Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality-Chapter 875 - 351: Putting Oneself into the Game

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East of the Aigaleo Mountains lay a city of moderate size.

Since the alliance had been vanquished at the fortress, the temporary headquarters of Athens had thus relocated.

No further action had yet been taken, but a rift had already appeared.

Unsurprisingly, due to Troy's backstab, the Western Border countries were no longer likely to convene as one.

Additionally, with the movements of Olympus yet unclear, Athens had reigned in its operations.

Of course, beyond that, there was another factor. That was the issue that had arisen in the maritime borders east of Athens, beyond the Western Border.

It was well-known that Athens was a city by the sea.

From its founding, it had once been the object of contention between Athena and Poseidon, and subsequently, it had more than once touched on interests at sea.

It wasn't until Theseus took power that these conflicts reached a peak.

However, due to his strength, such contradictions never evolved too greatly.

But times had changed; Athens had changed its ruler, and the Western Border countries had made their stance clear.

Forces amassed at the Western Border, and All Gods were poised to strike at any moment.

At this time, as if seeing an opportunity to exploit.

Over the usually tranquil sea lanes of the East Sea, dark clouds began to gather densely.

From east to west, like two hands poised to strike, they threatened to crush the central kingdom in between.

Faced with this situation, naturally, Athens could not turn a blind eye.

But however important the maritime situation might be, Andrea could not abandon the matters of the Western Border at such a time.

So when news of the disturbances in the East Sea arrived, deciding who should deal with it became a thorny issue that had to be resolved.

However, at this very moment, Laine, who had not intended to meddle with affairs at sea but was instead preparing for the arrival of the second of the Fates, unexpectedly welcomed an unanticipated visitor in his room.

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Clang—

The porcelain cup was placed onto the desk, emitting a light sound.

The faint fragrance of tea lingered in the room, bringing with it hints of mist.

Having traveled day and night from the sea to the land, Nereus observed the mortal before him but still couldn't find anything amiss.

No matter how he looked, this was an utterly ordinary human... Yet the more so it seemed, the more the son of the Ancient Sea God trusted his own judgment.

After all, following diligent investigation over the past ten days and the aid of various River Gods and Lake Gods, Nereus was almost certain that the person in front of him was indeed a Godhood Practitioner.

Moreover, the source of his strength was not from "Light" or other such benevolent forces, nor from attributes like "Sovereign" or "The Earth", but from another, opposite side.

Of course, this in itself wasn't an issue.

Whether the deities of the Underworld or certain Titans Deities from the depths of the stars, they all possessed similar characteristics.

Yet there was one thing Nereus was sure they could not accomplish.

That is, none of them could possibly conceal a Godhood Practitioner's divine aura so completely that, even face-to-face with a bona fide Sea God like him, he could detect no anomaly whatsoever.

Whether Zeus could achieve this was unknown to Nereus.

After all, the God-King never needed his Godhood Practitioners to hide their aura, and if there were ever any underhanded matters, the Wind Gods would act on his behalf.

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But one thing Nereus could confirm was that the Ocean God, whose power was at its peak in the vast sea, could definitely not do this.

In such a scenario, the identity of the person before him had only a few plausible possibilities.

After ruling out the Lord of Darkness – who could be considered somewhat of an 'ally' - and combining other judgments, the Sea Elder astonishingly pinpointed Laine's origins accurately.

Originating from the Abyss, relating to that being who had clashed with Zeus – after all, the timings of their activities were strikingly similar.

This was around the time of the banquet for the Golden Apple when the God-King battled the terrifying entity, and it was also when Laine first began to leave traces.

Several coincidences converged to point to the true answer.

Therefore, upon confirming this, Nereus wasted no time in seeking him out.

"My lord, if there are any oversights in my analysis, I would appreciate your corrections... And for the investigation I undertook, I hereby apologize to you," he began.

"However, as I mentioned, I have come with sincerity."

"I extend my utmost respect to that great one from the Abyss."

"And in facing a common enemy, I believe we have many areas where we could cooperate."

His voice was steady, without beating around the bush, and Nereus chose to be frank.

From his arrival to taking a seat, the Ancient Sea God's eldest son had swiftly explained the reason for his visit.

The Sea Elder even had the grace to apologize to Laine, whom he perceived as a mere mortal, stating that he did not intend to investigate Laine's comings and goings.

It was only after the world's River Gods noticed his tracks that he had decided to approach him.

"...Is that so?"

"In that case, I accept your apology, but as for cooperation, that's not necessary," responded Laine.

Placing down the tea cup, Laine looked at the affable elder before him, his own heart surprisingly taken aback.

How the other had discovered his tracks, Laine understood after a brief recollection.

As expected, it must have been during the years he roamed the continent after the banquet for the Golden Apple.

In Chaos' Mortal World, those River Gods and Lake Gods were all too common.

Almost every kingdom had sightings of them, and they certainly had the potential to notice some traces.

Though expected, Laine still could not be certain of Nereus's intentions.

After all, before he began his actions, Erebus had already cloaked everything with his authority.

Without knowing the specifics, the suddenly appearing Sea God seemed rather peculiar.

