The three mysterious 'friends' of Talgard were holed up in an unoccupied room somewhere in the Palace with a communications console. They were only identified by color, their names were never revealed to anyone. Red was a tall, older bald God with a red beard and a ruddy complexion, Green was a slightly shorter God with blonde shoulder length hair, green eyes and dark skin, and Yellow was a squat, slightly plump Goddess with raven hair, and an eyepatch over her left eye. Nobody bothered to ask her why she wore the patch, and she wasn't in the mood to explain.

They were all staring at a video screen. The console was hacked to tune into an unauthorized frequency belonging to Niflheim, and the faces on that screen were none other than Hild, the Daimaikaicho and her chief demonic assistant, Marller.

The two demons were in an anteroom just off Hild's throne room. Using a console similar to the ones the three deities employed.

Yellow said with confidence. "Lady Hild, the mission is complete. Kami-sama's assistant, Talgard has received the summons we forged with Kami-sama God symbol and has sent it off to be executed. The Norns should be reporting to Heaven soon."

Hild responded with a dryness in her voice. "Very well, my friends. I must compliment you on how well you have groomed Talgard for this mission. I presume that she does not know anything about you or whom you work for?"

Green said. "No, my Lady. She has no idea that we work for you and that we were the ones who created the false summons. Nor does she know how we forged Kami-sama's God symbol and Magenta security clearance. All she knows is that she has us to thank for getting her the job in Kami-sama's office."

Hild said. "And it's best that we keep it that way. We want to keep her as clueless as possible."

Yellow said. "Hild, May we know why it was that you asked us to forge this summons? It took quite a bit of subterfuge to pull this fakery off. It was all we could do to get Kami-sama's symbol, much less get the authorization for the security clearance. If we were to get caught, we'd be facing time in the dimension of Outer Darkness for sure, and with the maximum time of sentencing being raised to eternity recently, it could go very badly for us.

Hild grimaced a bit at the exclusion of the title of 'Lady.' But she kept her cool.
"Yellow, it is not your place to know why I have asked you to perform this act. All you need to know is that it was required of you to perform it and that you did. The rest is none of your concern."

Suitably chastened, Yellow closed his mouth and said no more.

Green boldly asked. "Lady Hild. Now that we have performed what you have asked of us to your satisfaction, There is the small matter of our compensation. I'm just confirming that you will give us what we agreed upon?"

Hild let her annoyance at Green's question of compensation flare across her face for a second. What was it with these three? Did they not trust her? Did they think that she would deceive them or not come through with her end of the deal? Hild was many things, may of them evil, but she also prided herself as being a ruler with some sense of honor. Of course, she was going to take care of her minions. Now, how she was going to do so, was strictly up to her.

She said with a touch of sweetness. "Of course, Green. You will get everything that you deserve in full. I do not expect for you to help me without me giving something to you in return. I'm a demon. I do not grant contracts without asking for something in return. I also see things the other way round. You provided for me a service, I will compensate you in kind. You have nothing to worry about. I always settle my debts. Would I lie to you?" Hild was glad that the three moles didn't see her crossed fingers she hid behind her back. "Yes. You will get everything you deserve. Now run along and wait for me to call you again for your next assignment." Hild logged off from her console and looked at Marller. Her assistant could see that Hild was clearly up to something devilish and for once, was glad that she was not the target for Hild's machinations.

"Of course, I'll give them all they deserve for helping me. My word is my bond."

She thrust two fingers into the air and said. "Demon's Honor." as she suddenly cackled loudly.

She turned backed to the console, logged back on, and started typing a message.

Marller asked timidly. "What are you doing, Lady Hild?"

Hild said. "I'm keeping my word. I'm giving my moles exactly what they deserve."

Marller glanced at the message, shocked. "But you're typing an anonymous message to the Valkyries in Heaven's Main Control alerting them to investigate those three and requesting they be brought up on charges of possible treason. They'll get the Void for sure if they are arrested and Kami-sama lays into them! I thought you said you were giving them what they deserve!"

As Hild pushed the button to send the message on its way, she said with a wry and chilling smile. "I am."

Chapter 45

Tarikihongan Temple

Three days after Kami-sama's departure, Keiichi went out to wash his motorcycle only to see a very large box sitting in the courtyard. It was covered in letters of Heaven-speak addressed to him and Belldandy. Quickly, he called his wife and with some effort, they moved the box into the temple. Opening the box, they discovered a complete communications array that plugged into the temple's spare telephone jack.

