Chapter 38

Apollo had long since grown impatient with waiting.

If not for the empathy link steadily conveying Fu Li's state, he might have already crossed the river.

"Why did it take so long?"

Apollo could not wait to draw near the moment Fu Li disembarked.

Fu Li told Apollo about the information he'd gathered in the Underworld.

Upon hearing it, Apollo's brow furrowed tightly.

The disappearance of the South Wind God actually involved the Creator God, Chaos.

This was extremely troublesome.

"Let's leave this place first."

He was still mindful of the River Styx's aura clinging to Fu Li; this spot was too close to the Styx.

Apollo carried Fu Li and flew out from the depths of the earth, where Cecrops had long been waiting.

After Fu Li got down from Apollo's embrace, he recounted the information again.

After hearing it, Cecrops also looked full of worry.

"This is truly dire."

No one could guess the thoughts of the Creator God.

"Don't worry too much. If the sky falls, the God King Zeus will be there to hold it up."

Fu Li comforted them.

Apollo and Cecrops couldn't help but fall silent.

Wouldn't Zeus flee from danger?!

Fu Li, seeing their expressions of utter disbelief, said innocently:

"Isn't the sky Zeus's domain? If it really fell, could the God King just ignore it?"

Apollo & Cecrops: That's true.

"We've done what we can. Next, let's go to the sea to find Poseidon."

Fu Li cheered everyone on. At least they knew the mastermind was Chaos; they weren't running around like headless chickens anymore.

He tightly clutched the Abyssal God's token. With this, their chances of successfully persuading him were not small.

The problem now facing them was how to find Poseidon.

The ocean was vast. A blind search would be like hunting for a needle in a haystack.

They needed to lure Poseidon out himself.

Apollo pondered for a moment, his golden eyes gazing towards the distant horizon where sea and sky met.

"Poseidon's palace is not completely sealed off. He often sends dolphins to patrol the sea's surface, inspecting his domain and observing the happenings on land."

Fu Li immediately understood Apollo's meaning.

"When he hears about something happening on land that could restore his pride, there's a chance he'll show himself."

Fu Li: "We need to create a commotion big enough to attract his attention."

Suddenly, his eyes lit up: "A sacrifice!"

It was the one thing Greek gods couldn't resist!

"A festival held on the shores of Athens, thanking the ocean for its bounty, and praying for favorable weather."

Apollo also felt helpless. They were all land-dwellers; they didn't know any ocean-affiliated gods. Unable to find one, they had to resort to a somewhat underhanded plan.

Only if Poseidon appeared could they negotiate with him.

"We can prepare the most lavish offerings, use the most beautiful poetry to praise the ocean, and make the spectacle as grand as possible."

"Poseidon is obsessed with face. It will be hard for him to completely ignore such flattery and grand spectacle. As long as he shows up, even just to send a messenger to check, we'll have a chance to negotiate."

Fu Li thought it over and found it increasingly feasible.

"Makes sense. Instead of searching blindly in an unfamiliar and dangerous ocean like headless flies, it's better to let the target surface on his own."

Cecrops's serpent tail gently tapped the ground.

Suddenly, a long, drawn-out dolphin call reached their ears.

Poseidon's messenger!

There was no time to lose. They swiftly headed towards the source of the sound.

On the surface of the Aegean Sea, a pod of dolphins was fiercely chasing a figure ahead of them.

From the shore, they could only see that the one being chased was a merman, with wide, graceful fins and a pale blue tail splashing up waves.

"What is this about?"

Fu Li asked, uncomprehendingly.

Apollo: "…Poseidon has fallen in love."

This characteristic Poseidon behavior—he couldn't be mistaken.

Cecrops nodded.

Fu Li clapped his hands: "This is our chance!"

The dolphins were Poseidon's messengers. Finding the messengers, was there any worry about locating their master?

"Let's follow those dolphins."

Apollo tacitly used his divine power to levitate their group.

A strange spectacle appeared on the Aegean Sea.

At the very front, the merman swam with lightning speed. In the middle, the pod of dolphins pursued relentlessly. Behind them, Fu Li's group followed closely.

Apollo saw his chance. A curtain of light woven from beams blocked the dolphins' path forward.

"Ah— Ahhhh—"

The dolphins cried out in confusion.

They used their tails to swat at it, wanting to dive under the barrier.

They hadn't finished the Sea God's mission yet!!!

Apollo didn't give them that chance and directly scooped them all up.

"Ahhhhh—?!"

A noticeably distorted dolphin call rang out as the dolphins twisted in mid-air, terrified.

Help! Someone is going to eat dolphins!

With a wave of Apollo's hand, the dolphins all floated in front of them.

With a touch of divine power, the dolphins' sounds were no longer mere calls.

Their dolphin language was converted into speech humans could understand.

"Lord Apollo?! Why are you catching us?! Our meat isn't tasty!"

The dolphins were teary-eyed, rolling over to show their bellies, preparing to play dead.

Even the Sea God's sacred beasts could be eaten. A dolphin's life held no hope.

Fu Li was amused. "We have no intention of eating you."

The dolphins' beady eyes swiveled to Fu Li. "Really?"

