Chapter 174 Script
"This is a ship. It can carry hundreds or thousands of humans to sail on the sea, and it can also allow people to explore islands and catch fish."
"If you choose this, I will teach you how to build ships of different sizes, the skills to sail on the sea, and the ability to identify directions according to the stars and compass."
After placing a few chess pieces on the wooden boat, Ryan blew gently on the sail, and the boat began to rotate around the edge of the wooden basin.
Looking at this scene, Ander was somewhat moved.
There was a river next to the tribe, so he knew that it was difficult for humans to stay in the water for a long time. But with this thing called a "boat", these problems could be solved.
But after hesitating for a moment, Ander shook his head.
".Master Priest, I remember the Creator once said that the great God King forbids humans from approaching the ocean."
Exploring islands and catching fish sound useful, but all of this requires being able to set foot in the ocean. These are not useful for small rivers.
But in order to prevent the secrets related to faith from being leaked in advance, Zeus not only did not build a temple for his adoptive parents and publicize their names, but also set the sea as a restricted area for humans.
It is impossible for mortals to disobey the orders of the God-King, so this thing called a "ship" is naturally useless.
"Then let's take a look at the third one, but this is the last one."
After being rejected twice in a row, Ryan still didn't seem angry. At this time, the desk was much emptier, with only portraits of different sizes left.
Some of them were tall, some were strong and sturdy, and there were both men and women. But for some reason, Ander always felt that they looked a bit like the statues in the temple.
"The third one is drama. And these in front of you, I call them puppets."
"A complete play needs actors, but puppetry is different. It doesn't require help from others. It is a play that can be performed by you alone."
As he spoke, Ryan's fingers trembled slightly. Without any extraordinary power, the puppets in front of him suddenly moved.
Ander was startled at first, but after careful observation, he soon discovered the secret inside.
Thin, transparent threads extended from Ryan's fingers and were tied to the joints of the puppet. With a slight movement of his fingers, the puppet would dance.
"You can interpret the past and make up lies. You can use puppets to replace lives that exist or do not exist in reality. You can use puppets to perform a scene that happened in the past or only exists in your imagination."
"If you choose this, I will teach you how to select materials, carve, how to make silk thread, and how to choreograph a play."
"You can choose to use them to praise the gods, or to interpret the world in your mind. Whatever you choose, it depends on your own ideas."
"Sing praises to the gods and interpret the world?"
His eyes brightened, and Ender couldn't help but repeat Ryan's words.
Chess and sailing are both interesting, but they both have their own drawbacks. In contrast, drama is not only "valuable", but also very interesting. Looking at the puppets jumping on the table, a sincere yearning sprouted in Ander's young heart.
Although he hadn't tried it yet, he already liked the feeling a little bit. Just moving his fingers, everything would go as he wanted, which sounded extraordinary.
"I choose the third one."
"Are you sure?"
With a smile on his face, Ryan's expression was somewhat meaningful.
"Once you choose something, you can't change it. I will teach you the relevant knowledge to repay you for your hospitality to me in the past few days and in the future. But after you learn these, the rest of the journey will be up to you."
"I am sure."
He nodded affirmatively. Among these three choices, the last one was undoubtedly the one that Ender liked the most.
Learning a skill is such an interesting thing. At this moment, he felt that he was really blessed by God recently and he could encounter such a good thing.
"Well, in that case, we will officially start the class from tomorrow. But before that, go chop some more wood."
With a smile, Ryan pointed to the wooden frame that Ender had just put down.
"As a beginner, learning knowledge is important, but practice is also essential."
"Ah? All right then."
His little face looked a little bitter, but Ander still put the bamboo basket back on his back.
If you can learn a skill just by chopping more wood, I wonder how many people would rush to do it.
Carrying a bamboo basket and walking out of the yard, Ryan stroked the puppet in his hand as he watched Ander's receding back.
If we look at it purely from the perspective of the audience, Ander's choice is not very good.
Humans are now forbidden from sailing, but in the future, the ocean will become an indispensable part of human beings, and even at the end of the Bronze Age, it may still be useful. Humans now cannot enjoy spiritual enjoyment, but in the future, chess will definitely become a more popular form of entertainment than opera.
