The quiz venue Sky-san guided us to was already bustling with people, as the start time was nearly upon us.
A quick review of the rules confirmed Sky-san’s explanation: the quiz consisted of four-choice questions about the God Realm, and it would continue until ten or fewer participants remained.
Once the group was narrowed down to ten or fewer, those remaining would draw lots to determine the order in which they could select their prizes. Making it to the final ten guaranteed a reward, but because many of the prizes were limited in quantity, the lottery determined who got first pick.
The prize list featured a decent variety of items, but the highlights were undoubtedly the Shallo Grande and the Glorious Tea. Both were so expensive that they were far out of reach for commoners, making this a rare opportunity to obtain them. There were also special cakes made with fruits unique to the God Realm, prepared specifically for the festival.
"What incredible prizes... These are all things even a High-ranking Noble would struggle to acquire," Lilia-san remarked, her voice filled with astonishment as she scanned the list. Her excitement was palpable.
Right then, Sky-san caught our attention. "Everyone, please look at the very bottom of the list."
"The bottom? 'Eternal Flower, 1 bloom'? What is this?"
"That is the most valuable prize of all. It is a flower that exists only within the Sanctuary, Shallow Vernal-sama’s domain. Shallow Vernal-sama has specially granted a handful of them for this event. They are beautiful blossoms that bloom forever without withering. Even as a High-ranking God, I have never seen a real one before today; they are so rare that it is impossible to put a price on them."
I hummed thoughtfully. The description sounded familiar. When I had tea with Shiro-san, we were usually in a corner of her sanctuary’s flower garden. Plenty of beautiful flowers grew there, and come to think of it, they were all varieties I had never seen anywhere else.
As Sky-san continued her explanation, she mentioned that the flowers couldn’t produce seeds and thus couldn't be propagated. However, because they never wilted and required no maintenance, they were the perfect decorations.
"...I think I recognize them. I feel like I’ve seen dozens of other varieties there, too."
"Only an extremely limited few are ever permitted to enter the Sanctuary. I have never been allowed inside myself, so I am quite envious of you, Miyama-san. Regardless, this is an opportunity to take home a Sanctuary flower—something you wouldn't even find at the Hero Festival—so please, do your best to win one."
As Sky-san said, if I managed to stay in the game, it might be worth aiming for. But that raised a question... just how many kinds of flowers grew in the Sanctuary?
(There are currently eighty-six varieties.)
Wait, that many? And does "currently" mean the number is increasing?
(I increase the variety whenever the whim strikes me.)
I see. I’ll have to take a closer look the next time I visit.
Soon after, we all entered the massive quiz arena. It looked like it could hold a staggering number of participants. However, since it was a four-choice format rather than simple true-or-false, I suspected the crowd would thin out quickly.
After a short wait, the event officially began. A deity acting as the master of ceremonies repeated the rules Sky-san had explained, and finally, the quiz was underway.
Wondering what the first question would be, I looked toward the stage. A woman appeared, and an enlarged projection of her—another deity—was displayed in the air.
"Now then, for the first question! This High-ranking God standing here on the platform... what kind of deity is she? 1: Earth God, 2: God of Flash, 3: Sky God, 4: God of Calamity. You have two minutes. Once the time is up, you cannot change your answer, so choose carefully!"
The first question was a lucky break for me. I already knew Sky-san and Shia-san, and since the woman on stage was clearly neither of them, the question was effectively a fifty-fifty choice.
The woman on stage had long, dark brown hair and black eyes. She was about 160 centimeters tall and wore modest clothing with long sleeves and a long skirt. She also possessed a chest that was every bit as bountiful as Life-san’s or Lilliwood-san’s. Setting that last part aside, her other traits made me lean toward her being the Earth God.
Dark brown hair felt like a good match for the image of the earth, whereas it didn't really scream "Flash." Her clothes were also generally dark-toned; if I hadn't known Shia-san personally, I might have hesitated between this woman and the God of Calamity. However, I was fairly certain she was the Earth God.
I moved to the area on the ground marked with a large '1'. We had decided to treat this as an individual competition without consulting one another, so we had all split up. I couldn't see where everyone else had gone, but when I glanced around, I spotted Lilia-san standing a short distance away.
"Time is up!" the presiding deity announced.
Transparent, wall-like barriers materialized along the boundaries of the numbered zones, preventing anyone from moving further.
"The correct answer is... the Earth God! Everyone in Zone 1 is correct!"
Yes! The first question went exactly as I’d predicted. I hoped to keep this momentum going, but...
"Now, for the second question! What is the total number of High-ranking Gods currently residing in the God Realm? 1: Approximately 100. 2: Approximately 200. 3: Approximately 300. 4: 100 or fewer. The time limit is again two minutes!"
A brutally difficult one came up right out of the gate. I was stumped. I didn't have the slightest clue, and it was only the second question.
Serious-senpai: "...Wait, this was mentioned somewhere before, wasn't it? Where was it again?"
???: "It came up during the Six Kings Festival, back when I—I mean, when Alice-chan was having that meeting with the Ten Demons."