Chapter 250: One-track mind becomes two-sided (4.1k)
At this moment, seeing that Lorne had a thoughtful expression, Persephone spoke meaningfully to remind him.
“Don’t delve too deeply into secrets that you cannot grasp, because that may harm you.”
"I don't want to, but something has to be done."
Luo En came back to his senses after hearing the voice, smiled bitterly, reached out and pulled down one shoulder of his shirt, revealing the faint black ring-shaped mark on his chest.
The Wheel of Hecate, the mark that the goddess of the underworld left on him after she made a bet with him.
As the collection of the twelve divine powers was gradually completed, the reaction of this mark to him seemed to become stronger and stronger...
The mysterious uneasiness made Loen dare not continue to collect the divinity. He chose to postpone the battle of wits and courage with the twelve Olympian gods and came to the underworld first to try to find out the truth, hoping to find some useful clues and bargaining chips.
Persephone was shocked at the scene before her.
"Are you going to [mature]? So soon!"
"【Mature】?"
Luo En was stunned when he heard this, and his face was shocked.
The Queen of the Underworld was silent for a moment, looked at Loen in front of her, and let out a long sigh.
"Yes, it means exactly what it says. Your [fruit] will soon be [harvested]."
Luo En thought about it, his eyes flickering faintly.
"You mean, the possibility in me?"
Persephone nodded and asked thoughtfully.
"Do you remember I told you before who was the first child to inherit this possibility?"
"Polos, the son of Metis, the original goddess of wisdom."
"What priesthood was he supposed to inherit?"
"The God of Opportunity?"
"What about my godmother? What is her essential divine authority?"
"In the world of gods, Hecate represents an element of chance, adding a bit of luck. Zeus and the three goddesses of fate pull out the inevitable thread, and they can predict how time will run; and Hecate puts a little lubricant on the gears, leaving some room for the unpredictable, so that the world can run more smoothly. Her privilege is not limited by fate... [Possibility of chance]?"
Loen muttered the records about Hecate that he had found in the library of the Temple of Memory before, and then a flash of lightning flashed through his mind.
"Polos and Hecate share the same divinity!"
Opportunity is actually a kind of accidental possibility, and the nature of the two is similar.
Hearing that Loen had understood, Persephone nodded slightly and asked meaningfully.
"So what would happen if two gods with the same divine power came into contact?"
When Loen thought of the way Hecate drooled over him in the tent that night, his heart shuddered and his throat became a little dry.
"She wants to eat me?"
Since the birth of the gods, the expansion of divine power and the competition for divinity have never stopped, and there are countless examples of mutual devouring.
Zeus overthrew the rule of Cronus, firmly established himself as the king of gods, devoured Metis, and possessed the original wisdom;
Apollo recruited the nine Muses as his subordinates, seized the power of prophecy ceded by the goddess of memory, and took away the sun chariot driven by Helios, taking the power of the sun into his own hands.
Oceanus, the god of rivers and ocean currents, had the power to rule the ocean only after he had stolen the gold coins of Pontus, the old god of the sea. After the Titan War, Poseidon successfully usurped this divine power, and the throne of the sea king changed hands...
All these things, one after another, reminded Loen of his current dangerous situation.
Since they share the same divine origin, he is undoubtedly a delicious meal for Hecate.
But even though he understood where Hecate's desire for him came from, Loen was still a little confused.
"In that case, why didn't you swallow me up earlier?"
"Because, [seeds] need to go through the process of blooming and bearing fruit before they can harvest sweet [fruits]."
Persephone sighed, looked up at Lorne, and spoke softly.
"The original Boros died before he was born, and my little Zagreus was born and died again. Although they both inherited this [seed], they no longer exist before the seed germinated and grew. Only you are still alive..."
After hearing the reminder from the Queen of the Underworld, Luo En understood.
He finally understood why Hecate had kept him as a baby under the nose of Zeus, agreed to provide him with convenience and early protection, and played a "gamble" with him to shake the power of the Olympian gods.
The reason is simple. The appearance of this BUG caused the future god of wine Dionysus to be born prematurely, so the suspicious Zeus took action to kill him.
