As if pushing open a door, Anthony (Prometheus) returned to the great hall of the Underworld.
Nowadays, as his connection to the Underworld grew ever stronger, Anthony (Prometheus) could return there without the slightest obstruction, no matter where he was.
"True Lord? Are you still here?" The moment he returned to the Underworld, Anthony (Prometheus) called out.
At once, in answer to his call, the figure of Erlang Shen materialized on the spot, turning to look at Anthony (Prometheus) and waiting for him to speak. "What is it?"
"The Underworld is about to enter its final stage of repairs."
Anthony (Prometheus) spoke at once, and for a moment, a trace of surprise seemed to flicker across Erlang Shen's expression.
"So soon this time? As I recall, the previous times the Underworld fell into disrepair, it took years. Still, since you've come to me, you must want me to help you finish repairing it?"
After a moment's contemplation, Erlang Shen grasped Anthony (Prometheus)'s meaning and put the question to him.
And after seeing Anthony (Prometheus) nod, Erlang Shen mulled it over, yet declined the invitation:
"I'll pass. If you want me to go to the mortal world and drag back a few vicious ghosts, then perhaps I could be of service."
"But the Underworld's final repair work is a bit beyond me. However, I can go and call the Pen Immortal here for you."
"The Pen Immortal? That works."
Anthony (Prometheus) thought for a moment, then, recalling the brush the Pen Immortal had once given him, nodded.
If it was that blue-haired girl coming to help repair the Underworld, Anthony (Prometheus) figured it wouldn't be a problem at all.
For the final Seed of Light plan, he needed to transfer the progress from Lobotomy Corp's side over to the Underworld.
Launching the Seed of Light required completing ten Kabbalah Sephirot, as well as an enormous amount of energy.
As before, energy was easy to come by. But according to Ein's original plan, the Kabbalah Sephirot could provide only seven days' worth of light.
This ran counter to what Anthony (Prometheus) needed.
It was precisely for this reason that he had sought out Erlang Shen and the others, hoping they could find a way to increase the amount of light.
Given the immortals' countless years of experience and character, they ought to be able to raise the quality of some of the Sephirot during the Seed of Light's launch.
And so, with little effort, Erlang Shen got in touch with Lord Laojun on Anthony (Prometheus)'s behalf.
After hearing that Anthony (Prometheus) had an urgent matter, Lord Laojun said nothing more and simply hung up.
About fifteen minutes later, a sound came from within the passage of the Yellow Springs Road.
"Oh? So you've finally come?"
Upon seeing Lord Laojun, Erlang Shen greeted her with a grin. The blue-haired girl maintained the same expressionless look as before:
"You'd better have a proper reason for summoning me, Erlang Shen." "What for? Besides, it's the little Hades who wants you, not me."
Erlang Shen rolled his eyes, and seeing Lord Laojun staring at him with a thoroughly speechless look, he pursed his lips.
"Fine, fine, fine—you two talk. I'll go give Xiaotian some kibble."
And so Lord Laojun watched Erlang Shen's departing figure, and after a long while, couldn't help but heave a sigh.
"All right, go on then. What did you need me for?"
Lord Laojun turned to Anthony (Prometheus), and then received an answer she had not expected: "The Underworld is almost repaired."
Anthony (Prometheus) said softly and calmly, "Only the final core is missing now. I hope you can lend a hand."
As he spoke these words, Anthony (Prometheus) suddenly noticed a series of changes pass over the blue-haired girl's expression.
That face, normally expressionless and as exquisite as a porcelain doll, now revealed a kind of stupefaction.
That much was understandable. But after the shock came an intense relief, even a flush of excitement. It was utterly out of keeping with her usual face.
In the end, everything fell into silence. Lord Laojun murmured under her breath, "So soon this time? Perhaps your decision really was the right one after all."
"What decision?" Anthony (Prometheus) asked, somewhat baffled. But Lord Laojun merely shook her head to herself.
"It's nothing. We'll get to that later. First, tell me your plan. Since you've asked me here to help, surely you have some scheme prepared?"
And so Anthony (Prometheus) gave a slight nod and laid out the entire Seed of Light plan for Lord Laojun. In short, it was the same as ever: ten Sephirot, plus the energy needed to fill them, and so on.
But after hearing out Anthony (Prometheus)'s plan, Lord Laojun's expression turned somewhat odd.
