59 A Hypocrite's Advice

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Steve signed the last document and stretched his arms and his back as he leaned as far back over the seat as he could. It had taken absolutely ages to get all the paperwork done, for both the citizenships of the other eight, and for the land he'd just bought in the name of the Ptah Familia. It had taken some serious haggling and reasoning with even Royman, to the point where even gold didn't seem to take away the fat elf's reluctance to give away certain pieces of that land away.

It was because of the city wall. Even though the grotto was built inside the wall, it had been done so at a time when Orario was still new and the government was a bit of an upstart. Only now Steve had learned that the grotto was actually once a storeroom for the Hephaestus Familia, which the goddess herself had given away as a gift to Ptah. While it was in her hands, it was her own property because she'd got it at a time when the laws were still underdeveloped.

But upon that room being given away to Ptah, when Ptah had to go through the proceedings of transfer of ownership, he had to comply with the new laws in place. The workings of it were complicated, but the wall in its entirety belonged to the government to do with as they pleased. So although Ptah had a deed which gave him ownership of the grotto, the ultimate ownership belonged to the government.

Put simply, it was sketchy...possibly even dirty.

But now Steve had managed to 'convince' Royman to give that unique ownership back and a lot more. The struggle had been because Steve was planning to put up a new wall that would close off the Ptah Familia property which was now very large, about half a mile worth of land altogether. It would cut off what was once public space. But when Steve had told the elf of how the larger portion of that land would be turned into an open workshop or market for business, and the innermost part would be where the prospective manor was built, then the elf relinquished the documents.

It seemed that Royman still tried to get an eye into the matter afterwards by offering some recommendations for builders to get started working on their manor. All Steve would have to do is hand over the plans that he and Zuri had developed. Of course Steve smelt the rat from a mile away and politely declined.

Because come on...imagine offering a 'Minecrafter' some builders to build his stuff for him.

Anyway, now that he had secured the land and the title deeds were stowed away safely in his inventory, and the citizenships for the others were well underway to being completed, he opted to sit and continue listening to what was happening at the Denatus. It seemed that the votes were still being cast as gods were fickle and whimsical beings who constantly changed their minds over and over again whilst also arguing and accusing each other of copying their suggestions. 

He shared a sigh with the audible one from Ptah that came through on the earpiece. So far, things had gone to plan. Freya had surprisingly gone along with all the stipulations that they'd demanded of her. He'd also heard the private little exchange between her and Ptah. From her disgust and shock at being demanded such things to a sudden acceptance was almost as spontaneous as the mood swing of a pregnant woman or a woman on her period...as sexist as that would sound to some.

...

Goddesses couldn't get pregnant in this world...did that mean they didn't have periods either? But they were clearly sexually able, that much was apparent. Or was it that they just couldn't get pregnant in the mortal realms? Or was it altogether in both Genkai and Tenkai that they couldn't procreate?

This idle thought made Steve turn up his mouth in thought. He wasn't even sure why he was thinking about that. He was quite satisfied with the women he already had and he had no intentions of taking anymore. Bell could have the rest since he was supposed to be the harem protagonist of this universe.

And speaking of the little bunny...

...

Steve glanced over the table at the rookie sitting opposite him who had finished compiling recruitment papers and had pocketed the addresses of these people. Bell let out a deep and shaky sigh. Ever the worrywart and thought dweller he was, Bell could not forget about what Steve had told him earlier. Even about an hour later, that truth was sinking deeper and deeper into his conscience as he realized how foolish he had been.

There was no telling what mistakes he would have made had he continued uninformed and so poorly ignorant of the workings of this city. Steve had truly saved him. Bell looked up to see the older boy staring at him keenly. He shrunk back a little, feeling awkward all of a sudden at being the subject of such deep intrigue.

"Is everything okay Steve?" Bell asked.

"...I take it you've gathered your options?" Steve asked. 

"Yes, I have. I believe I am ready."

"Good." Steve nodded before gesturing to the door, and pushing Bell out of the office. "Now go, and explore the world Bell. About time you became a man."

"I have one question though." Bell asked. "If you know for sure that everybody, every name I just put down is going to reject me, then why are you telling me to do this anyway?"

"So you learn." Steve said. "When a person is destined for greatness, they must first have to go through hardships, so that they are conditioned to handle the weight of that responsibility. Examples such as that exist throughout all history. You think power and integrity came to all those heroes you worship on a gold plate, complete with a silver spoon? No Bell...in order for you to accept the Familia you might be apart of someday, you will have to face a measure of rejection yourself."

