The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　The Holy Sword can be forged, but whether it can actually be forged successfully is not something the forger can control.

　Past researchers generally believed that the "holy sword" forged by someone was actually just a product of the forger's hands.

　Even so, blacksmiths who can forge "holy swords" are still considered to have special abilities and are given the title of "holy sword blacksmith".

　However, forging a holy sword is no easy task, and it is certainly impossible to succeed in just one or two days.

　This achievement must be attributed to the influence of Hephaestus's authority, which greatly accelerated the forging speed.

　"Holy Sword"

　Inside the ancient arena, Vittor God was preparing for battle when he couldn't help but turn his head to look.

　But he quickly shook his head, muttering to himself, "What use is the [Holy Sword] now that the 'Demon King' is gone?"

　Becoming a "Hero," collecting "Holy Swords," and defeating the "Demon King"—this was his lifelong goal for a long time.

　But times have changed. The "Demon King" is dead and there is no sign of his resurrection. In addition, the Age of Gods has arrived, so even if he were to be resurrected, it would no longer be the key.

　Although there have been many legends of heroes slaying evil gods in the past, those tales are too fantastical to be considered as real goals anymore.

　Moreover, after experiencing many events, especially after becoming a "hero" out of nowhere, he suddenly became much less concerned about so-called fate.

　Of course, it could also be the "self-awareness" unique to this age that makes him feel that he is already awake.

　In short, his desire for the "Holy Sword" is no longer as great as it used to be.

　But a "hero" is still a "hero".

　Vitgot still sensed something from the "Holy Sword"—a call that seemed to come to him with the slightest gesture. However, this raises another issue: the "Holy Sword" did not belong to him.

　But isn't that how it's always said in legends and stories?

　The blacksmith was able to forge the "Holy Sword" because the "Hero" needed it, not because the blacksmith was capable of forging it.

　Therefore, the "Holy Sword" belonged to the "Hero" from its very inception; what does it have to do with the blacksmith?

　That is of course wrong.

　The "holy sword" forged by the blacksmith naturally belongs to the blacksmith. Besides, he no longer has any reason to "beckon".

　So Witt didn't wave.

　The glory of the "Holy Sword" at its birth remained in people's hearts, fleeting and without causing much of a sensation.

　However, the "Holy Sword Blacksmith" who forged the "Holy Sword" finally caught Hephaestus's attention and was selected by him as one of the first "Chosen Ones".

　He was a dwarf blacksmith.

　Shortly thereafter, Hephaestus's "Forging Competition" came to an end.

　Ultimately, the dwarven "Holy Sword Forger" emerged victorious. However, after Hephaestus chose him as the "Chosen One," he did not select a second "Chosen One," presumably waiting until after the tea party to find an opportunity to choose again.

　Hephaestus's faith radiates primarily among dwarves and goblins, which is also the area where the robes can most easily venture.

　However, Pao didn't seem to care much about it. After the "Forging Competition" ended, he sent his own people to the Ancient Arena to watch, while he himself slipped away with Professor Kazel.

　So much so that Emma and Sarah couldn't find Professor Cazell to help them again.

　Around 2:30 p.m., Hestia's tea party also came to a temporary end.

　After that, he spoke with Capel alone for a while and decided to select him as the first type of "Chosen One".

　After a day and a night of deliberation, Capel finally agreed.

　From then on, she became Hestia's "family".

　However, there is actually no conflict between becoming Hestia's "family" and taking care of the Duke's mansion.

　Just as Alvitt said, the Duke's mansion will always be her maternal home. Of course, even Hestia wouldn't actually forbid her "chosen ones" from visiting their "maternal home."

　Ultimately, guarding the temple is not like being imprisoned; the "chosen ones" also need to have their own lives.

　After selecting the first type of "Chosen Ones", Hestia did not select a second type of "Chosen Ones".

　In addition, he has not yet identified any "investment targets".

　In short, after the tea party was suspended, he led his troops to the ancient arena and became one of the spectators.

　As the number of spectators in the ancient arena increased, the atmosphere inside became increasingly heated.

　The "beast tamers" controlled the "beasts" in a fierce battle, and the atmosphere continued to escalate.

