Seeing Artemis’s look of curiosity, Ye Wen had no intention of concealing anything. He casually prepared to show her the blueprints for the Echidna Blade, but as he raised his hand, he remembered the blueprints had been given to Hephaestus, and he hadn't kept any copies.

"Wait a moment, I'll draw it out for you!"

"No need!" Artemis considered for a moment, "Since you are having Hephaestus make it for you, then you can accompany me to the Great Forge!"

As the Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis placed immense value on her weapons and naturally couldn't ignore this matter! Ever since learning Ye Wen was having Hephaestus craft a weapon, she had guessed it was meant as compensation for her, but she had no clue what kind of weapon it would be.

She only knew that Hephaestus and Ye Wen had been interacting quite frequently lately, as if the God of the Forge and Ye Wen shared many common topics.

This news made Artemis even more curious. After all, Hephaestus’s crafting ability and imagination were top-tier on Mount Olympus. Ye Wen, capable of finding common ground with Hephaestus, must possess extraordinary qualities. What kind of weapon would such a person use to compensate her?

She glanced down at the pair of shoes on her feet, and the curiosity in her heart began to spread uncontrollably, especially when she recalled how her handmaidens had often looked at her taller figure and legs with envy recently, making her realize these shoes were not just some prank item.

So, she ran over and frankly declared she was going to the Great Forge to see the weapon with her own eyes!

As the two of them walked out of the palace together, Artemis asked once more, "By the way, did you design that weapon?"

"Not exactly; they were blueprints I obtained by chance!"

"Is that so!" Artemis nodded, her expression unchanged, revealing nothing of her true thoughts. "Then, what about these strange shoes?"

"The shoes?" Ye Wen slightly turned his head and lowered his gaze to the ground. "Oh, those were actually brought from Earth!"

"Earth."

The Olympian gods were not entirely unfamiliar with Earth, but they hadn't paid attention to this rather unremarkable world for a very long time. They hadn't expected Ye Wen to have visited there, and judging by his tone, it must have been recently.

The conversation paused briefly. Artemis stepped up onto her carriage, drawn by two stags, which emitted a soft moonlight glow and were adorned with magnificent patterns. Ye Wen could barely make out an inlaid crescent moon, but he couldn't discern the meaning of the other symbols.

However, he had no desire to investigate, nor did he have any inclination to approach the carriage. He still vividly remembered the time Athena had ambushed him using a chariot. Facing Artemis, with whom he currently had some friction, he certainly wouldn't be careless.

Yet, this time Ye Wen was overthinking. Artemis had no intention of inviting him into the carriage. The proud Moon Goddess probably couldn't accept sharing a carriage with a man, let alone her own exclusive transport, which was not for casual passengers.

Thus, after stepping into the carriage, Artemis gave a cry, and the two seemingly ordinary stags took off, leaping into the air. They moved just as they would pulling a cart on the ground, except every stride they took was on empty space, yet they emitted strangely crisp hoofbeats.

Watching the Moon Goddess ascend into the sky, Ye Wen summoned his sword light and followed, carefully controlling his speed to stay precisely behind Artemis, never daring to pass her—he had no idea where Hephaestus's residence was, so this allowed Artemis to lead the way.

Hephaestus's Great Forge was located about five kilometers from Mount Olympus. It was a towering mountain shrouded in thick snow from the middle slopes upwards, but the peak emitted plumes of pitch-black smoke, and the ruddy glow of the fires tinted the sky crimson—a colossal mountain range.

As the carriage neared this high mountain, Artemis frowned, then turned to call out to Ye Wen, "That black smoke is highly toxic; you should be careful!" She didn't mention the increasingly terrifying heat, perhaps assuming such an obvious change in temperature needed no reminder from her.

The acrid smoke and the constantly falling dust made Artemis uncomfortable. Even though she could use her divine power to create an absolutely sealed space to keep out the things she disliked, she still couldn't feel entirely at ease.

As for Ye Wen? The sword light surrounding him could repel anything he wished to keep out. The dust particles, almost invisible to the naked eye, and the toxic smoke couldn't approach him.

However, the harsh environment still astonished him. "Hephaestus actually lives here? This environment is truly unsuitable for living, even for a god!"

Indeed, this place was not suitable for permanent residence; it was merely Hephaestus's workshop. His actual dwelling remained on Mount Olympus.

