Although Alice hadn't actually seen the content of the comics herself, she knew just how imaginative the gods of this world could be.
Even Hestia—while Alice believed Hestia could come up with an interesting story—she didn't think whatever tale Hestia concocted would be all that outrageous.
Besides, since Hestia mentioned she could give Alice a thirty percent cut, Alice figured that share had probably been agreed upon with Loki beforehand. Those two often acted recklessly, but they were still gods with their own bottom lines.
So, Alice decided to join Loki and Hestia in selling the books.
The main problem now was the shortage of books compared to the crowd, and the rest of the stock hadn't arrived yet.
So, what Alice, Loki, and Hestia needed to do was calm the gods gathered before them.
Alice's eyes swept lightly over the limited number of books on the table, a thoughtful gleam in her gaze.
She smiled sweetly at the assembled deities.
"I'm sure you all know that the Loki Familia just returned from an expedition yesterday, and I only got back yesterday as well. I'm not sure exactly what Loki and Hestia have done to make you all crowd here like this."
"But this book, after all, is a story written by Hestia, illustrated by Loki, and based on my adventures."
"So, could I ask all you esteemed gods to please keep things orderly?"
Alice's voice was soft and pleading, exceptionally gentle. Her melodious tone seemed to soothe the hearts of every god present.
Almost immediately, some of the gods cheered in response.
"Ooh~ We got it, Alice-chan~ We'll do whatever you say~"
"Yeah, that's right!"
"We're members of the Alice Fan Club! We'll firmly carry out Alice's instructions!"
Alice blinked, feeling like she'd heard something a bit strange, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.
"Since you're all willing to follow my request, please line up neatly and stay within the lines."
Alice spoke up again.
The gods looked at her, puzzled. They understood "line up," but… "within the lines"? Where were these lines?
Just as the gods were about to ask, Alice raised her hand. Several adorable dolls flew out from behind her, each holding a thick white thread that gleamed noticeably under the sunlight. The dolls spread out in the air, the threads forming a clear pathway.
"Everyone," Alice clapped her hands lightly to get their attention, "has anyone here already managed to buy a copy?"
Loki quickly replied, "Alice-chan, these books were just brought out. We haven't had a chance to sell any yet."
"Is that so?" A small smile tugged at Alice's lips. "Well then, it seems luck is on everyone's side today."
"If you all follow my request and keep good order, then I, Alice, will hold a signing session for the gods and adventurers present."
"Every single god and adventurer here will receive a copy signed by me personally."
A personal signature??
Hearing Alice's words, everyone present—gods and adventurers alike—turned their gaze to the stack of books in front of Loki, their eyes burning with desire.
The sheer eagerness in the air made even Loki feel a little nervous.
"Of course, more people might arrive later, and I can't possibly sign for everyone in Orario. So, only the first one hundred books will receive my personal signature."
"Also, since we have limited stock, to ensure everyone here can buy a copy, each person is limited to one book."
"But! If anyone here ignores the order, I'm sorry, but you will not be welcome, and I'll have to ask you to leave."
In all of Orario, Alice was probably the only person who dared to tell nearly four or five dozen gods to their faces that they weren't welcome.
Yet, hearing her say it only made the gods adore her more.
"Alice-chan, whatever you say goes!"
"Exactly! There aren't that many of us here, counting our children, it's only around eighty people. So don't worry, Alice-chan, we're civilized! We'll definitely keep things orderly."
No sooner had the words faded than the gods dutifully lined up within the temporary pathway marked by Alice's doll-held threads.
Watching the gods behaving like obedient fans, Loki couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
'Just earlier, the pipsqueak and I wore ourselves out trying to get you lot to line up, and none of you listened. Now Alice-chan says a couple words, and you all fall in line?'
Though Loki mentally complained about the gods' fickleness, she was also genuinely surprised that Alice could command such obedience with just a few words.
Seeing the situation was now under control, Alice smiled warmly and announced to the crowd.
"Everyone, the signing event starts now!"
A unified cheer erupted from the crowd.
"Wooooh!!!"
--+--
Loki and Hestia had found quite a few partners for this venture. The Hermes Familia and Soma Familia were handling production.
The Adventurer's Guild, along with the Hermes Familia, were handling sales. Hermes was involved in both production and sales, thanks to his well-established commercial network.
There were also several other familias helping with sales—too many to list. For example, the Miach Familia would sell the comics in their pharmacy. Likewise, the Hephaestus Familia would stock them at their commercial counters.
When Finn and the others returned, having rushed to bring back a cartload of comics to disperse the crowd of gods gathered at their doorstep, they found no such mob scene.
Apart from a few tables and chairs, the area in front of their familia's home was clear.
Just then, a few people emerged from inside. Finn quickly went over to ask.
"Lox, where did all those gods go? Have they left already?" Finn asked, puzzled.
That morning, for some reason, a large group of gods had shown up wanting to buy books—one demanding ten copies, another twenty.
The Loki Familia's own stock was only around two or three hundred copies. Even if each god wasn't buying ten or twenty, just three or four per person would have wiped them out completely.
That's why Finn and the others had gone to the Hermes Familia to get more books.
"Commander! You're back," said the young man named Lox, looking surprised to see Finn and the group. "Miss Alice came by. She helped sell some books and managed to persuade all the gods to leave."
Hearing Lox's explanation, Finn was taken aback.
Was Alice really that effective when it came to dealing with gods?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
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If you guys wanna check it out.