Fu Li smiled: "Really."

"Then please let us go. We still have things to do~"

The dolphins felt relieved. Anyone who didn't eat dolphins had to be a good person!

"I can't. We hope you'll take us to see Poseidon."

Fu Li suddenly discovered that teasing dolphins was quite fun.

The dolphins looked at each other. Heaven knows how they managed to exchange glances with those beady eyes.

"Not really possible… We haven't finished our mission yet."

One of the dolphins boldly answered.

Fu Li: "What mission?"

"Courtship, of course!"

A lively dolphin immediately answered.

"The ocean courting ritual, the chase! An ocean marathon!"

The dolphins chattered away, their tails wagging with excitement.

"Lord Poseidon will propose at the finish line!"

"Ah, how many little fish tails would that produce?"

"Several?"

"Too few, dozens! Relatives in my family had that many!"

"Wow, such a big family."

Fu Li was speechless. The little guys had already ignored them and started chatting among themselves.

"We have important business to visit the Sea God. As the Sea God's messengers, shouldn't you convey the message?"

The dolphins subconsciously nodded; yes, that was right.

"So, please take us to find the Sea God first, alright?"

"Sacred beasts of the Sea God."

Fu Li guided them patiently. He noticed the little dolphins reacted strongly to the term "sacred beast."

It was probably due to Poseidon's character. As soon as they heard "sacred beast," their bodies would involuntarily tremble.

And so, amidst one call of "sacred beast" after another, the dolphins lost themselves.

What were they doing just now?

"We'll take you there."

Fu Li looked at Apollo, who returned a smile.

"Truly remarkable."

Apollo whispered in Fu Li's ear.

Fu Li's cheeks turned red.

Cecrops: .

He saw nothing.

With the dolphins' guidance, things became much easier.

They skillfully dove into the deep sea. A soft light automatically emanated from Apollo, enveloping Fu Li and Cecrops within a large bubble.

The bubble descended along with the dolphins. The surrounding seawater shifted from bright azure to deep, profound blue, and finally into a darkness that swallowed all light.

Only Apollo's light illuminated a small area ahead.

Glowing jellyfish drifted leisurely around them. Schools of vibrantly colored fish, startled by the light, scattered abruptly, then gathered again, curiously sizing up the unfamiliar visitors.

"We're almost there, we're almost there!" The lead dolphin excitedly did a spin. "Ahead is the main gate of Lord Poseidon's palace!"

The sight before him made Fu Li involuntarily hold his breath.

Corals of various shapes formed the framework of the building. Giant pearls were embedded among them, substituting for lamps and emitting a warm, pure radiance. Long seaweed carpets drifted gently in the current.

The palace gate consisted of two giant corals whose tops intertwined, forming an arch.

"So this is the Sea God's palace."

Fu Li marveled. The craftsmanship was entirely different from that on land or in the Underworld.

"Yep, this is Lord Poseidon's palace~"

The dolphins swam joyfully, "Isn't it great?"

"What's so great about it?"

A deep voice appeared. The little dolphins, recognizing the familiar tone, all fell silent.

He had thick, curly deep purple hair like seaweed, casually draped over a robust, bronze chest.

His face possessed a rugged, wild handsomeness, and his deep blue eyes held an undisguised scrutiny.

Below the waist were not legs, but a cluster of powerful, robust tentacles.

The little dolphins fawningly circled the man, acting cute, but Poseidon showed no reaction whatsoever.

Poseidon said lightly: "Have you finished the task I assigned you?"

The little dolphins: !!!

The little dolphins immediately swam away!

Their mission wasn't complete yet!

Poseidon's mood was exceptionally foul. He looked at Fu Li's group, who didn't belong in the ocean, and stretched his lips into a smile that was anything but friendly.

"Rare guests." Poseidon's voice resonated through the underwater world. "My ever-shining, ever-radiant dear nephew, what wind blew you to my sunless depths? And with so many companions."

His gaze fell upon Fu Li and Apollo's clasped hands, and the corner of his mouth curved into an ambiguous smile.

So the rumors were true. The gossip on Mount Olympus actually contained some facts.

Apollo had long anticipated the Sea God's temperament. He gave a slight nod, which passed for a greeting.

"We came uninvited because we truly have an urgent matter to request."

Oh? Requesting me?" Poseidon's tone rose, appearing highly intrigued. "The sun must be rising from the West. Tell me, what monumental event is this?"

Apollo concisely recounted the situation: the South Wind God Notus was missing, and they hoped Poseidon could temporarily take over his duties to maintain rainfall.

Upon hearing this, Poseidon's smile remained unchanged.

He understood. Zeus had lost one of his own subordinate gods and now wanted Poseidon to clean up his mess.

"That dear younger brother of mine used the trick of drawing lots back then to allocate the sea, which already had a master, to me, while he took the sky and the land for himself. Now that his man has blundered, he suddenly remembers me? There's no such easy bargain in the world."

Poseidon scoffed coldly.

He suddenly turned his spearhead towards Cecrops.

"Cecrops, what are you doing here? I haven't forgotten the past grievance."

Poseidon had always brooded over losing the competition for Athens' faith.