A soothing silence enveloped the private audience chamber in the east wing of the Sorshana Palace, shortly after the turquoise glow of the Falna dimmed. The lingering euphoria from shattering the Level 3 limit wall still hung thick in the air, causing the four Elves of the Barbatos Familia to occasionally catch their breaths, which felt much lighter yet densely packed with energy.
Venti turned around, stepping slowly toward the giant arched window that directly overlooked the endless expanse of the Kaios Desert. The morning breeze, carrying the scent of oasis spices and sand dust, blew gently, playing with the strands of his dark, greenish hair. The God leaned his back against the marble windowsill, gazing at his familia members with an inscrutable smile.
"Alright, we've officially closed the Gazoob stage today," Venti said casually, breaking the silence. "We will soon return to Orario. However, before this desert dust fully settles, I have a special mission for the four of you."
Hearing their God's directive, Hedin and Hogni instantly rose from their seated positions. Without needing an order, they stood tall with the resolute elegance typical of Elves. Dina and Vena followed behind them, bowing respectfully to signify their readiness to carry out the mission.
In his mind, Venti smiled faintly. A manipulative smile perfectly concealed by his cheerful persona and laid-back demeanor.
If the gods residing in Orario knew the secret behind this smile, they would undoubtedly be struck by an envy that could drive them mad. In the Gekai, every god possessed an absolute privilege that allowed their Familia to dominate the world. Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, was gifted with eyes capable of stripping bare the secrets of a soul and the color of a person's aura with a single glance. Loki, the God of Deceit, had a terrifying intuition that could instantly unravel human lies, detecting malicious intent without needing physical proof. Hermes boasted an espionage, diplomatic, and mobility network that spread like veins across the entire continent. Demeter held undeniable authority over the world's logistics and agriculture. Even Hephaestus reigned supreme as the highest blacksmith, holding dominion over the weaponry and metal masterpieces that served as the lifeblood of adventurers' strength.
However, they were all bound by one weakness: the range of their perception was limited to their physical presence and the informant networks they possessed.
Meanwhile, Venti possessed something far purer, more absolute, and all-encompassing. He could hear the voice of the wind.
The wind knew no geographical boundaries on the world's surface. It cared not for the thickness of fortress walls or the heights of mountain ranges. The wind slipped through the cracks of a king's palace windows, blew through the alleys of Orario, swept across icy valleys in the far north, and caressed the plains in the far east. If Venti focused his consciousness, he could filter the voices carried by the air currents, instantly eavesdropping on secret conversations from every corner of the Gekai without needing to violate the ban on using Arcanum. Hermes' spy network was nothing more than a child's toy compared to the wind that continuously brought information to the God of Wind.
Armed with this natural surveillance, combined with his meta-knowledge of this world from his past life on Earth, Venti had perfectly mapped out the whereabouts of crucial figures currently scattered beyond Orario's reach.
From beneath his green cloak, Venti pulled out two small parchment scrolls he had prepared beforehand. With a calm motion of his hand, he extended the first scroll toward Hedin.
Hedin caught the scroll with absolute precision without shifting his feet in the slightest.
"Hedin, Hogni. The two of you, take a stroll toward the southwest, across the continent," Venti said with his signature casual smile. "You will find a small mining town there. Try to look for a jewelry shop owned by an old dwarf. Under his tutelage, there are four quadruplet brothers with extraordinary talent in jewelry making and teamwork. Their names are Alfrigg, Dvalinn, Berling, and Grer. Invite the four of them to join our Familia, alright?"
Hedin opened the scroll with an efficient motion. His sharp eyes scanned the lines of brief information Venti had written there. Hedin's eyebrows slowly rose high, a very rare sight.
"Lord Barbatos," Hedin muttered flatly, looking at the god from behind his glasses. "The information here states that these four Pallums... are only fourteen years old."
"Exactly," Venti replied cheerfully, not feeling guilty in the slightest. "And that's not all. After meeting those dwarves, you must change your route to the highland region. Look for the settlement of the Beast Humans of the Plains clan. There, you'll find a young boy of the Werewolf race named Bete Loga. He is currently seven years old. Try offering him a chance to see the outside world with us, okay?"
Hogni blinked slowly. The savage grin that usually adorned his face before embarking on a mission instantly faded, replaced by genuine confusion. His killer instinct seemingly lost its footing upon hearing operation targets that sounded more like a kindergarten pick-up list.
