400. Back to business?

"Wow, look at him. Did you expect he would accomplish something like that?" the blonde youth asked his uncle.

"Not this quickly. But it was probably inevitable after Seth intervened." Hades sighed tiredly, looking at his foster champion randomly reviving people.

"I'm glad he met that sorceress. This method is a lot better than what the other guy did." Hephaistos commented.

"Don't remind me of that. He was so promising, but he quickly lost himself in his zeal." Hades lamented.

"I'm glad Seth is on the less ambitious side."

"It makes watching him more interesting."

"Kekeke, he's really petty. Zarkon is really unlucky." Hermes said, remembering Seth creating the Zarkist Radar. The herald of Olympus had been recently released from the system god's shadow realm

"It's simply the consequence of his own actions," Hades said offhandedly.

"Right, who told him to wantonly wreck the new world. He would naturally garner animosity." the blacksmith god agreed.

"Don't you think the others would be interested in him, too?"

"What are you saying! We are already sharing him among three people. How many more do you want to bring in?"

"That was not what I meant. Doesn't he have that trait? Wouldn't it be interesting if-"

"Not one more word!" Hephaistos looked around nervously.

"Oh, but I want to listen some more. Go on, Hermes." the system god said, who had appeared in the seat behind them. The blond youth looked back and forth between his brother and the system god. Hades acted like it did not faze him.

Seeing his uncle not act and weighing between his brother's wrath and the system god's discontent, the decision was easy.

"If the other uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters gave him their blessing, I bet he could end up with a lot of fun stuff. You know, with all myths of Olympus affecting his items, instead of just those of you two."

Hephaistos groaned.

"Hoho, so there was a backdoor like that." The system god mused.

Once the time came and more gods intervened with Urth, there would naturally be more gods of Olympus and if Seth managed to garner their interested, he would get more access to their myths.

It was a very subtle way to influence his way at a later point in time. He fixated the blacksmith god, who was trying to look innocent.

"I will leave it at a warning since it is not technically overstepping your bounds." the system god judged leniently. He was also looking forward to it, once those dicks started messing with Seth.

...

Seth had already had a long conversation with Karina after he had refined the <Caring Soul> and managed to restore its ego.

"This aura. Was it you that brought the fire, that burned away the darkness?"

She was missing a lot of memories, but the clearest were those just before her death. She had felt the corruption encroach on her mind, taking control of her body and very being. Her body, her tree, the very floor below her feet had been steeped in a darkness.

The inky blackness wanted only one thing. To expand, to conquer. "More! More!" it had screamed in her mind and compelled her to move and help spread its corruption.

She struggled to resist and bind herself. No longer in control of herself, she could only hope for her children to run fast enough, to escape this terrible fate. To escape before she was forced to hunt them with her own hands.

When the pale flame came, it was salvation, not death.

Pip had told Seth about their time with Karina. It would be a lie to say, that he felt no remorse for not using it for a piece of equipment. However, listening to Pip reminded him of his own sorrow after he lost his parents.

Of course, it could not be compared. He had been in a much better position after he lost them. Still, it was what made him decide to try this. Listening to Karina, whose only concern was her children, even after dying and regaining her senses, had assured him that he did the right thing.

One of the reasons he started with Karina and the Hangingtree, was that they were the simplest. The structure and instincts of a tree were a lot simpler than that of a being of flesh and blood. Also giving birth to a dryad was a natural thing for a great tree.

He had used their connection as a soul set, to revive the hanging tree and Karina in one go.

"Pip, I will leave Karina in your care. She has lost a lot of memories. You can help her regain some, but most importantly, to make new ones. Okay?"

"Yes!" the girl said, her eyes red from crying.

Seeing her reunite with her foster mom warmed Seth's heart. Then he looked up at the tree. Its looming figure was much smaller than the one Seth knew, but the giant canopy and the curtain of vines were the same,

Before, Seth thought to have some misgivings about growing a Hangingtree in his home base. But when he looked at it now, he felt no negative emotions. It was a simple twist in logic. This was not an enemy; he had grown this tree.

This was HIS tree.

He had worked hard to make it. He had spent time, money, and almost 50 magic crystals on growing it. He could dislike all other trees, but not his own baby.

Seth gave the children and their mother some privacy in their reunion and returned to the workshop. He would have liked to take a break for today, but everyone else was working.

She stretched a little before he sat down to make a ring from <Wugrum>. He felt really calm since he succeeded with such a big task. He had been working on it very seriously. Making the ring now, was almost like a break.

This would be the replacement for Dragon Bane, Al had taken with her. Because she promised to enchant it, he only had to make the body. It had been a while since he could calmly make a ring. Since he did not plan how to put in the enchantments, he could make it to his liking.

He had seen the depiction of a phoenix in the book from Master Mountain. Al said it was called a vermillion bird. Seth made a tail feather of this bird from <Wugrum> and turned it into a ring.

Seth had to smile about the irony. A ring-shaped like the tail feather of a firebird to buff his earth affinity and magic. The whole time he hummed a tune praising the primordial beast of earth Behemoth.

<Feather of the Beast

Epic

Durability: 1200

1. +20% Earth Affinity

2.+35% to the effect of all Earth-Attribute Magic

3.+45% additional Curse Damage to Earth-Attribute Skills

4.+15% health regeneration when standing on firm ground.

A simple yet elegant ring by the hands of Craftsman Smith. Blessed by a primordial existence pleased with the purity of the item.

>

Seth was slightly surprised by the additional effects. He had not expected the ballad for Behemoth to be his good.

"This should be a good base for Al's enchantment," he said and nodded to himself.

Satisfied with his day's work, he decided to check on the others. He wound Wedan happily working on the details for a leather armor.

"How's it going, Wedan?"

"Seth? You already came out of the workshop?"

"Yeah, I'm done for today. How about you?"

"I still need to finish the details for this one. Do you want to go and drink afterward?"

"Sure, should we get Hoen, too?"

"Don't bother. He can't come."

"Why?"

"His wife is close to giving birth. Lately, he immediately runs home to spend time with her."

"Well, then it's just the two of us. Do you know how Neeco is doing?"

"The wimpy tailor? I've heard he's getting close to lv.50."

"That's good to hear."

Seth helped Wedan finish the armor set and they went off to Delta for a drink. Minas Mar had a good assortment of alcohol, but it did not beat a high-class bar.

The place they visited was called "The Flux". A nightclub Mina had introduced him to. The current owner had done his best to collect not just good drinks from Urth, but also from the empire and its provinces. The assortment was overwhelming, and it was fun to test new drinks from all kinds of places.

It was just a shame that most teams were currently in the dungeons, so he could invite Mina and the others.

"May I sit here?" a man asked.

He had black hair and black eyes. He was not overly tall, but not short either. He had a handsome heroic face that made anyone who looked at it like him.

"...No."

"Wh-Why not?" he asked surprised as if he was sure that Seth would allow it.