Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

The party concerned has also “agreed,” so the matter was settled.

Laine had intended to let the godking, who lacked experience, enjoy the catering services of the Spirit Realm, but Cronus, thinking of the constant crumbling of celestial bodies in the sky, regretfully declined his invitation.

Thus, under Laine’s leadership, the three made their way along the main road toward the Corette Shrine.

Regarding the God of Sun, Laine indeed had no better ideas, as in the original mythology, whether it was Helios or the disastrous Phaethon, or even Apollo, who was himself the God of Light, all relied on the Sun Chariot to steer the sun.

Instead of spending time and effort to come up with a better solution for him, it was more straightforward to craft a Divine Artifact as in the mythologies.

As for whether this would weaken the power of the God of Sun, Laine was indifferent. Even without the godking’s suggestion, he would at most not take action against the sun on his own, but he saw no need to speak for a deity he was not familiar with.

Besides, although the godking acted for the sake of his control over the sun, he also inadvertently cleared obstacles for the God of Stars under Laine’s command.

Since he was to be the sun’s neighbor, those he couldn’t fight were definitely preferable to those he could.

Passing through several pavilions and heading west, the three finally arrived at the gates of a uniquely designed shrine.

Unlike other temples, the Corette Shrine had no top, and merely approaching it, a soul-warming sensation of heat enveloped them.

“Is this the ‘Fire’ aura?”

Somewhat surprised, Cronus felt a peculiar sensation driven by the godking’s power. Sensing the authority of “Fire,” he had two conflicting intuitions.

It was as if he felt both annoyance and pleasure. But overall, the pleasure outweighed the annoyance.

“Yes, as one of the most destructive aspects of godhood, I had planned to use it to nurture a high-grade artifact geared towards slaughter. However, unfortunately, even after thousands of years, it had yielded no results. So, I let it return to its essence, to burn here in the form of pure fire while using its power to foster another artifact.”

Nodding, Laine was admittedly somewhat vexed.

The nurturing of Divine Artifacts was very much about timing, not to mention those forged, those nurtured by the world needed a suitable moment to emerge in perfect condition.

Just as the Well of Origins was related to the creation of man, and the Codex of Creation to legislation. However, Laine really couldn’t figure out how the artifact of “Fire” would come into being and decided to use its essence for something else in the meantime.

As for the artifact meant for battle, that required further deliberation, since the Silver Age was upon them and, barring any surprises, Laine’s divine power was poised to surge.

The Hyperion he had once needed external forces to defeat might soon be no match for even one of his hands. His hypothetical enemies were gradually becoming the Primordial Gods, especially the enigmatic Dark Overlord.

Although there were currently no signs of hostility between the two, being prepared or not made all the difference.

And when facing great divine power, an ordinary high-grade artifact might not be ineffective, but its effectiveness was extremely limited.

“What a pity.”

Though proclaiming it a pity, Cronus harbor no regret whatsoever in his heart. He was well aware of the might of a battle-oriented high-grade artifact.

Even though he had only experienced it once due to its effectiveness against specific targets, that memory still profoundly affected Cronus.

“Prepare yourself.”

Laine paid no heed to the godking’s insincerity and took the lead in entering the gates of the shrine.

Behind the door was a slanting conical pit leading downward. The bottom of the pit was hard to see clearly, and multi-colored liquids flowed there, emitting auras of various emotions. Within the center, an invisible flame of changing colors burned fiercely, and an ancient, incomplete stone tablet fluctuated within the flames.

“Is this the ‘Civilization Stele’ that the kings of humanity once saw?”

Observing carefully, trying to determine the authority of the tablet, Cronus found disappointingly that there seemed to be a barrier between him and the tablet, preventing him from discerning its power no matter what.

However, he still took mental note, especially since, for some reason, the artifact was incomplete.

“Yes, the ‘Civilization Stele.’ I am currently using it to carry some humanistic aspects of godhood.”

