Chapter 3574: Medusa (40)
Chapter 3574: Medusa (40)
Ning Shu went to the temple of the fire god every day. Each time she visited, she would offer a bow and then ask the priest questions.
Up until now, there had been no news at all. Had the gods still not decided who would become the new ruler?
As soon as the new ruler of the gods was chosen, the fire god would surely return. Hephaestus usually did not reside on Mount Olympus.
When he was a child, his own mother had thrown him off the mountain. Later, after returning to Olympus, he had forged the ropes used to bind Zeus during the rebellion led by his mother, the sea god, and Athena. When his mother was hung up as punishment, he pleaded with Zeus for mercy. In response, Zeus kicked him off the mountain as well, leaving him with a permanent limp.
Because of this, the fire god rarely returned to Mount Olympus.
Ning Shu waited and waited until she felt her patience was truly wearing thin. She figured things on Mount Olympus were likely far from peaceful. Let them fight. The longer they quarreled, the more time she had to prepare herself and face future dangers calmly.
Currently, Ning Shu could control over a hundred needles. Her next goal was to double that power and control over two hundred.
It could be used for area-of-effect attacks. Even in a single-target duel, just imagine hundreds of needles piercing an opponent simultaneously. The resulting explosive force would be enough to turn them into powder.
An atomic bomb was nothing more than that.
The more the better. This would be a massive kill-weapon not only in this world but in other worlds as well.
When she had nothing else to do, she would pick a handful of flowers and bring them to the temple of the fire god. Placing them before his statue was her way of expressing goodwill. Ning Shu had no intention of going on a god-slaying spree. There was no need to stir up unnecessary hatred and make enemies of the whole world.
As time passed, Ning Shu became well-acquainted with the temple priest. The position of a priest seemed very glorious, but it required one to give their everything to their service.
Occasionally, Ning Shu would ask the priest when the fire god would return. The priest would only whisper that things on the mountain were unstable and that it would take some time for the god to come back.
Previously, Ning Shu had been desperate to know who the new ruler would be and whose hands the crown would fall into. However, as time went on, she realized she didn’t actually care who the king of the gods was.
She was just an ant on the ground. To those high-and-mighty gods, she was a tiny creature not even worth mentioning.
Her constant anxiety had been for nothing.
Ning Shu continued to practice her cultivation. Her internal core grew larger as it absorbed spiritual energy, fiery yang energy, lightning energy, and celestial energy.
The human body was truly mysterious. The internal core was like a universe, and the body was a microcosm where even a single cell could be a world.
Ning Shu practiced relentlessly, yet her dantian never reached its breaking point.
As her cultivation deepened, the number of needles she could compress increased. She had now reached a total of over five hundred. If she released them all at once, the sight of them packed so densely would be enough to trigger someone’s trypophobia.
Ning Shu counted the days. It took nearly two months before the fire god finally returned to his temple.
Ning Shu picked a handful of wildflowers and brought them to the temple. She placed them before the statue and looked around, hoping to see the god.
Clanging and hammering sounds echoed from within the temple. It seemed the fire god was busy at his forge, crafting weapons.
Ning Shu didn’t feel it was right to barge in, so she stood before the statue of Hephaestus and began to pray in the divine language.
After she had prayed for a long while, a man dressed in coarse hemp clothing emerged. His face was a scorched, dark red from years of exposure to the intense heat of the forge. His skin was a mottled black-and-red, and he walked with a pronounced limp.
To be honest, the appearance of Hephaestus was truly not a good match for the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite.
“Are you the one summoning me?” The fire god’s voice was quite loud. Ning Shu gave a bow and replied, “It is I.”
“What is it?” Hephaestus asked.
Ning Shu hesitated for a moment before asking, “I wanted to know how the king of the gods is doing.”
“How can a lowly human like you inquire about the affairs of the gods? Do not ask such things,” the fire god bellowed.
Ning Shu bowed again. “Thank you for the warning, Lord Fire God. It is just that I am an old acquaintance of King Zeus, and I wished to know of his current situation.”
Hephaestus looked Ning Shu up and down. Although her face was veiled, her eyes and figure revealed that she was a beautiful young lady. His father had always been a philanderer.
He wondered if this woman was perhaps another of his father’s lovers.
The fire god’s voice was like a booming bell as he spoke. “The current ruler is Queen Hera. Zeus has been imprisoned. Do not speak of having any relationship with Zeus again.”
Hera had become the ruler of the gods. This was a good thing. Ning Shu smiled and said, “So that is how it is.
“Thank you for informing me, Lord Fire God,” Ning Shu added as she thanked him.
This meant her current troubles were mostly over.
Hephaestus gave a grunt and closed the door directly.
Ning Shu left the temple and returned to her temporary lodgings.
Now that she knew what she needed to know, she planned to travel the world. She also wanted to look for any world origin. The world was vast, and there were bound to be some strange and rare treasures.
Ning Shu packed her things while humming a little tune. She stuffed the sleeping bird into her pack. It was a bit of a tight fit, and as she forced the bird inside, she heard a cracking sound. Had she just broken the bird’s bone?
Whatever. Even if it was broken, it would heal instantly.
Just as Ning Shu opened the door, she saw a woman wearing a crown. This woman carried a heavy presence and a thick divine aura.
Ning Shu’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment of thought, she spoke. “I think you look a bit familiar. You look like the queen, but you seem even more magnificent than her.”
Flattery never failed. Ning Shu didn’t actually feel anything particular toward Hera.
Hera raised an eyebrow and looked at the pack in Ning Shu’s hand. “You are leaving.”
“Yes. I’m just wandering around. I can’t find a place to settle down,” Ning Shu said.
A mysterious smile appeared on Hera’s face. “Did you not want to go to Mount Olympus? I shall take you there.”
A smile broke across Ning Shu’s face. “Really?”
“My brother has been constantly talking about you. His only request to me was to bring you before him. Are you willing to go to Mount Olympus?”
Ning Shu knew she couldn’t refuse. Besides, she had wanted to go to the mountain anyway. It seemed Zeus was still a source of trouble.
She had to deal with him once and for all. Ning Shu said excitedly, “Are you really taking me to Mount Olympus? Great Queen, could you perhaps grant me a piece of divine fruit? You know that a woman’s most important asset is her face, but beauty fades with age. Nothing can beat time. Is there a fruit that can keep one young forever?”
Hera: …
What a truly stupid and shallow woman.
While appearance was important, a person without strength was nothing more than a toy to the gods. Even goddesses were often treated as little more than playthings for the male gods.
Hera boarded her chariot and looked at Ning Shu. Ning Shu cautiously climbed onto the chariot. Her face was full of wonder. “This is the first time I have ever ridden in a god’s chariot.”
“Are you not going to ask why I am taking you to Mount Olympus?” Hera asked.
Ning Shu acted as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Are you not taking me to see the king of the gods?”
Ning Shu understood perfectly well what was going on, but she kept up her act of being ignorant and shallow.