[FGO]: 14

Lily took out the magic stone she found today from her backpack, a trace of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.

With her many years of keen and ruthless insight, she could tell at a glance that today's total haul was worth around 100,000 valis. It would have taken her deceiving several rookie adventurers to accumulate this much.

"Take these to exchange, and just give me half tomorrow. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave first."

Ryou patted Lily's small head carelessly, then turned around and left without any hesitation.

"Gudao-sama..." Lily wanted to call out to him, but subconscious desire stopped her.

So, Lily watched as Ryou walked further and further away.

However, Lily did not see that Ryou, with his back to her, was muttering silently to himself:

"This is the first..."

...

Ryou returned to the tavern, which was already bustling with activity.

Thanks to him, the Hostess of Fertility had become famous throughout Orario, attracting a large number of drinkers and adventurers every day. On weekends, the queue even extended outside the tavern.

Mama Mia had no choice but to expand the second floor, originally used as a warehouse, into part of the tavern to alleviate the crowding somewhat.

Additionally, a notice offering high-paying job positions had been posted at the tavern's entrance, with only one requirement: the applicants must be beautiful girls.

As a result, there were a few new faces in the tavern these days.

All of them, influenced by their surroundings, were curious about Ryou, the elusive head chef who had helped the tavern to grow continuously.

When Ryou, dressed in a white chef's uniform, walked into the tavern, he immediately attracted several curious and probing glances.

"Syr, should I place this chair here?"

At that moment, a crisp voice rang out, followed by a strongly present figure emerging from behind a pillar.

She was petite but had an impressive bust, with black twin tails.

The most crucial detail was the strong presence that any adventurer could recognize at a glance.

This was a goddess, and Ryou was quite familiar with her.

Goddess Hestia, one of the main characters in the original work, is also known as the "Oppai Loli Goddess" and "Blue Ribbon Goddess."

She was a goddess of great heart, consistent inside and out.

Perhaps Ryou's gaze was somewhat impolite, or perhaps it was due to the keen perception of a deity.

Hestia followed Ryou's gaze and looked over.

"Your gaze is disrespectful, human!"

Ryou shrugged.

"I don't think so, considering a goddess so poor that she has to work for a living is quite rare indeed."

Hestia immediately stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

"Y-You, I'm just experiencing mortal life, do you understand experiencing life?"

Hestia defended herself guiltily.

"Well, good luck, Goddess," Ryou whispered in her ear as he passed by. "But I heard today's reservation is with the Loki Familia."

Hestia immediately froze.

She and the goddess Loki were like natural enemies, destined to clash whenever they met.

The reason?

 Probably the natural antagonism between flat-chested and large-chested individuals.

Now Loki was coming as a guest, while she was just a staff member.

Hestia's instincts told her that Loki would humiliate and mock her in every way possible.

Hestia began to look around nervously as if seeking a way to escape.

"How about this, if you assist me on stage today, I'll pay you double your usual wage tonight," Ryou's voice came at the perfect moment.

"Huh!? Just double..."

"Triple."

"Ugh!~"

Hestia's face immediately showed signs of struggle.

After all, business was booming at the Hostess of Fertility, and Mama Mia was a generous person, so the staff's wages had naturally risen.

A triple wage for one night was equivalent to what Hestia would make in a month elsewhere.

"Five times."

"Don't, don't say anymore! I'll do it!"

Hestia struck a pose as if she were going to her doom.

"Then good luck, Goddess~"

Ryou smiled 'innocently.'

To be honest, because of him, the plot had completely changed.

You could even say that the plot no longer existed.

Only some major events that affected the entire world's direction would remain unchanged under the world's will.

But Ryou didn't care at all.

What difference was there between a transmigrator who didn't change the plot and a salted fish?

In the original plot, Bell Cranel would have joined the Hestia Familia and become her first adventurer. But Ryou had persuaded him to join the Freya Familia instead.

So seeing Hestia at the Hostess of Fertility and becoming one of them surprised him, but that was it.

