Following closely behind Hestia, they arrived at the tavern's entrance.
"Isn't this the Hostess of Fertility tavern? So this is where it's located."
This tavern's reputation in Orario was nothing to sneeze at. By nighttime, it was almost always full, and Familias would even reserve tables for celebration banquets. The food, prices, and location were all quite good. And, most importantly, the waitresses here were all very cute! This also attracted many male adventurers to come and eat and drink.
"Kohai-kun! I think this place looks great! I wonder if they're hiring!"
"Well, let's go in and see!"
The two entered the Hostess of Fertility, one after the other. At this time of day, the tavern was empty. There were no adventurers here. Because most of them were in the dungeon during the day, nighttime was when this place was liveliest.
"Hello, meow! Is there something I can help you with, meow?"
A catgirl in a tavern maid uniform walked over, holding a white, slightly dusty rag in her hand as she asked, puzzled.
"Um... excuse me, are you hiring by any chance?"
Hestia mustered up her courage and asked the catgirl, who looked a little airheaded.
"Eh, meow!!"
The catgirl's brain almost short-circuited. She had thought she might make a sale even during the day, but it turned out they were here looking for work!
"Mama Mia! There are people here looking for a job, meow!!"
But she quickly recovered, rushing to the kitchen and shouting. This catgirl really is full of energy! Too bad she's an idiot.
After the catgirl, Anya, burst into the kitchen, there was a brief commotion inside, but it quickly quieted down.
"Are you two the ones looking for work?"
The person who came out was the stout woman known to all as Mama Mia. Her race seemed to be Dwarf, but with a 180cm frame... was she really a Dwarf? She was formerly the captain of the Freya Familia. Later, with her god's permission, she semi-retired from the Familia. Normally, she is a very kind person, which is why everyone calls her Mama Mia!
"Yes!"
"We just arrived in Orario not long ago and need to find a job to support ourselves!"
Hestia conveniently left out the part about being a freeloader for three months. After all, that was a black mark on her record no matter how you looked at it!
"You're both gods?"
The tall, stout dwarf woman frowned slightly as she looked at Lin Feng and Hestia. Back when she hadn't resigned from her captaincy, she often stood by Lady Freya's side and had met many other gods. So she had some understanding of a god's aura. The moment she saw Lin Feng and Hestia, she knew they were gods.
"That's right! Is there a problem?"
Hestia admitted it honestly. It wasn't exactly a shameful secret. Besides, there were other gods working part-time jobs, so it wasn't just her!
"Sorry! Apologies, but we aren't looking for waitstaff at the moment."
"We need help in the kitchen. How are your cooking skills?"
Mama Mia's brow, which had been furrowed, gradually relaxed when Hestia admitted it so readily. As long as they weren't here to dig for information or had ideas about her waitresses, she was willing to interview anyone, god or adventurer.
"This.... this...."
Hestia froze. Her divine authority was clearly that of a goddess of the hearth... though she was also called a goddess of fire, her main domain was the hearth. For a goddess of the hearth to not even know how to cook... how utterly humiliating!
"My... my cooking isn't very good..."
Hestia's voice was a bit dejected. A job that was just within her grasp was gone, all because of her own failings.
"Then there's nothing I can do..."
Mama Mia was also taken aback by her honest reply. She showed no reaction on the surface, but she made a mental note of Hestia's appearance.
"As for you... I'm very sorry, but our tavern doesn't hire male staff."
Mama Mia stated the hiring terms, a condition that had been in place since the tavern opened. That was why all her staff were cute girls.
"That's alright!" "Hestia, it's okay. Orario is a big place, and there are plenty of jobs! Let's go look over there."
Lin Feng patted Hestia's dejected little head and pointed down a street outside the tavern, comforting her.
"Mn! You're right!"
"Goodbye, ma'am! When I make some money, I'll come back!"
Hestia quickly recovered thanks to Lin Feng's comfort, waving goodbye to Mama Mia.
.....
After spending the better part of the day, she finally found a job: a fried potato ball stand attendant. Of course, because the stall was small and the workload wasn't heavy, the owner only hired Hestia. Originally, the potato ball boss wanted to hire Lin Feng, who was a boy. Even though it was just potato balls, there was still some heavy lifting at times. Plus, making them didn't require any real culinary skill, just following her timing and a few steps to make decent-tasting potato balls. But Lin Feng refused, which is how Hestia successfully landed the job.