Chapter 88: Chapter 65 Solidifying Time
Translator: 549690339
Upon the great plains, Mother Earth sent out her servants, and elsewhere, the gods all reacted accordingly. The presence of the two goddesses, who were the first to emerge, caused those quietly observing the Mount of the Gods to retract their gazes.
Hestia, the eldest daughter of the Divine King, although skilled in the godhoods of Fire and Protection, which are well-suited for combat, it was uncertain whether she could enter into the ranks of those with formidable divine power because of the imperfection of one of these forces. Even if possible, it would likely take an exceedingly long time.
As for the other goddess, Demeter, her godhood was too inclined towards support. Even with strong divine power, her combat capability was very limited.
Moreover, in the traditions of the Chaos World, a goddess could not ascend to the throne of the Divine King.
Since there was no possibility of challenging Cronus’s rule, naturally no god was particularly concerned about this. They chose to wait for the birth of the Divine Child.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Entering the royal chamber, Cronus spoke softly upon seeing the two infants in Rhea’s arms.
“I’m fine.”
Rhea’s complexion was somewhat pale, but her spirits were still decent.
However, upon seeing her husband’s figure, she glanced at her two children with a worried expression.
“How do you plan to treat them?” she asked. “They are goddesses and won’t become the person mentioned in the prophecy and curse.”
“I know, they have no chance of replacing me; but when facing our father, my siblings also stood by my side, did they not?”
He shook his head, but seeing the changing complexion of the Queen of Gods, Cronus still reassured her, “However, you need not worry.”
“Their divine powers are still very weak and not powerful enough; the time of the prophecy has not yet come. I have a better solution. If possible, let’s keep it this way.”
He extended his hand, and the power of time surged around him. When the invisible fluctuation covered the two goddesses, their growth slowed.
The divine power transformed into a golden liquid, sealing the two infant girls inside, much like two translucent gemstones. Cronus placed them aside and then sat down at the edge of the bed.
“Let’s leave it at this for the time being; at least for now, their powers do not pose much of a burden to me.”
Relieved, Rhea relaxed. Yet, being in charge of a godhood related to time herself, the Queen of Gods was well aware of how much power was constantly drained to delay the growth of two potent Divine Children.
“What about later? We won’t only have these two children.”
“We’ll discuss that later.”
Cronus interrupted.
He had his thoughts, but he knew Rhea would certainly not accept them, so he chose not to speak of them.
Reverting deities to their mother’s womb is both harmful to the mother and a desecration of the Law of Procreation established by the Heavenly Father and Mother Earth. The precedent was still fresh before his eyes; Cronus would not stubbornly oppose it.
Furthermore, the prophecy had shown a point in time, the birth of the Silver Humanity. As long as the new life had not yet appeared on the earth, the future was not so frightening.
If he could think of a solution to the prophecy during this period, that would be best. If not, it was not too late to make arrangements later.
After spending some time with the Queen of Gods and sensing the Goddess of Justice’s disappearing presence outside The Temple, Cronus smiled and then left the royal chamber.
With the birth of his eldest daughter, he needed to make certain of some things; after all, these would not be his only children.
“Zephyrus, the Leader of the Wind Gods, whom I personally ennobled, in the past thousand years, has anyone defied my orders?”
Stepping through The Temple’s grand doorway, his smile fading, Cronus asked in a grave tone.
Days before, he had summoned the God of West Wind back. If the divine birth had not been a day earlier than he anticipated, the Divine King would not have had him wait outside The Temple.
“No, Your Majesty. In fact, the gods do not possess that capability.”
Next to him, Zephyrus materialized from his ethereal form and bowed respectfully to the Divine King.
“Creation of life is only possible through the combined action of the elixir from the Life Vase and the water from the Well of Origins.”
“Therefore, even though the creatures of the earth have gradually become sparse, no deity has created new life.”
Nodding, Cronus was satisfied with Zephyrus’s answer.
The birth of Silver Humanity, the rise of the second Mount of the Gods, the latter he did not know when it would happen, after all creating a mountain had many ways to achieve, but creating humans was controllable.
Previously, his children had not been born, so he was only generally prepared for the birth of the new human race, but now things were different.
