(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 83
Ever since the banks of the River Styx were planted with those fiery flowers, Denise could no longer look directly at this place.
Her only thought was, "King Tartarus, your ability to shift blame has only improved."
Although the idea for the Greek version of the Fire Path was mainly Tartarus's, the god who gave the order was Hades. Therefore, King Hades was, to his great dismay, listed as the number one suspect by the transmigrators.
Adding to this the various changes, large and small, in the Underworld, it seemed Hades was in a situation where he couldn't clear his name no matter what. Denise insisted that she was absolutely not gloating; they should believe her.
Okay, actually, every time she saw the conflicted and hesitant looks in the eyes of those time travelers, and Hades's bewildered expression after encountering all sorts of strangely behaving gods, she found it quite amusing. Then she sincerely lit a candle in her heart for Hades, the other suspected gods, and herself.
So why is it that Hades, the twin brothers, she, and several other gods are suspected, while Tartarus, the culprit, is unsuspected?
Is it really because of Tartarus's ultimate boss setting? (lol) Only by traversing layers of mystery and overcoming various obstacles can the truth be revealed and the true face of the mastermind exposed? (big lol) She was indignant about this.
However, indignation was useless. Being a subordinate in this place without human rights meant having the awareness that "you have to accept the blame your boss throws at you, and even if your boss doesn't, you have to take the blame when something goes wrong" to securely remain a subordinate.
Besides Tartarus, Denise's other unconvinced opponent was Hemera. Tartarus was one thing, but why was Hemera, a naive and innocent girl, never suspected? Were those people blind?
If Tartarus was a cheat code so overpowered it was infuriating, then Hemera was a lucky queen with maxed-out luck. Even though she was constantly mocked for her intelligence, it couldn't be denied that Hemera had a smooth, pampered, and sheltered life, never suffering a single hardship.
Comparing herself to Tartarus, she felt a deep bitterness. Although she was doing relatively well compared to most transmigrators, there's a saying: "It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality." The ancients were right.
Ahem, sorry, I digress. What she really wanted to say was that the Path of Fire was already awkward and perplexing enough; could we please not add a Bridge of Helplessness to it? Even if this bridge wasn't built on the River of Oblivion, but on the River of Suffering, it still evoked strong associations, didn't it? "If we don't build a bridge, who will ferry the souls across the river? Charon can't do that right now," Hemera replied to Denise's objection. Although she spoke with concern, her expression showed no worry, but rather excitement and eagerness.
Hermera wasn't worried, of course. She didn't hold a position in the Underworld; what did it matter to her if the souls couldn't cross the river? There were tall people to hold up the sky if it fell; she, who would only cause trouble, should stay out of it.
As for Charon… well, he wouldn't die anyway. Compared to worrying about her troublesome, self-destructive brother, she was more interested in building the bridge.
Ever since the Path of Fire appeared, she had always longed for a Bridge of Helplessness, a Stone of Three Lives, and a Terrace of Longing for Home. Unfortunately, no one listened to her. Now that the opportunity was rare, she'd be a fool not to seize it.
"One must eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time. First, build the Bridge of Helplessness; the rest can be figured out later. She believed that one day she could replicate the rest here as well."
"Anyway, both are hells, and they're so similar. There's Yama, the King of Hell; there are the Black and White Impermanence, here is the Grim Reaper; there's the River of Oblivion, here is the River of Forgetfulness… In short, the more similar they are, the better."
"No, I don't think it's good at all." Compared to Hermella's happiness, Denise's face was extremely unpleasant.
It wasn't that she really had a problem with building the bridge; she was just dissatisfied with the reason for building it. As a normal god, she stated that she didn't have a penchant for letting gossip about herself "become famous for generations."
......The following is a plot recap......
"Excuse me, could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you clearly." After hearing Charon's words, Lett, after a few seconds of silence, said this.
As the goddess of oblivion, who governs the River of Oblivion, one of the Rivers of the Underworld, Rhee had only ever seen souls drink from the River of Oblivion to forget mortal life. This was the first time she had ever seen a god willingly drink from it.
"Don't doubt it, you heard me right," Charon said confidently.
"Why?" Rhee asked, puzzled.
Before the River of Oblivion, gods and humans were not much different. The only difference was that gods had long enough lifespans to forget the entire volume of water. The amount of water would only cause a god to forget a small portion of their long life, and that was merely the amount of water; the river's power wouldn't be diminished by the god's status.
So, Charon, who willingly drank from the river… was he really not crazy?
"…" Faced with Rhee's look of utter disbelief, Charon remained silent. Was he supposed to tell Rhee that the reason for his seemingly insane behavior was simply that he wanted to pick up girls? How could he possibly say that?
"So, are you going to help me or not?" Charon couldn't bring himself to say it, and decided to brush it off.
"...Drink if you want, as much as you like," Lett said, almost in a permissive tone, feeling she should be considerate of the patient.
"But why did I even bother you with this?" Charon gritted his teeth. Why couldn't she understand his true meaning?
Although Lett controlled the River of Oblivion, it didn't mean she owned it. No one else could use it. If he simply needed the water, Charon wouldn't have bothered with Lett; he could have just taken it. Why go through all this trouble?
So, what Charon actually wanted was a modified version of the River of Oblivion that could make him forget certain parts of his memories, but then restore them.
As for the connection between this and chasing girls...→_→
As everyone knows, Charon loved Denise, but unfortunately, Denise didn't love him. And because Tartarus couldn't force him, Charon could only try to pursue the god.
Lacking experience, Charon assembled an advisory group, comprised of his numerous younger siblings.
#Let's talk about that incredibly fertile goddess of the night#
In the early stages, the advisory group advised: Persistence pays off; don't be timid, just go for it! Gods have long lifespans, you'll succeed eventually.
Charon: That makes sense.
So Charon began his relentless pursuit, one hundred years… two hundred years… one thousand years… two thousand years… ten thousand years…
No liking, no disliking, not even annoyance from being constantly bothered—Denise's mindset was remarkably calm and composed.
All feelings initially stem from something special, whether that special feeling is liking or disliking. The worst outcome is becoming just another face in the crowd. Unfortunately, Charon's current situation, while not quite completely lost, was close.
Charon: Are you sure it will work?
Advisory Group: Seems… not. (Awkwardly)
Charon: Heh, who was it that confidently assured me it would work?
The Staff: ... (Looking up at the sky)
Hmm, the weather's nice today, sunny and cloudless... (Please note this is hell, thank you)
Chapter 83