Chương 42: Chapter 42: The Far West! The Orchard of the Golden Apple Trees!
Hades was well aware that this was the second time Erebus and Nyx had invested in him. Still, he was uncertain about why these ancient gods had chosen him.
"In the original tale..." Hades murmured to himself, "They didn't take any action. But now, they have decided to invest in me, and this is already their second time."
Hades pondered this. While he could accept their support, he couldn't help but be curious about their motives. Naturally, his rational mind refrained from bluntly asking them. That would be pointless.
After a while, Hades thought, "It's unclear. However, for the ancient gods, if Erebus and Nyx have made this choice, and even Pontus left behind the Crystal of Skills, it suggests that there are unique circumstances among the ancient gods that we, the later deities, are unaware of."
Indeed, Hades was correct. The eight ancient gods each had their own strategies and investments. What they aimed to achieve was beyond the knowledge of the younger gods.
Hades set his course directly for the Far West, reviewing the crystal Erebus had given him on the way. This crystal recorded the locations of the five World Chains.
"The Edge of the World."
After confirming the locations within the crystal, Hades proceeded without hesitation to the Far West. With the protection of his invisibility cloak, he encountered no obstacles along the way.
The Far West!
This place was almost abandoned. The reason was simple: it used to be the domain of Uranus, ruler of the Mythical Great World. The Far West, like the realms of the Sea, Sky, and Underworld, was Uranus' territory.
After Cronus overthrew his father, he plundered Uranus' celestial treasury and then withdrew from the Far West, establishing the Titan Temple on Mount Othrys. The Far West was thus abandoned.
Although Cronus did not seal off the Far West, few dared to tread there under his reign. The area was seen as the domain of the previous King of the Gods, and current deities feared incurring the wrath of the Titan King by venturing there.
Moreover, Uranus wasn't dead. Defeated by Cronus, he retreated to the sky and transformed himself into the heavens out of rage and shame, similar to how Tartarus embodied the Underworld.
Treading on Uranus' former territory was risky. If Uranus decided to take action against intruders, it was unlikely that Cronus would avenge them. Such a scenario was highly improbable.
Thus, the Far West became a place almost devoid of gods. Hades' destination was within this desolate region, specifically the Orchard of the Golden Apple Trees.
The Orchard of the Golden Apple Trees.
Located in the Far West, this orchard housed the tree that Gaia gifted to Zeus and Hera on their wedding day: the Golden Apple Tree. To most gods, the golden apples were merely decorative, symbolizing Gaia's status, and nothing more. At best, they were rare divine fruits.
Gods who obtained these golden apples would likely keep them as trophies. Consuming a gift from Gaia seemed unthinkable.
However...
Hades stood at the entrance of the seemingly neglected orchard, gazing at the numerous golden apple trees within. Each tree bore dazzling golden apples.
From his vantage point, Hades could see that there were exactly 999 golden apple trees. Among them, each tree had a unique golden apple, larger and radiating a purer golden light compared to the others.
King Fruit?!
Hades pondered for a moment and decided to call them this. These King Fruits were his objective. His plan was to take the King Fruit from each golden apple tree, assuming he could.
As Hades stepped into the orchard, the scenery around him suddenly shifted. An infinite array of images unfolded, showing him everything.
He saw himself as the supreme God-King, transcending all and breaking free from the chains of fate.
He saw his parents, friends, and family from his past life.
He saw...
In that instant, Hades witnessed countless visions. These were illusions, and though not particularly sophisticated, they served as a deterrent to ordinary gods seeking entry into the orchard.
Hades didn't bother dispelling the illusions; he merely observed them as if watching a play. He calmly watched the scenes unfold until he finally entered the orchard's heart, where the illusions vanished.
The illusions seemed to resent Hades. For a deity of such unwavering rationality, the illusions held no sway. There was no way to ensnare him. If the illusions had a mind, they might have spat in frustration at Hades.
Hades approached one of the golden apple trees and reached for a King Fruit. Speaking of which, even among ordinary gods, let alone the ancient gods, none knew the true power of the golden apples. But Hades did. These apples contained terrifying devouring laws; each one had potent devouring principles.
However, these devouring laws were incomplete. For a god to fully absorb them, they would need to be utterly defenseless. Since these golden apples were Gaia's creation, even the incomplete devouring laws could consume everything without side effects.
Crucially, within each King Fruit of the golden apple trees lay complete devouring laws, perfectly crafted by Gaia to be absorbed without any adverse effects. This was extraordinary.
If other gods were aware of this, the entire Orchard of the Golden Apple Trees would be looted in an instant.
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