Chapter 37

"Apollo and I will go request Poseidon to intervene, but this will take time."

"During this interim period, I hope the grain from Elysium can serve as a backup."

Fu Li laid out his plan. This was why he had come to the Underworld.

Once they left the land for the ocean, the tug-of-war with Poseidon could last for an unknown duration.

"To help the living through a crisis, we are very willing."

The residents of Elysium nodded in agreement.

Many of their descendants lived on the earth. Out of sentiment and reason, they, as ancestors, would help.

"You are going to seek out the Sea God?"

An elderly man stepped forward. He knew quite a bit about Poseidon and was therefore even more worried.

"Yes." Fu Li nodded and looked at the elder. "Do you have any insights?"

The old man said: "Lord Fu Li, in my younger days, I had several encounters with the Sea God Poseidon. The Sea God's temperament is very fierce. He is different from Lord Hades. Before Lord Hades came, the Underworld was a masterless land, but the sea has always had a master."

"Poseidon defeated the former Sea God Nereus to become the true Sea God."

The old man traced back to the past, pouring out all his knowledge about Poseidon like beans from a jar.

"Lord Fu Li, beware his capricious temper, and also his messengers, the dolphins."

He stopped there. Saying more, the old man feared he might mislead Fu Li.

Fu Li nodded, thanking the old man for the information.

Orpheus walked over. "The earth is becoming increasingly restless."

As the only living human in the Underworld, he had deep feelings about this.

Fu Li smiled wryly. There were always so many accidents in life, especially in ancient times.

"I will coordinate well with Charon, asking him to sleep less and work more." Orpheus made a joke to lighten the mood. "Where should we put this grain?"

"Athens." Fu Li answered without hesitation. "The Goddess of Wisdom will help."

After the King of Athens left with them, Athens would certainly need someone to hold the fort.

Athena wouldn't be leaving during this time.

Orpheus: "I'll handle the grain arrangements for you. Go with peace of mind. I can't be of much help concerning the Sea God. He dwells deep in the ocean, and I know little about him."

Fu Li smiled: "You've already helped a lot."

After a few casual words with Fu Li, Orpheus rose to find Charon, and the residents of Elysium went back to packing the ripe crops.

Fu Li felt he needed to make time for a trip to Tartarus.

The path to Tartarus was already very familiar to him.

The scenery along the way was still the same desolate wasteland.

Until the inverted mountain range of Tartarus appeared before him.

The white-haired Abyssal God was playing chess with his only companion, the God of Love.

The chess set had been commissioned by Fu Li.

Tartarus had helped him a lot. Seeing how reclusive he was and how rarely he left Tartarus, Fu Li had decided to teach him more pastimes.

Tartarus learned quickly. After Fu Li left, he often played chess with Eros to pass the time.

"Ugh, Tartarus, can't you just let me win a game!"

Seeing that he'd lost yet another round, Eros was exceptionally gloomy.

He and Tartarus played chess, and he won far too rarely!

This way, only Tartarus had any fun!

Tartarus glanced at him. "You cheat every time and still can't win."

Eros could only laugh awkwardly.

Tartarus shook his head helplessly, focusing on the chessboard.

Once Eros had been exposed, he sheepishly looked around, only to see Fu Li arriving.

"Oh, isn't this Fu Li? Got the time to visit a lonely god?"

Eros changed the subject very naturally. Hearing his words, Tartarus immediately turned his head.

"It's not time for your return yet. Why have you come?"

Tartarus asked in surprise.

Fu Li didn't beat around the bush: "There's something I need to ask a Primordial God."

Tartarus and Eros exchanged a glance.

Was this a question they were allowed to answer?

Eros grinned and added: "Let's hear it then."

"Do you know where a place of pure primordial chaos is?"

Upon hearing this, both Tartarus and Eros froze on the spot.

Primordial Chaos.

They were all too familiar with that term.

They were born from Chaos, walking from there onto the earth.

The smile faded from Eros's face: "Why are you asking this?"

"The South Wind God, who assists with rain, has gone missing. I asked Hypnos to find him, and Hypnos said he is within Chaos." Fu Li summarized. "Hypnos doesn't know where Chaos is. I thought you might know, so I came specifically to visit."

"Chaos, huh…"

Eros fell silent for a rare moment, uncertain if he should speak.

It's fine.

Suddenly, a teasing voice appeared in his mind.

Eros shivered.

He instinctively searched for the source of the voice, but only met Tartarus's grave gaze.

Alright, he now knew who it was.

Chaos was awake.

Their most mischievous, prank-loving Creator God was awake.

This was not good news at all.

Since Chaos himself had said it was okay, he didn't need to be a riddling god.

Eros, with complete abandon, spilled everything:

"Chaos, that place is familiar to us. It's where we Primordial Gods were born. Hypnos is too young to know about it."

"I know you want to ask if we can retrieve a god from there. The answer is no."

Eros sighed. "The Creator God, Chaos, is slumbering there…"

Upon saying the word 'slumbering,' Eros paused involuntarily.

