[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Orario.
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...
Ouranos, seated majestically on his throne, fixed his ancient and penetrating gaze on Lucius, who stood before him.
"I must say..." Ouranos began, pausing for a moment as if choosing his words, "it has been hundreds of years since I have seen an adventurer as intriguing as you. Even for a god who has lived thousands of years, it was a great surprise to learn that a human established peaceful contact with the Xenos, something not even the select members of the Ganesha Family achieved, despite knowing of their existence for 15 years."
Lucius, maintaining his posture, replied sincerely: "I met them by accident. I met a mermaid in the capital of waters, and, without any malicious intent, we ended up forming a friendship." His voice conveyed the genuineness of his words, and Ouranos, listening attentively, nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"This friendship turned out to be beneficial," Lucius continued. "It was thanks to it that I was fortunate enough for Lyd to save my life when the dungeon generated that damned Juggernaut." His expression hardened as he recalled the danger and intensity of that battle during their first encounter.
Ouranos, with a thoughtful look, added: "And you and the Xenos, joined forces to defeat that monster. It was no small feat. It's remarkable that you, who barely knew them, managed to convince them to fight by your side. An order was issued by the guild to gather the Freya and Loki families, among others specialized in exploration, to try to combat the threat. However, before we even started the emergency meeting, we discovered that the Juggernaut had been destroyed, by none other than you and the Xenos." His voice, calm and controlled, carried a tone of veiled admiration.
Beside Ouranos, Fels remained silent, Lucius, hearing these words, imagined that something like this would happen, Juggernaut always was a quite forbidden existence and almost no one knew it, but as it appeared in the dungeon and was still active, Ouranos was forced to call the main family for that.
"That was necessary, that thing was not only going to harm the adventurers, it was going after the xenos too, so convincing them was easy, and I would never have defeated the juggernaut without help, they themselves almost died several times in our fight," Luffy spoke calmly.
Ouranos, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of centuries, continued the conversation. "Your journey and the choices you have made are a sign of potential and change. I am interested to see how this will unfold in the future, I hope it will be positive." There was a tone of admiration in his voice, a suggestion that the first bridge between a world where Xenos and adventurers can coexist peacefully was being built unexpectedly.
"I understand," Ouranos continued, his gaze becoming more serious and penetrating. "Now, let me ask you something. Are you aware that the existence of the Xenos is something that many in Orario have not yet accepted, correct? Any revelation may cause unrest and fear." His voice carried a warning, a clear message for Lucius to understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality about the Xenos.
Lucius, understanding, responded without any negative feeling against this questioning. "Yes, I am aware of that and do not worry. See me more as an ally than a danger to them. After all, we are now friends and I owe my life to some of them." His voice was firm, conveying a promise of protection and secrecy.
Ouranos, observing the sincerity of Lucius, nodded in acknowledgment. "That's good. Our ultimate goal is to bring the Xenos to the surface, to allow them to live in harmony with the inhabitants of Orario. But that is a distant dream, given that many still see them as monsters and a threat. There are groups that know of their existence and hunt them illegally, a reality we need to combat and change."
Lucius looked directly at Ouranos, his gaze solemn as he spoke the next words. "Evilus hasn't died, has it?" he questioned, posing the question as if he already knew part of the answer.
Ouranos, with an eyebrow raised in a sign of recognition, responded. "So you know?" His voice was neutral, but there was a glint of interest in his eyes.
"Yes," confirmed Lucius, "I can say they have attacked me once, mainly targeting Riekling." He already considered this group something he would have to deal with, his family had been attacked by them, and Bell could have been killed.
"I understand... They still tend to act in the shadows, and we can't counterattack them without concrete evidence, and about your goblin." Ouranos shared something. "Did you know that a monster like yours would not normally be allowed to walk around the city? But this was a good opportunity to insert some monsters into society as we are doing with the Monster Festival, and I must say you have brought the gods more positive results than years of creating the festival. When the matter came to me, I became interested in you and since then, I have started to observe you more directly."
Lucius, understanding, nodded. "That makes sense. And I also want to help the Xenos in whatever way I can. As for the groups hunting them, I owe Evilus after the attack on my family and the near death of Bell. If you allow me, I would like authorization to start attacks in search of evidence of their illegal activities and even do things that you usually couldn't."
Ouranos pondered a bit. "That could be beneficial. Hermes tried, but had little success in his investigations. But your approach... You intend to act as you did with the Soma Family? Like that 'Lord Sith'?"
Lucius was not surprised by Ouranos' knowledge of his past actions. "Yes, I attacked the residence of Soma because they captured a friend who is now part of my family, so I had to act. You can't blame me for that. But understand, I don't intend to bring chaos to Orario. My goal is to end the families engaging in suspicious activities, but you from the guild and the Ganesha family cannot act against."
"Still, you attacked a family and threatened a god, Lucius Drakenar. You acted illegally, but you are too important to be treated as a criminal by the guild, just don't do it again," he said and continued.
"I can't say I would do differently, Ouranos, I couldn't act legally in the face of a war game, and Lili wasn't officially part of our family at the time," Lucius spoke calmly.
"Just don't do it again, but I understand your position and your reasons, Lucius. And, although I can't officially endorse actions outside the law, I recognize the need to deal with Evilus. Do you believe you can handle this without affecting the city and incriminating the organization with evidence?" Ouranos raised the question.
"Yes, I can be quite useful in cleaning up this city's dirt, but I want some conditions," Lucius spoke.
"And what would that be?" Ouranos remained calm, even though someone was placing conditions in front of him.
"I want to recruit someone for this, someone who can help me and has debts with Evilus. I also want this person's pardon for the crimes they committed and are recorded in the guild," Lucius spoke.
"And who would that be?" Ouranos raised another eyebrow this time.
"Gale Wind," Lucius spoke.
"That is a bit much, she is a known criminal who eliminated various families," Ouranos spoke.
"Yes, but you know they were criminal families, I doubt you don't know her motives, I even suspect you always knew her current location for years but never did anything," Lucius confronted the most important god of Orario.
