Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Hera had been wary of Athena for quite some time; she could hardly believe that during the attack on Athens, this rival's daughter would remain unresponsive.

Ares was merely a card she had prepared, but it was far from the right time to play it, especially for such a ridiculous reason - because Ares couldn't defeat some mortal who appeared out of nowhere, he could only use this to reclaim the dignity he had long since lost!

Shaking her head, as the distance to the Mount of the Gods grew shorter, the wound on her shoulder gradually healed.

But upon hearing Ares's so-called "wise" speech, Aphrodite decided to take matters into her own hands.

Counting on him was impossible; fortunately, not everyone on the Mount of the Gods was useless. At least many among them had some abilities.

Among these, Aphrodite first thought of a certain short and lame person.

In terms of looks, in the eyes of the Chaos deities who all cherished beauty, Hephaestus was undoubtedly the cripple of all cripples, so no deity ever wished to be close to him.

But in terms of craftsmanship, even the Cyclops couldn't compare to him.

Smithing was a mortal activity; it could also transform into a cultural godhood.

However, creating a Divine Artifact relied not just on so-called casting godhood, but more on a special gift.

The world itself had this ability; many Divine Artifacts created naturally or born with it came into being because of it.

Some deities also had such abilities at special moments, just like Gaia's sickle was one of them.

And then there was the last kind, those who naturally had similar special gifts, such as the Cyclops of old, and now Hephaestus.

They all had the ability to cast Divine Artifacts, and Hephaestus was particularly powerful in this regard.

He could always create things with special functions, a capability Aphrodite had made use of as well.

One tale told of a gift Aphrodite gave her daughter when she got married, which eventually became the source of Thebes's centuries-long tragedy, was such a thing.

It was actually a Divine Artifact forged by Hephaestus — of course, not a true Divine Artifact with authority, but certainly not an ordinary creation either.

Such products were named "Sub-divine Artifacts" by Hephaestus.

Sub-divine Artifacts were not necessarily weaker in power than Divine Artifacts, but they lacked authority's strength, and their power had its limits.

But compared to the scarce genuine Divine Artifacts, these were rare treasures.

"Let's go, Ares, to find Hephaestus, and have him help us figure out a plan — don't just stare at me, use that pig-brain of yours to think carefully, not just rely on brute force to solve problems!"

"Oh, I forgot, now you can't even match others in brute force."

Continuing her cold sarcasm, which made Ares's expression fluctuate constantly.

But the War God ultimately said nothing, instead turning his chariot towards a palace at the foot of the Mountain of the Gods.

Craftsman Hephaestus rarely stayed on the Mount of the Gods; he preferred residing on the island of Lemnos, where he grew up.

It was only recently, due to mortal affairs, that he temporarily stayed at the Mount of the Gods for a while.

"Hephaestus's creations indeed included many things of little use, but also many with peculiar uses."

"I hope this time, I can find something to help me solve my troubles..."

Sighing, Aphrodite felt her luck truly was down.

If not pressed for time, she really didn't want to drag her severed arm to see this one-legged blacksmith.

...

That night, Olympus stood under the vast endless starry sky.

From a peak extending from the Mount of the Gods, a river of exposed lava flowed out.

The riverbed appeared as if suspended in mid-air, allowing the lava to flow from the mountain's interior into the air, spiral and return, forming eighteen rings in the sky.

This was Hephaestus's authority in action, and also his aid in forging Divine Artifacts.

After all, compared to his fame as a craftsman, his true godhood was as the deity governing volcanoes and lava.

Entering as if into an uninhabited area, a bronze chariot passed through the 'river courses' formed by lava streams.

An obsidian door opened automatically, welcoming the guest from afar.

Compared to the resplendence of other deities' temples, this obsidian-cast temple appeared somewhat dark.
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Plus, the continuous clatter from various workshops and buildings inside, even though Hephaestus filled his palace with gold and silver decorations, it still seemed, like him, out of place among all gods of Olympus.

Upon entering, Ares was surprisingly met by variously shaped young maidens. But as divine power flowed through his eyes, he immediately saw through the secret behind them.

Even Nymphs rarely chose to follow the craftsman gods, so surely these couldn't all be naturally born sprites.

In fact, they were all intricately crafted dolls.

They hammered away at one workbench after another, producing exquisite jewelry, objects, furniture, weapons.

Now, ninety-nine percent of creations on the Mount of the Gods actually originated here.

"It is said that the craftsman god lacks a divine realm; instead, he offers his believers a chance at rebirth—those incomplete, physically worn-out, or hideously ugly can find an ideal body under Hephaestus's hands, and live another life in a different form."

"Judging now, the rumors may not be false."

Not having been here before, Ares was a bit surprised, but he merely glanced around.

It was just clever tricks; no matter how well these were made, was it not merely someone forging tools and crafting items for the gods?