Chapter 425: Chihiro’s Workshop.

Chapter 425: Chihiro’s Workshop.

99 human, beastman, elf, dwarf followers gained

Total follower count updated. Total followers of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 22461

Im dead. I never want to do that ever again.

I turned around, smirking as I watched Asaka laying on Rajahs back like a starfish with her limbs limply wiggling around as the ground continued to shake like a miniature earthquake. Her new robesan edgy black overcoat-like robe made from mana threads with white-golden stripes and embroidery, mostly depicting Ilsaphones symbol and the moon,given to her by Saelariels Church of Marsvenwere getting dirty from Rajahs shedding fur

Hello, Dead, but sadly, you will have to continue since I just learned how useful it is to have more than one holy-mage cleric. Water magic just cant heal as much as we can, hehe.

Asaka glared at me, clearly unamused by my dad joke, but she just didnt get the real joke! The play on words considering she was now a certified and accepted Saintess of Ilsaphone! Ah, this delinquent sure had the humor of a dry fish if she couldnt understand my genius!

Okay, my attempt to cheer her up a bit kinda failed. Well, it was true she was exhausted, but so was I, as the both of us had spent the last four days as medics for the many people injured as a result of Maagneils attack. Far too many people died, but, fortunately, most were injured inside the Hub and the festival grounds.

Asaka fully utilized her [Twilight Paladin] to mend peoples wounds with that beige slime, while I performed the more complicated surgery with [Miraculous Grace]. Honestly, watching her work was more interesting to me, as her slime acted almost like glue, keeping organs, limbs, and skin together. Considering the unique skill came from Ilsaphone, it made sense why it acted and felt so similar to the onnikais body regenerating slime.

She could totally make some zombies using that thing if she learned how to control them. Fitting for a Saintess of Ilsaphone. The only thing stopping her from learning how to do it would be her own lack of interest in fighting.

But, that wasnt the real reason why we spent four days as doctors; it was cause of the big guy sitting before us as the ground was rumbling, due to it acting like an elevator. I looked up, inspecting the titanic rank A drake, Manethala, a being large enough to push a skyscraper down like a kid kicking down a lego tower. Still, he was far smaller than the leviathan I met in the Belzac forest.

It took four days for Manethala to recover from his wounds and the mental corruption inflicted on him by Maagneils aberration. Due to his fight with Neill, Yorshka, Master, and the other blessed, his outer carapace he used to roll around was broken, leaving his rock-like skin exposed. In addition, this meant we could see multiple scars across his body from spears, arrows, and a certain attack that left long line-like wounds, as I couldnt heal him after the fight as I had [Arcane Fever].

Honestly, Neills bragging was a bit exaggerated, as the efforts of the other fighters was apparent, but the long line-like scars, so similar to the scars left from lightning damage, caused by her dragon paths would decorate this drakes body for a long time. Scars could be prevented if you healed them with healing spells in time, but if you allowed it to heal naturally or through potions, they would remain.

Regardless, unlike Mom, he woke up sooner than I thought. Thankfully. Still, his time asleep gave me the time to heal the people from the expedition force. The dragonewt pair who helped me out with that rank S dragonslayer GalgPradreo and Skardrvohad lost multiple limbs, Farrons organs were in disarray, and the many other survivors were all sporting devistating wounds in need of a miracle to heal. I was just glad they lived through everything, considering how many had died to that dragonslayer.

Speaking of Galg, I was right to assume that one of his party members had recovered from her near death experience by my sisters hands. Rikara, the leonid berserker, had lost her right arm and a part of her chest in that area hit by Siss [Freikugel], to the point I saw her ribs and lungs. She was transported out of the dungeon, where people confirmed she survived through potions and her huge Health stat.

Well, she was now in stable condition due to Asaka and I, and was now in the custody of the dwarves. Honestly, considering she tried to assassinate me, I really didnt want to deal with her. Whether to judge or to interrogate her, I left it to people who were more invested in it, as I couldnt really be bothered by it. I mean, I had bigger things to do, like speak with a Goddess!

Correct call to wait.

Asaka and I werent the only ones going down to the dungeons temple. Tasianna, Ellaine, Grimnir, Master, and another blessed were accompanying usRudigan Vagunyga, a Champion of Crustacia and the cousin of the Ankoran Queen. Strange, as aside from a one time greeting, we were practically strangers. So, why was he here while Saori wasnt?

Well, that wolf friend of mine had her own Divine Quest to fulfill, as she was being tasked to transport over 1000 beastmen slaves from her raid on the grimgarian army back to the Beastmen Alliance, Carmaniate. That meant she had to move them all from the very south up to the dwarves to allow them to use the train.

I mean, sure, I could have sped up my friends job a bit with my subspace fast travel function, but I was distrustful of them. There were over 1000 people I didnt know or could trust; not even Saori could! Also, there was the logistical impossibility for me, as the subspace fast travel function demanded a huge amount of mana due to the distance from Port Annencia, where they were located, to the dwarven capital.

