Still working on a layout for the Manor... my MS paint skills are... well... Anyhow. :)

Chapter 51

To say that the Xenos were getting a lot of attention would be... mild. Now, to be fair, they were a under guard, with the two Oni, and walking along with my children and wife.

The people quite promptly lost interest in my display (which was fine, since I was just asnwering questions, not running a demonstration right now), and started to look... nervous. It couldn't be helped. For the last thousand years, monsters were 'the enemy' they were 'bad' they destroyed cities and ate people. It didn't matter that they were under guard, walking like normal people, carrying goods with them, or on a leash being held by a girl who was maybe one quarter the 'monster's weight.

But, no one dared do anything aggressive. Not with my wife, children and the Oni nearby. It was a parade of mixed signals, and 'the people' were unable to decide how to react. So, they settled on 'shocked and awed', watching but unmoving. Children who didn't know better pointed and exclaimed, while parents hid them behind their legs as best they could, but otherwise, it was harmless... gawking.

Calmly, like they weren't in the middle of the city, surrounded by people who may or may not suddenly sprout swords and torches, the big Arachne and the Oni started setting up in the stall next to mine.

Haruhime herself reached up for the big puffy needle rabbit, hugging it close for a moment before putting it in with the children, while Spot and the girl came over to me.

"Spot!" I said with a pleased smile, "Getting bigger huh?"

"wurf." A mindfully quiet sound of agreement, while he sat down like a good doggo and accepted ear scroofles.

"Is he being a good friend?" I asked the girl.

"Unless it's bath time, yes." She nodded vigorously, before hugging the huge doggo like one might hug a short furred tree, "Are all these people here to see them?" She pointed to the spider lady and rabbit (that had her front paws perched on the edge of the rolling crib while my children pawed at her).

"Not exactly." I said, kneeling down so I could get more eye to eye with her. "They're here to see if standing next to each other is even possible. But to do that, we need to show a little trust."

"wuff." Spot said, his big fuzzy head turning to look at Hagane.

"Don't even think about it." Hagane said as Spot got back on all fours and took a single step towards the big metal cat, "No licking allowed."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little, "Go ahead, but he will get grumpy if you slobber on him."

"wurf." And spot and the girl went to make friends with the big metal cat.

"No licking me either." Shinkage said a moment later as I stood up and went over to the Xenos stall.

The Oni and Arachne were quickly setting up things on the simple shelves behind the counter. Feather head dresses, bone decorations, clay pots of something. A couple baskets of cloud fruit, and finally two, metre long poles, with a gauzy grey fabric wound around them. Bolts of spider silk cloth?

"Chani." I greeted, looking up at her as she turned towards my voice, "Good to see you."

She didn't like being touched, so she greeted me much the same as Ryuu did, our palms touching each others forearms for just a moment before separating, "Kodori." Her voice was a little hollow sounding in the helmet, but she sounded like she was a bit nervous, "This is... much more than I expected."

"Now that we no longer need to keep you a huge secret... Though, I wasn't expecting this either." I replied, looking over the shelves of stuff, "This is pretty good. Fear and Ray moulting again?"

"Again? Always. They just collected and cleaned up what they usually leave on the floors." She sighed, "Lido and a couple others managed to harvest some things for bone, and we did some carving." She motioned to the bone ornaments, including a pair of magic stone lamps made from lizard skulls. "And the pots there are things that we shed naturally. We heard that alchemists use a lot of that kind of thing."

"Have you been told the going prices for things?" I asked, peeking into a jar and finding it full of frog slime, an ingredient for scar removal cream.

"Helpfully provided by Mr. Ganesha." She said, "Thank you for reminding me." She crouched down and rummaged in an almost empty basket, then came up with a rolled up sheet of paper. "And this... goes here I guess?"

I didn't need to ask how she got the paper to stick to the top of the stall, but once it was there, it unfurled naturally and displayed, in plain Kione, the prices for each thing on the shelves.

"Now the hard part." She turned towards one of the Ganesha guards, "You had the box?"

"Ah! Yes Ma'am." He broke position, and came over behind the counter. From his satchel he took out a small metal box that jingled as he moved it. "Here you go." Aha, cash box.

"Thank you." She said, taking a deep breath before reaching up and taking off her helmet.

If you discounted the six small eyes that dotted her high forehead, not quite hidden by her soft white hair, she was quite pretty. However, she also wore that helmet to hide that fact, and she was blushing super hard when she said to the gathered crowd, "The Xenos have brought goods from the dungeon, and we are now open for business!" Maybe a little louder than she needed to, but it got the point across.

