis' personality and they had only met on a few occasions, mainly during gatherings in Heaven.Anubis returned a smile to her Master and, deciding she might be able to help ease tensions, said, "Now that Master is back at the Manor, we don't have to worry so much. If there is anything he can do, everyone knows that he will do his best to ensure everyone is happy. I'm personally very interested in meeting these Xenos and am also curious about the new Maids that have just arrived. If that sounds a little inconsiderate, I apologize..." Though it wasn't that the other goddesses lacked faith in Vahn, Anubis believed wholeheartedly in her Master. She thought it was a little sad that, when the man they all cared about had just returned, the conversation was already related to where he would be going next...Hearing Anubis' words, Loki and Hephaestus were a little shocked and Hestia had raised her head so quickly that she nearly struck Vahn's chin. He managed to tilt his head back in time to dodge her famously hard head as she looked up with an apologetic expression and said, "I'm sorry, Vahn, I...!" Before she could finish, Vahn sent a pulse of energy into Hestia's abdomen and caused her to start laughing as he forcibly broke the tensions and began tickling her, saying, "You know better than to start apologizing over such things, Hestia~." She thrashed about, trying to escape his hands while tears began building up in the corner of her eyes, exclaiming, "Ahh, Vahn, forgive me, ahahahaha~!"Though he relented a little, Vahn continued to tickle Hestia for a bit as he sent a 'warning' look towards Loki and Hephaestus so they didn't try to apologize. Seeing they understood his intentions, Vahn smiled and began to gently rub Hestia's abdomen as he said, "I will be back for a few days in order to make sure there aren't any issues with the Xenos. We have plenty of time to gather more information before anyone starts stressing out over such matters...for now, let's enjoy the time we have together, making the most of the moment until something inevitably requires us to change focus once again..." It wasn't much, but Vahn sent a little thread of stimulating energy into Hestia's body to tease her while he was speaking. This caused her body to heat up very quickly, face flushing red and she issued a small nod in response...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Misha NTR'd Rose!?','Oh no...Artemis-chan...!','Godhand Style: Spontaneous Tickle Technique~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Though he did stop over at Spero to check on the Xenos, Vahn spent the majority of the evening celebrating his reunion with Hephaestus, Loki, Hestia, Anubis, and, though they had shown up late in the evening, Eirene and Demeter. He also stopped in the orb to see how Nanu, Risna, and Asfi were doing, spending about six hours catching up with the three hardworking girls before returning back to the real world. At the same time, Vahn explained everything that was happening on the surface to the girls while also informing Finn that he may have to bring some of them out of the Dungeon, depending on the situation.Currently, though it could be sped up quite a bit if he called Terra down to help, it would take around 35-40 days before the first phase of construction was finished. Since Haven would be an actual 'City' in the future, the overall construction efforts would likely continue for several years. The main focus, at least for the time being, was setting up the defensive perimeter where the Tree of Life would be established. They were building a massive circular wall that was nearly 3km in diameter that would cordon off the area to everyone before the rest of Haven would be built after the fact.Ultimately, Haven would be set up in much the same way as Orario except, instead of eight sections, there would be ten. Around the wall protecting the Tree of Life, there would be five fortresses that would also be linked together by a massive circular corridor so they could reinforce each other. These fortresses would serve as part of one of the largest ritual magic circles that would likely ever exist in the record, powering the teleportation ward that Vahn intended to form within the heart of the Tree of Life. The five fortresses would also serve as the 'heart' of Haven, with the majority of the Alliances' forces and facilities located within. Though he would try to ensure that corruption never rooted itself within the City, Vahn knew that it wasn't realistic to think he could keep things tightly regulated when considering the types that would make the migration down to the 50th Floor.Eventually, after enough time had passed, there would undoubtedly be people born within the Dungeon that may even spend the early years of their life without seeing the sun. This meant, unless they deported children and denied permanant residence to people that made it down this far, the population on the 50th Floor would continue to increase with the passage of time. Though it would remain relatively low for several decades, the relative prosperity of Haven would undoubtedly cause a population boom after the base population reached a critical threshold. By the time fifty-to-a-hundred years had passed, there could actually be several hundred thousand people residing on the 50th Floor, with a 'migrating' population of several tens of thousands...In preparation for this inevitability, it was important that the foundation of Haven was unshakeable and that the Alliance had absolute power within the confines of the city walls. After