Chapter 250: The God King’s Bounty
“My beloved children, accept your Father God’s gift!”
The God King raised his hand slightly, and golden-white lightning patterns spread across the sky, while the Heavenly Dao began to slowly turn like a loom.
Zeus’s divine and majestic voice rang out, “Aglaea—my glorious daughter.”
“I shall bestow upon you the honor of ‘Radiance’! Henceforth, all beauty in attire, artifacts, and palaces shall be created because of you!”
“Within the vast starry sky, you may cast forth the crown in your hand, and wherever it lands, there shall be your exclusive divine palace.”
“I shall have the Cyclops forge that radiant crown for you. I grant you a blessing: beneath your crown, all mortal things can gain renown! They shall receive the radiance they deserve and the honor they merit!”
“Euphrosyne—my beautiful and good daughter.”
“I shall bestow upon you the role of ‘Joy’! Henceforth, all celebrations, rituals, and oaths in the universe shall be performed under your blessing! This will ensure solemnity is not dry, and joy has its measure!”
“Upon the vast Earth, I shall grant you a ‘Spring of Laughter’. Any living being who drinks from this spring will have happiness and joy fill their hearts, and any sorrow, upon reaching your skirt, will transform into joyful songs and dances.”
“The Cyclops will also forge the most suitable divine artifact for you, and joyful bells will be delivered into your hands. I bless you, that these wonderful sounds may awaken the inherent joy instinct in the hearts of all spirits. Beneath your music, all living beings shall harvest hope and tranquility.”
“Thalia—oh, my lovely treasure.”
“I shall bestow upon you the honor of ‘Feast’! Henceforth, all public banquets, sacrifices, and celebrations shall be held under your witness, and you shall have the right to partake in all offerings first!”
“My dear child, I shall designate a special area for you on Olympus and build for you a bounteous granary that encompasses all kinds of flowers and grains from the past, present, and future.”
“As your private garden, it shall be a paradise of eternal harvest, never withering.”
“Of course, my treasure, your personal divine artifact is indispensable, and a floral scepter will be your symbol.”
“Where this scepter points, desolation can turn into a feast; when a bud blossoms, it can instantly bear bountiful fruit. When you wield the scepter, the ‘Garden of Eternal Celebrations’ will appear before you, becoming a banquet garden under your exclusive control!”
“Thalia, this is your exclusive domain of joy, and I promise you, you shall forever possess pure, unadulterated joy.”
“I shall also grant you three sacred and inviolable privileges: your names shall not be insulted, your love shall not be coerced, and your palaces shall not be trespassed!”
“Finally, I shall each grant you thirty star nymphs as your choir; and thirty young ocean nymphs as your attendants!”
“Starlight shall guide you, and waves shall harmonize with you—may wherever you go, there be a song to sing and a path to tread!”
Zeus’s voice echoed through the sky, transforming into a vast, final declaration: “My dear children! I shall tell you, and I shall also tell all living beings in this universe! If you uphold the justice and goodness that I have established, then honor, joy, and happiness shall follow!”
“Goodness shall be rewarded! Virtue shall be honored!”
As the God King’s cascade of generous pronouncements ended, a moment of silence fell in the Temple of Wisdom, which was then filled with overflowing joy.
Metis’s eyes darted, her heart filled with unspeakable joy and relief.
Eurynome’s divine heart was even more thoroughly steeped in the sweetest nectar, every inch of her divinity radiating fragrance.
The three newly born Graces were already beaming with laughter and dancing with joy.
They looked up at their Father God, their three pairs of clear eyes filled with crystalline, pure affection and worship.
With a “swish,” they transformed back into three beautiful springs, encircling their Great Father God, offering the most joyful, most melodious words of affectionate thanks like strung pearls.
The divine family was harmonious and happy, the scene so warm that it could melt the hardest ice in the universe.
After a brief moment of intimacy, Zeus issued a solemn announcement to all the gods in the divine network:
Firstly, he declared that Eurynome, daughter of the Ocean and mistress of clear water, had officially become his fifth wife in the presence of the gods, her status sacred and inviolable.
Secondly, he declared the sacred honor and responsibilities of the Three Graces—Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia—who would bring glory, joy, goodness, and abundant fertility to the universe.
The divine oracle resounded in all directions of the universe, and all the gods heard these two pieces of good news.
Subsequently, on the peak of Mount Olympus, he invited the gods of the universe to a grand celebration feast, solemnly introducing his beloved wife and lovely daughters to all the deities.
Even the Ocean God Couple, who were under house arrest, received an invitation to come to Olympus.
From this day forward, a layer of brocade named “Grace” was gently spread upon the foundational stones of the universe’s order.
Tenderness shall carry abundance, and glory shall protect laughter.
Law shall be remembered, beauty shall have its form, goodness shall have its fruit, and glory shall have its light.
The universe will only be more beautiful in the future.
The scale of this feast was so grand that even Prometheus and Epimetheus, who were busy in the mortal world with the newborn humans, and Zeus’s nine beloved Muses, were all summoned back to Olympus.
After nearly two years of diligent instruction by these eleven powerful deities, the newborn humans had finally learned, in a rudimentary way, how to stumble through survival on this vast and dangerous Earth.
Furthermore, with the death law still incomplete, not a single one of the over a million newborn humans had died.
This was due to the short time since their birth, the protection of “Heavenly Fire” bestowed by Zeus and Hestia, and the personal care of the eleven deities.
Although some pitiable humans encountered strange things they had never heard of—all because of their precious curiosity, which stemmed from their wisdom.
This led some humans to experience situations that were not easily accepted, such as missing parts or having extra appendages, but fortunately, no irreparable tragedies occurred.
After all, Prometheus, the “chief engineer,” was by their side.
