Chapter 75: Venus

Chapter 75: Venus

Venus.

The Morning Star. Evening Star. Phosphorus.

It was always linked to a slew of legends and names.

However, the planet was given the name "Venus" in honour of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty.

There was also a legend that Venus was once a realm of gods, a paradise for which mortals yearn in their dreams.

However, reality always tends to be disappointing. It is far from the paradise imagined by those; rather, it is best described as a burning hell.

On this burning hell, three figures were walking through a vast yellow plain, unaware that they were the first to set foot on this dead planet in millions of years.

The sky was clouded over with thick yellow clouds. The rays of the sun only partially penetrated the clouds, illuminating the hellish world.

Those three figures had half of their faces covered in white cotton cloth from below their eyes. They moved slowly, leaving visible footprints in their wake.

Their footprints, however, were surrounded by cracks in the ground, showing the seething lava flowing directly beneath the crusty ground, revealing that the entire plain is vulcanised lava flowing down from the volcanoes rather than solid rocky ground.

But, they all walked forward, unconcerned. After nearly a day of walking, they finally arrived at the foot of a yellow mountain.

Lucas sighed as he removed the cloth from around his face. "That was entirely unexpected."

Blaise also removed the cloth while gazing at the volcanoes in front of him. His expressionless face frowned in distress. "It's hot. It's far too hot."

"An understatement." Lucas folded his hands and gazed up at the sky. "Thank the sun, we're angles; otherwise, the moment we entered the atmosphere of this hellish planet, our bodies would have melted and disintegrated into ashes. And don't even get me started on the air pressure..."

"How are you doing, by the way?" Lucas asked, his gaze fixed on Blaise.

"It's fine. My body is not weaker, as some have claimed." Blaise rolled his eyes. He could see why Lucas was concerned; the mysteries pathway had a reputation for having very weak physical bodies. However, he received his lord's blessing several times, which inadvertently strengthened his body considerably.

Lucas nodded. While looking at volcanoes, he inquired. "How many volcanoes did we pass on our way here?" He also kicked some rocks off the floor into the lava plains below.

Diana, on the other hand, spoke up, interpreting their conversation. "Could you come help me with the equipment here? We can begin recording the entire planet."

She was standing not far away from them, taking a large number of the golden equipment from her blue bag.

"Oh?" Lucas approached her and eyed her equipment one by one before remarking with a shake of his head. "We're on a journey, not a scientific expedition, Diana."

"And, honestly, do you always carry all of this stuff with you? More importantly, how does this even fit into this small bag?" He then peppered her with questions.

Diana glared at him while she handed the bag to Blaise, who had already come forward to assist her.

As the thoughts passed through his mind, Lucas joined Diana and Blaise on their expeditionary journey across this could-swaddled planet.

The angels of sun moved across the lands of Venus, which were filled with active volcanoes and flowing lava.

They lost track of time after crossing four focal points because the sun in the sky remained constant, with the only sway being the rising temperature. Throughout their time on Venus, it remained in the centre of the sky, as if the planet was always in perpetual daylight.

"I never imagined there would be a day in my life when I would miss the night." As they walked, Lucas smiled and joked.

"We're close to the equator of venus." Diana said as she turned to face him. "Once we cross there, the rest of the planet should be in perpetual night."

"Does the planet rotate more slowly than the Earth?" Hearing that, Blaise inquired.

"Yes." Diana came to a halt in her path and calculated with her hands.

"A full cycle of day and night on Venus is equivalent to nearly a year on Earth. We've been on this planet for at least 20 earth days."

"A year?!" Lucas and Blaise couldn't hide their surprise, as they hadn't expected such a disparity to exist despite the two planets' proximity.

"It should be almost there. Isn't it fascinating?" Diana spoke up, her purple eyes glistening with thirst for knowledge. "There is such a difference between two planets. And this is just the one closest to ours. I'm not sure what the situation is like on other planets far away from our home."

She then went on. "Come on, there's only one more focal point left before we start. I, too, can't stand to be here any longer."

They resumed their journey, heading for their next target, largest volcano on venus.

The sky gradually darkened and dimmed as thick grey clouds covered it, in stark contrast to the rest of the clouds that covered the planet.

They arrived, the light of sizzling lava illuminating their faces as it flowed in branches like a river. They stood on rocky ground that had turned charcoal black rather than yellow. The scorching magma cascaded down from the ridges like a waterfall.

It stood before them, towering even the tallest statues of gods on earth. This volcano was the largest thing they'd ever seen. It was covered in flowing, shimmering lava, the light of which shone through the darkness. Unlike other volcanoes on the planet, it did not spew volcanic ash, instead lava flowed from mountain cracks.

They were amazed as they gazed at the volcano from a large rock. It was astounding and terrifying... Yet, they also found it strangely beautiful.

With just a glance, it had captured their entire attention, and an unusual "desire" to explore the volcano appeared and filled their hearts and minds.

"This planet is truly a paradise of volcanos," Lucas exclaimed, admiring it, "Come on, let's keep going."

He jumped on another black rock ahead of him and began climbing to the summit of the volcano, and Blaise soon followed.

Diana frowned and adjusted her glasses. She kept looking at the grey clouds, black ground, as well as, scorching lava.

She always felt like, she was missing something about the entire situation. She also felt the sudden urge to recite the honorific name of their lord.

But, when she saw the volcano again, those doubts and urges in her heart were replaced by her "Desire" for infinite knowledge. Then, she too joined them on their journey without giving it a second thought.

After they left, the clouds parted, revealing Jupiter, which gleamed ever-so brilliantly in the dark sky.