"So you mean to say, you plan to call in some friends to fill the ten Sephirot, and then find a way to raise the Sephirot's quality—and that's why you came to me?"
Lord Laojun asked with that odd look, even raising a finger to point at her own nose.
Anthony (Prometheus) nodded straightforwardly.
"There's really no need to go to all that trouble."
Lord Laojun was momentarily speechless, then sighed and said, "You can solve this entirely on your own."
"Me?" Anthony (Prometheus) blinked, rather bewildered, and seeing Lord Laojun nod repeatedly, he felt only more bewildered.
And watching Anthony (Prometheus) look so thoroughly mystified, a smile finally surfaced on Lord Laojun's face, as though she were pleased.
Then she rose to her feet. Anthony (Prometheus) abruptly felt his hand being pulled. He was hauled up rather clumsily, and then heard Lord Laojun's words:
"I had thought this time would be no different from the rest. I wanted to keep you around a while longer, so I figured I'd put off telling you until later."
"But now it seems I was the one who failed to think it through. Your method actually works. Perhaps this time there's a real chance."
Lord Laojun murmured softly, gazing into the distance. Anthony (Prometheus) stared into the blue-haired girl's eyes, momentarily lost for words.
"Would you like to hear a story?"
Suddenly, Lord Laojun asked, "Yours—and mine."
With things having come this far, Anthony (Prometheus) felt he had little room to refuse.
Besides, as for what Lord Laojun was about to say, Anthony (Prometheus) already had a rough guess in his heart.
After all this time, it would be strange if he had remained completely oblivious.
Moreover, as Anthony (Prometheus)'s understanding of the Underworld gradually deepened, he had long since sensed something—a calling toward certain things that had begun to grow stronger.
Even if the girl did not tell him now, he guessed that once the Underworld's repairs were entirely complete, he would remember on his own.
What's more, he was indeed somewhat curious about just what secrets lay buried in this Underworld—and what they had to do with the Forgemaster.
"You know what? I'm not actually any Pen Immortal—I'm Lord Laojun. The Grand Supreme Lord Laojun."
As Lord Laojun spoke, she turned her head to look at Anthony (Prometheus), only to see him blink.
"Give me some reaction here."
The ever-expressionless girl actually seemed a little exasperated, and prompted him.
"Huh? Oh, oh, oh—amazing, I never would have guessed!" Anthony (Prometheus) was first stunned, then, coming to his senses, hurriedly heaped praise on Lord Laojun, making the corner of her eye twitch.
"You're no fun at all now. The previous few times I told you this, you'd at least show some kind of reaction."
Lord Laojun sighed as she spoke. Anthony (Prometheus) raised both hands in a gesture of surrender:
"I'll be more mindful next time, all right?"
"Better there not be a next time. Do you have any idea how many times you've gone through the cycle of reincarnation? Just bringing it up gives me a headache."
Lord Laojun sighed, and finally looked at Anthony (Prometheus), saying with a pained expression, "Forget it. If I went on now about all the bygone days and our deep old bonds, you probably wouldn't have the patience to listen. So I'll just pick out the important parts."
"Anthony (Prometheus), you must have many questions about this Underworld. It surely feels familiar to you in every respect, and sometimes you find my words strange."
Lord Laojun's expression turned grave, and she said solemnly, "All of this is normal. Because you are the very first Hades."
"The first?" Anthony (Prometheus) was slightly taken aback. Though he had once suspected he might have drunk something like Meng Po's Soup, he had never imagined he was the very first one.
He had assumed there'd been at least a few different people taking the fall before him!
"Don't look at me like that."
Lord Laojun sighed and said, "When was it ever not you yourself who drank the Meng Po's Soup? Countless times, before I could even react—in the time it took me to go into seclusion—I'd find you'd downed the Meng Po's Soup and started all over again."
"Let's talk as we walk."
Lord Laojun's words carried a rare trace of plaintive resentment. Anthony (Prometheus) fell into step behind her, strolling through the Underworld and taking in the now-flourishing realm.
At this moment, Lord Laojun was like an old soul moved to nostalgia by familiar sights, pointing out the various installations around them and chatting with Anthony (Prometheus).
"See that one over there—you built it yourself, back in the day."
"And look at that one—after you finished it, you tore it down and rebuilt it several times."