"...It doesn't really seem appealing." Bell said.

"Chin up." Steve patted him on the back. "You're a good kid, that much can be told. But as long as you keep up that good attitude, and those good ideals, I have no doubt that the best Familia for you will appear at some point. Just you wait."

"But what if it doesn't?" Bell looked down. "What if I am just not cut out to be an adventurer and I will never find a Familia in the first place?"

...

"Sit down again for a moment." Steve said. "And let me tell you a story from my homeland to demonstrate reality to you."

"Is it a hero story?" Bell asked, a little enthusiastically for some reason.

"Not quite. More about the comfort of faith and the justice of the righteous, and how truth always prevails." Steve answered. "It goes like this. Once there was a shepherd boy, belonging to a deeply religious tribe who put their faith in a singular god. Now the boy was the second youngest amongst about a dozen sons. His older brothers were big strong men, all competing with one another over the affection, pride and favour of their favour who was an extremely pious and religious man.

But the boy was the son of the wife that the father had loved the most, and the father in his wisdom recognised that this particular son of his was destined for greatness and that some mighty future was in store for him. Naturally, he gave that most beloved son some form of preferential treatment...which the older brothers vehemently hated and were quite envious of.

So one day while they were tending to the flocks, the older brothers threw him into a well. And after some events, some strangers came by and took the boy to be sold as a slave. So the poor shepherd boy was torn away from the family he loved so much, betrayed by the very people he'd trusted. He was sold to a noble family in a nearby desert nation, the ruling class of which considered the people of his own ethnic backgrounds as a lower people. So they often took his kind as slaves.

Now he was extremely handsome, like an angel or something. So much so that the mistress of the household tried to seduce him. But being the honourable person he was, he refused her advances and yet was arrested under heinous false charges. And prison back then was no joke...it was very hard and very cruel. Especially considering he believed in a singular god and shared no faith in the heathen gods of these polytheistic racist people.

But that god he believed in was real, and he intended greatness for him. And for that, he equipped the boy with special knowledge...the ability to interpret dreams to tell the future exactly as it would come to pass. After some time, the king of that land came to hear of this slave's special power, and after horrible dreams of his own, he summoned the shepherd boy forth.

And even though the boy stood defiant in the face of the heathen gods that the king worshipped, the shepherd boy interpreted the king's dreams, prophesising years of bounty before a famine that would possibly destroy this mighty kingdom that had stood for so long. One would be mad to say such a thing to any king about his nation.

But the ruler was so moved by the absolute honesty, sincerity, bravery and integrity of this slave, that this person of the lowest class had the courage to tell him things that his own ministers and soothsayers and magicians were too scared to tell him, that he appointed the boy as his right hand man. And the boy was elevated to such a position in the land that only throne put the king above him in authority. And it was by the hands of this new saviour that the kingdom was saved, and not only did it survive the famines, but was also able to feed other nations in the aftermath.

And beyond that, the boy reunited with his family and forgave them all for transgressing against him in the way that they did. And when his family eventually left that land to return to their own homelands, they numbered in the millions and went on to become great nations, with kingdoms of untold glory and bounty that you do not see today." Steve finished. "So the point is, that the boy would never have been able to become that saviour, that hero without having to mature through the tragedies that befell him in life. That without deepening his relationship with the god he served, he would never have been able to fulfil his destiny."

...

"...That...is somehow a much better story than the ones I've heard." Bell said, feeling breathless for some reason. "There's no monster slaying, or saving a princess...but somehow it just seems more...noble."

"Because it connects with us on a human level." Steve said. "Now where I come from, most people dismiss that story as folklore...but to be fair, it was during a time where people didn't really take care to record things down. So the chances of it being true or false go either way. But you can still draw lessons from it. The point is Bell..." Steve put a hand on Bell's shoulder. "...I believe you're a good person...and good people always get their dues at some point. But if there is any greatness in your life to be had, then it is necessary you learn your lessons the hard way now so you come out on top. Understand?"

"Yes." Bell said before the boy shakily stood up and breathed deeply. "I think I'm ready now."

"Good." Steve said. "And remember, keep your head held high. No matter what anybody says to you, you'd better make sure that you don't lost your own pride and sense of self-respect. Do as I have told-...I mean advised you, and you'll see, the perfect go will come to you. And you will know when they are the one. Trust me."