By the end of the day, it was quite clear where the 'problem' would be with the Xenos being accepted as part of the city.

The 'Adventurers' were at their core very practical. Yes, they all had their own opinions and experiences, but at the end of the day 'getting it done' was the most important thing. So, the adventurers didn't really have a problem with buying things from 'monsters'. The prices were fair, the quality was good, and they didn't have to spend a day killing stuff to get it. So no, it didn't matter that the shop keeper was half spider woman, who could usually be found in the deep floors and liked to eat adventurers. This one didn't, and it was selling things they needed. So no, it wasn't the adventurers.

The 'people', in general, were still quite shy about getting near the stall. Guards or not, next to the city's strongest adventurer notwithstanding, it was still a monster, and they were not adventurers. They had no protection from the claws and teeth, no super strength or speed. This fear was a more 'primal' thing. But, they also weren't running and screaming. And more than a few people 'dared' to pay 10 valis to 'pet the bunny' (who seemed to be quite happy for the attention, and all profits went to the orphanage Spot lived at). Spot was a favourite as well, but mostly because now, all the people who knew him (it was hard not to be curious about the little orphan children walking the gigantic doggo) understood that he wasn't just a 'smart doggy', but a truly intelligent 'person' who just happened to be 'dog' shaped.

Thankfully, there wasn't even a single incident of 'discontent'. No shouts, no 'boos', no thrown stones, nothing. Of course, that was probably because I was literally five good paces away from the stall. So no, I didn't think it was the people who were going to be 'the problem'.

No. The problem would probably come from 'the merchants'. The Xenos were literally getting rid of the 'middle man' by bringing up the materials themselves, and in some cases 'from' themselves. Chani was almost beside herself with how fast people were buying her silk. Not just because it took her about four weeks to make that much, and now she had none left to sell. But with how much money it was worth. I did warn her about that when we first met, but she'd made a respectable fortune in less than a day. If she sold another batch of silk like that, she could buy a small plot of land and set up a shop in the city permanently.

Or course, none of that small fortune was going to the merchants who usually sold it on behalf of the adventurers who found it. None of the weavers would get their cut from processing it either. Same with the alchemy stuff. The merchants couldn't 'adjust' the prices of it between the adventurer and customer. So yes, it was 'greed' that would be the biggest hurdle for the Xenos.

But that was okay. Greedy people generally weren't very brave, and with the Ganesha Familia and the Alliance supporting the Xenos, and the example made of Dain Cecht, I doubted there would be much real danger from that area. But, it was still something to be mindful of.

After cleaning up for the day, we all walked back towards the Manor. Part way, Spot and the little girl veered off towards the orphanage (with a pouch of coin around Spot's neck). Both were given headpats and words of encouragement for a job well done in getting along with everyone.

We arrived at the Manor construction site without issue, and were all too happy to sit down and rest after a long day of being on our feet and dealing with people.

That wasn't all though. Chime and her kits were super excited to meet with 'grandma' bunny, and were almost all at once lost in a ball of happy poofs of fur. Gros actually sounded happy to see someone (Chani) and Weine (after recovering from a super massive 'squee' moment at seeing the bunny family get acquainted with one another) also went over to greet the spider lady.

"Well, that's heartwarming." I said with a smile, "What a day."

"It felt good to just do small projects for a while." Welf grinned, "I mean, when was the last time you just sat down and made a random thing because you could? Or had someone ask you to make a wall hook or a handful of nails? Or even a few shirt buttons?"

"It was good practice." Maki nodded, "And that little old lady was super sweet. She loved the spoon."

"I'm glad everyone had fun." Haruhime said, "Even them." She looked into the crib, noting that just about everyone was sleeping like a rock. "Sadly, they are going to wake up in the middle of the night, full of energy again."

"That's okay." I shrugged, "Not like there is much sleeping going on at the Madam's place anyhow."

Haruhime swatted my arm while the others chuckled, "Oh, hello." Sir Skitters gave my leg a tap, then zipped up my body so I could hold him, "Ah... I know what you want to do."

We all looked over to Gros, Weine and Chani, who were quietly talking in his enclosure while being surrounded by curious phoenix(?). "Still a boy." Maki chuckled, "Think its a good idea?"

"So long as you don't surprise her. Say, where is everyone else?" I asked.

"They likely went back to where ever they are staying." Shinkage said, buffing Hagane's metal skull with a cloth, "Susanoo and the others have been staying close to Takemikazuchi and his Familia. Bell and Hestia went together to see the city, and Delly went to the Ganesha Zoo."

