Chapter 170: The Meaning of the God Position · Grain Ferments in Darkness
Chapter 170: The Meaning of the God Position · Grain Ferments in Darkness
Wandering through the land of the everlasting flowers, Qin Muye saw the palace where Hades and Persephone resided, with the Nymphs of the Underworld each busily tending to their tasks.
Nymphs, also known as fairies or lesser goddesses, are considered attendants or subordinate deities, specifically serving the gods and each possessing fair skin and beauty.
It makes sense; to be chosen as attendants by the Titan gods, appearance must be very important, especially given how chaotic the Titan gods are.
Guided by the Nymphs of the Underworld, Qin Muye entered the palace, where Hades and Persephone had been waiting for a long time.
"You have come, Dionysus. This is your mother, Persephone," Hades said loudly.
"Greetings, Lord Hades, Lady Persephone," Qin Muye greeted.
This remark made the atmosphere tense.
"Hmm, sit down," Persephone finally spoke, easing the tension.
Qin Muye had heard that Persephone was not an easy person to deal with. If she was once a naive and innocent goddess during the period of the seed goddesses, becoming the Queen of the Underworld had turned her into a cold and merciless figure. She also held significant power, capable of commanding all the ghosts and demons in the Underworld and mercilessly dragging the dead into the underground darkness.
The grave is also known as Persephone's chamber, which describes her methods and character.
Of course, more importantly, Persephone's father is Zeus.
Just thinking about it is unsettling. Hades abducted his own niece to be his wife, but that's not the most unsettling part. The most unsettling is that Zeus seems to have a thing for his own daughter, and it seems he has acted on it.
He vaguely remembered that Hades might not have any offspring, but Persephone does. Whether they are Hades' or Zeus' is unclear, but it hasn't happened yet.
The family is truly chaotic.
So, theoretically, Persephone and Qin Muye's predecessor, the White Horse Prince, are cousins, and now they have an additional layer of stepmother.
"Thank you, Lady Persephone," Qin Muye sat down, not saying anything. Given the atmosphere, it wouldn't be wise to say anything.
After all, a bastard meeting the queen, especially when the queen co-rules the Underworld with Hades, could lead to a public spectacle if things got ugly.
"Cough, since you're back, you should start learning to handle the Underworld's affairs. Once..." Hades began, preparing to have Qin Muye act as the crown prince.
But Qin Muye interrupted, "Your Majesty, that wouldn't be good. I just arrived and don't know anything about handling affairs."
Persephone showed no expression. For her, the power of the Underworld is her authority, and as long as she remains the Queen of the Underworld, she will never lose it. Moreover, she doesn't particularly care about power.
These so-called affairs are mostly trivial matters, and Hades wouldn't let Qin Muye rise to the top immediately.
"There's one more thing. It seems I don't have the blood of the Titan gods," Qin Muye asked.
"The River Styx has washed away your bloodline. To restore it, you must ascend to the god position on Mount Olympus. Dionysus is the god position I have chosen for you," Hades answered without showing any displeasure at Qin Muye's interruption.
"Does it have any meaning?" Qin Muye asked.
"Grain ferments in darkness," Persephone said.
Qin Muye instantly understood. He was in the same boat as Heracles.
Heracles, after becoming a god, was called Herakles, meaning the glory of Hera.
Similarly, he is of the same nature. Most of the grains used to make wine are seeds, and fermenting in darkness represents the offspring of the seed goddess of the Underworld.
"Alright, then I'll be Dionysus, but I think Zeus might not agree," Qin Muye said slowly.
The meaning of wine is not just that. It is a significant authority, and it's not something Hades can just give. It requires the approval of Zeus, the king of the gods.
"No, he will agree," Hades said.
"Fine, as long as you're happy. What should I do next after coming to the Underworld? Just pass the time?" Qin Muye said casually.
"As a Titan god, you are too weak and need to be tempered, so..."
