Extra: The God of Time and the God of Wine (Part 2)

Fate is what is destined to happen.

The God of Time knew this better than any other god.

But... love?

The God of Time frowned.

This feeling was too distant for him.

He could understand cause and effect, and he could understand laws, but he simply couldn't understand what "love" truly was.

The God of Time has witnessed far too many love stories between mortals throughout the River of Time.

Those lovelorn men and women met, embraced, and parted in the reflection of the river, crying and laughing, making vows of eternal love, only to turn to dust under the erosion of time.

He had witnessed the burning passion of love at its deepest point, and the resolute determination of love at its end; the bitterness of unrequited love, the absurdity of possessing but not cherishing, and the quiet ordinariness of mutual support...

There are a thousand kinds of love in the mortal world, and he has sat by the river for millions of years, seeing each one clearly.

The more he saw, the more confused he became.

Mortals love passionately because of the brevity of their lives, solemnly because of the bond between life and death, and recklessly because of the fleeting nature of life.

But he is the God of Time; his life has no end, and his years are boundless.

Ordinary people's love stories typically go through their entire development and resolution within a century.

And what about him?

If he falls in love with someone, it will last as long as eternity.

Ordinary love is like a ripple in the face of time, while his love is like the entire long river before him.

The more he understood other people's love, the less he understood his own heart.

Later, the God of Time stopped worrying about this issue.

Time will tell.

This problem did not have a significant impact on the God of Time.

However, the recent actions of a certain god have made him frown.

The reason is as follows.

One day, the God of Time was on the River of Time when he saw a bluish-green object floating in the river.

He looked closely, and his face immediately darkened.

The God of Time pulled the other person out of the river.

The waters of River of Time cannot be casually soaked.

If one is eroded by the power of time, one can easily become lost in the endless years.

But this one, he's completely immersed in it.

"How many times have you steeped this wine in the River of Time?"

The God of Wine, having been captured, chuckled a few times. He first held up one finger, but seeing the other person purse their lips, he had no choice but to hold up all ten fingers.

Upon seeing the other party's ten raised fingers, the God of Time gave a soft hum and said:

"Only ten times? I bet it's because you only have ten fingers."

God of Wine embraced the arm of the God of Time, and said with a forced smile:

"Shi really understands me best; she truly is my best friend."

Upon hearing the words "best friend," the chill emanating from the God of Time visibly dissipated.

God of Wine noticed that the God of Time had changed his expression.

He pressed on, uttering a string of sweet nothings without a moment's hesitation.

The God of Time set down the God of Wine, and with a handkerchief in his hand, wiped the water from the River of Time off the other's body.

However, upon touching the other's skin, a question arose in the God of Time's mind:

Why should I wipe it myself?

Yes, with Divine Power, it was clean in no time. Why did he need to wipe it with his hands?

The God of Time discreetly withdrew his hand, using his Divine Power to evaporate the moisture from the other person's body.

"Don't soak in the River of Time next time; it's too dangerous for you."

God of Wine readily agreed, but then immediately resorted to his old tricks.

The second time, the third time, the fourth time...

God of Time has pulled this disobedient, drenched drunkard out of the River of Time.

The other person never listens to advice, and every time they get caught, they just smile and admit their mistake, only to do it again next time.

The God of Time finally realized that warnings alone could not stop the God of Wine of wine. In order to prevent the god from getting lost in the River of Time one day, he had to set aside some of his attention and keep it on the God of Wine from time to time.

This feeling of helplessness, yet having no way to deal with the other party, was something the God of Time was experiencing for the first time.

He was unconsciously making concessions, making exceptions, and learning things he had never done before in the process of repeatedly rescuing people.

--Indulgence.

God of Wine, immersed in the River of Time, is not having an easy time either.

The waters of the River of Time are too cold.

As Gods, Dionysus is not afraid of the cold winter or the scorching summer, but God of Wine sensed it. However, perseverance pays off, and he finally succeeded in brewing "Time." God of Wine believed that this time the other party would accept his wine.

God of Wine, carrying a wine jar, approached the God of Time with a mysterious air, his eyes crinkling with a smile, and said:

"At that time, this jar of wine was called 'Time.' It was for you."

Although the God of Time could not drink it, he was deeply shocked the moment he smelled "Time".

At that moment, he finally understood why God of Wine was so persistent in immersing himself in the River of Time.

It turns out it was all just to brew this jar of wine for him.

The God of Time couldn't describe his feelings at that moment. He only felt that his heartbeat was a little different from usual, a few beats faster and a few beats slower.

This was also the first time the God of Time had accepted the other party's wine.

If he doesn't accept it, the other party will definitely drink the jar of "Time" with his friends.

The God of Time felt extremely uncomfortable at the thought of this.

This was brewed for him by the other party.

However, since the God of Time cannot drink it, he sealed the jar of "Time" inside his Pocket Watch, placing it in a position where it could be seen every time he opened the Pocket Watch.