But Ryan felt that perhaps for Ander, his choice was not wrong.
After all, there are gods in this world, and Ryan will not treat him like he treats Hecate. Thinking about it this way, some seemingly good choices may be mistakes.
"And he—"
Lightly tapping the table, Ryan looked through the wall at the stone house next to him.
The owner of the house was named Cologne, a "second class" of bronze humans, a "craftsman" responsible for making stoves, and a student of the priest of the Temple of Hestia, the god of fire and protection. Of course, the most important thing is that he was the bronze human who refused Ryan's offer to stay overnight.
The reason why he was chosen by chance was because Ryan perceived that he was the one with the highest "qualification" among the nearby humans. However, despite this, Cologne's talent was actually very limited, at least far from being enough to directly carry the power of the Godhead.
But now, from Ryan's detached perspective, he unexpectedly discovered that Cologne and Ander had a fateful connection at some point.
Although this connection is still weak at present, as expected, the more "rewards" Ryan gives to Ander, the more obvious this connection will become.
"Destiny is really unpredictable."
He shook his head slightly. Even though Ryan could solve this problem in advance, he still did nothing. When he left, Ander would no longer be the weak child he is now. By that time, he could solve this problem by himself.
So from that day on, Ryan, who had acquired a new identity as a "priest", did not hide his existence, but openly taught Ander the knowledge of drama.
In the remote residential area of this tribe, there suddenly appeared a priest who did not stay in the temple but lived in someone else's home. This was an abnormal thing, but under the suggestion of the mind, the humans nearby naturally accepted it.
They were just a little envious. A kindness allowed the child named Ander to gain unexpected rewards.
However, this was the only thing that happened. The lack of spiritual and material life at this time made the bronze humans have no clear understanding of "class". They envied Ander, more because he could be exposed to new things that ordinary people did not understand.
Compared to the monotonous life, the freshness and admiration from others brought by this special skill is the source of human beings' desire for the "craftsman" class at this time.
Just like that, more than 20 years passed in a flash.
······
"Good morning, it looks like this year's harvest is pretty good."
"Yes, thanks to the gift of the Creator."
"."
Wearing a linen robe and walking on the bluestone road, Ander, who has entered his youth, greets passers-by in a familiar manner.
More than a decade later, the Bronze Men's settlements had been rebuilt again and again, and even separated into many smaller strongholds that occupied the outer areas of the plains. Ander also moved there.
Compared to the past, the area around his new home was much more lively. Although it was still not the core of the tribe, it was no longer the periphery.
After all, as a performer of "puppet show", Ander is now well-known in the neighborhood. Even many priests from nearby temples come here just to appreciate his performance.
Especially in the drama "Titan War (Part 1)", Ander used puppets to replace the gods, and performed the story of how the king of gods was born in a cave with the help of fate, grew up secretly, met various gods, and finally rescued his brothers and sisters with the help of the ancient gods vividly.
I have to say that although it is very different from the facts, it does seem to be the case at first glance.
Moreover, the human beings at that time had never seen such a cross-era art, and they were amazed by it. Therefore, Ander was sought after by people, and was like the first "star" in ancient times.
More than one priest who had seen Ander's performance even said that they would report Ander's existence to the high priest of the main temple and ask him to perform this drama for God at the annual grand festival. But for some reason, when they returned to their homes, they would always inexplicably forget about it.
But it doesn't matter. After all, the priests are not as enthusiastic about "dedicating drama to the gods" as one might imagine. It is just a way for them to show their "piety".
It's good to remember it, but it doesn't matter if you don't remember it. There are even many priests who think that drama should be enjoyed by them.
I have what others don't have, and this is how I can show my difference from ordinary people. Some people even think that there should be artificial regulations on what only priests can have, and others cannot use it casually, so as to show the dignity of those who are close to God. But the Creator is still there, so in the end no one put this matter on the table to talk about it.
Ander also knew this, but he didn't care who the performance was for.
"Uncle Cologne, good morning. I didn't expect you to come back here today."