"And that one over there..."
Walking and pausing like this, they finally arrived deep within the great hall of the Underworld. Lord Laojun raised a hand, and a lid flipped open, revealing the kaleidoscopic Primordial River below.
Before Anthony (Prometheus) could even speak, he saw Lord Laojun crouch down and say with deep emotion, "It really has been a long time, Primordial River."
She lowered her gaze, looking at that violent river, and asked softly, "Are you well? Your temper seems to have calmed quite a bit."
"You know it?"
"Of course. How could I not?"
Lord Laojun nodded, then said, "Back then it was this very river that carried you here, and the Underworld was built upon it. How could I ever forget it?"
"In those days, I was right beside you laying the very foundations of the Underworld."
With that, Lord Laojun walked over to the Pure White Throne, patted its armrest, and opened a hidden compartment that not even Anthony (Prometheus)'s Soul Strength had ever managed to find.
It left Anthony (Prometheus) dumbfounded. Only when Lord Laojun came before him holding what she'd taken from the compartment did he, still dazed, lower his head.
What Lord Laojun held in her hand was a gemstone.
Within the resplendent ruby, light flowed and swirled, breathtakingly beautiful. As Anthony (Prometheus) bent his head, his own reflection surfaced inside it.
As if from an infinitely distant past.
"This is the part of your memory I risked my life many years ago to fish out of the Primordial River—in case you later reincarnated completely."
Lord Laojun said lazily, as though recounting some trivial bit of history, "Just take it and have a look. To you, it's already more like another person's life. The only difference is that the other person is your past self."
"Once you take it, you'll be able to go back and experience your own life over again. Seeing it for yourself should be much clearer than my simply telling you."
Anthony (Prometheus) took the ruby from Lord Laojun's hand, and before he could even ask how to use it, the awareness of how became instantly clear in his mind.
And so he lowered his head and gazed into the gem.
In the next instant, his spirit leapt into the gemstone, entering that dust-laden past that could now only be called history.
When Anthony (Prometheus) opened his eyes, what he saw once again was the kaleidoscopic Primordial River.
He opened his eyes and gazed around in a daze, then saw the surging waters, and a colossal being in the act of leaping into another dimension.
That colossal being was both ferocious and magnificent; one glance was enough to know it was a genuine creation of a Forgemaster.
Yet Anthony (Prometheus) felt waves of intense familiarity.
That shape... it was his own Stygian Vessel!
Aside from being slightly larger and more complete, it was virtually identical to his own Stygian Vessel.
Just as he was puzzling over this, he realized that this Stygian Vessel was sailing upon the Primordial River—and upon the Primordial River were things he had once seen before.
From the very moment he had first awoken from the Primordial River, Anthony (Prometheus) had once glimpsed those red tides. Merely gazing at them from afar brought a stinging sensation.
And now, Anthony (Prometheus) discovered that the Stygian Vessel was sailing right atop those red tides!
Even given the Stygian Vessel's hardness, in the face of those tides it was continually disintegrating.
To the point that the Forgemaster aboard the Stygian Vessel was being destroyed bit by bit. His body cracked apart like shards.
Anthony (Prometheus) saw the man clearly. It was his own likeness.
And so he watched the Stygian Vessel fall to pieces, and watched his own destruction, until only a single tattered wisp of soul remained, clinging to the last of the Stygian Vessel as it vanished.
The scene before his eyes dissolved into pitch blackness.
And Anthony (Prometheus) grasped the meaning of what he had seen.
A Forgemaster of his generation—or rather, he himself—had perished during a voyage upon the Primordial River.
But the next moment, the scene before Anthony (Prometheus) returned to light. He saw a ruined world, with a broken soul lying at its very center.
At death's threshold, the last fragment of the Stygian Vessel had carried the dead soul across the Primordial River and into an unknown world.
And this very world before him had been formed from the fragments of the Stygian Vessel.
This was the Underworld!
As Anthony (Prometheus) watched all this, a flicker of astonishment surfaced in his eyes.
This was a possibility he had never even considered. From the very beginning, he had actually been an outsider; a single accidental death had made him a native of this place.
And, taking up residence in the Underworld, he had in a sense become the Hades.
At the same time, Anthony (Prometheus) saw his past self begin to move. He began to build the Underworld with the great power of a Forgemaster, and at the same time, began an attempt.
