Lewd Dungeon, Chapter 399

Chapter 399 – Reception

The reception hall was not quite full to capacity, but it was definitely close. There was room for eight hundred in this space, as people wandered around and mingled. Athena and I stayed together, as the ‘stars’ of the event, but the other gods and dungeons in the party were spread out through the hall, using this party as a chance to network and make deals. Still, a group had gathered around us, all the same.

“That ceremony was rather tame, based on what I’ve seen in your dungeon, Kuronoth,” Freya said, a smirking smile on her lips.

“Well, Freya, while I certainly intend to give my bride the full experience later on, I doubt everyone in the audience would appreciate being kept there for hours, even if it might be educational for some of them.”

“Hours?” gasped Athena.

I winked at her. “You should know that gods have expanded power and stamina in areas suited to their domains, Athena. And one of my domains is ‘Pleasure’, after all. Trust me, tonight is going to redefine a few things for you.”

The US President cleared her throat. “So, Kuronoth, I might not know Athena except from what the myths say, but I know you don’t do anything without a reason, especially not on this scale, or this publicly. What’s really going on, here?”

Miguel Sanchez, the Grandmaster of the American Adventurers Guild, chuckled. “I would think it is pretty obvious, Madame President. The news from that summit he held in Japan has spread all around the world. Everyone knows that the way things were before the System can’t continue. Kuronoth’s portal network has started breaking down the walls between peoples, and the different versions of the Adventurers Guild around the world are working with each other, even if we don’t all hold to the same strictures and have different organizational styles. You even have dungeons and gods of different faiths working together openly, now.”

I chuckled, and nodded at the Ranger’s words. “It is as he says. The galaxy at large is not going to wait until Earth’s governments get their acts together. Earth’s people, its dungeons, and its deities have all begun moving, and working in the proper direction, but Earth’s governments are still, for the most part, stuck in Pre-System mindsets.”

The President frowned. “You act as if it is really that simple.”

“Because it is that simple. What it is not is easy, or painless. A lot of powerful, prideful people are going to have to be stripped either of their power or their pride, if not both, so that things can move down that ‘simple’ path. But it isn’t like dungeons and gods haven’t made sacrifices or taken hard choices in order to ensure the way forward is clear.”

The Greek Prime Minister had joined us by this point, while his children found their way to the side of the reception hall dedicated to those who were too young for adult libations, or adult conversations. Coyote, Loki, and the Monkey King were taking turns entertaining the children with stories, from what I could see. Actually, it figured that those three would be good with kids. Tricksters were a playful sort, after all.

My attention snapped back to the Prime Minister as he spoke. “What sacrifices have the gods and dungeons made equal to the complete restructuring of the world you’re asking for, Kuronoth?” His tone wasn’t accusatory, though his words could easily be twisted as such. No, that tone was more like someone who genuinely wanted to know. I was sure it wasn’t just idle curiosity, but also gauging what kind of political mess might be on the horizon. Still, he was respectful, so I’d answer in kind.

“For the dungeons, I can tell you that steps have been taken since shortly after the Ambassador first arrived on Earth. It has not been brought to the attention of the general public, because there was no need for it, but dungeons have been policing themselves, and the dungeon contracts I’ve instituted have kept things from getting as… adversarial as they can be on other worlds. More importantly, dungeons have moved to strike and destroy other dungeons who were threatening to become destabilizing influences.

“And it has been more than just the two that were openly destroyed, I’ll have you know. Yes, the Iahab Allah dungeon in Libya and the Freedomland dungeon in southern Texas and northern Mexico were killed, but there have been many other dungeons who have been brought in line without such extreme measures being taken. There have been a few that I personally had to visit and ‘encourage’ proper behaviors in, as Grandmaster Sanchez, here, can attest, and others in positions of power have also worked behind the scenes to ensure that the dungeons remain ‘dangerous but beneficial’, rather than becoming a ‘problem to be solved’.”

I took a breath, and said, “As far as the deities? Well, the biggest pain has been in cleansing the cancer from three of the largest faiths on the planet, a cancer that risked twisting and perverting the godhead of those faiths into something altogether less pleasant. Unfortunately, cancer is not something that can easily be cured without some bitter medicine. In this case, that medicine involved sending seven hundred million or so of the ‘faithful’ to their deaths, weakening all three faiths, but ensuring that they would no longer under threat of becoming something that needed to be put down.”

The Prime Minister stiffened in shock. “The Divine Trial. It was done intentionally? Which means that the dragon had to have been brought here intentionally, as well?”