Hecate discovered that the third sowing had failed, and wanted to retrieve the seed representing "possibility" to start a new round of planning, but she discovered that there was still an alien herself in the baby's body.
So, the Moon Goddess chose to go with the flow and let him inherit the [possibility] and become the soil for the [seed] to grow and develop.
Moreover, in order to provide nutrients for the [seed], Hecate made a bet with him to overthrow the Olympian order.
Because, as long as Loen himself continues to use [accidental possibilities] to leverage [inevitable fate], he will bring about changes again and again.
Then accordingly, the power of "chance" in this world will increase, and the "seed" of possibility in him will be watered and grow rapidly.
If one day I could use this power to become the [King of Gods] and completely rewrite the order set by the Three Goddesses of Fate and Zeus, it would be like the [seed] growing into a new [world tree], and I would have the authority to control the fate of all things.
However, this future is too uncontrollable for Hecate as an investor.
On the one hand, Zeus and the three goddesses of fate may not give him a chance to grow. Once they notice and attack him, Hecate will lose more than she gains.
On the other hand, if he really grows up to be the [King of Gods], it is not certain who will eat whom between him and Hecate.
Therefore, for various reasons, Hecate should not wait until that time to choose to harvest the [fruit].
And according to the reaction of the Dark Moon Goddess before, the most likely time of [harvest] is - he becomes the main god?
Thinking of this, the twelve-sided dice with nine sides lit up appeared in Loen's mind, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
——The dice of chance, the destiny of destiny...
It turned out that the second round of gambling had already been going on since the conversation on the God of War Mountain.
——I lose. I have repeatedly changed the trajectory of destiny, and your power of [Chance] has also been indirectly enhanced. At worst, you can take advantage of Zeus and the three goddesses of fate to deal with me, reshuffle the cards, and carry out the next [Sowing];
——If I win and successfully advance to the Lord God, you can take advantage of the situation to devour the mature and powerful [Chance] in me, so that you can have the capital to fight against the three goddesses of fate...
After all the calculations, you won't lose no matter how you play it, right?
Realizing that he had not been able to escape the master's calculations from the beginning to the end, Loen suddenly felt a headache.
Now, when I came out to the underworld to ask for directions, I was stuck in two directions.
If you lose, you will be punished by Zeus and the three goddesses of fate;
If you win, you will be devoured by Hecate...
How do you play this? What the hell!
Loen thought for a moment, then looked at the Queen of the Underworld opposite him with sparkling eyes, revealing a hint of sincerity and solemnity.
"If possible, I would like to visit Elysee Gardens before I leave."
Persephone was silent for a moment, her eyes swept over the black brand on Lorne's chest, and she spoke slowly.
"Tomorrow, I will host a banquet for my godmother."
When Luo En heard this, he was immediately delighted and nodded in understanding.
"Thank you!"
"No, I'm just thinking about Melinoe. If you're alive, she won't follow Zagreus's path."
Persephone shook her head slightly and confessed, then looked at her still ignorant daughter lovingly, reluctantly withdrew her gaze and waved to the two of them.
"Well, I will send a message to my godmother tonight and make some preparations. Just in case, you'd better not stay here overnight."
"Well, please don't worry, I will take good care of Melinoe."
Loen nodded hurriedly and solemnly, pulling Melinoe up and walking towards the door.
"Take care of yourself too..."
A faint groan was heard from behind him. Lorne paused for a moment, nodded lightly, then grabbed Melinoe's arm, disappeared, and strode out of the garden.
In the deserted hall, the Queen of Darkness, who was sitting at the dining table, stared at the two figures that were gradually moving away in the gray fog for a long, long time...
~~
On the banks of the River Styx, Melinoe looked back repeatedly at the garden hidden in the gray mist and murmured hesitantly.
"In fact, staying in the underworld, without worrying about food and clothing every day, and with so many people serving you, there's nothing wrong with that."
"If this place is really like what you said, your mother would do everything she could to send you away?"
Loen snorted and asked back, rolled his eyes at the wavering Melinoe, and murmured in silence.
"If you don't want to embarrass them, just follow me obediently. When you have the strength and can control your own destiny, it won't be too late to come back."