After turning the corner, Ander nodded and greeted several bronze humans one by one. He was surprised to see his old neighbor, but he was just stunned for a moment, then he smiled and greeted him.
Coincidentally, because they were both "craftsmen", even if they moved to a new place, they did not live far away from each other, they were just no longer neighbors.
"snort!"
However, in response to Ander's enthusiasm, he only received a cold snort.
Cologne looked at Ander coldly and moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he did not speak and turned away.
"well--"
Seeing this, Ander sighed and didn't say much. After all, Cologne had been dissatisfied with him for a long time.
At first it was just some bickering, but as Ander's fame grew, Cologne's dissatisfaction with him became more intense.
Just like they are all priests, the priests in the great temple who are responsible for the annual sacrifices often have a higher status than others, the priest in charge of the priest-god-king has a higher status than other gods, and the same is true among craftsmen.
Seeing that he had missed a good opportunity because of his momentary choice, Cologne did not dare to attack the strange priest, but it did not affect his targeting of Ander.
But this kind of targeting is obviously meaningless, so in recent years, as Ander's reputation has grown, Cologne has rarely returned home.
Fortunately, it was difficult to build a stove in this era. Whether it was a copper stove for home use or a stone stove for public use, it was not possible to build it in a small room. Therefore, even if he lived in the place where he worked on weekdays, it did not affect his life in Cologne much.
"Mr. Ryan, I'm back."
After walking a little further, they saw their home. But Ander still knocked on the door of the next door first, and then greeted respectfully.
"Come in, the door is not locked."
Squeak——
Hearing this, Ander pushed open the wooden door and walked into the yard.
Since they moved to a new place, Ander and Ryan naturally became neighbors.
Although Ander spent more and more time performing alone outside as he learned more and more, he still remembered to visit his teacher first every time he came back, even if the teacher had never acknowledged him as a student.
"Mr. Ryan, this is a specialty of Giant Wood Town. I brought some back for you."
Walking into the yard, Ander said with a smile as he looked at Ryan who was sitting on a recliner reading a book.
The term "town" is only used to describe a new settlement, and has nothing in common with the villages and towns of later times. Giant Tree Town is a newly built small settlement, named after the ancient forest next to it.
As for the so-called specialty that Ander brought, it was the heartwood of the ancient trees there, which was perfect for making wood carvings.
"You're thoughtful."
Nodding, motioning for Ander to put the things down, Ryan turned his eyes away from the book in his hand.
"Since you are here, you can tell me about your trip as usual. Over the years, your fame has grown."
"It's all thanks to Mr. Ryan's teaching, otherwise I wouldn't be where I am today."
His tone was sincere, and Ender did not mean to be complacent. He knew very well the source of everything he had today.
Ander then told Ryan about what he had seen along the way, including the reason why Giant Wood Town was established, the dirt roads connecting several settlements, and the "cars" pulled by livestock for transportation.
In the past, we only heard that the Sun God and the Moon God had their own divine chariots. It was said that one of them was born in the last era and the other was born decades ago. But now human tribes also have their own chariots.
Ander experienced it during this trip. But perhaps because the technology was not yet perfect, he only felt the bumps, while the people traveling with him enjoyed this novelty.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Ryan, I don't know why, but there seem to be several incidents of disrespect to the gods happening recently."
As if remembering something, Ander couldn't help but say:
"Some people actually think that there is no need to spend so much material to worship the gods, and that humans can live well on their own."
"Don't they know that it is the existence of the gods that prevents natural disasters from happening and that prevents the monsters that are gradually increasing in number from approaching human dwellings?"
At this point, Ander couldn't understand what those people were thinking.
During this long journey, he learned a lot about things that were difficult to access in the center of the Aurora Plain, such as how dangerous places outside of human activities are.
There are giant eagles that can manipulate light, water monsters that can cause rivers to flood, and behemoth beasts that are tens of meters tall. Some of them are stained with the blood of gods scattered in the wars between gods, and some have special cursed substances in their bodies. They are not at all as docile and harmless as the livestock that ordinary humans come into contact with.
Although Ender is not actually afraid of them now, he has ways to scare away those lives, but he also knows how harmful they are to ordinary people. If no one stops them, ordinary humans will be vulnerable to them.
