The sun chariot has arrived in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun has dyed the earth with a layer of golden paint. The place where the late awakeners live is not far from the human tribe, but there is a wide river between them.
This is a river that was born at the turn of the era. It was created as the aftermath of the fight between two ancient gods. Therefore, this river does not have a river god. Instead, it is occupied by a strange beast with two heads and stained with the blood of the sea god.
Under the threat of strange beasts, there is no trace of human activity in this place even though it is only separated by a river.
But today, three goddesses with different appearances but gorgeous clothes came here. They wore dresses adorned with gems, garlands on their heads, flowers in their hands, and exuded a beautiful and joyful atmosphere.
When they stood together, even the deserted riverside looked like a banquet with wine flowing in the winding stream, giving people a sense of joy from the heart.
"Aglaia, why do you think the Father wants us to come here to visit a mortal?"
With a slightly haughty look on her face, Talia complained to her youngest sister.
"She is not a mortal, Talia, she is Pandora, blessed by the gods."
With a serene smile, Aglaia explained quietly.
"What's the difference? She was created by God, and so were humans. Does being blessed by the gods mean she can become a god?"
Somewhat unconvinced, as the oldest and most mature-looking of the three, Talia actually knew that Pandora was not a simple mortal, but no matter what, she could not be on par with the gods.
And such a person received the blessing of the gods, which was a treatment she had never enjoyed.
"Forget it, Talia. She married a god anyway. Perhaps Father God wants us to show his mercy. After all, the elder and younger brothers of that foolish god were punished by the God Court one after another."
On the side, Euphrosyne stopped Thalia from complaining.
The three Graces, daughters of the Oceanic goddess Eurynome, are in charge of elegance and magnificence, joy and festivals, and encouragement and feasting. From a certain perspective, this seems to correspond to the beauty of women at three different ages.
The youngest, Aglaia, is elegant and quiet, and she often likes to enjoy the beauty of mountains and rivers alone; the second-ranked Euphrosyne likes a more lively atmosphere, and she often brings smiles to those around her; and the eldest, Thalia, cannot be satisfied by ordinary pleasures, so she is in charge of indulgence and banquets, bringing more exciting enjoyment to everyone.
But perhaps it is precisely because of this that the oldest one seems to be a little fond of comparison, while the youngest one seems to be much more polite.
"snort."
With a snort, Thalia accepted Euphrosyne's statement. Although she didn't think highly of Epimetheus, he was at least the offspring of the Titans. The two brothers were famous among the gods for their wisdom and strength, and he himself had considerable divine power.
Although this "not weak" is only compared with the three of them, in this era, it is indeed rare to find a true god with weaker power than them.
After a brief argument, the three goddesses walked toward the garden in the distance. This was the garden that Epimetheus built for Pandora, just around the house where they lived.
"Hey, you are——"
The undisguised approach of the Graces startled the owner of this place. Pandora, wearing a loose robe, raised her head from in front of a flower bed and looked not far away.
The three goddesses, as symbols of beauty, have different appearances, but all of them are considered beautiful. In this regard, Pandora, who was blessed by the true goddess of beauty, is not inferior. However, compared to the gorgeous clothes on the others, her clothes seem much simpler.
Athena had not yet been born, so this invincible and clever girl with bright eyes naturally had no chance to put feathers on Pandora. Therefore, as the first mortal woman in the world, a feeling of envy rose in Pandora's heart, but she quickly suppressed it.
She is a life blessed by the gods, just a piece of clothing, nothing to worry about.
"I am Aglaia, they are my two sisters, and we are here to visit the Illuminati's younger brother."
With a polite smile, Aglaia spoke.
"Then come in, three of you. I have heard of you. Unfortunately, Epimetheus left a while ago. He said he would be away for quite some time."
Pandora said as she walked forward and opened the garden gate.
"Is that so? That's really unfortunate."
With a slight smile, Aglaia pulled her somewhat reluctant sister and walked into the garden.
On both sides of the fine-grained road, colorful flowers bloomed out of season. This was a blessing from the goddess Demeter, who made the place where Pandora was bloom with flowers and it was like spring all year round.
Walking into the garden, Aglaia looked at the environment and layout while casually finding a topic to talk about.
"On weekdays, are you and His Majesty Epimetheus the only ones living here? That would be a bit lonely."
"Not only us, but also my daughter, Pyrrha, who was born not long ago. In addition, Deucalion often comes to our place."
Speaking of Deucalion, Pandora felt a little regretful.
"He didn't inherit the power of his parents, and he barely even has any divinity. As an ordinary demigod, he lives among us in the human world."
Prometheus the Prophet had a wife and children, although they are not as well known as he himself. He and the Oceanid Pronoia gave birth to Deucalion, but the son of the Prophet did not receive any divine office, and his power was not much stronger than that of ordinary humans.
Demigod is sometimes used to describe a state, and sometimes used to describe a race. In this era, the first mortal with self-generated divinity has not yet been born, so demigod naturally refers to the latter.
Anyone who is the first generation descendant of a god can be called a demigod, and Deucalion is such a being.
As early as when Prometheus tried to deceive the gods, the goddess of foresight advised him just like Epimetheus did. But unlike the latecomer, after persuading him to no avail, Pronoa went directly to the secluded place of Iapetus to seek the protection of the Titan.
She did not return to the sea, because after learning the secret of faith, Pronoia was no longer allowed to go to the sea. Deucalion chose to stay because he always believed in his father's wisdom.
"That's a shame, but I believe that he will achieve success like his father did, using things other than strength."
After saying this to comfort her, Aglaia chatted with Pandora for a while, and her two sisters also joined in.
They were halfway through the garden when suddenly, as if she remembered something, Talia asked.
"Pandora, I heard that His Majesty Hades gave you a jar?"
"That's right, do you want to take a look?"
A smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. Pandora couldn't help feeling a little proud of this treasure given by Hades.
Since going to the underworld, Hades has rarely interacted with the gods on earth, but he still remembered to send me a gift, which is also something to be happy about.
"Of course, I've been interested in it for a long time."
