Ouranos' Request

In the ground floor of the Babel Tower, there was a dark room illuminated only by rows of candlelight. The dim light created a sacred and holy atmosphere, inviting every soul that entered the room to reflect. In the center of the room stood a tall altar, while an old man sat in a chair at the altar's center. His deep eyes seemed to have witnessed all things in the world, reflecting infinite wisdom. His calm and majestic face commanded respect from anyone who beheld him.

He was Ouranos, one of the first gods to descend from Tenkai, the first to grant falna, thus forming families. One of his responsibilities was the legendary Daedalus, known for creating various brilliant innovations.

Ouranos had a unique philosophy: to govern but not rule; he chose to entrust the Guild's affairs to Royman Mardeel while residing in the Prayer Room beneath the Guild. In this sacred place, he used his divinity to prevent monsters from emerging from the dungeon. He had patiently watched over the dungeon for a thousand years, demonstrating remarkable perseverance and commitment.

Ouranos was also known for being open to new ideas. He was the first to believe that Xenos could coexist peacefully with the people on the surface.

"Fels, go to the Vermilion Familia and invite the god Vermilion here," Ouranos's calm voice echoed in the quiet room.

From the moment Noah arrived in this world, Ouranos knew that Noah was not a god of this realm, for there was no god like him. He could sense the difference from other gods in the world because Noah had not sealed his arcanum. It was clear that behind his status as a god, Noah carried a substantial curse that could kill gods.

Initially, Ouranos was cautious, choosing to observe first to see whether Noah posed a threat. After observing for some time, he found that Noah seemed more interested in enjoying his journey than planning anything malicious for this world. For this reason, he decided to let him be as long as he did not do anything harmful to their world.

This time, he intended to meet Noah to see if he could address the issue of the Xenos.

"Are you entrusting them to him, Ouranos?" Fels asked, puzzled by why Ouranos suddenly wanted to summon Vermilion.

"Just relay what I've said; I will handle the rest," Ouranos replied, not answering Fels's question.

"I understand," Fels turned to carry out Ouranos's orders.

.....

"Esteemed god Vermilion, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fels, and I come bearing an invitation from god Ouranos. He wishes to meet with you," Fels conveyed the invitation straightforwardly upon meeting Noah.

Vermilion's expression turned serious. "Ouranos? What does he want?"

"He did not specify the details, only requesting your presence," Fels replied, trying to explain the situation without adding confusion.

Vermilion nodded, though he was curious about why Ouranos wanted to meet him. Nonetheless, he was not afraid; even if Ouranos intended to harm him, he was confident he could escape unscathed. "Follow me."

"Then lead the way, Fels."

"Please follow me."

The two set off toward the Prayer Room, with Fels guiding Noah through a secret door.

Upon arriving at the Prayer Room, Noah was greeted by the tranquil presence of Ouranos. The old god sat in the central chair, his divine aura felt strong, instilling a sense of peace and respect in anyone nearby.

"Ouranos," Noah greeted, a bit hesitantly. "You called for me. What is it?"

Ouranos raised his head, gazing at Noah standing before him. "Thank you for coming, Vermilion. There is an important matter we need to discuss."

Ouranos spoke calmly, not in a hurry.

"But before we proceed, I want to ask, what do you know about dungeons, god from another world?"

Upon hearing the question, Noah immediately became alert. He looked at Ouranos seriously, not daring to blink.

"You need not worry," Ouranos continued, "I will not do anything to harm you. If I intended to do so, I would have done it the moment you arrived in this world." He noticed Noah nearly unleashing his divine power and quickly added an explanation.

"Why?" Noah asked, confused as to why Ouranos seemed unconcerned about him as a god from another world.

"There's no particular reason. You have not done anything to harm this world. However, if that were to happen, it would be a different story," Ouranos said while exerting pressure on Noah with his Arcamum.

Noah felt an overwhelming weight, as if a mountain was pressing down on him. He looked at Ouranos more cautiously, shocked by the god's immense strength. If a battle were to occur, he knew he stood no chance; he could only flee to save his life.

"Returning to our earlier topic, what do you know about dungeons?" Ouranos repeated his question.

"Over a thousand years ago, a bottomless pit suddenly appeared in the middle of the continent. Ferocious monsters emerged from the dungeon, flooding the surface and bringing destruction wherever they went. All the races in Genkai united to fight them. With the help of spirits, the heroes of that time managed to push back some of them, but when the black dragon appeared from the dungeon, true despair emerged. A man named Albert Wallenstein, known as the king of mercenaries, managed to blind its right eye, and the dragon then flew away without a trace."

"The gods saw their struggle and decided to descend to help. They exterminated all the monsters on the surface and rebuilt the Babel Tower. However, the true face of the dungeon remains a mystery," Noah explained, though unaware of what Ouranos truly desired.

"You are mistaken about one thing, Vermilion. Almost all the gods know what the dungeon really is."

"So, what is the dungeon?" Noah was taken aback by Ouranos's answer and immediately asked.

"In the ancient times, Tenkai was not only inhabited by our gods but also by legendary monsters. A great war against monsters took place in Tenkai. Many gods perished to exterminate all those monsters. Although the monsters died, their hatred remained eternal. The remnants of their souls and powers now form the dungeon that harbors hatred for the gods. The monsters currently within the dungeon are created based on their characteristics. You could say that, although weak, dungeon monsters are avatars of their hatred and power."

"Generally, dungeon monsters lack rationality and merely follow their instincts to come to the surface. But there are exceptions in all things; monsters with wisdom no less than that of humans are born. I call them Xenos. Unfortunately, their lives are not very good; not only are they attacked by adventurers, but they are also attacked by their fellow dungeon monsters," Ouranos continued.

Noah immediately realized what Ouranos was asking of him when he mentioned the Xenos.

"Are you asking me to help them?" Noah inquired.

"That is correct; I want you to help them live peacefully on the surface alongside the people, without being attacked by adventurers," Ouranos did not hide his intentions.

"Why should I help them? It's not an easy task to erase a thousand years of hatred," Noah expressed his indifference toward the suffering of the Xenos.

"What do you want?" Ouranos asked Noah.

"Ten spell books, certainly not of inferior quality."

"Then, it's not a problem. What are your plans?" Ouranos wanted to know Noah's plan to help the Xenos.

"I don't want to deal with the hassle of reconciling their disputes; I'm just going to take all the Xenos to another world. What do you think?"

"What about the Xenos born after that?" Ouranos frowned, somewhat disliking this method.

"That's your concern. I'm only going to take those who are present when I leave this world. Of course, for the Xenos born after I leave, I will also arrange a teleportation setup to the surface so they can live on the surface as they wish without the fear of being attacked by adventurers before reaching the surface. As for where they will live, you can arrange that," Noah added.

"Then just go ahead with your plan," Ouranos finally felt satisfied after hearing Noah's response.

He couldn't set up the teleportation circle himself because to do so, he would have to use Arcamum, which meant he would have to break the pact he made himself, leading to anger and distrust from the other gods. Moreover, he couldn't leave the prayer room for too long, or the monsters in the depths of the dungeon would soon break out.

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. Remember the ten high-quality spell books," Noah reminded as he walked out of the prayer room.

"Fels, prepare the spell books he requested," Ouranos commanded Fels, who had not spoken before.

"I will do so, Ouranos," Fels's neutral voice was heard from behind his cloak.