Deity 2.307

Athena, goddess of wisdom, got off the carriage that transported her from Bishamon's house to the main avenue, in the southern region of Orario, just a couple of blocks from the guild of adventurers. Going down to the sidewalk, Atena turned around and saw Bishamon inside the carriage holding two babies. Bishamon brought the baby with red hair to the door. Athena received the red-haired baby and waited for the coachman of the Dragonroad family, a man dressed in a suit of frac, about forty-five years old to approach.

The coachman came to the back of the carriage and took out a large bulky cart to carry two babies. Then he approached the goddess Athena, left the cart in front of her and turned around to look at the goddess Bishamon inside the carriage, who was holding a baby exactly like the one held by the goddess Athena, but with white hair. None were more than five months old, with sparse hair, light teas and wrapped in clothes of different colors. Blue for Vergil and red for Dante.

The goddess Bishamon approached the steps of the carriage and the coachman stood beside her to hold her elbow, preventing her from losing her balance.

Once the goddess Bishamon, beautiful, young, with blond hair and purple eyes, put her feet on the sidewalk, looked at the coachman and gave him a beautiful smile in gratitude. The coachman was fascinated, but quickly regained his composure and smiled and nodded in understanding. Then he lowers the things of the babies from the carriage and order everything in the stroller so that the goddess Bishamon could accommodate her children.

Five minutes later, Bishamon was walking pushing the stroller with the two babies on board. Who were with their eyes open and looking at their mother.

Next to Bishamon was the goddess Athena, with purple hair and eyes, dressed in a white robe, but the place formerly occupied by the golden corse, was now occupied by a small lump, symbol that she was pregnant.

Both goddesses, beautiful and smiling, advanced along the sidewalk in the direction of a two-story building with a double glass door while capturing the attention of adventurers and civilians.

—Do you need help?— asked Athena.

—No, not at all, I'm used to it. Besides, it helps me exercise— Bishamon replied, gave her a brief sideways glance, and then looked at her children in the stroller —some people are too active and won't leave me alone—

The white-haired baby Dante babbled a little and laughed, which made the beautiful goddesses laugh. The red-haired baby Vergil, just staring at the beautiful goddesses while biting his chubby little fist.

Arriving in front of the two-story building, white façade, and double glass door, they stopped. Bishamon waited on the sidewalk as passersby admired her elegant and beautiful appearance in a purple kimono and her long blonde hair neatly arranged in a braid. At the same time, Atena entered the building and asked two guards to go out onto the sidewalk and help the stroller in.

Once inside the building, Bishamon stared at the layout of what Atena and Hitomi called newspaper.

The building was thirty meters wide and fifty meters long, where it ended in a door that led to a place from which came a metallic rattle. The corridor was divided in two, first five tables came on each side with their respective chairs. Then there was a wall of one and a half meters that put an end to the space that visitors could access. And as proof of that, in the middle of the corridor, there were two guards of great stature. After that, came the desks on the left side for formal workers and on the right side, the reception and the stairs leading to the second floor. Finally, the shelves with documents, dictionaries, and other notes for research.

Bishamon and Athena made it all the way to the guards, who stepped aside without asking and saluted by bowing their faces. The goddesses greeted them with a kind smile and continued until they stopped in front of the reception, where Hitomi's secretary, Asfi, the adventurer of the Hermes family who was currently conversing with the boisterous, but always friendly, God Hermes.

Hermes was wearing the fedora hat with the white feather on the left side. Red scarf around his neck and the rest of his clothes were green. At this moment he had his left elbow resting on the reception table while looking at Asfi and the latter took note of everything the god said. Hermes smiled, said things, and Asfi looked at him from time to time, but his hands kept writing.

Hermes noticed the proximity of the goddesses and forms a big smile —what do we have here? What do we have here?— he asked —this is a surprise. So long without seeing you Bishamon—then he looked at Athena and nodded.

—A long time since I saw you, Hermes— replied Bishamon with a kind smile —I came to see how things are in the "newspaper"—

—Here, all good, working for your majesty to become more powerful and influential— Hermes said with a hidden sense.

—Hermes— said Athena, gesturing with a smile, but looking at him seriously —choose your words more carefully, I think, I told you before—

—Oops, it was a little slip— Hermes replied with a smile, as if he didn't care much —to all this, of becoming powerful and influential. Your apprentice becomes better at what she does every day. I feel chills—

—God Hermes!— scolded Asfi with a worried expression.

Athena shook her head ignoring Hermes' comments and instead looked at Asfi, with glasses and short turquoise hair —How are you, Asfi? Any news?— she asked.