Nodding, Talia continued,
"It is said that there is also a main god of the underworld who placed an extra precious treasure in it at that time?"
"Treasure, maybe, but I don't know what it is."
In her memory, what Lyanna had placed in the jar was a faint, glittering phantom, so Pandora just shook her head.
"Didn't you try to open it?"
Talia couldn't help but suggest, her curiosity piqued.
"His Majesty the King of Hell has instructed that this jar cannot be opened."
She refused, although Pandora was also very curious about what was hidden inside that allowed such an ordinary clay jar to absorb disasters and misfortunes, but she remembered the instructions of the God-King, so she never did anything wrong.
"I know, but Hades didn't say why it can't be opened."
She didn't really care. In Talia's impression, there was no such thing in Chaos' world that would bring disaster to God if opened.
As for mortals, she really didn't think about their affairs.
"Perhaps there are more precious treasures hidden inside. Besides, the God King did not stop the other Lord of the Underworld from putting the gift in, so there must be no danger in it."
Pandora was a little tempted, but she shook her head again to refuse, which made Talia a little unhappy. She looked at the beautiful woman in front of her and said lightly:
"Yes, you are not a god after all, so you will inevitably have all kinds of worries, but this is actually unnecessary. I don't know why the Father God had the gods create you together."
"Perhaps, but as a member of the God Clan, you don't seem to be able to make the gods look at you differently. Why don't you go and ask His Majesty the King of Hell what's inside, so as to satisfy my curiosity?"
Although she was facing a god, Pandora was not afraid at all. With the blessing given to her by Hestia, this god with little power could do nothing to her.
"you--"
Thalia's face was not very good, and the scene was a little awkward for a while. Aglaia and Euphrosyne held her back, and the quarrel finally stopped.
However, in this atmosphere, the three Graces did not stay long. They just hurriedly toured the garden and then returned to Olympus.
Fortunately, although Epimetheus was not here, the king of gods asked them to come in the name of visiting Pandora. Therefore, the three goddesses felt that they had fulfilled Zeus' instructions.
Standing at the gate of the garden, Pandora looked at the three departing figures, feeling angry and sad. Although Talia's impoliteness made her unhappy, there was a reason why she did that. After all, Chaos was a female life with wisdom, either a god or a nymph.
The value of a nymph's existence is to serve as a servant of the gods.
"What's wrong? What happened today?"
Pandora was startled by the voice behind her and immediately realized that the person coming was Epimetheus.
"Aren't you going to be out for a while?"
"The gods from Mount Olympus came to visit you before. If they had known you would come back now, they would have stayed a little longer."
"That's a real pity."
Epimetheus smiled, glanced at the light drifting away in the sky, and continued to ask:
"What did they talk to you about?"
"Talia, the eldest sister of the Three Graces, is curious about Hades' gift. His Majesty Hades clearly said not to open it."
Pandora felt a little aggrieved and hoped to get comfort from Epimetheus, but the result disappointed her.
"I think it's okay to open it and take a look."
Epimetheus said casually, smiling brightly.
"snort."
With a snort, Pandora no longer paid attention to her stupid husband, but turned and walked towards the room. She didn't want to talk any more with Epimetheus.
Behind her, the latecomer was not angry. He just smiled and followed Pandora.
······
The three Graces left, but it didn't end there. From that day on, for some reason, even though her two sisters had no interest in it, Talia often came to the place where the late awakeners lived to meet her new "friends".
But for some reason, she almost never met Epimetheus. Every time, he was not there for various reasons, but this was just what Thalia wanted. She didn't come here for the God of Hindsight.
She borrowed the golden crown from the Queen of Heaven, the golden staff from the goddess of agriculture, asked the Mother Goddess to weave a wreath for her, and even borrowed Aphrodite's belt, a divine tool that could make all the opposite sex fall in love with her. Except for the goddess of law who was not in Olympus recently, she visited almost all the gods with some status.
The result was a bit surprising to herself. Whenever she came to ask for help, these powerful gods agreed to her requests one by one. But Talia didn't think much about it. She just thought it was for the sake of the God King.
Good things must be shared, so every time she got these treasures, she would show them to her "friend" Pandora.
This behavior undoubtedly made Pandora very angry, and she told this to her husband, but as the rumors among the gods said, the stupid Epimetheus did not realize Thalia's "sinister intentions" at all.
Instead, he was very surprised. Isn't it a happy thing when a good friend shows you his treasure?
Pandora gave up the idea of getting help from her husband. But as a non-god, Olympus was not open to her, and she had no ability to see other gods, which made her even angrier.
Time continued to pass, and in addition to the affairs between the gods, many changes also took place within the human tribes.
High walls have been built in the city of Aurora, and people usually only travel in groups of three or five, wearing rough protective gear woven from animal fur, before they dare to leave the protection of the walls and enter the wilderness.
But there are some people who are different. The high-ranking priests of Aurora suddenly discovered one day that there are some unstable factors in the city under their rule. They have better physiques than their carefully selected guards, and can kill some beasts with sharp claws and fangs alone.
They gathered around a man named 'Cohen', listened to him talk about the beauty of the Golden Age, the virtues of the golden humans, and followed him to learn how to hone their physique and combat skills.
This could not help but surprise the priests, but after consulting the high priest Momon who lived next to the new sacred fire, the other party's attitude was ambiguous, and it seemed that he had no intention of responding at all.
Some priests didn't know why, but most knew that they had long been "one of the same people" as Momon. The mysterious figure in the black mist had warned them not to provoke that guy easily, so they all supported the decision of the high priest.
Then a very strange phenomenon appeared. A small group that was obviously out of control appeared in Aurora City, but was inexplicably ignored by the city's managers.
In this situation, both sides kept to themselves and were busy with their own affairs.
However, unlike the priests, although Cohen was immersed in various affairs, he did not feel happy.
Along the way, his insistence on the past was broken again and again. In the past, what God said was the truth, but now, he feels that everything is exactly the opposite.
It seems that few of the things God has said are true.
He noticed that the special group entrenched in the upper echelons of bronze humans, every once in a while, some humans would be tainted with that strange blood aura. Cohen originally wanted to stop it, but then he gave up.