Who was supposed to shoulder that for over 1000 people? Me? I could transport multiple parties full of people once per day, but a 1000? Yeah, why not just kill me with arcane corruption already. Mom? Hell no, I wouldnt use my own mother as a mana battery for something like this and Saori understood that, as she never asked me to do any of this. She was a good friend.

That was why she wasnt here, while Mister Rudigan was here to help with my own Divine Quest.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

Divine Quest: Uncover the truth behind this golem and solve the problem on hand with them

Quest Giver: Origin Goddess of Earth, Craftsmanship, Minerals, and Creation, Crustacia

Description: Yo, Crustacia here on the permission of Aurena, little Hestia! Kinda a bad moment for me to meet you, but I honestly didnt expect to meet them in this dungeon. The earth told me they would return, but this?

Well, me vision through me dwarves told me enough to get the gist of the plan, but I cant tell you! Yeostars intervention made Goddess Plesia veeeery mad and she just put out a punishment I aint wishing to experience. You gotta do it yourself and its not gonna be easy, but I promise ya a big reward. And, trust me, I know how to please an otherworlder quite well! So, accept it, little Hestia!

Reward: A unique skill on anybody you wish, +1 level, reason for why the gods arent speaking, an additional reward depending on how you solve this whole situation

For my reward, I wanted Crustacia to bestow upon Grimnir a unique skill, but not only that, I also wanted her to make him a blessed.

As much as I like the underground, going through this dungeon all over again would have driven me crazy, Grimnir agreed with what Rudigan just commented. He then turned silent, though, grumbling a bit with downcasted eyes. But, still, lass, are you sure?

I nodded. You are the fifth member of Aurora. I know you are keeping your oath to me by helping out as a smith, but I know you have your own stake in this Divine Quest of mine now. You have a real reason to fight, aside from service, loyalty, and friendship.

Grimnirs eyes went wide, letting out a deep sigh. He stroked his beard, contemplating my words, but he understood I was speaking the truth. During the Maagneil incident, Grimnir saw the dead body of his beloved cousin, Broggart, being resurrected by a demonic aberration of the Prince of Greed. With the mastermind nowhere to be found, and Maagneil dead, Grimnir couldnt understand how all of this happened.

How did his cousin and uncle get into this mess in the first place? The only way to find the answer was to find the mastermind behind everything and what exactly happened, so Grimnir needed the strength to fight back. He had to transcend from being a rank B fighter, even if he was also a master blacksmith and runesmith.

[My apologies, dwarf,] Manethala suddenly spoke to us.

Dont worry about it. Grimnir waved his hand, still looking pensively. He then looked at me and nodded. Right you are, lass. Right you are I need to understand.

Manethala told us he didnt know how Broggart was brought back to life, as he didnt witness the event, while KleaHatma and VifiYokour two most knowledgeable members when it came to anything demonicexplained it would be impossible for the aberration to perfectly mimic a person before their death. That demonic orb thing could transform into monsters to protect itself, after all.

So, how did all of this happen? Well, that was why, in the end, Grimnir agreed to become the third blessed for Aurora, despite how he still viewed himself as a criminal. He wanted, no, I think he needed to know.

Also, after having to rely on my allies so much in the events this last month, it reinforced the idea that their strength was also mine. As Saori and everybody told me, it wouldnt hurt to put my trust in them, especially for any future battles, and that was why I wanted to get more blessed.

When I ended up in the Event dungeon, Manethala gave me a task to gather keys from two locations. Two priors dedicated to Goddess Chihiro and keys that imitated datachips, I commented when I understood what these remains were. The fake Broggart mentioned this workshop was taken hostage to make Manethala comply, right? Its so obvious from his reaction.

Love, Ellaine answered.

Tasianna nodded. It makes sense from all we heard about his relationship with her. How he was mad that she had to ascend to godhood and as such revealed everything to the dwarves. It was probably all planned, but the drake wasnt sad he lost a storyteller to keep him busy with tales, he was saddened he lost his friend and lover.

Didnt he mention he could transform into a dwarf? Asaka astutely brought up. I wouldnt put it past them to make this their home. Loss breaks people. Such a strong reaction can only happen if he values this place immensely.

Love really is blinding, huh? Maagneil probably felt the same.

[ Should we rebuild it?] Rajah suddenly suggested and we all nodded.

We cleaned up the rubble around the shrine, pushing things to the side to make the area clear. Grimnir and Ellaine turned a nearby rock chunk into a gravestone, while Rudigan chiseled words on them. Asaka, Ellaine, and I picked out the herbal flowers inside my storage, grimacing as I had nothing more romantic, before putting everything together to make the bouquet as colorful and beautiful as possible.

