Like public speaking, debate is a sport that tests both mental and physical strength.
The brain's thinking is used flexibly to respond, and emotions are expressed through body language - after all, this is not the so-called debate competition in later generations where each person only has a few minutes to speak. Compared with the streamlined speaking speed, the participants pay more attention to the impression they leave on the judges.
After all, the real object of the debate is seemingly the opponent, but in fact it is the audience. As long as they agree with your logic, your debate is successful.
"To all the audience present here, to my friends who are on the stage with me, and to all the gods in heaven and on earth."
The order of the closing remarks is the opposite of the opening remarks, so at the end, when it is Odysseus' turn to make the final speech, he stands in the center of the venue with his arms open, as if embracing the whole world.
"We have already explained in detail the process of the destruction of the Bronze Age. And Miss Leah's comment on the merits and demerits of the gods and even the right and wrong of their actions with 'human justice' as the core is a thought-provoking point of view."
"But as I said, gods were born before birth, and they are the creations of the world; all spirits were created by gods, and all living things are creations of gods. As mortals who cannot be born with knowledge, from the distant golden age to the present, whether it is the 'good' or 'evil' of human beings, which one is independent of the influence of gods and was born?"
"Belief in human justice is not contradictory to understanding God, because the relationship between man and God is close, and there is an inseparable connection between the two. In the distant golden age, God created humans in his own image and gave them all positive and beautiful things. The connection between man and God was born from then on. As a concept based on the society of living beings, the same is true for 'justice', which does not exist naturally. Since the principles of human society originally originated from God, humans should naturally learn from them first, rather than question them."
"I have heard that the heroes of ancient times accomplished countless feats in their lives, and they were eventually promoted to heaven. This is the closest portrayal of the relationship between man and God. Everything man has comes from God, and everything God has is also the end of man. Finally, I would like to dedicate this grand debate to the wise Athena. This is also the etiquette that I should follow as a Gentile."
Wow——
With Odysseus' final speech, the event truly came to an end.
Discussions rang out among the crowd below the stage, and applause for these wise men from various countries also continued.
The debate was over, but the final winner had not yet been chosen. Everyone knew that it would soon be time to choose the champion.
Almost at the same moment, on a seat in the audience, another box was opened, and a similar arrangement as when the topic was selected at the beginning appeared before our eyes.
All the spectators will once again use short flags with the names of different players to bring the conference to a successful conclusion.
"As the organizer, I will announce the prize for the champion of this competition in advance before the results come out."
The host came on stage again and faced the audience.
"The treasury of Athens will be open to him, and the winner will be entitled to choose what he wants from it, and the rewards belonging to the church will be personally reviewed by the gods."
After the words were spoken, the atmosphere became even more heated.
The noise continued, and as the host raised his hand, the voting for the final winner officially began.
Several projected numbers floated in the air, counting the changes in votes for different contestants in real time. However, it was obvious that two of the numbers were far superior and were not at the same level as the others.
"That's fair."
Sitting in the audience, Iapetus nodded.
However, the fairness he was talking about was not fairness in vote counting, but fairness in competition.
"From a purely debate perspective, this young man was actually at a disadvantage - the topic of the competition was about the justice and injustice of the demise of the Bronze Age, but due to his identity and position, he could only limit the topic to the justice of God, so he was often at a disadvantage during the debate."
"But judging from the environment outside the venue, people generally fear the gods after all, so they will naturally have some bias in their voting tendencies. The impact of this plus and minus is actually offset by each other."
As a hobby, Iapetus still hopes that this event can have a fairer result.
So watching all this with satisfaction, the God of Speech quietly waited for the winner to be chosen.
As time passed, the numbers floating in the sky grew larger and larger. The virtual hourglass reminded the audience to make their choice as soon as possible, and before the sand ran out, the last audience member finally cast his vote.
The results were out, and people should have been cheering for the birth of the champion, but at this moment the stadium had become awkwardly quiet.
I don't know if it was a coincidence, but the two highest-scoring votes were exactly the same, not a single point different.
"this..."
For a moment, Modia, the host, was stunned again.
In the past, the referee's bench for a game would generally set the number of votes to an odd number to prevent a tie.
This time, the vote counting involved more than 100,000 spectators, and he thought that nothing similar would happen.
After all, it is extremely difficult to have an equal number of votes among tens of thousands of ballots, but the result is that it happened right before his eyes.
"Well, Mr. Modia, please announce the final champion."
Odysseus broke the silence with a cough. He looked at the host and then at Andrea.
"You won this contest—not because of the debate, but because I have not been able to solve your puzzle so far."
"This is a meeting that tests wisdom and justice. Debate is only a part of it. And I, Odysseus, will never ask for honor that does not belong to me."
When the young prince's voice rang out in the audience, the originally awkward atmosphere immediately eased, followed by warm applause.
Faced with this sudden scene, Andrea was stunned.
She wanted to refuse, because she was the only one who knew how she had won so many victories. But in the end, she accepted it with a smile.
"I didn't defeat you, Odysseus. I just stood on the shoulders of giants. It was the wisdom of those who came before me that made me who I am."
