Preparations Made by a Hero

The King of the Underworld gave Thaumas seven days.

It was now the night of the first day.

Under the cover of darkness, Thaumas and Athena arrived at the Underworld.

Thaumas spent the entire night doing nothing but wandering near the Hell Gate and the Styx.

Athena accompanied him in silence, offering no interruptions; she believed the hero would bring about a miracle.

Thaumas carefully observed the environment around the Styx and the Hell Gate, finding it as desolate as the legends claimed, devoid of any "living" beings from the mortal realm.

It was all just strange, pitch-black "creatures"—whoever designed this environment certainly had questionable taste.

And so, the second day arrived.

Thaumas went to see Cerberus.

"What do you want again?"

"Go away! I don't want to see you!"

"Aren't you supposed to be atoning for the King of the Underworld? Why are you still here?"

The three heads of Cerberus spoke in turn.

"I've come to ask for your help. Besides, didn't I tell you? I will spread the story of how much you love and cherish one another. Now is a perfect opportunity—don't you really want to have three times the Honey Cake?"

Thaumas smiled. Those familiar with him knew this was the start of his eloquent persuasion.

"Hmm? Let's hear it."

"I'm not listening!"

"Right, shut up! Sir, tell us. If you can actually pull it off, we'll definitely help."

The desire to hear what Cerberus had to say won out by a two-to-one margin.

"The Hell Gate has been gone for a few days, hasn't it? Cerberus, what I need you to do is guard this place. Do not let a single soul pass; make them all stay here.

If they ask for the reason, tell them the Hell Gate was damaged and is currently under repair, so passage is forbidden. Do not let anyone through.

Even if they offer you a Honey Cake, do not let them pass for just one. This will serve to help promote the story of your mutual affection.

I believe that for the sake of earning three Honey Cakes every single day in the future, you will be willing to turn down this one.

Do you understand?"

Thaumas said solemnly.

"Why?"

"I don't get it, it's too complicated!"

"If that's the case, why should we stop them for you? As long as there's a Honey Cake, we can let them pass."

Hearing this, Thaumas was actually quite impressed by the intelligence of the middle head.

"It is as you say, but have you considered that these souls only carry one Honey Cake? They don't bring more because they believe in the old legends.

If you want to make the condition of three Honey Cakes known to those who come later, you must do something famous—something so notable that even the gods will remember it, because the gods will help us spread these stories to the mortal realm!" Thaumas explained patiently.

"Is that so? Then I agree!"

"I don't get it, I'll leave it to you two."

"I'll stop every soul, the rest is up to you, Thaumas. I'll make a bet with you—if we fail, we just get a different job! If we succeed, it's triple the pay! Let's do it!"

After consulting among themselves, the heads of Cerberus all nodded in agreement.

And so, Thaumas hurried to the next location.

On the banks of the Styx, "Mr. Charon, these gems are worth a million gold coins; they are all for your passage fee.

Please, for the next six days including today, transport the souls to the other side at all costs. I will cover the passage fees for these souls."

Thaumas pulled out a bag of gems and handed it to Charon.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! What's gotten into you, young master? It doesn't cost this much, it really doesn't!"

Though Charon said this, his hands gripped the bag tighter than anyone else's, as if he were trying to weld it to his palms.

"It's fine. The extra is for your hard work, Mr. Charon. Please, I'm counting on you!" Thaumas bowed.

After Charon gave his solemn guarantee, the seemingly sycophantic old man saw Thaumas off with a fawning display of respect.

Once Thaumas left, Charon became uncharacteristically diligent, continuously ferrying the souls of the dead to the other side, even though he didn't know what Thaumas was planning.

But Charon knew that Thaumas was a meticulous child; he could tell from their previous conversation on the boat. Charon believed Thaumas would never do anything without a purpose, and in fact, he felt a sense of anticipation.

What exactly would this human—blessed by multiple goddesses and even Nyx, Charon's own mother—bring to this dark Underworld?

Afterward, Thaumas waited quietly for three days.

During this time, Thaumas asked Nyx to go have a heart-to-heart with Hades. Believing that Thaumas was being bullied, Nyx gladly went, promising to have a good talk with him.

Mm, Thaumas was definitely not harboring any thoughts of revenge.

By the fifth day, the area surrounding the Hell Gate was already packed with souls, which far exceeded Thaumas's expectations.

Consequently, Thaumas leaped onto the ruins of the Hell Gate and shouted:

"Human souls who have passed on! Hear me! I am the culprit who gathered you here! I am also the one who destroyed the Hell Gate."

Once he finished speaking, an uproar broke out among the crowd. Some wailed and complained, while others even wanted to rush up and beat him to a pulp, but a long howl from the ferocious Cerberus silenced them, and no soul dared to speak again.