all, especially once the power balance in the world was disrupted through the propagation of Eva's magic system, there would one day be hundreds of Level 5-7 individuals residing within this frontier City against the monster population. Such individuals could cause massive damage during conflicts and, in order to prevent lawlessness and catastrophic outcomes, the power base of the Alliance needed to be unshakeable. The Academy Vahn intended to build would serve the purpose of nourishing talent and power to keep things in check but there were hundreds of other implementations that would be necessary to keep order...One important step would be eliminating the current standing held by Nobles and changing legislation within Orario to regulate the kind of people that entered the Dungeon. The Guild had been far too lenient in allowing criminals and freelance Adventurers to essentially do whatever they wanted, so long as they didn't get caught. This led to things like exploitation, especially in the case of young and impoverished children that would become freelance Supporters. There were so many undocumented cases of ****, murder, and other vile acts that Vahn could not continue to tolerate the system as it was. In the future, those allowed in the Dungeon would need to have their identities verified and, those with any past or present association with criminal Familia would have to take vows agreeing to the same laws that already applied to most Adventurers.The biggest change Vahn intended to make was the complete refusal to allow children, especially freelance Supporters, to enter into the Dungeon. Though exceptions could be made for regulated Familia, as many large Familia treated their young Supporters with an adequate level of care, Vahn wouldn't accept the situation where children were exploited as cheap and expendable labor. If they were not recognized as adults in accordance with the laws of society, they would have to enroll in a Guild or Alliance sponsored 'Survival Course'. A system needed to be created to allow all children, regardless of if they were orphans or born into wealthy families, the opportunity to receive adequate preparatory lessons before exposing themselves to such dangers. Though this would cost several hundred million Valis a year, on the low end, it was ridiculous from Vahn's perspective that things had been allowed to get to this point after nearly a thousand years of civil and social development...To set in motion these legislative changes, Vahn needed to completely break down the corrupt system that was currently put into place by the Nobles. Though they were slowly changing, mainly to avoid a direct confrontation with the Alliance, this change wasn't nearly fast enough. Since they were also working with the enemies of the Alliance and trying to sabotage efforts that were literally enacted for the good of ALL people, Vahn's patience had worn out. The moment he saw the bomb carried by the Nobles' Expedition, they had moved to the very top of his blacklist and now they would be forced to face the consequences.Currently, Vahn sat across from a very beautiful woman who was flanked by four other members of the Civilian Council. The woman's name was Freyalise Achene, a woman born and raised in Orario who had once suffered at the handles of the Nobility. Her family business was destroyed after refusing to 'gift' expensive materials that had been required by their expedition party that had ventured near the Dragon Valley, one of the 'Three Great Unexplored Regions'. They managed to harvest a very rare mineral vein known as Dragon's Jade, used primarily in the production of some of the most expensive and lavish furnishings. When it was discovered that her family had come into possession of a large quantity of the rare mineral, the Nobles moved to seize it and, after refusing to hand it over, Freyalise' family had been ruined. Now, she served to represent all citizens who had been wronged by the Nobles and acted as the primary representative of the Civilian Council.The other four members present were all men, the youngest being in his thirties while the oldest was actually 106, being a Half-Elf that had faced persecution in the past. They came from all walks of life but had the common experience of suffering from the Nobles' tyranny, now committing their lives to making Orario a better place for everyone to live. Like Freyalise, they had all made public vows that ensured they would never fall to things like corruption and, so long as the people continued to support them, they would continue to serve Orario into the far future. Vahn admired what the Civilian Council represented and, in the power vacuum that would be left by the Nobles, he intended to make them the decision makers in Orario as they worked together to build a better system of government.Freyalise had a very stoic expression as she listened to Vahn's admonishment of the Nobles and his proposal that they become the foundation of Orario's new government. The Guild and the Alliance would obviously keep their power, but the Civilian Council would become the third branch that helped create laws that regulated the common citizens. This would include everything from trade, general taxation, conducting the census, and general policing. Though the City Guards would remain the higher authority during emergency situations, Vahn proposed that the Civilian Council also establish a court system that would also regulate things like criminal slaves in the future.Though Vahn was intending to abolish slavery in general, the merit of criminal