"But since you are so interested in my game, I will tell you its secret. It is just a game, and it cannot represent wisdom, but I believe its solution will surely make the knowledge of this era bear more fruitful results."
As they talked, the champion of this conference was completely determined.
As the host, Modia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He waved his hand, and gorgeous flower ribbons floated out from everywhere and began to dance in the sky.
The debate, full of twists and turns, finally came to an end. The floating platform where Andrea was located slowly rose and then came to the center of the arena.
A few people with extraordinary strength have been able to sense that a powerful aura is rising from the east - that should be the capital of Athens, King Theseus, protected by the fortress city east of Acropolis.
He will personally present the award to the champion, which is also a consistent tradition.
The legendary king of Athens developed it from a medium-sized country to the regional hegemon it is today. Guests from various countries wanted to see what this king looked like, who was rumored to be not so respectful of the gods but was still arrogant and overbearing.
Andrea felt a little guilty. After all, since she had escaped from the Resurrection Sect, she should have returned to the palace long ago.
Although this was all because Ryan did not allow her to go, she herself knew very well that Andrea had never tried to secretly contact the official personnel in Athens during this journey.
"Hmm——I don't know how angry my father is…"
I was a little panicked, but tried not to look too panicked.
Like the audience, Andrea was waiting for Theseus to arrive.
However, the next moment, the little princess looked up suddenly, and so did the audience.
A 'hole' suddenly appeared in the clouds in the sky, and the sunlight that had been blocked flowed out and shone into the air.
A figure wearing a light blue coat and a golden robe appeared in the sunlight.
He held the scepter in his hand, looking down at the hundreds of thousands of people in the vast venue. Invisible air currents surged around him, blowing his clothes and making them rustle.
"I am Zephyrus, the chief god of Olympus, lord of the weather on earth."
The voice was calm, but somewhat urgent.
The God of West Wind stretched out his hand and a golden ladder appeared out of thin air.
"I am here on the orders of the God King to invite the most intelligent and fair human being in the world to attend the banquet of the gods. So, mortal, are you willing to accept this honor and attend the banquet that belongs to the gods?"
Normally, Zephyros would not have asked whether to accept or not, but as he felt himself getting closer to the King of Athens, he used gentler words.
As a wind god who is good at dodging and wandering, he is not as afraid of those tough and powerful people among humans as the sea gods who have fixed sea areas. But he is here on the orders of the God King, so it is better not to cause trouble if he can.
"...If you had listened to the debate just now, then perhaps you would have known that for such an honor, it would be better to choose Odysseus."
After a moment of silence, Andrea spoke opposite the God of West Wind.
"So you're going to refuse my invitation?"
With his brows slightly furrowed, Zeferos was actually a little unsure of what to do.
The votes of the two were similar just now. Theoretically, if possible, he also wanted to choose Odysseus. But when he left, the God King did not seem to have any rejection of Andrea.
Who knows what Zeus was thinking... But after taking a look at Andrea, Zephyrus suddenly realized.
"Well, God will not be dissatisfied with the position of the human debate. Mortal, do you accept my invitation?"
He spoke again, but this time, the tone of the God of West Wind was much gentler.
"I accept."
Taking a deep breath, Andrea nodded in agreement.
Having come this far, she couldn't stop. She called out to Ryan in her heart, and she got a corresponding response.
Maybe this is why she came to this conference... Thinking about this clearly, Andrea plucked up her courage and took a step forward.
Amid the envious, jealous, confused, and mocking gazes of hundreds of thousands of spectators, she stepped onto the golden ladder and headed towards the sky.
She heard the human prince seemed to be blessing her, and she saw a middle-aged woman standing beside two young men in the stands, looking at her with scrutiny, but the next moment, she flew to the east under the guidance of the God of Wind.
This was the first time she had seen a banquet held by gods. She didn't know what the difference was between a banquet held by gods and a banquet held by humans.
...
In the blink of an eye, air currents rolled in the sky and the earth moved horizontally under feet.
Soon, the horizon was dragged behind us, and all we saw was the sea.
"Hey, Alvin, it's already this late. You should at least tell me what you want me to do."
There is a god in front of her. Even though she knows that the other party may not be much stronger than her father at the moment, this does not stop Andrea from feeling nervous.
Fortunately, she is not alone. At a time like this, having another person's spiritual support can bring extraordinary results.
Chapter 345 Choosing to Laugh at Father and Son
The Sea of Pontonoris, in the palace of the original sea god.
The debate in the human world was over, and the illusory images were shattered. When Andrea was speaking in her mind, the gods in the hall were also waiting for her arrival.
At the end of the scene, the God of West Wind invited the winner of the mortal feast.
The ownership of the golden apple was about to be determined, but the atmosphere in the hall was still heavy. The gazes of the gods intertwined, causing the air to distort slightly.
"Zeus, it looks like the 'referee' you found has a lot of complaints about Olympus."
"Even if it was just a temporary stance at a debate, what she said was not something that someone who believes in the gods would say."
Hera's eyes subconsciously swept over the goddess of light, Phoebe, and she clutched the armrest tightly.
Why do the old guys still want to meddle in their affairs? Chaos now belongs to the era of the Olympian gods.
