Chapter 14: Divine Artifact, Calendar, and Three Conditions

In the Underworld, without the embrace of the sky, everything seemed silent and soundless.

When the earth was torn apart, Laine had already passed through the ground and arrived at this empty land.

This was one of the three parts of Chaos. The sky and earth were one, the oceans and rivers coexisted, only the Underworld, shrouded in darkness, stood alone.

Under the influence of divine power, as Laine passed through the strata and looked around, what he saw was an endless grey plain.

At this time, the Underworld was greatly different from the one recorded in the myths of his former life. There was no river of fire, no three-headed dog, no Styx or Acheron, and certainly no divine palace of Hades. The grey land that later generations would call 'Fields of Truth' had nothing but emptiness, even more desolate than the land a thousand years prior.

At least the ground back then had mountains and seas, but here in the Underworld, there was nothing.

"This should have been the final resting place for souls."

"But it won't be in the future."

Shaking his head, Laine silently made his assertion. Using his divine power, he pinched up a small mound and then fashioned a set of furniture out of mud for himself.

This was a new invention of Chaos, thus he acquired a trace of skill and creative divinity.

"Better than nothing."

With a casual gesture, he merged this insignificant spark of divinity, not even worth calling 'power,' with Spirituality. Laine did not continue to create new things but instead quietly waited for his guest.

After all, without users and admirers, Craftsmanship could not become a godhood. In the future, when new gods were born and humans appeared, he had better ways to obtain them.

Days passed by. Although there were no sun and moon in the Underworld, by sensing Chronology and the Moon, Laine could still determine how much time had passed.

It was approximately twenty-four years after the twelve Titans had returned to the womb that a dark green light flickered and the solitary Underworld finally welcomed its second visitor.

Seeing Gaia again, Laine clearly noticed her aging; the Mother Earth before him now looked like a woman in her fifties. Her emerald eyes were dim and without light, her hair, once embellished with vibrant flowers, was dry, yellow, and withered, and even the hem of her gown was coated with dust.

"It's been a long time, Mother Earth."

Without rising, Laine gestured with his right hand to the stone chair opposite him, indicating that she could sit down.

He was not particularly courteous; to be exact, he did not much like these ancient gods.

Gaia glanced at Laine. On their fourth meeting, she clearly felt a change in his attitude.

Unlike the previous respect and courtesies, Laine's demeanor was now indifferent and distant.

Gaia was not surprised by this; with the wisdom of a Foreseer, she must have long detected her and her children's discontent with him.

Before, she was the Queen of Gods and Mother Earth, an ancient god with supreme divine power, so he greeted her with a smile. But now, although she did not know what Laine was relying on, he clearly feared her no longer.

"Long time no see, wise Prince Laine."

After making eye contact with Laine for a moment, Gaia eventually sat in the chair. Whatever the deity in front of her was thinking, she no longer wanted to endure it.

First, her six offspring were locked in the Abyss, and then her twelve children were forcibly stuffed back into the womb; Uranus, after performing such brutal acts, without hesitation indulged his desires for over twenty years.

Gaia could feel her Origin ebbing away every moment. Though as a deity, she was immortal, but at this rate, one day, she would inevitably fall into an eternal slumber.

"I have come to seek help," Gaia said tiredly: "I have nurtured the blade of Prophecy, which you once proclaimed could shake the seat of the Divine King.

"I asked my children, and although most of them swore oaths and dared not oppose their father, it was Cronus who bravely took on the heavy responsibility of wielding the knife," Gaia said.

"I am the helper foretold in your prophecy, but now, the greatest challenge stands before me. Foreseer, wise Laine, please tell me how to truly shake the reign of Uranus and even prevent him from ever becoming a threat again."

Faced with Mother Earth's earnest inquiry, Laine simply smiled and did not respond.

"What do you want?" Mother Earth asked again. Faced with Laine's silence, she directly posed the question.

"I am prepared to fulfill your request to the best of my ability, as long as you tell me how to end this nightmare."

"Your Highness Gaia, you alone may not be able to afford what I desire," Laine said calmly, unmoved by Gaia's words.

What he wanted wasn't something Gaia could provide on her own, even more so, her part seemed insignificant in comparison.

"I need the destined one with the knife, which now seems to be the noble Cronus. If he can end the Heavenly Father's reign, then he will undoubtedly become the new king. I want you, Mother Earth, to do two things for me, but I need him to agree to three conditions. Then, you will know what you desire."

These were Laine's terms: two tasks for the Primordial God, and three conditions from the future Divine King—a price that was indeed steep.

Although Gaia was still very weak, power coursed through her. Murmuringly, even though she had not yet come into being again, the force of space and time coalesced within her.

"You made a prophecy, yet you've met with me many times," Gaia said coldly. "If the Divine King learns of this, he will not spare you either."

"Perhaps, but you need not concern yourself with that. I had foreseen this day the first time we met," Laine retorted.

"I had prepared three things for you, but since you've kept your bargain before, the oracle cancels one. Besides that, two requests and three conditions, not one less," he insisted.

Confronted with Laine's firmness, Gaia felt a mix of anger and helplessness.

Although she didn't believe that he could have foreseen this day thousands of years before, she had to admit that since the Foreseer dared to sit there, he must have been fully prepared.

At least in terms of 'foreseeing the future', Gaia had to concede she was no match for him.

"State your conditions. I cannot promise on behalf of my children, but for my part, I am willing to hear your demands," Gaia spoke after some thought. Things had progressed to this point, and she could no longer hesitate.

With a slight smile, Laine was not surprised by Gaia's submission. Clearly, she despised that tyrannical king more than she cared about some external possessions.

"A divine artifact," he started. "The Life Vase. I wish to borrow it for a thousand years. That is my first request."

The Life Vase was Mother Earth's companion divine artifact, manifesting its full might only in her hands. Away from Gaia, the Life Vase would slowly fall silent until it degraded into a mere object, which was why Laine intended to borrow it only temporarily.

Of course, whether it would be returned intact, Laine did not guarantee.

"I agree. And the second one?" Gaia asked, nodding at Laine's request and then promptly continuing.

"The second condition is even simpler," said Laine. "I require you to arrange the growth of plants and the changes of climate according to the waxing and waning of the illusory Moon as determined by the calendar I have established. This mustn't be altered until you challenge the Divine King."

This was Laine asserting the control of Chronology and the Moon over the growth of plants and the climate, further solidifying their powers.

In theory, Mother Earth could annul it at any time after the new king's ascension, but Laine did not care.

He needed only this period. As long as Chaos' parts for 'plant growth' and 'climate change' were briefly under the dominion of Chronology and the Moon, once he assimilated this Origin, everything would be set in stone.