The following day.
Goddess Astrea left the Star Garden early to attend a temporarily convened Gods' Assembly.
The so-called Gods' Assembly, fundamentally, was a gathering planned by a portion of the Gods to alleviate boredom every so often.
Later, more and more Gods attended the gathering, and its scale expanded. The purpose also changed from simple chatting and nonsense to sharing the latest information and exchanging opinions, and in collaboration with the Guild, it became an event that impacted the entire city.
The Gods would also use the Assembly to bestow titles upon newly promoted LV.2 adventurers. This title was the adventurer's alternate name. Once bestowed, it signified the Gods' recognition of that person's achievements—the highest honor.
This particular Gods' Assembly was different from usual.
Over eighty percent of the Gods in Orario were present—a terrifying figure.
In the thirtieth floor of the Babel Tower, a large number of Gods gathered, making the spacious hall feel crowded.
"Lady Freya!"
With a surprised gasp, the Gods' heads turned at lightning speed, their gazes fixed on the entrance. Reflected in their eyes was a figure of breathtaking, world-shattering beauty. Every heart in the room skipped a beat.
Freya had exquisite, fair skin and a flawlessly demonic figure, as if the concept of the Golden Ratio was derived from her. Her long eyelashes were delicately alluring, her phoenix eyes were ethereal and refined, and her face was so perfectly gorgeous that every movement was captivating.
Many male Gods seemed to be emitting pink hearts from their eyes.
The Goddesses glared at Freya, who was their natural enemy!
"Pardon me." Freya slowly strolled to a front-row seat. Her stunning figure captivated even the Gods, and her voice seemed capable of stealing souls.
"Lady Freya, please!"
The surrounding male Gods immediately vacated a large area, crowding against the other Gods.
"Thank you."
Freya smiled calmly and took a seat.
"I didn't expect this matter to alarm Lady Freya. It seems this adventurer is not ordinary!"
"Oh no, I'm fired up now!"
"That wicked woman is trying to steal someone else's child again. Little Roy must hold strong!"
…
The Gods chattered amongst themselves, and the scene grew chaotic for a moment.
Freya said, "The protagonist of this Assembly shouldn't be me; it should be Astrea's child."
"Yes, yes, Lady Freya is right!"
Freya's single remark immediately redirected the Gods' attention back to the Astrea Familia.
The Gods' gazes focused on Goddess Astrea, filled with envy, jealousy, and doubt. Seventeen days to reach LV.2 was truly unprecedented.
But they exhausted every angle and every word, confirming that both Astrea and Roy were not lying.
The Ganesha Familia could also testify that Roy had no Falna when he entered Orario.
The neighbors Roy befriended while living in a tent outside could also verify that since arriving in Orario, he had done only two things: search for a Familia to join and advise shop owners on business strategies to earn living expenses.
All evidence pointed to Roy possessing a super rare Skill, one that could even affect his growth speed!
In over a thousand years, this was the first time the Gods had witnessed such a thing. A green light began to shine in the depths of their eyes.
Fortunately, Goddess Astrea did not mention that Roy had willingly offered himself. Otherwise, the Gods would likely be furious and spit blood, wondering why they didn't have such luck.
The Gods were extremely excited about giving a title to this adventurer with the fastest level-up speed in history.
"I want to bestow upon little Roy the title I've pondered over for a week: 'Swiftest Justice'!"
"Get out! What trash name is that? My 'Super Invincible Cool Lightning Boy' is much better!"
"No, no, my 'Righteous King's Sword' is superior! 'Strike Down Darkness with Thunder' would also work!"
"Lady Freya is speaking!"
"What? The head coach is warming up!"
…
While the Gods were clamoring and arguing over a title for Roy, Roy and Ryuu had already walked out of the Star Garden.
Roy wasn't particularly concerned about titles. They were purely external objects that neither enhanced his strength nor brought him any substantial benefit.
Roy was well aware of the Gods' mischievous tendencies—they enjoyed toying with new adventurers for amusement.
The title just needed to be not too ridiculous.
The destination for the two was the Hermes Familia.
As soon as they stepped onto the Hermes Familia's territory, they were greeted by an elegant, handsome God with a clean smile, orange hair, orange eyes, wearing casual clothes and a feathered cap.
Behind the God followed a beautiful blue-haired girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a refined appearance and a white streak dyed at the front of her hair.
The God was Hermes.
And the girl was the Captain of the Hermes Familia, Asfi Al Andromeda, an LV.4 adventurer, whose title was "Perseus" (The All-Capable), but whose publicly announced level was LV.2.
"Little Ryuu, long time no see!"
Hermes greeted her with a smile.
Ryuu's face was calm. "Lord Hermes, I apologize for the abrupt visit."
"Rion…"
The blue-haired girl, Asfi, looked complicated. She was aware of the annihilation of the Astrea Familia.
Her own God loved to travel and never stayed in one place for more than half a month, forcing her to follow him and handle various troubles.
The two Familia had fought together during the Great Conflict. She never expected that one journey would lead to an eternal separation.
Hermes had heard about the destruction of the Astrea Familia and the Rudra Familia. He greatly regretted missing such an interesting event.
Sensing that major events were about to unfold in Orario, Hermes excitedly rushed back.
The two had returned to Orario two days prior.
Ryuu asked, "Lord Hermes, are you not attending the Gods' Assembly?"
"I have little interest in naming conventions."
Hermes waved his hand dismissively, his gaze shifting to Roy. "Besides, I was more eager to meet the person himself—the adventurer who leveled up to LV.2 the fastest in history."
"Hello, Lord Hermes."
Facing Hermes' seemingly benevolent gaze, Roy kept his face impassive. In reality, his guard was at its highest. Among the Gods, his wariness of Hermes was equal to that of Freya.
Freya's charm was overwhelmingly tyrannical, but at least you knew whose hands you died by. Hermes' schemes could lead you to be sold by him while still thanking him.
"Don't be so formal. Astrea and I are practically old friends from the Celestial Realm. Her child is like my child, and my child is hers," Hermes said, a warm, genuine smile on his handsome face.
Roy felt speechless inwardly. Well, you didn't offer any way to help the Astrea Familia defeat the Rudra Familia. You don't need to say those pleasantries.
"So… little brother Roy, could you perhaps hint to me what you plan to do next?" Hermes' eyes seemed to try to peer into Roy's mind.