"Um……"
Melinoe nodded, said no more, and stood aside waiting quietly.
It's OK. Persephone hasn't raised you in vain these days, and I haven't taught you in vain...
In his heart, Loen secretly gave the goddess of conspiracy a qualified evaluation, then withdrew his gaze, followed the sound of splashing water, and looked at the ferry slowly approaching in the thick fog.
"It's you. Long time no see."
Charon, the ferryman of the Styx, looked at his old acquaintance Lorne on the shore, showed an extremely friendly smile, and rubbed his hands excitedly.
Lorne immediately understood and raised his hand, took out a long golden branch from the garden and threw it to Charon, then spoke with a smile.
"This is the boat fare for both of us."
Charon hurriedly took the garden golden branch that exuded a rich breath of life, put it in front of his nose, and greedily absorbed the freshness. His own shriveled flesh and decayed old appearance suddenly showed a hint of vitality.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Styx Ferry God started to suck, Loen pulled Melinoe on the shore and boarded the ferry.
"Let's sail, old place."
"Okay, both of you sit tight, we'll be there soon!"
Hearing the generous customer behind him speaking, Charon hurriedly stuffed the remaining half of the garden's golden branch into his own small treasury, raised his hand to hold up the long pole, steered the ferry, and headed straight downstream of the River Styx.
On the way, in order to kill time, Lorne casually asked about Sisyphus's recent situation.
When Charon heard this name, he gritted his teeth in anger and couldn't help but start complaining.
"This bastard is a piece of shit! I agreed to pay more, but after he went back, he didn't even give me a cent!"
"Isn't the god of death who is responsible for supervising Sisyphus's imprisonment your brother? At worst, you can ask him to help collect the debt."
"Don't mention it. I don't know what's wrong with Thanatos. He wasn't angry at all after being locked up by that kid for so long. Not only did the supervisor turn a blind eye to that kid pushing the stone, he also brought him wine from time to time. That was the secret wine used to worship the gods during the annual grand sacrifice. I haven't even tasted a few sips!"
Charon became angrier and angrier as he spoke, his red eyes looking as if they might spit fire.
Because the Greeks feared death, the gods of the underworld were rarely worshipped.
In addition, the underworld is filled with death and living things are scarce, so the supply of alcohol and water is naturally very limited.
Only when the annual great sacrifice comes, can the gods of the underworld get some public offerings including wine under the unified distribution of Hestia, the goddess of the hearth.
Among them, the secret wine originated from Crete and was brewed by Dionysian priests themselves to worship the gods. It is quite popular in the underworld.
Since he had no specific divine power, Charon didn't get much every year, so he naturally hated Thanatos's practice of squandering resources.
Listening to the criticism from the Styx Ferry God, Loen smiled meaningfully.
"Maybe Thanatos himself wanted to buy these drinks?"
Charon looked puzzled. "He wants to treat us? Why? That bastard Sisyphus locked him up for half a year! He wants to treat us even though he was fooled. Did he get kicked in the head by a donkey?"
Lorne glanced at Charon and asked calmly, "Thanatos has been imprisoned for so long. Will his power of death be affected after he is released and returns to his post?"
Charon thought about it, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"It seems not?"
After a moment, the Styx Ferryman frowned and added again.
"And it seems to be even stronger!"
“That’s where the answer lies.”
Luo En's eyes flickered and he answered in a deep voice.
"Death has always been something that people on earth avoid talking about. It has existed for a long time, but it is often easily ignored and has a low reputation. But once [Death] deviates from the original trajectory of fate, bringing about unpredictable changes and a series of problems, people will think of the name of [Death].
Just like the sun rises and sets day after day, no one cares.
But if it strikes one day and then rises again, people's attention to it will increase unprecedentedly, and discussions and beliefs will arise from it. The power of death will naturally be strengthened."
Hearing Lorne's groaning, Charon suddenly realized.
"Did Thanatos do this on purpose?!"
"Do you think a mere demigod can easily imprison a main god of the underworld for so long?"
Lorne asked back, his eyes flickering with amusement.
"I think there is something going on behind these two people."
Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain where Sisyphus's confidence came from.
(End of this chapter)
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