He needed to be resurrected.
It nearly made Anthony (Prometheus) laugh out of exasperation.
So what you're telling me is, I've been grinding my way through the resurrection bracket since who-knows-how-many chaotic eons ago, and I've kept grinding that resurrection bracket all the way up to now?
But soon Anthony (Prometheus) understood why this resurrection was so difficult.
From start to finish, the conditions his soul required for resurrection had never changed. This was the path he had laid out for himself from the very beginning!
That is: to recreate the world's cycle of reincarnation, and then, borrowing that cycle, accomplish the great feat of resurrection in the very instant of rebirth...
And so, the Underworld had to be repaired!
But hadn't the Underworld already been repaired several times over?
Amid Anthony (Prometheus)'s confusion, he saw the scene before him begin to change once more. As the Underworld gradually began to transform, this world too seemed to slowly start changing.
Immortals and spirits, demons and ghosts—until, amid this genesis, Anthony (Prometheus) eerily saw a little blue-haired girl arrive at the Underworld.
And so the images of memory seemed to gradually grow clearer.
The next moment, Anthony (Prometheus) felt as if he had returned to that broken soul-body, becoming his past self in the midst of repairing the Underworld.
"Where do you come from?"
Looking at the little girl before him, Anthony (Prometheus) cast congealed ghosts one after another into the Origin Furnace as he repaired the Bridge of Helplessness, turning his head to ask the question.
The little blue-haired girl gave no answer; just as she would for a long time to come, she looked at Anthony (Prometheus) without expression.
And Anthony (Prometheus) looked toward the great hall of the Underworld and the Yellow Springs Road he had just finished repairing nearby. Countless souls from reality were pouring in from there, entering the Underworld.
Those who could reincarnate did so via the still-imperfect reincarnation system; those who could not were cast into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, to be used later to fuel the furnace.
And the girl was but one among the countless souls.
What was rather special, though, was that the girl had come before Anthony (Prometheus) of her own accord. Among those oblivious souls, this was truly rare.
Anthony (Prometheus) turned his head and reached out to pat the top of the girl's head.
"What a gifted child."
he sighed softly, then suddenly smiled and asked, "Would you like to come along with me?"
The girl seemed to hesitate for a while, and only after a long time did she nod.
And so the black-haired, purple-eyed youth personally ushered the girl into the afterlife, then brought her soul and body back to the Underworld.
The vision before Anthony (Prometheus) shifted once more. By the time the scene steadied again, who knew how many more years had passed.
The Underworld's repairs were complete. By now the reincarnation system was highly refined—so much so that it bore the cyclic function of an entire world.
Yet Anthony (Prometheus) still had not been resurrected.
The little blue-haired girl he had brought back in those days had grown up, and would often sit at the gate of the Underworld, as though meditating on the Dao.
Anthony (Prometheus) didn't much understand these cultivators of the Dao; a Forgemaster had no need for such trouble.
Still, apart from her cultivation, the girl seemed more accustomed to staying by his side.
There was once a time the girl asked Anthony (Prometheus) something.
"Why is it that you still haven't been resurrected, even now?"
The girl walked in through the main gate of the great hall of the Underworld and put the question to Anthony (Prometheus). Faced with it, Anthony (Prometheus) thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"The conditions still aren't quite ripe."
"For me to be resurrected, the current reincarnation system isn't up to the task yet. If I were to resurrect now, it would cause the existing Underworld to collapse—and the resurrection would very likely be incomplete."
"Why?"
The girl tilted her head, still wearing that same blank, emotionless look.
"Why do you always have so many questions?"
Anthony (Prometheus) sighed, but then still beckoned the girl over. After she came over, he pulled down his sleeve to show her.
"Look at this."
he said softly. And so the girl saw, on Anthony (Prometheus)'s arm, that crimson, scar-like mark.
Yet this mark looked as though it had been irrigated into being by river water.
"What is this?"
The girl looked up and asked Anthony (Prometheus). And Anthony (Prometheus), pulling his sleeve back naturally, said calmly:
"It's the mark the Primordial River left when I died. Having died within it, leaving isn't so easy."
"If I were to reincarnate rashly, I might well sink into the Primordial River midway through the rebirth."