Because the ability brought by the special substance in his body can affect his emotions to a certain extent, making people full of hope or decadent, and it can also make him more aware of other people's emotions. But to his disappointment, those humans who were infected with the special aura were not people of noble character.
There was no coercion, only temptation. Cohen even witnessed a man drinking the black blood, completely of his own will.
"Evans, do you think the direction humans are heading in now is correct?"
Feeling somewhat confused, during his free time one afternoon, Cohen, immersed in thought, subconsciously asked the first bronze man he met, who had also been his good friend in recent years.
He didn't expect the other party to give an answer, but unexpectedly, Evans answered very seriously.
"I don't know, Cohen, but if it doesn't feel right to you, why not do something about it?"
"Do something?"
"Yes. I always feel like you don't have any goals. Even though you are here to teach us how to fight wild beasts, I dare say that if I hadn't seen the power you displayed that day, you probably wouldn't have had this idea."
In the past, Evans's personality was somewhat eccentric, but now, his face was serious, holding the bronze sword in his hand, and he chopped it down fiercely.
With a clanging sound, the bronze sword sank deeply into the boulder. This was not something that an ordinary bronze human could do, but one of the results of Evans' self-improvement over the years.
"To be honest, I don't really like the priests nowadays. Now that the Creator is gone, everything seems to have changed dramatically. But for me, even if I can split this stone with a sword, it won't change anything. But you are different."
Turning around and looking into Cohen's eyes, Evans said solemnly:
"Your power is enough to break up hills and cut off rivers. If you are dissatisfied with the actions of the priests, you can stop them. If you are dissatisfied with the current situation in Aurora, you can also replace those priests and let the human tribes move in your direction. In this case, why don't you do it?"
"."
After a long silence, Cohen let out a long sigh under Evans' expectant gaze.
"Because I don't know what is right, Evans."
"But the golden age you once told me about"
"Golden humans have firm beliefs. They believe that God is omniscient and omnipotent, and that God is perfect. They understand God in this way and demand the same of themselves, so there is what I call the Golden Age."
Cohen looked at his friend beside him and asked seriously,
"What about you? Can you find someone to confide your thoughts to and tell yourself, 'It's right to work hard in this direction'?"
".I can't."
The image of the Hearth Goddess flashed through his mind, but Evans couldn't convince himself, because the goddess no longer responded to humans.
"This is why I feel a little aimless. I don't know what is right. Just like now, even if I forcefully replace the priests, how can I guarantee that I can make humanity better, not worse? At least now, everyone can live a normal life, even if it is a little worse than before."
"If you work hard in the wrong direction, you will only get a wrong result. The harder you work, the more wrong the result will be. This is why I am a little confused."
Shaking his head slightly, Cohen stopped talking about such dull things and changed the subject.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I recently discovered that if I let the energy in my body vibrate at a certain rhythm, it can exert greater power. But if the rhythm is wrong, it will hurt myself instead."
"I've tried it, do you want to try it?"
".Of course, I also want to be able to fight against strange beasts in the wilderness one day!"
Cohen's way of changing the subject was very abrupt, but Evans roughly understood his idea. Perhaps he had become accustomed to his faith, and even though he was free from the shackles now, it was difficult for him to regain the confidence in his decision for a while.
However, Evans and the bronze humans were not much better in this regard. They accepted the guidance of the priests because they had a close relationship with the gods and the creator. Even if one of them abandoned them or the other left them, humans still chose to obey out of habit.
This is the case even for a few decades, let alone thousands of years.
Then the sound of practice rang out again, and the previous conversation seemed to have been forgotten by the two.
But at night, when Cohen was lying alone in bed, he couldn't help but think of these things again.
During this period, he was somewhat lacking direction.
"Perhaps humans do need a 'God', but He is definitely not a being with the same thoughts as ordinary people."
Silently pondering, Cohen questioned himself.
Faith has power in the mythological world, but even without this power, it can still fill people with hope and give them something to rely on. However, the premise of all this is that the object of this faith and the person who guides people to believe in him have no ill intentions.
"He should be great and perfect, like the world itself. He sends down thunder and rain, not to express his pleasure or anger at mortals, but simply because He wants to, and for no other reason."
Whispering to himself, Cohen couldn't help but draw a comparison with the gods of Olympus.
"This kind of God may be the real 'God'."
Perhaps the god that the golden humans believe in does not exist at all. There is no existence in this world that conforms to human morality and possesses power that humans cannot understand.
Cohen was immersed in thinking, and at a certain moment, he had a thread of faith in the world itself, which was then quickly broken. However, faith will not dissipate once it is generated, and Chaos will not accept faith, so this power began to split.
Some came to the earth, but the Earth Mother was still asleep and she didn't notice this little thing. Some floated into the spirit world, but Cohen was a half-believer in the spirit world, so naturally it didn't attract any attention.
However, there are some who accidentally end up in places they shouldn't be.
At the very top of the sky, a peak that no one in the world can reach, when this faith came in, a group of illusory concepts suddenly moved.
Although this powerful and pure belief only lasted for a short moment, it seemed to have broken a certain balance, causing the fingers of a certain giant to move unconsciously.
No one noticed this scene, except that the giant god who was holding up the sky was almost forced to kneel down by the heavy pressure at one moment, but he soon disappeared, making Atlas feel that it was just an illusion.
"This is."
".I."
"."
"."
The barely perceptible sound echoed in the sky, and then fell into silence again. Cohen's thoughts were only brief, and soon everything returned to normal. It was as if nothing had happened, and only the world itself witnessed it all.
With the integration of the Nine Realms, the origin of the world rose again, and the originally destined fate was rewritten again.
······
Chapter 199 Different Choices
It's spring again.
The sky was rosy and the moist breeze was blowing across the land. The morning after the rain was always so intoxicating, but Pandora, who had just woken up, was not in a good mood at all.
Yesterday, she once again sent away the goddess who came to show off to her on purpose. This time, she brought a string of pearl bracelets, which were said to be jewels bred at the bottom of the deep sea from some shellfish that survived the last era.