"Wait, I am a scholar, Lord Hades, do you understand?" Qin Muye quickly said.
Hearing the word "tempered" was not a good sign. At best, it meant intense training, and at worst, it meant fighting for one's life. He, a scholar with no physical strength, would be exhausted to death.
"Scholar? So you want to compile poetry for me?" Hades asked, somewhat puzzled.
"No, what I mean is that I want to try reactivating the Titan god bloodline within me on my own, rather than relying on Zeus. I don't trust this King of the Gods," Qin Muye explained, finally revealing his true intentions after all the buildup.
Hades fell silent, and Persephone remained expressionless. She had no particular fondness for Zeus, who was her father, but he was also the kind of father who didn't shy away from his own daughters. She herself had once been one of his targets, so it was no wonder she had no good feelings toward him.
"What kind of support do you need?" Hades asked.
"I need a quiet, safe environment where no one will disturb me. I plan to start with the Underworld god power within me, which might help me reverse-engineer the Titan bloodline."
Qin Muye gave a simple explanation, though it was a lie. The so-called Underworld god power within him was actually his own talent as the King of Hell, not a derivative of Hades' Underworld authority.
"Go to the Elysian Fields. No one will disturb you there," Hades said.
The Elysian Fields, a place of bliss and happiness, were akin to heaven, but within the Underworld. Sinless souls were assigned to this place to live a life of comfort and peace.
However, Qin Muye thought that for an ordinary person to reach this place, it would be quite difficult, given the unknown criteria for judging sins by the Underworld judges.
Those found guilty would naturally be sent to Tartarus, the place of torment.
It had to be said that Thanatos, the god of death, was a hard worker, guiding the souls of the dead from all over.
"Thank you, Lord Hades," Qin Muye said.
As for the blood samples he needed, Qin Muye did not ask for them. If he did, it would create inconsistencies, especially since he needed samples from both Hades and Persephone.
Getting the samples shouldn't be too difficult, but the results would fall far short of his expectations and might lead to suspicions about bloodline transplantation.
However, he had a solution. The Transdimensional Teleportation Channel was a highly useful tool. If used correctly, it could serve as a means to obtain the samples.
For example, he could open a tiny channel to Hades' hair, then instantly close it to cut a strand. This way, he would have what he needed.
It was a risky move, but the method was sound.
The Transdimensional Teleportation Channel was a divine artifact, and one of the most powerful among such artifacts. Even sources of magic, like the Horn of Plenty, couldn't match it.
No other divine artifact could easily open a portal to another world except for this Transdimensional Teleportation Channel.
So, as long as he used it correctly, it was a powerful tool.
Qin Muye could even use it to instantly kill enemies. However, the artifact was too valuable, and exposing it would be counterproductive, so he had never used it.
For instance, if he teleported half of an enemy and then closed the channel, the enemy would be split in two. Even if they survived, recovery would be a significant challenge.
Qin Muye planned to use this method to obtain samples from Hades and Persephone. Even if it wasn't hair or flesh, skin flakes would suffice.
These two were at least 8th-stage beings, extremely powerful.
On par with Zeus, Queen Persephone might be slightly weaker, but not by much.
Therefore, Qin Muye deduced that other Olympian gods like Athena and Apollo were also 8th-stage, while Zeus was likely around 9th-stage, though he might also be 8th-stage. Otherwise, if he were truly 9th-stage, he would have already suppressed all opposition.
After an awkward ten minutes of forced conversation, Hades couldn't take it anymore and had to arrange for the Nymphs of the Underworld to escort Qin Muye out. The atmosphere was truly intimidating.
Qin Muye remained silent, and Persephone's face was cold.
Their conversation was sporadic, and the atmosphere was visibly tense.
It could only be said that Persephone not lashing out or making things difficult was a significant show of respect for Hades. If it had been Hera, Qin Muye would have been dead the moment he stepped out the door, and in a rather interesting way, too.
(End of Chapter)
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