Finally, Hades and Erica boarded the ship as they had hoped.

At the cost of three gold coins.

Persephone sat on the other side of the ship, his hands clasped together, repeatedly apologizing to Erica with deep remorse.

"I'm very sorry, I've been in the garden for too long and I really don't have that many gold coins."

Erica simply smiled gently, shook her head at the opposite side of the boat to indicate her understanding, and remained silent.

After all, these three gold coins also came from Professor Victor.

Um... I hope the professor won't blame me.

Seeing Erica's silent demeanor, the Queen of the Underworld spoke to her:

“Young lady, you possess my golden branch, so you can speak on this ship.”

Upon hearing this, Erica lowered her head to look at the golden branch in her hand, but then raised her head and shook her head at the Queen of the Underworld.

With a polite smile, I chose to remain silent.

Now, she increasingly felt that this Queen of the Underworld was unreliable.

Even taking a boat ride requires her to pay with gold coins.

So she decided to remain silent on the ship to ensure that nothing went wrong.

In any case, keeping quiet will definitely guarantee absolute safety.

Meanwhile, Persephone sat at the corner of the boat, arms wrapped around his knees, muttering under his breath, looking slightly aggrieved:

"When I went back before, they only charged me one gold coin..."

So you're still going to be charged gold coins?

Erica was even more speechless now.

She glanced at the Queen of the Underworld with a hint of helplessness, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

But soon, Erica turned her head and her gaze fell on the skeleton boatman who was wearing a robe covered with gold coins.

The gold coins on it come in all shapes and sizes, many of which Erica has never even seen before.

Around its robe were several bulging bags, which appeared to be filled with gold coins.

The boatman just kept mechanically rowing, without any other reaction.

This made Erica very curious.

It doesn't even give face to the Queen of the Underworld, so who exactly is this boatman?

Is it even more powerful than the Queen of the Underworld?

Just then, Viktor's voice echoed in her mind.

"Because it is the 'rule' of the underworld."

"Whether living or dead, gods or kings, anyone who wants to cross the river must pay Charon gold coins."

"Even Hades, the lord of the underworld, has to pay Charon to cross the river."

Hades could appear in any corner of the underworld with just a thought.

Even the River Styx could not sink him, for he was the king of the underworld.

Therefore, Hades did not need to travel by boat at all.

But if he chooses to take the boat, he will have to pay Charon.

Because that's the 'rule'.

Hearing Viktor's explanation, Erica nodded as if she understood but not quite.

Now, she's starting to get curious about another activity.

Charon's pricing standards.

When I arrived, I was supposed to receive only two gold coins, but when I was about to go to the underworld, I suddenly received three.

Is it because there's an extra Queen of the Underworld on the ship?

"Charon charges based on the number of passengers boarding the ship."

As if sensing Erica's confusion, the Queen of the Underworld narrowed her eyes and responded with a knowing smile:

“Every passenger, whether living or dead, needs to pay one gold coin.”

Erica paused for a moment, then frowned.

Something's not right.

Following this logic, they should have paid three gold coins from the beginning.

Erica counted the number of people on this side.

There should be three: Professor Victor, the raven god on her shoulder, and herself.

Could it be that one of them went unnoticed by the boatman?

Who knows?

The Queen of the Underworld's smile deepened slightly, and her eyes gradually opened a crack, glancing at the raven on Erica's shoulder.

Then, silence fell over the ship once again.

This time, the boat traveled far and slowly, seemingly heading deeper into the river.

Erica could sense the crazy changes in the surrounding scenery.

As the river receded, the sky gradually changed from blue to a dark gloom obscured by faint ink marks.

Soon, the azure sky disappeared, replaced by a blood-red sky of lava.

The banks of the River Styx were transformed into surging scorched earth and lava.

This place is filled with countless terrifying monsters made up of skeletons and ghosts.

The surging lava intersected between the monsters, splitting the earth in two.

The lava flows across the scorched earth on both banks, eventually sliding into the silent River Styx.

However, the moment it came into contact with the River Styx, the lava turned into pale smoke, rose into the sky, and quickly dissipated.

Soon, the ship slowly glided across the River Styx, located in the heart of the molten lava and scorched earth, continuing its journey into the deeper layers of the underworld.

The transparent hull glided across the tranquil river, the surrounding scenery once again shrouded in a layer of mist.

The surrounding buildings and monsters gradually blurred, and even the surging lava froze in mid-air.

Soon, the surrounding scenery seemed to be covered by ripples, transforming into a solemn and mysterious architectural hall.

Surprisingly, this seemingly endless river appears to flow through this architectural world, extending ever forward.

Erica looked up, her eyes wide with amazement.

Everything before my eyes seemed to be made of a unique rock and shimmering gold, interspersed with some crystal-clear green minerals.

Erica was awestruck by the countless exquisite and complex buildings.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!