"I trust you." Bell nodded. "See you at some point then Steve."

"Let us hope so. Remember, stay away from me for now. I've got a lot going on at the moment and I wouldn't want you getting stepped on or splattered against some wall because some moron wasn't able to control himself."

"Those are very specific words Steve, hehe." Bell sweat-dropped as he nervously chuckled. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Steve saluted as Bell closed the door behind him and disappeared from Steve's life for now. "I don't even know why I am taking the holy position here when it comes to him. I didn't earn any of my powers nor do I really take biblical stuff seriously." Steve muttered to himself.

But then again...the story of Joseph, son of Jacob was a beautiful story regardless of what you wanted to say about it. Especially when you actually went into details about the story. And it connected with Steve since he was half-Egyptian and he spent half his life in the land where Joseph was supposed to have attained glory. Only they didn't call him Joseph in that land.

That was the bastardised Latin name which the people of Steve's other half of his ancestry took to name the Israelite prophet. They Egyptians (the Arab ones anyway) called him Yusuf, and the Jews called him Yossef. Cognates of one another but regardless, it was the same name since they were both words in cousin languages. The exact same problem came with the name of Jesus. Amongst his own people, the god figure of the Christians was called 'Isho' or 'Yisho, Yeshu' or perhaps even 'Yeshua'. The Arabs in their cognate language (one of Steve's two mother tongues since he spoke, thought and swore in both languages) called him 'Isa' or 'Yasuu'. It was the same name.

But the majority of people in his old world called him Jesus, which was actually a concoction by the Romans that meant 'Hail Zeus'.

Remember the identity crisis Steve talked about in the beginning?...this was it. He couldn't tell which of his lineages he should be taking as authority on these religious subjects because each people had their own ideas and there was just so much racism involved in both sides even though they claimed to believe in the same thing...it was why he was not religious on Earth, and why he did not take the Bible seriously.

...

Because heavens above, with some of the things he'd read about Zeus in this world, the first thing he was going to do if he saw him was kick him right in the balls, full power. Yep, that would be the first impression he'd give the dirty old man.

Activity began to stir up in his earpiece as he heard the voting results come in at the Denatus and he quickly dismissed all his controversial opinions and thoughts into the back of his brain as he focused on the matters at hand. And as the proceedings went on, Steve's eyebrows raised as his smile widened to an almost disturbing degree.

Things had just become a whole lot better!

---

Bell Cranel hurriedly ran down the stairs from the office, clutching the cluster of papers to his chest as he revised over everything that Steve had told him. He'd really gotten lucky! Even though he'd been kicked out of every Familia he tried to join so far, he'd met an adventurer who was actually willing to take time out of his busy day to mentor him!

Well...from the look of all those papers Steve had been signing, the older boy had to be a hard working adventurer. So he knew what he was talking about for sure. Listening to Steve had been so enlightening. He seemed so wise, so much of a man of the real world that Bell was able to learn so much already in the short time he had been with him. Surely he was a very honourable, respectable man who was beloved by the people. Clearly with how people seemed to treat him, he had to be quite popular and well-known.

'I wonder what level he is.' Bell wondered. 'I forgot to ask. Surely something like level 4. Or maybe even level 5. Level 5 is first class and so hard to achieve. It's no wonder the other adventurers part out of respect for him.'

As he weaved between several burly adventurers, apologising for his intrusion and drawing brief glances from them, his scampering caught the attention of Eina who was slumped over her reception desk, strands sticking out of her usually neat hair and her glasses a little crooked as her eyes held a tired dull to them. She perked up as she saw the boy trying to leave the Guild and called out to him.

"Bell!" She franticly waved over to him.

Bell paused as he heard his name being called, and curiously he walked back in to see what she wanted from him.

"Miss Eina." Bell said. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes." She whipped her hand out and pointed a finger right at his face, making him cower back a little in sudden surprise as a sharp gleam shone from her pupils. "Stay away from that adventurer, you hear me?!"

"Y-y-yes." Bell said. "Actually, he just told me that as well just now!"

Eina opened her mouth and was about to say something when she did a double-take and looked back at him as she registered what he said. It was almost as if she'd been expecting him to say something else and was about to continue speaking her mind but caught herself just in time.

"He did?" She questioned in slight disbelief as her finger drooped. "Well...that's a surprise."