Seeing that the God of Time had collected the wine but had not drunk it, the God of Wine finally became "angry".

Without saying a word, he lay down on the ground and began rolling from one end of the temple to the other, and then back again, howling all the while:

"Time, this is the 'time' I painstakingly brewed for you! I've soaked in the River of Time so many times, almost being swept away eight hundred times, and you won't even drink a drop..."

He rolled to the feet of the God of Time, grabbed the other's trouser leg, and pitifully looked up at him.

"Am I not your best friend? If you don't drink today, I'm... I'm never coming again!"

The God of Time looked down at the stubborn figure in Blue Robes at his feet.

Those eyes stared at him expectantly, as if if he said "no," the other person would roll around in bed for three days and three nights straight.

He finally softened.

The God of Time spoke, revealing the truth that only he and the God of Fate had known all along.

Upon hearing God of Wine, the god of wine's expression shifted from aggrieved to stunned, and then from stunned to guilty.

He loosened the leg of the God of Time's trousers, obediently got up from the ground, solemnly straightened his robes, put away all his playful expressions, and bowed earnestly to the other party.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know... The way I was behaving just now was really awful. Don't worry, I promise I'll never roll around on the ground again."

The apology was certainly sincere enough.

But for some reason, God of Wine keenly sensed that Shi's mood did not seem to have improved; in fact, it seemed to be worse than before.

Did they think his apology wasn't sincere enough?

God of Wine felt a pang of anxiety and quickly offered an even more solemn and serious apology.

However, the sadness in the eyes of the God of Time was impossible to hide.

Now God of Wine was completely panicked.

He racked his brains but couldn't come up with a solution, so he decided to steel himself and, since a sincere apology wouldn't work, he would resort to his most effective tactic.

God of Wine grabbed God of Time and threw a tantrum, pleading, "Time, please forgive me! I really didn't mean it. I won't let go until you forgive me!"

As he spoke, he secretly observed the expression on the God of Time.

Then, to God of Wine's surprise, the other person was happy.

Although the God of Time maintained his calm demeanor, the sadness in his eyes had somehow vanished, and even the corners of his mouth had turned up several degrees.

God of Wine:???

It was after the concept of "time" that the God of Time began to find God of Wine's friends particularly displeasing.

Today someone drags him out for drinks, tomorrow someone else pulls him to a banquet; every few days, some god comes to him for fun.

God of Wine never turned away anyone who came, and each time he would smile broadly, grab his Wine Gourd, and happily go off.

The God of Time sat on the River of Time, his face expressionless, but his heart felt as if something had twisted within him.

This is roughly what ordinary people call "possessiveness."

But the God of Time knew very well that God of Wine was the kind of person who loved excitement.

He had many friends, and wherever he went, there was laughter and joy. This was the God of Wine he had first met.

And so, he learned to "let go".

He understood that loving God of Wine meant giving him freedom, allowing him to continue being the God of Wine who had friends all over the world and was always lively and cheerful.

However, understanding is one thing, but putting it into practice is another. He found that the jealousy and possessiveness in his heart were growing and spreading little by little, like the water level quietly rising in the River of Time. At first, it was only up to his ankles, but unknowingly it had already reached his chest.

He is the God of Time, more adept at predicting the future than any other Gods. He can foresee what outrageous things he might do if these emotions were to completely take over.

Perhaps he will keep God of Wine by his side, lock him in a place where only he can see him with the shackles of time, and let those eyes that were always full of smiles gradually dim...

Such an outcome would be a disaster for both God of Wine and Dionysus.

The God of Time did not want to see God of Wine lose his joy and laughter and become a different person because of his possessiveness.

That carefree, unrestrained God of Wine should not be confined in any cage.

It was at this moment that the God of Time finally remembered the Fate he had glimpsed.

That Fate that "he will fall in love with God of Wine in the future".

Looking back now, perhaps the fact that he could see this Fate was simply part of Fate.

Fate allowed him to see the end ahead of time, which gave him the option to choose.

At that moment, the God of Time made a decision.

With the Authority of the God of Time, he forever preserved the Fate of "he would fall in love with God of Wine" in the future.

The God of Time will always love the God of Wine, but this love will always fall short of fulfillment; it will never become possession, never become a shackle that binds the other...

Having done all this, the God of Time opened his Pocket Watch, glanced at the "Time" stored inside, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

Wine, I hope you'll always be happy.

--Your forever friend, Shi.

As for why the God of Fate, who is similar to the God of Time, did not have this idea?

The God of Fate said that of course he had thought about it, and even considered putting the idea into practice.

But alas, the Goddess of Beauty's fist was too hard.

With just one punch, the God of Fate was instantly brought to his senses.

The God of Fate covered his face and apologized, "I... I was wrong, I'll never do it again."

If only the Goddess of Beauty loved him as much as he loved her.

Anyway, he didn't mind being locked in a dark room at all.