Anthony (Prometheus)'s tone was casual and flat. The girl tilted her head, looking at him, and then suddenly grabbed Anthony (Prometheus)'s hand and lifted the sleeve.
"What are you doing?"
Anthony (Prometheus) was startled and asked instinctively. But the girl said nothing, only pointing at a spot on his arm.
There, the arm was slowly crumbling as if shattering, with bits of the Forgemaster's metal-like flesh fracturing from time to time and then falling away.
"And this—what is this?"
the girl asked softly. Anthony (Prometheus) was silent for a long while, and finally let out a long sigh.
"This is a curse—the curse of the Primordial River."
As the past Anthony (Prometheus) spoke, he suddenly turned his head, gazing off toward some distant direction. The Anthony (Prometheus) hidden in the corner of the memory felt his hair stand on end in an instant.
He was looking at him!
Even the young Lord Laojun back then hadn't noticed. It truly left him at a loss for words. Had he really once been a being of that caliber?
Before getting tangled up with the Primordial River, he had probably been a Forgemaster maxed out at level five, hadn't he?
But then the past Anthony (Prometheus) gave a soft chuckle, though who it was meant for, no one could say. Immediately after, he scooped up the girl and headed deep into the Underworld.
"Come on, I might as well just show you."
Anthony (Prometheus) said blandly, "Why I still haven't been resurrected to this day—and the truth buried deep within this Underworld."
And so, with each of Anthony (Prometheus)'s steps, the entire Underworld gradually unfolded before them.
At last, in the deepest depths of the Underworld, Anthony (Prometheus) crouched down and opened the lid before the girl, his movements calm and forceful.
And so that kaleidoscopic yet utterly violent Primordial River finally revealed itself before the girl!
It was even far more violent than what Anthony (Prometheus) had once seen. Gazing at the iridescent Primordial River, the girl seemed to fall into a daze for a moment.
Only Anthony (Prometheus) spoke on, calmly:
"From the moment I arrived here, the Primordial River followed in the wake of the Stygian Vessel."
"To establish the Underworld, I had no choice but to take the most extreme measure: building the entire Underworld atop the Primordial River."
"But this was not without cost. The Underworld is bound to be eroded by the Primordial River without end, and my soul along with it."
"One day, the Underworld I built will fall into ruin. My soul, too, is perpetually in peril. For now, I don't know exactly what the Primordial River is wearing away."
"But it is most certainly wearing something away."
Anthony (Prometheus) sighed, pressed his hand to the girl's forehead, and gently ruffled it.
"Is this the reason you don't resurrect?"
A rare trace of emotion surfaced in the girl's expression as she looked at Anthony (Prometheus) and asked. Anthony (Prometheus) was briefly silent, then said:
"Not entirely. But you can understand it that way."
"I need to find a core for the Underworld—one that will keep it from ever falling amid the scouring of the Primordial River. Only then can I be resurrected."
With that, he closed the entrance to the Primordial River and left, taking the girl with him.
And the vision before Anthony (Prometheus) changed once again.
Once more, who knew how many years passed; when his sight returned again, all Anthony (Prometheus) could see was himself, seated upon the Pure White Throne.
Only this time, his self looked like a guttering candle in the wind.
He sat upon the Pure White Throne, his body weathering away as if by erosion, pieces continually crumbling off. He lifted his eyelids and let out a soft sigh.
The Primordial River's erosion had come too fast.
By now, even the Underworld itself was gradually falling silent amid such changes.
It had broken down after all.
Looking at the ruined Underworld, Anthony (Prometheus) thought with a touch of helplessness. Then he saw the girl approaching and shook his head at her.
"You are..." Anthony (Prometheus) seemed to search his memory for a long time, until the girl shook her head helplessly.
"You can't remember again."
With practiced ease, she came to the side of the Hades and stood by his hand, as familiar as kin. Then she sighed again.
"But at least you haven't completely forgotten me."
Anthony (Prometheus) was silent for a while, and finally let out a sigh.
"Go out into the world. I have nothing to give you for now—go make a name for yourself and then come back."
Anthony (Prometheus) said softly, and it took him quite some effort to send the girl away. Then, with difficulty, he rose from the Pure White Throne and made his way to beneath the now-empty Bridge of Helplessness.
Next, beside the Meng Po's Soup, he picked up a bowl of the brew.
In the instant he saw his own action, Anthony (Prometheus) suddenly understood what his past self had truly meant to do.
