The seawater was retreating, and scattered islands flashed by in an instant.
From the calm nearshore to the distant seas controlled by the Lord of Ocean, currents surged beneath the water's surface.
Compared to the constant battles between the two ocean god systems of the last era, and the grand war in the stars that lasted a thousand years, everywhere outside the Mortal World's earth was so peaceful throughout the Third Epoch.
However, for Hermes, he felt no particular sentiment.
After all, whether it was the Fantasy World or the present Chaos, he had never experienced the time before the Third Epoch.
In his memory, the ocean was always this tranquil, the ancient Sea Gods had ceased their conflicts, with only Poseidon making futile attempts, yet never gaining anything substantial.
"This is the Circumterrestrial River, the manifestation of Oceanus's godhood."
After an unknown period, at the edge of the sky, at the end of the sea, Hermes finally reached the edge of the Circumterrestrial River.
Compared to the likes of Poseidon who claimed to be the Sea God through domains of [Storm] and [Tsunami], the truly powerful Sea Gods were just .
They possessed their own domains of the ocean since birth, which could never be taken away by others.
The more powerful they were, the larger their domains, which was also why the two sea gods of the Second Epoch were determined to crush their opponents.
After all, whether it was Pontus with the 'Earth Concave' and the 'Primordial Ocean,' or Oceanus with the 'Origin of Ten Thousand Streams' and the 'Circumterrestrial River,' their proportion in the cycle of 'Ocean and Water' on earth was too conspicuous.
To consolidate this complete symbolism, even if it was not necessary to occupy every portion, they could not allow such gaping omissions to exist.
Therefore, subjugating their opponents completely was the only way, and only by doing so would they possibly be able to advance further and touch upon higher domains.
"But as they say, it is nearly impossible, even the Divine King and the Primordial Gods cannot force them to submit by force."
"For such ancient gods, an eternal slumber, albeit dreadful, is acceptable if chosen willingly."
Standing beside the river that surged through the void, although he had not experienced such ancient times, Hermes could still understand their thoughts quite well.
If I cannot have it, then neither can anyone else.
At the edge of the endless river, water occasionally splashed out, falling into the Abyss as if to sink into the depths of all worlds.
And with a low shout from Hermes, a 'door' in the void before him opened in response.
With a single step, the next moment, he appeared on the other side of the Circumterrestrial River.
"It looks fine; the practical effect is without problems."
Nodding silently, Hermes was quite satisfied with the result.
Ever since leaving the Fantasy World, although he had almost lost everything, it was not the case that he had gained nothing.
One of those gains, of course, was the initiation of alchemy secrets.
Another was Hermes's unexpected discovery that, after undergoing that miraculous performance, his insight into and affinity with space-time had risen by more than just one level.
Leveraging this ability, Hermes created many small techniques based on his recollections of the divine insights from the Fantasy World.
This kind of doorway through space-time was one of them.
"Crossing the river directly would inevitably draw attention."
"It's much better now... After all, this place does have its master."
Looking back at the still-flowing river, Hermes did not linger, and continued to move outward.
This sense of closeness with space-time was also his reliance for deciding to venture beyond the main body of the world.
At least with this capability, should any accidents occur, he would still have a chance to escape.
In the endless void, the concept of time became vague.
Traveling through emptiness, Hermes cautiously maintained his distance from Chaos.
The further outward, the weaker the sense of the world's existence.
So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, keeping distance was a particularly critical point.
"But beyond the world... is there really nothing?"
After an indeterminate amount of time, when Hermes finally stopped,
He regretfully discovered that perhaps outside of Chaos, the void was just empty and tranquil.
No matter, no energy, nothing at all.
It existed merely for the sake of existence, and beyond that, there was nothing.
For a while, Hermes even felt he had come to the wrong place.
He had thought there would be some shattered landmasses, floating space-time bubbles, or something else.
But now it seemed he had thought too much; maybe this place was simply meant to be this way.
"However, it is also possible that it has already been taken by someone else, or it has once again become part of the world."
"After all, what I can think of, so can others, and fortunately not only was I here for that."
Shaking his head slightly, he took out the crystal stone he had brought, and Hermes fell into thought for a moment.
It looked like he had come here for nothing, but considering the unique environment, he had planned to experiment here again anyway.
In this place where the laws of Chaos were diluted, he wondered if the results would be different.
Regardless of whether they were or not, this would confirm some of his ideas.
Cutting his fingertip, Hermes used his blood to trace a character in the void.
A thread of soul power melded with it, then slowly approached the crystal stone.
His expression changed subtly, but quickly returned to normal.