slaves wasn't something he could simply ignore. Imprisonment wasn't a real solution and it would require a significant amount of resources to keep people imprisoned for long periods of time with humane conditions. Having people become part of the labor force, so long as the conditions weren't extreme, ensured that the tasks most people weren't willing to tend to were taken care of. This was especially important since many of the farmers that were sent to the Plains region of Eden were criminal slaves, most living relatively happy and free lives after their service had ended...For those who had committed heinous crimes, Vahn believed it was a mercy to pass judgment on and execute them outright, even if it sounded extreme. It was common knowledge that people reincarnated and Vahn's understanding of this principle was even more developed than the gods of this record. Because of this, though he would prefer to settle things diplomatically, Vahn knew that 'death' was more of a reprieve than an actual punishment, especially for those who had strayed too far from the path to correct course...After waiting for Vahn to finish outlining his basic intentions, Freyalise looked towards her fellow Council members before lifting up a small wooden totem, saying, "We will put it to a vote. Out of consideration for the support meted out by the Alliance in the past, I am not against elevating the Civilian Council into the Civilian Legislative Branch in the future. All those against, please make your objections now..." As they had long been preparing for this exact event, none of the councilmen offered any objections whatsoever, instead, showing eager and expectant looks as they held their own identity totems. Seeing this, Freyalise smiled and placed her totem forward, saying, "All those for the Sage Aldrnari's proposal, please offer forward your totem and recite your affirmation..."As if it were a race to see who could put their piece out first, all four men practically slammed their totems down and agreed to the proposal while Vahn observed them with mild intrigue in his eyes. These people would become the de facto rulers of Orario in the future and it was somewhat amusing to see them so motivated. When Freyalise finished looking to her left and right, her light brown eyes turned to match his as she smiled and said, "It seems we have a unanimous agreement. Though we don't have any forces to dedicate to the dissolvement of the Nobility, the Civilian Council will immediately begin maneuvering to replace the current government facilities with our own. We may need to rely on the support of the Alliance during this transition..."Vahn held up his hand, causing Freyalise's words to trail off before he explained, "The Alliance has already completed negotiations with the Guild and we will be dedicating the same forces that have been patrolling the City to keeping order. The Eirene Familia has already stationed members near the current government offices and, to facilitate a quicker transition, the Civilian Council is advised to seize these facilities for their own use. The Nobles may have built those facilities, but their intended purpose had been to support the citizenry. We would have forced them to yield them anyway but this will ensure there are fewer issues that would undoubtedly arise when the Nobles try to burn and dispose of official documents..."The man to the left of Freyalise, named Jackson Thune, released an excited laugh as he exclaimed, "This is great! We'll perform an audit on all the documents kept within and uncover even more of the Nobles' schemes! It's about time those bastards were exposed for the snakes they are...!" This remark caused the Half-Elf, named Aiden Cinderswill, to humorously add, "More like leeches..." Now, almost every member of the Civilian Council, now the Civilian Legislative Branch, began to chuckle. Freyalise also had a slight smile on her face, even as she lightly reprimanded them, saying, "We should not engage in such petty antics and immediately set about following through on our own part of the transition. The more time we waste here, the more time the Nobles have to dispose of the evidence of their crimes..."Nodding his head in agreement, Vahn rose to his feet and said, "I have already scheduled a meeting with the heads of each Noble Family...I don't imagine they are happy to have been waiting for the last hour and a half...hahahaha~." Vahn scheduled his meeting with the Civilian Legislative Branch and the Noble Faction at the same time, placing far more emphasis on the first group over the later. After all, he would be issuing an ultimatum and it would be 'beneficial' if they were already annoyed by the time he arrived. The Deval Family, especially, was at the very top of Vahn's list and he was hoping they tried to oppose his ultimatum...Realizing his own rather 'tyrannical' thoughts, Vahn wondered if it was events like this that had slowly pushed him towards the path of an 'Emperor' in the Divination. Now, even if he ended up on a similar path, things were very different and Vahn didn't mind deposing some corrupt Nobles. As a physician, he knew that the sooner people were liberated from such a cancerous system, the faster the healing process could begin. This time, a lot of the power in the world would undoubtedly be consolidated by the Alliance but, considering the changes brought about by the record's tier being increased, Vahn knew this was necessary. It was also better that the power balance established was enforced by beings that could essentially live forever, as