Chapter 82: Chapter 59: Not Needed
Translator: 549690339
Spirit Realm, July hung high in the sky.
Laine leaned against the backrest of his chair inside the Temple of Lops, casting his gaze outside.
Three days had passed since the fall of the stars, and just as he expected, the two guests had entered the gates of the Underworld.
Along the way, they casually slaughtered numerous wraiths; after all, not only were the creatures weak, but they also seemed to fall short of the gods’ aesthetic standards.
“Liana.”
“I’m here, Your Highness.”
Black hair cascading like a waterfall, the response was as always. Hundreds of years had gone by, and with the expansion of the Underworld, the Nether Moon had also grown increasingly powerful.
“Cronus and Helios have entered the Underworld, go welcome them on my behalf.”
He took a sip of tea and indifferently gave the order.
Bringing along the new God of Sun, their purpose for coming was obvious without asking.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Liana responded softly and then exited the great hall. After a short while, Cronus was the first to walk into the temple.
Helios followed behind. The new God of Sun moved cautiously, acting like nothing more than an attendant.
Apart from the Goddess of Law, they were the only two True Gods who had entered the Spirit Realm.
“An incarnation, it seems His Divine Majesty the Divine King has somewhat misunderstood me.”
Laine nodded with a smile, welcoming Cronus’s arrival. However, he could sense that the other was not here in his true form.
Not every god could create an incarnation, but Cronus certainly could.
“The Spirit Realm grows stronger, and here, the power of the mortal realm is almost completely blocked. I don’t feel very safe.”
Cronus found a chair to sit down and said with a smile.
“Moreover, like Mother Earth’s Life Vase, nobody knows what they might encounter on a visit here.”
Laine remained unconcerned with the Divine King’s implied meanings.
“Since we’re on the subject of the Life Vase, heh, have you ever wondered about something? If I am the lord of spirituality and was the first life to exist, then why wasn’t the authority of [Life] from the spiritual side born into my hands, but instead came to rest in a Divine Artifact?”
“I only know that there are two kinds of divine artifacts. Those that are innate often resemble godhood, containing corresponding divine authority and source power. Artifacts that are acquired afterward, while likewise powerful, often lack the absolute nature of divine authority and are simply strong in certain aspects.”
Laine’s mention of divine artifacts puzzled Cronus, but he shared what he knew nonetheless.
The sickle forged by Mother Earth was such, a powerful high-grade artifact that possessed no authority by itself but was remarkably formidable against specific targets.
The scepter of the Divine King and the Ocean Deity Sovereign were the same. Their symbolic significance outweighed their practical meaning. In contrast, artifacts that emerged naturally from the world were different.
Not only did they have fewer restrictions, but in intricate applications, they often held an advantage.
“That’s true, but it’s not entirely so. In fact, you just haven’t mastered the true method of smithing. Artifacts forged afterward can indeed possess divine authority, but they require very special materials.”
“Moreover, the most crucial point is that through the process of ‘smithing,’ it can emphasize the power of certain aspects of authority at the expense of losing power in other areas.”
“So what are you suggesting?” asked Cronus, glancing at Helios beside him with a contemplative look.
“Using half of him as a material, I can personally fashion a divine artifact for him,” Laine said.
“I will suppress the parts of his godhood related to ‘light and heat,’ and enhance the power of ‘operating the sun.’ With this, he will be able to effortlessly drive celestial bodies and fulfill his godhood with only a tiny fraction of divine power,” Laine explained.
In the end, Laine looked at the somewhat distressed God of Sun and the Divine King beside him and said with a smile:
“If you’re afraid of the same thing happening to you, I’ll allow you to observe my smithing process. All the Solar Source Force will be used by me as material.”
“What about his power?” Cronus asked, with some interest, “Will his divine power decrease with the loss of half his godhood?”
“A little, but not substantially. As long as the new artifact remains under his control, his limit of divine power won’t differ much from before. However, his destructive power afforded by his godhood will certainly decrease significantly.”
“But then again,” Laine asked with a smile, “do you need Helios to possess such formidable combat strength?”
The Divine King nodded, looking towards the Sun God who clenched his fists.
“I guess not, right, Helios?”
Confronted with the Divine King’s coercive gaze, the God of Sun inexplicably remembered his father’s final words.
Perion would only imprison him, but the Divine King, he only needed a powerless sun that he could control without resistance.
He wanted to refuse, for his godhood was at stake, and as long as he was unwilling, not even the Divine King could deprive him of his authority. Without a third God of Sun in this world apart from him, the opponent had no other choice.
But then he thought of his father, sealed away; Helios did not know whether, once the Divine King calmed down, he might swear upon the Styx River and come to an agreement with the Divine King.
Although this possibility was slight, he did not wish to gamble. After all, if he could gain a strong ally in divine power, Cronus might be willing to bury the hatchet. At that point, Helios’s situation would become awkward.
Of course, things might not develop to that stage. Perhaps there were other, better solutions, but for the moment, Helios couldn’t think of any other options.
“...Yes, Your Majesty, the Divine King, I do not need such formidable combat strength. Being able to operate the sun for you is already sufficient,”
Bowing his head slightly and pondering unknown thoughts, the God of Sun ultimately chose to comply.