Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

The feast lasted only three days, not because the gods’ sense of time suddenly returned, but because many matters urgently needed resolution.

After three days, several deities were to set out to address the issues with Atlas and the God of Meteorology. After all, the sky was still descending, and the post-war world also required sorting and pacifying.

But unlike the past, as the gods began to celebrate, Zeus, despite having become the master of the new Divine Court, did not linger at the feast. Instead, he returned alone to the mountaintop, staring blankly at the empty sleeping quarters.

“…My decision was not wrong, this is the best outcome.”

Murmuring softly, Zeus waved his hand, sealing off the uninhabited Divine Palace.

Unless necessary, he would not come here again.

“This is the end.”

Turning around, the new Divine King stepped forward a few paces at the peak of Mount Olympus, overlooking the surrounding lands. Although smaller than the former Mount Othrys that once propped up the sky of The East, this Mount of the Gods was only slightly less imposing.

Gazing into the distance, the nearby white clouds were clearly stratified, and beyond the heavy, dark clouds and the continuous rain, the Divine King could see valleys and basins scattered everywhere, silently bearing witness to the recent devastation.

No wonder the world imposed restrictions on the gods—after all, the farther from Olympus, the more severe the disasters caused by the gods were.

At this moment, however, Zeus was not worried about these things. He was only thinking about the question he had pondered while facing Cronus.

Legislation, Stellar Realm, Creation of Life—over the past ten thousand years, the previous Divine King had completed these great feats. Among these three, it was likely that one was the reason for his Father God’s strength.

Originally, Zeus wasn’t in a hurry to attempt these tasks, but now he could no longer wait.

The suddenly opened Spirit Realm, the Mother Earth who left after dropping a cryptic comment and has yet to inquire about him, and the Titans who have been indifferent towards him; all this made him feel very insecure.

He urgently needed greater strength. If the position of Divine King could not grant it to him just yet, he would strive in other directions.

“The Stellar Realm… Helios,”

Remembering the God of Sun who had been brought to Olympus but lay half-dead, Zeus found himself in a dilemma.

He didn’t quite trust this fellow who had defected in secret, but he had no one else to call upon. Having the Sun Chariot might mean that the Sun’s movements didn’t necessarily require the God of Sun, but the task would still require a deity with a similar role.

Goddesses like Phoebe, the Goddess of Luminous, and Theia, the Mother of Light could do it. But Zeus didn’t even need to think about it; these two goddesses would never come to drive the chariot for him.

His elder sister Hestia could also manage the task barely. As she mentioned, the Divine Artifact seemed to have been endowed with a portion of the power of fire by its maker. But by the same token, the Divine King could not possibly ask his sister to drive the chariot for him.

“Hmm?”

With a slight change of expression, the new Divine King smiled. Turning to look back, he had partly left the banquet in anticipation of someone’s arrival.

“You have finally come.”

There, a deity whose appearance was not robust, but whose gaze was exceptionally bright, was slowly approaching him.

“The son of Iapetus, the Forethinker, the wise one. I did not mention you at the previous victory celebration; please do not blame me, for there is an important task waiting for you to complete.”

“Once you finish it, I will surely grant you the position and honor you deserve.”

“It doesn’t matter, Your Majesty; I don’t care about those things,”

With a slight bow, Prometheus wore a smile.

“What would you ask of me today?”

Although not powerful himself, he did not show the reverential deference to the Divine King that other lesser deities did.

It was hard to say whether this was self-confidence or something else, as those who pride themselves on wisdom were always so.

“Hahahaha That’s right. I’ve heard that the reason life is so abundant on the earth today, is because the gods have created life twice.”

With a hearty laugh, Zeus didn’t care about the minor matter and spoke of the history of the past.

“The first time, the gods gathered together, and life of the Golden Generation was thus born. The second time, only your father, the Titan Iapetus, and Mother Earth took part. Is that correct?”

“You are correct,” said Prometheus with a slight nod, expressing his regret. “Ten thousand years ago, the previous Divine King commanded the gods to create the Golden Humanity, making Delphi the origin of material life. Later, Mother Earth ordered my brothers and me to assist our father in creating the Silver Humanity.”

