Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 155: Chapter 10 Sacred Stone

“Very well,”

In the center of the great hall, Zeus nodded. He did not know the thoughts of the God of West Wind, but he felt that his current expression was truly one of heartfelt gratitude.

However, there were still many matters to attend to, so Zeus suppressed the desire to engage in further conversation and signaled for him to step down, then turned to his foster mother.

He was well aware of what he had done, so he had to find another way to appease his powerful foster parents. And after fulfilling his promise to Poseidon, this seemed all the more straightforward.

After all, the ocean was not something that could be lost twice. It would be up to them to decide who would ultimately gain it.

“Noble Ancient Titan God, emblem of the primeval waters, Mother of the Sea, you stood by my side in the most perilous times. Though my Mother Goddess did not come, I still thank you on her behalf for your assistance,” he said.

Though in his heart the status of the deities of the ocean was not yet as great as that of a once-dead goat, Zeus still expressed his utmost gratitude.

“Therefore, to repay your kindness, I, as Divine King, promise that in the future, I will never, like my father before me, take up arms against the sea,” he declared.

“What?”

Thaesis was somewhat surprised, and the gods were all astir. They were unaware that Zeus had already sworn an oath to the Styx River to persuade Poseidon.

In their eyes, the so-called ‘Sea Emperor’ and ‘Hades’ were just semantics, like Cronus had once tacitly allowed his brothers to rule their own domains. But now, Zeus, in his capacity as Divine King, was making a promise that truly amazed them.

“Yes, as Divine King, my word is my bond,” Zeus affirmed.

Nodding, he seized the opportunity to look towards the Goddess of Justice standing beside him.

“My aunt, the revered Lawgiver, overseer of fairness and justice, I also invite you in the name of the Divine King,” he continued.

“I hope you will delineate order for the new Divine Court and make impartial judgments when conflicts arise among the gods.”

Zeus would naturally resolve any contradictions that the Divine King could settle. But when truly vexing issues arose, the presence of the Goddess of Law was equally necessary.

Besides, Zeus had two other reasons in mind. Setting a new order for the Divine Court, although not quite the same as ‘legislation,’ was beneficial to his authority, an emulation of his Heavenly Father’s past actions. And even if Themis did not truly heed his commands, her presence alone was sufficient to enhance the majesty of the Divine Court.

Though she had never truly acted, Zeus could sense that this Goddess, who had seen an immense increase in her origin after ‘legislation,’ possessed a power far from trivial, nearly at the pinnacle of divine might.

“I can agree to this, but on the condition that you do not interfere with my reasonable determination of laws,” Themis said.

Nodding in agreement, Themis remembered the scene she saw during her last visit to the Spirit Realm and her casual conversation with Laine.

Establishing standards for human morality indeed required the assistance of the Divine Court, and of course, she also wanted to take this opportunity to offer advice to her nephew.

However, this would also need the help of the Queen of Gods. This was why Themis had previously taken notice of Metis, as most deities saw this Goddess of Wisdom unquestionably as the future third-generation Queen of Gods.

“No problem, I trust your justice,” Zeus said.

Unaware that the first thing the Goddess wanted to enact was the ‘order of marriage,’ Zeus’s smile broadened even more.

The affirmation of the Goddess of Law further bolstered the credibility of the new Divine Court, and Zeus’s gaze swept over the deities, finally resting in a corner of The Temple.

“Ah, and you, my friend, master of the Magic Net, Hecate,” he said.

Looking towards the red-haired goddess sitting in the distance, Zeus thought of yesterday’s astrological outcome.

Two children, a god and a goddess; one born later, one born sooner.

Just as Mother Earth’s birth preceded the Heavenly Father, so the girl who was born first would surpass her mother; the boy who came later would surpass his father. They would be revered by all creatures and demonstrate their might between the earth and the sky.

Upon hearing such a result, what choice Zeus would make was beyond doubt.

Although the Prophecy did not reveal that a god surpassing him would replace him as the Divine King, this was exactly what Zeus wanted. His reason for having Hecate divine the future of his progeny rather than his own was to avoid any outcomes related to the ‘Divine King’.

“I once promised you the Moon, my friend, and now I fulfill it in the name of the Divine King.”

“As an additional reward, I also promise you rights independent of The Sky, earth, and ocean, for I know you have always disliked being bound, and this is the recompense you deserve.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Waving her hand dismissively, Hecate showed some restraint on this formal occasion.

The so-called promise of Zeus held no significance for her. Even though Divine Power was restricted on earth, she had little divine power before weaving the Magic Net. So, with or without this supposed promise, she didn’t feel any god could limit her actions.

However, after yesterday’s astrology, Hecate was now somewhat curious about how Zeus would treat his children in the future. After their birth, would he consume them like Cronus?

Indifferent to Hecate’s aloofness, Zeus immediately went on to make arrangements for many deities, some he had favored, and some who had proven their merit.

Due to the previous changes in heaven and earth, most of the water bodies and mountains on earth were no longer the same as before, and several inland lakes had formed, which were also within his purview to assign.

Finally, Zeus looked around and took out a stone.

The gaze of all the gods was drawn to it. This was a special stone; it exuded an aura similar to that of the new Divine King. Apart from this, the force of Life was covertly lurking within, flowing like blood.

“A sacred, noble rock, and also the most critical contributor to our cause.”

“It once endured the smelting of the great Sun, the strikes of thunder, and received Mother Earth’s blessing. In the end, it took my place and was swallowed by the former Divine King.”

“Its contributions are beyond doubt, and I am grateful for its kindness, thankful for everything it has done for me.”

This part of history was actually little known; many deities were unclear about how Zeus had managed to escape when Cronus was still in power. But now, with the narration from Zeus himself, they could not help but admire the reclusive former Queen of Gods.

To come up with such a method to deceive the Divine King and have the courage to implement it, she was indeed extraordinary.

“I will place it at Delphi, the sacred place of Mother Earth in the Mortal Realm. It contains the power of the Golden Apple and rightly deserves to be preserved there.”

Standing before the deities, Zeus slowly spoke. His reason for bringing up this matter at this particular time was not truly to commemorate some stone, for Delphi didn’t even have any occupants at the moment; for whom would he place it there?

He was merely using the recounting of the past as a way to hint that Mother Earth not only had blocked the former Divine King for him but had also assisted him on his path to escape.

Of course, at this moment, Zeus was unaware that Gaia had fallen into a brief slumber. He simply wished to eliminate as much as possible the influence of this active Ancient God on current affairs.

Beyond that, before his journey to the Oracle, he intended to remove the statues of the second-generation Divine King and the old gods from that temple, replacing them with his and the new gods of Olympus.

He did not know what significance this held, but it did not prevent him from trying.

“However, Your Majesty, as I understand it, the Oracle of Delphi simultaneously honours three deities.”

At that moment, a deity who had just been rewarded suddenly spoke up.

“The whereabouts of the former Divine King are unknown, and Mother Earth would probably be willing to accept the offering of your sacred artifact, but the creator of the Spirit Realm might not feel the same.”

“Placing your Sacred Stone at Delphi, is it something that should be reconsidered?”

“I know,” nodded Zeus, already having planned for this: “That’s why I intend to go there myself.”

“Some of you might have already felt the world that suddenly connected with the Mortal Realm. Perhaps some have explored it, perhaps not, but I have been there.”

“On this trip to the Oracle of Delphi, I also plan to meet this Ancient God and understand matters related to his domain.”