Several towns that humans have expanded to date were built under the leadership of the Creator, and only after the temples of the gods were built did the new towns become safe.
The monsters instinctively feared the divine aura left in the statues by the gods, so they moved away from the human settlements. It was only after knowing this that Ander deeply understood that humans could not live without gods.
"People always get used to it, Ender, and humans today are too well protected. They don't understand how dangerous the world is, nor do they understand how hard their current lives are to come by."
He shook his head slightly. Unlike Ander, Ryan was not surprised that someone would come up with such an idea.
"By the way, how's your new script going?"
"I have no idea yet. I want to reproduce the life of the golden humans with puppet shows so that people can understand the life of the previous generations of humans, but there are too few records of that era."
"The Creator rarely talks about things at that time. It is said that it is because the thinking of humans at that time was limited?"
He said with some distress, and Ander was also a little helpless.
Of course he could make one up at random, but Ender didn't want to do such a self-deceiving thing.
"No rush, you can write 'Titan War (Part 2)' first. As for the Golden Age - maybe after a while, you will be able to run into a golden human."
Ryan smiled and said something to comfort Ander, then as if he remembered something, he handed a blank notebook to Ander.
"By the way, this is for you."
"What is this? Why are there no words in this book?"
Reaching out to take it, Ander was a little curious.
He had seen books. As early as the Golden Age, humans had learned the crude technology of papermaking, but it had never been used on a large scale.
Humans' demand for paper stems from the need for large-scale writing, which is for the purpose of communication and knowledge dissemination. However, humans who live in settlements and have no descendants do not have this demand for the time being. Moreover, compared with paper, stone carvings and sheepskin can obviously be preserved for a longer time.
"This is for you, a blank notebook with endless pages. You can write your script on it. Compared with parchment, it is more convenient to carry and easier to write on."
With a wave of his hand, Ryan leaned back in the recliner.
"Okay, let's stop here. You've been out for a long time, go back and rest. I won't waste your time."
"How can communicating with Mr. Ryan be considered a waste of time?"
With a smile, Ander got up and prepared to leave. When he reached the gate, he turned around and was about to close the gate, but when he saw Ryan lying under the shade of the tree, he suddenly felt dazed.
The ages of bronze humans when they were created were not the same, even for the same batch. When he was invited to perform in a distant place, he saw a human who was already starting to look a little old.
There was gray in his hair, wrinkles on his cheeks, and his strength was not as great as before. Looking at him, Ander felt awe for time and life for the first time.
He didn't know whether he would be like this in the future. Although Mr. Ryan said that he would have a long life in the future, he still had some emotional ups and downs.
But Mr. Ryan was different. More than 20 years had passed, and he seemed to be the same as when he first met me, without any change.
"It is said that priests can receive special favor from the gods. Perhaps this is the reward Mr. Ryan received."
"But then again, which god is Mr. Ryan a priest of?"
This thought just flashed through his mind, and then he subconsciously ignored it. Ander closed the door with his backhand and walked towards his own residence next door.
Physical fatigue was secondary. This long journey really made Ander feel mentally exhausted.
Now, he plans to have a good sleep.
······
Ender returned to his own courtyard, and in his dream he still remembered the history of the Golden Age of Man. He took Ryan's words of "seeing a golden man" as a joke, after all, everyone knew that the Golden Age had long been extinct.
But what he didn't know was that just a few steps away, not far from Giant Tree Town, a man wrapped in animal skins was staring at a primitive wooden wall in the distance, in a daze.
Chapter 175 Rank
Alone, Cohen walked in the wild land for decades.
He traveled day and night, under the stars. He climbed over mountains, walked through wastelands, passed through forests, waded through rivers, crossed deserts, forced his way through swamps, and faced thunderstorms. Unlike before, the land of Chaos has become more and more varied and dangerous.
He had seen nine-headed monster snakes as tall as mountains, and had killed giant worms lurking under the sea of sand. Along the way, although the power from the special substance stopped increasing in strength after a period of time, the energy from himself became much stronger.
