abcnovels
Chapter 275: 67: The Bet_2
Chapter 275: 67: The Bet_2
Chapter 275: Chapter 67: The Bet_2
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However, she did not show her feelings, only taking note of the matter secretly.
As time slowly passed, the scene displayed by the Divine Artifact and the Divine King’s power in the center of the great hall kept changing. Although Triton deliberately slowed his pace, he still gradually drew closer to Aurora.
Watching this unfold, Poseidon seemed to be unable to restrain himself from saying something. He looked around, then suddenly produced a shining orb from his person.
“Ladies and gentlemen, merely watching my child perform might be somewhat dull. I have an additional idea that could make this process a bit more interesting. Would any of you care to join in?”
“Oh, how come I wasn’t aware that even you could come up with new ideas?”
Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Empress casually remarked from the principal seat.
Demeter smiled at the comment. Just like Zeus, Poseidon had once shown her attention, but his dullness had failed to spark her interest.
Zeus might not be a good husband, but he indeed knew how to sweet-talk.
“Hmph, nothing but prejudice.”
With a snort, Poseidon did not take Hera’s teasing to heart. He placed the orb on the table and then voiced his idea.
“The extinction of humans is inevitable, but the process is unknown, so why don’t we place a wager on it?”
“Let’s bet on how they will react to their demise. Will they beg on their knees, wait for death in despair, attempt to deceive the gods with ridiculous words once more, or attack the gods ignorantly? We’ll make random guesses about how many will react in a certain way, and that will be the content of the bet.”
When his words settled, many deities present showed interest. Compared to a one-sided slaughter, this seemed more exciting and anticipatory.
“What about the stake, surely not this worthless thing?”
A deity pointed at the crystal-clear orb in front of Poseidon.
The orb was a concentration of ocean essence, which only a True God with dominion over the seas could extract from seawater. The former scepter of the God of the Ocean was forged with this as a material. However, for other gods besides the Sea God, it indeed wasn’t of much use.
“Hahaha, this is all I have. If you want something different, that would depend on whether my dear brother is willing to part with it——”
With a laugh, Poseidon looked at Zeus.
“However, the Divine King might already consider humans his possession, so he might not be willing to put them on the table. Am I right, my dear brother?”
Unmoved in expression, Zeus felt inward anger at Poseidon’s mockery, but he knew why he said it. After all, throughout the Bronze Age, he had garnered the most faith from humans in the name of the Divine King, while, due to being forbidden from setting foot in the sea, worship of the Sea Emperor by humans was mostly superficial.
Thinking this, Zeus couldn’t help but find it amusing. It wouldn’t take long for his foolish brother to understand that the lack of faith had nothing to do with being the Divine King; it was simply because he wasn’t up to the task.
Therefore, the Divine King sketched a map in midair with Divine Power, which prominently displayed the vast land between Olympus and the East Sea.
However, there were very few places suitable for large-scale human settlement in these areas, all due to the aftermath of a divine war a century ago, which still left its scars to this day.
“Since you’re interested, Poseidon, let’s all place a bet.”
“The stakes will be the contents of this map, with the winner choosing first. However, whatever choices we make today only signify the beginning, not permanent regulations. The winning deity will have an advantage in the beginning, but what follows will rely on our own capabilities.”
Looking at Poseidon, Zeus shared the plan he had already formulated.
“Let the affairs of mortals be resolved by mortals themselves. No deity shall wantonly kill the followers of another deity; violators will be considered enemies of the Divine Court. What do you all think?”
In that moment, as the Guardian of Oaths, the power inherent in such a role spread out. Although it was far from the assurance of an actual Styx River oath, it still held a certain binding effect on the gods.
In Zeus’s original plan, he had intended to abandon the current ‘equitable distribution’ of faith, even though he got the largest share under this ‘equitable’ scheme.
He had discussed this only with Hera and a few subordinates before today. Now that Poseidon had taken the initiative, Zeus was happy to go with the flow.
If, in the next human era, the gods were to take arms against mortals en masse, the backlash of such oaths, combined with the tremors of the present Law, would together be enough to deal a hefty blow to any deity.
The assembly of gods felt the power of this oath, and they were momentarily silent. However, Poseidon didn’t concern himself with that.
“So, you too, my brother?”
“If, in the future, your followers in the mortal realm are killed by mine, or if lands belonging to your followers are occupied by mine, will you keep the oath made today?”
“Of course.”
A flicker of cold light in his eyes, Zeus nodded in promise:
“Unless mortals offend me, I shall not act against the followers of other deities. That is my vow.”
“But if it is an oath that even the Divine King must obey, then no one shall break it.”
“Good, then it’s settled!”
Raising his cup, Poseidon drank it all down in one go.
He had always felt that he was no worse than Zeus. It was merely because the Mother Goddess chose to rescue Zeus first, leading to his initial misstep, and thus, his subsequent failure.
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