The Power of Faith

No, she could no longer be called the goddess of youth. The commotion during Hebe's ascension was quite significant, and all the gods on Mount Olympus knew that she had comprehended the laws of life through the creation of humanity, transforming into a new divine role—Life. She was now a first-tier deity with immense divine power and a bright future ahead.

Even Athena was shocked by how quickly she had advanced and envied her good fortune. If only she hadn't lost that position back then…

Athena couldn't help but tighten her grip, only to quickly relax again. She appeared at ease, her tone very friendly. 'Would Princess Hebe like to join us?"

'Thank you for the invitation, but craftsmanship is not my forte, so I won't join the fun," Hebe replied with a smile, shaking her head to decline Athena's proposal. She had already attracted enough attention due to the benefits she gained from creating humanity, and she didn't want to meddle further in teaching skills and spreading faith.

'Besides, I still need to report to Father about the situation, so I'll head back to the divine mountain now."

'Then Prometheus and I will head down to the mortal realm first. May the glory of the gods be with you." Hearing that Hebe had declined her suggestion, Athena felt relieved; her younger sister was indeed aware of her circumstances.

'May the glory of the gods be with both of you."

After some polite exchanges, Athena and Prometheus descended to the mortal realm, while Hebe returned to Mount Olympus to report to Zeus about everything that had happened regarding the creation of humanity.

For his newly ascended daughter, who was a powerful deity of life, Zeus bestowed great honor. He praised Hebe's talents in the grand hall and ordered the construction of a new temple dedicated to her as the goddess of life. The temple was to be located very close to Hera's temple of marriage. While praising Hebe, Zeus also sought to appease his wife, especially since Hera was still upset with him over the matter involving Hermes.

In addition to constructing the new temple, Zeus also instructed Hephaestus to forge a new divine artifact based on her accompanying divine artifact, the Cup of Youth.

This was a staff tailored specifically for the divine essence of life—the Staff of Life. It featured a staff body made of gold and jade, standing as tall as a person (Hephaestus clearly remembered that compared to gold, his little sister seemed to prefer jade). The entire staff was entwined with vibrant green vines, and the original golden cup at the top was melted down by Hephaestus, preserving its divine power while reshaping it into a beautifully crafted headpiece adorned with gems that shone like stars, intricately engraved with divine patterns, sparkling and breathtaking.

This artifact not only stored divine power but also perfectly matched Hebe's divine essence. The divine arts she wielded with it would be more than doubled in power, making it truly formidable.

The name of the goddess of life spread throughout Mount Olympus, and everyone could see Zeus's attitude toward her. With both strength and the favor of the king of the gods, Hebe's status on the divine mountain rose rapidly, to the point that even Apollo had to step back.

Meanwhile, after Athena and Prometheus arrived in the mortal realm, the goddess of wisdom and craftsmanship immediately demonstrated her divine miracles, establishing her authority among the new humans.

Following Prometheus, she taught them the basic knowledge of survival, the techniques for making clothing, and the construction of houses, among other things. It must be said that the goddess possessed a resilient mind and exceptional strategy. Aside from the miracles she initially displayed, Athena did not use any divine magic while teaching humanity; instead, she personally instructed the newly created humans and labored alongside them as a mortal.

This approach greatly enhanced her prestige among the new humans. After Athena and Prometheus spread the faith of the gods among them, the humans began to construct temples in the cities to honor the deities. Among them, the temples dedicated to Prometheus and Hebe, as the creators of humanity, were the most numerous, followed by those dedicated to Athena.

Especially for Hebe, the oak branches she bestowed upon them had provided significant help during their great migration, so the new humans were filled with gratitude toward her. Under the leadership of Wultersos, they even built a massive temple specifically for Hebe, second only in scale to Zeus's temple of the king of gods.

