Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 168: Chapter 23 Mei Hui

No god knew that on this day, the last remnants of Golden Humanity left the heart of the continent and headed east.

Of course, even if they knew, probably no deity would care, since it was, after all, just a remnant of an old era.

Moreover, given the vastness of the continent, the complexity of its geography, the chaotic phenomena caused by the many godly battles, and the beasts tainted with divine blood, a mortal would probably never see what the sea looked like if they traveled on foot—even if it took them a thousand years.

By comparison, it was an angel from the Spirit Realm who had glanced at the outer world, for someone had called their name, imbued with a strong force known as ‘faith’ by the Master.

Faith had always existed among the humans, wraiths, and the living beings of the Spirit Realm—it was only a question of how much. In the past, the faith that Yvain had received from the beings of the Spirit Realm when she went out occasionally was so minor that it was hard to notice without foreknowledge, but this call was different.

Pure and powerful, if there were more people like this, even the weaker True Gods could gain a level of divine power.

However, even so, Yvain only took a glance. On one hand, the object of the faith didn’t seem to be her, and on the other hand, she didn’t care. Compiling hymns to praise the creator in her own palace was far more meaningful than that bit of power.

At least in this regard, Yvain very much agreed with Liana’s viewpoint. There was nothing worth paying attention to in the outer world, a bunch of beings who did not worship the Master, all born sinful.

Meanwhile, outside the Spirit Realm, the scattered divine fragments of Hyperion did attract quite a bit of attention. After all, ever since the fragments spread across the world, countless beings have merged with them.

There were animals, plants, and even elves like the Nymphs. Some received smaller fragments, yielding less power and only a weak impact on the spirit. Some received larger fragments, stronger even than Cohen’s, but often ended up losing themselves and becoming monsters.

But these only caused a little concern, as the gods really hadn’t reacted much, since it had been a long time since any deity had set foot in the mortal realm.

Moreover, once the Divine King had noticed this situation, he quickly spoke about it, claiming it was a consequence of the fall of the sun. Thus, the gods let it be, after all, it was just a power that could hardly match the deities.

Time flowed gently, but on this day, in the twentieth year of Zeus’s reign, something difficult to say whether good or bad transpired.

The Divine King and the Oceanid Eurynome had, at some point, given birth to three daughters, much to everyone’s surprise.

This should have been cause for celebration, but the gods suddenly realized that the Divine King had not yet chosen a Queen of Gods, and Metis had been absent for many years.

The gods couldn’t help but secretly speculate, what exactly had happened between the two Oceanid sisters—why had the elder sister inexplicably disappeared, while the younger sister bore daughters to the Divine King?

But in the end, this was the Divine King’s private affair, so despite the many rumors, no one spoke out.

On Mount Olympus, the bedchamber of the Divine King.

“Your Highness.”

“Mhm.”

Zeus nodded to the two Nymphs at the door and Themis walked directly into the great hall.

Perhaps it was due to the presence of new gods, but as soon as she stepped through the door, an air of joy and pleasantry hit her face.

This force tried to influence the Goddess of Justice’s heart, but to no avail, for law and fairness were precisely the anathema to such trickery.

In the Third Era, the birth of deities rarely caused widespread phenomena, but still, there were some influences brought about by the bestowed godhoods.

Undoubtedly, the new True Gods here presided over domains related to “Joy,” “Grace,” and “Inspiration,” among others, but before meeting them, Themis still couldn’t determine whether it was one or several deities holding these domains separately.

If it were the former, then it was likely another being with extraordinary divine power.

“You’ve come, my lady, it has been a while since I last saw you. How goes the work on the new laws for the Divine Court?”

Perceiving the Goddess of Justice’s unmistakable presence, the Divine King smiled and stepped out from the inner chamber. There, the recently summoned Goddess of Nursery, Leto, was washing the newborns.

Although he didn’t know why his aunt had come at this time, Zeus still greeted her with a smile.

“It’s almost done, but there are a few details to be addressed, and the current Divine Court is still far from perfect.”

Dressed in a golden robe with a sword hanging at her waist, Themis spoke calmly.

“But let’s talk about you, Zeus.”

“Is Eurynome the new Queen of Gods you’ve chosen?”

“Hmm, that’s not quite it,” shaking his head, the Divine King replied. “You probably know well enough that her power is not sufficient to be the Queen.”

“At the very least, one must possess intermediate divine power or higher to avoid being ridiculed by the gods.”