"It's okay, Hera. As the king of the gods, I can always tolerate the existence of those who dissent, as long as they are not as crazy as that rebellious son. As my queen, you should also show your tolerance."
Waving his hand slightly, compared to Hera, Zeus didn't seem to care at all about Andrea's previous remarks.
Lies are harmless, the truth is the sharpest knife, but all this is based on equal status and power.
No one will get angry because of the provocation of ants. Most of the time they will just find it funny. Unless they are in a very bad mood, they will just crush the ants to death.
And Andrea was obviously an ant in Zeus' eyes. Even if he only used the eyes of his believers, as the living king of gods, he still saw some of her details. For example, she was probably a priest, and her true face was hidden, as well as Iapetus, whom he had discovered before.
As Ryan said before, the disguise made with the power of the Atrium Serpent may indeed have an extremely powerful camouflage effect. It can deceive most gods and make them deceived by the false appearance, but this does not include Zeus who has initially completed the royal ceremony.
He could see the problem, but just like Ryan thought, although Zeus realized something, he didn't intend to say it at all.
Among the many professions in the world, the clergy are the least valued by the gods, because they can never threaten the gods, and their actions are often instructed by the gods. A clergyman criticized Olympus for destroying the Bronze Age, which obviously did not represent her own opinion.
It was most likely not Athena. Her good daughter would not do such a direct thing. It seemed that without anyone noticing, the Titan god of the old era had already joined her.
And this layer of disguise… Zeus couldn't see it clearly before because of the layer between them. Now that he saw it with his own eyes, he found a lot of things that were not right.
Athens was suppressed by many kingdoms, but a mortal stabilized the situation. When the gods had all given up their attention to the mortal world, his daughter had already mastered such means. If there was no great ceremony of royal power, Zeus doubted whether he could see through this cover even as the king of gods.
She is indeed a daughter who is "stronger than her mother", and fortunately, she did not give birth to a son who is "stronger than his father". This method of forming cliques and increasing power right under one's nose is really frightening.
He secretly thanked himself for his decisiveness. After so many years, the image of Metis seemed to have become blurred in Zeus' memory.
That was the right choice, and now, he was about to make another right choice.
"Here I come."
Suddenly, a spirit in the hall spoke in a low voice.
Raising his head slightly, as the door opened and closed, Zeus also noticed the breath of the visitor.
Under the gaze of the gods, the God of Wind walked into the hall first, and behind him, the tall blonde girl followed closely.
Her appearance at this moment was no less stunning than the gods in the temple, but in the eyes of Zeus, when the veil was removed, she was just a mortal who had not yet reached adulthood.
"Letting a woman choose the most beautiful goddess... But this is fair."
At one seat, the god of skylight, Aether, nodded slightly. Beside him, his sister and wife, the goddess of daylight, Hemera, seemed eager to try.
She did not participate in the fight for the golden apple just now, but that was simply because reason overwhelmed desire.
There is no goddess who does not want to receive this honor, and she is no exception. And if this mortal had chosen her in the end instead of fighting for her, I am afraid that no one would be able to say anything.
"Zefros, my friend, thank you for bringing us this wise man from the world. You never let me down."
Zeus laughed and said this. He could clearly see that at this moment in the hall, the goddesses, regardless of whether they had tried to snatch the golden apple before, could not help but perk up.
The possession of the most beautiful goddess can bring power to those who desire power, and honor to those who desire honor. No one does not want it, and facing such a power, even he who caused all this cannot stop it.
However, Zeus did not want to stop it. Sitting on the golden throne, the king of gods took the scepter returned by Zephyrus.
"Thank you for your hard work, my most loyal friend—and the winner of the Human Conference."
Standing up from the golden throne, Zeus behaved extremely politely.
"I listened to your previous debate. It was a brilliant exchange. It's a pity that the goddess of justice is not here. Otherwise, she would definitely be delighted by this debate for justice."
"Okay, I won't say any more. Winner from the human world, I think Zephyrus has already told you what to do on the way here, right? Because of Eris's gift, conflicts are spreading among the gods. But as the king of the gods, I will not allow this to happen."
"I cannot ask the fairest goddess among the gods to make a decision, so you, the most fair and wise person in the world, should make the decision. I promise you that no matter what choice you make, the gods will not make it difficult for you, and your name will be passed down in the world forever."
······
In the human world, at the conference venue where the crowd has not yet dispersed.
At the end of the event, the gods came and took away the champion of the conference and invited her to attend the banquet of the gods.
Regardless of which side they supported in the debate or whether they believed in gods or not, people were extremely curious about the outcome.
Unlike the shepherd who was chosen to decide the owner of the golden apple in the original myth, although the "most handsome mortal" was also a prince, he was not well-known at the time.
But this time, Andrea's departure caused a huge impact, and people stayed at the venue to know the final outcome of the incident.
"...Such a stunning appearance. Are you moved... No? You are still a child and cannot understand adults' pursuit of appearance. Aphrodite is talking to a cow."
"Do you want the power to rule the kingdom? I don't want it either... Actually, that makes sense. After all, you have always had everything you want. What's the point of having power?"
