If John had a PR manager, he would have had no doubt that they would be very pleased with him right about now. For the past hour, he had been going around the festival and talking to people. Against his basic instinct, he had mainly talked to men, older women and wives. He still talked to gorgeous single women, but he reined in his desire to seek them out specifically.

It would have been easier a couple of weeks ago, before he started raising his Libido. Although John was perfectly content with the harem life and would survive never touching other women out of the fifteen he already called his, his sexual desires pulled him towards new conquests. There was just a part of him that desired to indulge in more. More women, more pleasure, more competition of winding bodies on bedsheets and, ultimately, more victories. His Wisdom remained stronger than giving into these urges and let him follow his basic strategy.

While it was true that the Gamer was a relentless pervert and he didn’t plan to hide it, he wanted to show the public that he wasn’t such a one-note character as the news often portrayed him as. Talking and laughing with men, occasionally making jokes at his own expense, listening to the stories of older women and having platonic discussions with the wives all let him highlight other parts of himself. Playing the part of the down to earth person was easy for him, which John regarded as good news. His vigil when it came to staying reasonable in spite of his power was never ending.

At the moment, he was listening to a carpenter describe the different ways two pieces of wood could be joined. A pretty interesting topic, he found, partly because of who told it. The man was quite apt at describing things and was likely the centre of every pub evening he attended.

“Putting two pieces of wood together should be such a mundane thing, but when you carve and saw them so they perfectly snap together without anything else, that moment is just pure…” The pause was so well-timed that John thought it was deliberate, until he noticed that the man was looking behind John. Turning around on the bench, John looked at the silver eyes of Luna just mustering him. She didn’t say anything, just waited for his reaction.

John calmly stood up and gave the carpenter a friendly slap on the shoulder. “It appears duty calls, enjoy the rest of the festival,” he gave his goodbye. Luna turned around and the Gamer followed. The two of them stepped around one of the many fires that had been lit to keep the cold of early October at bay. Not a lot was necessary, the temperature hovered around ten degrees, but people were still drawn to the proximity of the flickering heat. Something about humans was innately drawn to fire.

“You are treating my little protégé well,” Luna started the conversation as suddenly as she had appeared. “I was surprised when she one day returned and looked… improved.”

“It was a pleasant change for all of us, Lady Luna,” John returned, using the proper way to address her.

“Your powers are impressive.”

“I can whole-heartedly agree with that.”

“History will put us at odds in one way or another.”

John chose not to comment on that.

Luna smiled over her shoulder. “You’ve become more patient since we last met. You’re not quite as easy to read anymore.”

“I went through a lot,” the Gamer responded. “That aside, it’s been almost a year. For someone as young as me, that’s a lot of time to change.”

“I don’t think you’ve changed,” Luna hummed in a thoughtful tone. “Adjusted, is a better word, I think.”

“Not sure whether I agree or disagree with that statement,” John returned. “Fact is that I’m not the exact same person I was back then. I’ve lived, learned and moved on.”

“That’s an interesting life motto,” the moon goddess said and then giggled. “Ah, I still remember how shocked you and Lydia were when I called your relationship. Good times.” They walked up the stairs and stopped in the frame of the entrance. “It was less of a good time when you had the Horned Rat visit you in Rome.”

“It’s more accurate to say that he visited me,” John responded in a calm fashion, standing upright against Luna’s gaze. The silver of her eyes seemed to intensify, like the moon in the settling night. A goddess of death, Luna could have killed him. As he was right now, he could have struggled but would have been ultimately defeated.

Luna waited for him to react with anything else, then closed her eyes and turned around again. “I suppose it is Muris’ nature to be where he shouldn’t be.” They walked on.

‘Muris, that’s an archaic way to use the Latin word for mouse,’ John thought. If the Horned Rat had a true name, that wasn’t it, that much was for certain. Like Richard, it was just another title given to address the god. This one, John found even more deprecating than the one he used.

“Please wait over there with Lydia. I will fetch the rest of your group,” Luna stated and pointed him at a table.

“That won’t be necessary,” John assured, having already sent out the telepathic signals to everyone else. Because everyone had broken off in small groups, everyone had somebody tag along that John was connected to. Calling them was an easy task. “They are on their way already.”

“Splendid, I appreciate less work.” Luna smiled and returned to Romulus. The second she was back, she got into what looked like a discussion with Sol that ended with the moon goddess suddenly kissing her fiery counterpart on the mouth. Across harems of any size, certain scenes repeated themselves with different people.

John noted just how little of the court had to return to the tower. Of the roughly hundred people, it seemed as if only the Gamer and his group had gotten out of their way to leave for any extended period of time. Anyone else just mingled with the other elites. Since Lydia hadn’t voiced any concern about this, happily joined for the longest time even, he could only assume that she was happy being the exception to the rule.

Nia and Aclysia were the last to return to their table, the pariah showing as much disappointment with having needed to leave as her facial features allowed her to express. In order to keep her mood raised, John handed her Stirwin to pat and tend to, while they listened to Romulus raise his voice again. “Noon has come and gone, the people have seen their leaders and now it is time that we indulge in a feast more substantial than alcohol. Those of you of my court and those of you invited by Lydia herself, please follow me upstairs. For the guests of honour, the ambassadors and my friends, I wish that you continue to enjoy each other’s company and the free drinks. We will return in a few hours’ time.”