Following behind Artemis, the two entered the volcano, which radiated terrifying heat and a scarlet glow. Once inside, not only could the fearsome temperature instantly desiccate a living being, but the intense heat also severely distorted vision, making everything ahead appear warped and obscuring the distance.

In such conditions, an ordinary person would have no idea which direction was correct, or even how to find the path out of this terrible place. It could be said that anyone arriving here would only find a dead end.

Unfortunately, the two visitors that day would not be affected by such minor difficulties. Artemis was a principal Olympian deity, and Ye Wen was similarly unhindered. His eyes, already refined into crystal clarity, could see everything he wished without needing to activate his divine sight, thanks to his vision far surpassing that of ordinary mortals.

He had already spotted what looked like a doorway carved into the mountain wall. A humanoid figure, clearly a mechanical construct of unknown material, stood next to the large door.

"Is it over there?"

Before Ye Wen could ask, Artemis beckoned to him, "This way!" and piloted her carriage straight towards the spot.

Arriving next to the door, Artemis didn't even alight from the carriage, nor did she speak to the figure. She simply stopped, gazed down coldly at the figure, which appeared to be a maid, and waited quietly for the door to open.

The maid bowed respectfully and called out, "Honored Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, welcome to the Heart of the Forge."

This time, Artemis reacted, turning her head to look at the maid, who was clearly not human. "The Heart of the Forge?"

"Yes, Master has officially named this place the Heart of the Forge!" While speaking, she didn't delay her actions, constantly turning a wheel-like object nearby. A grinding sound of meshing gears followed, and the massive, thick door, made of some unknown metal, slowly swung open.

Ye Wen remained silent throughout the entire process. Observing the robot-like maid and the semi-mechanized door, he found it quite interesting but not astonishing. After all, no one was a fool; simple mechanics didn't signify much, though the robot-like maid probably utilized abilities similar to puppet magic!

Seeing the door open, Artemis didn't press for further questions; it was just a name, not worth her attention. After guiding the carriage through the door, Artemis finally jumped down.

The door closed again behind them, and the very spacious room instantly became cool, a stark contrast to the awful environment outside. Artemis breathed a sigh of relief and retracted the divine power she had maintained around her body. "It's like this every time I come; that's why I dislike visiting here!"

Ye Wen thought, Then why did you ask me to come here to see a weapon? But he didn't voice it, merely walking slowly forward and looking around.

The vast space they had entered seemed reserved solely for the gods to park their chariots. After dismounting, Artemis walked towards a corridor not far away. Ye Wen continued to follow her, hearing the continuous tap-tap sound from ahead, which caused a strange tickling sensation within him.

Along the way, Ye Wen saw no other figures. There were many diverging paths, but Artemis proceeded straight ahead without hesitation, as if she already knew exactly where Hephaestus would be.

Soon, Ye Wen's vision brightened, the dazzling light causing even him to narrow his eyes. The continuous kacha-kacha of clanking and the crisp, dense sound of hammering instantly made Ye Wen realize where he had arrived—Hephaestus's workplace.

Artemis seemed prepared; without the slightest pause, the sudden brilliance did not affect her vision. She walked directly behind Hephaestus, who was busy working, and asked, "Where is my new weapon?"

Hephaestus seemed to already know who had arrived, so he didn't even turn around. He merely pointed in a direction before resuming his work, occasionally pausing to examine the piece in his hands before continuing.

Countless metallic figures, similar to the maid they encountered at the door, moved around him. These should be the mechanical puppets Hephaestus had manufactured to guard him. Without exception, they were all styled as maids—it turned out Hephaestus was the reserved type, who never complained about fatigue or heavy workload, only flawlessly executing Hephaestus's orders.

Ye Wen looked around. Eleven objects emitting a golden radiance were placed nearby. Just by looking at the forms of these eleven golden items, Ye Wen immediately knew these were the eleven sets of Gold Cloth he had commissioned Hephaestus to make. These eleven sets of Gold Cloth were currently displayed in their unmanned, assembled forms.

A quick scan revealed that the only missing piece was the Pisces Gold Cloth. It seemed Hephaestus was currently working on the armor guarding the final temple.

However, upon turning back for a closer inspection, Ye Wen realized that these eleven sets of Gold Cloth could hardly be called Cloths.

"Hmm? Strange."

"You noticed too?" Hephaestus had stopped his work at some point and was now standing beside Ye Wen, frowning at the recently completed works. "These eleven sets are merely golden ornaments; they are not armor with practical utility!"