"Well, and Amphitrite, did she promise you to manipulate the ocean currents and create a tsunami to destroy your enemies? If she knew that you were robbed at sea not long ago, she probably wouldn't have made such a condition."
Staying in the audience, Ryan silently commented on the various temptations Andrea faced.
It's ridiculous. It's for the sake of fairness that mortals are allowed to make choices, but the gods are allowed to impose all kinds of temptations on those who ultimately make the decision.
However, this is also the daily operation of the Chaos gods. They have always been very experienced in creating and breaking rules.
"…So what exactly should I do? Did you ask me to come here just for the beauty pageant? If so, why not choose Her Majesty Athena? The goddess is the most beautiful, no objections!"
The voice came, and there was no doubt that Andrea was accepting the temptation of the gods at this moment.
When Zeus finished speaking, Andrea declined for a while, but finally agreed. After all, she had come here, and she had to make a choice before leaving. And if she had to choose, it would definitely be Athena, even though she had not yet made her own conditions.
"Don't worry. Athena is the last person you should choose. Athens already has enough internal and external troubles. You don't want to find something to do for your country, do you?"
"The best solution at this time is to stir up another conflict... But this idea came to me on the spur of the moment after I heard about the debate in Athens. I don't know if it will work."
As he spoke, Ryan recalled a joke from later generations about the dispute over the Golden Apple.
"If you were to take the place of the shepherd Paris and divide the golden apples, to whom would you give them?"
'Of course, I'll split the golden apple into three parts. I'll give the peel to Aphrodite, making fun of the fact that the only thing that's good about this man is the peel. I'll give the flesh to Hera, saying that the cuckold king has no face, so I'll give you the inside. Finally, I'll give the core to Athena, because since you, the brother of the male god, died in her womb, I'll give you a seed to make up for it.'
'In this way, the three goddesses share the same hatred and the golden apple puzzle is solved, right?'
Well... Anyway, it is unknown where this joke originated from, but it did spread widely, and some people even planned to write a remake of ancient mythology novels based on it. But Ryan certainly couldn't do that, after all, he was here to cool down.
There shouldn't be any problem... Ryan thought about it. His arrangement was a bit improvisational, and he didn't know if there would be any problem. But there was nothing he could do about it. Who knew he would sleep for thousands of years?
"Come, have you seen the god I sent to you?"
As a special message was passed on, an enchanting and charming image appeared in Andrea's heart.
She had never seen this deity before, and there was no statue of her circulating among the people, but she recognized her at a glance because of her recognizable appearance.
"Choose her. She will take all the blame. Remember?"
"...All right."
After hesitating for a while, Andrea agreed.
I just need to make the choice. It would be troublesome if you were to make all the decisions behind the scenes, right? Damn it, why don't you make the choice?
So in the temple of the ancient sea god, Andrea suddenly stepped forward and picked up the golden apple placed in front of her.
At the same time, the gods who had made promises to her also quieted down.
"...It seems that the words of the gods have not been able to shake your mind after all. Judge from the human world, have you made a decision?"
Zeus asked with a smile on his face as he sat on the golden throne.
"Yes, no matter how the outside world influences us, the truth will not change. And among the gods present, I have already made my choice."
With a slight bow, Andrea turned slightly under the tense and expectant gazes of the gods and the confident gaze of Zeus.
Then the next moment, those millions of gazes seemed to become as sharp as thorns.
"You are the most beautiful goddess in my heart, Your Highness."
Wow——
Who is she?
Who is she!
The gods' auras were shaken by these words, and although Zeus's expression remained unchanged, he was suddenly shocked in his heart.
He looked at the goddess who took the golden apple. She was obviously also a beautiful god, but why did he have no impression of her?
Their eyes met, and the God King stared into her eyes, trying to see something from them. However, for some reason, he seemed to see a pair of familiar yet unfamiliar eyes.
Who are you?!
······
On the sea, the twists and turns in the marriage kept changing, and at the same time, in Tartarus, the ninth level of the nine hells.
Standing alone in the vast sky, Asmodeus smiled slightly.
Thousands of years in the outside world are equivalent to an unknown amount of time in the abyss, which is enough to change many things.
For example, he, who once came to hell with nothing, finally gained his foothold and can look back at the world he once ruled.
"It's a good plan indeed. Let her bear all the consequences. As long as she returns to Hell, the Divine Court will be powerless to do anything about her. It's just a pity that you probably forgot one thing."
"Although we are allies in the face of the abyss, this does not mean that I am your puppet."
"Zeus, this is the first time, but it will not be the last... What has happened will happen again, what has been done will be done again. From this moment on, let the world be filled with blood and fire."
Chapter 346 'Gift'
Hell is different from the outside world. Among the nine hells, women are a rare sight because there were no women in the Silver Generation.
Most of the women that exist today are demons that were born later. Although there are some powerful ones among them, most of them do not have the ability to operate in the human world.
In this case, there would be no other woman who came from hell and could participate in the banquet of the gods and meet all three conditions.
Ceto, a mermaid who was deceived by the great devil Mephistopheles into becoming his helper, who once drank the blood of God, later became the true god of false beauty.