Having finished his announcement, Romulus stepped onto one of two stairs and climbed the radiant spiral, Sol and Luna right behind him. John offered his arm to Lydia and the two were the first to follow. The harem and the court followed. Of the hundred present people, about half stayed behind and a third of the new group was just John and his harem.

‘Big group with big butts,’ John happily thought while catching Maximillian waving from the floor. It appeared the currently-not king of Austria would have to stay behind. He hadn’t been invited by Lydia and wasn’t part of the court at the moment. As a guest of honour, he was excluded from the announcement.

A de-facto situation that Romulus didn’t care about. “Maximillian Franz the Fourth von Habsburg,” the Apex used the entirety of the royal’s name, stopping in his ascent shortly underneath the ceiling. “I expect you to come along.”

John saw his friend’s lips move, but was too far away to hear what exactly was said. Given the smile and the fact that he started to move, it likely had been something along the lines of ‘if you insist, my emperor.’

The stairs ended in a large hole at the centre of the new level they emerged on. The radiant material used to decorate the railing of the stairs continued around the rim of the hole and illuminated the hall they found themselves in with soft, golden light. While it was the primary light source, it was assisted by candles that magically lit on top of every table that stood around. They were of the usual festive variety, round and covered with a white sheet. Silverware and plates were already arranged. Covered by lids, large salvers sat in the centre of each large table.

The hall itself was smaller than the one they had come from, courtesy of a number of indents that made the walkable areas assume the shape of a cogwheel. Symbolism at the doors left no doubts that some were toilets, a necessary addition if they were to eat now. Two of the indents were different, however, with doors like elevators. Yet others had no immediately obvious purpose.

A lack of name tags or anything of the variety made it clear that they were to sit down however they wanted. Each table was large enough to hold up to six people. Lydia and John found a quick arrangement that worked for them. The elemental girls plus Metra took one table. Scarlett, Beatrice, Eliza, and Nia also shared one table and were joined by Konrad as well as a woman of visibly Iberian origin.

She had the typical tanned appearance of a southern European, black hair and was of a rather short stature. That she was about as tall as Eliza only made her having an almost identical name, Elisa, more of a coincidence. She was High-Admiral of the Seastrider Ports, Portugal’s dominant Abyssal entity. Somehow, Eliza managed to swallow whatever curse she had on her tongue and made a socially acceptable joke about the situation.

“Anyway, I hope you do not mind me joining. I’ve come without assistants, you see, and don’t feel like talking to the men over there,” Elisa gestured in the general direction of the other power holders settling alongside each other and their own subordinates. There were no complaints.

John only distantly heard all of that, while he sat down alongside Lydia, Rave and Aclysia. Beyond those three, they were joined by Amalia and, to his surprise, Sol. The sun goddess didn’t seem too happy to be separated from Romulus. “I’ve been tasked to talk to you, arrogant upstart, don’t get the wrong impression,” she explained as she sat down.

“Maybe I’ll be charming enough that you won’t call me that by the end of the meal,” John managed to retort, before Romulus once more demanded the attention of the room.

At his own table, the Apex kept Maximillian, Ria, Suel and a stoic looking man that, like Romulus, wore a toga similar to those Romans were often displayed in. That left one seat open. It wasn’t for Luna, the moon goddess had sat down by the Knightlord’s table. Instead, a very old man appeared from one of the elevators. He wore a brown robe and the left half of his head was covered in benign, crystalline growths of a mana-blue shade. Rodaclam of Oreh, chancellor of the Greater Roman Empire, had arrived. John had wondered where that man had been anyway.

Before he sat down, the old man addressed the room. His voice betrayed his age, being raspy, and had an odd ring to it. Regardless of both, it echoed through the room with clarity. “I’m glad you all could make it to today’s celebration. The twentieth birthday of Lydia Augusta the Fourth of House Hohenzollern, Regent of Brandenburg, Duchess of the city of Lübeck, Protector of Prussia, Marquise of Pomerania and Silesia, Queen of Steel and of Germany. The second youngest ruler her kingdom has ever seen and reformist of our glorious empire. To her honour, my lord has seen it fitting to organize a feast.”

Rodaclam snapped his fingers and all across the room, the lids disintegrated atop their salvers. The silver particles were driven away along a rise of steam and an explosion of delicious fragrances. Every table looked at a roasted pig, surrounded by a lot of potatoes and other side-dish vegetables. Gravy hovered down from the ceiling, alongside the utensils necessary to cut into the large animals.

John wondered for a moment whether they were expected to tend to this themselves, then a number of servants suddenly appeared from those same elevators (which John now realized must have been teleporter pads). There was one for each table, armed with a tray and a menu they presented to the guests. It was a list of all the available beverages.

“Enjoy your meals, enjoy your company and ready yourself. Once we are all sated and prepared, we shall give our presents to the queen,” Rodaclam finished up and sat down.