In a room within the temple of Chronoa, the God of Space-Time, located in the upper reaches of the God Realm, the Supreme Gods sat gathered around a table.
Fate leafed through a stack of papers while Chronoa and Life watched her with bated breath. After a long silence punctuated only by the rustle of parchment, Fate exhaled softly and smiled.
"Okay, looks good! Let's go with this."
"Yes!"
"Finally, we have taken a step forward."
The three were discussing the plans for the God Realm festival that Shallow Vernal had entrusted to them. Chronoa and Life handled the planning, while Fate served as the supervisor; nothing could move forward until Fate gave her stamp of approval.
Their early attempts had been shot down instantly. Only after Chronoa and Life had studied human festivals and endured several more rejections did they finally earn Fate’s approval.
"The general flow is solid. Now, I think we just need something that feels distinctly 'God Realm'—something to set it apart from the main events."
"...Something distinctive, huh? Given the nature of a festival, food is probably the safest bet," Chronoa mused.
"If we’re talking about God Realm products famous even in the Human Realm, there are items like Glorious Tea or Shallo Grande... but they’re prohibitively expensive," Life added. "The number of people who could afford them would be extremely limited."
With the broad plan decided, they moved on to the finer details. Hearing Fate’s suggestion, Chronoa and Life began to confer with serious expressions. Since Fate was strictly the supervisor, she mostly observed their consultation, offering tips only when necessary.
"In this instance, I don't think the offerings necessarily have to be gourmet or high-end," Fate advised. "The most important thing is that sense of exclusivity—the feeling that you can only experience it here, at the God Realm festival."
"I see... We have options, then," Chronoa said. "Ingredients that exist only in the God Realm and nowhere else. We could prepare something relatively affordable. God of Life, can you increase the supply of such ingredients on short notice?"
"Easily," Life replied. "Well, excluding things like Shallo Grande that require Shallow Vernal-sama’s direct permission."
"What about Glorious Tea?"
"It’s possible, but that item has a very strong reputation for being quite rare, you know?"
Exclusive items that could only be enjoyed at a God Realm festival would be a major draw for visitors. Furthermore, such items would become a powerful asset if they continued to hold the festival in the years to come. However, if the goods were too expensive, they would be out of reach for the average attendee.
"The exclusive items don't have to be limited to just one thing," Chronoa argued. "I believe nobles and the like will want products with name recognition in the Human Realm, like Glorious Tea, so it’s worth preparing those for that demographic as well."
"I see. So we provide both high-end goods and items cheap enough for the general public to afford... In that case, I have a suggestion," Life said. "How about we create a new product specifically to commemorate the God Realm festival? Wine would overlap with Shallo Grande, so it would have to be something else... but it should be easy enough for us to create, right?"
"An excellent idea. We can take ingredients under our own jurisdiction and process them into something special. We’ll need to clear it with Shallow Vernal-sama first, of course, but a commemorative item is a great touch."
Watching Chronoa and Life work, Fate wore a faint smile as she watched them.
(This is a great trend. By referencing human festivals and seeking outside opinions, their worse 'Godly' tendencies have been kept in check. The conversation is flowing perfectly even without me steering it.)
Seeing the two of them—who were worlds apart from when they submitted their disastrous first proposal—Fate felt their growth firsthand and couldn't help but feel impressed.
(...As expected, Shallow Vernal-sama really is something else. Because this came from her, they’re studying festivals with absolute sincerity, which in turn is broadening their horizons. By having me—who grew a bit earlier—supervise them, she kept them from veering off course. Once they've grown, they'll guide their subordinates, which will trigger a change in the thinking of the high and low-ranking gods alike. It's a chain reaction of growth.)
The discussion between Chronoa and Life was proceeding smoothly even from Fate’s perspective. She was certain that if they continued at this rate, they would create a festival that many people could enjoy.
And that, in itself, would lead to the growth and transformation of the hitherto insular God Realm and the Gods themselves. She could only marvel at Shallow Vernal’s far-sighted orchestration.
(But if you trace it back, the reason Shallow Vernal-sama wanted the gods to grow in the first place, and the reason I was able to mature ahead of the pack, is all thanks to Kai-chan... Hehe, Kai-chan really is amazing.)
Fate watched them continue their meeting while vaguely lost in thought. For someone who usually found everything a chore, she seemed to be enjoying this conference quite a bit.