The two stood before the gates of hell, watching the fires of hell flicker and rise around them, saying nothing to each other.
In front of the palace of the underworld, apart from the sound of their conversation just now, there was complete silence.
The crackling orange flames flickered and rose and fell amid the silence of the two, breaking the heavy quiet.
Erika felt somewhat confused as she listened to Persephone's question.
Now, even without anyone telling her, Erika herself could feel that there was something strange about her mysterious mother.
Whether it was Hermes or the Queen of the Underworld now, as gods, they had both shown an unusual interest in her mother.
Erika was puzzled by this, but being questioned like this made her even more curious about her mother.
Just what kind of person was she?
After thinking for a while, Erika shook her head and answered, "I only saw my mother when I was very young. After that, I never saw her again."
Although Erika had grown up without her mother by her side, fortunately, she had a father who doted on her very much.
Therefore, she had never felt that she lacked love while growing up.
Hearing Erika's answer, Persephone narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly.
"Mm-hmm, is that so."
She opened her eyes again, reached out, and gently stroked Erika's hair.
As Persephone's hand softly brushed through Erika's hair, Erika felt a light and warm sensation.
It was as if a current of affection had passed through her entire body, making her feel a tingling sensation.
At this moment, in Erika's eyes, Persephone seemed to be radiating a sacred and gentle glow.
On this land covered in rocks and raging flames, tender green grass and flourishing clusters of flowers slowly rose from the ground.
In front of the palace of the underworld, a vibrant touch of spring appeared.
Then, Persephone spoke gently to Erika, "The fact that you can stand in the underworld as a human already proves that you are special."
"There are some things that, even as a human, you have the right to know."
After saying this, she lowered her hand and looked straight at the enormous gates of the underworld before them.
The orange-red firelight reflected in Persephone's eyes, making her unusually serious at this moment.
"There are many gods in this world."
"For example, me."
Persephone raised one hand and placed it against her chest.
"Before becoming Hades' wife, I always followed the Goddess of Abundance."
"Humans called me the 'Evergreen Goddess.'"
A god's name and divine authority were bestowed by the humans who believed in them.
If a god was skilled in agriculture, could make the land throughout the world extremely fertile, and could bring humans harvest after harvest, did that mean she must be the Goddess of Abundance?
No.
There were many gods who could make human lands fertile.
Even Persephone could use the power of spring to scatter countless plant seeds across human farmland.
If he were truly willing, even Hades, the ruler of the underworld, could make the land burst with life.
But neither she nor Hades had been given the title of 'Goddess of Abundance' by humans.
Therefore, they could not become gods in charge of the fertility of the land.
Among the many gods, only one goddess could gain the faith of all humans when it came to agriculture and the fertility of the land.
As long as humans recognized her as the 'Goddess of Abundance,' she became the 'Goddess of Abundance.'
The same applied here.
"Whether it is me or Hades, it is precisely because of humanity's understanding of us that we are called the 'Evergreen Goddess' and the 'Ruler of the Underworld.'"
People generally believed that Hades was the god who ruled over the underworld and the reincarnation of souls.
Therefore, he was the god who ruled the underworld, the undisputed ruler of the underworld.
Erika listened, her eyes blank, seemingly deeply shaken by Persephone's words.
A god's authority was bestowed by humans?
If any historian or scholar had told her this, Erika probably would not have believed it.
But as it happened, these words had been told to her by a genuine god.
Persephone continued, "Humans give us our divine names and authorities, while we use divine power to return their faith."
"It is precisely because of this that we are able to exist."
Even though the gods could no longer return to the human world, as long as there were still people in the world who remembered their names and the authorities they governed, they could continue to exist.
This profound theological knowledge was like a timely spring rain nourishing Erika's thirst for knowledge.
At this moment, all the doubts in her heart seemed to have been unraveled by the Queen of the Underworld's words.
"But all of this is built on the premise that humans still need us."
If the gods were forgotten and no longer needed by humans, they would also lose the necessity of their existence.
So, in ancient times, when humans needed the help of the gods, the gods would bestow upon them what they needed.
Because the gods needed to be considered useful. Otherwise, why would humans have to believe in them?
Erika nodded after hearing this.
She had heard a similar explanation from Professor Viktor before.
The reason Hermes could remain in the human world for so long was precisely because commercial activity would always exist in human society.
Greed was hidden in everyone's heart, and everyone desired to earn large amounts of wealth through commercial activities.
Therefore, they all chose to believe in Hermes, believing that the radiance of this God of Commerce could shine upon them.
After all, everyone wanted to make money without losing anything, and every greedy merchant provided a solid foundation for Hermes' existence.
It was just that Hermes had been captured now.
"But there are also levels among the gods."