With a gesture, the stone tablet quietly vanished. Laine turned to Helios, smiling as he said:

“This is the place. Separate half of the source power of your godhood, and I will handle the rest.”

“…Alright.”

With gritted teeth, the young God of Sun separated a golden entity from himself. That was Helios’s Sun, not as fierce as Hyperion’s but gentler and more orderly.

But no matter how gentle the Sun was, its essential properties could not be changed. In the realm of battle, it was undoubtedly one of the top divine roles.

“Come—”

With an outstretched hand, golden Source Power fell into his palm, and at the same time, dozens of different colored metals emerged from the void. Some originated from the Underworld and others from the starry sky, treasures brought back by the True Gods of the Spirit Realm in their daily exploits.

Of course, such items were not considered rare for the gods.

Contemplating the Source Power and materials before him, Laine thought for a moment. Shortly thereafter, he pointed, and the flames transformed instantly.

“Refine!”

He commanded softly, and the golden Source Power was the first to merge into the invisible flames. A thin layer of liquid at the bottom surged up, and when it came into contact with the flames, the invisible blaze intensified slightly. The Divine King and Helios, who were watching from the side, could feel that under the flames’ annealing, the nature of the golden Source Power was slowly changing.

Source Power was indestructible, the foundation of the world, the origin of authority, but its manifest nature could be altered. The wild, scorching parts associated with the Sun itself were being continuously hidden within ‘the inside,’ while the parts associated with ‘celestial motion’ were annealed to the surface, expanding their significance.

At the same time, the various metals around them also melted into a liquid, and under the residual heat of the light blaze, they reshaped their forms.

“I have two ideas, first, I could make it into a Sun Astrolabe.”

“It would inherit the concept of the Sun as the ‘supreme body of material light’ and govern the Sun’s movement in the form of ‘dominion.’

While continuing the crafting of the Divine Artifact, Laine inquired to the two ‘clients.’

“And the other option?”

Ignoring Helios’s expectant gaze, Cronus asked directly.

The Divine King should dominate the starry sky through ‘dominion,’ not necessarily the Sun.

“The second option, I will make it into a Sun Chariot. Controlling this artifact will allow one to pull celestial bodies with ease. Moreover, if a suitable candidate is chosen, they could assist with driving the chariot, leaving the God of Sun merely to steer.”

Calmly presenting the second option, Laine awaited the Divine King’s response.

“Then let’s go with the second one. Controlling the Sun is no easy task, and to avoid overexertion, I can have other deities assist with the God of Sun’s duties.”

Without hesitation, the Divine King chose the second option, feeling that he had made the right choice.

To give up just a few star realms, ones that originally belonged to others, but to gain far beyond his imagination.

“Good.”

Receiving the expected reply, Laine nodded and quickened his pace.

As the days passed, Cronus had made it clear that he hoped Laine would complete the forging as quickly as possible. Therefore, with some compromise in power, within just three months, the Sun Chariot was already taking shape.

“The Sun was inherently a body of ‘light and heat,’ but today, I grant it ‘Fire.’

Looking at the nearly completed Divine Artifact, Laine declared calmly, “This is the warm, masculine, celestial fire, and likewise, it is the right to use ‘Fire’ that I bestow upon it.”

This task should have been completed by the future Hephaestus, but Laine did not mind continuing the process. From now on, Solar Golden Flame would symbolize this artifact.

Taken aback, Cronus did not understand why Laine had suddenly become so generous. But after sensing the Sun Fire that flared up on the divine chariot, he didn’t dwell on it.

The flame provided by Laine was not oriented towards destruction, but rather, it was teeming with life. This would help the growth of all things but would not increase the artifact’s power.

Turning his attention back to the Sun Chariot, the nascent artifact was like a never-ending light source, its frame, axle, and wheels shone like gold, spokes glittered like silver, and the bridle meant to restrain the beasts was embedded with sparkling gemstones.

“Excellent,” he nodded with satisfaction before turning to the Sunshine god behind him: “This is your future carriage. You will drive it for me, bringing light to all beings.”