CK Simulation, Creating the Style of Tsukino Fumi

Page 64

[Under such circumstances, Rome grew ever stronger, and the entire Romagna region was almost entirely developed by the Romans. Several port cities were established one by one according to your plans, and Romagna began to replace Atlantis as the most prosperous trading port center in Greece. You also received news at an increasingly faster pace.]

You've heard that Perseus's granddaughter is already married and Heracles has been born, but your student Perseus doesn't intend to send him to Rome. Instead, he keeps him by his side and raises him. Clearly, he has a deep psychological aversion to your teaching methods. You have no objection to this, because you know that you will meet this most famous hero of Greece sooner or later.

Before this, your most important task remains navigating among the gods. The fact that you haven't married any woman all these years has made many goddesses, who were originally waiting for you to come to your senses, gradually impatient.

The goddesses have become increasingly enthusiastic about arranging blind dates for you. Over the years, you've almost always encountered princesses from different city-states on the street whenever you leave the palace. They are all young and beautiful, each capable of attracting many young men to sacrifice their lives for them.

You have no interest in these city-state princesses, nor do you wish to increase the number of women in your court. Maintaining the relationship between Medusa, Atalanta, and Jupiter alone has exhausted you, so naturally you haven't wasted time on anything with them. Your performance has dealt a blow to many goddesses who tried to arrange marriages for you. In the past, they would have certainly tried to teach you, this mortal who embarrassed the gods, a lesson. But you are, after all, the King of Rome, a mortal trusted and favored by the gods.

You maintained this single life, keeping those goddesses who wanted the title of most beautiful goddess hanging on, causing them to fight over you, until Dione came back to you. You knew that this kind of life probably couldn't continue.

Dione tells you that Demeter, the goddess of harvest, is coming to Rome. When she appears at your palace, she will inspect the Aegir and specifically ask you to do something for her. The god-king will approve of your actions, so you only need to cooperate with Demeter to complete the task she has given you.

You have started a new chain of legendary events.

“Quinn Europa, I have come for the Argo and Hera’s words. I have seen the ship you have built. You have done a good job in the task given to you by the King of the Gods. I will tell Zeus about your achievements. At the same time, I also have a personal matter that I hope you can help me with. In return, I will offer my strength to Jupiter.”

Holding a sickle scepter symbolizing agricultural harvest, dressed in green silk with golden ornaments, and with long braids, the goddess was completely different from other goddesses who were so polite when they visited. She appeared when Quinn was training Atalanta. She came to Quinn in a hurry, and if it weren't for her extraordinary appearance that made her different from ordinary people, Quinn would probably have mistaken her for a peasant woman.

[Demeter, the goddess of harvest, has asked you to secretly retrieve her daughter from the underworld. Completing this request will increase the progress of your doll "Jupiter" by 1. Jupiter may then try to seduce you as a soulmate.]

Quinn: ...

Good heavens! Medusa and Atalanta are already troublesome enough, why does my lovely little darling have to get involved too?

The author says:

Author's note: PS: I'm working hard to get back to normal updates.

Chapter 137 My target isn't your wife, it's you!

[You know where Demeter's daughter is, because this goddess's daughter is Persephone, the famous Queen of the Underworld in Greek mythology. Her location is naturally in the underworld, which, unlike the underworld of later generations, was a real place that could be reached by walking.]

Therefore, going to the underworld is not a difficult task.

The difficulty lies in how to remove Hades' queen from the clutches of the god of the underworld. This task is no less challenging than bringing Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding Hell, to the mortal realm. Fortunately, some have accomplished this feat before, successfully smuggling the underworld's watchdog away from its master's nose. And you, you've decided to follow suit.

So you accepted the commission from the goddess of harvest, promising to bring her daughter to the human world, and then you began to plan your journey to the underworld.

To ensure the success of your plan, you don't intend to act alone this time. You need to bring enough companions to put enough pressure on Pluto so that he'll be willing to sit down at the negotiating table and negotiate with you, instead of directly rejecting you.

There are only a handful of people in Rome qualified to accompany you, to be precise, only two. Considering that a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, you must always leave someone behind to help you guard the country. Therefore, you chose Medusa to accompany you.