So that was it.
he thought quietly to himself.
It was called Meng Po's Soup, but only with the essence of a Forgemaster could one see this thing's true function.
To return the soul to its primordial state!
Since memory would inevitably scatter under the scouring of the Primordial River, then he might as well start over from scratch.
Start over once more, in the hope of attaining a future in which the Underworld would never fall!
At the same time, he saw his remaining memories condense into a ruby, placed in the hidden compartment of the Pure White Throne's armrest.
He would not open it at the outset; only after the Underworld's repairs were complete would he unlock that hidden compartment.
Then, he swallowed the Meng Po's Soup.
Many years later, when the girl had become the Grand Supreme Lord Laojun and made a name for herself, she returned once more to the Underworld.
But what awaited her was not the youth's fatherly call, but rather a puzzled question: "Excuse me, who are you?"
The youth sat upon the Pure White Throne and asked the girl somewhat awkwardly, "Sorry, I'm still not very familiar with this place. I just woke up and found myself here."
In that instant, the blank-faced girl's pupils contracted; even a being as exalted as the Grand Supreme Lord Laojun let slip a rare look of composure undone.
This was the Hades and the Grand Supreme Lord Laojun's first meeting thereafter—and a scene that would play out countless times in the future.
What followed gradually grew familiar.
Even though Anthony (Prometheus) had lost his memory, Lord Laojun lingered long at his side, assisting with the Underworld's repairs while hoping he might remember something.
But it must be said, the Forgemaster's technology really worked.
One mouthful of Meng Po's Soup down the hatch, and Anthony (Prometheus) truly couldn't recall the slightest thing.
Faced with this state of affairs, Lord Laojun got angry once—and that was the end of her anger.
To be honest, she couldn't quite articulate the exact feelings she harbored for Anthony (Prometheus).
The person before her was, to her, something close to a loving father. For countless years, when the Underworld made no progress, Anthony (Prometheus) had been by her side, watching her grow.
Even when the Primordial River's erosion reduced his memory to tatters, this state of affairs never really changed.
From beginning to end, he cared deeply about matters concerning family.
But after drinking the Meng Po's Soup, things changed. Anthony (Prometheus) suddenly became like a clumsy, fumbling child, often leaving Lord Laojun not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Yet, unexpectedly, it felt rather nice.
However exasperated she was—and however many times she wanted to pin this increasingly unreliable old father to the ground and give him a sound thrashing—Lord Laojun in the end had no real complaints.
She simply stayed by Anthony (Prometheus)'s side without ever straying, watching him rebuild the Underworld, watching the world's cycle of reincarnation begin to turn once more.
It seemed that this time, everything was slowly getting better—even, as the Underworld was repaired, Anthony (Prometheus)'s memory gradually grew clearer.
The memories in the hidden compartment of the Pure White Throne were influencing him. Even though the present Anthony (Prometheus) had changed somewhat in personality, the memories would still slowly come back to him.
Sometimes he would suddenly recall some past moment spent with Lord Laojun; sometimes some muscle memory would surface, and so on.
What's more, the foundation of his character had never changed. If anything, having lost the polishing of the years, he had become a bit more forthright.
Lord Laojun sometimes felt that this, too, was quite nice.
Until one day, she discovered that those burning-like wounds had appeared on Anthony (Prometheus)'s body once again.
And it was on that very day that Anthony (Prometheus) sat back down upon the Pure White Throne and would not leave it.
She came before the Pure White Throne, looked up at Anthony (Prometheus), and for a moment didn't know what to say.
"Lord Laojun, you've worked hard."
After a long while, Anthony (Prometheus) spoke softly. The blank-faced girl was silent, saying nothing.
"I've remembered everything. I'm sorry it's only at death's door that I remember."
He gave a self-deprecating laugh. Lord Laojun held back for a moment, then suddenly said, "Don't drink the Meng Po's Soup, all right?"
"I'll do my best."
Anthony (Prometheus) shrugged and spoke casually. Lord Laojun pressed her lips together, then suddenly said:
"If it comes to it, just give up the cycle of reincarnation. The Underworld's foundations were laid long ago; if you stop supplying the cycle, you'll have a chance at resurrection."
"It's not safe enough." Anthony (Prometheus) shook his head and spoke softly.
