Wandering Tech-Priest in Multiverse

Chapter 207: Apollo and Denatus part 1

The plaza outside the meeting hall was already crowded.Gods gathered in loose groups, unconcerned with schedules or agendas. Some leaned against pillars, chatting idly. Others sat on the broad steps leading into the hall, legs stretched out, laughing as if they had come to watch a show rather than decide the direction of the city.

A pair of gods argued loudly about whose Familia had cleared more floors this season. Nearby, another group compared Dungeon rumors, half of them clearly exaggerated, the other half dismissed too quickly.

At the edge of the plaza, where the steps met the stone railing, Hephaestus sat with her arms crossed, expression flat.

She looked like she would rather be anywhere else.

"This is why I don't attend these things," she muttered.

Beside her, Hestia sat happily on the steps, legs swinging as she ate skewered meat without the slightest concern for appearances. She talked between bites, words tumbling over each other with familiar enthusiasm.

"Come on, Hephaestus, it's good to get out sometimes," Hestia said. "You can't bury yourself in someone else's work. And look, free food."

"I don't think I need Apollo's free food," Hephaestus replied. "It's better to keep an eye on Tsubaki, who might blow up the new workshop."

Hestia laughed, completely unbothered.

"Don't worry, she's not that stupid. She doesn't look like someone who wants to cause trouble."

"You're saying that because you don't live with her."

Hestia was about to respond when a shadow fell across them.

"Well, well," a familiar voice drawled, lazy and amused. "If it isn't Little Miss Shut-In, out in public for once."

Hestia stiffened.

"Loki," she said flatly. "Don't you have a tower to fall off or something?"

Loki chuckled. "Can't. Too many kids back home. They'd miss me."

Hestia puffed out her cheeks. "I doubt that. I bet they'd start celebrating, especially the girls."

Loki scoffed. "You're good at imagining."

She waved the comment away and stepped aside.

"Never mind. I didn't come to speak with you anyway."

Her gaze shifted.

"Hephaestus, there is something I wish to ask of you."

Hephaestus regarded Loki for a moment, her single visible eye unreadable.

"Go on," she said simply.

That alone was enough for Loki's grin to soften into something more deliberate. She reached into her coat and produced a folded set of photos, spreading them across the stone surface beside them with casual familiarity.

"Those transport vehicles," Loki said. "The ones you've been rolling out."

Hestia leaned in despite herself. "Hey—"

Loki ignored her.

"I want to know if they can be modified to survive in the Dungeon," Loki continued, tapping the images with one finger. "Basically, whether they can be used to transport goods inside it."

Hephaestus glanced down at the designs, then back up. There was no surprise in her expression. Only calculation.

"They weren't built for that," she replied. "At least, not officially."

Loki shrugged. "Nothing ever is, at first."

Hephaestus exhaled quietly, already thinking ahead.

"It's possible," she said. "But it's a waste of money and time. It would require too many resources and too much technology."

Loki's eyes lifted from the photos, interest sharpening.

"Didn't know you were such a good liar," she said lightly.

Hephaestus's brow creased just slightly.

"One of my kids," Loki continued, "mentioned a Lily driving a small vehicle inside the Dungeon."

Hestia blinked. "Lily?"

Loki nodded. "Compact. Fast. Very durable." Her gaze slid back to Hephaestus. "Handled turns that should've stopped it cold."

She tapped the stone once.

"So if big trucks are useless," Loki added casually, "give me the small ones."

"That's not possible," Hephaestus replied. "Whatever Lily is driving is on a completely different level from what my smiths are producing."

Loki leaned forward a fraction.

"Just make it smaller," she said, voice casual but probing. "Small enough to move."

Hephaestus didn't answer right away.

"You really don't understand the issue," she said finally.

Loki's smile widened, ready to push further

Then applause cut through the plaza.

"Welcome," Apollo's voice rang out. "It's good to see everyone enjoying themselves."

Hearing his voice all the Gods turned. Postures straightened. Smiles were adjusted into something more presentable as Apollo stepped forward, his golden mantle catching the light as if the sun itself had decided to follow him.

Loki leaned back, clicking her tongue softly.

"Well," she murmured, "guess we'll have to continue this later."

With the formal opening of Denatus, movement stilled. Everyone's expressions settled into something more composed, more restrained.

Hestia hopped down from the steps, brushing grease from her hands.

"I hope he can keep his speech short." she muttered.

Hephaestus straightened, her attention already turning inward. Loki's words lingered unpleasantly in her thoughts. Small vehicles. Dungeon use. Lily.

Loki rose as well, stretching lazily as if she hadn't just dropped a problem and walked away from it.

"We'll talk later," she said lightly, glancing back at Hephaestus.

She didn't wait for a reply.

The gods were already seated, but now hierarchy asserted itself without a word. Murmurs rippled and died as Apollo stepped forward, confidence radiating as naturally as light from his mantle.

He waited.

Silence followed, deliberate and complete.

Only then did Apollo smile.

"Thank you all for coming," he began smoothly. "I promise I won't waste your time."

His gaze moved slowly across the hall.

"Today, I want to speak about a shift in how power is being redistributed in Orario."

A few gods shifted. That was vague enough to be dangerous.

"For a long time," Apollo went on, "Orario has operated on balance."

He lifted one hand slightly.

"Mortals gain strength through blessings. Through. training. Through experience earned at risk."

Another pause.

"But now im seeing weapons circulate outside that structure," he continued. "Weapons that do not care about levels, or distinguish between trained adventurers and reckless ones."

"And yes," he added mildly, "some might argue that a knife can kill just as easily as those new weapons."

Several gods relaxed.

"But a knife requires proximity," Apollo continued. "Intent. A choice made while facing the consequences."

He let the contrast settle.

"We do not know who truly stands behind these weapons," he added. "We do not know the philosophy guiding their creation, and we definitely do not kn

ow where they are made."

He spread his hands once more.

"I am not asking for a ban," he said. "I am asking for oversight. Investigation. Transparency."

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