“I can say with utter sincerity that no god or dungeon anywhere under the System brought the dragon to Earth. Further, the dragon was not brought to Earth by a follower of any deity of Earth, and no mortal’s free will was put upon in the recruitment for that task. I will say, however, that the three faiths who issued the Trial had time to work out the specifics of the message that accompanied the Divine Trial before it was issued, and various entities agreed that this was the best way to purge the threat with the least amount of damage to the deities, the faiths, or Earth itself.”

Miguel cleared his throat. “As always, I will point out that you count on whatever Kuronoth says to be factual, as far as it goes. However, if he said that he met someone under a red sky, it would be equally true if that happened somewhere outdoors at dusk, or on another world where the atmospheric content and the color of the star caused the sky to be red, or in a room where a red sky had been painted on the ceiling. He never lies, but that does not mean he tells the truth. Or, at least, not the truth you hear.”

“It is one of the things I like about him,” Athena agreed, blushing slightly. “It is a much more engaging style of conversation. It forces you to think beyond the normal words, and treat each conversation as strategic planning. As the Goddess of Wisdom and War, known for her strategies, this appeals to me.”

The President sighed, a scowl on her face. “That doesn’t matter. The global population was hit hard by the Initialization, and the continuing death toll from monsters, dungeons, and the like has just barely been outpaced by the number of people being born. With this ‘purge’, the population of Earth is back down to what it was in the nineties! That’s close to three billion dead since the System came online! And this is the kind of thing you expect world governments to emulate?”

I shrugged, unphased by her reaction. “Well, I would hope that you could do it without global war, and the like. But either the UN needs to be made into a functioning global government, or it needs to be replaced with one. And I do mean a functioning global government, which means things like veto powers in the Security Council need to be left in the past, and all countries will need to give up some of their authority.”

“We are well aware it will not be easy,” Athena added. “However, it must be done. Individual countries can remain, and should, since they would be best able to handle local affairs, much like how your states handle state matters while the federal government handles national ones. However, the age of superpowers and the like needs to end. Earth must speak with one voice when it talks with those already in the galaxy at large. And unless you wish to do things the bloody way, then governments must begin with the uncomfortable changes now.”

“But why something like this?” the Prime Minister asked. “Not the Divine Trial, but this marriage ceremony. Surely, there would be other ways to get this message out?”

Athena looked at me, and I nodded slightly. Looking back at the Prime Minister, she said, “Because if the gods come down and tell mortals what to do directly, then that causes a lot of trouble in the long run. Especially with free will and all that. No one wants a theocracy controlling Earth. We can offer guidance, prod things along sometimes, but the choices, and the actions, have to be the acts of free-willed mortals.

“At the same time, we can only prod so much, especially in the open, without the mortals believing that we are seeking to rule them. This marriage allies the old gods with the new. Deities of many faiths acting in concert. To the people, it is a subtle image, but a powerful one. An image of unity, despite differences. Even as the world’s people continue to join together, thanks to my husband’s portal network, connecting all the nations on Earth, allowing everyone to move easily, bypassing restrictions and barriers.”

I decided that it was my turn to speak. “Ideas are spreading, Madame President, Mister Prime Minister. Translation spells break down language barriers, and the ease of travel means that the search engine filters and social media algorithms that restricted how information flowed through the internet no longer reign supreme. People can literally see the events for themselves, as they go around the world.

“The economy has already been altered. People are no longer chained to their jobs by a system that forces them to slave for others to simply keep food on the table and clothes on their backs. Anyone who has enough will can leave their job in an office, factory, or farm, and take up the role of an adventurer. Sword and spell in hand, they can dive dungeons to gather materials and items to sell in the System Shop, if nowhere else, earning enough gold to keep themselves alive, or perhaps even enough to thrive. And the dungeon doesn’t even need to be one nearby. They can travel anywhere in the world quickly and easily, allowing them to take on dungeons that fit their skills. Already, companies are scrambling, having to scrap decades of corporate exploitation and actually offer good pay and benefits to keep employees, and it will only keep going from there, as the network extends to more star systems.

“The most zealous religious fanatics in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are dead. The other faiths have their gods awake and speaking to the faithful, pushing out those who would seek to pervert the faith for their own ends. Now, with the barriers of languages and borders breaking down, people will begin to see that the people in other parts of the world aren’t ‘other’, but are simply people. The old ways of controlling that information and public perception are dead, or dying.

“The only question left for you, and all the other politicians and diplomats who are getting ‘private conversations’ like this one with different gods and dungeon representatives, is whether you will embrace the change, or fight against it in a futile attempt to cling to the way things used to be? Will you stand up and lead the changes that need to happen, or will you stand against them, and be broken down as the tide rolls in? Change is happening, and it can no longer be stopped.

“Choose well, Madame President.”