After we placed everything down, Rudigan then pulled out his amulet of Chihiro and laid it on the ground as a sign of respect between one blessed to the other. I prayed to her to show my respect, while Asaka didnt know what to say, as Chihiro wasnt technically dead. You couldnt really tell a living person rest in peace, right? Especially if the person was a god who might be looking down on us right now.

Dravlia Kongun? Ah, that does make sense. Chihiro is alive, but Dravlia died before she gained apotheosis, I noted from reading the epitaph.

Some of us wanted to continue cleaning the area up a bit more, but Grimnir reminded us we couldnt stay too long. As such, with Rajahs large tail, we cleaned up the path to one of the buildings, at least. Since everything was demolished, we also had to push the remains of the house away, revealing a faint blue glow coming from a cellar.

Opening it, Grimnir beckoned us down, noting how it took Broggart and him a while to find this hole as they were distracted by the many inventions laying around. There was an intricate puzzle that was held shut that forced the two to delve into their knowledge of Chihiro to open but we didnt need to do that, as the insides didnt remain intact.

Sadly, this was the fate for everything in this once peaceful home. From the looks of it, nothing worth looking at was around anymore. Chihiros many creations and blueprints were all destroyed here, all that progress was lost.

Even if Bleidla hadnt forbidden it, we would have been able to prevent all her knowledge from being lost, Grimnir commented, almost out of spite, caused by the discussion he had with Rudigan a moment ago. Broggart was right. At least we managed to salvage the gun blueprint, the recorder, and maybe the giant golem design from all of this.

Why cant the Ankoran King understand what a waste it is to leave Goddess Chihiros plans and ideas to rot in that measly cave?! The world deserves to learn from them! Learn from Earth! I remember those words from his video memento. Makes him seem so right.

Hindsight, my friend, Rudigan disagreed. But it is a shame. Didnt ya mention the fake Broggarts workshop was nearby?

Probably got destroyed, I said. A mana battery bomb blew up the smithy, while the resulting collapse buried the artificer shack. Maybe Manethala could help, but I dont know if anything would remain.

We should look, at least.

I nodded to Tasiannas suggestion.

With Rajah in my shadow, I descended the ladder after everybody had gone down, realizing it was pitch-black in here for everyone without [Night Vision]. Casting [Shine] on my tail, I held it up like a torch, illuminating our path forward. Once we stopped at a door, we managed to find not only the dungeon core but also a small shrine. There we noticed a small figurine of a kimono-wearing woman holding up some tools and an orbChihiros statue.

Once I told Rajah and Rudigan to guard us, my group kneeled down and held our hand in a prayer position. The reason why I brought everybody with me and not just Grimnir was due to a test I wanted to performcould people with my [Hestias Retainer] enter the god domain and listen to a god alongside me?

Naturally, as I was experienced in this, I knew that, aside from Ellaine since she had KleaHatma protecting her, nobody could survive a long period before a god due to their divine pressure. Meaning, Crustacia would decide if anybody would accompany me. She would know best who could survive.

Oh Goddess Tasianna especially was shaking in her boots. As the most religious devoted person in Aurora, meeting Crustacia would probably lead to the same reaction when Ellaine met Aurena. I couldnt wait to see her expression!

[Ahhh, Crustacia. Its been a while,] KleaHatma naturally commented. [I hope shell forgive me for almost seducing one of her priests back then.]

Great work, lust demon. I shook my internal head.

Regardless, we shut our eyes and I prayed to Crustacia, focusing on Chihiros statue as the catalyst to link my soul towards her realm. After a moment, I suddenly heard the sound of rolling pebbles, causing me to open my eyes and realize I was inside an earthen hall.

Not like the small room we were just in. No, it was a majestic throne room fit for a ruler, as it was decorated with priceless carpets, statues, and golden ornaments. Fairnite bat gargoyles furnished the walls and pillars, before fire all lit up in their mouths.

Welcome.

A young woman's voice drew my attention, waking me up with a rather thick dwarven accent, as she curled the L. I turned around, noticing a dwarven woman sitting on a bronze throne. Two pig-tails kept her mineral-rock hair together, while the smirk she gave us showed off her youthfulness and energy.

It was a far cry from the elegant, noble-like appearance of my patron goddess, who wowed me with her angelic aura. Meanwhile, this goddess looked and exuded an aura that told me she could crush any of us like a mountain could eliminate our existence if it were to be dropped on us. Tough and rough were the perfect words to describe her, but there was also a glint in her eyes, showing her interest and how much she had been waiting for this meeting.

Stretching her arm forward, she showed us a peace sign. Yo, Hestia, nice to meetcha!

Remove

A note from AbyssRaven

Introducing the twin-tail hairstyle Goddess, Crustacia!

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 20 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

For two dollars, for the cost of a coffee, you can read up to four chapters! You will have my eternal gratitude for any support you can give me! Please.

Thank you for reading this chapter.