The Sun - Lord of Mysteries (fanfiction)

Chapter 75: Venus

Venus.

The Morning Star. Evening Star. Phosphorus.

It was always linked to a slew of legends and names.

However, the planet was given the name "Venus" in honour of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty.

There was also a legend that Venus was once a realm of gods, a paradise for which mortals yearn in their dreams.

However, reality always tends to be disappointing. It is far from the paradise imagined by those; rather, it is best described as a burning hell.

On this burning hell, three figures were walking through a vast yellow plain, unaware that they were the first to set foot on this dead planet in millions of years.

The sky was clouded over with thick yellow clouds. The rays of the sun only partially penetrated the clouds, illuminating the hellish world.

Those three figures had half of their faces covered in white cotton cloth from below their eyes. They moved slowly, leaving visible footprints in their wake.

Their footprints, however, were surrounded by cracks in the ground, showing the seething lava flowing directly beneath the crusty ground, revealing that the entire plain is vulcanised lava flowing down from the volcanoes rather than solid rocky ground.

But, they all walked forward, unconcerned. After nearly a day of walking, they finally arrived at the foot of a yellow mountain.

Lucas sighed as he removed the cloth from around his face. "That was entirely unexpected."

Blaise also removed the cloth while gazing at the volcanoes in front of him. His expressionless face frowned in distress. "It's hot. It's far too hot."

"An understatement." Lucas folded his hands and gazed up at the sky. "Thank the sun, we're angles; otherwise, the moment we entered the atmosphere of this hellish planet, our bodies would have melted and disintegrated into ashes. And don't even get me started on the air pressure..."

"How are you doing, by the way?" Lucas asked, his gaze fixed on Blaise.

"It's fine. My body is not weaker, as some have claimed." Blaise rolled his eyes. He could see why Lucas was concerned; the mysteries pathway had a reputation for having very weak physical bodies. However, he received his lord's blessing several times, which inadvertently strengthened his body considerably.

Lucas nodded. While looking at volcanoes, he inquired. "How many volcanoes did we pass on our way here?" He also kicked some rocks off the floor into the lava plains below.

Diana, on the other hand, spoke up, interpreting their conversation. "Could you come help me with the equipment here? We can begin recording the entire planet."

She was standing not far away from them, taking a large number of the golden equipment from her blue bag.

"Oh?" Lucas approached her and eyed her equipment one by one before remarking with a shake of his head. "We're on a journey, not a scientific expedition, Diana."

"And, honestly, do you always carry all of this stuff with you? More importantly, how does this even fit into this small bag?" He then peppered her with questions.

Diana glared at him while she handed the bag to Blaise, who had already come forward to assist her.

"Is there anything interesting on this planet? Other than volcanoes and lava. There is nowhere for us to go sightseeing. We might as well collect data on the entire planet." She reasoned rationally.

As he heard her, Lucas sighed exasperatedly. Despite his qualms, he approached her after noticing her frown while holding the equipment.

"Give it to me." Lucas took the equipment from Diana and began assembling it for her.

Diana smiled as she saw this. Then she took the equipment from Blaise, who was taking it out of the bag, and gave it to Lucas so he could continue assembling.

"As for your previous questions; yes, I always carry a lot of equipment and books with me. Even though I am a knowledge emperor, there is still a lot that I don't know and want to explore, so I carry them just in case, just for a situation like this." She answered. "I also expanded the inner space of the bag using the authority of the "Knowledge." To accomplish this, I studied the workings of space itself."

Lucas, who was putting the equipment together, paused and looked at Blaise before asking the important question. "How large is it?"

"Its.." Blaise paused for a moment, peering into the bag he was holding. "It should be large enough to fit a noble manor." He gave a ballpark figure.

Lucas looked at Diana, stunned. "I want one." He asked. "Don't you want it too, Blaise?" He also drew Blaise in, knowing that the likelihood of her agreeing to only his request was slim.

Blaise was aware of Lucas's intention. Nonetheless, he remained silent in tacit agreement; after all, who wouldn't want something this convenient?

Diana looked at them both and sighed. "Fine!"

Lucas beamed right away. Blaise's expressionless face loosened.

"Come on," Diana said, seeing them like this. "We have to get started. Before I can scan the entire planet, we need to place equipment at each of its focal points."

"All of the focal points?" Lucas exasperated. "You are aware that this planet is nearly as large as our own. This will take a long time. And then there's this hellish atmosphere."