Yes, you plan to leave Jupiter alone in Rome. You have great confidence in your puppet. Although Jupiter is only just beginning to develop human nature, her talent for governing the country surpasses that of anyone you have ever met, not even Mordred or Agravan. Your Rome's rapid prosperity in such a short time is inseparable from Jupiter's help. She is like a sophisticated and intelligent quantum computer, always able to rationally allocate all resources according to your nation-building plan.

With Jupiter stationed in Rome, you can rest assured.

"So, you call"

Chapter 147

Are you suggesting I'm being abandoned in Rome and sent on my honeymoon to the underworld with Medusa?

When Quinn told Jupiter about his plan to "make a scene in the underworld," Jupiter's first words made Quinn almost lose his composure. Clearly, his education of the puppet was quite successful. Jupiter, who was beginning to develop human nature, already understood what jealousy was and could roughly express some resentment.

However, the doll's resentment was still a facade; her eyes held little emotion, more of a mechanical scrutiny, and her feigned resentment was unusually stiff. Yet, Quinn clearly understood what she was trying to say: she was very dissatisfied with Quinn's decision to go to the Underworld without her.

This is much harder than taking care of Mordred.

Quinn looked at Jupiter, thinking about the pop-up rewards on the simulator, and couldn't help but recall Mordred's childhood appearance. He couldn't help but sigh that Mordred's personality matured much faster, and she quickly grew into a qualified heir without him having to worry about her. As for Jupiter... well, she was more like a pet cat than a human.

“It’s not a honeymoon,” Quinn corrected. “It’s to cause some trouble for Hades. If I’m lucky, I might even get a blessing from him this time. It’s all for you.”

Upon hearing this, Jupiter nodded slightly. She was aware of what Quinn was doing for her. Of the twelve Olympian gods' blessings, she was now only missing three: the blessings of Hades, the god of the underworld, and Demeter, the goddess of harvest.

You entrusted the important task of guarding Rome to Jupiter and then left your country with Medusa. This was the first time you had taken Medusa on a long trip. Even though this trip was on official business, you could still sense a certain joy in Medusa's heart. She finally had the opportunity to personally repay all the kindness you had done for her.

As a native of Greece, Medusa has her own insights into how to reach the underworld. She leads you to the deepest valley in the Greek landscape and begins your descent into it.

This journey to the Underworld is much smoother than your trip to Avalon. As you venture deeper underground and encounter the first underground river, a small boat appears before you. The legendary ferryman of the Underworld has been waiting there for some time. News of your journey to the Underworld has spread far and wide, and Hades awaits your arrival.

[You are not surprised by this, because Hades is a ship of the same class as Zeus, the king of the gods. In a sense, he possesses power no less than that of the king of the gods. Since Zeus tacitly approved the task assigned to you by the goddess of harvest, he would naturally have informed Hades.]

And so, the two of you rode the ferry along the underground river, and soon arrived at a deep abyss filled with miasma. In that abyss, a palace forged from obsidian was faintly visible through the thick fog.

Hades resides here. After you and Medusa enter the palace, he will sit on his throne as Hades, while your target, Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, will sit beside Hades, her face cold and lifeless like that of a corpse.

“King of Rome, Zeus told me that you returned to my palace and took something important from me. By right, I should have punished you with divine retribution…”

Hades spoke in a low voice, immediately alerting Medusa, who was standing beside Quinn.

Medusa, now in the form of a mature woman, immediately stared at Hades, the King of the Underworld. The light of her demonic eye shone in her eyes. Whenever Hades showed hostility, she would immediately use her demonic eye to fight against this machine god. Her actions clearly had a certain effect on Hades. Hades, who was originally going to say something polite, twitched his face slightly and immediately changed his mind.

“But I have already negotiated many things with Zeus. I will not attack you, but will only subject you to trials. You and the Gorgon… the Roman goddess need not be so wary. I am not being unreasonable. It is only natural for Demeter to want to see my wife. I will not stop her. But I cannot accept that my wife and I are separated. Allowing them to see each other once a year is my bottom line.”

This is true.

Quinn nodded. Compared to the other Greek gods, Hades was a rather honest man in Greek mythology. The most despicable thing he did was to force himself on Hades. Apart from that, he was a law-abiding citizen for most of the time.

