Mino was back! Much faster than Ye Wen had anticipated; he had expected that girl to take longer to complete the task he’d assigned her!

But seeing her standing there, staring at him in stunned silence... and Artemis nestled close beside him, Ye Wen knew the girl’s mind was likely spinning some rather unhealthy scenarios.

“Is the task done?”

His voice cut through Mino’s wandering thoughts. Ye Wen made no other move; he couldn't very well push Artemis away now, could he? That would not only be pointless but would also anger the woman beside him!

“Ah!” Mino’s first reaction upon snapping back to attention wasn't to answer Ye Wen’s question, but to look around frantically for a thick blanket. “Oh, I’m freezing to death! How can no one remember to light the stove? Huh? Where did all the blankets go?”

Because the Yuwentuo family had decided to move into the perpetually spring-like residence further inside, most of the items previously placed here had been taken away, and the blankets naturally weren't left behind, leaving only some basic tables and chairs. “The large sofa Ye Wen took out earlier has also been moved.”

Mino spun around, a head full of question marks. “Why has even the décor changed?”

“You haven't answered my question yet…”

“Get me a blanket first, I’m freezing to death! I’m not an immortal…”

Ye Wen remained calm. “Don't worry, your body, having been soaked in the waters of the Styx, won't suffer any damage from mere severe cold. At most, it will just feel unbearably chilling and extremely uncomfortable!”

Seeing that Mino’s eyes were about to shoot sparks, Ye Wen casually flicked his wrist, tossing out a thick fur coat—definitely a high-end item, one that Huayi had bought and tossed into his ring long ago.

Mino’s eyes lit up upon seeing the fur. Instead of putting it on immediately, she rubbed her face against the soft fur for a long moment. “Wow! High-end fur!” Only then did she reluctantly pull it on.

“…”

Ye Wen watched Mino’s reaction, perplexed. Did women have no resistance to such things? He turned and asked Artemis, “Do you like this?”

He found that even the proud, majestic goddess held an unusually strong affection for such items. “It looks a little strange,” she admitted, “but it’s very beautiful once worn!” Though she didn't say it outright, Ye Wen understood what he needed to do.

“Don't worry, there are plenty of clothes like this!”

He wasn't lying. Back when he was cultivating on Earth, Ye Wen possessed limitless funds and, out of boredom, enjoyed buying things randomly. Huayi and Ning Ruxue would also help him spend, resulting in Ye Wen accumulating countless miscellaneous items—regardless of whether they were useful or not, the mantra was to buy first.

Putting aside other things, just the clothes, shoes, and socks were uncountable, and they even included multiple sizes. As Huayi had once put it: “If we don't wear them, we can give them to others! When Zhizhuo and the others finally arrive shattered, they’ll need welcome gifts, right?” Who knew that her words would actually come true?

Now that Shushan had arrived in the Immortal Realm, these clothes were merely of a peculiar style, not truly rare items! However, Huayi had once considered adding protective magical artifact effects to those clothes; it was uncertain if she had followed through.

Watching Mino finally light the stove and crouch there, hugging herself, looking like she’d been resurrected, Ye Wen pressed for the answer again. “Tell me, how did the task go?”

This time, Mino didn't deflect. She pouted and began to complain. “Don't even ask! What kind of person did you ask me to escort? Besides being crude and irritable, he was downright barbaric! He actually tried to assault me? Does he think I’m some toy to be bullied at will?”

Ye Wen hadn't expected so much to happen in just a few days. But thinking about it, for Kratos, someone who had endured successive upheavals and walked the path of battle, perhaps he wouldn't place much importance on a delicate woman. Maybe that boy thought Mino was just a guide he arranged, one who also served some other purpose?

If that boy truly thought that way, he must have suffered quite a bit along the way. If a fight broke out, Mino could handle ten Kratos’s—after all, Kratos’s Cosmo was still unfamiliar, whereas Mino’s strength had already reached the peak of humanity, just one step shy of the demigod realm.

In truth, Ye Wen only needed to return and offer some guidance, and Mino could cross that threshold smoothly. The key question was: ...Why should Ye Wen guide this girl?

“And then?”

“I taught that idiot a thorough lesson, making him understand that I am not someone he can manipulate at will!” She sounded exceptionally smug when she said this, but a moment later, she turned back with a frustrated look at Ye Wen. “But I never expected you to bring out someone like Kratos. You’ve completely ruined my great Kratos…”

“The Kratos who is 'great' in your mind fundamentally doesn't treat women with respect. If you truly understood that guy, you’d know he isn't exactly a chaste man either!”

Silencing Mino, Ye Wen directly asked the crucial point: “What I need to know is, did that kid Kratos find the Water of the Styx?”

