"Greetings, stranger, and hello, Lexi," The Seal-Folk woman said in a soft voice. "I am called Namya, and I am a leader in this village. Who are you, and what brings you here?"
I introduced myself as Galio, Cat God, and god of the world, but Namya only seemed intrigued by that and then went back to focusing on Lexi.
"So, did you come to play? Or is this more a more formal visit?" Namya asked with a twinkle in her eye that made my eyebrows go up, and Lexi giggled.
She leaned in and then whispered into Namya's ears, but I couldn't clearly hear what she was saying.
When Lexi finished, Namya smiled and then nodded in agreement.
"That sounds wonderful," She said before stepping back and turning to me. "We will be waiting for you here when you get back," She said with a wink as she walked away.
"Oh?" I asked, and then looked at Lexi, who gave me a knowing smile.
"Namya is the head of all the islands, so I think that it might be good for us to spend a bit of personal time with her when we get back, right? Since you have created a school for adventurers, I will assume that you are going to make more, right?" She asked, and I nodded slowly.
"Yeah, that was the plan, but speaking of that, I need to make a quick pit stop before we head to the Underworld portal," I said, and Lexi nodded.
"That is fine. I am sure that I can entertain myself while you are gone," she said, and Namya cuddled into her side.
"Don't worry, I will keep her occupied until you get back, Cat God," Namya said and winked at me.
I nodded, giving them a small smile before turning away, and opened a portal to the training grounds of my adventurer's school where some of the Amazons were training with Velma and Daphne. As I stepped through, everyone's eyes turned to me, and then the Amazon and Daphne got in line to stand at attention, making Velma groan.
"Not you!" Velma shouted at Daphne, and she got an embarrassed look as she jogged back over to her daughter's side.
"Well, looks like things are progressing just as well as the last time I was here!" I laughed, and Velma nodded.
"Yes, the girls are doing very well, and we will be ready to send them back in two days," She said, and I made an impressed face.
"Really? I mean, I assumed it would only take this long after the last time I was here, but it is always impressive to hear that the appointed deadlines will be met. What do you girls plan to do after this?" I asked, and Daphne shrugged.
"There are some girls that have made their way through the forest you made all the way from Northwall that want to learn, and you said that you are going to be going to the underworld soon, right?" Daphne asked, and I nodded.
"That is the reason why I am here today. I am just about to head there now because of some news that came up. I just wanted to come and check on everyone, but if you two are staying, then what about the others?" I asked, knowing that Cherry and O'Lee had planned to leave after the amazon training was done.
"Cherry and O'Lee are leaving, but I think Kalli is going to stay with us," Daphne said, and Velma nodded.
"Both O'Lee and Cherry said that they will be sending replacements, and when Giantessa comes to get her girls, I was going to ask her to ask the other goddesses if they could bring some helpers to teach. I think that it would be good to have people of all races teaching since each race specializes in certain areas more than others. Getting them all to help with the training will give the students the best chance to succeed," Velma explained, and I nodded with a big smile.
"I think that is a great idea, Velma. This way, all the students will have access to a variety of teachers who can give them the skills and knowledge they need in order to be successful adventurers." I said, and Velma nodded with approval.
"We have been planning a few other things too, but most of those are still up in the air," She said and then glanced over at me. "How long do you think you will be gone?"
"That is a very hard question to answer. I am hoping that it will take no more than a week, but it is really hard to say. According to Lexi, the Underworld has changed dramatically since I was last there. That means that my geographical knowledge of the place might not be as good as it once was," I said with a sigh, and Velma perked up.
"Oh? You are taking Lexi?" she asked, and I nodded.
"She seems to know the place better than me, and she also wanted to go and see a couple places that she missed out on the last time that she visited," I said, and Velma nodded thoughtfully.
"That is wise. It never hurts to have more eyes and ears when you are exploring such an odd place," Velma said, and I agreed.
"Yes, that is very true. I just hope that it all goes smoothly," I said and then let out a sigh as I looked over the faces of the Amazons who were being trained by Velma and Daphne.
"Don't worry about them, Galio," Daphne said. "They are all tough, strong girls, and they will be able to take care of themselves."
I smiled, relieved at her words, and gave one final wave before I stepped through the portal. When I emerged on the other side, Lexi was waiting for me with a big smile on her face.
"Ready to go explore the Underworld?" She asked, and I grinned in response.
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