Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 274: Chapter 67: The Bet

Everything that happened in the skyscraper was known only to the two people involved. At the end of his life, the old man picked up the stone slab and followed Laine down from the towering building.

There was no hurry, and Laine even slowed his pace because of the old man’s decaying body. But the passage of time never stopped for this reason.

In Aurora City, people who had heard the oracle were running around in panic. Some knelt to pray, some sought what they thought were safe places to hide. The whole city seemed noisy and chaotic.

In comparison, on Mount Olympus, the gods looked forward to the scene below with anticipation. Even from a great distance, they could notice the blurring of the edges between sea and land at the eastern edge of the continent.

Triton, the son of Poseidon, was about to bring a gift to the gods, which is also one of the acts performed before the real ‘feast’ began. This banquet held in honor of the Goddess of Beauty was not just to celebrate her new Sub-Gods; it also had a deeper meaning. For after today, the Olympian Gods would discuss the affairs of the next human century and divide their interests.

Poseidon was the first to suggest this; he no longer wanted to go on as before, and other gods responded in kind. Faced with such a request, Zeus also agreed.

Even as the Divine King, Zeus was far from doing whatever he wanted. Nowadays, his kingship relied more on his siblings, and the combined strength of six powerful deities made his position stable. Therefore, under these circumstances, he must also listen and cater to some of their demands.

Of course, these were matters for later. Now, with the Divine Artifact crafted from Godhood as the medium and with the cooperation of the Principal God’s power, everything around the Trident was presented before all the gods.

With the lower body of a fish and the upper body of a human, Triton looked vibrant. He pointed into the distance, watching the Sea Monsters in the waves tear the beasts to shreds. Occasionally, he took action himself, enveloping birds that were too slow to take flight with seawater and watching them suffocate to death.

“Look, this is the fate of mere mortals, the consequence of deceiving a Deity.”

“They act recklessly when they think gods are not watching, but once we discover everything, all they can do is quietly await Death!”

After gulping down a large cup of Nectar and watching this scene, Poseidon smiled.

He had wanted to act for a long time, but Zeus, concerned about the Divine Court’s reputation and the image of the gods, stopped him. But now it wasn’t too late. The noble Sea Emperor allowed those mortals to live a few more years, only to let his son bring down Destruction with the Divine Artifact today. Mortals should really be grateful for his mercy.

“Is this amusing to you?”

On the side, watching the surging sea water engulf the land, beasts struggling in the water, and birds fleeing in panic, Hestia furrowed her brow.

“Perhaps your son could kill these creatures in a more direct way.”

She was not a person overflowing with sympathy, hence the Goddess of Hearthfire could understand Zeus’s decision. The destruction of humanity was inevitable, but in her view, ‘obliterating humans’ and ‘enjoying it’ were two different things.

“The process is more interesting than the result, my sister. Just like that guy imprisoned in his Temple by Zeus, is he not to suffer eternal pain?”

Poseidon was indifferent to this, and most gods did not care much. If this were done to a god, many among them would feel distressed, which is why Zeus was very cautious about punishing Prometheus. However, if the targets were mere mortals, then there was nothing to say.

“…I’m not interested in this. Since you all want to watch, I’ll not dampen your spirits.”

Standing up, the Goddess signaled to the Divine King.

“Very well, my sister, I have always respected your decisions.”

With a look of regret, Zeus raised his cup.

“However, about the matters we will discuss later, do you have any thoughts?”

“I don’t need anything specific, Zeus. I do not need a particular city, a tribe of humans to worship me as a Principal God, forcing them to chant my name daily. As long as every human kindles hearthfire at home, that is already respect for me.”

Gently shaking her head, the Goddess regarded these matters with indifference.

She was not like her brothers, always ambitious to go further. In fact, it was still an open question whether faith truly helped a deity reach greatness.

Even Zeus was not entirely sure of this. But in his opinion, since faith could break the iron law that divine power is limited by Godhood, it might fill the chasm leading to a greater realm.

“But, if any new humans voluntarily worship me and agree with my path, you all cannot obstruct this, that is the only thing I want to say.”

While Hestia did not care much about the quantity of faith, she was still very interested in intelligent humans.

If someone truly acknowledged her Thoughts and voluntarily became her follower, then the Goddess would gladly accept them.

“Of course, my sister, this is your right.”

In response to Hestia’s request, the Divine King immediately gave his assent, and the rest of the gods were unlikely to object, so the matter was settled.

After Hestia left, the scene quieted down a bit before quickly becoming lively again. Only Aphrodite was a little unhappy; she felt that for the sake of some mortals, Hestia was being disrespectful.