Chapter 219: The Royal Ceremony

Strange rules, strange environment, and even strange self, all of these tell Zeus that he is now trapped in a special state.

He was pulled into a thought, repeating the most profound experience of the thought owner. Now, he has lost his body and attached himself to the thought owner with pure consciousness, and anything that does not belong to him cannot be brought in.

Consciously observing the surroundings, Zeus just watched "himself" moving forward. As expected, the danger he had sensed before was probably here. His spirit was running at an unprecedented high speed. He tried to get rid of the current state, but undoubtedly failed, because the power to maintain this remnant seemed to come not only from its original owner, but also from other higher sources.

Under normal circumstances, a powerful god like Zeus would not easily fall into the remnant of others. Even if it touches the great existence, since they have already "died" in a sense, it is impossible for him to fall into it without resistance just by the residual thoughts, but it is different here.

Although Zeus still didn't know the name and origin of this place, the authority of the God King from the present world still made him keenly aware of the incompatibility between this place and the entire Chaos. This was not even the difference between the present world and the abyss and the spiritual world, but a greater gap. The transformation of the nine kingdoms is still ongoing. Although Chaos broke the barrier of the world's power, his "digestion" progress was not that fast. As a result, there is still a little power from another world in this broken interface.

Now, with the remnant and Zeus as the medium, Chaos and the remaining power of the nine realms collided together. The world-class power reproduced the past, making the memory of this remnant have real power, but in this past, there is an unprecedented unknown threat to Zeus.

Because no matter what the result is, Asgard will become the first interface in the nine kingdoms to be completely swallowed because of this change, but Zeus is different. As "himself" continued to move forward, the warnings Zeus received in the dark became more and more intense. His intuition told him that the danger was ahead, and he could no longer escape.

Zeus had some vague guesses about this. Chaos's gods are immortal, but no one knows whether this is true when facing the world itself.

"Hua La La -"

The sound of water flowing far away was getting closer and closer. From the sound, it seemed to be a spring lake. As 'Zeus' approached, the trees around him became sparse.

This is the Misty Forest. Surrounding the Fountain of Wisdom, the magical trees blocked the sight of the visitors. At a certain moment, when the last tree in front of him was passed, Zeus' consciousness finally saw the whole picture of this place along the sight of this body.

A small lake was right in front of him, with clear water rolling endlessly. In its center, there was a spring gurgling out pure spring water. Under the light, the light golden mist evaporated and floated into the air, and at the top of the spring pool, there was a root hanging down from a high place.

The rising mist was attracted by it, nourishing the sacred tree throughout the nine realms, giving it vitality and strength. Looking at all this, a thought came out of nowhere, and Zeus instantly knew why he came here.

His name is Odin. Like Zeus, they are both the kings who have just founded the God Court and become the leaders of the gods. And they are also facing the same dilemma-without a deep foundation and unrivaled power, their royal power is facing the threat of shaking at any time.

So 'Odin' came here, to this country ruled by the giants, the enemy of the gods. He came here to seek the help of the Fountain of Wisdom and the revelation given to the king of gods by the world. However, although the spring water is in front of him, he still has a level to overcome.

Under the reflection of the roots of Yuktrasil, there is a huge figure. Staring intently, Zeus clearly saw Mimir sitting solemnly beside the Fountain of Wisdom.

At the same time, Mimir also noticed the arrival of 'Odin'.

"Outsider, are you also coveting the wisdom bestowed by God?"

A resonant voice sounded, and Mimir obviously recognized the identity of 'Odin' at the moment, but the giant's tone did not seem to care. Mimir, the young and wise giant, was so arrogant. As the guardian of the Fountain of Wisdom, he had no respect even for the God King of the Nine Realms.

Because this is Jotunheim, the kingdom of giants, even if it is the God King, if he tries to achieve his goal by force, he will never be able to retreat unscathed.

"Yes, respected guardian. I have heard of the great name of the Fountain of Wisdom, and that is why I came here."