　Hermes, acting as the commentator, and Artemis, acting as the host, grew increasingly excited.

　Meanwhile, the "beast tamers" have fewer and fewer "beasts" in this fierce battle, and more than half of the "beast tamers" have been eliminated because they lost their last "beast".

　At this point, only about ten "beast tamers" remained to be eliminated. This meant that after one or two more duels, the remaining "beast tamers" would be able to secure a spot in the top ten.

　There are rewards for making it into the top ten.

　If it's still an item of the "Moon God Stone" level.

　This tea party trip was definitely worthwhile.

　Another half hour passed.

　Around 3 p.m., Apollo's "Art Competition" entered its final stage.

　Although the final result is not yet in, Pao's goal is clear. While Apollo's divine authority is broad, and he is the "god of arts," his primary artistic authority is concentrated in music. Therefore, the second type of "chosen ones" that Chi initially chose were also artistic masters skilled in music. The first among them was the piano master Alicia Silvers. Alicia is a twenty-one-year-old piano prodigy, known as the "piano aristocrat" due to her royal lineage. While she may not rank first among many piano masters, her appearance and temperament are exceptional, and even her voice is remarkably beautiful, making her an excellent candidate to create an "idol."

　The second is opera singer Westerveld, a twenty-three-year-old with superb acting skills. He is also exceptionally proficient in both singing and playing instruments, making him a true all-rounder among artists.

　Of course, most importantly, his appearance and temperament were also superb... In other words, Apollo selected two of the best-looking and most elegant artists from among a group of masters, and they were a man and a woman.

　While selecting these two second-category "chosen ones," he had already devised a plan to bring them into the mainstream.

　—Let them participate in the first-ever long-running TV series that they themselves directed and starred in!

　Thus, through Apollo's behind-the-scenes manipulation, Alicia and West stood out in this "art competition," becoming Apollo's chosen ones with first and second place finishes.

　Other art masters, though they had their reservations, dared not utter a word under the majesty of the gods, and could only swallow their discontent.

　But Apollo's tea party had come to an end, and Robe had perfectly completed all his tasks. Not only had he identified the first and second categories of "Chosen Ones," but he had also found an investment target named Darkdemon.

　After that, Apollo also placed his own troops in the palace, which increased the number of people in the audience.

　Next came Aphrodite's "Costume Design Contest." Only slightly later than Apollo's "Art Contest," Aphrodite's [Costume Design Contest] also came to an end.

　The winner of the "Costume Design Competition" was a former royal design master.

　This former royal design master is not young, over fifty years old, but he has a graceful demeanor and his youthful beauty is still faintly visible in his appearance.

　If Aphrodite so desires, it's only a matter of time before she regains her youth.

　Aphrodite was very pleased with this "chosen one." His age made him mature enough, and he possessed a thorough understanding of modern fashion. Furthermore, he had no children and, although over fifty, remained unmarried.

　This is also an important factor in Aphrodite's selection of the "Chosen Ones".

　In short, Aphrodite also selected her second type of "chosen ones" and identified Pandora as her "investment target".

　Finally, only the selection of the first type of "Chosen Ones" remained. Chi chuckled inwardly and summoned Vigo after the match.

　Having witnessed Vigo and Janice's performance today, he naturally knew what they were up to.

　However, Aphrodite had anticipated this.

　Even his direct rejection of Janice's negotiations yesterday was intentional.

　Because the person Pao truly desired wasn't Janice, but Vigo. "Everything was as expected."

　With that in mind, Aphrodite and Vigo completed their negotiations and Aphrodite agreed to Vigo's "chosen one application".

　From proactively inviting others to now passively accepting them.

　Aphrodite undoubtedly completed the transformation from "demander" to "demanded," and the robe thus gained a more proactive position.

　However, the demands that Pao made of Vigo were quite lenient.

Chapter 1679 Darkdemon and the Mark of Artemis (5k)

　Aphrodite was actually not concerned at all about guarding the temple.

　Otherwise, Xiu wouldn't have only invited Vigo and Jenny, two suitable candidates. Chi only needs a "chosen one" to guard the temple, someone who isn't too weak, that's enough.

　Moreover, he had no interest in spending time cultivating his own "chosen ones".