I nodded while Welf replied, "Everyone keeping busy huh. Good." He yawned, "I think I'm gonna head back to my bunk house. Big day tomorrow, they should be starting on the contest stuff."

"I'm going to nap." Maki said, "Hey, guys, that's my bed." She added as she entered our temporary dorm.

"Stupid dog still drooled on him." Shinkage said, "Fur and dragons don't mix."

"Suppose that leaves us?" I looked to Haruihme, "Let's go visit them?"

Sir Skitters took up his usual spot on my shoulder, mostly hidden save for his eyes peeking over it, while Haruhime the children and I walked over to the enclosure. "Having fun?" I asked quietly as their conversation seemed to pause.

Weine was first to reply, coming over to us, getting a hug from Haruhime, then myself, then wrapping herself up in my tails for exactly one second, before returning to Chani's side. Like a very adorable whirlwind. "It feels so good to see one of my family up here in the sunlight!" She squee'd, then quickly covered her mouth, "Oh sorry, sleeping foxes."

Exhausted by the long day, I don't think there was a single ear twitch at the noise, but it was nice she was being thoughtful. "I was grateful for the enclosed stall, but for small moments I did enjoy the sunlight. I see the appeal, at least." She gave Weine's shoulder a pat, then tilted her head at me, "Is that..."

"Ah yes, the -other- spider." Gros said, "He's a little like us, but not quite."

"This is Sir Skitters." I introduced my favourite spider, holding my arm out so he could stand on it and my shoulder, "He's native to my home, kinda, and got a little too curious about magic stones. His magical nature, and probably a bit of luck, changed him into something close to a Xenos in nature."

While I explained, Sir Skitters was doing a celebratory crab dance, and at the end, he stopped and did his best approximation of a bow.

"Your home has Xenos as well?" She asked, leaning a little closer, then straightening up and bowing as well.

"Not exactly. The monsters went into hiding, and over time got smarter on their own. Delly helped as well, but only a little. He's just as good at chess as Lord Ouranos, unless he's exaggerating a little?"

Sir Skitters looked offended, then turned away from me and huffed dramatically.

"Well, pleased to meet you, Sir Skitters." Chani said, "My name is Arachani, though my friends call me Chani." Something occured to her then, "Are you royalty? I thought only royalty were called 'Sir' before their names."

"Well, he used to be..." I paused as Sir Skitters gathered up a bunch of his webbing and made a VERY complex 'cat's cradle' of his original size and shape between his front four legs, "Yeah, about that big. Once he ate the magic stone, well... He was still the best little spider I had on staff, just bigger."

"I think he's fun to have around." Weine said, giving Sir Skitter's rear a light pet, "Even if he cheats at playing tag. Hanging from the ceiling isn't fair." She pouted, getting a 'there there' tap on the head from Sir Skitters.

"Have you thought about lodgings for the night?" Gros asked, "I doubt it would be wise for you to wander the streets."

"I'd considered returning, but I think I would like to see this 'sunrise' Weine has mentioned." She looked at me, "Do you mind if I stay here?"

Haruhime and I looked at each other, then shook our heads, "Feel free. Though, our dorm is a little small for you, I think." I said.

"She can stay in my shed." Gros offered, "It isn't much, but I hardly need to worry about catching a cold. You'll just have to share it with... them."

"woo?"

After settling matters at the construction site, we returned to the Madam's place. After a very brief (far far too brief sadly) cuddle with my wife, we had a nap while we could. As predicted, the children started fussing far too early...

End result? Well, we were both pretty tired when it was time to make ready for the day. But, mothers and adventurers were both resilient sorts, and we managed to get ready all the same.

"So you'll be keeping Lady Hestia company today?" I asked as we headed out of the district, "Thank you by the way, for yesterday."

"We know better." She smiled, "Our little ones loved Chime's mother visiting."

I was glad she allowed it when I mentioned it. But also that she wasn't mad I once again used our children for 'politics'. They really did love the big poofy needle rabbit though. Spot too, though he couldn't resist trying to clean their faces and ears. Good intentions, bad doggy breath.

"But yes, I'll be keeping her company today. I hope she doesn't mind..."

"That you will inevitably take advantage of our Goddess's wonderful nature and have a nap later while she deals with the children?" I guessed.

"yes."

I put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her just a little closer for a moment, "She really is the best Goddess."

She smiled, "We are also going to make sure our book collecting efforts don't overlap."

"I can't wait until we can do story time together." I nodded, "Ah, Aisha, good morning."

She got in our way, gave us both a hug, then started walking on the other side of Haruhime, "Ready for the day? I hear the Xenos stall was quite popular."