"I hope to get a cup of spring water to get enlightenment from wisdom. If you can satisfy my wish, I promise in the name of the God King that I will give you a corresponding reward."

In Odin's mind, Zeus heard 'himself' say this, but in the face of the God King's request, the giant opposite refused to agree. He just looked at 'Odin' and smiled casually.

"Outsider, no matter who you are, how noble your position is, or what kind of power you have, you must follow my rules here, because without the guardian's consent, the spring water will not work for you."

What Mimir said was not entirely correct. What really determines whether the spring water is effective is the spring pool itself and the world tree. You have to lose what you gain, and only by achieving an equal exchange can you gain wisdom and enlightenment.

It's just that as a guardian, Mimir can decide whether to agree to this deal, which is why he is confident.

"Before this, many people wanted a cup of spring water, but as soon as they heard the price of a cup of spring water, they were too scared to ask for it. As the king of Asgard, I don't know if you will be like them. Woolen cloth?"

"I already know this," opposite Mimir, 'Odin' said calmly: "I am willing to give all the gold in Asgard as the price for the spring water."

Gold is a symbol of wealth, not just the metal itself. Obviously, in order to gain the power to consolidate the king's power, 'Odin' is willing to give up all his wealth. However, in front of him, Mimir just smiled and shook his head.

"What's the use of wealth? They are just the most ordinary items. Only artifacts like [Gangnir] are real treasures, but I think it is definitely not within the scope of your promise."

"Then I can give you my right hand, the hand that holds the magic gun. It is part of my power, and I think it is comparable to the water from the Fountain of Wisdom."

Frowning, 'Odin' proposed again, but in front of him, Mimir also smiled and refused again:

"No, this is not enough. Your hands only represent your power, but you cannot get anything from me with your power. Your powerful force can only be effective on others, but in front of me, it has no effect. usefulness."

".So, Mimir, what do you want?"

After a moment of silence, even Zeus, who existed as an ideology, could see the giant's difficulty, and Cannian's original owner naturally felt it more clearly. But thinking about his purpose, he still asked.

"I want your right eye."

Mimir said this, pointing to the head of 'Odin'. At this moment, the giant smiled happily, because even the god-king of Asgard must abide by his rules.

"Your sharp right eye is the real treasure equivalent to the spring of wisdom. If you want to 'see' the revelation of wisdom, you must use eyes to observe the world in exchange. Only with it can you get the spring water. The wisdom in it.”

'Odin' fell silent as the consciousness of the real Zeus in his mind did the same. He knew that this exchange was irreversible, because the object of the exchange was not Mimir, but the Fountain of Wisdom and Yggdrasil.

Losing one eye permanently and sitting on the throne with one eye, just when Zeus thought 'Odin' was about to give up, he heard 'himself' speak again.

"So be it, Mimir. I agree to your terms, if this is what you ask for as a guardian. I will pay with my eyes, and you will pay an equal price."

"Of course you'll get the spring water."

Not paying attention to the other party's tone, Mimir thought that 'Odin' was talking about spring water, so he nodded happily. The next moment, a force acted on 'Odin' and the spring in front of him.

Now, no one stopped him, but Zeus suddenly discovered that this power seemed to be linked to more than just 'Odin'.

Even he was confined inside. However, this power seems to be somewhat impossible to use. After all, Zeus has no 'eyes' at this moment.

"Heh, it seems that this method works no matter where it is."

He laughed secretly. This was not the first time that Zeus used this kind of textual loophole to avoid paying the price.

Just like Cronus once ordered the sky, earth and sea not to protect his children, so the young Zeus was hung on a branch. Now, because he has no 'eyes', he cannot pay the price.

"Step aside."

While Zeus was thinking, the outside world continued. Sensing the conclusion of the contract, 'Odin's' voice also became cold and hard, but Mimir just shrugged and left the spring.

He doesn't need to watch here, because the process of obtaining wisdom varies from person to person, and no one knows how long 'Odin' will stay here. All he had to do was wait in the direction he was leaving and admire the one-eyed king's heroic appearance.

