It is said that this Labyrinth City, Orario, is the undisputed center of the world.
Countless riches, glory, and dreams are buried within that bottomless "Dungeon".
The gods descended from the Heavens. Seeking excitement, they sealed away the vast majority of their divine power and might, descending to this place they call the Lower World. By bestowing Grace upon mortals, they turn them into their own Familia members to capture that bottomless Dungeon.
As the saying goes, "It is easy to find shade beneath a great tree." Joining a powerful and thriving Familia is the dream start for every rookie adventurer.
Adventurers level up by fighting monsters, obtaining Magic Stones and drop items to exchange for wealth.
And the gods, in turn, enjoy the game of watching their own children grow and competing with other Familias.
However, there are always exceptions to the way of the world.
For the fifth time, Haimer watched a passing adventurer cast a look of disgust at the recruitment notice he had posted, then quickly walk away. Finally, he couldn't hold back a sigh.
He leaned against his own shrine—if one could strictly call it a shrine.
In reality, it was just a small two-story building—
Beside the door pillar, he held a wooden sign in his hand. On it, written in crooked Common Tongue, were a few large characters:
[Haimer Familia. Sincerely Recruiting Adventurers. No Restrictions on Gender or Race. Room and Board Included. Excellent Benefits!]
People passing by would sweep their gaze over the sign, look at the building behind it, and finally let their eyes land on Haimer's face as he held the sign.
Most people would pause for a moment, then a complex expression mixing sympathy, suspicion, and doubt regarding the "room and board" promise would surface on their faces. Then, they would quicken their pace, as if afraid of being entangled.
Haimer knew it himself: the presentation was indeed a bit lacking.
As a transmigrator who had crossed over to this world and inexplicably become an ancient god...
To cross over to this world and luckily become a deity...
Reasonably speaking, Haimer should have been waking up from his dreams laughing.
But reality gave him a resounding slap in the face.
In Orario, whether a god does well or not depends mainly on two things: fame and financial power.
Famous gods, like the widely connected Loki, or the Goddess of Beauty Freya, don't need to actively recruit; people wanting to join their Familias would trample their doorsteps.
Gods with financial power, like the God of Forging Hephaestus, can use top-tier equipment and welfare to attract adventurers.
But he, Haimer, had neither fame nor money.
Frustrating. It was beyond frustrating.
He could arguably understand how Hestia—the Imperishable One who presides over the eternal Sacred Fire—felt when she couldn't recruit anyone for her Familia in the Lower World.
...
"Sigh..."
Haimer sighed again, leaning his head back against his chair as his consciousness sank into his mind.
It had been a month since he descended to the Lower World.
Last week, he had just spent all his savings to make this recruitment sign, starting the first step of his grand ambitions—recruiting people.
As a result, reality gave him another resounding slap in the face.
"Ha..."
"A god living on the streets, huh."
This title was simply the most precise summary of his current situation.
Just then, a set of light footsteps stopped in front of Haimer.
Haimer raised his head.
An Elf maiden was standing before his stall, curiously sizing up the wooden recruitment sign.
She possessed the signature pointed ears of the Elf race and beautiful features.
A head of smooth, pale golden long hair shimmered under the sunlight. She wore a set of well-tailored, lightweight leather armor.
It revealed her slender figure without sacrificing the efficiency of an adventurer.
A waist-mounted exquisite short bow and a quiver on her back clearly indicated she was an archer.
More importantly, she looked like a rookie.
A truly seasoned adventurer wouldn't spare a second glance at a roadside stall like his.
Opportunity!
Haimer immediately stood up straight, plastering what he believed to be his kindest, most sincere smile onto his face.
"Greetings, beautiful miss."
"May I ask, are you an adventurer who has just arrived in Orario? Are you perhaps looking for a suitable Familia?"
The Elf maiden's gaze shifted from the wooden sign to Haimer's face.
When she saw Haimer's appearance clearly, a flash of surprise flickered in her emerald-green eyes, followed immediately by a faint blush rising on her cheeks.
However, it was quickly concealed by her excellent upbringing.
Haimer's appearance was, aside from his divine power, the only capital he had right now.
Black hair and black eyes, with features so handsome they seemed like a god's most outstanding work of art—oh wait, he was a god now, so never mind.
His temperament was clean and refreshing. Even wearing simple linen clothes, it was hard to hide his outstanding elegance.
Based on looks alone, he was enough to make ninety-nine percent of the gods in Orario feel jealous.
But the people of Orario were very realistic. Appreciating your face is fine, but entrusting their lives and fortune to you? Sorry, for capable people, please demonstrate your Familia's strength first.
"Yes, my name is Laila. I have just arrived in this city."
The Elf maiden nodded slightly, her heavy elegantly.
Her gaze moved back and forth between Haimer and that dilapidated shrine, revealing a hint of scrutiny.
"Excuse me... are you the Kami-sama of this Familia?"
"That is indeed this humble one."
Haimer puffed out his chest, trying to look a bit more reliable.
"Although my Familia has just been established, its potential is limitless!"
"As long as you join now, you will be a core member with veteran status! The future is boundless!"
Haimer began his torrent of sales pitches, effortlessly picking up the 'pie-in-the-sky' tactics used by startups in his previous life:
"And just think about it, beautiful Miss Laila. Once our Familia grows into a top faction in Orario in the future, as the very first member to join, what kind of glory will that be?"
"Your name will surely be engraved on the very first page of our Familia's history!"
Laila listened quietly without interrupting Haimer.
Only after Haimer finished speaking in one breath did she speak unhurriedly. With her questions, she directly cut through the pile of flowery rhetoric Haimer had just spouted.
"Then may I ask, God Haimer, is your name famous in this place, or perhaps in the Heavens?"
"Or do you have a close relationship with any other gods of the Familias stationed here?"
This question made Haimer stall completely.
"Uh... I keep a relatively low profile. My reputation in this world isn't prominent."
Haimer gave a vague answer.
After all.
Although his name wasn't as loud in this world as Loki, Freya, Hera, or Zeus, he was by no means a nobody in the distant Heavens.
It was just that...
If he announced those titles in this world, basically no one would believe him.
Fortunately.
Laila did not show an unkind expression because of Haimer's answer. Her words and deeds remained polite and proper as she continued to ask questions calmly.
But the content of the discussion was getting increasingly serious.
"Then, is this building... the base of your Familia?"
"Are there any follow-up plans for renovation or relocation? What is the source of funding?"
Faced with these questions, Haimer thoroughly began to sweat.
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