In the end, the Queen of the Underworld still got on the boat with Erika as she wished, at the cost of three gold coins.
Persephone sat on the other side of the boat, clasping her hands together as she repeatedly apologized to Erika, "I'm very sorry. I stayed in the garden for too long, so I really don't have that many gold coins."
Erika merely sat across from her with a gentle smile and shook her head to show that she understood, while remaining silent.
After all, these three gold coins had also come from Professor Viktor.
Hmm... Hopefully the professor won't blame me.
Seeing Erika sitting there silently, the Queen of the Underworld took the initiative to say to her, "Little girl, you possess my golden branch, so you're allowed to speak on this boat."
Hearing this, Erika lowered her head and looked at the golden branch in her hand, but then she still raised her head and shook it at the Queen of the Underworld.
With a polite smile, she chose to remain silent.
By now, she was becoming increasingly convinced that this Queen of the Underworld was unreliable.
She even needed Erika to pay for the boat ride.
So she decided to remain silent on the boat to make absolutely sure nothing went wrong.
After all, if she didn't say anything, she would definitely be able to guarantee her absolute safety.
Meanwhile, Persephone sat in the corner of the boat, hugging her knees and muttering in a slightly aggrieved voice, "I clearly only had to pay one gold coin when I went back before..."
'So you still have to pay gold coins, huh?'
Erika was even more speechless now.
She looked at the Queen of the Underworld helplessly and couldn't help sighing inwardly.
But soon, Erika turned her head and her gaze fell on the skeletal boatman wearing a robe covered in gold coins.
There were all kinds of gold coins on it, and Erika hadn't even seen many of their designs before.
There were also several bulging bags around its robe. They looked like they were filled with gold coins as well.
But the boatman simply kept mechanically rowing the oars. Aside from that, it showed no other reaction.
This made Erika very curious.
It could even ignore the Queen of the Underworld's status. Just who exactly was this boatman?
Could it be stronger than the Queen of the Underworld?
At this moment, Viktor's voice echoed in her mind.
"Because it is the 'rule' of the Underworld."
"Whether living or dead, whether a god or a king, anyone who wants to cross the river must pay Charon a gold coin."
"Even Hades, the ruler of the Underworld, has to pay Charon if he wants to cross the river."
Although if Hades wanted to appear anywhere in the Underworld, he only needed a thought.
Even the River Styx could not make him sink. After all, he was the king of the Underworld.
So Hades had no need to take a boat.
But if he chose to take a boat, he had to pay Charon.
Because this was the 'rule.'
Hearing Viktor's explanation, Erika nodded as if she understood.
And now, she became curious about another matter.
Charon's pricing.
He would clearly only charge two gold coins when they came here, yet he suddenly charged three when they were going to the Underworld.
Was it because there was an extra Queen of the Underworld on the boat?
"Charon charges according to the number of people boarding the boat."
As if she had seen through Erika's confusion, the Queen of the Underworld narrowed her eyes and replied with a hint of a smile and meaning,
"Every passenger, whether living or dead, needs to pay one gold coin."
Erika froze for a moment, then frowned.
That wasn't right.
By that logic, they should have paid three gold coins from the very beginning.
Erika counted the number of people on their side.
Whether it was Professor Viktor, the crow god on her shoulder, or herself, there should have been three people.
Could it be that one of them hadn't been noticed by the boatman?
"Who knows?"
The Queen of the Underworld's smile deepened slightly. Her eyes gradually opened into a narrow slit, turning toward the crow on Erika's shoulder.
After that, silence once again descended upon the boat.
This time, the boat traveled both farther and slower, seeming to head continuously toward the deeper reaches of the river.
Erika could feel the scenery around her changing wildly.
As the river descended, the sky gradually changed from blue to a dark, gloomy color covered by faint traces of ink.
Before long, that dark-blue sky disappeared, replaced by a blood-red sky of molten lava.
The two banks of the River Styx also became surging scorched earth and lava.
Countless terrifying monsters made up of skeletons and souls were scattered throughout the area.
The surging lava crossed between the monsters, splitting the earth apart.
The lava on both banks flowed across the scorched earth, eventually sliding into the silent River Styx.
However, the instant it came into contact with the River Styx, the lava turned into pale smoke, rising toward the sky before quickly dispersing.
Soon, the boat slowly passed through the River Styx at the center of the lava-covered scorched earth, continuing toward an even deeper level of the Underworld.
The transparent boat moved across the quiet surface of the river, while the surrounding scenery was once again shrouded in a layer of mist.
The buildings and monsters around them gradually blurred, and even the surging lava froze in midair.
Before long, the scenery around them seemed to be covered by ripples, transforming into a solemn and mysterious architectural hall.
Strangely, this seemingly endless river appeared to pass through this world of buildings, extending all the way forward.
Erika raised her head and widened her eyes. Her pupils were filled with astonishment.