Even if a reckless individual was missing a part or accidentally grew something strange, it was a minor matter that he could resolve with a simple pinch.
At the banquet, under the gaze of the gods, Zeus solemnly introduced Eurynome and his three newborn daughters.
He then solemnly commended the great merits of Prometheus and his brother, Metis, and his beloved Muse daughters in the creation and civilization of humanity.
And based on their merits, he granted extremely significant bounties to all participants.
Zeus specifically announced the lifting of the previous confinement punishment for the Ocean God Couple, Oceanus and Tethys.
Furthermore, he completely pardoned the furious Titan Atlas, who had been obediently staying by the ocean.
However, he did not bestow any honor upon him; as for honor, it still awaited his future performance, and for now, he remained an idle god official.
For the Great Gods of Olympus, ordinary material rewards had long lost their meaning.
Therefore, besides authority and honor, there were indeed few things that could truly be considered a bounty.
The most important among these, and the one most valued by the gods, was the opportunity for pardon after making a mistake.
After all, most of them were quite free-spirited and might, on impulse, transgress the sacred order established by the God King.
No one wished to be punished for a moment of willfulness, so the opportunity for pardon was the most precious and substantial reward.
This was especially true for Prometheus.
He had some self-awareness, to a certain extent.
At his core, he was not a god who adhered strictly to the rules!
Especially, his greatest desire was always to find a way to free his Father God and brothers.
Now, to be able to earn his elder brother Atlas’s pardon through his own merits was already quite good.
As for his Father God and second brother, he would find opportunities for them later.
Zeus sat upon the Supreme Divine Throne, and after announcing various matters, his golden eyes swept over the varied expressions of the gods, holding his own plans in mind.
In his view, honor was not something to be given away casually.
Because once bestowed, it was essentially an eternal bounty.
Unless a monstrous crime was committed, authority and honor that had already been granted would not be revoked.
Even if a transgressing god was sent to sleep in the Underworld River or made to suffer some torment and hardship, it was usually only a temporary punishment, not a direct stripping of their fundamental honor.
Zeus would also never easily resort to “revoking honor.”
This was the most severe punishment, second only to being cast into Tartarus, and if abused, it would only diminish his reputation and majesty as the Supreme God King.
The scales of kingship have two pans: one holds grace, the other carries majesty. Knowing when to fill which pan is the true art of rule.
After all, for all sentient beings, seeing bounties naturally inspires aspiration and compliance with order; however, the fear of “loss” can often shape a deeper sense of awe.
Compared to gaining something new, losing what one already has is always more painful and harder to accept.
A god might covet something, but he would never act greedily to the point of losing what he already possesses.
Bestowing and retracting are the most crucial authorities in a king’s hand.
However, neither of these is an end in itself, but rather a means to achieve the ultimate goal of “order,” a rein to make all beings more obedient and proactive.
Whether it is the anticipation of reward or the fear of punishment, their greatest effect always lies before they truly descend.
Therefore, the way of a king lies in the careful use of supreme royal power.
After the banquet, Zeus specially instructed the nine goddesses with golden crowns.
He gently admonished them, telling them to return to Olympus after teaching humanity basic survival skills, and forbidding them from intervening too deeply in humanity’s independent development.
Under their direct care, humans would not learn to walk on their own.
As for the Prometheus brothers, they could still go to the mortal world to look after humanity.
Furthermore, Zeus gave Prometheus a new and crucial task: to teach mortals how to respect the gods.
Humans were currently the only sentient beings in the mortal world.
Besides them, there were the high and mighty gods.
The gods did not care about the uncultured, low-level beings whose intellects were not yet awakened.
The gap between them in any sense was vast and incomparable, not worth the gods’ special attention.
Although humans were not receiving much attention from the gods now, perhaps after today, some gods might pay a little more attention.
But for fragile and minuscule humans, learning how to properly treat the gods would be the most important thing.
Gods can bestow; gods can also retract.
Only what humans create with their own hands and wisdom can truly belong to humanity itself.
Regrettably, everything humans possessed from their birth thus far was a gift from the God King.
Although they also possessed the most precious wisdom that could grow freely, humans were simply too insignificant.
The difference between gods and humans in all aspects was incomparable.
What should the relationship between humans and gods be like?
For humans, who had just embarked on the path of civilization, this would be the most heavy, most serious, and most important lesson.
However, to Zeus’s surprise, Epimetheus voluntarily requested to remain in Olympus temporarily.
He said he was tired of caring for humans and wanted to take a break and rest for a moment.
This request caused Zeus to scrutinize him several times, his mind racing.
After three comprehensive scans of his thoughts, he finally discovered that the fellow’s gaze had been secretly fixed upon the stars of this banquet—his three newborn, incomparably beautiful daughters.
This made Zeus exclaim: He could see Prometheus’s thoughts clearly at a glance.
But this Epimetheus, his mind is truly peculiar; it takes at least three glances for me to understand his strange thought process!
That’s right, Epimetheus has changed his target!
He and the nine Muse goddesses had been teaching humans in the mortal world for nearly two years.
During these two years, he put one-third of his effort into teaching humans and seven-tenths into pursuing the Muse goddesses.
He was genuinely diligent and truly proactive, but he was both greedy and lacked perseverance.
In the past nearly two years, he had tried to impress Calliope with his poorly rhyming, awkward poems; and attempted to please Terpsichore with his clumsy, strange dance steps.
He had even used his flawed star charts, drawn by himself, to “educate” Urania about the mysteries of the universe.
The results were, to say the least, disastrous.
Today he would pursue this artistic goddess for two days, tomorrow he would try to flatter that scientific goddess for two days, and if it didn’t work, he would immediately change his target.
The result was naturally… nothing gained.
