As they entered the interstellar city of Olympus, its layered structure became even more striking.
There was no doubt the forests on the outer western ring existed only for the sake of "having forests," preserved in a kind of maintained stasis.
And Olympus itself, with its sheer level of prosperity, had reached a point where even the most thriving modern cities on Proper Human History's planets couldn't hold a candle to it.
In other words, the degree of urbanization was so extreme it could practically be called near-future.
The lower city was further divided into countless functional districts. The first place Shiomi and the others arrived at was the functional residential layer.
"The Divine Artifact Ring, Kronos Crown..."
Shiomi stood in the street and tilted his head back to study the structures above. At the center of that enormous suspended ring-shaped construct was something wrapped within it, known as the Grand Temple of Olympus, Dodona.
"So that's where the Olympian gods live," said Scáthach.
The Olympus residents they happened to run into on the street took one look at Shiomi and the others and assumed they were tourists from some far-off region. With no guard up at all, they happily explained how Olympus worked.
But their words were constantly threaded with spontaneous praise for the gods. Even Scáthach couldn't help murmuring under her breath at how deep that faith ran.
She hadn't seen devotion this solid in many, many years.
"The Mana reaction from the Crystal Mountains is enormous. Even with the air of the Age of Gods this dense, you can still feel it clearly." Shiomi frowned. "So the Fantasy Tree is up there..."
"Looks like we've settled where we're going next." Scáthach pinched her chin, smiling to herself. "The only question left is how we get from the lower level up to the upper temple, with everything sealed off between them."
Shiomi lowered his gaze, watching people stream through the street. The atmosphere was loose and cheerful, and every face was lit with easy happiness.
"But honestly, Olympus's prosperity is way beyond anything I expected," Shiomi said.
Under the gods' protection, resources were so abundant that even the concept of "work" had faded into history. War, famine, disease, death—everything had been wiped away.
All the residents of Olympus had to do was enjoy the gods' blessings, and at every moment, in every sentence, praise those blessings as naturally as breathing.
It wasn't hard to see why things were this way.
"I asked around just now. Apparently, more than three Wars of the Gods happened in this Lostbelt."
Morgan had finished chatting with a woman passing by and came back to share what she'd learned.
In Proper Human History's Greek myths, the world of the gods went through three major wars.
The first was Zeus leading the gods against Kronos. The second was Zeus leading the gods against the White Giant. The third was Zeus and the Olympian gods warring with the giant race, the Gigantes.
The second divine war was what set the Olympian gods on the path to decline.
In the third war, Olympus only won thanks to the existence of the half-human, half-divine hero Heracles.
But in this Lostbelt, just as Demeter said, Zeus took a different approach in the second war and defeated the White Giant.
And the third war was likely resolved without leaving Heracles any chance to intervene at all.
As for the fourth war, it was exactly what Demeter mentioned: as the Age of Gods neared its end, the Olympian gods split into two factions over their stance toward humanity.
In the end, Zeus won.
"It seems Demeter wasn't lying. What's surprising is that everything she let slip is apparently common knowledge among the humans here," Morgan added.
"That just means our intel's improved. Good work." Shiomi gave her a quick smile. "What we need to do hasn't changed. And they've already noticed we're outsiders, so we should move before we draw any attention."
On top of that, every resident here gave off an exceptionally strong Mana reaction, no different from the Heroic Spirits of Proper Human History.
That, too, had to be the result of the gods' grace.
With war, famine, disease, and death all erased, humans could live practically without end. Even though they all looked young, there were probably people here whose age was no less than Shiomi's.
"Not only that," Morgan lowered her voice, "the man I spoke to just now even noticed I'm not human. I'm a fairy."
"Seriously?" Scáthach looked genuinely surprised.
"It was partly my fault. His Mana reaction was so strong that I instinctively looked at him with fairy eyes, and he caught it," Morgan said.
He hadn't reacted with hostility or suspicion, only shock that there was a fairy in Olympus at all. He'd even assumed Morgan must be an emissary of some deity.
"Then the people here really aren't ordinary." Shiomi took hold of Morgan's arm, a quiet reminder in his tone. "Stay sharp. Let's get out of here quickly."
But before he could finish, a bell peal that seemed to fill the entire city rang out and reached their ears.
It reached every resident's ears as well.
And as if an order had been issued, everyone froze. Whether they'd been playing, talking, or reading, no matter what they were doing, and regardless of age or gender, they all stopped at once.
They straightened where they stood, faces full of devotion as they looked up toward the Orbital Grand Temple. They were practically beaming, as though they hadn't heard that sound in centuries.
"My beloved citizens of Olympus, this is a proclamation from the Orbital Grand Temple, Dodona. Queen Europa now delivers this notice.
This is an oracle. This is an oracle.
Invaders have appeared in the mountainous region of the interstellar city. They are intruders from outside. There are three of them. They are ferocious wretches from Proper Human History, from Chaldea. Destroyers who have already brought ruin to three Lostbelts, breakers of worlds. Insolent ones who look down on Olympus, evil ones who arrogantly claim they alone are the true people of the world.
Their existence must not be tolerated. Violence and taboos alone do not apply to them.
Therefore, leave the streets at once and return inside your buildings. Do not go out. The soldiers of the gods will soon conduct a purge of the streets. Any who disobey will be treated as accomplices."
When that gentle, compassionate voice finished, the mood on the street shifted.
People moved without a single complaint, sprinting toward nearby buildings in every direction, shutting their doors behind them one after another.
Even Shiomi and the others, still standing in the open, only drew a couple of glances before no one paid them any further mind.
"Oh?" Shiomi's lips curled slightly. "Didn't think they'd be this considerate to the Olympus citizens. I figured the gods here would treat human lives like dirt."
He could already feel an enormous mass of Mana closing in on the street, and within it were several presences that stood out as far stronger than the rest.
"And the citizens are pretty obedient, too." Scáthach calmly toyed with her long hair, then looked to Shiomi. "So, which way do we go?"