the chance of corruption could be marginalized through proper regulation...Knowing he would be one of those eternal entities, Vahn parted ways with the Civilian Legislative Branch and began to fly rather leisurely towards the rendezvous point where he would meet the ex-Nobles of Orario. To give them a false sense of security, Vahn had requested they meet him at McKenneth Family's main residence. Marcus Vale McKenneth was the most influential man within the Noble Faction and Vahn knew it would give them a feeling of 'empowerment' and 'unity' if they were gathered together under his roof. Though this seemed like a detriment, Vahn wanted them to harbor such delusions since it would make his following actions more impactful. He had promised a reckoning and, unless their answer was satisfactory, there may very well be fewer influential families remaining in the City by the day's end...(A/N: Keep in mind that Vahn isn't trying to take away the property, businesses, and wealth of the Noble Families. Though they are seizing government facilities, he isn't going to 'rob' them, just strip them of the rights and privileges they had enjoyed for far too long. This means their future actions will be very illegal and gives the CLB and the Alliance ample justification for dealing with them rather harshly in the future. Of course, that's not to say that Vahn won't be treating them rather harshly next chapter :P...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Building a City ain't easy...','Governing a City ain't easy...','Faceslapping Nobles is very easy (o3o)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

A few minutes after their first meeting, Vahn ended up having Diana sitting on his lap with a contented expression, enjoying some quality head-pats, as he discussed exactly what Freya wanted him to do. She explained that, in almost all other circumstances, a Xana like Diana would pose a legitimate threat to most people, making her existence rather tragic. Since her voice could be fatal to those with dark hearts, even a place like the Freya Familia wasn't exactly safe for her. Diana could only interact with a few people and could almost never live a free and happy life, at least under normal circumstances.Freya wanted Diana to be able to live within the Hearth Manor, where her abilities would essentially have no effect, while Vahn helped find a means to let her control her abilities. Since she also knew about his ability to 'modify' those that were his subordinates and retainers, information that had been spread through all the central figures in the Alliance, it was even possible for Vahn to eventually turn Diana into something other than a Xana. However, she also directly opposed this idea, stating that Diana could essentially be a 'failsafe' within the Manor that would also be a very potent asset during any negotiations.If Diana's existence was made public, it would undoubtedly strike fear into the hearts of any individuals who lived at the expense of others. Most people would outright avoid getting anywhere near the Manor, making things like burglaries, kidnapping, or any other form of subterfuge exceedingly more difficult. Of course, after the next few days, Vahn knew this wouldn't really be necessary since he was still planning on having a reckoning with the Nobles. However, he understood Freya's reasoning and, considering Diana was actually 3,409 years old, it wouldn't necessarily be 'fair' to change her into an existence she was unfamiliar with...Like gods, High Spirits also had very different thought processes than normal entities within the record of Danmachi, even if they didn't exactly possess Divinity. This was because Spirits were created with a 'purpose' and, as they had biological immortality, their brains weren't really wired in the same way as other creatures. If a normal person had lived for more than 3,000 years in such circumstances, they would have long gone crazy, potentially even killing themselves out of loneliness and depression. Diana, however, didn't seem to take any of this to heart at all and, instead, was more concerned about 'accidentally' hurting other people than the fact she had been locked away for 60 years without any contact with others...Vahn was a little worried that, if he changed her race into something that could 'rationalize' negative emotions better, Diana might suffer a severe trauma and undergo a formative change in personality...Right now, Diana seemed to have a relatively carefree and innocent nature, especially as she happily hummed away in his lap, kicking her legs out playfully. His [Grooming] had caused her to warm up to him very quickly and, after just a minute or so of discussion, Diana ended up shifting from Freya's arms into his. After that, they sat down to properly discuss the seemingly young Xana's fate and Diana had decided to sit in his lap instead of the chair offered to her. As this was something Vahn was very accustomed to, he didn't think anything of the situation at all, even as Diana's Affection breached 80(Trust) over a few short minutes.Eventually, the four Maids, consisting of Momo, Sakuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle, came out from the side room with mild blushes on their faces. Vahn made sure to act 'oblivious' to what had happened to them earlier, so as to make things slightly easier on them, before deciding to wrap up the conversation by saying, "Well, if Diana wants to stay at the Hearth Manor, I don't think there will be any problems. Her ability shouldn't have any effect on children and I don't