Chapter 1132: Chapter 481: Gold and Assistance_2
âYes, itâs just that you give people a different feeling.â
After a momentâs thought, the Goddess slowly described:
âYou give me the feeling of a towering mountain, majestic and heavy, making one feel very safe.â
âHe gives me the feeling of a warm sun, shining upon the creatures of the earth. It benefits those who follow his will and dazzles those who go against it.â
âItâs just that he hasnât made up his mind yet, so he hasnât spread his light upon the world, and you also have your own entanglementsâI can see that.â
âSo to get back to the point, brave and fearless hero, wonât you reconsider?â
âReconsider what?â
âNaturally, to spend a wonderful night with me.â
Understandably, the Oceanides winked at him as if Dionysus beside them didnât exist at all.
âTo sleep with someone as extraordinary as you, I could boast to my sisters for a hundred yearsâso, wonât you give it a try?â
âOr do all you humans have no interest in this⊠In which case, your lives are too dull.â
âŠ
Leaving quickly, looking a bit hastily.
Slightly different from the original myth, perhaps because he was born much earlier and did not mingle in the human kingdom, Heracles was clearly a bit overwhelmed by the Oceanidesâ advances.
Without further inquiry, after finding out the entrance to the Underworld, the Great Hero left the unnamed lakeside amidst a clear laugh.
He didnât know what treatment the Golden Humanity who had been here before received, but it was probably similar.
Following behind, Dionysus was visibly a bit awkward.
Partly because he was ignored and partly because the recent encounter somewhat affected the grand image of the Deity.
Hmm, although indeed many Goddesses are like this, perhaps the image of Deities in Heraclesâ eyes isnât very grand eitherâŠ
With a silent complaint, Dionysus casually found a topic to let the incident pass quickly.
âHeracles, is there really another human in this world who can match you?â
âI thought you were the strongest human ever, with none to surpass you.â
ââŠStrongest is not certain, there is no absolute before time.â
âItâs just that Golden Humanity⊠Iâm not sure what his deal is either.â
Slightly shaking his head, the Great Hero was indeed quite curious about this matter.
He could reach where he was today with his own factors but also couldnât do without the opportunities he encountered along the way.
Of course, Heracles did not, therefore, deny his own abilities, especially since the so-called Heavenly Destiny or bloodline, like oneâs wisdom or personality, is an inherent part, the components of what makes a person a person.
There is no point in forcefully separating the two, and the Great Hero wouldnât be so stubborn.
But speaking of Golden Humanity⊠Heracles couldnât help but recall the image he once saw about the Goddess of the Magic Net.
Perhaps the person the Oceanides saw was the same as the one described by the Master of the Magic NetâŠ
âŠ
All the way west, after crossing the third great river, over five mountains, at the foot of the sixth mountain, Heracles finally saw that cave leading to the Underworld.
Bottomless, faint, gusts of cold wind howling.
Not far from the cave, the Great Hero saw a simple temple with a statue of Hades inside.
Unlike most statues in the material world, the statue of the Underworld King had no face, just an approximate human shape.
And on the stone statue, Heracles detected a faint breath of abandonment of life.
âWhatâs this?â
âThis is a wraith.â
Opening his mouth to explain, Prometheus slowly said.
âSkeletons and corpses regain vitality and move like the living.â
âThey dwell beneath the earth, love moonlight, and dislike sunlight.â
âThis statue should have been built occasionally on the surface by some wraiths born of wisdom, but compared to humans, their craftsmanship is still too rough.â
âWraiths, huhâŠâ
Silently muttering a rarely appearing word on this continent, looking at the cave entrance ahead, Heracles leaped down.
The roads leading to the Underworld varied, some were reached step by step, some were connected from a certain underground location, and some were like this, directly jumped into, reaching it in endless descent.
The first two require facing potential enemies encountered along the way, which might be tribes dwelling in the underground or evil gods hiding within.
The latter simply tests oneâs strength; if not enough, itâs easy to turn into a puddle of mush upon landing.
Fortunately, none of these are problems for Heracles⊠the wind roared past his ears.
Unaware of how long passed, perhaps half a day, perhaps half a month.
When about to hit the ground, the Great Hero stepped mid-air, slowing the descent with a sonic boom.
Ultimately accompanied by a âbangâââ sound, he felt the changing rules of his surroundings.
The sky was misty, only in the extreme distance, a faint purple lunar silhouette shone.
The earth was a stretch of gray soil, occasional water sounds from unknown sources.
On a man-made â or perhaps wraith-made â ancient path, both sides were covered with pomegranate vines.
Mint filled the remaining land, gently swaying in the wind.
And to either side lay infinite, eternal darkness and night, silently inhaling and exhaling.
Even just a glance invoked a deep reverence from oneâs soul.
âThis place⊠is the Underworld?â
Scanning the surroundings, no trace of wraiths was found.
Looking further ahead, in the direction the ancient path extended, Heracles saw a large gate hidden in the mist.
The Gate of the Underworld, the portal segregating the Netherworld from outside⊠rumored to be guarded by the Three-headed Dog, the child of Typhon, in front.
While behind it, there was supposedly a formidable Black Knight guarding it, forbidding anyone unauthorized from passing between it and the Mortal Realm.
Of course, Heracles didnât think they could stop him, regardless of which one.
Stepping forward, without drawing a weapon, he planned to show courtesy before using force.
Hopefully, the guards here wouldnât be like those Sea Nymphs of the Mortal Realm, restricting him from entering the Netherworld hereâŠ
âHmm?â
After only a few steps, Heracles suddenly halted.
For some reason, looking at the towering, majestic Gate of the Underworld, a sense of warning surged within him.
No, it wasnât the Gate of the Underworld, but something else⊠lowering his gaze, aided by the Caucasus Divine Eagleâs Pupil, the Great Heroâs vision instantly multiplied a thousandfold.
Piercing through the mist filled with magic power and negative energy, the beast hidden behind fell into his view.
Three-headed Demon Dog, Cerberus, is it really it?
Not understanding why, in the Great Heroâs perception, though formidable, it couldnât compare to Ladonâs might.
Yet from this Great Demonâs presence, Heracles undoubtedly felt an incredibly powerful sense of threat.
As if once it erupted, even the invulnerable Giant Lionâs Skin wouldnât save his life.
Bangââ
ââŠWhat happened, why did you stop?â
Following closely behind, with a commotion, Dionysus also arrived in the Underworld.
Unlike the Great Heroâs keenness, he didnât sense anything unusual.
Frowning at Dionysusâ question, Heracles didnât know how to answer.
Should he be honest? But it was merely his feeling without evidence.
And on Cerberusâ part, he couldnât find the source of the threat at allâŠ
âStop searching, you wonât find it.â
âWho?â
Expression changed, the bronze stick in the Great Heroâs hand, startling Dionysus beside him.
Yet scanning his surroundings, Heracles found nothingâŠ