It was a pity that his hope deflated less than half a minute after he asked. “I only brought him to the Underworld and told him how to find the Styx River. As for whether he succeeded or failed, I don’t know!”

Ye Wen tilted his head, looking at Mino with amusement. “So, you didn't actually complete the task at all!” He had actually thought Mino had managed it, that Kratos had gained immortality through the Water of the Styx and was on his path to godhood to seek revenge on Ares!

Mino shook her head helplessly. “There was nothing I could do. Hypnos stopped me. He told me that going any further inside was beyond my jurisdiction and ordered me to leave immediately!”

“Oh? Hypnos…”

It seemed the God of Sleep had received instructions from Hades before making this arrangement. Perhaps Hades had figured something out, or maybe the Lord of the Underworld had quietly seen through Ye Wen’s plan and wanted to make a move? The most likely scenario was setting up a series of grueling trials within the Underworld to severely temper Kratos’s strength.

“It might not be Hades who figured it out; maybe Athena played a hand?”

But upon closer thought, even if Athena knew about Kratos, she couldn't have orchestrated a plot involving Hades so quickly. If so, wouldn't that woman be omniscient and omnipotent? That would be terrifying! Therefore, the most reasonable explanation was that Hades sensed Ye Wen’s intentions upon discovering Mino had brought Kratos into the Underworld.

As for why Hades would connect Mino with Ye Wen—that wasn't hard to guess.

Hades was certainly aware of Ye Wen’s involvement in the Holy War and knew that the so-called Gold Saint of Taurus was actually Ye Wen.

The day Ye Wen abducted Mino, he had killed many Specters. After those Specters revived, they could certainly report that day's events to Hades’ reincarnated form—and through that form, Hades would know who captured Mino.

“Then, was the Hypnos you met his true body?”

Mino asked in surprise, “How did you know?” That single query provided Ye Wen with the answer.

“It seems my guess was correct!”

If it had been Hypnos’s reincarnation, this wouldn't be certain, but if it was the true body, it meant Lord Hades indeed held such suspicions and believed Mino was already aligned with Ye Wen. There was no need to deceive her with a mere reincarnation, so he showed his true form.

As for how Mino could distinguish between the true body and the reincarnation... that wasn't hard to guess either. Mino’s previous statement implied she had met Hypnos in the Underworld before, but at that time, she was still a Specter, so she certainly wouldn't have met the true body; it would have been a reincarnation. If the Hypnos she met this time looked different, she would know the difference between the true body and the reincarnation.

“You talk as if you know everything… If you’re so smart, why didn't you calculate that I was almost pushed over by that barbarian?”

She jabbed the stove repeatedly with the wooden stick in her hand, unsure if she wanted the fire to burn hotter or just to vent her dissatisfaction.

Ye Wen was unconcerned and chuckled. “If immortals could figure everything out just by counting on their fingers, there wouldn’t be so much conflict in this world! Everyone would just sit around counting fingers and save themselves the trouble, not to mention risking their lives and ruining millennia of cultivation.”

The Immortal Realm did have the Way of Divination, which Ye Wen had been curious about, but it truly wasn't miraculous. At best, it could calculate feng shui or give a general idea of good or ill fortune; it couldn't divine anything detailed.

As for reversing one’s destiny by defying heaven, that was utter nonsense. Unless you could somehow stuff yourself back into the womb and choose new parents, there was no such thing as changing fate. If you wanted a better life, you still had to rely on your own efforts!

Afterward, he inquired about some trivial matters. He learned that although Mino had met Hypnos’s true body, they hadn't spoken much. Hypnos didn't particularly care for Mino, whom he once viewed as just one pawn among many. Many beings in Olympus held such disdain for mortals, always looking down on them with contempt.

If not for Mino being connected to Ye Wen, Hypnos probably wouldn't have even spoken to her, just kicking her out of the Underworld!

“Foolish arrogance!” As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a stinging gaze from beside him. He immediately turned to Artemis. “I wasn't talking about you!”

Only then did he have time to introduce the beautiful, noble, and incredibly proud woman beside him to Mino. “The Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Artemis!”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Mino looked as if she had already guessed, but her face still held a touch of curiosity. She stared at Artemis for a long time before her eyes narrowed into slits and her face bunched up. “So noble, so magnificent, so beautiful... She is exactly what I wish to become!”

Ye Wen was no longer surprised by the girl’s inexplicable behavior. As she fidgeted, Ye Wen estimated it was time for him to go talk with Hades.

“And then?”

Artemis wasn't overly surprised by Ye Wen’s plan; he had mentioned this matter to her before.

“Then we can return to the East… You’re coming too!”

After a brief explanation, asking everyone to wait for him here, Ye Wen went directly to find Hades!