As he spoke, two mechanical maids placed the final piece of work into position. Twelve sets of "art pieces" radiating a soft, milky light were now lined up, displaying their alluring postures. Ye Wen stared intently and noticed that the twelve sets of Gold Cloth possessed almost no spiritual energy, nor did they emanate the dazzling, sun-like radiance they should have when placed alone, as in the original myth. While the twelve sets of Gold Cloth did emit light now, it was merely the reflection of the gold itself. The source of the light was not the Cloths, but the Great Forge that forged them, situated nearby.

"So... they aren't finished yet?"

Hephaestus shook his head in disappointment. "They are still many steps away from completion. This kind of Cloth is harder to forge than I imagined, and I am currently lacking a specific material I need. I might have to go out and find some!"

"Oh? What material?" Ye Wen's heart skipped a beat as he suspected the nature of the required item.

"Stardust. I believe this material is indispensable to forge the kind of Cloth you envision. I initially thought my skill would allow me to manage without it, but now it seems... I have failed!" Hephaestus's words carried a touch of dejection—the kind a craftsman feels after challenging his limits and failing.

Ye Wen inwardly confirmed his suspicion, then put on an air of indifference. "Where can I obtain Stardust?"

"There is an Island of Stars in the Aegean Sea, a magical and beautiful small island, which holds the most Stardust. If you go there, you can obtain boundless amounts," Hephaestus sighed suddenly while speaking. "However, that island is under the dominion of His Highness Poseidon. Obtaining Stardust will inevitably require dealing with the Sea God!"

While Hephaestus was troubled, Artemis's voice cut in from beside them. "What is this weapon? Is it a bow? But it looks more like a sword?"

Turning around with Ye Wen, they saw Artemis grasping the yet-to-be-finished Echidna Blade, which only had a rough outline, and awkwardly swinging it a couple of times, nearly slicing herself.

"Truly... a rather poor weapon. Is this what you intend to use to compensate me?"

Ye Wen shrugged, offering only one response, "That's because you don't know how to use it. In reality, this weapon is incredibly powerful!"

"Oh? Then demonstrate it for me!" Artemis tossed the Echidna Blade over casually, with surprising speed, as if throwing a projectile weapon, only this projectile was quite large.

However, Ye Wen faced no threat. He extended his right hand and accurately grasped the hilt of the Echidna Blade. Hephaestus, wisely, stepped back a few paces, yielding space for Ye Wen to demonstrate. As Ye Wen executed a series of graceful maneuvers, the Echidna Blade carved arcs of crescent-moon-like blade energies across the space. Artemis's expression, initially one of watching a spectacle, gradually shifted, finally showing a trace of excitement. "A magnificent weapon!"

As the Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Artemis possessed considerable martial prowess. Ye Wen only gave a basic demonstration of the Echidna Blade's general usage, and she immediately understood how to maximize the weapon's potential. She also perceived something further. "This weapon... there shouldn't only be one, right?"

Having taken the Echidna Blade back from Ye Wen, her slender hand continuously stroked the unfinished weapon, much like caressing a lover.

Ye Wen felt a touch of envy for the first time, witnessing such an expression from Artemis—and directed at a mere weapon. It left him speechless. "That's right, this Echidna Blade is actually a pair, also known as the Twin Blades of Echidna!"

"The Twin Blades of Echidna?" Artemis nodded with satisfaction. "I am very pleased with the weapon you intend to use for compensation, but did you forget one thing?"

"What?"

Artemis shifted her gaze from the Echidna Blade. "I use a bow! This weapon seems to be purely a blade for close-quarters combat!"

The weapon that had been destroyed could transform; besides being a javelin, its primary form was actually a hunting bow! This meant Artemis preferred to eliminate opponents from a distance rather than engaging in melee combat. The Twin Blades of Echidna were indeed excellent and highly appealing to her, but they couldn't serve as her primary equipment.

"Ah?" Ye Wen was surprised that Artemis was unsatisfied. Did she insist it had to be a bow and arrow?

He scratched his head, pondered for a moment, then suddenly knocked his left palm with his right fist. "How could I forget that!" He flipped his hand, retrieving a rather large item from the Ring of Persephone. "I think this will suit your tastes perfectly!"

Seeing the astonishing design, both Artemis and Hephaestus leaned in curiously. "What is this?"

Ye Wen announced the name of the weapon with smug pride: "The M6 Vulcan Gatling Cannon!"

......