Talia recounted in detail the origin of these shellfish: they were born in the Golden Age, absorbing the essence of the ocean water and the starlight from the sky, and it took hundreds of years to give birth to a pearl.
Although the other party did not say a word of ridicule, the implication was clear. Pandora did not understand why there were such boring gods in this world.
But it's hard to say, because the daily life of the gods is indeed quite boring now. Maybe Talia just came to have some fun.
But what Pandora couldn't accept was that the person who made her happy might be herself.
"So, what's in it?"
Sitting at the table, Pandora gently tapped the clay jar covered with mysterious patterns.
Now, she was the only one living there. Epimetheus had gone somewhere unknown, and her daughter Pyrrha had been taken away by her cousin to play, and might not come back for a few days. Pandora was the only one left here alone.
Apart from flowers and plants, the only thing that kept her company was this jar of unknown purpose.
"Humph, your things are all borrowed, but Hades' gift belongs to me alone!"
She snorted coldly, as if to comfort herself. But even though she said so, Pandora had no idea how this jar worked.
It can absorb disasters and pain, but Pandora was not aware of the existence of these concepts. She tried to ask Epimetheus, but he also said he knew nothing. So in her eyes, this is just an ordinary pottery jar, nothing special.
As for the extra gift sent by the underworld god named Lyanna, Pandora was even more confused.
'Nothing is impossible', she wanted to become a god, wanted that boring Talia to be afraid of her, these were all impossible things, so could this clay pot help her do it?
"Maybe. Really?"
Pursing her lips, Pandora unconsciously stroked the long hair falling from her shoulders.
If there was no precedent in the world, she might not have thought of doing so, but there was one.
Hecate, the goddess of the magic web, some people say that she is a divine life born during the second generation of God Kings, just like Pandora; others say that she is actually the descendant of a Titan god, but the god of material destruction who is rumored to be her father has not appeared in the world for a long time.
No one knows where he is, so it is naturally difficult to verify. At least now, Pandora is willing to believe that it is a life similar to herself.
"Phew—I can't open it."
Pandora stretched out her hand halfway, then quickly retracted it, forcing herself not to look at it.
This ordinary pottery jar seemed to have magical power, and it always aroused her thoughts recently, especially when she was alone at home.
Feeling a little annoyed, Pandora put the jar on the table and went out to relax alone.
······
It is night.
The air after the rain carried the fragrance of flower petals. Lying on the bed in the bedroom, Pandora's eyes were a little dull.
She let her thoughts run wild, imagining all kinds of futures. Perhaps it was innate, she had a strong desire to explore everything, which made her unable to tolerate that there was something she didn't know right beside her, right in front of her.
"This is obviously a gift for me."
She bit her lip. The sky outside had already darkened. It was another night with stars but no moon. On such a day, some kind of silent throbbing surged in Pandora's heart.
Everything was quiet, and she seemed to be the only one here. Everything was far away from her, except for the woman lying on the bed and the pottery jar that seemed to be looking at her.
The intertwined lines on it look like an eye.
At one point, Pandora even felt that the eye blinked, but then she realized that it was just an illusion.
This is just an ordinary jar, no different from any other. If there is anything special about it, it may be that it contains something unusual.
"But I can't see them at all!"
Her breathing became rapid, which was particularly obvious in the quiet environment. In the past, she had wanted to open the jar more than once, but she stopped every time.
She remembered Hades' instructions, but like Talia said, the Lord of the Underworld had not actually said what the consequences would be if it was opened, and even if there were, with the blessing of the gods, it would not bring any harm to Pandora.
"The power of the gods was limited on earth. They were even deceived by mortals for decades. It was not until mortals betrayed their creators in a despicable way that the gods realized this. Epimetheus told me about this."
"if."
Whispering softly, Pandora sat up in bed.
It is said that the Goddess of the Demonic Net was also born on such a starry but moonless night. She came to the world with fire from heaven, walked on the earth for thousands of years, and finally ascended to the throne of God. Perhaps fate is also indicating that this is the most suitable opportunity?
"Just this once."
Yes, only once, under the hazy starlight, Pandora swore secretly.
······
"Only one chance."
Without the moonlight, the earth seemed extremely dark, and the stars today were not very bright, with only a hazy glow appearing from time to time.
But this is not a one- or two-day thing. In recent years, the stars that were originally the brightest in the zodiac star field have become much dimmer than usual.
According to the sun god Helios, the heroes and star gods who used to roam the star space seemed to be busy with other things, and when he drove the sun chariot across the sky, he rarely saw them. Therefore, most mortals kept their doors closed at night recently, and the gods did not go out much.
But today there were two exceptions. Floating in the clouds, Epimetheus looked at the sky above the garden. Although there was nothing there, he was sure that there was an invisible air current there.
The wind god was most likely the god of the west wind, whose name Epimetheus had heard of. He was highly valued because he presented a sacred artifact to Zeus, which was completely different from the treatment of the sun god who also surrendered to the enemy.
"It seems that the god who often came here before was him. Yes, there is no one more suitable than the God of Wind."
The 'young man' had an innocent smile on his face. He and the invisible air current looked through the open window at the struggle and luck of his 'wife' in the house in the distance. The difference was that the latter was unaware of his existence.
As early as the beginning, Epimetheus actually knew that someone might come to monitor them, so although he was not a talkative person, he still deliberately spoke out Prometheus' warning before leaving.
Then a certain guy really revealed his true colors, and over the next decade or so he gradually figured out his position.
It must be said that the absoluteness of divine power is indeed difficult to crack. Even until now, Epimetheus could not detect any difference between that airflow and the natural airflow. But in many cases, "no abnormality" does not mean it is reasonable.
Over the years, he had found excuses to leave the garden time and again, not just because he didn't want to see the Graces, but more because he was trying to summarize the changing patterns of the nearby climate.
According to this law, there should be no airflow there now.
"There's only one chance, and this is the best chance."
His eyes became sharp. At this moment, Epimetheus was no longer the naive brother in front of the foresighted, or the fool who realized things late in the eyes of the gods. He stretched out his hand forward, and an invisible force enveloped the front.