Everything before her seemed to be made of a unique kind of rock and shining gold, mixed with some crystal-clear green ore.
Countless exquisite and complicated buildings shocked Erika.
Although she didn't know exactly what this place was, these buildings gave her an extremely strong sense of majesty.
The boat crossing the River Styx gradually slowed down. Under Charon's control, the transparent little boat finally came to the shore.
The strange buildings around them were surrounded by the soft light emitted by the glowing green ore, making everything seem mysterious and unfathomable.
Erika got off the boat and took a deep breath.
But the moment she raised her head, the sight before her left her completely stunned.
In front of her was a bridge stretching endlessly into the distance.
Neat street lamps stood along both sides of the bridge, each one burning with hellish flames.
At the end of the bridge stood a magnificent palace surrounded by orange flames.
The palace was constructed from interwoven dark-red rock and gold, while orange light flickered from the windows all around.
And in the very center of the palace was a huge open gate.
Hazy orange smoke leaked from inside the gate, almost filling the space in front of the bridge.
Erika was staring at all of this when she suddenly felt someone lightly pat her shoulder.
She froze for a moment, then abruptly turned around and saw Charon waving at her with its mechanical movements.
Erika was slightly taken aback and hurriedly handed the golden branch to Charon.
Charon tightly gripped the golden branch and withdrew its hand into its robe.
Then it rowed the oar and left the area.
Watching Charon's retreating back, a thought suddenly flashed through Erika's mind.
Professor Viktor really wasn't wrong.
As long as she held the golden branch, the boatman would definitely bring her to the Underworld.
As Charon left, she could vaguely hear the 'clinking' sound of gold coins coming from its body.
She didn't know whether it was because Professor Viktor's confidence and arrogance had influenced her.
Erika actually became a little curious. If she had the chance, could she take all the gold coins from Charon?
This thought kept echoing in her mind. Erika shook her head and decided not to think about it for now.
Next time she saw Charon, if she got the chance, she would blow out all its gold coins.
At this moment, she turned her head again and looked toward the huge and magnificent building in front of her.
That should be the palace of the Underworld.
In other words, the ruler of the Underworld was inside.
Thinking of the oppressive Hades, Erika couldn't help feeling a little afraid.
The terrifying power she had witnessed in the upper levels of Hell was still fresh in her memory.
So, was she going to face this ruler of the Underworld again?
Thinking of this, Erika took a deep breath, and her eyes gradually became determined.
She kept encouraging herself in her heart.
She had already come before the palace of the Underworld. Turning back now was probably impossible.
Just as Erika took a step forward and prepared to head toward the palace.
Persephone called out to her from behind.
"Hey, don't rush over yet."
Hearing this voice, Erika turned around and saw Persephone standing there with a smile.
"Hades will come looking for us soon."
Almost the instant she finished speaking, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from the ground around the two of them.
A mass of deep black mist appeared out of thin air.
In an instant, orange flames rose from the ground like a giant dragon, tightly surrounding the entire vortex of black mist.
Erika stared at the scene with her mouth agape. The flames, which reached twice her height, shocked her.
The scorching flames were close at hand, and she felt the heat wave wash over her face.
Her entire body froze in place, unable to move.
At the same time, a deep voice filled with the aura of flames suddenly resounded all around them.
The voice also carried intense anger, "Damn human."
"I didn't go looking for trouble with you, yet you dare to come looking for me?"
The next moment, the black smoke finally began to settle, and a familiar figure walked out of it.
The King of the Underworld wore a dark-red cloak and held a long spear with a golden tip, slowly walking forward.
"Prepare to receive your punishment..."
Before he could finish speaking, Hades suddenly widened his eyes. The flames that had originally burned within his pupils seemed to go out in an instant.
"...will you?"
Because he had seen Persephone standing beside Erika.
He froze slightly, then lowered his head and looked at his familiar wife in disbelief, asking softly,
"...Dear?"
"What? You haven't seen me during this season, so you're not used to it?"
Persephone put her hands on her hips, looking rather pleased with herself.
Hades hurriedly waved his hands and said somewhat flusteredly, "No, no, no. Not at all..."
"I was just wondering why you came back at this time..."
Persephone cleared her throat and was just about to speak.
"Of course it's because... yeah!"
But the next second, she cried out in surprise, interrupting what she had been saying.
Because 'Erika' had already reached out and taken the initiative to wrap her arms around Persephone's waist.
Seeing the scene before him, Hades' eyes instantly went blank.
As if he couldn't believe it, he stared blankly at that 'Erika,' who had practically pulled Persephone completely into her arms.
And under his stunned gaze, the other party remained unhurried. Instead, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, and she spoke in a faintly cold voice, "Of course it's because you have my help, Lord of the Underworld."
There was a hint of teasing in 'Erika's' voice, as if she were provoking Hades' authority, "Are you satisfied?"