The Life Vase was within reach, but Moanda now had no thoughts about it. If it had been not long ago, as an oak nymph, she would have been completely unaware of the terror of the person before her, but now, she could sense the terrible power contained within this figure.
Probably not wanting to disturb Gaia, the newcomer was standing just outside the barrier Gaia set for the Golden Apple Tree, as seen by Moanda's 'eyes.' But she could also 'see' that some insidious force had already enveloped the orchard, cutting off any connection between the inside and the outside.
Next to the consciousness of Moanda, that hazy Thought that had just acquired Wisdom curled into a small ball, as if scared by this terrifying presence. However, facing such a situation, the Elf was only startled for a moment, then immediately asked calmly,
"Are you the one who guided me to take this step?"
"I thought it was the Divine King of Mount Olympus before, but now it seems to be someone else."
Indeed, for this moment, Moanda had anticipated it. That mysterious Ancient Serpent couldn't have appeared out of nowhere; it must have had its own agenda. Either it was an enemy of Mother Earth, seeking to target Gaia through her existence, or it had other schemes and would surely appear before her when everything was over.
Now it seemed to be the latter, of course, one couldn't rule out the former possibility... Moanda speculated thus, yet under her 'gaze,' the figure before her simply shook its head.
"You are overthinking, Elf. Perhaps your existence is not as important as you think, and today's events have even less to do with me. This feeling of the cycle of life and death... is undoubtedly Laine's doing, he must have been responding to Gaia's creation of life to match the trick I played. And you, are just a lucky one who happened to be there."
With the Life Vase of emerald green in hand, Erebus didn't take credit for this. Creating such easily debunked lies was totally pointless; after all, this Elf who could betray Mother Earth didn't seem like the type to be grateful.
However, looking at the rejuvenated Golden Apple Tree before him, the Lord of Darkness settled one of his doubts. The fundamental reason Gaia was so protective of the orchard but blatantly placed the Life Vase in the Oracle was that when she fell into slumber, the Divine Artifact that was borne with her also became dormant, rendering it meaningless for others to take it.
But now it was different. When the Life Vase changed owners, it also awoke from its dormancy. While this subtle change went unnoticed by most, Erebus, who had been waiting for Gaia's awakening, did not miss it.
Yet rushing to Delphi, the Lord of Darkness did not get to see his sister. He had thought it was a sign of Gaia's awakening, but to his surprise, Mother Earth did not awaken, while the Golden Apple Tree did 'wake' up.
At this moment, Erebus experienced a deeper epiphany about the world. Perhaps today's discovery was 70% due to his attention over this period, but there might also be a 30% influence of fate.
The world itself hoped for the birth of more sentient life, and even without knowing why, the Lord of Darkness, who had yet to open his realm, undoubtedly corroborated from the sidelines that life holds special significance for the world.
This made him give it three times more consideration. About clearing the remnants of the past before opening a new realm, the Lord of Darkness gradually had a vague idea, but that was not attainable at the moment; it required the right opportunity.
But judging by the current state of the world, this opportunity would likely not come in a short time, so before that, Erebus decided to prepare the things he needed to do later in advance.
Creating life was one of them. By doing so, when the time he needed came, he would be able to catch up with the progress of others in one step—at least, he couldn't be slower than that youngster hidden in the Abyss.
"Now, answer my question. If I hadn't come, where were you planning to go before?"
Asking again, the tone of Erebus became slightly more severe. Even though his voice wasn't loud, Moanda could still detect the undeniable determination in it.
"I was planning to go to Mount Olympus to meet the Divine King. He had been here, and it was on that day that I received this rare opportunity."
Without concealing anything, Moanda chose to tell the truth.
"Before, I always thought he orchestrated all this, and then he locked up the God of Meteorology in the Abyss, just like with the Titans. So I planned to see if he has the power to stand against Mother Earth. If he does, then I am willing to stay on Mount of the Gods, serving the Divine King as do the other gods."
"Heh, you probably overestimate him. Although Gaia has weakened beyond recognition, and her authority does not excel in combat, it is still not something he can deal with."
With a scoff, although at the beginning of the new era, Erebus too had entertained the idea of 'making friends' with Zeus, but that was predicated on him at least showing the power and abilities that Cronus had. However, at least from the new king's performance in the last century, the Lord of Darkness saw no such potential in him.
Of course, maybe it was too soon; Cronus took a long time to change his fortunes, so for now, Erebus chose to wait and see.
"Come with me. Since you are now the owner of the Life Vase, indeed there is a place I could use you."