"They're practically scrambling to find more stuff to sell. If they can't Chime's mom is going to be the only one there making money." I laughed.

The contest was actually 'televised'. I had no idea if it 'cost' Ouranos anything to do that magic screen thing, but once again, sometime just before lunch (just as I opened my mouth to start calling people over to watch my demonstration), I felt that same ripple of power brush over my senses. A moment later, Ouranos image appeared around the tower, followed by Loki, Hephaestus and Astraea on another screen just below His.

"People of Orario! It is my hope that you are enjoying the festivities." Like any experienced ruler, he paused just in time for the city to cheer, "After a small amount of deliberation, we have decided how to proceed with the contest."

"HEY!" Loki's face got really close to the camera, "So! We thought long and hard on how to make this work, while giving the Guild as little work as possible. Well, sadly, they're still going to have work to do. But!"

Hephaestus was there, one hand on the 'camera' before Loki could throw it at her, "Ahem. There are a LOT of entries to go over, and we, the three judges, will present them, but hold off on announcing who's entries win until the end."

The screen went to Astraea, "All the pieces will be put up for silent auction. And as we speak, guild employees are waiting in stalls at almost every corner of the market district. If you see an entry you like, simply approach the stall, name the entry, name your offer, name and Familia, and wait until tomorrow."

Loki took control again, "And! No matter who wins, no matter if you win your auction, everyone who made something for the contest will have their name and Familia available, so you can still try and commission work from them if you want!"

Loki stepped out of frame and Hephaestus finished with, "We already know the most popular category will be weapons and armour, so we'll put those in the middle, just so everyone else gets a chance for fame."

"So let's start with the Alchemy category."

I had seriously underestimated just how many people in the city made stuff. Maybe it was the remnants of my old life, but when ever I played an MMO, I seemed to be the only one who really took crafting seriously in any guild I joined. But there were a LOT of things on display.

The alchemy division was a bit of a surprise, with all kinds of weird and interesting things on display. Various dyes (that I had no hand in), paints, cleaners (with a small demonstration of how well they worked). But also things like 'a strangely effective batch of potions' or a batch of not-apple brandy that someone had made.

I was sure Stonebelter had put something in for the 'sculpture' category, in the form of a bird, about the size of a pigeon, with its wings spread and its breast covered in little crystals that were still buried in the stone the bird was made of. There were all kinds of ornaments, big and small, of all kinds of subjects. There was even one of Gros! (though smaller and less grumpy looking).

Jewellery was a popular one, with all kinds of gold and silver stuff. But also polished iron and the like, since gold and silver were far too soft to be useful in the dungeon, and would just get caught on stuff or damaged. I saw Maki's entry here, a mimic of Rias's wedding ring, with a dragon claw holding a gemstone (one of the little ones I'd grown, a bright green emerald). She'd done a good job on it too.

Weapons had to be split into 'one handed' 'two handed' and 'other'. Welf's entry was in the one handed category, a katana made with the 'hot dog in a bun' style. As weapons looked, it was fairly plain, but the edge was sharp enough that they had to put it on the table, because it had cut through the little display stand when Hephaestus rested its weight on it. If it wasn't for my curse, I'd have loved to gotten a pair of bladed tonfa that went into the 'two hand' category... But alas.

Armour was a bit of an odd one. With the limited time to make something, a full suit wouldn't have been possible. So it was really just a 'significant piece' of armour, with the promise to make the rest if it was bought at the auction. In a way, this was exactly how I'd started my own adventure with Welf. Bell had bought everything but the gauntlets, and I'd bought the gauntlets, from the exact same set Welf had made and put into the 'give away' store in the tower. As well, since most armour needed to be fitted to the owner, it was kind of silly to make an entire suit when you might have to risk breaking it by hammering it to fit the new owner.

Shields got their own set as well, from bladed bucklers to tower shields, there was some really good work on display.

Clothing was another one, with all kinds of fashionable stuff. I did have to wonder how the heck another universe managed to 'come up with' the perfect suit and tie, as well as 'the French Maid' uniform. But that part of my mind had hid itself in a box ages ago. There were also some really cute things, and to add to the 'odd' list, magical girl outfits. There was at least one or two 'wands' that would have gone with them as well from the 'one handed' weapon category too.

Lastly however...

(Citywide View)

Loki appeared, now wearing one of the magical girl outfits (and sadly not filling it out nearly as well as it should have been) and holding one of the wands with a little star ornament on the end. "Well folks, there's just ONE more set of things to display. And lemme tell you, if my children didn't forbid me from buying more than three things, I'd be scooping this stuff up like crazy!"