Silver Humanity, strife would arise upon the earth, and Cronus would start here, to test the strength of fate.
In doing anything, one must proceed from weak to strong, and so it was with confronting fate.
If the fate involving the succession of the Divine King was something he was now powerless to stop, then Cronus would use Silver Humanity as a medium, to test just how strong the power of fate truly was.
Or perhaps, this at least would allow him to understand fate better, to comprehend the mechanism by which it acted upon the present world. Even if Silver Humanity still emerged, this would be valuable experience for him.
“Zephyrus, I have another task for you.”
Looking toward the East of the earth, Cronus said indifferently:
“Go to the Delphic Great Plains, watch over that place for me, and record which deities have visited there.”
“Since creating life cannot proceed without the Life Vase, then all I need to do is keep a close watch on its existence. Note down every being that might borrow the Divine Artifact, and I shall visit each in turn.”
His expression changed, upon hearing that he was to spy near the dwelling of another Primordial God, the God of West Wind instinctively wanted to refuse.
Although Mother Earth was far less daunting than Nyx, actually, the deterrent effect was the other way around.
Nyx was indeed unobtrusive, given her personification, she could not walk outside the Land of Eternal Night for long, so Zephyrus thought to himself, even if he were discovered by her, it would not be a big deal, but Gaia was different.
The God of West Wind had no doubts that if Mother Earth detected his surveillance, his fate would certainly not be a pleasant one.
“I’m not negotiating with you, Zephyrus.”
Discerning the hesitation of the God of the West Wind, Cronus said with a smile:
“Your position as the leader of the Wind Gods was bestowed by the power of the Divine King, not heaven-sent, and as such, it can also be revoked. However, just like the last time, I will not ask you to do anything for nothing. Fulfill my task, and I shall reward you handsomely.”
He extended his hand, and a beam of light flashed. The next moment, a scepter that seemed to be cast from gold appeared in the hands of the Divine King. It seemed newly born, still unconsciously releasing power into its surroundings.
At the top of the scepter, a yellow-green gemstone was set, and one glance would allow anyone to feel that it symbolized both the withering and the flourishing of all things.
“The Wheat-Gold Scepter, it’s the accompanying Divine Artifact of my second daughter. It can cause all things to grow, as well as strip them of vitality, turning them into dust.”
Fondling the shaft of the Divine Artifact, the Divine King envied it. An accompanying Divine Artifact wielded incredible power in the hands of its owner, and could not be taken by others. If it weren’t for the fact that Demeter had just been born and was not yet aware of the loss of this treasure, then at a mere thought from her, this artifact would be stripped of its divine power.
But for now, it seemed that for a considerable length of time, Demeter would likely have no chance to reclaim her artifact.
“Take it, although this is the accompanying treasure of my second daughter, she is still an infant and naturally cannot reclaim the power of the artifact.”
“I can entrust it to you, to imbue the West Wind with vitality henceforth. If you are discovered by Mother Earth, you can use it to save your life as well.”
After a moment’s hesitation, facing the scepter passed by the Divine King, the God of West Wind still accepted it.
On one hand, just as the Divine King had said, he was not really asking for his opinion. Should he truly refuse, then any of the other three Wind Gods could easily replace him.
On the other hand, the fact that the Divine King had given away the Divine Artifact of his own daughter, although unsaid, Zephyrus had guessed that the newly born Goddess of Growth might not meet a good end.
With both considerations combined, naturally, he could not refuse the Divine King’s request.
“I will do my best, Your Majesty.”
Having received the scepter, Zephyrus bowed deeply.
“Then be off, soon enough the various gods who come to ‘congratulate’ will arrive.”
“When they return, you must watch carefully. Any god who comes near Mother Earth’s dwelling, you must note them all.”
After giving his final instruction, Cronus waved his hand, permitting the God of West Wind to depart.
The Divine King trusted in the capabilities of the God of West Wind. It had to be said that since the last time he had sent Zephyrus to the Underworld, he suddenly found this particularly courageous deity quite useful.
At least in surveillance of others, even if there was a vast difference in strength, it seemed he could bring about a satisfactory outcome for himself.