"The World Chains."
Erebus continued, "When the Mythical World was born, to better seal and bind it, a series of chains emerged from its origin: the Sea Chain, the Sky Chain, the Underworld Chain, the Earth Chain, and the Star Chain—five World Chains in total."
"But," Nyx added, "as the Mythical World stabilized, these World Chains disappeared completely. Even though we don't know your exact intentions, Hades, these five World Chains will undoubtedly be useful to you."
Hades pondered for a moment and said, "The World Chains contain the Law of Sealing."
"Yes," Nyx nodded, "the World Chains are imbued with the Law of Sealing and corresponding rules."
"Where are the World Chains located?" Hades inquired further.
Erebus flicked his finger, and a crystal floated in front of Hades. "This crystal records the locations of the five World Chains. However, be cautious. The World Chains are extremely unique. If you get sealed by one, even we cannot help you escape."
"I understand." Hades stored the crystal and nodded silently.
Hades then left the Realm of Darkness once again. This marked the second investment from Erebus and Nyx, the ancient god couple. Compared to their initial assistance, which was purely supportive, this was much more significant.
Without the help of these two ancient gods, Hades would have never known about the World Chains. This knowledge was evidently possessed by only a select few ancient gods. Besides Gaia and Nyx, who were among the oldest of the ancient gods, it's likely that even Pontus and Uranus, who were also from the creation era, were unaware of them.
There are eight ancient gods in total. If Gaia is in a tier of her own, the second tier would be occupied by Nyx, Tartarus, and Ouranos. The third tier consists of the so-called four ancient gods of creation: Uranus, Pontus, Eros, and Erebus. In reality, these "creation gods" are the weakest in terms of overall strength. Although Eros, Erebus, Tartarus, and Nyx were all born from chaos along with Gaia, Gaia stands out as the most powerful.
In summary, besides Nyx, only Gaia, Tartarus, Erebus, and Eros knew about the World Chains. Though it seems like five out of the eight ancient gods knew about them, in practice:
Gaia remains in an almost eternal slumber, Tartarus is a recluse who never leaves the underworld, and only Erebus and Nyx, as a couple, are active. As for Eros? This god of love is in a peculiar state, having lost his physical form due to some reckless actions and now roams the world as a spirit, seeking a new vessel for rebirth.
Thus, apart from Erebus and Nyx, no other ancient gods seemed aware of the World Chains, which explains why these relics from the birth of the Mythical World remain intact.
Otherwise, the investments of the ancient gods would not have been limited to Erebus and Nyx. Other ancient gods would also have been eager to get involved. In such circumstances, how could such primal artifacts like the World Chains remain unnoticed?
Erebus and Nyx watched as Hades left the Realm of Darkness. Once Hades was completely gone, Nyx slowly spoke, "Hades, he..."
Nyx couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly, her voice full of expectation. "Erebus, do you think Hades will succeed?"
"I don't know," Erebus shook his head, but a look of excitement lit up his eyes. "Given the current situation, though, the probability of success is very high!"
Erebus wasn't joking. Initially, Erebus and Nyx thought it would be quite an achievement if Hades could merely begin to free himself from his seal, breaking the bonds of fate.
However, to their astonishment, Hades had shattered the constraints of his essence, advancing to become a Chief God without even having reclaimed his full essence.
For Hades, once he retrieves his essence, achieving the status of God-King would be straightforward. But doing so without his full essence and still breaking through to become a Chief God was an extraordinary feat.
"And more importantly," Erebus noted seriously, "what I admire most about Hades is his calmness and rationality. A god must have the courage to take risks, but not to the extent of recklessness."
Hades didn't let his breakthrough to Chief God cloud his judgment. He didn't rush into the underworld to retrieve his essence. If he had, Erebus and Nyx would have immediately reconsidered their support.
Despite Hades offending Cronus, which wasn't significant in their initial investment, acting impulsively to reclaim his essence would have been self-destructive.
Instead, Hades chose to enhance his foundation further before seeking his essence, a remarkably disciplined decision. Controlling his impulses was crucial.
Because of this, Erebus and Nyx, the ancient god couple, decided to make their second investment in Hades. This was a significant decision.
The couple's initial investment in Hades was not their only option. If Hades failed, they still had opportunities to invest in the upcoming fourth generation of God-Kings. Betting everything on one choice was not wise.
But now, seeing Hades' potential, Erebus and Nyx were filled with anticipation. If Hades' next steps prove successful, they would not hesitate to go all-in. Betting everything on a promising venture is a form of wisdom.
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