Hephaestus nabbed the 'camera' away, mostly to stop Loki from accidentally exposing herself with how loose the dress was on her, "As the adventurers grow, and their abilities increase, well, they outgrow their old equipment. So, this next part is dedicated to the younger adventurers. The veterans of the dungeon are passing on some of their old, battle tested and cleaned up equipment. Just to be sure, my Familia and I have gone over everything you're about to see, just to make sure it won't fail in combat." She turned to Astraea.

"Some of the equipment here, is also reclaimed from the dungeon." She said softly, "It is sad, but true, that not everyone returns from the dungeon. And even if you do, it might be with less than what you started with. Those pieces will be the last ones displayed, and will not be sold, but reclaimed, by the owners, or their survivors. And it was made possible by our new allies in the dungeon. Simply show proof that it was yours, or that of the fallen, and it will be given over."

(Kodori)

I was... really surprised. Not at the 'spring cleaning' part obviously. But the 'memorial service'. Orario didn't really have much in the way of a graveyard. I mean, yes, we had one, but actual burial wasn't much of a thing. Most of the time, death in the dungeon was... it. The dungeon, or the monsters, would dispose of your remains, and only your memory would remain. Survivors were usually too busy running the hell away. Cremation accounted for about ninety nine percent of the dead in Orario, while the remaining were buried on 'personal plots' on property. Some Gods had collections (hopefully small ones) of bits of their fallen Familia. I'd caught Ganesha looking over a shelf in his office once, filled with small metal vials, each with a name etched into the side.

This kind of 'service' the Xenos were providing though... Well, hopefully no one misunderstood the intention.

The day's activities came to a close, and we were once again making ready to return to where ever it was we were staying. Thanks to a very hasty delivery, Chani had at least some things to sell, though it was mostly cloud fruit, and people (lots more people today) 'daring' to pet the bunny (for 10 valis) or petting Spot (for free, plus or minus a friendly slurp in thanks for the ear scroofles).

"We were woefully unprepared for how popular our shop would be." Chani commented, stacking baskets and the like, "But thankfully, my job is done for now."

I made sure to put my own 10 valis in the little pouch for Spot to take home with him, but was making the most of it by holding Chime's mom in my arms and brushing her fur with my own brush. "Oh? Not coming back? You're quite popular too, though no one will admit it openly."

She put her helmet back on, though not before I caught the start of a blush, "W-well, I was only here to sell things!" She said just a little too loudly, "Fear and Ray will be up here tomorrow, and they'll be bringing the small ones with them." She reached out for the bunny in my arms, and she hopped over to her on her own, "I'd never subject myself to such casual contact, but it is getting people to warm up to us a little." She gave the rabbit some attention, then set her down on the counter and put her own coin into Spot's donation pouch, "The rules apply to everyone, right?" She smiled.

"That's right."

"Kodori." The two Oni spoke, the shelves of the stall clean, all the merchandise packed away and secured.

"Don't forget your weapons and equipment." I said, "Are you sure you don't want to stay up here another day or two?"

"Lido has invited us to hunt with him." Okakai said.

"And we have been up here too long." Fukawa added.

"Well... Check in every so often. Just remember, Freya Familia has sent a few teams into the dungeon, so avoid them if you can." I cautioned, "Aisha will tell your admirers you're on vacation."

They both laughed, a deep rumbling chuckle, "Very well." They said together.

"Seems I won't be alone on my way home." Chani said, "Be well, Kodori."

"You too. Stay safe. And don't be a stranger. Sir Skitters will miss you." I couldn't help but tease the poor girl. It was even more satisfying than teasing Bell.

The next morning, after getting ourselves sorted for the day and getting out of the district, I gave Haruhime and Aisha a hug, kiss and a pat on the rear, before returning to the construction site. I had one more thing to show off for 'Kodori's machine show', and it would be done today.

Shinkage planned to move about the market, just because she could and had some spending money, so it was just me, my big wooden crate, and Chime's mom who went to my 'Science booth'. Hagane and Gros would have to do for guarding the place, and while I didn't expect trouble... I'd have to do something nice for the metal cat.

When I got to the stall, I found Fear and Ray already there, dressed in nice and clean 'Amazon' styled clothing. With them, were some of Ganesha Familia, and they were rearranging the stall to make it more open. No sooner had I set down my crate, the two Avian Xenos came over to me, with a small collection of what could only be described as 'baby' monsters waddling around near their feet.