—I'm fine. Nothing relevant has happened so far, goddess Athena— Asfi said with a look full of respect.

—That's good, stay vigilant, these last ten days will be relevant—

—I'll be vigilant—

Athena nodded at Asfi's attitude and then looked at Hermes —you, too, keep an eye out for any changes. It's a pivotal moment for my husband—

—Of course— Hermes replied in a mocking tone of voice —I will keep my ears watching what the wind whispers. Nothing escaped me—

Atena shook her head, went back to the guards, and asked them to help her with the baby stroller to take it to the second floor.

Once they were on the second floor, the goddesses advanced down a long corridor with a wooden floor, white walls and with the ceiling beams exposed. Everything had been refurbished two months ago, so the look of the wood on the ceiling and floor was lustrous of a natural color. The walls were adorned with landscape paintings interspersed with portraits of Hitomi, the editor of the newspaper, Athena, as the deputy editor, and Hermes, as an advisor. Viggo's signature was in the right corner of each painting.

The goddesses stopped in front of a double door made of sturdy wood and varnished to the natural. Athena knocked a couple of times; from the inside she was told to pass, and Athena pushed both doors so that Bishamon could enter with the stroller.

Inside they found Hitomi standing behind her desk in the right corner of the office. Behind her were large windows with semi-transparent beige curtains tucked away on the sides. At this moment Hitomi looked at a file of documents with extreme care and then took them and distributed them in one of the five piles she had on the desk.

—You seem very focused today, director— Atena said with a gentle smile.

Hitomi came out of her concentration, looked forward, and seeing the goddess, finally came out of her abstraction. Then she took a deep breath, smiled, and walked out from behind her desk. She walks to where Athena was, took her hands, smiled, and then went to where Bishamon was.

—Good morning, Bishamon, did you bring them?— asked Hitomi as she looked at the blonde goddess in her purple kimono pushing the stroller.

—Yes, they were very bored at home— replied Bishamon.

—Just them?—

—Well, me too—

Hitomi walked over to the stroller and saw the twins awake and looking at it all curiously. At the same time, Atena took the opportunity to approach the desk and look at the documents that Hitomi was evaluating. They had a newspaper, something that began to bear fruit and became popular in many ways. Above all, for the trinkets that novice adventurers could buy or for the stock reductions of the main producers of Orario, such as the Hephaestus family, with all the attempts of swords that the apprentices produced. It was mediocre jobs, but for an adventurer who could barely make it to the fifth floor, it was more than enough. There was also the Demeter family, which produced seventy percent of the grain consumed in Orario. Sometimes they had some sacks left that could not be sold, so before they were lost, they preferred to lower the prices.

However, the important thing about all this was the handling of information and its advantages: One part was to prophesy through messages the arrival of the king of the gods, in this case Viggo. On the other hand, Hitomi occupied it to buy things for herself or inform influencers about items that might be to her liking at a convenient price. In the end, influence is built on a chain of favors.

Athena took a piece of paper as she gave a brief sideways glance to Hitomi, who hugged little Vergil, with sparse red hair, and kissed him on his plump cheeks. Athena smiled, but then took a closer look at the contents of the document. This was a listing of all the disused properties and the reason for the situation. In total, there were ten houses in the northern region of Orario, where the nobles lived. In addition to ten houses in the southern sector of Orario, near the blacksmith district. The vast majority had been crossed out, but four remained. These four properties were cheaply priced because the owners had abandoned Orario or were disgraced nobles. So, the urgency of money was present.

Athena again looked at Hitomi, who embraced Vergil as if he were her son and reevaluated Hermes' words —How are the murals going on the main avenue?— she asked.

Hitomi looked at Atena as she hugged baby Vergil and said with a smile —they were programmed to...—

However, Hitomi could not continue because she heard a loud bang. She and Bishamon carried Vergil and Dante and together with Athena, they approached the window and looked at the top of the tower of Babel. A huge pillar of sunlight rose piercing the sky.

At the same time, the streets in Orario froze. Horses in the streets neighed, dogs in the alleys barked, and cats grewed menacingly. People stopped doing what they were doing and took to the streets to watch. Those on the street stopped and looked on in a mixture of horror and anticipation. This was the one hundred and ninety-nine ray, and if what the murals said was true, only one ray of sunlight was missing for the king of the gods to be born. It was common knowledge for all Orario, no one knew who that adventurer was, but it was rumored that he was one of the Dragonroad. Not because someone pointed at him, but because when the redhead walked through Orario, everyone could see the golden gleam in his eyes.