He is indeed a god who realizes things afterward, but perhaps because he has too little presence, few people realize that, just as the God of Wisdom can bestow wisdom on others, a latecomer can also make others realize things afterward.
Epimetheus released his power, and the authority acting on consciousness enveloped the place where the airflow was for a while.
Almost the next moment, the backlash of the law came, his face turned pale and lost blood in an instant, but he was smiling happily.
His judgment was correct, and the feedback from authority told him that there was indeed a life there that was influenced by him.
"call--"
"You're right, 'You can change something, but you don't want to change it.' That describes me very well."
Waving his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, Epimetheus couldn't help but think of the unexpected encounter he had in the human tribe before.
One was the goddess of the underworld moon. He had seen this powerful god again on Mount Olympus not long ago, but he had no impression of the other one. His existence left no memory in the hearts of the latecomers. This terrifying ability was probably what the goddess of the underworld moon had said before, the master of the spirit world who really gave this gift.
Another powerful ancient god, but he is no different from those gods. He has innate power, but he demands the weak with the attitude of demanding the strong. What an arrogant attitude.
Is it wrong to choose indifference when facing a future that is doomed to be unchangeable? Epimetheus doesn't think so. He just made the right choice.
There is no need for meaningless struggles. If there is no chance, he will just go with the flow. But now, when he sees the possibility of change, he will not hesitate to take action.
His elder brother also cheated the gods, but he chose the most stupid and meaningless way. He risked his life for something insignificant, and then he was defeated as expected. This was the fate he deserved. His younger brother also fought against the gods, but he was loyal to the previous god king who was now unknown whether he was dead or alive. However, he could only accept the punishment of supporting the sky forever. Isn't this also the reward for his stupidity?
He was different. He also wanted to cheat the god king today, but it was only for himself, not for any other existence. No one would know what happened except him and that stupid woman.
Buzz——
A buzzing sound was heard, and Epimetheus knew that the jar had probably been opened.
As if they had received some instructions, at this moment, the authority of the gods of Hades was touched. Even though they were far underground, they still noticed that the 'anchor' they had given had left where it was supposed to be.
So in the newly built temple in the Garden of Truth, Hades signaled to his left and right, and the gods who had already gathered here obeyed his orders.
The authority of the true God began to be displayed, with the 'anchor point' on the ground as the center. It showed itself wantonly in front of Pandora and the two secret onlookers in the form of black mist, insects and flies, and all kinds of filthy forms, and then suddenly spread out.
They passed through mountains and rivers, crossed fields and city walls, and spread to every corner of the world in an instant. This was allowed by the God King. From then on, perhaps the gods of the underworld would no longer be able to gain the heartfelt worship of humans, but their existence itself would become an insignificant but inescapable part of human civilization.
From now on, disputes, hatred, disasters, lust, and deception will prevail in the world. This is not a distortion of thinking, but a subtle influence.
Compared with these intangible disasters, plagues and disasters will occur immediately.
"Just consider it a punishment. You betrayed your maker. Just because Prometheus can forgive you doesn't mean I will."
Epimetheus watched all this happen, and he no longer hesitated. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He landed on the ground, walked silently through the garden, and opened the wooden door of the room. In front of him, Pandora was facing away from him, watching the scene in front of her in disbelief.
Black gas continuously poured out of the tank, announcing their existence to the world. Pandora never expected that this was the so-called "gift".
All the disasters were released because of her. She was trying hard to put the lid back on, but it was all in vain.
Finally, Pandora, exhausted, fell to the ground. She watched all kinds of disasters fly out of the jar little by little, until finally, she saw a little light.
It was the reflection of a certain star. When everything else had left, it seemed to have sensed the changes in the environment and was ready to leave the pottery jar and merge into the fate of all mankind.
However, at this moment, a hand lifted the lid of the jar, and the clay jar that Pandora tried her best to close was closed.
"you--!"
Pandora turned around suddenly and looked at her husband who appeared behind her without her knowing when. She was speechless for a moment. She first wanted to justify her behavior, but then she realized that it was wrong.
Why was Epimetheus here, how long had he been here, why was he just sitting there watching all this, and why did he lock the last gift back?
"Hush—don't be surprised."
The man put his index finger in front of his mouth and signaled his wife to keep her voice down.
"I am also a god. Although I am not a very powerful god, it is not surprising that I have such power."
"But, but why didn't you close it in advance? I just wanted to see what was inside, I didn't want to let those things out."
The moment she saw the black mist, Pandora knew what it was. The clay jar could indeed absorb disasters and misfortunes, because it itself was the treasure that imprisoned them.
And now, I released them with my own hands.
"I know, these are just some disasters. They don't exist because of your actions. Although future generations will probably record them as such, in fact, you just gave some people an excuse to really let them come to the world, which will make their actions seem a little more reasonable."
Epimetheus said casually after taking a look at the brand new pottery jar.
"What about the last one?" Gradually coming to her senses, Pandora looked at her husband who looked nonchalant. She asked angrily, "Why did you leave it in there?"
"Who said that? It obviously left too."
"Besides—"
Epimetheus stretched out his hand and was about to pick up the jar, but in the end, he gave up.
"——Pandora, you don't really think of yourself as a member of the human race."
At this moment, he remembered the words of the Dark Moon Goddess: this was a gift from the master of the spirit world to mankind. If a god tried to snatch it, he would definitely pay the price.
Fortunately, Epimetheus did not intend to "rob" it. This was given to Pandora by the goddess of the underworld, so let her keep it.
"Come here, pick it up, we should leave."
Epimetheus gave the order, looking at Pandora with a smile.
"You haven't answered yet—"
"I'll let you pick it up."
Facing her husband's gradually cold gaze, Pandora finally realized that he was not only a famous fool among the gods, but also a true god. She hesitated for a moment, after all, she still had the protection given by the goddess, but in the end, she still held the pottery jar in her arms.
"Very good, Pandora, we are a family. Don't be like my elder and younger brothers, who always regard outsiders as more important than ourselves."