Only she met these conditions, and the golden apple only made sense to her. "Dedicated to the most beautiful goddess" limited the conditions for fighting for it, and only the gods recognized by the gods could snatch it.
At this moment, the golden apple that was the focus of all the gods was right in front of Keto, and he could reach it as long as he stretched out his hand.
"What's going on?"
"When did she come? Why didn't I receive any notification?"
He exclaimed in a low voice. Sitting in a prominent position close to the God-King, Nereus, the eldest son of the primordial sea god Pontus and the gentle and kind sea, was a little at a loss for a moment.
What he said actually made no sense. After all, Keto was one of the few gods in the world who could travel to the palace of the original sea god without notifying anyone in advance and without being stopped. Moreover, compared to the unfamiliarity of other gods, Nereus knew of Keto's existence.
In other words, in the human world, Ketuo had been active and openly for thousands of years, and the reason why she was not well-known among mortals was simply because she deliberately kept a low profile.
As a true god who also defected to the Nine Hells, Cetoko is different from Mephistopheles and Crius.
The former was an undocumented person, and had always been one. A quasi-god that suddenly appeared was enough to attract a lot of attention, and could easily draw the attention of the divine court. Therefore, although he often traveled to the human world, the great devil was always cautious.
As for the latter, Crius was of course a god of status in the original, but after reincarnation, the situation faced by this old weather Titan was no different from that of Mephistopheles.
He was now an illegal account, especially after the First Abyss War, when Crius reshaped his body with regional characteristics. Moreover, even without considering the issue of reincarnation and cancellation, he was also a prisoner exiled by the Gods. If possible, Zephyrus and Poseidon, who exercised the meteorological authority on his behalf, would probably attack him as soon as they found him.
But Keto was different. When she first met Mephistopheles, she was still attending the feast of the gods in Olympus. She took the initiative to leave the sacred mountain, and the reason was only because of the existence of Aphrodite.
She had not been wanted by the gods, nor had she offended any gods in the world, or committed any crimes, so she did not need to hide her existence. And the thing that Keto was most worried about before - the danger of being seen through by the real goddess of beauty and exposing her true face covered in false beauty to the gods, no longer existed.
Just as Mephistopheles once promised, although the true appearance of the gods is difficult to change, that is their innate appearance, but there are always exceptions to everything.
Therefore, even though she was covered by Ketuo's authority, what appeared before the gods was no longer her distorted half-snake, half-fish form, but her agile and charming figure.
The long and slender tail sways behind it, and a pair of small pointed horns grow on its head, with darkness and fire belonging to purgatory swirling and burning in it.
Although this is still different from the existence of most gods, just like the wings of some gods, Keto's new image will not be rejected by the gods like those giants, but will be regarded as a characteristic.
Even in the eyes of some gods, this is a special plus point.
Snap——
It seemed like a long time, but in fact it was only a moment. With a crisp sound, in the dead silent hall, Aphrodite's armrest shattered.
However, at this moment, the goddess of beauty seemed unaware of what she had done. She just stared at Keto's existence, as if she was looking at an enemy.
At that moment, the gods who were originally startled by Andrea also came to their senses. In any case, the golden apple seemed to have been taken care of, but who was this strange god? Why didn't they have any impression of him?
However, others would be puzzled, but Aphrodite would not. Although she didn't know Keto either, it didn't affect her attack.
tear——
"Who are you? Where did you come from? How dare you come here to attend the banquet of the God King and fight for the ownership of the golden apple!"
The quick movement tore the lapels of her clothes, and Aphrodite's voice was even a little sharp. She didn't know why she was so angry, but she just felt angry.
After reincarnation, Keto's appearance has changed a lot, and even the false image she created with her power is different. Except for the original sea god with the same bloodline, basically no gods will equate her with the original god.
But the body can change, but the authority cannot be replaced.
Almost at the first sight, when Aphrodite saw in person this goddess whom she had never seen before, a great sense of emptiness and malice rose in her heart.
She wanted to kill him - even though the gods were immortal, for some reason, Aphrodite wanted to kill him!
Perhaps she couldn't tolerate the title of 'the most beautiful goddess' falling on someone other than herself... Anyway, at this moment, Aphrodite seemed to have forgotten where she was.
Strength surged through her body, and she took a step forward, rushing towards the god whose power was obviously inferior to hers.
For some unknown reason, none of the gods present tried to stop it. Even Zeus, who was supposed to maintain order, did nothing as he recalled the vague sense of familiarity.
He wanted to see why Keto made him feel familiar and what was so special about him - but the next moment, the situation was beyond the gods' expectations.
brush--
With a sideways move, Keto avoided Aphrodite's random attack.
She grabbed the other person's collar with her backhand and pressed it down hard.
With a dull thud, the goddess of beauty fell to the ground immediately. At this moment, Keto even had enough room to take the golden apple, and then lowered his head to look down at the existence that he once avoided at all costs.
"Aphrodite, huh?"
During this trip to the human world, Keto received two orders. One was from the Lord of Midgard, who foresaw the birth of the Golden Apple dispute and asked her to return to Hell with it as soon as possible. The other was from the Lord of the Nine Hells, who asked her to do the exact opposite. Asmodeus ordered her to stir up disputes among the gods and start a war in the human world, but she just had to remember to avoid Silvermoon City.