So Quinn took Medusa's hand and comforted the nervous Roman goddess, "Don't let past grudges affect the present. You are now the goddess of Rome. No other god can see you in the eyes of the Gorgon monster. Hades must not have communicated with anyone for too long."

With Quinn's reassurance, Medusa slightly toned down her hostility. It was a rare occasion for her to go out with Quinn, and she didn't want to leave a bad impression on him because of her momentary impulse.

Seeing that Medusa had calmed down, Quinn looked at Hades again and said, "Actually, Hades, you've got one thing wrong."

What did I do wrong?

“My goal in coming to the underworld is not your wife, but you yourself. I am here to take you away from the underworld.”

Hades: ...Huh?

Chapter 138 Suffering Leads You Beyond Death

The atmosphere at the scene became somewhat strange.

Quinn was full of confidence, Medusa was at a loss, Hades was stunned, and Hades stared at her husband with a subtle look that said, "So this is the kind of person you are." For a moment, the entire palace fell silent. The tense negotiation atmosphere just moments before collapsed instantly, like a comedy scene.

To avoid damaging his reputation, Hades quickly spoke up, "King of Rome, how dare you utter such words?"

"Wouldn't you like to go to the Pantheon and live with your brothers and sisters? That is a temple I specially built for the gods, where all the gods can reside. I don't think the God-King would mind if you went. You can bring your wife with you. That way, the Goddess of Harvest can stay with her daughter, and you won't have to be separated from your wife, will you?"

Oh, that’s what it meant.

Hades breathed a sigh of relief, and Hades' eyes also gleamed. Clearly, the proposal pleased Hades greatly. However, it was no easy task to rashly relocate a god, especially the god of the underworld, to the surface.

Hades is examining you. Because you possess the qualities of "Hercules," "unparalleled beauty," and "sharp insight," Hades finds you to be highly trustworthy. He has decided to arrange a trial for you. If you pass, he will approve your proposal.

Hades wants you to cross the River Styx to the land of the dead and bring his watchdog back to him. If you can do this, he will grant your request.

Upon hearing this, Medusa could no longer remain silent. Taking away Cerberus was not difficult, but crossing the River Styx on foot was something even gods would find difficult to do. This was because the River Styx was special; even a supreme god would be corrupted by the concept of death upon entering it, causing them to lose their divinity. And you are merely a mortal; stepping into the River Styx could very well mean losing your right to return to the mortal world.

Medusa begins to argue with Hades about this impossible trial. You watch Medusa and Hades argue incessantly, wondering if you should accept the trial.

Answer! Why won't you answer?

Quinn did not hesitate at all, because there were examples in Greek mythology of people who stepped into the River Styx and survived. The best example was a hero who gained immortality by bathing in the waters of the River Styx. In other mythological systems, there were more heroes who had completed such trials.

"can."

Quinn's nod cut off Medusa and Hades' argument. Medusa immediately turned to look at Quinn, her eyes full of confusion.

"Don't joke around. The moment you set foot in the River Styx, you will be corrupted by it and become a ghost. Hades is clearly making things difficult for you."

Medusa couldn't help but grab Quinn's hand, her voice urgent. She couldn't accept that Quinn was facing such a test. She had been with Quinn for decades and had long regarded him as someone as important as her two older sisters.

Chapter 148

"It's okay, I have a solution."

Hearing this, Medusa's anxious emotions calmed down a little. After recalling how Quinn resolved the feud between her and Athena, she ultimately chose to remain silent. After all, in her memory, Quinn never did anything without being sure of success.

After calming Medusa down, Quinn didn't linger in Hades's palace any longer. Only when he brought Medusa to the River Styx did he reveal his true intentions.

To pass Hades' test, you plan to have Medusa ride alongside you in a ferryman's small boat across the river. If she notices any discomfort, she will be pulled out. Yes, you still intend to attempt to cross the River Styx in your physical body, and your confidence stems from your "Hercules" trait. You tell Medusa that you are no longer a mortal in the conventional sense, and crossing the River Styx is something you can do.

Medusa was speechless at your explanation. She felt your proposal was highly unreliable and was beginning to regret listening to you. However, since things had come to this point, she was still confident in her speed. Since you had already said that she would cover for you, she decided to follow your arrangements. After all, she had already promised to work for you for life, and as a resentful employee, she couldn't disobey her boss's orders.