"Most of you were sent here by Charon, and the vast majority are homeless evildoers! Only a small portion are good people."

Thaumas drew his conclusion in a single breath; back when he was communicating with Charon on the boat, he had already learned what kind of people these were, wandering on the other side of the river.

"Therefore, you are guilty! I destroyed the Hell Gate, so I am guilty as well. And now, there is an opportunity for you to atone! If you are lucky, King of the Underworld might even reduce your sentences! Those who have committed heinous crimes, who would have originally had their souls annihilated, now have a chance to survive! Those who have committed grave sins can also have their punishments lightened. Those who have only committed minor faults might even be forgiven directly. And as for those who are kind, I implore you to once again grant me your precious kindness and help me overcome this predicament!"

Thaumas shouted these words aloud.

He was going to conduct a confession, a confession of sin and punishment, a confession of repentance and the promotion of virtue! Using this confession to wash away the filth that had accumulated on the Hell Gate over these thousands of years!

After he finished speaking, the souls began to chatter and discuss. Deep down, they all longed for the gods of the Underworld to be lenient; if they could be forgiven by King of the Underworld, that would naturally be incredibly fortunate. Without a doubt, they were very interested—this is humanity. Driven by profit, moving toward profit.

"Two days from now, King of the Underworld will arrive here. That will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Those willing to help me or willing to seize this chance, sit down on the ground and prepare to confess with me!" Thaumas shouted.

After he finished, no one moved; they were wary of Cerberus. Thaumas didn't move either, just standing there, standing still. He believed that some human kindness would eventually respond to him, and he also believed that human greed would respond to their desires.

Soon, some people left, and seeing others leave, influenced by herd mentality, a portion of the crowd was naturally led away. Thaumas was not discouraged, because he would not force anyone. For instance, those souls lingering on the opposite bank—Thaumas had already helped them take a step forward; if they wouldn't even trust Thaumas, how could he continue to help them?

It is hard to save a ghost determined to die. Although Thaumas could not let go of his urge to help others, and he would go out of his way to assist, it was on the condition that others were willing to accept his help without gossiping behind his back while receiving it. He wanted to help others, but that did not mean he wanted to be a doormat; he was not a saint, he was just a man.

As some left, others stayed, and slowly, more and more people who had been standing sat down. Just like following a seeker of the path, more and more people were attracted to him and sat down, and there they remained. Just as water always gathers in low-lying areas, a group of seated people gathered around the Hell Gate. These people included souls who were purely kind and just wanted to help, souls who had committed heinous crimes and just wanted to suffer less, and the masses who were just following the trend.

All living beings, gathered here. This was like a small microcosm of the human collective.

The number of souls was already large, but it was still increasing; Cerberus and Charon were working hard. During these two days, Thaumas provided simple training to this group of gathered souls, quietly informing those who had sat down.

Thus, once the night of the seventh day passed—although there is no night in the Underworld, it is always quite dark—Hades, accompanied by Nyx, arrived!

"So, what of your atonement? I heard you wanted to give the Underworld a life? It seems to be a flower! Since you have already obtained the power of Demeter, then bring it out!"

Hades nodded. After seeing that green light within Thaumas's Bracelet, he understood "everything" and said with a touch of approval. This King of the Underworld rarely received a gift, which made him, cold as he was, feel a little bit of joy; after all, the gods actually loved humanity. Furthermore, what Hades said was actually correct; originally, Thaumas had indeed intended to do just that.

Fortunately, there was wisdom to offer guidance, otherwise, he would have missed the miracle that was about to unfold!

"Lord Hades, please do not be impatient. The gift I have for you is not a flower from the mortal realm," Thaumas said.

"Hm? Then what is it?" Hades admitted that his curiosity had been piqued.

"Oh? Child, what gift do you intend to give to Hades? Is there one for me as well?" Nyx chimed in.

"The King of the Underworld will know soon enough, and Goddess Nyx is welcome to watch as well! However, I must apologize this time; this gift is intended solely for the King of the Underworld," Thaumas explained.

"How stingy, not even preparing a gift for Mother! Fine, I will forgive you this once, but you must remember to prepare one next time!" Nyx gently stroked Thaumas's head.

"Yes! I certainly will, Goddess Nyx, I have noted it down!" Thaumas said.

"Then we shall begin. Let us witness this beautiful miracle together!

Respected King of the Underworld, Lord Hades! I shall present to you a flower of miracles, which is also a flower of repentance!

This is a tribute offered to the King of the Underworld by me, and by the souls of all the humans present here!

Please, accept it!"