Apparently this was the device the Goddesses would use to remotely check into Yggdrasil as a part of the outpost. It took a few minutes to get the whole thing set up, despite Skuld's constant comments and criticisms about the system and how much better it would have been had she designed it. It took up almost a whole spare room in the temple. The very same room that Kei and Bell held their reception after the wedding. They fired up the array. It made a lot of strange noises, caused a bunch of odd phone calls to the temple at random times of the day and night for the next three days, and dimmed the lights by at least half. But eventually settled down to a subtle hum. Kei and Bell, despite Skuld's protests, read the included manual, and eventually figured out the odd device. It seemed a bit complicated, and not very intuitive, but after noodling around with the controls and settings, they got the hang of it.

It was two days later when the first Goddesses started to arrive. While Kami-sama said that he wanted to start with twenty Goddesses, forty showed up. Like all the other Goddesses that arrived at the temple over the years, they were all inhumanly beautiful, dressed impeccably in various outfits which ranged from conservative and frumpy to almost naked, and for some reason, they all grew quite attracted to Keiichi.

They all crowded around the beleaguered God and had no problem with invading his personal space on multiple levels. More than a few brazenly flirted with Keiichi in front of Belldandy, who, while she maintained a pleasant air of detached calm, clearly was not happy about sharing her man's affections with a bunch of flighty and comely field Goddesses. She had to tell them more than once that Keiichi was HER man and no touching was allowed. At least half of the Goddesses, like Peorth had when she had first met Keiichi, perceived that he had some kind of ungranted desire and begged him to let them be the one who would grant it, and secretly wished that whatever wish he would tell them was of a sexual nature.

Keiichi, who secretly loved all the attention, also knew firsthand that while Belldandy had largely gotten over her jealousy storms since they were wed, she still had her moments when those storms could violently manifest themselves at any time. Especially if Bell was in the mood for feeling frisky. Those Goddesses who respectfully refrained from getting too close to Keiichi, at least when Bell was around, were content to follow him around like a lost puppy.

The crowd of Goddesses occupying the temple caused such a concern among the neighbors, that they discreetly inquired whether Keiichi were opening a brothel and having orgies, and a few of the male neighbors asked if they could join in. Desperately, Keiichi realized that he needed to find some place for all these Goddesses to stay so that the neighbors could stop bothering him, as well as no longer inviting random visits by the police.

One of the papers that came with the communication equipment also included the account number of a local bank. Keiichi went to the bank office, inquired about the account balance and was floored by what he'd seen. It was more money than he had ever seen in his entire life.

As a struggling college student, he had always been broke to one degree or another and being the constant victim of Tamiya and Ootaki's insane money grubbing schemes, Kei's wallet had been drained many times, never to be repaid. But he and Belldandy had always been able to make ends meet. But staring at the balance in this account made him realize that this was Sayoko Mishima and Toshiyuki Aoshima level money he was gazing at. There were plenty of zeros and commas in that number and Keiichi dreamed about what kind of luxuries he could bestow on his beloved Belldandy. His reverie was broken when the bank manager discreetly handed him a note that accompanied the bank statement. It read:

Keiichi,

These funds are to be used to pay for the various expenses that will arise

due to maintaining the outpost. There should be adequate funding to take

care of any situations you may encounter. You may use up to twenty-five

percent of this money for your personal needs. The rest must be spent on

maintaining the outpost. I will be monitoring this account at all times and

may replenish it as needed. But do not be frivolous in the use of this money. Keep your receipts!

Kami-sama

The note caused Keiichi to grimace inside, but after doing the calculations, he discovered that even twenty-five percent was more than enough to keep him and the Norns living comfortably for a long time. But while he trusted Belldandy to be discreet in terms of their sudden windfall, he decided not to tell Urd and Skuld, because if they found out, they would be constantly be haranguing Keiichi to throw away money on whatever crazy ideas would fill their greedy little minds. And while there was a large amount of cash available, it still wasn't infinite. He would just tell those two that he got a nice raise from Chihiro and left it at that.

The first thing Keiichi needed to do was to find a place to house forty Goddesses. Having them sleep at the temple was not an option and a number of Goddesses were still attracted to him enough to try and take over his bed, either not knowing or caring that a Goddess was already occupying it. One terse word from Belldandy stopped that.

Kei went to the nearest real estate office and inquired whether there were any apartment complexes in Nekomi that were suitable for rent.

"Are you looking for an apartment for yourself?" The eager salesperson asked.

"I'm not looking for a single apartment. I'm looking to rent a whole building."

"A whole building?!"

"Yes, I have a bunch of friends that need a place to stay."

"How many, ahem...friends are we talking about?"

"How about forty?"

After the real estate agent picked himself off the floor, visions of a hefty commission filling his mind, he said. "I-I'm not sure that we have a vacant building that large that we could rent to you."

Belldandy, who happened to be accompanying Keiichi at the time, quietly said. "Sir, If you look through your listings just one more time, I think you might just find a place that meets our needs." She then turned on the puppy dog eyes. "Please, for me?"