This time, he didn't bring anyone along. He was extremely low-key, adhering to the philosophy of “swift and decisive action.” It took almost just one day for him to reach that snow plain.

No one knew what Ye Wen accomplished during this trip to the Underworld, or even if he managed to speak with Hades. The specifics were likely known only to Ye Wen and Hades.

However, Ye Wen wore a constant smile upon his return, leading Artemis to guess that the result of the discussion was very pleasing to him. It seemed that Athena was unlikely to secure the position of King of the Gods.

Privately, Artemis had indeed asked about this, but Ye Wen’s answer left her utterly bewildered. “While Athena’s chance to seize the throne of the Gods cannot be completely eliminated, even if she did become Queen of the Gods this time, it likely wouldn't last long…”

She couldn't fathom what kind of agreement Ye Wen had reached with Hades to make Athena’s reign so unstable. Unfortunately, Ye Wen refused to reveal any specifics. In time, Artemis stopped pressing, as she wasn't that concerned with such matters anyway.

Having settled various affairs and made arrangements for the Moonlight Elves, Yuwentuo and Valkyrie tidied up briefly and prepared for departure.

Little Altria would also travel to Shushan. This trip wasn't just for Yuwentuo’s initiation ceremony; it was the same for Altria. Only after both were officially accepted into the Shushan Sect would they truly be considered one family.

Then, when this family returned to the Forgotten Snow Plain, a contingent of disciples from the Shushan Sect would come to help Yuwentuo establish his home.

As for that forest, it had now been named the “Forest of Hope,” symbolizing that this was the hope for the resurgence of the Odin Clan. In a bizarre turn of events, the Shushan Sect and the Odin Clan had become one family.

Besides this family, Chris and Zhang Ling were also returning to Shushan; Garfield certainly wouldn't stay behind! The Jade Qilin, however, was staying. It seemed to have reached a critical juncture, and with the Jade Qilin guarding the lava cave—a path almost always traversed—the safety of the Forest of Hope would be ensured.

Then there was Mino. The girl felt she was still an Easterner and better suited to returning to the Eastern world. In her own words: “Staying in this Western territory, I constantly feel discriminated against!”

It seemed Kratos treating her like a slave had deeply affected her. After seeing the group beside her, she also understood that to live happily in this world, she needed much greater strength, which she couldn't attain in the West. Perhaps returning East would be better?

Of course, her stated reason was infuriatingly superficial…

“This place is full of muscular 'brothers,' and I have absolutely no affection for that species! Pretty Eastern flower boys, slender and intoxicatingly beautiful like women, better fit my worldview... Ohuohuohoho... Ouch, don't hit my head!”

In any case, the group seemed to have expanded. A party of people began heading East. With Artemis present, everyone didn't have to worry about transportation; the carriage that could be pulled by a long tail was the best option.

However, Ye Wen, standing at the front of the carriage, stared wordlessly at the four stags pulling the vehicle, then quietly asked the woman beside him, “Back then... you wanted to turn me into one of these things, didn't you?”

Artemis’s lips curved slightly. “Yes! Any male who offends me is either killed by me or turned into a stag to be commanded as I wish... You are truly the only one spared over these years!” Remembering their first encounter always brought a wave of awkwardness to Artemis. At the time, she was completely naked, and Ye Wen saw everything. Focused only on killing Ye Wen then, she hadn't paid much mind, but now that Ye Wen remained unharmed, it felt a bit embarrassing.

Although the Olympian gods were quite open about certain matters, Artemis still valued her body highly; otherwise, she wouldn't be one of the few remaining virgin goddesses on Mount Olympus.

Ye Wen pointed at the stags ahead. “These four aren’t also...?”

Artemis looked at the serious man beside her and suddenly understood why he asked that question. She found it amusing. “No! These four are the descendants of my very first captured prey. They have grown up pulling my carriage!”

“Oh!” Ye Wen’s expression softened slightly toward the stags.

Unfortunately, Artemis, having seen through Ye Wen’s thoughts, immediately added, “If you ever do anything to betray me in the future, I wouldn't mind adding another pet to pull the carriage!”

The implication was clear: if he tried to abandon her, she would turn him into a stag and keep him nearby to pull her carriage.

Ye Wen’s face became incredibly complex. He realized that none of the women he had gotten involved with were easy to handle. Setting aside the problem of whether he might turn into a deer, how he would explain this to his junior sister upon returning seemed the more pressing issue.

Just then, voices from behind reached them: Zhang Ling and Chris. “Do you think Senior Sister-in-law will blow up when we get back?”

Chris pondered for a moment before arriving at a very certain answer: “Given Senior Sister-in-law’s temper... it’s almost inevitable!”