However, Ketuo didn't need to consider how to choose. The county magistrate was not as good as the current manager. If the current manager's position was not lower than the county magistrate, then it would be a no-brainer. In addition, the gods of Silver Moon City did not come to this banquet, so this request was equivalent to nothing... Feeling the surging power in his body, Ketuo smiled wantonly.
"I am Keto, the daughter of the primordial sea god and the symbol of the danger of the sea. Part of this palace belongs to me, so why can't I be here?"
"On the contrary, you... are worthy of being the weakest of the Olympian gods. Compared to your face, your martial arts skills are simply a joke."
Aphrodite was still struggling, but even far out at sea, above the trench where Pontos lay sleeping, a considerable portion of the law's suppression of the gods still existed.
When the advantage of divine power was equalized, the battle between the two goddesses of beauty became a one-sided massacre. Holding the golden apple, at this moment, an interesting thought came to Keto's mind.
She raised her hand and wrote two more words on the golden apple, then gently pulled it, and three pieces of peel fell off. Before anyone else could react, Keto took a step back. She released her control over the goddess of beauty, then slapped Aphrodite in the face with her backhand, smearing the three pieces of peel on her face.
Snap——
The golden apple, which was rooted in the flesh and contained a powerful life force, was difficult to destroy even if it was just a piece of peel. The next moment, Aphrodite's face was exposed to the gods.
"If you want the golden apple, just say so, but I think you only deserve this skin; you want to be the 'most beautiful goddess', but I think this suits you better, hahahaha——"
Keto laughed and said contemptuously:
"Aphrodite, how do you feel? Why don't you thank me for the gift I gave you?"
There were three pieces of peel and three lines of writing. Only the middle one on the forehead was written by the engraver. Now, only the word "美" was left on the golden apple.
As for Aphrodite's face... from left to right, it was only engraved with [Dedicated to the most useless goddess].
…
"Aaaaaaah…!"
"Keto! Ares, kill her for me!"
Aphrodite was stunned at the first sight and didn't even react to what was happening.
But the next moment, she saw her own embarrassment from the eyes of the other gods.
The flames of shame and anger almost burned her to ashes. She rubbed her cheeks frantically with her hands, but the marks left by the golden apple were obviously not so easily erased.
In fact, as a tonic, Aphrodite didn't need to do anything. When she completely absorbed the power contained in the golden apple, the words would naturally disappear, and the life force in it could even have some beautifying effects. But for the goddess of beauty at this moment, she couldn't stand even a minute or a second.
Covering his face with his hands, the sharp voice echoed above the temple, and the God of War finally reacted and realized what happened after his wife screamed. He immediately drew his sword and wanted to get back at Keto.
In terms of divine power, Ares is actually not as good as the goddess of beauty. But in terms of combat power, even if the suppression of divine power by the law is not taken into account, he can beat two Aphrodites at once.
In places where the laws are strictly enforced, it is even more obvious. For example, right now, he is more than capable of defeating ten goddesses of beauty on the sea. The difference between the two sides in skills and physique is huge. If Keto, who was once the mother of the sea monster, has a powerful body, then Ares, the god of war, is not much worse.
However, Ares, who drew his sword in anger, apparently forgot that this was the palace of the ancient sea god, and all the gods were gathered here at the moment.
"That's enough!"
With a loud shout, a vast aura surged from Zeus' body.
The situation on the field changed in a flash.
He did not bother to explore the familiar feeling on Keto any more. The King of Gods looked around expressionlessly, causing several other gods who were eager to try to quickly give up their ideas.
"Your Majesty, please take her down immediately. How dare she humiliate me like this!"
As if she saw a savior, Aphrodite immediately shouted for help.
The artifact belt gleamed on her body, but Keto took his time.
"Why, Aphrodite, does it still make sense for you to attack me in my temple?"
"I didn't break any laws of the Gods, but the Goddess of Beauty wanted to kill me. I got the golden apple according to the rules set by the King of Gods himself, but you are not very satisfied with it."
"Your Majesty, the goddess of beauty and her husband tried to attack me in front of all the gods, but as the daughter of the ancient sea god, I will not resort to force. Please make a judgment on this matter, Your Majesty the Fair God King - you know, I repaid evil with kindness. Not only did I not use cruel means on her, I also gave her a gift to maintain the remaining face!"
As he spoke, Keto looked in the direction of the Goddess of Beauty and the God of War provocatively.
Sometimes you can break the rules, and sometimes you can't.
Since Zeus has invited all the gods in heaven and on earth together, Keto really doesn't believe that he will do irrational things for Aphrodite.
2024-07-07 Author: Deep Blue Waltz Chapter 347 Exposed
Inside the hall, the two goddesses of beauty confronted each other, and the power of the King of Gods poured out in all directions.
However, for a moment, even though he called for a halt and used his aura to intimidate the scene, Zeus still didn't know how to start.
The changes just now happened too suddenly. The handover of the golden apple and Aphrodite's rash action only happened in a split second. He needed some time to think clearly about the events that took place.
