"I knew Hades was strong, but I didn't realize he was this powerful..."
"No, it's not about strength. In the underworld, Hades is invincible. This is his domain, the final resting place for all the souls from Olympus.
As long as the underworld exists, Hades cannot be destroyed. He is also very strict about rules, never crossing the line and not allowing others to do so either, which makes him very difficult to deal with.
Even though most deities lack human emotions, they generally have little interest in killing.
After all, humans are like ants to them.
Would you go out of your way to torment ants?"
Hearing this, John was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a pause, he sighed, "If that's the case, then why bring disaster to my homeland and drag us survivors into this damned game?"
"That's something I cannot explain."
"Sigh... forget it."
Unable to figure it out and with Seraphina unable to give a definite answer, John decided not to dwell on it.
However, the River of the Underworld was much longer than John had anticipated.
He didn't know how long he had been walking, but when he looked back, the bridge that spanned the river was already out of sight.
Despite walking such a great distance, he still couldn't see the end of the river.
According to Seraphina, this river was filled with the souls of the dead, transcending time and space.
As long as the underworld existed, the river would never cease.
"Do these souls have any use for you?"
"No, they're just bodies with lingering souls. Erasing the imprints from their souls is too troublesome."
John then had a peculiar thought.
If monster corpses could be used as offerings to summon powerful monsters, what could be summoned using these souls as offerings? Even stronger spirits?
Sensing John's thoughts, Seraphina sighed and said helplessly, "I advise you not to have such strange ideas.
First, manipulating the souls of the dead is immoral. The deceased should rest in peace.
Second, the realm of souls is beyond my expertise and could lead to things spiraling out of control.
Third, and most importantly, you must not touch the River of the Underworld. If you come into contact with its water, you will never be able to return alive.
You will end up like the lost souls, eternally drifting with the river without rest."
"Is there no other way?"
"Rest assured, if it comes to that, I'll protect you."
Strangely, even though it was an empty promise, and Seraphina herself might not know when her remnant soul would dissipate, John felt unusually reassured.
Perhaps it was the twenty-plus hours of walking that left John extremely bored, or maybe it was a question he'd always wanted to ask Seraphina but never had the chance. Now, seizing the moment, he voiced his curiosity.
"Seraphina, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"The relationships between deities must be very complicated, right? I heard that [Zeus] had children with many female deities. Don't you find it awkward when you meet each other?"
"No, we don't."
"Such a decisive answer? But why? Imagine if you..."
Before John could finish, he felt a chill pressing against his forehead.
Realizing what was happening, he saw Seraphina had emerged from the Eternal Alchemy Bible, her cold hand pointing at him.
John immediately backed down, shrinking back and giving a nervous laugh, "Let me rephrase that! Suppose I'm a woman, and I have a daughter with [Zeus], and then that daughter is with [Zeus] again. Isn't that strange?"
"Not at all. What you consider strange or shameful comes from a human perspective, using emotional thinking.
But deities don't have similar emotions. Well, to be more accurate, most deities don't have this sense of shame. Everything is just about continuation."
John nodded slowly, absorbing her response while still feeling the lingering cold.
"But there are so many other choices, right? Why do you deities on Mount Olympus get so entangled with [Zeus]?"
"Because [Zeus] is powerful enough. If we were to combine with weaker gods, the offspring would become progressively weaker until they completely lose their divine nature and become ordinary mortals.
On Mount Olympus, this is not allowed. Offspring born from a deity's travels and unions with mortals are not recognized by the gods.
Even if they possess divine power, they are ultimately just mortals, with only a few exceptions being recognized."
Hearing this, John finally understood.
When reading stories, it always seemed like the gods had no sense of shame.
Seraphina's explanation clarified that they truly lacked shame and, for the most part, human emotions.
But perhaps Seraphina was an exception?
After all, in their time together, John had angered her more than once, indicating that she clearly had human emotions.
"I've answered so many of your questions. Now, you should answer one of mine, right?"
At these words, John was momentarily stunned.
Then he shrugged and said casually, "Sure, as long as I know the answer, I'll tell you."
"If one day you truly possess power equal to or surpassing the deities, and you become one of them, would you slaughter all the gods in the world?"