Hedin sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please forgive my insolence. However, are we building an elite adventurer force to shake Orario, or are we opening an orphanage for heroes?"
Venti burst into laughter upon hearing Hedin's incredibly spot-on sarcasm. Although he laughed outwardly, deep down, Venti also let out a long sigh.
What else can I do? Venti lamented dramatically in his mind. Most of the future monsters who will eventually dominate Orario's stage are indeed still wet behind the ears right now. If I don't kidnap them now before Loki or Freya sniff out their talents, I'll lose valuable assets. I'm really acting like a child-kidnapping god right now.
"Just do it, Hedin," Venti said soothingly, his smile softening once more. "My gaze reaches far beyond their current age and physical weaknesses. Someday, you will understand why I want them so badly under the banner of Barbatos."
Venti then turned to look at the two female Elves before him, handing over the second scroll, which was quickly caught by Vena.
"Dina, Vena. Your task is a bit further away and requires a very gentle approach," Venti said with a warm smile. "Head far north, to the snowy region of the White Ice Forest Fanache. You will meet a little Elf girl named Alicia Forestlight. She has just turned ten. Try to chat with her, and offer her a chance to see the wider outside world with us, alright? Take good care of her during the journey."
Dina cast a brief glance at the parchment in her sister's hand, then nodded firmly. As a fellow Elf, she immediately understood Venti's intention to invite a child of their race to join, and prepared to set off for the north right away.
"Understood, Lord Venti," Dina and Vena answered in unison, bowing respectfully. "We will depart immediately."
"Excellent," Venti clapped his hands once. "Get ready now. We will be leaving this palace shortly."
An hour later, after all logistical preparations had been finalized, the Barbatos Familia group stood in the main courtyard of the Sorshana Palace. The white marble walls surrounding the palace reflected the increasingly scorching sunlight.
Before them stood the King of Shalzard, accompanied by a small squad of elite royal guards. The King bowed with deep respect, fully aware that the entities before him had just prevented a large-scale bloody war on his nation's borders merely by using Gazoob as a theatrical stage.
However, the most striking and emotional part of the farewell procession was the presence of the Queen—the mother of Aram Raza Shalzard, or more accurately, Princess Arry.
The elegant woman, draped in desert silk, stepped forward. Ignoring all royal etiquette and the gazes of her guards, the Queen grasped both of Venti's hands. The woman's eyes brimmed with tears, radiating a profound gratitude that went far beyond politics or national security.
"Lord Venti..." the Queen's voice trembled softly, her grip on Venti's hands tightening. "I do not have enough words or wealth to truly repay your kindness."
Zald and the four Elves merely watched in silence, giving space for the moment.
"Because of your intervention and your words that night..." the Queen continued, her tears finally falling to wet her cheeks. "Arry no longer has to live in a tormenting lie. She can grow up to be herself. To be a proud princess, without having to bear the curse of disguising herself as a boy for the sake of political ambition. You... you have restored my daughter's life and soul."
Venti smiled gently. The playful smile he often used as a mask was now gone, replaced by the sincere warmth of the God of Freedom. He returned the Queen's grasp gently yet reassuringly.
"Every child born into this world has an absolute right to their own freedom, Your Majesty," Venti said calmly, his voice flowing like a melody that soothed the heart of anyone who heard it. "Identity is not something that can be caged by palace walls or the demands of a throne. Let Arry grow free like the wind caressing this oasis. I look forward to Shalzard's glorious future under the leadership of a true Queen like her someday."
The Queen nodded deeply, wiping her tears with a smile full of relief. After a few final diplomatic pleasantries with the King of Shalzard, the group finally turned around and stepped out of the magnificent capital's main gates.
Their journey halted at the outer edge of the desert border separating Shalzard from the vastness of the Kaios Desert. The desert wind blew sand around their ankles.
"We part ways here," Venti said, stopping in his tracks and turning toward the four members of his Familia. "You four, please carry out the recruitment mission. Ensure the route is safe and avoid unnecessary trouble with other factions or countries along the way. Once you have successfully acquired the targets, return immediately to our headquarters in Orario. Zald and I will head straight back to the labyrinth city."
Hedin adjusted his glasses, while Hogni gripped the hilt of his sword. Dina and Vena offered faint smiles.