Gradually, after defeating a two-headed monster bird that could spit thunder, in order to deal with these powerful enemies on the earth, Cohen began to explore what this energy derived from flesh and blood is, how to strengthen it, and how to use it better.
But Cohen had no teacher, and no one could be his teacher in this regard. He was the first and only one so far. So Cohen had to study on his own, and the only reference was the golden colloid that had merged into his body.
Although most of the information it imparted was useless, there were still some valuable contents. With the help of this knowledge, Cohen gradually understood the nature of some powers, especially the most critical breakthrough of the energy in his body.
On the day when the sacred mountain collapsed, Cohen had broken through the bottleneck in the crisis, allowing the energy in his body to go further. After the bottleneck was broken, the most intuitive manifestation was that his body could touch the law to a certain extent.
At first, Cohen didn't know what the law was, but the knowledge instilled by the mysterious substance made up for his lack of knowledge. And the two unexpected beings he met a few years ago further answered his doubts.
Of course, this also caused the sacredness of the gods to be shattered again in his heart.
"The realm of the extraordinary, 'Legend' is such an ironic title."
Compared to the term "legend" which has social connotations, Cohen prefers to use simple numbers to describe his own strength.
He called the state in which his energy was initially generated "Stage One", the state in which the energy could temporarily enhance the body "Stage Two", and the state in which it could be extended to external objects and injure people from a distance "Stage Three" and "Stage Four" respectively.
As for the further realm called "supernormal" and "legendary", it is naturally called the fifth level by Cohen.
By now, he felt that he should have made another breakthrough. This was called "high-level legend" by that person, and it was also the last step before "self-generated divinity". However, to Cohen, he simply called it "sixth level".
However, at this point, he once again felt that he had encountered an insurmountable obstacle. Cohen did not care much about this. After all, judging from his experience in recent years, there were few people on earth who could be his opponents.
Traveling eastward all the way until today, the new generation of humans he had been looking for was right before his eyes.
But Cohen didn't know what to do for a moment. Should he go directly to contact them, or observe them secretly for a while?
"Hey, the one in front--"
While he was thinking, a voice called out from behind. Cohen was startled at first, but he immediately realized that it was someone calling him.
Perhaps it was because of the long time gap between the two eras, although the language used by the other party actually originated from the humans in the Golden Age, there were already significant differences between them. However, after careful identification, I could still understand what the other party was saying.
"——Where are you from and what are you doing standing here?"
"From the looks of you, are you in trouble in the wild?"
Turning around, Cohen saw a young man not far away looking at him as if he were a rare animal.
The stranger in front of him was wrapped in animal skins, but there was no dust on his body. He looked a little embarrassed, but gave people an inexplicable sense of oppression.
However, although there are conflicts among the bronze humans today, no vicious incidents of mutual attacks have occurred. Therefore, although Cohen looks difficult to deal with, the young people are not afraid of him at all.
"What are you standing there for? You're not from Giant Wood Town, right? I've never seen you before."
Walking forward, the young man patted Cohen's shoulder without any hesitation.
"Yeah."
"I'm here for something."
Trying his best to imitate the other person's accent, Cohen nodded in response.
Feeling the touch on his shoulder, he felt a little awkward and nostalgic. Over the years, Cohen had become accustomed to fighting back against anything that touched him, after all, there was no safe place along the way. But at this moment, suppressing his subconscious reaction, he thought of his old friend again.
Hewa, the historian of the Golden Humans, used to talk and laugh with Cohen in the same way. But now, the only trace of his existence is probably in Cohen's memory.
"Then you are probably too late. Mr. Ander has already returned to the center of the plain."
"It is said that the name of that place will be changed soon. In order to distinguish it from the 'town' we are in, High Priest Momon suggested calling it a 'city', named after the plain, Aurora City, and the Creator also agreed with his idea."
The young man had no doubts about Cohen. In his opinion, the other party was probably someone who came from another town to watch Ander's play.
Just looking at the other person's current appearance, he probably encountered some unexpected situation on the road.
This is normal. After all, the existence of the temple drives away monsters with extraordinary powers, but those beasts that rely solely on physical strength are not among them.
"Come on, now that we're here, I'll take you to town to have a look."