It was clearly just a planned conspiracy, so how did the golden apple suddenly fall into Keto's hands?
The key is the choice of that mortal... Everything was going well just now, but in the blink of an eye, the situation changed drastically, all because of the other party's sudden decision. Zeus glanced at Andrea's position, and as expected, the other party had already retreated to the corner.
So, was he being schemed by someone else? Was it Athena who saw through his thoughts, or was it someone else who was instructing him?
If there was someone else's influence, then how did he know what he was going to do? After all, apart from him, only the Goddess of Discord and the Goddess of Life knew about this. Was it one of them who betrayed him?
And most importantly, why did the person who planned all this do this? What purpose did he want to achieve?
Countless doubts arose in his mind, and Zeus even suspected Hera for a while. In fact, this was also what Ryan originally wanted to do.
You know, although Andrea is a priest of Athena, she still has the power from the Queen of Heaven, which firmly locks her holy power. Where was she first robbed? Of course, it was on the sea.
As a result, the situation became chaotic, and Zeus could not judge who was behind all this, because the whole thing originated from Hera's motive. The conflict between her and Aphrodite was long-standing, and now it seems that Keto has the power to conflict with the goddess of beauty, so it is completely reasonable for the queen of heaven to secretly contact the ancient sea god after discovering Zeus's plan.
But at this moment, all of this was overturned, because Ryan's original misleading was that Keto needed to return to Hell directly after getting the golden apple. In this way, the whole thing turned into a third party intervening in the whole plan, and even Hera was kept in the dark. The Nine Hells seemed to be the biggest winner.
At that time, internally, Zeus would have to face the Queen of Heaven who pretended to obey his plan but actually went against it and destroyed his plan. Even if she explained herself, it was still unclear whether the King of Gods would believe her. Externally, he would have to be wary of the Hell clan who suddenly showed signs of a great existence. After all, although the devils had planned to take souls from the human world before, Olympus had always regarded them as evil gods and did not think that was a problem.
At the same time, internal and external troubles broke out, which would almost certainly cause great trouble to Zeus. Although Keto aroused internal conflicts among some gods, this was only limited to suspicion and would not evolve into a war. It would only distract Zeus' energy.
If nothing unexpected happens, as long as Andrea can get away smoothly and the core witness disappears without a trace, Ryan's goal will be achieved. Whatever Zeus originally wanted to do, it will definitely be greatly delayed.
But now everything is going in a different direction.
Keto did not leave, she even confronted Aphrodite openly. Obviously, under the instruction of the Lord of the Nine Hells, she had no intention of controlling the conflict to a suitable level, but intended to directly enter the game and completely explode it.
Asmodeus wanted the gods to conflict with each other, war to break out in the world, to weaken faith, and to shake the royal power... He did not want to maintain the stability of the world, he just wanted to muddy the waters, not expose his own power for the time being, and then create opportunities to join in this drama on earth.
Unfortunately, an accident happened again. Even Asmodeus, who was looking at the world through Keto's eyes, did not expect that someone among the gods present could recognize part of his origins from a single look, and the reason why the other party could do this was actually because of himself.
"...It's you, that look... No, as expected, your presence there at that time was not a coincidence, Keto, what is your relationship with Purgatory?!"
With a low shout, Hestia uttered a word that was very unfamiliar to most gods, and Zeus was shocked.
Almost at the same time, he remembered what his elder sister had said.
Purgatory... A mysterious existence that Hestia once encountered at the site of human history during the destruction of the Bronze Age.
The Bronze Age soul disappeared, and the powerful goddess of the hearth was no match for the other party. And it seems that Keto was also there that time, right?
"Purgatory, or [Hell]..."
His eyes gradually became cold and stern. Since that time, the existence of that mysterious man has always been a thorn in Zeus' heart, and it has once again aroused the sense of crisis in his heart. Later, he decisively broke into the Asgard domain and got the opportunity to go further.
It was just his guess that Hestia had met an ancient god at the peak of his power, but his origins were unclear. So as Hestia's strength grew and there was no news of the other party for a long time, Zeus finally put the matter aside.
But is there any follow-up to this matter?
"Keto, let's not talk about your relationship with Aphrodite. Shouldn't you explain what you did when the Bronze Man was destroyed?"
In the temple, the situation changed again.
Flames ignited around the goddess of fire, and Zeus looked at Keto.
It would have been fine if he had forgotten it before, but now that he had discovered it, he also wanted to know who the being who had fought with Hestia was, and where was he hiding?
As the God King who ruled the world, he could accept that there were places that had not yet been incorporated into his rule, but he could not accept that there were places in this world that he did not know about.
"Huh——This seems to be a bit troublesome."
Taking a deep breath, Keto had not expected to encounter such a situation.
She was actually recognized by someone, and although she could deny it, the gods might not provide any evidence.
Now she only has two choices. The first is to directly use the power of Asmodeus to return to Hell. Then the mission calculation of the Lord of the Nine Hells will be declared a failure, and the mission of another monarch will be completed... The other is to stay. After all, Olympus does not prohibit the gods from having contact with other gods, and when the Bronze Age collapsed, the gods had not yet prohibited the gods from reaping the souls of mortals.