This time, Lord Laojun fell silent once more. Anthony (Prometheus) gazed at the Underworld and suddenly sighed.
"I still can't bear to part with it—all this, built up with such difficulty. Lord Laojun, if there is a next time, could you lend a hand?"
"I'll do as you say."
Lord Laojun said, which was rare for her, and then turned and walked away.
And after Lord Laojun left, Anthony (Prometheus) once again drank the Meng Po's Soup.
And so, time began to go round and round.
The Underworld fell into ruin again and again, and Anthony (Prometheus) drank the Meng Po's Soup again and again, while the memories within the crystal grew more and more.
Even Lord Laojun gradually sank into numbness.
Who knew how many times such a thing had happened. Until at last, even the girl could hardly bear it any longer.
Yet it was also this time that things quietly came to an end.
That time, Anthony (Prometheus) told the girl his final plan.
"There is no core in this world that can support the Underworld."
Anthony (Prometheus) spoke suddenly, giving Lord Laojun a violent start. She looked at him.
"I have to go into the Primordial River."
Anthony (Prometheus) spoke in a low voice, and for a moment the girl was struck dumb. She looked at him, and after a long while, suddenly asked, "Then, what about this place?"
"I will definitely come back." Anthony (Prometheus) said resolutely. "This trip has to be made. This cycle of mine is nearly at its end anyway."
"Since the Primordial River keeps calling to me, then let me go and quell its fury. I'll go keep the Primordial River company, and then find a way to be reborn from within it."
As he said this, he walked slowly toward the great hall of the Underworld. The girl watched his departing back, silent for a long time.
In the end she did not follow Anthony (Prometheus); she only let fall two tears without realizing it.
And Anthony (Prometheus) followed his past self back to the great hall of the Underworld, watching him sit upon the Pure White Throne. After a long while, the self upon the Pure White Throne raised his head and spoke softly:
"All right, you've watched for so long—won't you really come out and have a chat?"
And so Anthony (Prometheus) sighed, emerging from the memory to stand before his past self, meeting his gratified gaze.
"So it seems I succeeded?"
his past self asked with a delighted smile. Anthony (Prometheus) sighed and said, "Yes, you succeeded. I really never expected to have been outmaneuvered by my own self."
"Don't put it that way—this is called making good use of everyone's labor."
His past self waved a hand carelessly. Then Anthony (Prometheus) was silent for a while before speaking, "I still have a few questions."
"Why did you have to drink the Meng Po's Soup at all? There should have been other methods that didn't cost you your memory, right?"
"With a Forgemaster's means, can you really not see it?"
his past self countered, and for a moment Anthony (Prometheus) was lost for words.
On the surface, the Meng Po's Soup was a choice made out of helplessness. To maintain his existence, he had to cast off his memory.
But both Lord Laojun and Anthony (Prometheus) could see that there were, in fact, other options.
What the Primordial River was fundamentally entangled with was the Underworld and Anthony (Prometheus)—because back then, Anthony (Prometheus)'s soul had departed clinging to the Underworld.
But once the Underworld's repairs were complete, he would only need to peel his own existence away from the Underworld, and the Primordial River would no longer be able to interfere with him.
He could even use this to resurrect: sacrifice the Underworld entirely, complete the final reincarnation—with a Forgemaster's abilities, guaranteeing the success rate was achievable.
Anthony (Prometheus) had been lying earlier.
Not only could his memory be preserved, but even resurrection could be accomplished—if only he were willing to let go.
"But why not do it that way?"
Anthony (Prometheus) asked in confusion, but his past self only smiled again.
"Don't you already know?"
he countered, and so Anthony (Prometheus) finally fell silent.
"See, you do know after all."
His past self laughed, propping his chin on one hand, gazing at the Stygian Vessel, and murmured softly:
"Look, how beautiful this place is."
"When they died, they surely all had so many regrets, didn't they? So much of life they never got to experience, so many things left undone, so many people still waiting for them."
His past self murmured softly, "The wicked, fine, let them be. But the good ones—wouldn't it be such a pity?"
"There ought to be a God in this world. Heaven and Hell ought to exist. Otherwise, why would people refrain from doing evil? Why would they do good?"
"Rewards and punishments—for those who do well, or rather, those who wish to do well, shouldn't they be given a little reward and opportunity?"