"Although you won't be able to watch the drama, there is something else to watch today. There is a guy who spread blasphemous remarks in public and he will be judged by the temple priests."
With an expression of anticipation, the young man waved at Cohen.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot. Go in and change your clothes first. I really want to hear what this ungodly fellow has to say."
Disrespect for gods, temples, priests?
And the "Creator" mentioned by the other party.
He caught a few key words instantly, but Cohen did not ask questions blindly. Although it was not good to deceive the enthusiastic young man in front of him, he still did not want to reveal his identity.
Thinking about the disappeared corpses and collapsed temples, Cohen didn't know what the gods' attitude was towards the former golden humans, but before he figured out the situation, he planned to act cautiously.
Since the excavation of the temple ruins, Cohen felt that he had changed much more than in the past few thousand years.
"Thank you very much."
Cohen's voice was a little unclear, but the young man didn't care.
"My name is Evans, what's your name?"
"Cohen, my name is Cohen."
This time, the Golden King spoke clearly.
"Well, Brother Cohen, come over here with me."
Following the young man, Cohen once again stepped into a human settlement after many years. Looking at everything around him, he felt strange and familiar.
Some traces of the craftsmanship inherited from the Golden Age can still be seen, but the way passers-by dress and talk are very different from before.
However, relying on the abilities granted by the mysterious substance, Cohen vaguely realized that the biggest difference between humans today and in the past is not in appearance, but in the mind.
Some of them are kind, some are hospitable, and some are upright, but some are not like that.
Behind their smiles, hidden are negative emotions.
And most humans have both.
Chapter 176 Hephaestus
Mount Olympus, in the Queen's chamber.
"Pah—"
On Mount Olympus, in the magnificent hall, exquisitely shaped crystal vessels were shattered to the ground.
The golden crown shook, Hera's chest heaved violently, and the air around her was distorted by the power she released unconsciously.
As the Queen of Heaven who shared divine power with the God King, Hera originally thought that she would be the most honorable goddess in the world. Especially after learning the secret of faith, she believed that she could become the eternal ruler of the gods together with Zeus, instead of leaving the stage like the previous two generations of God Kings.
But now, she felt that her previous thoughts were ridiculous.
The King of Gods never broke his promises, and he did share everything about himself with Hera, but he would never say anything final, like he was doing now.
The divine power of fertility told the Queen of Heaven that another god was being conceived in the world, and because of her relationship with the new god's parents, Hera was particularly sensitive to this.
Because the sources of the new god's bloodline are her husband and her sister.
Hera thought that she had proved her magnanimity by tolerating Eurynome and the three Graces, and even ignoring the weak goddess Leto, but obviously, the king of gods felt that she could be even more magnanimous.
So he went to Demeter, which was exactly what Hera could not tolerate. Whether it was Leto or Eurynome, their weak priesthood meant that they were not a threat, but Demeter, who was now called the goddess of agriculture by humans, was different.
Even though she knew that the contract between Zeus and her to share the divine power was unbreakable, the Queen of Heaven still felt a sense of panic.
"Zeus, you clearly promised—"
"--What's this?!"
Suddenly, while the queen was still venting her anger, her fertility laws were shaken violently.
Accompanied by a sound of abdominal pain, Hera realized the problem almost the next moment.
Being in charge of [fertility] is not without cost. As one of the most special powers, it can influence the birth of new gods, granting them stronger or weaker powers. But it also has unavoidable responsibilities.
Just as Mother Earth gave birth to the three ancient gods alone, now it is her turn.
This would have taken a long time, perhaps hundreds of years, perhaps thousands of years, but because of her anger and resentment at the moment, this fate arrived ahead of time.
Her expression was somewhat uncertain, and Hera could feel that a life was born in her belly under the influence of the law of reproduction and the authority of the Queen of Heaven. And because of her ups and downs in emotions just now, even though she noticed this immediately, the embryo was still slightly affected.
She didn't know whether this impact would be good or bad, but Hera felt that she had to prepare for it.
The eldest son born to Gaia for the Father of Heaven was Oceanus, and the eldest daughter born to Rhea for Cronus was Hestia. Although this was a child conceived by herself, Hera could not let him grow up in Olympus if his existence would be an insult to the Queen of Heaven.