Flustered, the agent went thru his listings one more time. "Well, look at that! I've been in the real estate business for over thirty years and I know Nekomi City like the back of my hand. But I just found a building big enough for forty residents. And the rent is quite reasonable."

Keiichi paid for a year's worth of rent, writing a check that barely made a dent in the amount of money Kami-sama set aside. The building was a five story complex with eight units on each floor, each unit just right for a single person to live in. The building was a ten minute walk from the temple and was perfect for the Goddesses.

The Goddesses however, were used to living in the wide open perfection of Heaven and complained somewhat about being stuck in a crowded building on a planet where they had spent only a limited time working. Most of these Goddesses only stayed on Earth just long enough to grant whatever wishes they were contracted to, and most of them could be granted in a day, or at the least, a few days. So, many of them had little experience living in an apartment or a house. After they were done with granting wishes, they went back to Heaven, checked into the GAA and waited for their next assignment.

Keiichi and Belldandy had some difficulty explaining to them that now they were permanently attached to Earth, this was how they were expected to live. The Goddesses grumbled loud and long about this indignity, but eventually after living in the new apartment building for a few days, and realizing how close they were to the temple and Keiichi, they found that the lodgings were not bad and the complaints eventually died down.

The next issue for Keiichi and Belldandy was feeding the Goddesses. Like Belldandy and her sisters, they did not need to eat Earth food to survive. They got their energy from their surroundings after it was processed through Yggdrasil. But they could eat for pleasure, and many of them did after tasting Earth food for the first time.

At first, Belldandy generously suggested that they could eat at the temple, and that she was more than willing and able to feed forty Goddesses three meals a day. But Keiichi, Urd, and Skuld quickly put the kibosh on that idea. The temple was crowded enough for three Goddesses and Keiichi, but to add another forty bodies to the place would have them crawling all over each other and that would just not do. All Kei wanted the women to do at the temple was to arrive, check in to Yggdrasil, pick up any new assignments, and be on their way. The less that he had these Goddesses underfoot, the better he'd feel.

Keiichi insisted that the Goddesses had to learn how to fend for themselves in regards to food and necessities. He took the women on a tour of the Nekomi business district and the shopping streets with an emphasis on the various markets and 100 yen shops where they could buy food and basic necessities like plates, bowls, cups, silverware, and so on.

He was also able to set up a schedule to pay each Goddess a nominal amount per week so they could buy their own supplies, and Belldandy was able to teach them how to cook. Being Goddess First Classes with the same license and abilities of Bell, they took to cooking fairly easily, and before long, were quite self-sufficient. A few of the more ambitious Goddesses even figured out how to get part-time jobs so they could earn their own money.

The next challenge for the Goddesses was learning how to handle life on Earth and in Nekomi City. One of the problems the girls had was that because they were not familiar with Earth life beyond a very basic level, they were very naive, and prone to fall for any scams that those who were bent on taking advantage of them were ready to pull.

Those Goddesses whose choice of clothing tended towards the more provocative had to learn how to find clothes that would not cause them unwanted attention from the male population of Nekomi City. Also, being more beautiful than most of the Earth women, the Goddesses had to endure catcalls and constant flirting from horny males.

More than one Goddess was surrounded by throngs of men harassing and aggressively pursuing them for a phone number, or a name, or anyway they could set up a date, or worse.

A few Goddesses found out the hard way about how women on the trains could get groped by perverts taking advantage of a crowded train at rush hour.

Keiichi and Belldandy held informal classes to instruct their charges about how to function as a Japanese woman in Nekomi. One thing that Kei and Bell realized while educating the Goddesses, was that as cutthroat and brutal the selection process for field Goddess training was for admitting the girls, once they started the training, the curriculum only served to insure that the Goddesses weren't completely useless when they finally got into the field and started taking live contracts.

The course taught them how to interact with humans on a basic level, get them to confess their desires and wishes and how to transfer those wishes to Yggdrasil. They certainly were not equipped to handle life in whatever country their assignment took them.

Even Belldandy, the Goddess with the highest ranking in field Goddess training had to learn how to function on Earth, once she got involved with Keiichi. And so she was more than willing to share her hard-earned knowledge with her sister field Goddesses.

After a couple weeks of classes, field trips, and other training, the Goddesses were ready to go out into the world and chase down wishes. Almost immediately, their efforts began to bear fruit. Partially due to the Belldandy Effect, the Goddesses were finding that wishes were coming fast and furious. All forty Goddesses on Earth were contracting with multiple parties on all kinds of wishes, from one day routine requests to wishes that took days and weeks. After a week, Kami-sama reported that wishes in Japan were up significantly. Double digit percentages in growth were reported in all 47 prefectures of Japan. Customer satisfaction ratings were skyrocketing. So far the permanent outpost experiment was shaping up to be an early success.