On the following day, a reception was held at the Pontifical Temple of Aphrodite to celebrate the successful conclusion of the conference. The venue, where Vieille's sense of style was evident from every corner, was overflowing with a healing atmosphere. The participants quickly became acquainted with each other, and discussions were in full bloom.
The dishes served included delicacies from the mountains and the sea, but there were also some common dishes that could be enjoyed by everyone from the royal family to the general public. Thanks to this, a place where one's status was not restricted was created in this venue. At first glance, there was not the slightest hint of conflict, but rather a world of peace.
Nevertheless, there was a person who should be the main character of the party, and people naturally gravitated toward him or her. I noticed that the venue was divided into three groups.
The first group was, needless to say, the group centering on Vieille. Around her, there was a group of people who were ardent believers of the Klimiana cult, and they praised her with every word of praise. In the center of the group, Vieille, with a beaming smile on her face, kept a watchful eye on the audience.
The other group was led by Linos. Here were gathered the forces hostile to the Church of Crimiana. Although they did not say it out loud, they were all eager to receive support from Agartha, the only country that could compete with the Church, which boasts the largest market share in the world.
In this group, which gave off a certain special atmosphere, Considie was standing by Rinos's side, watching the people who came to greet him. Rinos, being Rinos himself, was smiling and friendly while being very careful not to let a single unnecessary word be taken out of context, and the way he behaved was nothing short of magnificent.
Needless to say, this was due to Sidi's advice to Linos in her telegrams, and she judged the people who came to greet her intuitively and kept sending her telegrams to those who were guilty in some way to behave in a thoroughly superficial manner.
As a result, in Linos' group, which was visited by many people, only a few were deemed trustworthy, and Sadie, who kept feeling a great deal of desire and evil thoughts, had a throbbing, stabbing headache.
There was a group with a completely different atmosphere. At the center of this group was May.
Here, a group of rather low-ranking, ordinary researchers gathered and discussed. They asked each other questions and taught each other, creating a friendly atmosphere. The Great High King Reborn was standing next to May, taking notes and nodding his head repeatedly. At first, some people were a little intimidated by the appearance of the Great High King, but his endless intellectual curiosity stimulated them to open their hearts to him.
In the midst of all this, Mei's behavior still caught the attention of the people. Always with a benevolent smile on his face, he listened attentively to what people had to say and gave generously of his knowledge when needed. His attitude of respect for all researchers and his willingness to learn was worthy of the name "Great Sage.
Suddenly, Vieille walked slowly toward Mei. With each step she took, people avoided her. Linos noticed this, but he could not move because of the people around him. He quickly turns his gaze in the wrong direction. There, by the table, holding a plate and tucking into the food served to him, was King Maintia. Roni was standing next to him. Linos looks at them and tells them to protect Mei. Roni senses this and quickly moves toward May. The king of Maintia, on the other hand, smiles at them and looks down again at the food on his plate.
"Meilius-sama!"
Vieille opened her mouth to interrupt Mei's conversation, who was chatting happily. She looked up at Mei and Vieille leaned closer to her as if she were sweet-talking her sister.
"I have some urgent matters to discuss with you about the conference.
"Consultation?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's good. If it will raise the level of knowledge in the world, Ribbon, I will be happy to cooperate with you. What kind of talk is this?
The Great High King Reborn stepped forward to confront Mei and Vieille. Vieille smiled at him and gave him a mischievous smile.
"Thank you, Grand High King. Your words are very reassuring. But this time, I would like to speak with Meirias-sama woman to woman. I am sorry, but please ...... understand."
The king of the great top is stunned. Vieille quickly takes Mei's hand and leads her out of the room. Nike of Sandanzi, who was near Linos, quickly makes her way to them. However, Vieille overhears May and the two disappear into a corner of the room. A few seconds later, Nique goes to the spot, and the two have vanished without a trace.
Llinos deployed the "map" and checked her location while talking to May with telepathy. It seems that they are behind the wall of this hall.
The two of them are behind the wall of this hall.
"I'm sorry to bring you to such a place all of a sudden."
A small room only about the size of six tatami mats. There was a single luxurious couch. May managed to hide her surprise and slowly observed the room, not expecting to find such a hidden room in this building made of piled up stones.
This is my villa.
"Villa ......?"
"Here in the Papal Temple, we are always in the public eye, so it's hard to get a moment's peace of mind. So sometimes I come to this small room to relax and calm down.
Vieille says this and slowly sits down on the couch. He then motioned for Mei to sit down as well. They were close to each other, their knees touching each other or not. ....... In this situation, Vieille gazes into May's eyes.
"I have a favor to ask you, Mr. Meirias.
Yes, what is it?
"Just a moment, please. Would you stay here in Aphrodite?
"What?"
May's eyes widened. Vieille can see that she is confused by the suddenness of the situation.
"As you are aware, the recent eruption of the Lace volcano has brought a large amount of volcanic ash to the surrounding countries, devastating the crops in many of them. This year, there will probably be an unprecedented food shortage. I expect that this situation will continue for several years. For this reason, we are now also developing foods that can grow in lands devastated by volcanic ash, just like in Agartha.
At Vieille's words, Mei nodded slowly with a curious look in her eyes.
What we are developing is a food that can grow in a short time. A seed is planted, germinates in a few days, and bears fruit in a few more days. ....... It may sound like a pipe dream, but we're working hard on it. Of course, we have to make sure that there is no effect on the human body. As a preliminary step, we are developing a flower.
"...... flowers?"
"Yes, it is. It grows and flowers in a short period of time. ....... And a flower that is resistant to environmental and climate changes....... It is just one step away from completion. If this is successful, it will not be difficult to apply the technology to produce food that grows quickly. However, it will require more advanced technology. I am sorry, Mr. Meirias, but one month is all I need. Will you stay here in Aphrodite for a month and help us? Please."
With these words, Vieille bowed deeply. Vieille sensed that May's breathing had become a little raspy as she looked at her. .......