The giant left, and his tall figure quickly disappeared into the mysterious mist of the misty forest. Facing the empty spring pool alone under the roots of the World Tree, 'Odin' was silent for a long time, until at a certain moment, he suddenly raised the weapon in his hand, and then stabbed himself mercilessly.

'laugh--'

The skin was broken open and blood flowed out, but 'Odin' seemed not to notice it. He stepped forward, picked up a handful of spring water, and drank it all.

"Here I will be, reborn."

The next moment the voice calmed down, 'Odin''s body floated into the air. Up and down are reversed, and his past self and his future self are overlapping. 'Odin' hung upside down, hanging himself upside down from the hanging roots of the World Tree, staring at the surface of the spring in the cold wind.

At the same time, as the blood slid down, one of 'Odin's' eyeballs fell off and fell straight into the water, leaving only an empty eye socket, confirming what had happened. When the 'sacrifice' is offered, the ceremony begins.

The corners of 'Odin's' mouth raised slightly, and time was distorted at this moment. The rotation of the sun and the moon moves at an unimaginable speed, and the will of the world is focused on it. Hanging upside down on the tree, dedicating his eyes to the world and dedicating himself to himself, at this moment, wisdom seems to be really close to the God King here.

But in 'Odin's' mind, Zeus's spirit shook crazily.

······

"Stop, I told you to stop!"

The furious roar resounded in his mind, but it was hard to hide the panic in Zeus' tone. All along the way, he had been watching everything happen, even if the power of exchange acted on himself, he was indifferent to it.

Because Zeus could feel that at this moment, as a group of thoughts that existed and did not exist, he could not lose his eyes. So he just watched quietly, and then looked forward to what kind of "wisdom" this foreign "God King" had gained. And just as he thought, when Odin stabbed himself and lost his right eye permanently, Zeus also felt the pain, but did not lose his limbs together.

Even at this moment, when the "wisdom" from the world approached, Zeus felt extremely surprised. Because at this moment, he seemed to feel the advent of Chaos' will.

As Ryan had guessed, the real object of this self-sacrifice was actually the world itself. The person who sacrificed was "Odin", and the person who accepted the sacrifice was the "God King". The present self offered sacrifice to the future self, and Odin, as a god, offered sacrifice to the world on behalf of the world, and what he finally obtained was the rune text that contained the secret of the origin of the world.

However, the rune was the response of the Nine Realms to Odin. In the regret of the mixed power of the two realms, what Chaos gave to Zeus was by no means the case.

The world is approaching, and the gift is about to come. Even though Zeus has been the king of gods for nearly a hundred years, it is the first time that he has received revelation from the world itself. He waited expectantly until he suddenly found that something seemed wrong.

Because he himself seemed to be dissipating.

Perhaps the process of wisdom enlightenment is essentially an exchange, but the object of the exchange is both oneself and the world itself. But at this moment, there are two consciousnesses in Odin's body. Odin offered his right eye as promised, but Zeus offered nothing.

The loopholes in the text can deceive another god, and can also deceive the contract, but it cannot deceive oneself, let alone the exchange itself. If you want to get something, you have to pay for it. Zeus didn't pay anything, so he shouldn't get any reward. If this is a ceremony held by him, it will only end immediately. Although he can't get what he wants, he won't lose anything. But the situation is different now.

Because in the same body, there is another existence that has paid the price.

So the will of the mixed worlds comes to the God King who is also mixed together equally. The remnants of the Nine Realms will reproduce the past, and Chaos will give Zeus a different revelation. The only difference is that when the two come into contact, Chaos will also collect the "price" he deserves.

As for what the "price" is. If Zeus still has a body, he will randomly lose a limb, which is equivalent to "Odin". But now he has no limbs, and all his things are mixed together, so there is only one price he can pay.

"--All I have is everything other than my "existence", this is a conspiracy!"