"Whether it's humans or God Kings, they are not trustworthy. Their fate is a clear example."
Nodding with satisfaction, the latecomer looked out again. The observer had left, and they could now 'escape from the crime'.
Anyway, the King of Gods will not pursue the matter. As long as the unknown god tells Zeus everything and tells him that all the gifts in the pottery jar have been released, the King of Gods will just pretend that they do not exist instead of tracking down their whereabouts all over the world.
"Now, the key to breaking fate is in my hands."
"Oh, I thought there would be some troubles, but I didn't expect everything to go so smoothly. It seems that fate is on my side, and it hopes that I can change it."
Taking Pandora with him, Epimetheus opened the door.
His daughter Pyrrha hadn't come back yet, but the Late Awakener didn't care much about her. If he didn't need someone to carry the pottery jar, he wouldn't even want to bring Pandora.
Just leave it like this, and everything will be fine once he figures out the true use of what's hidden in this clay jar.
Today is perfect.
······
The sky is still dim. Such a quiet night seems to hide all the secrets, deep and peaceful.
On the other side, when Epimetheus was about to leave, the god of the west wind, who had also watched the "whole process", had already turned into an invisible airflow and flew through the sky.
He did not wait any longer but left immediately after seeing the contents of the pottery jar being released. When the day was about to dawn, Zephyrus finally returned to Olympus.
He walked straight to the palace of the King of Gods. He thought Zeus was still resting, but he didn't expect that the other party had been waiting for a long time.
"Your Majesty, I come to report to you."
After paying respect, Zeferos looked at the God King on the high throne and said:
"Just as you predicted, Pandora opened Hades' gift without permission and brought disaster to the world. You are really far-sighted."
"I see. What else?"
Zeus already knew about the disaster when the pottery jar was opened. After all, he was the king of gods, so he would not be unaware of such a thing.
But what he was really concerned about was obviously not his brother's masterpiece.
"The gift sent by the Dark Moon Goddess was also released."
After hesitating for a while, Zephyrus finally said affirmatively. Although he felt a little confused, the God of West Wind vaguely remembered that he saw a ray of light.
It should have been released, there is no mistake, in this regard, Zeferos believes in his own judgment. As for why he was distracted for a while, this is also normal.
Maybe it's because I've been concentrating for too long and I'm a little tired. After all, even God will feel tired.
Chapter 200: Oath and Beginning
".Really? Well then, you did a great job."
Although it was a bit regrettable, Zeus had anticipated this result.
In other words, in his opinion, the mysterious gift from the spirit world was just like the "gift" from Hades. It was not really given to that god, but was released under the guise of Pandora's hand. After all, it was said that among the primitive gods, the Lord of the Spirit World and the Night Mother both had abilities related to fate. Maybe they saw something.
As long as he didn't get interfered with in gaining faith, Zeus didn't want to pay attention to these insignificant things now. After all, the Earth Mother would not sleep forever, and she was different from other primitive gods, she also needed external power to make up for her own shortcomings.
In addition, the Titan god Gaia, who was imprisoned by him, is his potential enemy.
"In that case, Zeferos, you should go to the southern seas and inform the Sea King."
"Since he wants to punish humans so much, I will allow him to do it now. He can do it in any form he wants, and I just want the result. Of course, remember to tell him not to be too hasty and to slow down the process a bit. Since it's a punishment, we have to give humans some time to react."
"It would be best if they could record all of this. When the next generation of human beings is born, let them discover the past of their predecessors. Let them know that without the protection of the God King, the sea and the underworld will bring them catastrophic disasters."
He raised his right hand, and a scepter inlaid with three gemstones appeared in Zeus's hand. Although the power of this artifact made by the previous generation of gods is still worrying, it has acquired some special powers after two generations of kings.
The scepter pointed forward, and an invisible force condensed into a token, which was a token of the God-King's permission for Poseidon to exercise authority on earth.
Even if he didn't allow it, Zeus couldn't stop a powerful god from exercising his authority. But many things were like this, adding an extra procedure could better show the orthodoxy of the God's Court. And in these small matters, the gods were also willing to give the God King a face.
"Yes, Your Majesty, your orders will be carried out."
After taking the token and bowing, the God of West Wind left the hall and hurriedly left Mount Olympus.
He has been very busy recently, but thinking that all this is for the arrival of the next human era, and that he will soon have his own human believers, Zephyros is very motivated.
As a god who represents part of the weather, he believes that he will definitely have a lot of believers in the future. Maybe one day in the future, he, a true god with only weak divine power, will be able to get a glimpse of the throne of the powerful main god step by step?
Zeus sat quietly in the palace for a while, watching Zephyrus leave. He looked through the gate and could clearly see the changes in the laws of the earth.
Outside Mount Olympus, a huge net connecting the spiritual world and the real world covers the sky and the earth, and the elemental power flows slowly on the strings of the magic net; underground, wisps of black air surge up and combine with everything in the mortal world.
The atmosphere of the human world was no longer so beautiful, but it inexplicably added a bit of vitality. Looking at this scene, Zeus vaguely grasped some insights, but in the end he gained nothing.
These are the innate gods. Their innate status allows them to see things that mortals only dream of, but their lack of understanding of their own power means that anything they see cannot be converted into actual progress.
Because their foundation is empty, the power gained through experience and instinct may not affect their use, but to a certain extent it will become a shackle for them to go further.
"From the perspective of the law, from now on, plagues will go hand in hand with floods. The power of the gods still has too much influence on mortals. It's still okay now, but in the next human century, we can't let them act so recklessly."
Silently thinking, "act recklessly", Zeus did think so. Although all this was done at his explicit or implicit instruction, just because the King of Gods could do this, it didn't mean that others could do the same.
Moreover, Zeus did not think that the gods would honestly fight for faith in the normal way in the future. They might do anything, and as the king of gods, what he needed to do was to stop such behavior in advance.
The conflict between gods must not casually affect humans, at least they cannot directly target the believers of the other side because of the conflict between two gods. Otherwise, it will not only affect the image of gods, but also be easy to kill. It will take hundreds of years for humans to recover, and these are all the wealth of the gods.
