NOVPUBChapter 780 -283: Behind the Seven Veils (12 Days Ahead)
鈥淚s your heart ruthless enough?鈥 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
鈥淲hat do you mean?鈥
Unconsciously looking up, he met Laine鈥檚 gaze.
This time, no one spoke, but invisible messages still emerged in Heracles鈥檚 mind.
The fresco on the dome seemed to have a double image, with a vortex spiraling into existence another opposing stream.
In it, Heracles saw life, slaughter, and the flesh; he also saw deceit, lies, and civilization.
...
Above the nine layers of interface, a king with red pupils and wings perched; in the endless void, the Ancient Serpent around the Central Court hissed.
In the axis of the nine layers of interface, Heracles seemed to see a colossal tree growing snakelike.
Order and covenant were its branches, and blood and body transformed into the sources of its strength.
At that moment, an intuition told Heracles that he could also achieve his goal here, with laws to follow and traces to pursue.
This interface hidden in Tartarus did not refuse any mortal鈥檚 desires, as long as they could pay an equivalent price.
鈥淗ere鈥 it鈥檚 also harvesting faith and souls?鈥
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing strange about that, after all, All Gods harvest with bloodlines and kingdoms; Demons harvest with desires and contracts鈥攅ssentially, what鈥檚 the difference?鈥
潡堭潣凁潟橉潣?co
Laine spread his hands and retorted casually,
鈥淚n fact, with the latter, you can refuse, but with the former, as long as you live, you cannot refuse.鈥
鈥淟ike now, the All Gods won鈥檛 respond to you, but the demons can, so will you refuse?鈥
鈥溾€︹€
A longer silence than the previous two times followed, and Heracles did not know how to deny it.
Should he refuse?
Of course, he could refuse.
But compared to the first two methods, the third one was so simple.
Killing, sacrificing, accumulating enough 鈥榩rice.鈥
Not only souls, in fact, the essence of real-world flesh is similarly meaningful to Purgatory; after all, the Abyss is different from the Spirit Realm鈥攊t is chaotic, but matter exists there too.
All he needed was to kill, with Heracles鈥檚 strength, he could completely become an honored guest of All Countries, conducting massacres openly and honorably.
Killing the soldiers of enemy nations, exchanging their lives for status and fame, using their blood and souls after death to satisfy his own wishes, what could be wrong with that?
Don鈥檛 the All Gods do the same, collecting everything from mortals before and after death, under the guise of protection鈥
鈥淣o!鈥
Startled suddenly, Heracles stepped back.
His previous thoughts seemed to turn into actual voices echoing in his ears; he watched Laine intently before him.
Was it his doing, or was his own mind unsettled?
Heracles did not know, but what he did know was that, indeed, he had been tempted.
Now he could refuse, but he did not know whether he could still refuse in the future.
鈥淪o, the third method鈥攜ou still want to give that up?鈥
鈥溾€︹€
Hesitant to speak, Heracles wasn鈥檛 a strictly 鈥榬ighteous鈥 person.
If it were just killing a few people, perhaps he really would have agreed.
But to achieve what he wanted, he feared gambling would cause mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Resurrection wasn鈥檛 difficult, the difficulty was in living without dying.
For a mortal to achieve true 鈥楿ndying鈥 was exceedingly difficult.
After all, there were too many things in this world that could take a life of Longevity, even Heracles himself could not ignore the attacks of Divine Power.
鈥淚f I agree now, perhaps nothing would happen for now.鈥
鈥淏ut once I鈥檝e slaughtered countless lives, would I really still want to pay this price just to resurrect one person?鈥
Step鈥
He took a step forward, a golden light emerging in Heracles鈥檚 eyes.
Three questions, three considerations, his Divinity at this moment was like a brief and illusory flame ignited.
It consumed flesh, bones, spirit, even itself.
Something seemed to have been burnt away, yet it seemed like nothing had.
But for some reason, Heracles felt much more at ease.