think any of my sons would be endangered by her 'song' before I find a solution to help her control it." Since he already had a few ideas in mind, Vahn knew it wouldn't be difficult to create a pendant or choker that allowed Diana to regulate her ability. He had more than thirteen years to come up with a solution and that was way more time than he would need to solve such a 'simple' problem...Freya's smile softened a little, even though she knew Vahn couldn't exactly overlook an adorable girl like Diana, especially considering her 'tragic' past. It was a very well-known fact that Vahn was something of a bleeding heart that was very susceptible to girls with past troubles. Ever since he had done recruiting for the School, this became public knowledge and it was often a means by which some women would try to get close to him. Of course, having such thoughts generally made it impossible for them to genuinely make an impression. Though he was drawn to girls with a tragic past, Vahn's 'appreciation' was generally directed towards those that had stronger personalities that were already trying to change their lives for the better...Diana, already being told that she would end up staying at the Manor for over half a year, wasn't surprised by Vahn's words at all. She just tilted her head up, looking into his face as she said, "I may be small, but I promise to be a good Maid~." Vahn blinked, somewhat surprised by Diana's words until Freya explained, "Since she saw the other girls working hard to become Maids, Diana also wanted to become a Maid...she worked very hard, ufufufu~." Freya reached out her hand, patting Diana's head and causing the small Spirit to giggle happily. Vahn drew the assumption that Diana probably didn't want to be a 'freeloader' or, given how she had behaved so far, it was very likely she simply treated being a Maid as a 'game' of sorts...Since he wanted Diana to live with relative freedom, Vahn didn't mind letting her 'play' as a Maid for a bit, confident that his children would be able to influence her positively after a while. Given her innocent and caring personality, Diana would get along with the majority of children and Vahn believed she could become good friends with his daughter's, the Vanir. At the very least, he could guarantee her a decade or so of companionship with other 'children' and give her a chance to acclimate to socializing with people as he worked on an accessory to restrict her voice.With his mind made up, Vahn nodded his head slightly before saying, "We will need to discuss the changes in your body with the others soon, if not today. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I know it is something very...significant...for now, I'll take everyone back to the Manor and introduce them to Syr and Lunoire. Also, though I'll probably need to send Fafnir to watch over her, I'll try and arrange it so that Lenneth can visit you at the Southern Manor..." Vahn knew it would be very difficult to give Freya access to the Manor, as her presence would cause problems even without her directly intending to. However, so long as precautions were made, it shouldn't be that difficult to at least arrange things so that Lenneth could spend more time with her mother.Freya's aura flared up and a very beautiful smile spread across her face as she quietly uttered, "Thank you...Vahn..." She had never complained about it, but Freya actually felt a little saddened every time she saw Lenneth, especially seeing how quickly the latter was growing. When actually spent a fair amount of time just absentmindedly looking towards the direction of the Hearth Manor, wondering what her daughter was doing...it was a very strange feeling that she couldn't quite explain. If not for Ottar and Diana, Freya wasn't sure she could cope with only seeing her daughter once or twice a week for much longer...After a few more minutes of discussion, during which Freya sent a few messages through the Network to explain things, Vahn decided to head back to the Manor. It was starting to get late in the day and he still needed to plan out how he wanted to deal with the Nobles while also checking to make sure things were going smoothly at Spero Village. Tonight would be the first night the Xenos spent on the surface and he wanted to make sure they were comfortable and had plenty of mana-rich food to keep their bodies stable. Until their 'village' was connected with the Dungeon, they needed to supplement their energy requirements with things like magic cores and other items that could supply them with the mana needed to sustain themselves.Vahn gave Freya one last kiss, promising to come and pick her up in the morning since that is when they would be discussing exactly what happened to her body. It was very obvious that some of the restrictions placed on her Avatar had been loosened at this point and, depending on their future findings, it may even be possible to fully manifest their entire Arcanum in the world one day. Though it would likely require years of research, a great deal of support from the godly community, and the implementation of several precautionary measures, the chance that the gods could use their power in a more meaningful way were actually very high...Though they panicked a little when he first lifted them into the sky, the girls calmed down after a short while and were more focused on holding their skirts than moving through the air at a relatively high speed. The only clothing they had were several sets of Maid clothing, undergarments included, all safely stowed away within his Inventory. This