The Fall of the Pieces

Unlike the offspring born to the Primordial Gods, the descendants of the Second Generation Gods needed time to develop.

They were no longer like their forebears, who could reach adulthood within half a day of being born. Their growth rates varied, taking anywhere from several months to an indeterminate amount of time.

At the same time, the new gods were no longer born with powerful divine power. When the Titan Ancient Gods were born, they possessed at least Weak Divine Power. These new gods, however, with only a very few exceptions, mostly had to slowly grow from Divine Power Level 1.

The Metis before Ryan was one such example. Her newborn skin was as smooth as milk, and her pair of dark, bright eyes made her look nothing like a newborn. But without a doubt, she would need at least several decades before she could become an adult deity.

This was not only because the Third Generation Gods were supposed to be this way, but also because her origin was not powerful.

When she was born, wisdom, thought, and strategy scattered automatically throughout the world, just like Memory once had, leaving her with only hydrology.

However, unlike Mnemosyne, the Third Generation Gods were not born with innate knowledge, so she would not realize that she was supposed to possess those powers.

"Metis. Athena."

"Perhaps I should take her away?"

Ryan whispered softly, not worried about being discovered.

Okeanos and Tethys were indeed very powerful, but as long as he did not appear beside them, it would be difficult for them to discover him.

That was the absolute nature of divine authority. With Ryan hiding within "history" and the spirit world concealing him, no one could detect his presence even if they were separated by only a single hall.

"...Forget it. Although Fate has already been changed, before Zeus ascends the throne, I still hope this world will remain somewhat 'familiar.'"

"Besides, in the original course of events, this Goddess of Wisdom didn't seem all that intelligent."

Ryan shook his head and ultimately abandoned his plan.

With Metis's potential, if he took her back to the spirit world and carefully nurtured her, she would be capable of bearing some powerful Divine Offices.

Knowledge, for example. Its origin flowed into the spirit world every moment. Originally, the existence of the God of Writing could to some extent block Ryan's absorption of knowledge, but unfortunately, the Divine Decree Stone Tablet contained a more orthodox source of writing.

Under these circumstances, if he could have another candidate to wield the Divine Office, it would not only accelerate the spirit world's absorption, but also give Ryan a powerful subordinate in the future.

In the end, however, he gave up on the idea. If a Goddess of Wisdom could not even see through threats to her own safety, then how was this so-called "wisdom" any different from Prometheus's "foresight"? By comparison, perhaps her daughter was more suited to become wisdom's representative.

Having made his decision, Ryan extended his hand, and three Multifaceted Crystals silently appeared before him. The spirit world had only just begun absorbing the origins of the three Divine Offices, but that did not prevent Ryan from condensing the corresponding Divine Offices.

Though they were still extremely weak, as the spirit world absorbed all the scattered origins, they would return to their proper heights.

Ryan pointed, and the three crystals entered the baby girl's body. At the same time, Ryan's figure vanished without a sound.

The next moment, the Lord of the Outer Sea appeared directly beside the bed. He swept his gaze around, but discovered nothing.

The instant Ryan bestowed the Divine Offices, he returned from "history" to the present. Okeanos immediately sensed something unusual, but he was unable to trace Ryan's existence.

"What is it?"

Before long, Tethys also appeared there. The goddess had not been in the temple earlier, but after sensing the burst of divine power from her husband, she hurried back.

"It's nothing. It may have just been my imagination."

Okeanos shook his head and prepared to leave. But when his gaze swept over his daughter, his eyes suddenly froze.

"What is this... the aura of a Divine Office of wisdom?"

Somewhat uncertain, Okeanos picked up his daughter and carefully sensed the aura within her body. Soon, he not only confirmed what he had sensed earlier, but also discovered strategy and thought.

"Was Metis granted other Divine Offices by the world? Did you sense the aura of Khaos just now?"

Tethys also noticed the anomaly in her daughter. But Khaos had never displayed any phenomenon of bestowing Divine Offices on anyone other than subordinate gods, so she instinctively believed this was a gift from the world.

"Perhaps. But that no longer matters!" The Lord of the Outer Sea was not entirely certain, but he was genuinely delighted.

Unlike Pontus's emphasis on selective breeding, he was the very embodiment of casting a wide net. Among all his children, only Styx possessed a Divine Office that could allow her to reach Intermediate Divine Power. As for Clymene and Metis, Reputation and hydrology made even reaching Weak Divine Power a difficult problem for them.

But now, with wisdom, strategy, and thought, Metis was destined to become an existence as powerful as her elder sister.

She would at least possess Intermediate Divine Power, and in the distant future, might even attain Great Divine Power. She would be far stronger than many Titan Ancient Gods.

"My younger brother Iapetus once asked me for a wife. Although he did not make any demands, my daughters apart from a True God are not worthy of his status."

"I had originally intended to choose one between Clymene and Metis, but now it seems I no longer need to choose."

Okeanos's tone was delighted, and Tethys nodded in agreement. Giving birth to many children and spreading the Ocean God Faction throughout the world, then winning gods over through marriage alliances—this had been their plan from the very beginning.

The myths of later generations would also prove his success. Unlike his many brothers, aside from Rhea and Themis, the Lord of the Outer Sea was the only Titan Ancient God who still retained a degree of power in the age of Zeus.

"I'll speak with Clymene about this. As the Goddess of Reputation, marrying a Titan of noble status is also highly compatible with her Divine Office. She'll be pleased."

As Okeanos's capable wife, Tethys readily accepted the task.

"Good. I hope she can give my brother a powerful god. That way, when we face that uncle of mine in the future, we'll have another ally."

Okeanos nodded to his wife and rose to head toward the front hall.

His sudden departure must have given the guests plenty to speculate about, but now he could happily share this good news with them.

From this day onward, the name "Metis of Wisdom" would surely resound throughout the sea. No one would ever again be able to criticize him by saying, "He only has quantity; Styx was merely an accident."

Behind him, Tethys glanced at her daughter once more, then left the Great Hall as well.

She had been inspecting the ocean currents earlier, preparing to extract their essence from the sea under her husband's control and combine it with her Divine Office to nurture a Divine Artifact.

Although this primitive method of forging was rather ordinary and could not compare to the powerful works created by beings like the Cyclops, who possessed a special talent for smithing, it was still sufficient to serve as a symbol of the Lord of the Outer Sea.

Tethys had to continue making preparations for this. As for her daughter Metis, gods were immortal, and she did not need to remain by her side at all times.