It must be said that Zeus was very good at judging people in this regard. He successfully selected, or rather created, a queen who valued herself more than her children. When they first met, the king of gods was keenly aware of Hera's nature: she might be kind, or naive, but when she had power and faced the risk of losing it, she would change accordingly.
She kept her feelings for herself, and perhaps also for Zeus, but neither the God of Fire nor the God of War in mythology seemed to have enjoyed the love and care from the Mother Goddess.
".Aglaia."
The Queen's voice was heard outside the palace, and soon the youngest of the three Graces walked into the palace.
As the daughter of the God King born before Hera became the Queen of Heaven, in order to show her generosity, Hera brought the three Graces with her and treated the Ocean Goddess Eurynome with great courtesy. Therefore, although they were clearly rivals in love, Hera felt that Eurynome and she were more or less trustworthy people for her daughter.
Although only a little bit.
"Your Majesty, you called me?"
With a slight bow, Aglaia noticed the broken utensils on the ground. Obviously, the Queen of Heaven was definitely not in a good mood before.
".Aglaia, as the mistress of Mount Olympus, the queen of heaven recognized by the laws of the world, I have just been given a responsibility by the world."
"I will give birth to a god on my own, just like the Earth Mother did in the past, to respond to the world's favor to me."
Aglaia lowered his head and remained silent.
"I will give birth to him as soon as possible. If everything goes well, he will be my eldest son and a member of Olympus. But if something unexpected happens-"
"Then he is not my child. You have to find him a qualified 'family'. I want you to secretly select a location in advance and then report to me. Do you understand me?"
Aglaia certainly understood what Hera meant. Apparently, the goddess of fertility had sensed something was wrong, and she did not want her first child to have any defects in any sense.
In this case, the ocean promised by the God King himself was a very suitable place. The Queen of Heaven probably didn't trust her brother to handle this matter, so she chose to hand it over to Aglaia's mother, the Ocean Goddess Eurynome, to solve this problem.
But the most important thing is that Hera probably wants to do all this without telling the God King.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Although she didn't want to get involved in this matter, as the youngest and smartest of the three Graces, Aglaia knew she had no choice but to agree.
However, thinking about the vague fear of Oceanus among the Olympian gods, Aglaia felt that perhaps her aunt's family, who had married far away, might be more suitable to take over this "important task".
Anyway, it is impossible for him to be valued by the King of Gods if he gets close to Poseidon, so I think they will not refuse to do something for the Queen of Heaven.
"Very good, then you can go out."
Hera nodded with satisfaction. She didn't know that Aglaia had already thought of a solution in such a short time. She just signaled the other party to leave.
When she was left alone in the palace again, looking at the empty palace, anger once again surged into the Queen's heart involuntarily.
Hera thought her sister, Demeter, was a peaceful person, but she didn't expect that she would betray her.
As for Zeus, Hera knew that even though his inability to control himself was the root of all the problems, she had no way to do anything to him.
"Huh - calm down."
"And this kid, was he also influencing me just now?"
Trying hard to calm herself down, Hera unexpectedly discovered that, perhaps because of the negative emotions she had integrated into the embryo, this newborn god seemed to have a closer connection with her.
This gave Hera a vague glimpse that he would possess divine power related to the earth and fire in the future.
"It shouldn't be very weak."
I breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously. It would be best if I could give birth to a normal, powerful god.
But feeling this connection, the diva couldn't help but think of the origin of her negative emotions.
A husband, a sister, and a baby to be born.
"Zeus, this better be the last time."
Her expression was cold. In just a dozen years, the goddess who used to smile brightly and had a kind heart seemed to have accepted the reality. At this moment, Hera secretly made a decision.
"If there is a next time."
She really couldn't do anything to the God King, but he was just the God King. If she couldn't stop her husband, she would use her actions to tell all the goddesses that no one could take away what belonged to her, Hera.
······
After changing his clothes and tidying up his appearance at Evans's house, Cohen finally no longer looked like a savage.