"He said he was going to be mixed up in some sort of drama soon." Bell leaned over inquisitively. "Do you know what's going on Miss Eina? He seemed all sorts of serious about it." 

"Maybe he does have some sort of feeling after all." Eina muttered to herself before she turned to Bell. "Don't concern yourself with it Bell. But I will tell you this. Steve is a high levelled adventurer and rather prominent...so much so that he is personal friends with the entirety of the Loki Familia."

"The Loki Familia?" Bell's eyes rose. "The second most powerful Familia in the city? That means he's a first class adventurer! I knew it!"

"YES!" Eina glared at him. "And normal people should in no way be involved in or related to the matters of first class adventurers. They get up to all sorts of situations that are perfectly normal for them but could squish you like a fly because of how weak you are. You haven't even joined a Familia, Bell. Please don't go and start trouble for yourself before you even find a god."

"He did say that too." Bell asked. "How long have you been his advisor?"

"I'm not his advisor." Eina leaned her chin into her palm as she looked down at the table, the riled up emotions leaving her. "I'm just a supervisor for him. And I only met him less than a month ago."

"Huh?" Bell raised a brow. "But I thought he's first class?"

"He is." Eina said as she sat up. "Just because I haven't known him long, it doesn't mean he's not high levelled. Just do as you've been told Bell for your own safety." Eina looked away and murmured. "Losing an adventurer before he's even joined a Familia, let alone the Dungeon would be an all-time record for me."

"What?" Bell asked as he tilted his head, unable to catch the last of what she'd said.

"Nothing." Eina said as she shooed him away. "Go on, go find your destiny Bell. And report right back to me when you've got a Falna."

"Will do." Bell waved at her. "Bye Miss Eina."

"Bye." Eina waved back at him as she went back to brooding.

Bell nervously chuckled as he saw her slip right back into a bad mood. As he made it to the flap doors, he was made to come to a halt and let three newcomers through. The first was a tall, breathtakingly beautiful girl with orange hair. Following behind her was a dark skinned Amazon girl and a gorgeous, blonde cool beauty who were both covered in scuff marks like they'd just been in a fight.

As Bell passed by Ais to go out, a little bit of tingling in the back of his head prompted him to turn back momentarily and look at the Sword Princess. Ais, who was feeling that weird connection too, also looked at him from the side of her eyes as time slowed down momentarily. In that faction of a second, they both tried to understand what they were feeling regards one another, both trying to remember if they'd seen each other at some point before and likewise, just some sort of rational explanation for why they both felt weird all of a sudden.

...

But then in a plane of reality far removed from the physical world to such a degree that neither gods nor mortals could perceive it, a little red string of fate and destiny connected the two together. And in that very moment, it tried to swell and thicken, trying to firmly bind the two together in their predetermined future and follow what was written in the book of destiny.

But as if done by some outside force, the red string snapped for no apparent reason. It was as if somebody had taken a pair of scissors and had just cut the string in two so that both people would drift away from each other. And drift off they did as now that the link was broken, their paths would take them away from each other, which was very different to how it was in their previous lives. For now an even greater person had replaced one of the two subjects and a new string was formed, one end connecting to Ais and the other drifting off somewhere upwards.

...

Both Bell and Ais shrugged off the feeling and silently acknowledged one another as strangers would when they found themselves in each other's path unintentionally. And with that, all was forgotten between them as both returned to their respective objectives. As Bell stepped outside the Guild, he momentarily put his hand over his face to block dust from getting in his eyes as a sudden gust of wind blew in his face.

Unknown to him, this was not just any wind...but the Winds of Change, a concept detected only by certain types of gods. And this was a wind that took its time to pass over the world and the entire population to rearrange the fates of everybody and realign them.

---

One such deity able to read this phenomenon was located in a shady part of town a few hours later, trying to gather intel on his next target when he suddenly felt the same winds and he looked up to the sky with intrigue and inquisitiveness as he wondered to himself what had happened.

"Is something the matter Lord Hermes?" A dark skinned, fuzzy haired chienthrope asked him as she crouched in their hiding place behind a wall as they tailed their objective.

"Nothing much my dear." Hermes said as he smiled a little, sensing something large blooming on the horizon. It did not surprise him that he felt these winds, considering how the Denatus results had turned out not too long ago. "I'm just expecting to have a lot of real fun...very, very soon." 

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