Especially as the king of gods who gives humans the right to survive, Zeus can also get a little bit of faith from all human beings, just like the earth and the sun are an indispensable part of human beings.
Although there are not many, far less than those who directly believe in themselves, there are still some.
"It seems that I need to make a rule later. The gods cannot exercise their divine power without reason. Otherwise, fragile humans will not be able to resist it."
"I don't know when Her Highness Themis will come back."
Although the bronze humans had not yet perished, Zeus had already thought of a lot. As the king of gods and the biggest beneficiary of the rules, he should spare no effort to maintain it.
So he needed to make a law that would prevent the gods from slaughtering humans without reason unless they had directly offended a certain god. And to do this, he needed to seek the help of his aunt.
It just so happens that the goddess of law has been busy lately. When she returns, humans will probably be extinct. At that time, with corpses scattered all over the land, such a suggestion will surely be supported.
·········
On this day, in addition to the God King on Mount Olympus, there were many people who noticed the changes.
When Pandora opened the clay jar, the gods of the underworld received permission and began to use their inherent divine power to influence the world.
Even if those plagues and disasters did not involve supernatural powers, this natural change was enough to bring about a catastrophe to mankind. However, on this quiet night, all mortals did not know what was happening.
The disease has begun to spread, and the embryonic form of the disaster has begun to brew, but it is still a long time before they break out. In the deep night, everything seems silent, and in the entire human activity area, only a very small number of beings have noticed this subtle change in the law level.
Standing at the core of Aurora, Mephisto looked at the burning holy fire with fear. As a former human, he thought he could get close to the fire, or even draw some of it away like other humans, but the result was not the case.
When he tried to get closer, a sense of crisis from his soul made Mephistopheles stop unconsciously. He was sure that if he continued to move forward, this holy fire would probably burn from reality to his heart, turning him into ashes from the inside out.
After trying in vain, the devil had to find a place far away from the holy fire to cover up his existence with the help of its breath, and then admired this rare "spectacle" with some intoxication.
Everything was just as he had expected. Prometheus had brought about his own destruction, and humanity was about to be liquidated. Hundreds of mortal leaders had drunk his blood and were preparing for what he had already arranged.
They drew lines, carved stone books, and built altars with materials brought by the devil. Mortals would not understand what they were doing, only Mephistopheles knew that this was a special ritual that would play its due role at the right time.
With this ritual, at the end of this trip, he would probably not only be hunted down by the gods of the spiritual world, but also offend those on Mount Olympus, because according to the Lord of the Nine Hells, this ritual is likely to touch the sensitive nerves of some gods.
"Haha, it doesn't matter. There will always be someone to take care of them for me."
With a light chuckle, the big devil thought about the information he had secretly leaked out, and the 'naive' god of sleep.
The former was enough to give Olympus something to do, so that they could temporarily take care of themselves. As for the latter, the other party was waiting for me to lead away the gods of the spirit world for him, so that he could complete his feat of "patricide", but I also expected him to make some moves on that day so that the gods of the spirit world would stop chasing him.
If the god named Hypnos could really succeed, it would actually be a win-win deal. But for the devil who knew the inside story, he just hoped that he could complete the task earlier that day and take some time to see how that guy died.
"And what will you do then?"
Looking towards the east of the city, feeling the presence that was hard to ignore, Mephisto frowned slightly.
The human named Cohen was the only one not included in his plan. His appearance was without any warning, as if a human appeared out of thin air. No one knew how he possessed such power.
Fortunately, through the temptations over the years, the devil gradually discovered that the other party seemed to have encountered some problems that he couldn't figure out, so he didn't have much desire to interfere with the outside world.
Although I don't know what he is thinking, the longer this state lasts, the better.
"That's it. It's better to keep it this way. The unknown is annoying. And that guy I met unexpectedly, I don't know what that strange puppet is, but fortunately his power is very weak and can't affect anything at all. I just avoid him."
There is no such proverb in Chaos' world as the journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step. However, Mephistopheles still carefully recalled everything that happened in the past, and did not feel relieved until he was sure that there was no problem.
After completing this operation, he can return to the Nine Prisons to cash in part of his deserved reward. At least as a boss, the Lord of the Nine Prisons is still trustworthy.
·········
The spiritual world, Mount Sinai.
Opposite the present world, in the spiritual world whose surface has almost covered most of the world, Ryan sat in the main seat of the Lopers Temple.
The seasons in the outside world have not changed many times, but in the distorted time and space, a long time has passed here. I don't know when, the remaining gun barrel of [Gungnir] in Ryan's hand has been separated again, becoming three sections, two short and one long.
The two shorter sections contained opposing forces, but they shared the fate of the remaining part of the artifact. They had lost their vitality, because the little remaining power was gathered in the middle section, and at the same time, it also enjoyed the remaining power of the artifact [Oath].
Chaos's [Oath] originally belonged to the world, but was later delegated to the Styx in the Second Age, and Styx was born as a result. As long as a god in the world swore an oath to the Styx, her power would be slightly enhanced, and if the god broke the oath, after punishing him, the goddess' power would increase significantly.
In contrast, although Ryan can also make people swear to the spirit world, this does not actually involve the true authority of [Oath], but is just an alternative application of the power of the world. However, at the moment, this artifact from outside the world is obviously not subject to this restriction.
The power of this short wooden pole is very pure. After being transformed by the spiritual world, only the part belonging to the [Oath] is left, and the rest is rejected to the two sections in the front and back that have peeled off.
But apart from being pure, this power is also very weak, because any oath requires a force to supervise its execution, and now, it obviously has no power.
Originally, Gungnir was able to respond to the wishes of everyone who swore an oath to it because the existence of the world tree Yggdrasil provided it with support. The power of the sacred tree that holds up the nine realms is unimaginable. It is like Chaos' Tartarus. Although it has no clear consciousness, so that the gods of all generations can use it as a prison, no one can question its strength.
As a divine weapon made from the branches of the World Tree, Gungnir is connected to its mother body. This connection is the basis for ensuring the fulfillment of the oath.
