Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 629 - 208 Choices, Jokes, Father and Son

Pontus Euxinus, inside the palace of the Primordial Sea God.

The debate in the Mortal World had ended, and the illusory images shattered accordingly. As Andrea spoke within her mind, the gods within the Great Hall were similarly awaiting her arrival.

At last, the God of West Wind had invited the victor of the mortal assembly.

The destiny of the Golden Apple was about to be settled, yet the atmosphere inside the Great Hall remained heavy. The gazes of the gods intertwined, slightly distorting the air itself.

"Zeus, it seems the ’Arbiter’ you found is not too fond of Olympus," said one.

"Even if it was just a temporary stance for the debate, the words she spoke do not sound like those from someone who holds faith in deities."

The eyes subconsciously swept across Phoebe, the Goddess of Luminous, as Hera clenched the armrest.

Why do the old things of yesteryear still covet their affairs? The current Chaos belongs to the era of the Olympian Pantheon.

"Never mind, Hera. As the King of All Gods, I can always tolerate those dissenters, as long as they aren’t as mad as that rebellious child. As my Heavenly Empress, you should also demonstrate your magnanimity," said Zeus.

With a slight wave of his hand, compared to Hera, Zeus seemed completely unconcerned about Andrea’s previous Speech.

Lies do no harm, but the truth is a swift blade, all built on equal status and power.

No one gets angry over an ant’s provocations; they find it amusing most of the time, unless they are in a foul mood and simply crush the ant on a whim.

And Andrea, it was clear she was but an ant in Zeus’s eyes, even though he was only observing through the eyes of his followers. As the reigning Divine King, he had already discerned certain details about her, such as her probable role as a Godhood Practitioner, her concealed true appearance, and the Iapetus he had noticed earlier.

As Laine had previously suggested, using the power of the Serpent of the Central Court for a Transformation might indeed possess very potent effects. It could deceive the majority of deities, allowing them to be fooled by a false exterior, but this certainly did not include Zeus, who had already partially completed the Sovereign Ritual.

He was able to see the issues, just as Laine had thought. Although Zeus had realized something, he had no intention of disclosing it.

Among many professionals of the Mortal World, Godhood Practitioners are the least regarded by the gods, since they can never pose a threat to deities, and their actions are often directed by divine will. A Godhood Practitioner criticizing Olympus for the destruction of the Bronze Age clearly doesn’t represent her own views.

It likely isn’t Athena; his dear daughter wouldn’t do something so blunt. Quietly, has this deity of the Old Titans era aligned herself under my daughter’s command?

Then there’s this disguise... Previously seen through a layer, Zeus couldn’t discern it clearly. Now observing in person, he noticed several discrepancies.

Athens was suppressed by many kingdoms, yet a single mortal stabilized the situation. When the gaze of All Gods turned toward the Mortal Realm, his own daughter had already acquired such schemes. If it hadn’t been for the grand Sovereign Ritual, Zeus doubted whether even he, the Divine King, could see through the deception.

Truly a daughter ’stronger than her mother’, and fortunate that the ’son stronger than his father’ hadn’t come to be. Such methods of forming alliances and increasing power right under his own eyes indeed were startling.

He secretly celebrated his past decisiveness; after so many years, the image of Metis had seemingly blurred in Zeus’s memory.

That was the right choice, and now, he was about to make another correct decision.

"She has arrived."

Suddenly, a deity spoke softly inside the great hall.

Laine, slightly lifting his head as the portal opened, soon sensed the presence of the newcomer.

Under the gaze of all gods, the God of West Wind entered the hall first, followed closely by a tall, blonde girl.

At this moment, her appearance was not inferior to the deities in the temple, but in Zeus’s eyes, once the covering dissipated, she was just an underage mortal.

"Letting a woman choose the most beautiful goddess... but this too can be considered fair,"

On one seat, the God of Heavenly Light, Aether, nodded slightly. Beside him, his sister and wife, Hemera, the Goddess of Daylight, seemed eager to try.

She had not participated in the scuffle for the Golden Apple, but that was simply because reason had prevailed over desire.

No goddess did not wish to receive this honor, and she was no exception. And if she were chosen by this mortal without a struggle, probably no one else could say anything.

"Zephyrus, my friend, thank you for bringing back this wise mortal. You never disappoint me."

Laughing, Zeus could clearly see that now in the hall, regardless of whether they had tried to snatch the Golden Apple before, the goddesses had all perked up.

The ownership of the most beautiful goddess could bring strength to those who crave it and honor to those who seek it. No one could resist it, and even he who had caused all this could not stop it now.

But Zeus did not want to stop it, sitting on the Golden Throne, the Divine King took back the scepter from Zephyrus.

"You’ve worked hard, my most loyal friend—and the victor of the mortal assembly."

Rising from the Golden Throne, Zeus behaved especially courteously.

"I listened to your earlier debates, the splendid exchange of arguments, a pity the Goddess of Justice isn’t here, she would definitely delight in this debate about justice."

"Well, I won’t say more, victor from the mortal world, I think on the way here, Zephyrus must have already told you what to do—because of Eris’s gift, conflict has spread among the gods. But as the King of All Gods, I will not allow this to happen."