As for teasing a goddess, naturally, because this goddess, except in critical moments, played the role of a cute character in the story.

And encountering a cute character naturally meant teasing them for fun.

And soon he would encounter another female lead, who wasn't just a cute creature, but a thorny rose who was a true natural at pretending to be emotionless.

The Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein.

Thinking of this, Ryou began to look forward to the evening.

He had also prepared a "big gift" to meet this Sword Princess.

When Ryou and his companions were ready, night fell, and the street outside was illuminated brightly by magic stone lamps lining both sides.

"Sorry to intrude!"

With a greeting, a red-haired ponytailed goddess, who looked like a handsome young man from her figure to her attire, walked in first.

Following her were three others: a short but leader-like prum, a stocky dwarf, and a cold, regal, and exquisitely beautiful elf woman.

These three were the top members of the Loki Familia: 'Braver' Finn Deimne, 'Elgarm' Gareth Landrock, and 'Nine Hell' Riveria Ljos Alf.

The three of them were veteran members of the Loki Familia and long-time Level 6 adventurers.

Without even releasing his senses, Ryou could feel the powerful aura emanating from them.

Behind them were the other members of the Loki Familia.

Some among them stood out more prominently.

Two Amazonian twins with opposite body types but equally bold and seductive attire.

A silver-haired werewolf who looked and dressed like a street punk.

A petite, cute elf girl in a pink dress.

And finally...

Her golden hair draped softly like tassels behind her, her light golden eyes rarely showed any emotion, and her face as exquisite as a doll, not inferior at all to those goddesses who prided themselves on their beauty.

Her demeanor seemed cold at first glance, but in reality, she was a natural airhead who didn't understand social niceties.

Ais Wallenstein, pleased to meet you for the first time...

Ryouu chuckled inwardly.

"The reserved guests have arrived!"

Two adorable catgirls announced loudly.

Led by the goddess Loki, dozens of members of the Loki Familia walked into the Hostess of Fertility.

When Ryou settled into the tavern, the Loki Familia was on an expedition in the dungeon.

Despite being regulars of the tavern, the significant changes in the Hostess of Fertility still amazed them.

The biggest change was the tavern's renovation, done at Ryou's suggestion.

Since it was a place to eat, it should naturally be cleaner to increase appetite—these were Ryou's exact words to Mama Mia.

Coming from a modern society, Ryou deeply understood the impact of a restaurant's decor and cleanliness on customer traffic.

After the renovation, not only was the tavern cleaner, but the interior design was also personally overseen by him, combining elements from modern bars and ancient Greek and Roman architecture.

Thus, the tavern's walls featured various Greek and Roman-style reliefs, paired with modern bar lighting, creating an atmosphere that was both grand and mysterious.

"Yo! We're here."

The leading goddess Loki, with her signature squinting eyes, scanned the tavern.

"It's only been half a month, and there's quite a change here, Mia."

"That's because we hired a good head chef," Mama Mia said with a slight smile. Hiring someone as talented in cuisine as Ryou at such a low salary was her proudest achievement since becoming the tavern owner. Of course, Ryou himself thought the same.

"I wonder if we'll have the pleasure of tasting the chef's skills tonight?"

"Of course!"

With Mama Mia's affirmative answer, the eyes of Loki, the goddess, curved into a noticeable arc.

"Everyone! Tonight, we are in for a treat! Let's celebrate to our hearts' content!"

"Yeah!!!"

The members of the Loki Familia erupted in cheers.

Having just emerged from the oppressive and perilous dungeon, the members of the Loki Familia needed to blow off some steam.

Goddess Loki knew this well. After all, her keen judgment, leadership, and strategy were crucial in growing the Loki Familia from nothing to one of the most prominent factions in Orario, even surpassing older and more established Familias.

Led by a few youthful and beautiful waitresses, the dozens of Loki Familia members took their seats.

By the way, the waitresses were no longer wearing the plain green dresses.

Instead, Ryou had designed unique maid outfits for each of them, adorned with lace, aprons, white stockings, garters, and other distinctive features.