She nodded lightly, knowing this to be true. After all, the previous two Queen of Gods had been goddesses with formidable divine power; it should be no exception for the third generation.

However, feeling the intense heat from the treasured sword at her waist, Themis remained silent for a moment before suddenly saying to Zeus:

“It is logical that the Queen of Gods should be a powerful deity.”

“But Zeus, there have been deities with strong godhood who have offered their hearts to you in the past, yet you have given them up. Metis once trusted you so much, and this is how you treated her. After all these years, do you ever feel regret?”

Startled, the voice of the Goddess of Law was quiet, yet it resonated like thunder. The Divine King almost lost control of his strength as he looked at the goddess before him, guessing what she had discovered.

He thought he had never exposed such things, not even the Goddess of Magic who divined for him knew what choice he had made.

“I don’t understand what you mean, my lady. In fact, Metis was just——”

“Twenty years ago, my sword told me you had committed an act against Justice. I thought it related to something else, but ever since then, the Goddess of Wisdom has vanished without a trace.”

Interrupting her nephew’s excuses, Themis was somewhat disappointed. But she should have known long ago, this is the way of the Divine King.

Even though she didn’t know what it was, Zeus probably saw a threat in Metis. However, from this point of view, he is far inferior to Cronus of the past.

“I don’t know what you did to her, but let’s stop there. Don’t let a calamity befall her sister again. Choose a Queen of Gods for your divine court as soon as possible, instead of continuing such wanton behavior.”

After giving Zeus one last look, the goddess turned away, unwilling to see his face any longer.

“This is not a threat, but rather a mandate of the current laws that the Divine King should have, and only have one Queen of Gods. I do not set order based on likes and dislikes; I only inscribe the order itself into the Codex, to be known to everyone.”

Perhaps she should, like in the first era, blind herself to avoid witnessing each deity’s hidden sins under the divine authority of Justice, yet unable to eradicate their roots.

“I won’t disturb you further, I hope you consider my advice seriously.”

Themis moved away. Looking at the retreating figure of the Goddess of Justice, the Divine King’s countenance flickered with uncertainty.

He truly regretted, not his treatment of Metis, but inviting such a discerning Judge to the divine court.

The Sword of Judgment, born of the authority of Justice, had almost slipped his mind. It is difficult for any entity beneath greatness to alter such sensitivity, meaning that many of his deeds could be linked to him, even if she was unaware of the process.

But now that she had arrived, invited by him as the ‘Guardian of Vows’, Zeus had no room for regret if he did not wish to break his own promises.

“Queen of Gods… Well, it’s about time.”

“Demeter, her vitality complements the Destruction of my Thunderbolt Arrow, though she seems uninterested… There is also Hera, who received a portion of the divine authority of ‘fertility’ from Mother Earth; with her, perhaps I could manually influence the strength of my offspring.”

His gaze flickering, Zeus was not yet resolute, and the events of the day indeed took him by surprise, leaving him somewhat flustered.

Even before he committed the act, he knew it couldn’t be concealed forever since deities are immortal.

He could feel the embryo of a baby girl, already conceived within him, drawing nourishment and growing robustly. From a certain perspective, she might well be considered his eldest daughter.

But he was prepared if this daughter showed even a hint of hostility toward him at birth, he would surely not spare her.

“Your Majesty, it has been accomplished,”

Then, from behind the palace, the voice of the Goddess of Nursery came. In the intervening time, three newly born infants had been placed in swaddling clothes.

“…That is indeed wonderful.”

Trying to muster a smile, Zeus temporarily set aside his concerns and turned to enter the rear, ready to see his three daughters and the goddess who had been summoned.

The Three Graces, Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, who respectively preside over grace and magnificence, joy and festivities, encouragement, and banquet enjoyment. They were destined not to excel in combat, but they could adorn the Divine King’s court.

“Leto, thank you for your hard work, and thank you for your willingness to come and assist. It’s just a pity that your noble parents, dwelling on the edge of the starry sky, choose not to meddle in worldly affairs; otherwise, I would have given them the highest respect and glory.”

Looking at Leto in black attire, her appearance among the deities was actually unremarkable, even less so compared to her sister, the star goddess Asteria. Yet, as the daughter of two mighty Titans, Zeus could not ignore her presence regardless.

Thus upon entering the inner chamber, the Divine King warmly took her hands, even forgetting the three children by his side.

After the divine war, the whereabouts of the Mother of Light remained unknown, a constant concern in Zeus’s heart. But if he could win over the deity of the Lightless celestial bodies, it would be a considerable aid.