With his consciousness rolling, Zeus finally realized the seriousness of the problem. If he cannot find a suitable "sacrifice" immediately, then his existence itself will become a "sacrifice", and no one knows what the end of the "sacrifice" offered to the world will be. If Zeus still has his own body at this moment, he can sacrifice part of his body like Odin, but at this moment he is a mass of consciousness.

He cannot divide his consciousness because he does not have such ability. So now, the world will that is constantly "approaching" is not only not a gift, but also like a guillotine for death.

"Calm down, I am the king of gods."

Forcing himself to calm down, Zeus used all his wisdom to think about the solution, but found nothing. He now finally knows what the danger is in the dark, which comes from this remnant itself-its owner has long died, and it has lost the concept of existence. When this illusory "dream" ends, that is, the moment it dissipates, but Zeus's arrival changes everything.

If he really offers himself to the world, then the "existence" that originally belonged to him will be vacant. This remnant that should have died long ago may obtain an anchor point, and use it as a medium to become the new "Zeus".

But knowing that it was meaningless, this was a killing plot set by the remnant of another God King who had lived longer, had more experience, and also possessed [wisdom]. Facing all this, Zeus had no way to deal with it, even the wisdom of Metis——

"——Metis?"

The mind suddenly stopped, and in an instant, Zeus thought a lot. But sensing the will of the world getting closer and closer, he didn't have time to think too much.

The fatal sense of crisis was like a huge shadow pressing down on him, making it almost impossible for the God King to breathe. At a certain moment, Zeus finally made the most "correct" decision.

After being swallowed by him, Metis became a part of him. She was his wisdom, and naturally mixed with Zeus's consciousness at the moment. Without the corresponding authority, Zeus could not divide himself, but he could release prisoners.

So at this moment, Metis, who had been swallowed by him for a hundred years and sank into eternal sleep, was finally released by him. And the first moment of waking up, Metis was used as Zeus's "sacrifice" and presented to the world as his "wisdom".

Without a sound or a trace, the goddess who had lost most of her power due to the birth of her daughter disappeared. No one knew where she had gone as a gift to the world.

In the depths of Zeus's consciousness, the only thing she left behind was a piece of leather, which floated and landed on the goddess who was about to be born.

The next moment, the sheepskin from the goat Amoni that Zeus used as a reason to approach Metis became a shield. It will become a natural artifact, accompanying the birth of the goddess of victory and wisdom.

"Haha. So you have been carrying this sheepskin with you all the time. Haha. It's really funny."

I don't know who he is laughing at, but the world will not stop because of this. When Chaos' will was "close at hand", Zeus suppressed his emotions and rushed towards the gift of the world. At this moment, he was no longer afraid of this power after offering the "sacrifice".

Odin sacrificed himself to seek "wisdom", and he sacrificed "wisdom" to achieve himself. In the body hanging upside down on the tree, separated by a long time and space, the two gods made completely opposite moves, but they also gained what they wanted.

Odin once obtained the [Rune] that explained the world, and at this moment, Zeus also gained the true meaning of kingship.

In an instant, it seemed like eternity. He seemed to have transcended time and fate, seeing the past and the future. In front of Zeus, the scene of the first generation of God King ascending the throne was clearly visible. He also saw another "self". In the original fate, an extremely powerful self who was submissive to all gods seemed to be talking to him now. In the dark, Zeus suddenly understood something.

Relying on simple faith will never achieve great divine power. True greatness requires a complete symbol, and faith itself does not have this ability.

"So I need to build one. Metis, thank you again for your contribution to my kingship."

Consciousness condensed into a form, Zeus sensed the information in his mind and laughed out loud.

He finally found what he wanted and what he had been pursuing. Although it could not immediately give him unparalleled power, the existence of this road itself had made him no longer confused.

"Maybe it should have a name."

This road had no name, and now Zeus planned to give it one.

"It is presented in the form of a ritual, but it is not based on runes or materials. It can involve everything in the world, but it is only for the purpose of achieving the God King himself."

"In that case, let's call it [The Great Ceremony of Kingship]."

Zeus spoke softly and slowly raised his head.

Opposite him, another 'self' was slowly dissipating.