　She needs someone like Vigo, a "chosen one" who can become powerful on her own as long as she is given resources.

　As for what happens after the magical path is forged... to be honest, she doesn't care at all.

　Once the mission is completed, the "Chosen One" can go wherever they want, and it doesn't matter if the temple's guard position is empty.

　What she needs is her own power, that is, "divine power".

　Even a "god" cannot fight alone forever.

　The organization of the "Twelve Gods of Poropus" exists because of the necessity of "sticking together".

　Because of their different divine duties, the gods actually have a strong sense of mutual restraint.

　Furthermore, the existence of a "limit" for gods means that there is no absolutely invincible god.

　When quality can no longer differentiate between products, it naturally comes down to competing on quantity.

　This "number" does not only refer to the number of the top "gods", but also to the number of "subordinate gods" below the "gods".

　The Twelve Gods of Poropus were essentially a vast organization.

　This is because each "god" has a large number of "subordinate gods" under his command.

　Most of these "subordinate gods" are third-level or second-level gods, but of course there are also first-level gods.

　They may not be particularly loyal to their "god," but they at least have a sense of belonging that has accumulated over countless years.

　A sense of belonging is very important to God, because a sense of belonging can become a habit.

　Long, numbing periods of time can make people forget about "change." When "habit" becomes "natural," it becomes impossible to "change" anymore. This is essentially how the organization of the "Twelve Gods of Poropus" came about.

　It appears loose, but is actually incredibly dense, and has remained intact through many eras.

　Now that the "gods have been revived," the twelve "gods" have only recently awakened and are planning for a full revival.

　Their plans are too grand to spare the energy for other things. But if the plans go smoothly and the divine path is established, they will surely begin to search for their own "gods" after a full resurrection, and resurrect the Chis one by one, then guide them back.

　By then, the so-called "chosen ones" will naturally become insignificant.

　After all, even if the "Chosen Ones" become gods, they start from the lowest level, the third-level gods, which is insignificant compared to their past "subordinate gods".

　Some "gods" enjoy the feeling of cultivating "chosen ones" from scratch, and hope to use this to bring a "live fish" into their "divine kingdom".

　Therefore, we should pay more attention to the "chosen ones." But Aphrodite is clearly not one of them.

　Chi selected the "Chosen Ones" for two reasons: firstly, it was a collective mission, and secondly, it was for a "transition."

　Before Shi fully recovers and rediscovers his "divine" self, find a temporary "steward" to help him transition.

　This was Chi's sole purpose in selecting Vigo.

　Vigo not only possesses the necessary qualities to become a "Chosen One," but she is also a perfect "butler."

　As the saying goes, it's the best of both worlds; there's no better choice than her. Aphrodite is a rather lazy goddess; she has absolutely no interest in or willingness to concern herself with anything outside her area of ​​interest and hobbies, so someone else needs to take care of it for her.

　Therefore, compared to Janice, whose personality was very similar to his, he preferred Vigo.

　In short, Chi had achieved his goal and was very satisfied. Afterwards, he led his own people to the ancient arena and became part of the audience.

　At this point, all twelve gods except for the "Goddess of Wisdom" had gathered in the arena.

　Artemis, the "Goddess of the Hunt" who was presiding over the event, raised her hand and waved it. Suddenly, the entire arena expanded, covering all the tea party venues and surrounding the central stage.

　Artemis casually switched the projection of the dungeon battle aside and then devoted herself entirely to this "beast taming competition".

　Only ten "Beast Tamers" remain in the arena. These ten "Beast Tamers" will engage in their final duel under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

　Artemis appeared very excited under the gaze of so many "gods".

　Hermes, who was providing commentary in mid-air, also noticeably raised his voice. Meanwhile, Diana reappeared in the arena. She was fortunate enough to tame an extremely powerful [beast] in the "Valley of Beasts."

　She didn't know the species of the "beast," but she gave it a very impressive name: "Bear Overlord."

　Relying on the power of "Bear King," she has managed to hold on until now, despite some minor setbacks. However, as the competition has progressed, "Bear King" has become her last remaining "beast."

　She reluctantly stroked "Bear King's" drooping head, and finally sent it onto the field with a determined look.

　She knew very well that this was "Bear King's" final battle.