"Hey!" Fear, despite her name, was usually the more cheerful of the two, "How are you doing? Oh I missed you too!" This was said to Chime's mom as she did a slow hop across the counter top towards them, then exchanged a friendly facerub with one another.

"Doing well." I smiled, "No trouble getting here?"

"Our escort had no trouble with the usual problems our presence causes in the dungeon." Ray said, looking back over her shoulder, "Though..." She yawned, "We did wake up far too early."

"And how about you guys?" I knelt down, applying headpats and the like to the small Xenos. I knew they weren't 'young', but actually 'runts', much like Chime. The hard armoured for example, was maybe ten percent bigger than when I'd first saw him... over two years ago? Where does the time go...

I got various grunts and squeaks in return, none of them negative sounding, so I stood back up, "Pardon me!" One of the guards called over, "Is this acceptable?"

Fear and Ray looked over, and the half dozen critters waddled and hopped back that way, "Yeah. Looks good."

To make it clear these were not 'animals' there were no cages here. Instead it was almost like a collection of reading booths, open, but enclosed enough to keep them all separate. One thing I did notice however, was each stall had a bunch of wooden blocks. Almost exactly the kind you'd give a child when you were teaching them how to spell.

"Oh? Planning a little question and answer event?" I asked.

"Well, mostly? We couldn't think of many ways to keep this from being just a... 'pet the strange animal' show." Fear explained, "But, we've all learned how to read, more or less, and its easier and less wasteful than trying to write. I mean..." She held up a wing/arm and with only its single 'thumb claw', "Not exactly made for holding things, right?"

"Great idea." I nodded, "I wonder if one of you guys wouldn't mind visiting my children, help them learn their letters too." I smiled, "Well, good luck today. Spot should be here soon, and I've got to set up my last 'big thing'."

The 'big thing'? Well, it was my model train of course. Thanks to my fire resistance, I was able to make some of the really small parts, like the 'rotation to drive' wheels you see on older style trains in today's world. A little tinkering with Odds, and a small 'electric' mathmagic card, and we'd made a small motor as well.

Yes, the worlds first, and hopefully not last, electric model train. Thanks to HIDA and my experiments on making the little turbine that charged her, some refining, an extra pair of small Palum hands, and some spare wood and scrap metal we had around the work site...

"That looks really neat!" Fear commented as I set down the 'Engine' car. However, instead of a wedge shaped 'cow catcher' on the front, it was a tusked elephant mask, the trunk curled up a little to make the 'wedge' while the 'ears' covered part of the 'barrel' shaped Engine. Sadly, I couldn't figure out a way to make a whistle at the scale I was working at, but it was pretty good. (AN: Thomas the GANESHA engine)

"This... well... In about a half hour or so, I'll be showing the people what it is. Stand in if you want." I said, "But I hope this idea picks up a bit more interest. It's not going to be a small project, and we'll need lots of people to make it work.

Again, around lunch time, that same ripple of power radiated from the tower. I was starting to wonder about it. Was it something I was more sensitive to, since no one else seemed to notice it? Was the tower part of a 'bigger thing' that helped the Gods use their power?

I was having far too much fun running train demonstrations to really puzzle over it right now, but if it was happening again, that meant it was time to announce the winners...

(Citywide View)

Again, the double monitors sprang into existence around the tower. This time however, Ouranos wasn't in the picture. No, instead, the top monitor contained Loki's silly smiling face, while the bottom monitor held a big empty table.

"HEY ORARIO!" Loki crowed happily. Today, she was wearing her usual 'tom boy' style, probably because someone (Riveria) firmly told her not to wear the merchandise. "Old man Ouranos is busy, so we three are taking over for the moment."

There was a little wobble, then Astraea's face took over the top screen, "Each category will have a top place, a runner up, and an honourable mention. But no matter who wins, all the entrants names and Familia will be listed at the guild stalls around the market. So please, support your favourite creator."

Hephaestus didn't appear on screen, but her hands deposited the first thing on the table, "For our alchemy category, first place, we have this cleaning solution." She put down a clay pot, as well as the 'before and after' samples they had made the day prior. Metal, stone, cloth, this cleaner seemed to do it all. "And lemme tell you, even I want a pot of this stuff."

(Kodori)

"Why the smile?" Ray asked.

"That's a better version of what I made." I said, "Where I'm from, we use a lot of really nasty stuff to accomplish things. So finding a better, safer way to make soap that strong was difficult. Seems someone has already made it."

"Nasty? Like how nasty?" She asked.

"Acids strong enough to burn your skin, or melt your eyes, or kill you if you swallow any. Or if you mix two different cleaners together, you get a gas so toxic your lungs melt." I sighed, "And almost every home has some." Drano for the first one, and bleach with just about anything but water for the second.