“Unfortunately, among all creatures, humans, my favorite, have already passed away—their souls either ascended to the heavens or returned to the Spirit Realm. And another generation has varied due to Mother Earth’s mood at the time.”

Even today, including Prometheus, who witnessed the birth of humanity firsthand, the gods still believe the distinctiveness of Silver Humanity originated from Gaia’s fury during their creation. However, in reality, although the process was flawed, the result was serendipitously correct.

After all, it was her anger that ultimately led Gaia to decide to mix darkness with life, giving birth to the inherently evil second generation of humans.

“That truly is regrettable… Humans, it is said that it was Cronus, the previous Divine King, who first proposed the idea of creating a quasi-god race by combining the powers of all deities.”

Reflective, Zeus continued to inquire, “So Prometheus, in your opinion, what is the difference between humans and other forms of life?”

“Wisdom, Your Majesty, they are rare beings that possess thought processes similar to those of the Deity Race.”

Without any hesitation, Prometheus answered from the heart:

“I must say, creating humans may be one of the real contributions that the previous Divine King made to the world. Without him, I might not have thought to create such a unique form of life. It’s just that he set too many limitations for humanity, so much so that mortals can learn, but not create.”

“I even believe that if they were not subjected to innate influences, they would be even more like the Deity Race, and might even develop more remarkable achievements that would capture our attention.”

“Similar?”

Nodding, Zeus seemed to be pondering something; he had learned enough. Looking at the god before him, the Divine King finally voiced his request.

“You must have guessed my purpose by now, Prometheus, son of the Titan Iapetus, the Forethinker. A new era has arrived, and the earth similarly needs quasi-god beings to embellish it. I want to know if you have inherited your father’s ability and also possess the power to create life.”

Stirred, and despite having formed a guess about the Divine King’s purpose from their previous conversation, Prometheus was still pleasantly surprised.

He had been fond of Golden Humanity before and often lived among them; he also felt compassion for Silver Humanity and had taught them knowledge. If he could personally oversee the creation of the third generation of humans, that would be ideal.

He would create truly perfect humans according to his own vision.

“Of course, Your Majesty. I have assisted my Father God in creation and have observed the Mother Earth creating humans. I possess such ability, and I also have a brother who participated in those events and can help me.”

“However—”

He hesitated for a moment, and although the Forethinker was eager to create humans, he didn’t want his creations to be short-lived, vanishing like the past two generations, so he tentatively said:

“But all mortals must one day die, Your Majesty. Perhaps, in addition to men, I should create women too. This way, they could procreate on their own, without Deities having to create them over and over again.”

“At Delphi, my Father God once dripped the symbolic force of human procreation onto this stone, and I’ve brought it back with me.”

“If you wish—”

“Not so fast, what stone are you referring to?”

Interrupting Prometheus, Zeus was genuinely surprised.

A stone symbolizing human reproduction, indeed, there were many things from the past that he was not aware of.

“Right here.”

With divine power surging, unlike the one designated by Zeus as a Sacred Stone, the stone that Prometheus produced was as tall as he was.

This stone had once rested at the feet of the God of Speech, and then, due to an accidental encounter with well water, it acquired extraordinary powers. Now, it was placed once again on the Mount of the Gods.

“Life… it somewhat reminds me of the Golden Apple, yet it’s entirely different.”

Looking at the stone that Prometheus placed before him, Zeus sensed that special force. With it, humans could reproduce, but he did not want to do that just yet.

Zeus supported the creation of humans not for the sake of humans themselves; he merely wanted to repeat what his Father God had done before.

Since it was just an experiment, naturally, there was no need for extra measures.

“Let’s wait for now, actually, I too thought about this initially. But Prometheus, the proliferation of humans is not urgent; we have ample time to consider the pros and cons.”

Casually storing the stone away and remembering the existing Silver Humanity on earth, those inherently sinful remnants from the previous generation, Zeus said with a smile:

“My dear friend, creating humans is not a simple matter. I’ll give you a hundred years to prepare. As for the materials…”

“I have thought of some suitable items, and I will soon have the materials delivered to you.”