"Have a pleasant journey, Lord Venti," Hedin said on behalf of the group.
The four Elves bowed in unison. In a matter of seconds, their figures darted away and vanished from sight, cleaving through the air at a speed that surpassed the limits of ordinary human vision. They left behind only four small wind vortices that were quickly swallowed by the desert sands.
Now, only Venti and Zald remained. The brown-haired man casually slung his greatsword over his shoulder. His posture was now perfectly upright. The oppressed aura and the deadly poison remnants that used to constantly churn within his body when Venti first met him at the Lioad tavern were now completely suppressed. As a Level 7 adventurer, Zald stood with absolute dominance, like an apex predator returning to its habitat.
"Let's head back, Zald," Venti said casually, starting to walk through the sea of sand.
Zald snorted softly, a faint smile gracing his face. "Return... A word I thought had died along with my old Familia."
The two walked side by side, taking the fastest route toward the northwest. The desert wind caressed their faces, chasing away the scorching heat of the sun.
As they walked at a steady rhythm, Venti's mind began counting down this entire long journey. Accumulating the time since they first accepted the Leviathan and Behemoth investigation mission from the Guild, then heading to Melen, unraveling the intrigues of the Altena Magic Empire and the Dizara State to recruit Asfi, until finally arriving in the Kaios Desert to destroy Erebus's Purgatory stage... it had been almost two full months since he left Orario.
Two months, Venti thought. Time really flies when you're busy messing with this pre-planned storyline. Our new headquarters, which Goibniu is working on, must surely be finished and renovated by now. I can't wait to see how that old church was transformed into a sturdy base.
As Venti turned his head slightly, he looked at the side profile of Zald walking steadfastly beside him. Suddenly, a wild, highly ironic thought crossed the God's mind, causing the corners of his lips to curve upward, forming a smirk that was both playful and dangerous.
In the original canon history, the existence of the One-Eyed Black Dragon (OEBD) was the untouchable personification of the apocalypse. That dragon was the calamity that decimated the Zeus and Hera Familias in the past, robbed Orario of its pride, and forced figures like Zald and Alfia to fall into an abyss of chronic despair, culminating in their tragic deaths as 'villains.'
But now, he had reduced that original script to ashes and scattered it to the wind.
Alfia was no longer coughing up blood or counting the days until her death; the woman now stood as a Level 8 whose power could cleave magic and suppress anyone daring enough to oppose her. Zald was no longer suffering from within due to the Behemoth's poison; he had risen anew as a Level 7 adventurer whose strength could level even the toughest defenses in a single blow.
Add to that the four anomalous Elves now sitting at Level 4; Asfi, the magic item-crafting genius who broke the rules of level-based production; Sylphie, also known as Aria, the great spirit harboring ancient storms; and Venti, the god providing them the freedom to choose the path they would take.
I'm truly looking forward to that day, Venti thought to himself, his eyes emitting a dangerous glint mixed with the anticipation of a child planning an epic prank. When that 'Temporal Severance' seal finally breaks and that one-eyed lizard resumes its intent to bring about the apocalypse...
That poor dragon will surely be in for a huge surprise. Instead of a helpless world, it will be immediately welcomed by Alfia and Zald on the front lines. Waiting for it with far more insane power, backed by all the anomalies of the Barbatos Familia.
I'd really love to see, Venti continued inwardly, a faint smile gracing the corner of his lips, whether that giant one-eyed black lizard possesses the cognitive capacity to feel what is known as terror and regret.
"Is something funny, Venti?" Zald's deep voice suddenly broke the god's reverie. The brown-haired man looked at Venti from the corner of his eye, noticing the faint, meaningful smile that had been adorning the God's face.
"Oh, nothing important, Zald," Venti replied casually, stretching both arms upward and letting the wind twirl his cloak. "Just thinking that our return... will definitely give some of the gods in Orario severe migraines and chronic headaches."
Zald laughed freely upon hearing that. "Let them. It's about time that city woke up from its deep slumber."
The journey across the continent finally concluded. After days of traversing the scorching desert and entering lush green lands, the silhouette of the giant white stone walls surrounding the Labyrinth City of Orario finally, slowly appeared on the horizon. The Tower of Babel towered arrogantly in its center, piercing the clouds as if challenging the sky.
Orario awaited them. And the true gust of the wind of change was just about to sweep clean the cobbled streets of the city.
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