But now, there is no World Tree in this world, and the remaining vitality is not enough to reproduce a sacred tree that supports the world. Relying on its own insignificant power, it can probably only restrain mortals, and even more powerful ones may not be useful.
"good."
"Many things are good as long as they are suitable."
With a satisfied smile, Ryan picked up the three broken spears. He gently threw out the other two spears of different colors, and they immediately passed through the palace gate and fell down from the Sinai Mountain.
After passing through three layers of time and space barriers, the two gun barrels finally fell into the huge stone well located in the center of the world.
There was no splashing, nor did they float on the water. They just sank silently to the bottom without causing any ripples.
"Almost."
Leaving the remaining green piece of wood in his hand, Ryan looked at the huge dragon egg that already had some cracks, and the reflection of the star in the mortal world.
She was going to be born today, because this day was the peak of the world's spiritual power, and coincidentally, Pandora's jar was opened on this day.
Perhaps humans in the future will give this day some terrible names, after all, this is the beginning of the extinction of a generation. But this has nothing to do with Ryan, so while waiting for Bai to be born, he watched this good show.
The trance of the God of Wind, the determination of the latecomer, and his claim that he holds the key to breaking fate, but he does not touch the jar itself.
The same trick was used against Zephyrus, the god of the west wind. The god of hindsight could not be sure whether this "gift" had been sensed by its creator. This was indeed an unknown matter. Although the Earth Mother could not sense what was happening around the golden apple, and the gods might not be able to monitor every move of the life they had blessed, Epimetheus remained cautious about the gift sent by a strange ancient.
So just as he once deliberately repeated Prometheus' warning to him in order to reveal the wind god's flaw, what he said in front of the pottery jar was also a temptation.
If the person behind him was watching him, he might attack him because of his offensive words. This seemed like asking for trouble, but it was better to be found now than to be monitored without knowing it later and then sabotaged at a critical moment.
Unfortunately, Ryan is not the god of wind, and he doesn't care who gets the gift, nor does he care what Epimetheus says. Since the other party followed the rules he set and let the gift stay in the hands of "humans", let him take it.
In fact, if the God of Hindsight can really use this gift to do something that even Ryan would be surprised, then he would only be pleasantly surprised.
However, this possibility is probably not very high.
"The three Zeus brothers made different choices, and so did the three of you. They are surprisingly similar."
"Those who chose humans were betrayed by humans, but the future is still unknown; and those who chose the king were never forgotten by his king, but the time has not come yet."
Thinking of the occasional exchanges between the incarnation and the former God King, Ryan once again sighed that the other party's moral level was indeed quite high among the male gods who "possessed power" and "possessed rights".
Not only did he not do anything to his betrayed wife in the end, but he also did not forget his loyal subordinates even in the abyss.
"However, compared to your older and younger brothers, if you choose your own, you can only rely on yourself."
There is no difference between superior and inferior. If Epimetheus has enough ability, then choosing me may be the right choice. Ryan will not make any comments before the final result comes out.
Snap——
"Um?"
The sudden sound of shattering immediately caught Ryan's attention. He looked at the huge dragon egg in front of him, where the sound came from.
A crack appeared just above the eggshell, and then the movement stopped. But Ryan was not in a hurry at all, because he knew that the little guy inside was probably accumulating strength.
Bang--
Click——
There was a crashing sound followed by another shattering sound, and the crack widened again. But this time, the young dragon did not stop, but continued to hit the eggshell.
Click——
Snap——
Click——
Little by little, fine lines began to cover the surface of the dragon egg. Until one moment, under Ryan's expectant gaze, with the last crisp sound, a small hole finally appeared on the top of the eggshell.
The entrance to the hole was very small, not even as big as a baby's palm, but its appearance itself meant that there was no longer a barrier between the dragon egg and the outside world.
Then the next moment, an illusory shadow emerged directly from it. It was obviously much larger than the hole, but it seemed not to be affected by the size at all.
This is a white dragon. It has a slender body, gorgeous wings, and fine scales that are smooth and crystal clear. It doesn't look like a newly born dragon, but more like a smaller version of a young dragon.
Because as a dragon born of spirituality, she is naturally infected by this power. Her appearance is affected by her own cognition, and her cognition is affected by the power of the spiritual world.
Therefore, although her current appearance was natural, she possessed all the impressions of the 'beauty' of dragons in the Lord of the Spirit Realm's past memories, which made her look not ugly like when she was just born.
In the center of the hall, the young dragon opened her silver eyes and looked around. The tall temple, the broken eggshell, and the black-clad figure that made her feel close, these were all she had when she was born.
He opened his mouth and sucked, and the broken eggshell turned from solid to virtual and was swallowed into his mouth in the form of energy. The young dragon then flapped its wings and landed on Ryan's arm.
"It looks like you're in pretty good shape."
With a slight smile, Ryan reached out and gently stroked the dragon's head. The scales did not hurt, but felt soft and warm.
He knew that as the source of the psychic dragon, although Bai could also glimpse fate and control the elements, the spiritual realm was what she was best at.
Therefore, her body can change between real and virtual at any time. The soft scales in his hands become an indestructible guard in front of the enemy.
"Are you my creator?"
Without saying a word, the gentle voice, with its unfamiliarity with the world, entered Ryan's heart.
Faced with the young dragon's question, Ryan just shook his head.
"It's not a creation. I just provided you with the most suitable environment for birth. But now you have nothing to do with the original creator."
"So from now on, the spirit world is your home."
Bai shook her little head, as if to show that she understood. But then, the new girl's attention was attracted by something else.
There were a dozen other dragon eggs placed on the ground. They were still isolated by Ryan's power and had no contact with the outside world, so they did not change in a unique direction.
"They are of your same kind, but they are destined not to be the same as you."
Seeing the doubt in Bai's eyes, Ryan said with a smile:
"How about this, you decide what kind of dragons they will become. What do you think?"
Although she didn't quite understand what Ryan meant, Bai nodded anyway. The instinct in her blood made her take these weaker people as her subordinates, and it was normal for her to make decisions for her subordinates.