But in this case, he could no longer use the golden apple to provoke the relationship between the gods, and the mission would still be a failure... So he quickly glanced at the gods present, and Keto's eyes became sharp.
If it was just her, she would have to choose one of these two options, but now, she was not going to choose either one.
With the golden apple, the old things were not so important. Looking at Artemis wearing a crescent crown in the distance, Keto took something out of his hand.
"Your Majesty, no matter what happened in the Bronze Age, I am afraid I did not violate the rules of the Divine Court at that time. I remember that it was not until after the Typhon Calamity that you assisted the gods in establishing the Divine Kingdom, and then human souls were forbidden to compete with each other."
"Why, is it possible that your Queen is very unhappy to see me get the golden apple, and now she wants you to come forward and solve my problem?"
He pushed back unceremoniously, and Hera stood up suddenly.
She was already angry and dissatisfied with Keto's acquisition of the golden apple. Who knew that the other party would dare to provoke her?
"Keto, do I still need Zeus to stand up for me? If you dare to leave this temple with the golden apple, I will make you pay the price in the future!"
"Really? But I don't believe it."
With a sneer, Keto threw the object in his hand towards Artemis.
"Respected Lord of the Wilderness, do you believe it?"
"...Of course I don't believe it!"
After hesitating for a moment, Artemis' eyes lit up.
She had come here to watch the fun today, so why not make it a little more lively? Besides, the thing Ketu had entrusted to her happened to match her priesthood of [Wilderness].
If it's beneficial and in line with your own ideas, then why not do it?
"Artemis, you are so outrageous!"
Hera laughed out of anger, feeling that anyone could act recklessly in front of her, but the Crescent Moon Goddess didn't care at all.
Although she disliked Zeus and Leto, it did not mean that she liked Hera. On the contrary, the Queen of Heaven was also an object of her dislike.
For a moment, Keto's problems seemed to be briefly concealed by the golden apple, but most gods really didn't care much about the existence of hell.
There have always been many gods and forces in this world that are not under the control of the Divine Court, so it is not surprising that there is suddenly one more.
However, the God King did care, and in this world, only strength can determine the size of the sound. So the next moment, Zeus's momentum suddenly rose, covering the sea area.
"That's enough. You are noble gods. This is not the place for you to quarrel. Keto, I am not accusing you of a crime, but as the king of the gods, I hope you can tell me where the gods Hestia met that day came from."
Staring into Keto's eyes, feeling the faint sense of familiarity, Zeus spoke word by word.
"What place in heaven and on earth is unknown to me, the King of Gods?"
······
Beyond the sea of Pontonoris, there is an uninhabited sea area.
Erebus has been waiting here for a while since leaving the Ringing River.
While Zeus was still there, he was not in a hurry to go there. The Lord of Darkness just watched the auras rising and falling there, secretly calculating whether Zeus' plan was being carried out smoothly.
Using the golden apple to stir up trouble seemed like a clever way to do it, but Erebus felt that the more sophisticated a scheme looked, the more likely it was to go wrong.
As expected, at a certain moment, when Zeus' power exploded, problems did arise.
Because in that palace, another aura of weak power but no less noble was also spreading.
It was separated from the power of the God King as soon as it came into contact, but the impact it brought was real. And with Erebus's experience, he immediately discovered the other party's origin.
Hell, just as the goddess of life once stayed in the divine court for a period of time as a subordinate of the Lord of Darkness, the Lord of the Nine Hells was undoubtedly also using this opportunity to announce Keto's identity.
"Hmm...Zeus probably doesn't know yet, but that's actually his father Kronos...Haha, this will help me convince Pontus. He would rather sleep than get involved in worldly affairs. If there is no external force, I really can't do anything to him."
Silently calculating, Erebus felt that this accident was quite appropriate. And since Hell had joined the game, he would try to pull the Abyss over.
Tartarus has no consciousness, but the Lord of Darkness actually knows this state very well. Because as a primitive god whose degree of personification is far less than that of Gaia, Erebus will maintain this state of being one with the original body for a considerable period of his life, almost "coexisting with the Tao".
This is a manifestation of the degree of personification, and one of the reasons why he wants to open up the interface. But that is all later. If there is enough time, Erebus may be able to use the help of the native creatures of the abyss to stimulate the will of the abyss in some way, so that He can temporarily descend with a powerful enough force.
Of course, he had no idea what would happen to the native life forms of the abyss after doing this. No one knew what the chaotic Tartarus would do.
But Erebus didn't care about this. The only thing he was worried about was whether there was any qualified life in the abyss that could complete this task?
"It would be best if there is... If we can add the will of the abyss at that time, the stimulation to the laws of the world will be further increased."
"Tsk, before I knew it, the number of great beings in my plan for the end of the era is approaching double digits. This is truly an unprecedented event... I wonder if the framework of the world will be shattered on that day, and will the earth be divided into four parts?"
There is still a long time until that day, but Erebus is already looking forward to it.
What happens in the current world has nothing to do with him. The world will not be destroyed anyway.
Compared to the world itself, these little wounds are nothing.