Chapter 164: Reward For Merit, Punishment For Fault!
Zeus abruptly changed the topic, his voice becoming even colder: “If any of you no longer wishes to bear this heavy responsibility, very well! I can satisfy Him right now!”
“I permit any god to become an unbound, free ‘free god’.”
“Tell me now! Who doesn’t want it?!”
Zeus’s majestic gaze swept around, and no god uttered a single word.
All the gods bowed their heads deeply, not even daring to breathe, and the atmosphere inside the Assembly Hall froze completely at that moment.
Inside the hall, after a long, suffocating silence, Zeus continued slowly: “It seems you still wish to possess this honor I have bestowed upon you.”
“Then from now on, you must never again commit such an error as today!”
“If you act so willfully and impulsively, what kind of life will all spirits in the universe lead?”
“If there is a next time, there will be no mercy!”
Only then did the gods dare to take a deep breath; they had truly been frightened.
Who could have imagined that just watching the excitement could provoke such towering rage!
However, Zeus’s next words lifted their hearts, which had just settled, back up: “However, the gods who erred today cannot go unpunished!”
“I reward merit and punish wrongdoing! That is true justice! That is the most fundamental foundation for maintaining balance in the entire universe!”
The gods did not dare utter a word, all holding their breath as they quietly awaited His Majesty the God King’s final decision.
Zeus’s voice softened slightly.
He said slowly: “However, considering this is your first offense and there was a reason for it, this time the punishment will be reduced by one degree, and lighter for you.”
“Mnemosyne.” He called her name first. “You, as the Goddess of Civilization and Memory, and as my left hand, your duty is to assist me in filling gaps, offering advice and proposals. How noble is your position? How important are your duties?”
“Yet you abused your divine authority to provocatively challenge other gods, ultimately causing this conflict. Do you know your wrongdoing?”
The Omniscient Goddess now behaved extremely obediently, replying submissively: “Mnemosyne knows her wrongdoing. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Zeus said indifferently: “You are forbidden to leave Mount Olympus for one year. No divine wine for three months.”
A year without leaving Olympus did not bother Mnemosyne.
After all, with Zeus here to accompany her, even the longest time would pass in an instant.
But three months without divine wine was truly hard for her to endure.
This Omniscient Goddess had few hobbies, but she loved wine the most.
She hadn’t expected that even after admitting her fault so proactively, Zeus would still punish her; her heart was instantly filled with grievance.
However, the Goddess of Civilization now understood Zeus’s intention to use this to warn the gods, so she naturally cooperated obediently.
She replied obediently: “Thank you for Your Majesty’s tolerance. Mnemosyne will certainly obey.”
But her voice was extremely low, clearly showing that even though she understood, her mood was still very unpleasant.
Zeus seemed oblivious to this. He looked at the Lady of Night and said: “Nyx, it is true that Mnemosyne was at fault first. However, you could have come to me to seek justice.”
“You, as a Primordial Great God, with noble status and sacred duties, yet acted so impulsively, directly attacking another Great God and damaging Mount Olympus—what decorum is that!”
“Do you know your wrongdoing?”
Seeing Mnemosyne suffer, Nyx felt much better inside. Even if she had to suffer too, she accepted it!
Moreover, today’s Zeus had truly scared her; she was genuinely afraid he would hold a grudge against her, so she was now behaving exceptionally submissively.
She replied in the softest tone: “Most revered Supreme God King, Your Majesty, Nyx knows her wrongdoing. Please punish me; Night will accept it fully.”
Zeus nodded and said indifferently: “Very well, since your attitude in admitting fault is so good and it is a first offense, the punishment will be lenient.”
“You are forbidden to leave the Underworld for one year, and likewise, no divine wine for three months.”
Nyx did not crave wine, but a year without stepping out of the Netherworld—how would she see Zeus then?!
Zeus wouldn’t not come to see her for a whole year, would he?
Heavens, how is she supposed to get through these days!
Nyx said hesitantly: “Nyx thanks Your Majesty for your tolerance and will certainly obey.”
“It’s just… it’s just, if there are urgent matters in the Underworld that need to be reported to Your Majesty for decision, then…”
Zeus replied lightly: “I have my own plans; no need for more words.”
Hearing Zeus’s tone that brooked no argument, Nyx felt a bit more reassured.
Though still somewhat uneasy, she didn’t dare say more.
Then Zeus looked at all the gods present and announced loudly: “Today, all gods who neglected their duties and violated their responsibilities are forbidden divine wine and ambrosia for one year! If there is a next time, they will be severely punished!”