Although his temperament was still out of tune with Giant Wood Town, pedestrians on the road no longer looked at him with strange eyes. Relying on his extraordinary control over his body and hearing, Cohen quickly learned the accent of the bronze humans.
At this time, walking on the road and listening to the conversations of the people around him, Cohen gradually gained some understanding of the history of thousands of years.
The King of Gods is no longer the same as before. With the collapse of Mount Sacred, the one who now rules the world is the ruler of the Olympus pantheon, the King of Gods Zeus.
Humanity has been destroyed twice, and according to them, the second generation of silver humans also had a long lifespan, but because they did not respect the gods, they lost the protection of the gods and became extinct in the intervals of the Titan wars.
Cohen did not comment on this. He had never seen the Silver Humans, and he did not know whether they worshipped God or not, but what he knew was that if worshipping God could bring him protection, he would not be here now.
What made him feel strange was that although the humans here all claimed to be believers of God, their understanding of God was not similar to that of the Golden Age. In the description of the bronze humans, God did not seem to be omnipotent and perfect, but merely a being with great power.
People even ranked the importance of the gods according to their different powers.
In addition, in front of the temple dedicated to the gods, there are people called priests who talk about the greatness of different gods and the benefits that can be obtained by believing in gods.
Yes, although they called it a 'blessing', Cohen felt that it was simply an exchange.
Humans offer sacrifices and gods bestow blessings. Bronze humans think this is normal, but Cohen finds it strange no matter how he looks at it.
"Perhaps, this is the real 'God'?"
"Perhaps the God we once understood is indeed different from the real God."
Silently pondering, Cohen felt that he seemed to have found the answer. But looking at those tall temples and the kneeling humans, he couldn't help but once again think of the dream that changed his destiny.
It's funny to say that thousands of years have passed, and he still doesn't know which god the so-called "Lord" mentioned by the god who calls himself an "angel" is.
It seemed that the other party was just in a good mood, casually sprinkled some food on the ants under his feet, and then forgot about his existence. Not to mention asking him to build a temple, he didn't even leave his name.
This made Cohen feel a little frustrated for a while, but now it has become a support for his past ideas.
Everything he saw in the ruins made the King doubt God, but if he was asked to completely deny his beliefs of the past thousands of years and the faith that the golden humans had insisted on, he would find it difficult to accept. Fortunately, Cohen discovered that there seemed to be differences between these gods.
Now, he wanted to know why the former Titan gods, the current Olympian gods, and the god whose name was unknown were so different from each other.
His intuition told him that the reason behind this might be the answer he had been looking for.
"Brother Cohen, why are you distracted again?"
While he was lost in thought, Evans' voice instantly called Cohen's attention back.
".Sorry, the place I lived before is quite different from here."
Coming back to his senses, Cohen gave Evans an apologetic smile, his expression still a little unnatural.
There is no other way. Even if it is for the reason of self-protection, hiding one's origins from others is still somewhat contrary to the Human King's past code of conduct.
"It's normal to have a difference. Giant Wood Town is close to the forest and lacks stone. Apart from the temple, there are basically no stone buildings. It's normal for you to find it novel."
"If you're not in a hurry to go back, you can stay in town for a while, but now, we're here."
Nodding in understanding, Evans gestured to Cohen to look at a crowded place ahead.
"Remember what I told you before?"
".You mean, the 'non-believers'?"
After just a moment's thought, Cohen remembered what Evans had said to him before.
It seems that there are some unbelievers in Giant Wood Town who are unwilling to offer sacrifices to the gods anymore, which has undoubtedly angered the priests in charge of the temple. Today, the priests will announce the results of their punishment in front of everyone.
"Yes, that's them." Evans nodded and showed an interested expression: "In front of the temple of the God King, the priest of the God of Justice and Law will publicly judge the fate of those blasphemous people today."
"Of course, the Creator once said that when the respected goddess makes a judgment on right and wrong in the Divine Court, she will always fully listen to the opinions of both parties before making a fair judgment. So the priests will follow suit and prepare to give those unbelievers a chance to speak, and then find out their loopholes and criticize them in public."
"Come to think of it, I have been curious about what they can say for a long time."