"Even we cannot enter without the Creator God's permission."

Tartarus added: "Chaos has a very mischievous nature. Since he dragged the South Wind God in there, he won't easily let him out."

He racked his brains and offered a suggestion:

"Better to let Zeus pester Chaos. After all, the title of King of Gods was bestowed by Chaos. They share a certain... affinity."

Far away on Mount Olympus, Zeus: The gods still have too many misunderstandings about me.

Tartarus glanced at Eros, a hint of regret in his eyes.

"If Eros hadn't ruined one of Chaos's schemes before, he could also go in to find Chaos."

Fu Li was somewhat curious after hearing this. Was the God of Love the most favored by the Creator God?

Tartarus seemed to see through Fu Li's thoughts and twitched his mouth:

"They often acted in collusion."

Recalling the things Chaos did when he was awake made Tartarus's head ache.

The Greek gods had so many mischievous pleasure-seekers, and the Creator God Chaos was largely responsible for it.

It could be described as a prime example of "the fish rots from the head down."

Fu Li, however, perceived a subtle difference: "Sounds like loneliness?"

A god sleeping alone in Chaos for ages. How much like a lonely old god?

Eros: !!!

Tartarus: !!!

Who?

Chaos, lonely?!

The most mischievous pleasure-seeker, lonely?!

Just imagining this scene was enough to strike both Primordial Gods dumb.

This was too terrifying!

More terrifying than hell!

Tartarus already looked horrified, and even Eros had forgotten his facial management.

"How did you get that impression?"

Eros finally found his voice again.

He felt he might be dreaming. Had Hypnos slipped a nightmare into his dreams?

Tartarus was speechless, his entire divine being frozen.

Fu Li said, slightly embarrassed: "It's just that, being too lonely, one develops a particular fondness for entertainment."

Apollo's earlier pleasure-seeking behavior compared to his now fulfilled, sunny disposition was like night and day.

Smug Apollo: You are all single gods, only I have a wife!

The more Fu Li thought about it, the more it fit.

As the Creator God, Chaos must have lived for countless years. At such an advanced age, he was likely in a phase where the need for companionship grew stronger.

A thought ill-suited to the situation popped into his mind.

Don't let love wait.

The image was of a white-haired elderly person sitting before a window.

Pfft.

Fu Li couldn't help but laugh.

Suddenly, he felt something gently knock against his head.

Fu Li clutched his head and looked around but saw no god other than the two Primordial Gods.

Could it be that the Creator God, in his slumber, had heard his wild speculations?

"Cough cough… That idea is very innovative. Chaos will definitely like you!"

Eros burst out laughing without any moral integrity.

"So, why did the Creator God drag the South Wind God into Chaos?"

Fu Li was utterly puzzled. The last time he'd had any dealings with the South Wind God was during the locust plague.

He had brief contact with this god afterward. The other party was an extremely shy deity, not talkative and always working. Why would Chaos drag him into Chaos?

Dragging a shy, quiet god to sleep together wouldn't cure loneliness either.

Forced socialization would only make that South Wind God spontaneously combust on the spot, right?

Fu Li cast an inquiring look at the reliable Tartarus.

Tartarus: …

This question was also difficult for him to answer.

"No one knows what Chaos wants."

He tactfully indicated that Chaos was not a normal god.

Though few Greek gods were normal.

Eros patted Fu Li on the shoulder. "When you can guess whether Zeus's next date will be with a human or an animal, then you'll be able to guess what Chaos is thinking."

Fu Li was stumped: "That is indeed impossible to guess."

"Then it's unsolvable. Just rely on Zeus's persistent pestering?"

Fu Li restated, helplessly.

Eros nodded: "Right. You'd best find a temporary stand-in god. Zeus's pestering will also need time."

Fu Li already had a plan for that.

"We will seek out Poseidon and request his help."

Eros: "A good idea! But Poseidon isn't easily persuaded. I suggest getting Zeus to apologize. When the territories were divided, Poseidon was tricked by Zeus. Who knows if he's still holding that grudge."

Fu Li: Zeus, why is your shadow everywhere!

"The South Wind God is missing. Your time is tight. I cannot leave Tartarus. Take this."

Tartarus stepped forward and handed his token to Fu Li.

It was a tortoise shell.

Unlike ordinary tortoise shells, the one in Tartarus's hand was deep in color, tinged with purple-black.

Fu Li took the tortoise shell.

"This is my token. If you truly cannot persuade Poseidon, you can use this to threaten him."

Tartarus stated calmly, uttering terrifying words.

"Tartarus welcomes him as a guest."

Fu Li accepted the token and thanked Tartarus.

Tartarus nodded: "Go now. There's no time."

The journey back for Fu Li was expedited by Tartarus's divine power.

The power belonging to the Abyssal God sent him to the banks of the River Styx.

Charon ferried him out. Apollo was already waiting anxiously on the shore of the boundary.