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"Your Highness Nereus, forgive my frankness, but when the Divine King first ascended the throne, you sea gods were nothing but generous with your obedience."

"Since you didn't rebel then, why would you now?"

"The Divine King now possesses even greater strength; why would you suddenly change your minds?"

Scrutinizing the old man in front of him, and since the other party had already shed one layer of pretense, Laine readily acknowledged it.

He, as the envoy of the Lord of Hell, naturally wouldn't casually agree to a proposition that seemed fraught with issues, no matter how one looked at it."

"Hehe... it seems you are far more knowledgeable about this world than we had assumed. As such, I can save some time explaining."

"Our sudden change of heart is naturally because we have found other supporters."

"I wonder if the great one from the Abyss has taken notice of the recent movement on Mount Olympus?"

Still smiling, Nereus slowly began to speak.

"Olympus... Are you referring to that welcome of darkness—"

"I didn't say anything."

He interjected softly, but from the look on Nereus's face, it didn't seem like an unintended slip of the tongue."

I see... At that moment, Laine finally completely understood the intentions of the person before him.

Nereus dared to rebel against the Divine King because, for some reason, he had become a part of some plan by Erebus.

But clearly, this son of the Ancient Sea God, whose presence wasn't particularly strong, wasn't as content as he appeared."

Perhaps opposing Zeus was merely a side task for him."

What Nereus truly wanted to do was perhaps just to add some complications to the plans of the Lord of Darkness.

Whether actively or passively, when one becomes a pawn for one high-seat against another, to prevent being discarded after use, and to allow for more maneuvering space for oneself, perhaps the best method is to bring in a third high-seat—and it would be best if they did not have a clear bias towards the current situation or too much ability to interfere.

And it was clear, although he had once clashed with Zeus, the Serpent of the Garden, who merely lurked in the Underworld, was the best choice.

At least in Nereus's eyes, the entities of the Abyss were not willing or eager to easily come to the Earth.

Under these circumstances, having even more plans would make it easier for him to act.

For a moment, Laine was fairly certain there was likely much more hidden behind the entire affair.

Things like what exactly Erebus had done, how it persuaded the Ancient Sea God to serve him, and what further thoughts Nereus might have.

Regardless, the primary thread of the affair was now clear to Laine.

"The Primordial Gods... I understand."

After appearing to ponder for a moment, Laine looked up to meet Nereus's gaze.

Indeed, everything was changing, and Erebus was, as usual, up to something.

He just probably didn't expect Nereus would make this kind of move… or perhaps he really hadn't included the Lord of Hell in his plans."

In any case, now that they had met, Laine naturally couldn't pretend he hadn't seen."

To prevent any unforeseen complications, he would, of course, have to personally investigate."

As for the Fates or anything else... waiting anywhere wouldn't really make a difference."

"So, Your Highness Nereus, let's discuss your intentions."

"For our 'common enemy' Zeus, what do you plan to do?"

"Of course, our first priority is to clip his wings and weaken his influence—naturally, we have our own little selfish desires."

"That is, through this opportunity, we can recapture a part of the strength that rightfully belongs to us."

"The lords of Olympus are God-King Zeus, and apart from him, Hades and the Sea Emperor are the highest-ranking deities."

"We plan to take action against this lord of the Ocean—although he's only nominally so."

"And to show our sincerity, after capturing him, we are willing to present him as a gift to that respected great one."

"I think Abyss Tartaros would be his best destination."

Having achieved his first goal, no matter what the response would be, as long as the message was relayed, Nereus believed he could tentatively consider it a success.

As for how Erebus would react to his actions today, he was already prepared.

He had not informed his Father God, who is still slumbering at the bottom of the sea, of today's deeds.

From beginning to end, it was a scheme he and Oceanus had forged together.

So if something unexpected did occur, it was not a big deal.

Gods cannot die; he would not truly pay an irreversible price. Rather it's the Ocean God...

Theoretically, since the other party held the advantage, the Ocean God System should dominate in the future distribution of benefits.

But in the end, it is my father who is your true opponent.

Thus, Nereus posited that if he truly became involved and dragged Oceanus down with him, it would not be a grave concern.

Evading the potential control of the Primordial God was his primary goal, which he had successfully convinced the Ocean God to support; altering positions within the divine system was his secondary goal, so regardless of the outcome, it would not be a loss.

As for the life and death of Poseidon, that was merely a tertiary concern.

For Nereus, the Abyss was indeed a favorable place.

There, one could be isolated from the pull of the current laws, and even the agitated Law due to the departure of the Sea Emperor could be managed by them.

"...Alright, I understand."

Laine nodded lightly. Although he didn't know what Nereus was thinking, he was aware that the other must have other plans."

But as long as he got involved, all the ins and outs would eventually come to light."

"However, regarding this matter, it will be the Serpent of the Central Court who gives the response personally, not for me to decide privately."

"So in three days, at the god-worshipping ceremony when His Majesty's name is invoked, you can seek the outcome yourself."

"And whether it's agreement or not, I will not mention today's matters to anyone else."