Chapter 36 Promotion to Supreme God, Historical Retrospection

Hebe watched in amazement. This deity's mastery of the laws of life had reached a near-perfect level. He effortlessly slew a god of the same rank and absorbed his life force to heal his own wounds. The enemies present had essentially become his mobile blood supply. In the end, if it hadn't been for Queen Rhea using the laws of time to pause his movements, the god of darkness and intellect, Ocos, weakening him with dark magic, and the goddess of light, Phoebe, using the Crescent Moon Blade to cut him in half, this Titan would have worn the gods down one by one. Kris was bisected and died, his divine blood and essence scattering across the heavens and earth, giving birth to countless towering trees that obstructed the gods' path and vision. His godhood flew out of his body, scattering in all directions, unwilling to fall into the hands of his enemies. Demeter managed to catch only the godhood of harvest and agriculture, while she could only watch helplessly as Kris's remaining essence, clutching the Golden Staff of Wheat, escaped to an unknown destination. She had found it. The goddess's beautiful purple eyes sparkled, and her lips curved into a faint smile. In the ice mirror, the golden staff streaked away like a stream of light, fleeing under the cover of the towering trees, before finally crashing into the depths of the Sphethor Grand Canyon like a falling star. How interesting. Hebe lightly tapped the mirror's surface. Who would have thought that the gloomy Sphethor Grand Canyon would be hiding a supreme artifact and godhood of the life domain? 'Princess Hebe, the banquet is about to begin. Would you like to start getting ready?" Aegesa, leading a group of nymphs, waited outside the temple doors with a respectful expression, her tone soft as she inquired. 'Come in, Aegesa, and thank you for your hard work." Hebe put away the ice mirror and waved to open the temple doors. Now that she knew the location of Kris's godhood, there was no need to rush. There was something more important at the moment—the banquet celebrating her and Apollo's ascension as chief deities. The ascension ceremony took place in the grand plaza at the very heart of Mount Olympus. Zeus brought out the Cornucopia, a divine artifact that endlessly poured out fine wine and delicacies for the gods to enjoy. The gods held their golden goblets high and reveled in the plaza, drinking and celebrating with abandon. The Three Graces danced gracefully under the guidance of the God of Love, while the Muses played their harps and sang the most beautiful melodies. Everything was so splendid, extravagant, and dreamy—a feast where the gods reveled in a state of drunken ecstasy. As one of the stars of today's event, Apollo had naturally dressed with great care. He wore a golden chiton that left his muscular upper body exposed, his perfectly proportioned nine-head-tall figure making him appear both tall, elegant, and athletic. The laurel, myrtle, and lotus-leaf wreath on his head set off his golden hair and incomparably handsome face, making him even more radiant and dazzling. The god's beauty was as brilliant as the sun itself, subtly surpassing that of his father, Zeus. His charm left the goddesses present spellbound, with many casting him flirtatious glances, hoping to share a night of passion. In the open-minded culture of the Greek gods, this was nothing unusual. A one-night union with a suitable partner was perfectly normal, and this was why many demigods had unknown fathers. Suddenly, another commotion erupted at the banquet. "Princess Hebe has arrived!" "Oh my, who made her dress? I would love to have one like it!" "Princess Hebe is truly breathtaking today." … Apollo heard the gods' discussions and couldn't help but turn to look at his rival. As Hebe approached gracefully, even the handsome sun god was momentarily stunned. At the insistence of the nymphs, the goddess had abandoned her usual simple work attire or plain dresses and had donned a magnificent new outfit. She wore a pure white chiton, revealing her fair arms. The gown's loose yet elegant fabric outlined her graceful figure, and as she moved, the hem flowed with a mesmerizing yet subtle seven-colored shimmer. This chiton had been specially sent by Hera, crafted from a rare fabric woven from silk spun by golden silkworms fed with the leaves of the golden apple tree, a fabric Hera had obtained from the Far East. Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, had imbued it with divine power to make it shine with a radiant glow. Hebe's delicate and fair face exuded an ethereal beauty. As the goddess of youth, she was always brimming with boundless energy and vitality. Her skin remained forever smooth and alabaster, her lips more delicate than the petals of a rose, and her stunning purple eyes radiated confidence and authority. The winter crown adorned with flowers, leaves, and fruits on her head proclaimed her status as the mistress of the seasons. In an instant, Hebe became the center of attention, and the conversation among the gods shifted entirely to her. "Good day, Prince Apollo." Under the gaze of the gods, Hebe walked toward Apollo with a faint but polite smile. Although their relationship was rather indifferent, as one of the stars of the banquet, she felt it was necessary to maintain a courteous facade. "...Good day, Princess Hebe." Apollo greeted her softly, then averted his gaze, taking a sip of the wine in his cup. His deep blue eyes held a hint of contemplation. This goddess, when properly dressed up, does have a certain charm... The joyful atmosphere swept through the entire banquet. Hebe raised her golden goblet, a composed and graceful smile on her face, as she exchanged pleasantries with the gods who came to congratulate her. After politely refusing yet another dance invitation from a male deity, she began to feel a faint impatience building within her. With all this time, she would rather return to the temple, embrace the godhood, and meditate on the laws to further enhance her strength. "I haven't had the chance to congratulate you in person yet, Mistress of the Seasons and Keeper of Life, Princess Hebe." A gentle and elegant male voice sounded beside her. The god with eyes full of wisdom sat down next to Hebe, a hint of amusement in his gaze as he looked at the bored goddess. "It seems our esteemed chief deity is already growing weary of this divine feast." "Prince Prometheus." Hebe's expression softened slightly at the sight of the newcomer. She shared a mentor-mentee, almost friendly relationship with Prometheus. The two gods had collaborated happily on the creation of the new humanity, forging a good rapport. Prometheus's vast knowledge always impressed her, and unlike other male gods, he didn't harbor any ulterior motives towards her. Thus, Hebe was more than willing to engage in conversation with Prometheus, and it helped ward off some of the unwanted admirers. "It's rare for you to leave the new humans on the earth and return to the sacred mountain." Hebe teased. Ever since creating the new humans, Prometheus had devoted himself wholeheartedly to them, seemingly valuing them even more than his own divine son, Deucalion. "Winter is not yet over. The earth is still recuperating and healing the damage from the heavenly fire, and the new humans are in a state of deep slumber under the gods' blessings. There's little to be done for now, so when I heard you were elevated to a chief deity, I returned to the sacred mountain specifically to offer my congratulations." Prometheus took a light sip of the wine in his cup and continued, "When the heavenly fire spread, it was fortunate that you intervened to protect us. It seems my prophecy was indeed accurate." His tone carried a trace of subtle self-satisfaction. 'No need for thanks. Even without our agreement, it is my duty to protect the humans who built temples for me and put their faith in me," Hebe shook her head, a hint of compassion flashing in her eyes. 'Unfortunately, I acted a step too late and couldn't save more of them." The gears of the world could not be moved, and Hebe had no power to alter such a significant event as the change of the sun's ruler. Yet, having once been human in a previous life, she always harbored a natural kindness towards this group, and all she could do was try to protect as many people as possible when calamity struck. 'It was already enough," Prometheus shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the gods indulging in revelry on the plaza, his tone tinged with sarcasm. 'There aren't many gods with the same sense of duty as you." '…The number of new humans on the earth wasn't large to begin with, and the heavenly fire took even more lives. Your Highness, have you thought about how to increase the human population?" Hebe had always wondered why Prometheus didn't create women when he first made humans. 'The humans have essentially settled down on the earth. City-states have been built, Hestia has provided protection to households, and magical beasts won't attack easily. I am indeed considering whether it's time to petition Zeus for permission to create female humans to expand the population," Prometheus said quietly. The reason he didn't create females initially was because women and children were too vulnerable. Their delicate flesh would be considered a rare delicacy to many magical beasts. Newly born humans were constantly on the move and had no way to ensure their safety, so Prometheus had temporarily shelved the plan to create women. Now that the various human city-states were largely stable and the prophesied calamity had passed, he was naturally beginning to think about creating human females to allow the human race to reproduce on its own. 'I wonder if I could call upon Your Highness for assistance when the time comes?" Prometheus blinked, asking the radiant goddess beside him as if in jest. 'Of course. This is a matter of great importance for humanity, and I wouldn't hesitate to help."