"Didn't you say you wanted to go on a journey?" Diana smiled. "We're going on one right now. At least one that is productive."

Lucas finished setting up the equipment and glared at her.

Diana ignored him and began walking in the direction of the next focal point, holding a map she had obtained from their Lord.

"Let's go, Lucas." Blaise said this with a wave of his hands. "At the very least, this will distract us from the hellish place."

Lucas stood there for a moment, watching them walk forward, before following with a defeated sigh.

He wasn't exaggerating when he said this planet is unsettling. The temperature on the surface is excessively high, capable of melting even the hardest metals in seconds, and the atmosphere is also densely populated with poisonous gases. While the atmospheric pressure is many orders of magnitude greater than on Earth.

In this environment, most life cannot survive at all. The only reason they're not melting or being crushed into dust is because they're mythical creatures, and all of their clothing and equipment has been blessed by their lord to withstand such terrifying temperatures and pressure. The air he breathes in is also unbearable, like scorching magma burning through his throat every time he breathes in.

And he can confidently state that the planet is now harrowing. He also did not expect the planet to be this way. He was aware that not all planets would be similar to his own. However, the situation on this planet is far beyond his expectations or imagination.

Not only was he surprised by this, but the other two were as well, when they all landed on the surface to only find a,

Dead and Hellish planet.

As the thoughts passed through his mind, Lucas joined Diana and Blaise on their expeditionary journey across this could-swaddled planet.

The angels of sun moved across the lands of Venus, which were filled with active volcanoes and flowing lava.

They lost track of time after crossing four focal points because the sun in the sky remained constant, with the only sway being the rising temperature. Throughout their time on Venus, it remained in the centre of the sky, as if the planet was always in perpetual daylight.

"I never imagined there would be a day in my life when I would miss the night." As they walked, Lucas smiled and joked.

"We're close to the equator of venus." Diana said as she turned to face him. "Once we cross there, the rest of the planet should be in perpetual night."

"Does the planet rotate more slowly than the Earth?" Hearing that, Blaise inquired.

"Yes." Diana came to a halt in her path and calculated with her hands.

"A full cycle of day and night on Venus is equivalent to nearly a year on Earth. We've been on this planet for at least 20 earth days."

"A year?!" Lucas and Blaise couldn't hide their surprise, as they hadn't expected such a disparity to exist despite the two planets' proximity.

"It should be almost there. Isn't it fascinating?" Diana spoke up, her purple eyes glistening with thirst for knowledge. "There is such a difference between two planets. And this is just the one closest to ours. I'm not sure what the situation is like on other planets far away from our home."

She then went on. "Come on, there's only one more focal point left before we start. I, too, can't stand to be here any longer."

They resumed their journey, heading for their next target, largest volcano on venus.

The sky gradually darkened and dimmed as thick grey clouds covered it, in stark contrast to the rest of the clouds that covered the planet.

They arrived, the light of sizzling lava illuminating their faces as it flowed in branches like a river. They stood on rocky ground that had turned charcoal black rather than yellow. The scorching magma cascaded down from the ridges like a waterfall.

It stood before them, towering even the tallest statues of gods on earth. This volcano was the largest thing they'd ever seen. It was covered in flowing, shimmering lava, the light of which shone through the darkness. Unlike other volcanoes on the planet, it did not spew volcanic ash, instead lava flowed from mountain cracks.

They were amazed as they gazed at the volcano from a large rock. It was astounding and terrifying... Yet, they also found it strangely beautiful.

With just a glance, it had captured their entire attention, and an unusual "desire" to explore the volcano appeared and filled their hearts and minds.

"This planet is truly a paradise of volcanos," Lucas exclaimed, admiring it, "Come on, let's keep going."

He jumped on another black rock ahead of him and began climbing to the summit of the volcano, and Blaise soon followed.

Diana frowned and adjusted her glasses. She kept looking at the grey clouds, black ground, as well as, scorching lava.

She always felt like, she was missing something about the entire situation. She also felt the sudden urge to recite the honorific name of their lord.

But, when she saw the volcano again, those doubts and urges in her heart were replaced by her "Desire" for infinite knowledge. Then, she too joined them on their journey without giving it a second thought.

After they left, the clouds parted, revealing Jupiter, which gleamed ever-so brilliantly in the dark sky.