鈥淗eh.鈥
鈥淧ursuing supreme power.鈥
鈥淒evouring the wisdom of the wise.鈥
鈥淎 heart cold and ruthless.鈥
鈥淲ith the will of Zeus flowing in your veins, you were influenced once, so why not a second time?鈥
Laine smiled faintly, even without witnessing, he was certain that the person Heracles wanted to resurrect had ties with Zeus.
Because the only ones who could influence him were Hera, who had once nurtured him, and Zeus, who gave him Divine Blood.
And a true Demigod must always discard these intrinsic influences.
鈥淎h, the hero from Thebes, it seems you are not satisfied with any of the three methods.鈥
鈥淵ou鈥檙e a picky young man, but no matter, as I鈥檝e said, there鈥檚 little in this world I don鈥檛 know.鈥
With a slight struggle, but Laine eventually did not let Heracles down.
He lifted his hand one last time, gently touching the dome of The Temple.
The ephemeral images of Tartarus and Purgatory also disappeared, as if everything in this world ceased to exist.
However, feeling the 鈥榝lame鈥 gradually extinguishing within, Heracles seemed to see something else.
鈥淭hat is鈥︹€
All tangible things were gone, yet the intangible gave birth to existence.
Vaguely, in the emptiness of the dome, Heracles felt as if he saw another world.
It corresponded remotely with the material realm but contained all possibilities of the universe.
鈥淲hat is this?鈥
Heracles asked.
Standing beside, Laine answered with a smile.
鈥淚t is naturally the last solution you wanted.鈥
鈥淪ince you don鈥檛 want the first three, the only path left is for you.鈥
鈥淵ou鈥檒l head to the real Spirit Realm.鈥
鈥淣ot smuggling, not carrying anyone鈥檚 mission, just for what you truly desire.鈥
鈥淵ou will travel west, find the correct entrance beneath Mount Othrys that once supported heaven and earth, and then start a grand adventure.鈥
鈥淎dventure?鈥
鈥淵es.鈥
His smile still in place, Laine spread his arms as if embracing the world.
鈥淥ld legends say that at the beginning of all things, Spirituality and Matter were born at the start of everything.鈥
鈥淓verything in the material world stems from this, and the Master of Spirituality then lifted the seven veils, looking down upon the world from the summit in the Spirit Realm.
鈥淎nd if you follow the right path, passing through the veils that the Gods have draped among mortals, and finally reach the peak of Mount of the Gods鈥︹€
鈥淭hen whatever your wish may be, it will inevitably be fulfilled.鈥
鈥溾€aster of Spirituality?鈥
Muttering the name to himself, Heracles thought this to be difficult, yet not impossible.
He didn鈥檛 know how to sway an Ancient God born at the dawn of creation, but if it was just a matter of meeting, then he felt he could manage it.
Moreover, compared to stealing from someone else鈥檚 home, he preferred to meet the master directly and talk to him.
So, gazing at the hallucinatory dome, Heracles earnestly said, 鈥淭hank you for your wisdom.鈥
鈥淚f I really can fulfill my wish, I will certainly keep my promise.鈥
鈥淣o rush.鈥
With a gentle shake of his head, Laine turned around, his back to the young hero.
Before him was the broken statue of Demeter, ironically placed within the temple that once belonged to her.
鈥淧assing through the seven layers of Spirit Realm is no simple feat.鈥
鈥淵our strength might be sufficient, but your experience, insights, wisdom, and skills are still far from enough.鈥
鈥淵ou need to temper yourself, but mere trials aren鈥檛 enough for perfection.鈥
鈥淵ou also need a mentor, someone who can truly help you fill in the gaps.鈥
鈥淲here can such a person be found then, in the stars, the sea, or among the mountains and the Underworld?鈥
鈥淛ust east of Athens, near the center of the sea.鈥
Laine slowly paced, his voice taking on a teasing tone.
鈥淭his person meets my requirements, and he will definitely help you.鈥
鈥淵ou won鈥檛 doubt him because you know he won鈥檛 harm you.鈥
鈥淎s for his name, you鈥檝e guessed it already, right?鈥
鈥溾€es, you鈥檙e right.
鈥淚 guessed it already.鈥
There could be no other, atop the East Sea, who fits these criteria.