[So, she stormed up to the ferryman of the underworld and forcibly took his ferry boat.]

Seeing that Medusa was ready, you began to step into the River Styx. The moment your feet touched the river, an intense burning sensation surged through your brain. You felt something within your body being washed away by the river. You knew it was the remnant of your former life as a normal human being. The River Styx was trying to take your life, but you did not succeed.

[You guessed right. Hercules has already elevated you beyond the realm of mortals. You walk on the River Styx, a river symbolizing death, yet it cannot sweep you away. Your body is tough enough, strong enough to be almost without flaws, and your vigorous life force is enough to resist the river's erosion. But this does not mean you can immerse yourself in it at will. You must cross the river as soon as possible, lest the River Styx truly turn you into a dead soul.]

You quickened your pace to cross the river, with Medusa close behind, watching your every move with bated breath.

The burning pain of the Styx River caused you unbearable agony. For the first half of the journey, you could endure it thanks to your physical strength, but when you reached the halfway point, your almost eternally youthful appearance began to change. Your bodily functions were declining, and the Styx River had already stripped away most of your vitality. You were beginning to enter old age, and before long, you would become an old man. A chill ran through you.

[You know that at this speed, you won't be able to cross the River Styx normally. You can call on Medusa to pull you out of the river now and give up this unreasonable trial Hades has given you.]

But this thought only flashes through your mind before you reject it yourself.

You came to Greece with a purpose: to become strong enough and accomplish great feats to atone for the mistakes you made in Britain. There are still people waiting for you to save them. You must endure it. You continue your journey, bearing the pain that feels like being burned at the stake.

The suffering you endured has attracted the attention of the gods. The long-absent God of Catholicism has cast His gaze upon you, watching your every move on the Greek land, observing your thoughts and feelings, and seeing Medusa beside you, who is worried about you. He has decided to lend you a small helping hand.

Then, a radiance emanated from you—the light of the Holy Lance. The weapon that once belonged to you, though far removed from you, still protected you once more through some connection. Suddenly, you heard a voice.

【Father……】

The ancient call echoed in your ears, and you immediately recognized the voice as that of your son Mordred. However, you could not speak; pain invaded your limbs, forcing you to focus all your energy on moving your legs.

[The gift from a foreign god caused the River Styx to instinctively rebel, turning its once calm waters into a raging torrent, making your movements increasingly difficult. However, the holy light surrounding you pins you firmly to the riverbed. All you need to do is cross the river, relying on your own willpower.]

Finally, you achieved your goal. You stepped back onto the land of the underworld, rose from the River Styx, and the torment ended. You finally reached the other side and fell into a coma. Before you completely lost consciousness, you felt someone holding you in their arms to prevent you from falling to the ground.

[You gain the special buff "Pain, which allows you to transcend death." When you are in the Greek region, the soldier casualty rate of the army you lead is reduced by 30%, and you yourself are more likely to attract the attention of the "God of the Underworld."]

Chapter 139 I Want to Be a Good Person Now

'Father, is that you?'

The faint voice still lingered in Quinn's mind. He vaguely saw Mordred, now grown up, sitting on the throne, holding the Holy Lance and whispering. He subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch the child, but before his hand could touch him, it was blocked by something warm and soft.

"……woke up?"

Medusa's voice rang out, waking Quinn from his semi-conscious state. Quinn opened his eyes and saw that his hand was pressed against Medusa's breasts, the fullness of which made him linger.

Normally, a woman who has been groped would slap a man across the face by now, but Medusa is clearly not a normal woman. She looks at Quinn, who has just woken up, with worried eyes, completely unconcerned about Quinn's behavior at this moment. "Are you feeling alright?"

"It's alright, much better than I expected."

Quinn slowly got up from Medusa's lap. The soreness all over his body reminded him of when he was a student running a thousand meters. This long-lost feeling of fatigue reassured Quinn a lot. The River Styx had not had much of an effect on him. The terrible feeling of being burned at the stake when he crossed the river had disappeared. The only thing he lacked was the loss of life force, but this did not affect his normal movements.

The price is acceptable.