"Wow, that is nasty." She agreed.

There were a lot of good items, and each of them well deserving of the top three spots. The Armour division went to someone from Goibniu, but that was hardly surprising. Second and third place however didn't go to either Goibniu or Hephaestus, but instead two of the newer Familia who had come to the city in the past year. I was kind of sad I couldn't actually enter this one, since I was primarily an armoursmith, but oh well. I was certainly going to visit those two smaller Familia though, just to tip my hat at them, and maybe ask how they did that really complicated looking shoulder bit.

After having met him, and seen his talent, it was no surprise that Stonebelter took top spot for the 'ornament' category. Second place however went to someone in the Ribhus trio's Familia, for that multi-faceted pillar idea made from some of the marble from the Manor. Too bad they were already working for me, but they would certainly have work after the Manor was done.

There was a 'games' category that of course was dominated by chess sets. Top prize went to someone in the Enki Familia, using coloured glass and polished obsidian for pieces. I wouldn't want to actually play with a set like that, but it was REALLY pretty to look at.

The clothing category didn't have the magical girl outfit in any of the three places, but that was probably because Loki had already nicked it. I'd find out the next time I visited to give her a backrub I was sure. It did however have something similar to what 'the people' wore normally, just with a different cut here and there. It was no surprise that something 'practical' won top place here, since the 'fancy' stuff usually qualified as armour.

For the footware class? The mystery cobbler that Mia got the uniform boots from took top place. No surprise that who ever it was also didn't leave a name. One day, I would find them...

The one handed weapon top place went to a really gnarly looking dagger. Not quite a short sword, it looked -almost- like a U.S. military 'Rambo' knife with an extra hint of 'dungeon practicality' sprinkled in top. The teeth on the spine of the blade was an actual saw blade, the pommel had a small 'skull crusher' spike, and the last finger length of the blade was double edged and curved just right for skinning and prying out magic stone. Welf took second place to this wonderful looking utility knife, but even as he stood beside me and watched, he was complimenting the winner, and finding minor flaw in his work. To be fair, even I wanted one of those knives, all it lacked was a shovel.

For two handed weapons, it was a Naginata. Oddly enough, it looked -almost- like the one Guan-Yu used, with the blade emerging from a dragon's mouth. That much detail however would get wrecked in the dungeon, so the 'dragon' was much smaller, making it more a 'blast of flame' and not a 'tongue'. Still, sturdy, elegant and very very sharp. Second place however went to a blade much like the one Welf used. Boring in my opinion, but at least it wasn't a 'silly plank of metal' like Durandal...

(Kuoh)

"At-choo!" Xenovia sneezed suddenly.

"B... oh, right." Issei said, handing her a tissue.

(Kodori)

Maki stood beside me, holding one of my tails, as they started the 'jewellery' announcement. First place went to a really nice looking tiara. The centre piece was actually one of the gems I'd grown. Well, maybe not me, but only Nazza and Hephaestus had a way to do it. But it was a nice piece made of twisted iron and polished to an almost mirror shine. Second place went to a wide bracelet made of gold silver and maybe copper. What made it unique however was the three metals looked to have been melted together but not made into an alloy, making each metal stand out after being polished, kind of like mixed paint more than metal. They had similar melting points, but it was still tricky work. But last, they placed Maki's ring down, the 'dragon's wedding band'.

She then gave me a huge hug, did a little dance, and went back to watching the screen with the rest of us.

After the show, they reminded everyone where you could get the information needed to contact the creators of various items, and then vanished with a pleased sounding, "Well done, people of Orario! Please enjoy the festivities. Tomorrow will be dedicated to cleaning up, and visiting all those stalls you haven't yet!"

It had only taken a couple of hours to go through it all, and that left lots of time for me to continue with my little science fair. Oddly enough, I got more attention from the children who stopped to look at the shiny 'new thing' but that might have been because I was also using the smaller Xenos as models for how well it could carry around cargo in the other cars. Yes, it was adorable, but I still put in ten valis every time I gave one of the Xenos a ride on the train.

That wasn't to say I didn't gather some interest in the train itself! Oh no, that part was also a smashing success. Merchants, miners, adventurers, they all asked questions on just how well it could do what I claimed it could do (with or without the small Xenos riding it). Obviously, the reason was money. Faster movement of goods meant faster earnings of profit. And while I was motivated by 'faster goods' I already knew 'faster profits' would be the focus for most people.