In truth, if it weren't for the fear of angering the deities, the new humans would have placed the goddess of life far above Zeus in their hearts, as she had given them life and protection. Within the temple dedicated to Hebe, her statue was crafted under Athena's guidance, and it was remarkably lifelike. The goddess's beautiful and pure face radiated compassion, and in her hands was none other than the oak branch that had initially guided humanity, which was enshrined as a sacred object in the temple.

Prometheus had granted this generation of new humans pure and unblemished souls, making them hardworking, kind, and grateful. They constantly remembered the grace of the deities. Every day, people came to the temple to pray devoutly, and within their voices of prayer, a tremendous power of faith was born, which was absorbed by the statue and transmitted to the gods on the divine mountain.

Hebe was in her temple, contemplating the laws, when she suddenly felt a surge of inspiration. She realized that her divine power seemed to be stirred by some unseen force, as an invisible great power continuously flowed into her divine body, causing her divine essence to grow at a visibly rapid rate.

'Is this the power of faith?"

Hebe's purple eyes shone with golden light as she looked into the void with her divine sight, perceiving ethereal golden energy beings fluttering in the emptiness, resembling butterflies and birds. They emitted a sacred aura, and as they flapped their wings, a gentle holy sound seemed to resonate. These energy beings coalesced into a torrent, continuously flowing into her divine body.

'It seems that humanity has begun to believe in the gods."

The power of faith truly is a wonderful thing. In just a moment, her divine power had visibly increased. For the pleasure-loving gods, what could be more convenient and quick than this method of enhancing their strength?

Hebe could almost foresee that in the near future, the gods would fight fiercely for the faith of humanity.

'Let's not cut it off; instead, let's store it up for future use."

Hebe summoned the Staff of Life, her jade-like hand radiating divine light, guiding the power of faith. The pale golden energy beings surged into the Staff of Life under Hebe's guidance. The magnificent staff shone brilliantly as it absorbed the continuously flowing power of faith.

Although the method of increasing strength through faith was convenient and quick, Hebe did not intend to take that path. She didn't believe that such rapid growth in divine power came without any cost.

Having resolved the issue of the power of faith, the true cultivation fanatic Hebe entered a meditative state once again. Drawing on her experience from observing the souls granted by Prometheus, she continually strengthened her divine soul. Once her divine soul solidified to a certain extent, she would be able to implement a particular idea she had in mind.

Under the guidance of the wise deities Athena and Prometheus, the new humans gradually began to get on the right track. Prometheus had created a vast number of new humans, and with so many of them crowded together, friction was inevitable. No matter how diligent Wultersos was, he was unable to manage all these matters.

Fortunately, he selected a group of talented young individuals, assigning each to lead a group of their kin to spread out and establish new settlements. The differentiation of the new humans led to the establishment of various city-states, and the gods sensed the profitable opportunities in the competition for faith.

They descended to the mortal realm, either revealing their miracles within human city-states or supporting a city leader who worshipped them to manage the city. Everything they did was aimed at getting the people in these cities to build temples for them. In return, they would bestow blessings and protect the citizens of these cities. Once the number of believers reached a certain threshold, the gods could naturally incorporate these cities into their realms of faith.

However, despite the large number of humans, Prometheus had not created any females, limiting the new humans' ability to reproduce. As the gods spread their faith, conflicts were bound to arise, with some gods vying for the same area of belief.

For instance, the most talked-about conflict among the gods recently was between the goddess of wisdom, Athena, and the sea god, Poseidon, who clashed fiercely over the rightful authority over the faith of a coastal city, even bringing the matter to Zeus's attention.

Poseidon argued that as the lord of the sea, it was only natural that coastal cities should fall under his jurisdiction and spread his faith. Athena, on the other hand, insisted that her divine envoy had been residing in the city for a long time, showcasing miracles and spreading her faith, with over eighty percent of the city's citizens already worshipping the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Therefore, the area of faith should rightfully belong to her.

Both sides held firm to their positions, each with their own reasoning. This left Zeus in a difficult position, unsure of how to adjudicate the matter. In the end, it was Hermes's cleverness that shone through, as he discreetly offered Zeus a suggestion.