would have bothered him a little in the past but, after seeing how dedicated Maemi and Emiru were, Vahn's perception of Maids had changed quite a bit. Since the five were willingly becoming Maids, he intended to treat them as such, at least until they themselves decided to try and change their fates.The Manor actually needed a rather large staff to take care of the cleaning, laundry, and cooking. Thus far, things had only worked out because everyone helped each other out, usually with the girls originating from the Hostess of Fertility assisting Maemi, Emiru, Milan, and, after her retirement, Aki. It would make things much easier on the girls if there were full-time Maids working in the Manor, especially since they had the proper training to provide adequate service. Though it was only a matter of time before the five were 'integrated' into the Manor completely, Vahn believed they would continue to perform their duties diligently without trying to take advantage of the situation...After a relatively short flight, Vahn integrated the girls' mana signature into the surrounding barriers before touching down within the inner courtyard. He was carrying Diana in his arms and, after setting her on the ground, turned to the girls and explained, "Most of the finer details with be explained by Syr after I introduce you to her. She is essentially the Administrator of the Hearth Manor and also acts as something akin to the 'Head Maid'. As long as she doesn't order you to do anything compromising or dangerous, please listen to what she has to say...other than that, you should try to avoid wandering into the forest until you are properly introduced to Terra. She can be territorial at times..."Terra was a very well-known entity within the City now as her 'aura' was something that most gods could sense even from several hundred kilometers away. It had caused a bit of a fiasco when people realized she was 'taking over' an area of the City but, after clarifying that she was only influencing the territory of the Alliance, there wasn't much anyone could say. After all, there wasn't anything wrong with ensuring their territory was well protected, especially after pointing out the incident where several streets had collapsed in the past. There weren't any legitimate arguments to make against her efforts to prevent people from illegally tunneling so, with the Alliance taking a hard stance on the issue, Terra was now 'allowed' to take over any land within the Alliance's territories.Not wanting to make an enemy out of a True Dragon, the four girls nodded while Diana seemed blissfully unaware of the dangers involved. To her, this place was the home where Freya promised she would be protected while finally being able to live a happy life. She just continued to hold Vahn's hand with a smile, looking around at the rather beautiful scenery with a very curious expression on her face. As Vahn's words weren't exactly directed toward her, he didn't bother repeating them since Terra would likely be very fond of Diana even without his interference. Since Xana were High Spirits that resided in heavily forested areas and near rivers, their energy was very pure and he wouldn't be surprised if Terra ended up taking an interest in Diana, assuming she hadn't already...Other than Anubis, all of the other goddesses were away and Vahn actually felt a little strange that Hestia hadn't been there to greet his return. He hadn't thought about it before, but she had always been here previously and it was only now that he noticed that it didn't quite feel like he had returned without hearing those words. Fortunately, Syr had shown up as they were heading over to the dining room, a welcoming smile on her face as she said, "Welcome home, Vahn..." Though it wasn't quite as impactful as when Hestia said it, potentially because of her Divinity, Vahn's heart felt unburdened by Syr's words, a natural smile spreading across his lips as he embraced Syr and said, "I'm home..."Since she had already been aware of Momo, Katsuya, Elizabelle, and Merribelle, Syr wasn't that surprised when introductions were made. She quickly began assigning each of them duties and dragged them off for a tour around the Manor, leaving behind Diana until the latter followed on her own initiative. Though she wanted to stay with Vahn, Diana also wanted to treat her Maidly duties very seriously, surprising Syr a bit until Vahn clarified exactly who and what Diana was. Before his explanation, Syr just thought she was a random child that Vahn picked up off the street or saved from some vile scum.Freya had kept Diana's existence a secret from almost everything so Vahn had to explain the reality of the situation before entrusting the 115cm tall 'Maid' to Syr. When she understood the situation, Syr's expression had softened and she led Diana by hand through the Manor while the other four girls followed behind. She was able to understand Vahn's intentions, even without him stating them openly, and knew Diana was a 'special' existence within the Manor. For the time being, Syr decided to look after the girl to get a better understanding of her character and, though she didn't openly state it, make sure the youthful-looking High Spirit wasn't a danger planted by Freya...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Those that think of Diana as 'legal' would probably end up dying to her voice xD...','3.5x the Meido action~! Maemi and Emiru are gonna bully some newbies...?','Syr will probably never trust Freya (O_O)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 843: Intuition