"As I cannot invite the most just goddess among the gods to make the initial judgment, it shall be you, the most just and wise mortal, to make the decision. I promise you, whatever choice you make, the gods will not trouble you, and your name will live forever in the mortal world."

······

Mortal Realm, the assembly place where the crowd had not yet dispersed.

At the end of the grand assembly, a deity descended, took away the champion, and invited her to attend the banquet of the gods.

Regardless of which side they had supported in the debates or whether they believed in the gods, people were extremely curious about the outcome.

Unlike the shepherd in the original myth who was chosen to determine the ownership of the Golden Apple, although that ’most handsome mortal’ was also a prince, he was not well-known at the time.

However, Andrea’s departure this time had caused a tremendous impact, and people stayed at the venue, wanting to know the final outcome of the event.

"...a beauty that captivates all beings, does it stir your heart...no? That figures, you’re still a child, unable to comprehend the adult pursuit of appearance, probably mistuned to play for the likes of Aphrodite."

"The scepter of ruling a kingdom, do you desire it or not? You don’t, huh... That makes sense, after all, you’ve always had everything, what use is there in power."

"Hmm, and Amphitrite, she promised you control over ocean currents, to raise tsunamis to destroy your enemies... If she knew you were just plundered at sea not long ago, she probably wouldn’t have made that offer."

Sitting in the stands, Laine silently reflected on the various temptations Andrea was facing.

It was rather ironic, the idea was to allow a mortal to make a choice for fairness sake, yet the gods were still allowed to tempt the very person making the ultimate decision.

This was all part of the routine for the Chaotic Gods, they were always crafty in both creating rules and breaking them.

"...so what am I supposed to do after all, you brought me here to choose beauty? If so, maybe I should choose Princess Athena—the Goddess is the most beautiful, no objections accepted!"

The voice carried surely, Andrea was undoubtedly undergoing the gods’ temptations.

After Zeus finished speaking, Andrea hesitated slightly but eventually agreed. After all, having come all this way, she had to make a choice to leave. And if she was to choose, it would undoubtedly be Athena, even though Athena had not yet offered her conditions.

"Don’t rush, Athena is the last goddess you should choose; Athens has enough internal and external troubles, you wouldn’t want to add more issues to your nation."

"This time, stirring up another conflict seems to be the best solution... though it’s also an idea I had only after hearing about the debate in Athens, not sure if it will really work."

While speaking, Laine recalled a joke from the future regarding the dispute over the Golden Apple.

"If you were to replace Shepherd Paris and decide to whom the Golden Apple belongs, who would you give it to?"

"Obviously, divide the Golden Apple into three, give the skin to Aphrodite, for the joke goes that she’s only worth her looks; hand the flesh to Hera, indicating that the cuckold king gets nothing but the middle part; and finally, offer the core to Athena, since the God King’s brother died in the womb, this seed can be a small compensation."

"By doing so, the three goddesses would unite against a common cause, and wouldn’t that solve the dilemma of the Golden Apple?"

Hmm... It’s unknown where this joke originally came from, but it indeed spread widely later, even inspiring some to write an alternative ancient mythological novel. However, Laine certainly couldn’t proceed with such a plan, his mission was to quell fires.

Shouldn’t be a problem, right... Laine pondered. His arrangement was rather impromptu, he didn’t know if it would work out. But there was no helping it, who could expect to sleep through millennia?

"Come, have you seen the deity I transferred to you?"

As a unique message was passed, a seductive and enchanting image appeared in Andrea’s mind.

She had never seen this deity, nor was there any statue of her in the mortal realm, but with such a distinctive appearance, she recognized it instantly.

"Let’s choose her, she’ll take all the blame, remember?"

"...okay then."

After hesitating for a moment, Andrea agreed.

I just need to make a choice, while you handle complicated strategies behind the scenes, it’s quite a trouble, isn’t it? Why don’t you come and make the choice?

Thus, in the temple of the Ancient Sea God, Andrea suddenly stepped forward, picking up the Golden Apple placed in front of her.

At the same time, the gods who had promised her fell silent.

"...It seems the gods’ speeches ultimately couldn’t sway your mind, arbiter from the mortal realm, have you made your decision?"

Atop the Golden Throne, Zeus asked with a smile.

"Yes, regardless of external influences, the truth remains unchanged. And among the gods present, I had already made my choice long ago."

With a slight bow, under the nervous and expectant gaze of the gods, under Zeus’s confident watch, Andrea turned slightly.

Then at that moment, those millions of gazes seemed to turn sharp as spikes.

"You are the most beautiful goddess in my heart, Your Highness."

Whispers rose—

Who is she?

Who is she!

The atmosphere among the gods was tumultuous, and although Zeus’s expression remained unchanged, he was taken by surprise.

He looked at the goddess who had taken the Golden Apple, undoubtedly also a beautiful deity, but why did she seem unfamiliar?

Their eyes met, the Divine King gazed into her eyes, hoping to discern something, yet for some reason, he seemed to see a pair of eyes both familiar and strange.

You, who are you?!

...

At the same time, in Tartarus, the ninth layer of Hell, on the ninth layer.

Asmodeus stood alone in the vast sky, a slight smile on his face.

"It’s a good strategy, indeed, just a pity, it seems you have forgotten."

"While we are indeed allies against the Abyss, that doesn’t mean I’m your puppet."

"And she, is a deity under my command."