“You… you… what did you say?!”
The nymph stared at Hephaestus in shock.
Her finger trembled as she pointed at him, stammering so much she could barely form a complete sentence.
Was this—was this still the Hephaestus she knew?!
Where had that compliant, gentle, obedient Hephaestus gone?
This person in front of her couldn’t be some god in disguise, could he?!
“I said, get out.”
Hephaestus barked at the nymph without the slightest hint of tenderness.
He didn’t want to be entangled with this scumbag’s lackey right now—he was already annoyed.
“You—!”
Finally recognizing reality, the nymph immediately flew into a rage.
Her face contorted with the fury of offended authority.
Due to her long-standing habit of acting high-handedly toward the God of Flame and Forging—thanks to her status as Hera’s confidante—this not-so-powerful nymph was consumed by anger.
She actually reached out, intending to grab Hephaestus’s collar and forcibly drag him before Hera.
Then she would accuse him—and finally witness a Chief God crying and begging on his knees.
Only then could her surging anger be quelled.
There was nothing more satisfying than seeing a Chief God kneel before her, begging for mercy.
Unfortunately, imagination was a white spear—while reality was a cotton quilt.
The moment she stretched out her hand, her expression suddenly stiffened.
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Sweat poured from all over her body, quickly soaking her clothes.
W-what’s happening?!
The poor nymph had no idea what was happening at that moment.
She only knew that she felt as if she were inside a massive furnace—scorching temperatures constantly baking her body.
Even the slightest movement brought a terrifying heat.
It felt as if she would be roasted alive the next second.
Each breath was like inhaling flames.
The burning sensation in her chest made her wish she could die.
“Hmph!”
Just when she thought she was truly going to be cooked, a cold snort exploded in her ear—pulling her back to the real world.
Suddenly feeling the cool room temperature again, the nymph collapsed onto the ground.
She completely disregarded the small puddle of sweat that had formed around her.
Her body had lost all strength.
She couldn’t even move a single finger.
“Go back and tell Hera that from now on, she is her—and I am me.
From this day forward, we have nothing to do with each other.”
Hephaestus coldly dropped those words.
He left the poor nymph—who looked as if she had been pulled out of a pool—behind him, turning directly to leave.
The nymph could only stare blankly at his retreating back.
After a while, she finally regained some strength.
She managed to stand up, stumbling step by step, and returned in a disheveled state to report to her mistress.
Soon after, a sharp, almost distorted scream of rage emanated from the Temple of Marriage and Family.
“HOW DARE HE!!”
Hephaestus didn’t know this—nor did he want to know.
All his attention was now focused on the blue-haired youth who had suddenly blocked his path.
Prometheus—one of the current twelve Chief Gods of Olympus.
The God of Forethought.
This wise Titan god possessed a gentle, handsome face.
The intellectual aura emanating from him made him appear like a delicate scholar.
“Kind and honest Hephaestus, good day.
May I trouble you for a moment?”
The handsome, blue-haired, green-eyed Prometheus bowed slightly.
A gentle smile graced his lips as he addressed Hephaestus.
“Hello, wise Prometheus.
May I ask what you need from me?”
Hephaestus nodded politely in return.
But for some reason, Prometheus felt as if the other party was smiling?
However, thinking of his purpose for coming, Prometheus dismissed this doubt and proceeded to invite Hephaestus.
“Please allow me to take you to a quieter place.”
This was the rhythm of a secret talk.
Hephaestus’s eyes flickered slightly.
He became a little interested.
He wanted to see what this wise Titan god—the greatest helper in the victory of the Olympian gods—wanted to discuss with him.
“Then please lead the way.”
Seeing Hephaestus readily agree, Prometheus was slightly stunned.
Then his smile became even more sincere.
He eagerly led Hephaestus to his temple.
Hephaestus followed behind him—only to notice that along the path Prometheus led him, not a single god was seen.
This made Hephaestus’s gaze sharpen slightly.
He sensed that Prometheus’s purpose in coming to him was definitely not simple.
At the very least, it was something inconvenient for a third party to know.
At this point, Hephaestus’s interest grew even stronger.
“Please come in.”
Prometheus pushed open the door of his temple and gestured for Hephaestus to enter.
Hephaestus walked in frankly.
The moment his heel crossed the threshold, the door immediately closed—separating the world inside from the world outside.
Hephaestus could even clearly feel an invisible force enveloping the entire temple, isolating it from any external prying.
Whoa.
So cautious?
It seemed this matter was truly significant.
“Please sit.”
After leading Hephaestus to the main hall, Prometheus enthusiastically invited him to sit down.
The table was already laden with fine wine and delicacies.
It was as if everything had been arranged in advance.
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow.
He calmly took his seat and did nothing—just quietly waited for Prometheus to make his move.
“Hephaestus, please wait for me for a moment.”
Prometheus didn’t keep Hephaestus waiting too long.
He got up.
Well, he got up in a physical sense.
He rose, left, and returned shortly after.
However, he returned with a sheep in one hand and an ox in the other—and a small, snow-white rabbit perched on his head.
“Hmm?”
Hephaestus pretended to see these animals for the first time, letting out a slightly surprised sound.
But he vaguely guessed something in his heart.
“The great Zeus also gave me a command.
He felt the earth was too desolate, so he ordered my brother Epimetheus and me to create new creatures for the earth.”
Prometheus lovingly stroked the heads of the ox and the sheep, introducing them to Hephaestus with a hint of pride.
“They are the results of my work during this time.
I call them bull, goat, and also rabbit.”
“Not bad, not bad.”
Hephaestus suppressed the urge to laugh and generously praised Prometheus.
“As expected of the wise one of our Olympus—in just a few days, you’ve created new creatures.
However, these creatures look very fragile.”
“Right?!”
Upon hearing this, Prometheus’s eyes flashed with brilliance.
He immediately put on a distressed expression, sighing, “They are truly too fragile—so fragile that I worry the trembling of the earth, the roaring of the waves, and the angry shouts of the sky will easily scare them to death.”
“So…”
Prometheus suddenly changed the topic.
His gaze burned as he looked at Hephaestus.
“Hephaestus, with your skillful hands—please help this poor old man.
Build me a great ship that can keep the creatures inside safe and sound—no matter what kind of impact or destruction it experiences!”
The mask obscured Hephaestus’s expression, making it impossible for others to discern his demeanor.
At this moment, his face was filled with a playful expression.
His gaze toward Prometheus was particularly meaningful.
You old scoundrel.
You’re really cunning!