His past self set down everything in his hands, looked at Anthony (Prometheus), and suddenly said:
"That's why I can't bear to give up this place. I want to keep it going—to even expand all of this."
"It was only after I built the Underworld that I came to feel this way. Still, if it's you, you should be able to understand, right?"
"Yes, I understand."
Anthony (Prometheus) sighed. Looking at his past self, he suddenly said, "And besides—you don't want your family to see you in such a sorry state, do you?"
The past Anthony (Prometheus) was silent for a while, and after a long time, sighed and said:
"Yes. I want to show them my very best side. I want to tell them that no matter what they face, they can rely on me. So I can't be in a sorry state, nor can I be unsightly."
But soon the past Anthony (Prometheus) suddenly laughed and asked his other self:
"Enough about that. So then—did you go and save those people? Those you met along the way?"
I did everything in my power.
Anthony (Prometheus) said in a low voice.
For everyone in the group, he had held a heart that could not bear to see them suffer.
He felt it shouldn't be this way—they could go on living—so he had done everything in his power to save them.
"Then that's wonderful."
His past self laughed loudly, then said, "This is our arrogance, Anthony (Prometheus)!"
"Arrogant enough to want to take up God's office in his stead, to mete out reward and punishment to all the world! How arrogant, Anthony (Prometheus)!"
"But this is who we are." Anthony (Prometheus) said softly, and so the past Anthony (Prometheus) fell silent and gave a slight nod.
"Yes. So it's truly wonderful that we can go on being this arrogant."
"Keep at it, Anthony (Prometheus). Press forward, and you must save the Underworld. Since you've appeared here, I believe you've already found hope."
And so, the next moment, Anthony (Prometheus)'s vision pulled away, and at last his consciousness broke through the chaos and returned to reality.
"Have you remembered it all?"
Lord Laojun raised her head, looked at Anthony (Prometheus), and asked expressionlessly.
"Remembered it I have—but you were cuter as a little girl, you know."
Anthony (Prometheus) sized up Lord Laojun and suddenly remarked with feeling. Lord Laojun rose without a word and gave him a glance: "Don't say such mood-killing things at a time like this."
She stared at Anthony (Prometheus) fixedly, sending a chill through his heart.
The kid he'd raised from childhood—Anthony (Prometheus) knew her well enough. Right about now she was probably cooking up something in her head.
Despite her blank, emotionless appearance, Lord Laojun's feelings were actually quite abundant.
Especially since he had rather irresponsibly dumped the whole burden onto her, leaving her to watch him cycle through reincarnation hundreds of times...
Still, Lord Laojun would actually say that Anthony (Prometheus) didn't understand her all that well, either.
The old father never did know just what his good daughter might curdle into after hundreds of cycles of reincarnation, nor did he know just how resentful Lord Laojun now was.
In any case, for the sake of his own arrogance and that bit of sentiment, he had neglected his own daughter for hundreds of cycles. Even if Lord Laojun could understand it, that didn't mean she would forgive it.
But as it happened... those earliest memories of the past were the most tender stretch of Lord Laojun's whole life, the time when she felt the warmth of family most abundantly.
It could even be said to be the happiest stretch of her life.
She would never forget those afternoons, deep in the Underworld, the days when Anthony (Prometheus) would coax the Underworld's purple butterflies to play with her and amuse her.
Even when Lord Laojun put on an air of disinterest, he would switch to another approach and try every which way to entertain her.
And so, even though Anthony (Prometheus) in the end abandoned her time and again to cycle through reincarnation alone, to bear those burdens alone, she truly had never hated him.
And she absolutely acknowledged that he had always deeply loved each and every one of his family, giving his all in his wish to be good to them.
Yet she could not forgive the disregard with which Anthony (Prometheus) left her behind.
The reverent love born of this, curdled by discontent over the long ages—what it might become, one could only say, was a truly terrifying thing.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about which secret chamber to lock you in once this whole affair is over, to keep you from running off again."
Lord Laojun sighed and uttered this line indifferently. The corner of Anthony (Prometheus)'s eye twitched.
"All right, that's enough."
Anthony (Prometheus) pondered for a while, then suddenly laughed and said:
"Well then, let's go take care of business."
"Next, it's truly time to settle all of this. Let us go and do the final work, for the sake of the Underworld that shall never fall."
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: COTE: Counterattack System
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!