The creator of the Bronze Humanity, the stealer of Heavenly Fire, the prescient Titan God.
The very Prometheus who remains imprisoned within the Sea Eye as a warning to the world.
路路路路路路
Sss鈥
Within the shadowy emptiness, the Great Serpent was slithering.
The Abyss鈥檚 temporality is boundless, yet nothing is absolute before the Great Serpent.
In just a few movements, the Serpent of the Central Court arrived at the place nearest to Hell and the Underworld, then darted forward.
The temporal barrier was pierced, and its massive body appeared in the outside world.
But it was only for a moment; as power spilled forth, the Great Serpent returned behind the barrier before several gazes swept across.
For the time being, it must not leave the Abyss鈥 fortunately, this was not much of an issue for it.
One is all, and all is one.
The will of the Great Serpent existed in every fraction of its power, and the bit that left was no different.
Transformed into a pitch-black small serpent, the diminutive incarnation swam through the Netherworld.
It swam past fire rivers, past the banks of Acheron River.
It proceeded to the Mortal Realm, to the East Sea, to the site of that enormous whirlpool.
At the end of the second era, another collision between the sun and the sea created this chasm.
It resembled the legendary Ruins of later times, where all waters sloped yet had no bottom.
Yet, being truly within it, mortal beings couldn鈥檛 grasp its vastness.
This miles-spanning whirlpool was so immense that mortals could only think they鈥檇 come to an increasingly turbulent part of the ocean.
Positioned above the whirlpool, the pitch-black small serpent looked down.
However, perhaps because it was a wound caused by the sun, no external light or heat could approach this place.
Even knowing that the creator of Bronze Humanity was locked here, the small serpent couldn鈥檛 see any related imagery.
鈥淪ss鈥斺€
鈥淭roublesome. Wouldn鈥檛 it be simpler to just make him my follower?鈥
鈥淟et him kill and kill in the Mortal Realm. What if he follows those later rumors and practices 鈥楶roving Dao by Killing鈥? 鈥
The forked tongue flickered in the air, malignance nearly spilling from the serpent鈥檚 eyes.
Though inherently the same individual, the Great Serpent didn鈥檛 necessarily share perspectives with its other aspects.
Besides a cohesive self-awareness, the Serpent of the Central Court often had many unique ideas.
For instance, it once considered creating a Heracles to subdue the Deities.
Since he was destined by fate to Ascend to Godhood, he wouldn鈥檛 be punished by the laws of the present world.
So, imposing himself further through subjugation was quite plausible.
After all, he was Zeus鈥 son, and God was tightly knit with Law.
Subduing a Deity might also be seen as subduing the corresponding law.
If Heracles eventually subdued everyone, wouldn鈥檛 he be using a 鈥榯yrannical鈥 approach to gain 鈥榯he right to rule鈥?
Perhaps, after the collapse of the Divine King鈥檚 throne, Heracles could inherit Zeus鈥 legacy and become the 鈥楪od of Sovereign.鈥
鈥淭hough indeed risky, it鈥檚 worth a try鈥 It鈥檚 a pity, really.鈥
The snaky head subtly tilted, displaying a human-like expression of regret.
It was unclear whether the sorrow was for Heracles not taking this 鈥榗orrect path鈥 or for missing out on the shedding of blood.
In any case, the Serpent of the Central Court lingered awhile but eventually continued to swim downward.
Laine told Heracles that he could release Prometheus here.
But merely telling would be meaningless because Prometheus was bound by the Divine King鈥檚 authority.
Thus, breaking that chain鈥 was naturally not so simple.
PS: Something came up yesterday, so I added a bit to the title of the previous chapter this morning and stated I鈥檇 post in the evening. However, as it turns out, that wasn鈥檛 very direct, and many people didn鈥檛 notice, so I鈥檒l post stand-alone chapters next time.
Also, although it鈥檚 indeed quite late 鈥榯his evening,鈥 I did update, right, emmm. It鈥檚 mainly so late because I was coding the second chapter, since I still have things to do today, so I鈥檓 posting now.