With that, Zeus turned to the sacred and solemn Goddess of Justice beside him.
He asked softly: “My dear Themis, does this handling of mine conform to the just order? Can it be called justice?”
The Goddess of Justice replied with a solemn expression: “The gods have indeed violated the divine law. As the foundation of the universe, if the gods act willfully and laxly, it will bring only disaster to this universe.”
“Reward merit, punish wrongdoing! This is the ultimate principle of universal balance!”
“Most revered Supreme God King, Your Majesty, your handling is extremely just and fully conforms to the sacred justice order! I completely agree with your decision!”
Zeus smiled and nodded, then looked at the gods again and said majestically: “Do the gods have any objections?”
All the gods affirmed, with no objections.
Then Zeus snorted heavily, turned into thunder, and returned to the Divine Palace without saying anything more or seeing anyone else.
Only the dark clouds shrouding Olympus began to slowly disperse.
After Zeus left, Themis, standing in the center of the Divine Palace, with her majestic divine poise and upright, impeccable posture, parted her lips and said slowly in a clear, cold, and serious tone: “Gods, today’s lesson should be taken to heart!”
“His Majesty the God King is tolerant and benevolent, merciful and loving, but!”
“This is absolutely not a reason for the gods to squander His Majesty the God King’s mercy!”
“His Majesty the God King has established the most beneficial order for all gods and living beings, the most just order!”
“The gods should uphold His Majesty the God King’s sacred justice order!”
“The gods, including me, should forever firmly remember that all our honor comes from His Majesty the God King’s bounty!”
“We must uphold His Majesty the God King’s sacred order! Because this is the foundation of all our gods’ existence!”
“If any disrespect His Majesty the God King’s sacred justice order or the honor bestowed by His Majesty the God King.”
“Then He shall no longer possess honor!”
“The gods are the foundational laws of existence in the universe; your every action concerns the operation of the entire universe, and any mistake brings suffering to all spirits—how can you act willfully?!”
“This time, His Majesty the God King has been tolerant of you. But in the name of His Majesty the God King’s right hand, I announce there will absolutely be no next time!”
“Next time, no matter who it is, I will strictly handle it without mercy, in accordance with the sacred justice order, using the authority granted by the Ruler of the Universe, Supreme God King, His Majesty, King of the Gods Zeus!”
Seeing the gods silent as cicadas in winter, Themis’s phoenix eyes cold and stern, she swept her gaze over them and asked majestically: “Have you all heard clearly?”
The gods replied in unison affirmatively, and only then did Themis announce the assembly adjourned, then turning into a streamer and returning to her own Divine Palace.
The Goddess of Night and the Omniscient Goddess glared at each other, then each snorted coldly and turned into streamers, departing sullenly.
A trace of regret rose in their hearts; they shouldn’t have let a moment’s impulse make things irredeemable.
But this grudge was now thoroughly forged!
The other gods who were not punished also left the Assembly Hall with solemn expressions, inwardly warning themselves never again to neglect duty or abuse divine authority; the divine law proclaimed by the God King is an untouchable red line.
Those who were punished left dejectedly one by one—just for watching the excitement, how did they end up suffering?
They too were more cautious in their hearts, secretly admonishing themselves never to commit such an error again.
The God King’s majesty is inviolable; one cannot assume impunity for willfulness just because of the God King’s usual benevolence.
Once His Majesty the God King truly becomes enraged, the consequences are unbearable for any god.
Zeus’s display of authority this time had an extremely significant effect.
He punished even his beloved goddess and staunch confidante, leaving no one able to say anything.
All gods could clearly recognize that even meritorious Primordial Great Gods, beloved goddesses of the God King, and His Majesty the God King’s staunch confidantes must face punishment after violating the divine law.
And it wasn’t even a big deal this time, so if other gods dared violate the sacred order, their fate would be far more miserable.
Additionally, Zeus had another plan: to deal with the goddesses along the way.
Coaxing them directly would be hard and too tiring one by one.
But like this, pulling a reverse heavenly gang star move, making an issue out of it, escalating it himself, then raging—that made the goddesses panic instead.
The goddesses who might have quarreled would instead quiet down out of awe and apprehension, even trying to guess His intentions and carefully come to soothe this God King, “angered” by the goddesses’ excessive bickering.
Killing multiple birds with one stone—simply perfect!
This, this is called turning defense into offense! Always seizing the initiative!
