"The Law has decided to conclude this matter, which is also what we desire."
Nyx stepped forward to embrace Erebos, informing him of Chaos's end.
This would be a long process, during which the primal gods and the Law would have most of their energy consumed by this affair. Tyche, having foreseen this, tossed the seed of the World Tree fruit in her hand towards the formless island.
This seed, carrying a wisp of Tyche's consciousness, landed in the apple orchard on the island. The tree nymphs guarding the island remained completely unaware of a new apple tree appearing in the orchard.
The gods on Mount Olympus were still immersed in the joy of defeating Typhon. They celebrated with abandon, and the pleasure and comfort brought by Aphrodite filled the sacred hall.
Although Typhon was suppressed, numerous monsters still hid in various corners of the world. This hard-won victory did not make the pleasure-seeking gods vigilant. Only the mighty Zeus, god of thunder, harbored worries.
Echidna, the she-serpent who had birthed monsters with Typhon, still lurked in the shadows. This mother of monsters was the daughter of Keto, the danger of the sea, and Phorcys, the wrath of the sea. Disliked by her parents, she had not been granted a divine office and was essentially a sea nymph.
The ferocious Echidna came to the abyss through a fissure in the seabed and mingled with the monsters created by Tartarus, becoming the guardian of the abyss.
In appreciation of this sea nymph, Tartarus bestowed upon her the divine office of caves, thus making Echidna a goddess! Her union with Typhon also granted her powerful procreative magic. The rampaging monsters directed humanity's fear towards this source of monstrosity. Driven by the power of fear, Echidna successfully ascended to a middle-tier deity.
During the battle between the gods and Typhon, this goddess of caves and procreation, sensing the unfavorable turn of events, had already hidden herself in the fissures of the abyss, thus escaping the gods' reckoning.
As long as Echidna, hiding deep within the earth, remained, the monsters on the land would never be completely eradicated! However, the boundaries of the earth were constantly extending, and the current number of gods was insufficient for complete control. The abyss was a forbidden place no one dared to approach, and Echidna's power was no longer something that lesser deities could contend with. The pool of candidates capable of searching for the mother of monsters became even smaller.
Kanos, standing nearby, noticed his brother's worry and approached Zeus to inquire about the cause of his unease.
"Zeus, the god king who is the hope of all, why is your brow furrowed with worry? Can such a victory not bring you joy?"
In response to the disaster god's teasing, Zeus voiced his concern about Echidna.
However, Kanos's reply only made Zeus more helpless.
"My brother, among the gods present, there is no one else who worries about this matter as you do."
Kanos looked at the gods celebrating their victory and said with a smile, "For the gods who receive worship, the existence of monsters is indispensable! The Silver Humans have witnessed the terror of monsters, and to survive, they can only worship the gods more devoutly. While maintaining their glorious image, the gods can also garner more faith. Who would earnestly search for Echidna?"
Zeus had indeed considered this. "If the monsters continue to rage, Echidna will also gain power from human fear! I can permit the existence of monsters, but it is appropriate for Echidna to maintain a power level of lesser or even minor divinity. Therefore, the number of monsters must be within our control."
This brought them back to the issue of divine numbers. The number of deities comparable to Echidna was too few, and the countless monsters on the land also needed to be cleared. The divine population was severely insufficient. Humans were still a scarce resource, and with their reproductive capabilities, it would not be long before the gods were exhausted from protecting them from monster attacks.
The gaze of the god king fell upon Hera, the goddess of marriage, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The divine offices of both goddesses were closely related to procreation, and the key to solving the problem might lie with them.
Zeus first consulted Aphrodite, a principal goddess. The goddess of love had also considered the power of procreation, but to ascend to a powerful deity, she reluctantly recommended Hera to the god king.
"The power of marriage is more suited to undertaking the divine office of procreation. Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, has sworn an oath by the River Styx to remain a virgin goddess. This is undoubtedly contrary to the power of procreation within her divine office of the family. As long as she is willing to transfer this part of her power to Hera, the goddess of marriage will surely succeed in obtaining the divine office of procreation!"
Aphrodite spoke with certainty. This made Zeus, who was aware of her strained relationship with Hera, have to consider it carefully. Even Aphrodite, who was not on good terms with Hera, believed that the goddess of marriage was more suitable to undertake the power of procreation. It seemed Hera was indeed the best candidate.
Afterward, Zeus summoned the goddess of marriage and the goddess of the hearth. Hera was very interested in Zeus's suggestion and turned to look at the gentle Hestia.
The goddess of the hearth, who had sworn to remain chaste, had already decided to relinquish this part of her power. Naturally, she was willing to fulfill her sister's wish and readily agreed to the god king's request.
The divine office of procreation was a subordinate power of life. Zeus specifically opened the domain of life for Hera, hoping that the goddess of marriage would quickly tear apart Echidna's dominion of procreation and control the number of monsters within a certain range.
The primal gods had no time to concern themselves with these minor matters. Echidna's threat was of no consequence to these primal gods who did not require faith. However, the Law took the time to bestow its blessings upon Hera. The world did not need these destructive monsters, and weakening Echidna also aligned with the Law's interests.
With the Law's assistance, the divine office of procreation in Echidna's hands was torn apart. The blessings of procreation enveloped the gods and the Silver Humans. Soon, the world would welcome a period of fertility. The flourishing of life also brought power growth to Zeus, the sole powerful deity in the domain of life.
Hera did not expect this unexpected bonus. One of the three unclaimed principal god positions had actively responded to the goddess of marriage! The Law needed life to prosper, and for this, it was willing to let Hera become a principal goddess and gain greater influence. This was beyond the expectations of all the gods! Hestia was overjoyed for her sister, but Poseidon's smile seemed forced.
Among the five siblings, only the eldest sister Hestia and the youngest brother Poseidon had not received the honor of becoming principal gods.
The goddess of the hearth, who had sworn to remain a virgin goddess, did not care about these matters. Her oath of eternal chastity earned her the respect of all the gods. As for Poseidon, this was undoubtedly a humiliating mockery. The indignation in his heart surged like a tsunami.
Having achieved his goal, Zeus raised his cup and said to the gods, "Let us celebrate! The appearance of our principal goddess Hera heralds our prosperity! Gods, offer praise to the new principal goddess!"