The Xenos were really gathering a crowd too. Now, being what amounted to a 'half monster', I could understand that it -might- have been because Fear and Ray were really cute. They were far more outgoing than Chani, and seemed to have a bit of a knack for putting on a show. The mini-Xenos, and even Spot were 'talking' to people too, slowly, since they had to move around the little wooden blocks to reply, but it was giving 'the people' a real idea on just how smart they were. That while they looked like monsters, they weren't. I'd even overheard one person clue in and say, "Oh, you're like my mute cousin. Weird looking and quiet."

"I AM GANESHA!"

"Ahhhh!"

"Must you? That's like... the tenth time already."

I perked up as I heard Ganesha, my children, and Hestia.

"But Little Hestia! Ganesha," 'Ahhhh!' "loves All people! Even the little ones!"

I made sure to give the little Hard Armoured a pat on the head and another ten Valis before taking him off the train and putting him back in his booth, before walking over to the three of them as they came to a halt in front of the two stands. "Lord Ganesha, Lady Hestia." I looked into the rolling crib, leaning way down so I could gather up some drool covered handprints on my face, "My dearest little ones."

"o-ma!"

I ignored the people around me for a moment so I could reach in with my hands and give all of my children a little attention, some kisses, and maybe a little 'monster noms the ears' to find a giggle or two.

I stood straight again, wiping my face with the back of my hand, "Enjoying the event?"

"Of course! So many bright colours and people!"

"It's a little loud." Hestia said with an eye roll at Ganesha, "But we've made a lot of progress on replacing all our books." She smiled, "Is this your 'train' thing you were talking about?"

"It is." I nodded, "And if the two of you would step over here, I'll show you."

Fear came over as well, holding Chime's mom, "Hey Mr. Ganesha! Oh, you're going to turn it on again? This thing is really neat! With all the spinning bits and stuff!"

Another demonstration later, made a little longer because I couldn't help but pick up my children to show them as well, and I could tell that Ganesha wanted, very badly, to be able to stop his showboating so he could really comment on it. Sadly, though still amusingly, he went through all the usual loud poses, flexes, and happy 'GANESHA'S!' as the train went around on its track, carrying various loads while demonstrating the upgraded application of a 'wheel and axle' and 'pivot'.

When it was over (and yet another ten valis coin was given to Spot for using Chime's mom as a 'volunteer' for the train), he put a hand on my shoulder. He still went through all the silly gestures as he declared what an 'amazing cool thing this was with all the spinning wheels and stuff,' but I could tell I had his support for when this project was ready to start.

Afterwards, he made sure to give all the little Xenos a bit of attention, was reminded to, and did, donate a bunch of ten valis coins for doing so, and went back to his tour of the markets like the small walking party that he was.

"Finally..." Hestia sighed, "He's gone. Well... at least he helped tire them out."

Yes, all that exuberance had exhausted the children, and they were napping in the usual communal bundle of ears and tails.

"They're so... tiny." Ray said quietly, peering in with me.

"I kinda wish I could hold one." Fear said, "But well..." Again, she wiggled a wing and its single thumb.

"Well, here. Hold still." I said, picking up the top most child (Tatsuo) so I wouldn't chance toppling the little pile of bodies. "Just give him a little hug." I added, supporting his rear back and neck with my hands, and leaning him against Fear's chest and shoulder, "Yeah, just like that."

"Heehee... smells almost the same as one of our little ones... well, after we clean them up a little." Fear said.

Again, I was showing 'the people' that I was willing to trust the Xenos, but not just that, trusting a 'full grown' Xenos with something as delicate as my own child. I could tell people around me were half expecting a sudden bloody show of 'the monsters' acting like 'monsters' again, but of course it didn't happen. I knew better, but now, maybe, so did they.

"Oh... can I too?" Ray asked.

This time it was Hestia who did the surrogate pair of arms, while Ray gave Chie (the next topmost child) a feathery hug, "Hey, you're right... Oh, might need to clean this one up again?"

Someone in the crowd laughed, covering it up quickly, but it was at least a positive reaction to the situation.

So, in my best 'acting' voice I said, "I'll resume the demonstrations... after a little cleaning. Stick around!"

NOTES!

There! One reasonably fast city wide event!

Party on everyone, see you in five days, where we finally get to putting blocks together and making the Manor livable again.

Also, when I do get the manor 'floor plan' done, I'll post it on my Ko-fi. It will be public, so no, you don't have to donate. It's just an easy place to put pictures. For people to see. When I (finally) get an artist to do a couple pictures of Kodori, they'll got up there too. Working on that now, and yes, I know, it's been far too long a wait already. x.x