For example, the catgirls' outfits highlighted either their cuteness or their cool charm, while Ryuu, the stoic elf, wore a nature-themed outfit that emphasized her aloof, forest-like aura. Hestia's outfit highlighted her youthful energy.

Even Ryuu, who had a very poor impression of Ryou, couldn't resist her unique work outfit, indicating his growing influence in the tavern.

At this point, even Mama Mia, the owner, found it almost impossible to fire Ryou.

Faced with the increasingly radiant waitresses in their maid outfits, the goddess Loki, with the soul of an old man, couldn't help but light up.

Her hands made grabbing motions, drool formed at the corner of her mouth, and her eyes seemed glued to the waitresses.

"Loki, mind your image," the Familia's vice-captain, Riveria, Orario's strongest female mage and an elven royal, admonished their deity like a nagging mother.

"Riveria, just let Loki-sama be. Everyone's very happy today," Finn, the ever-smiling captain of the Loki Familia, advised.

Though he appeared to be a child, Finn possessed a strong personal charisma.

"Exactly! Exactly! Riveria, if you keep this up, you'll never get married..." Someone chimed in, and Loki immediately seized the opportunity to tease their vice-captain without thinking.

It's said that you shouldn't hit where it hurts—though Riveria appeared youthful and vibrant, she was old enough to be many people's mother due to her royal elven blood.

Loki's taunt was essentially calling her an old maid, something no woman could tolerate!

"It seems that Loki-sama wants to have a taste of my Fimbulwinter first..." Riveria's expression was so cold it could almost freeze the air around her.

"Wait, Riveria! Calm down! Stop! Help!"

And thus, a strange sight unfolded: one of the most prominent factions in Orario, the Twin Kings—specifically, the main god of the Loki Familia—was being hung from the ceiling.

Loki was finally let down, and by then, the celebration banquet had already begun.

The waitresses bustled back and forth, serving dishes that were exquisitely presented, uniquely flavored, and aromatic to every table.

"What is this!"

"This is delicious!"

"This trip was worth it!"

After tasting the dishes, the members of the Loki Familia couldn't stop exclaiming in delight.

Even the usually dignified and serious Riveria, as well as the expressionless Ais, were eating with flushed faces, their knives and forks constantly reaching for more food on the table.

"This is!"

Loki had just taken a bite of a salad-like dish, her typically squinted eyes suddenly wide open, looking at the feast before her in amazement.

As if to confirm something, Loki reached for another piece of fish.

Another scene unfolded before Loki's eyes. If the salad had brought her the freshness of pastoral scenery, then the fish had taken her to the seaside.

'What a terrifying creation; even a god's work is no better than this.'

When it comes to brewing, gods have divine power, can use rare materials not found in the human world, and can brew with almost infinite time, naturally beyond the reach of mortals.

But when it comes to cooking, gods, with their nearly infinite lifespans, are far less creative than mortals.

If Ryou knew about the high praise from Goddess Loki, he would probably laugh out loud.

I haven't even used any special ingredients, and you're already so impressed.

Yes, these dishes were just today's appetizers; the main courses hadn't even been served yet.

And this was only at the intermediate culinary level. If it were at the advanced level, it can make dishes shine, you'd be in for an even bigger surprise.

Since upgrading culinary skills didn't require many energy points, Ryou had directly enhanced his cooking to the level of Saiba Jouichirou.

The culinary prowess of Yukihira Soma could make people strip; his father could make them change clothes altogether. The difference in their culinary skills was evident.

"Mia, where did you find this chef? Why don't you let him come work for me?" Loki asked Mama Mia at the bar with a flattering expression.

She thought Mia would refuse, but to her surprise, Mia responded with a complex expression, "You can ask him yourself; if he agrees, I have no objections."

"Uh~"

Just as Loki looked puzzled.

"Get ready for the main course!"

Several waitresses called out loudly.

The members of the Loki Familia, who had been eating and drinking heartily, couldn't help but stop in shock.

Wait, what we were enjoying so much was just the appetizers!?

"Ah!~ It's you!!!"

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