Persephone looked deeply at Erika, a trace of seriousness flashing in her eyes.
Erika failed to notice this profound gaze. She was still immersed in Persephone's words from just now.
When she heard that there were also levels among the gods, Erika could not help but nod.
There was indeed nothing wrong with that statement.
Weren't those useless gods who were not worshipped the lowest-level existences?
And a ruler of the underworld like Hades, who had received the faith of almost all humans, was obviously already the strongest existence.
Persephone seemed to see the thoughts in Erika's heart, but she did not say anything more and only gently shook her head.
She did not tell Erika.
Some gods had existed in this world from birth.
They did not need anyone to know them, nor did they need anyone to remember them.
Nor did they need the faith of any humans.
Because they were themselves part of what made up this world.
For example, 'rules.'
For example, 'nature.'
"You are a very fortunate child."
Persephone spoke softly to Erika. Erika, however, looked somewhat confused.
She still did not quite understand and did not know what any of this had to do with her mother.
Could her mother also be a god?
Erika blinked in confusion, a strong look of shock rising in her eyes.
No... That couldn't be, right?
Was her dad really that badass?
"Alright."
Just as Erika was thinking, Persephone returned to her usual relaxed appearance.
Erika gradually came back to her senses. Following Persephone's gaze, she looked toward the gates of the underworld.
The enormous gates were carved with lava-like patterns and were slowly opening.
The intricate gears around the doorframe slowly turned, making a dull creaking sound.
Orange smoke slowly spread out as the gates opened, and a deep-red carpet extended from outside the gates into the palace.
Huge golden-yellow pillars stood all around, displaying an imposing and solemn atmosphere.
Erika stood before the palace of the underworld, seemingly a little lost in thought.
Just then, Persephone's voice sounded beside her ear, "Let's go in."
Erika nodded and followed closely behind her.
After stepping across the long red carpet and walking around rows of huge golden pillars, blue-green spirits of the dead filled the surroundings, floating back and forth throughout the palace.
When the two passed by, these spirits of the dead curiously stretched out their heads, watching them walk toward the depths of the palace.
As Erika walked, she looked around at both sides, her eyes full of curiosity.
Occasionally, a spirit of the dead would float past her, startling her.
But after touching her, the blue-green smoke quickly shattered and dispersed.
Erika was somewhat worried.
"Human bodies cannot touch spirits of the dead. Relax."
"They'll recover on their own after a while."
Erika said, "Oh," but this time she no longer dared to look around.
She quietly followed behind the Queen of the Underworld and continued forward.
Before long, the two arrived at a corner, where a dark-red plush door stood before them.
The door slowly opened to both sides, revealing a lavishly decorated, gilded room.
From far away, Erika could already see the huge, glittering golden writing desk at the end of the palace, magnificent like the base of a statue.
Full of curiosity, she approached and began looking around the golden writing desk.
As she walked around the desk, Erika noticed an object decorated with four golden legs.
She looked up and found that it was a dark-red chair, its legs coated in a layer of golden light.
Just then, a deep and powerful voice came from above her head, "Human, come here."
Hearing this voice, Erika froze completely. She slowly raised her head and looked in the direction of the voice.
From atop the tall writing desk, she saw Hades, one hand supporting his face and the other holding a golden pen.
"Come before the judgment desk."
The voice carried a powerful and heavy authority that made Erika's heart tremble.
Her legs moved involuntarily, bringing her to the front of the writing desk.
During this time, Hades' lowered gaze remained fixed on Erika, scrutinizing the girl before him.
"Even if you are human, once you have come here, you should follow the rules of the underworld."
"Now, I will begin judging you."
The instant his words fell, a scorching flame suddenly rose from one of Hades' crimson eyes, swaying continuously in the air.
"If you are pure of heart, you will be allowed to remain in the underworld."
"But if evil is hidden deep within your soul, you will surely fall into the lowest level of hell and suffer endless torment."
After hearing Hades' words, Erika stood frozen in place, staring straight at him, as if she had been rendered speechless for a moment.
Seeing Erika's dazed appearance, Hades thought his words had frightened her. He could not help muttering inwardly.
This kid's mental fortitude shouldn't be this poor.
She had even dared to challenge him to his face before.
But suddenly, Erika seemed to come back to her senses and blinked.
"Uh... Professor Viktor said that I should pass a message to you on his behalf."
Hades frowned, looking somewhat puzzled.
Because he knew which professor she was talking about.
Of all the souls on her, there was only one that made him feel annoyed, and that was that damn dog thief.
He wanted to see what kind of bullshit that dog thief could come up with.
At this moment, Erika pursed her lips.
She scratched her cheek with one finger and said hesitantly, "He said you can judge me, but you have to have a better attitude."
"Otherwise, he might blow up your entire underworld palace."