Is the change ultimately good or bad?
This is a question that can't be definitively answered. Hades himself doesn't know. In fact, unless one is an Absolute God, no god can truly glimpse the nature of the Mythical World and the forces it holds.
This is the uniqueness of the Mythical World, and just thinking about it reveals how extraordinary it really is.
"However..."
Hades slowly closed his eyes and whispered, "That's enough. Overthinking it is pointless. Whether the changes are good or bad, we can only wait for the results."
Hades understood this well. He knew that he couldn't foresee everything that might happen in the future.
The changes in the Mythical World! Whether they are beneficial or detrimental, he felt like a small boat adrift in a vast, unfathomable ocean. What he sought was to upgrade himself into a starship and completely leave this sea, venturing into the more beautiful cosmic rivers beyond.
The Mortal World! Hestia, after her departure, had arrived here. Wearing the Crown of the God-King, she immediately sensed an aura of submission throughout the Mortal World.
In fact, Hestia, bearing the Crown of the God-King and recognized and empowered by Hades, had, in a sense, become the God-King for the next ten million years. Mortal World! Heaven! Ocean! Underworld! Star Realm... Any realm that was part of the Mythical World would yield to her authority, whether willingly or not. On the surface, submission was mandatory.
This was the blessing granted to the God-King by the Mythical World. It was also the reason why, even though Hades didn't care much for the title, he had to secure it for himself.
The core reason was clear: if the God-King title fell into the hands of one of his two rivals during the apocalyptic events, the consequences for him would be catastrophic.
That would be the worst-case scenario. The position of the God-King held immense power.
He might not need to use that power, but he definitely couldn't let it fall into his enemies' hands during this crucial time—it would be far too dangerous.
"The Mortal World!"
Hestia sighed, muttering, "Compared to the last time I was here, the Mortal World has become more desolate. But it's understandable. The Golden Age is ending, and next comes the Age of Silver."
As she walked through the Mortal World, she casually collected various divine artifacts and resources she came across, without any hesitation. She packed them up and took them with her.
This, too, was the God-King's right for the next ten million years.
The Underworld had become the realm of the God-King, and Hestia, as the God-King, refrained from plundering Heaven or the Ocean. However, the divine items and resources of the Mortal World were considered fair game, essentially belonging to the Underworld.
During the Golden Age, the Mythical World produced countless divine artifacts and resources. No one knew how many such treasures had been born during this time.
"There's too much to take!"
"Way too much!"
Hestia wiped imaginary sweat from her smooth forehead and shook her head, abandoning her plan to loot the entire Mortal World by herself.
In the grand scheme of things, Hestia knew it was impractical. It wasn't feasible. The task was too overwhelming. Instead of trying to handle it all herself, it would be better to have the gods of the Underworld come back periodically to gather the riches.
"What a shame..."
Hestia, without any pretense of ladylike behavior, clicked her tongue in frustration. Clearly, she was quite dissatisfied with the situation.
But there was nothing she could do about it.
Hestia's annoyance was understandable.
Her personality had always been that of a miser, and now, with treasures laid out before her that she couldn't take, her frustration was natural.
However!
Hestia didn't dwell on it for long. She clicked her tongue one last time, turned around, and left.
As Hestia departed, the Mortal World seemed to return to its peaceful state, and the divine artifacts and resources began to regenerate, though that would take time.
"...."
A woman's ethereal figure appeared, quietly watching Hestia's retreating form. After a moment of silence, she softly whispered, "Hades, you are so different from Uranus and Cronus. No, you and Poseidon are the true anomalies."
She had witnessed the rise of every God-King.
Uranus had been a tyrant, obsessed with power and consumed by an insatiable desire to control. He tolerated no defiance—absolutely none.
Cronus, on the other hand, was a self-centered ruler. He believed he was destined to rule over everything as the God-King. Otherwise, having reached the level of a God-King, Cronus could have chosen to transcend if he had only been willing to relinquish his throne.
Zeus, too, had been the same, a God-King consumed by his greed and lust for power.
In fact, from this lineage, it was clear that Uranus, Cronus, and Zeus, the three generations of God-Kings, passed down the same legacy—a ceaseless hunger for power.
But!
Hades and Poseidon were the exceptions, and that was the strangest thing of all.
Hades seemed indifferent to it all. His goals had always been clear and focused.
Poseidon, even more so, had no emotions left. He had walked a path that other gods found utterly unbelievable.
"Never mind..."
She shook her head and left as well. These things didn't concern her. She had her own plans to carry out, and many matters required reorganization.
As Hestia prepared to leave the Far North, she sensed the laws of life and death converging upon each other.
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