Greece: I am Zeus!

Chapter 164 Merit should be rewarded, and wrongdoing should be punished!
Zeus's tone shifted, his voice growing even colder: "If any of you no longer wish to bear this heavy responsibility, fine! I can grant your wish right now!"

“I allow any deity to be an unrestrained and free ‘free god’.”

"Tell me now! Who among you doesn't want to?!"

Zeus's majestic gaze swept around, but no god uttered a single word.

All the gods bowed their heads deeply, not even daring to breathe. The atmosphere in the entire council hall froze completely at that moment.

Inside the palace, after a long, suffocating silence, Zeus slowly spoke again: "It seems that you still desire the honor I have bestowed upon you."

"From now on, you must never make the same mistake again!"

"With you all so capricious and willful, what kind of lives will all the beings in this universe lead?"

"If this happens again, I will never forgive you!"

Only then did the gods dare to breathe a sigh of relief; they were truly terrified.

Who would have thought that just watching the excitement would provoke such overwhelming anger!
However, Zeus's next words raised their spirits again: "But the gods who have erred today must also be punished!"

"I will reward those who have made contributions! But I will also punish those who have made mistakes! This is true justice! This is the most fundamental basis for maintaining the balance of the entire universe!"

The gods dared not utter a word, all holding their breath and quietly awaiting His Majesty the God-King's final decision.

Zeus's voice softened slightly.

He said slowly, “However, considering that you are all first-time offenders and there were reasons for your actions, this time your punishment will be reduced by one degree and you will be given a lighter punishment.”

“Monemosene,” He spoke first, “you, as the goddess of civilization and memory, and as my left hand, your duty is to assist me in filling gaps and offering advice. How noble is your position? How important is your duty?”

"But you abused your divine authority to wantonly provoke other gods, ultimately causing this conflict. Do you know your mistake?"

The omniscient goddess, at this moment, behaved extremely obediently and replied, "Monemosne knows her mistake and begs Your Majesty for punishment."

Zeus said calmly, "You are forbidden to leave Mount Olympus for one year. You are also forbidden to drink divine wine for three months."

Mnemosyne didn't mind staying in Olympus for a year.

With Zeus here, even the longest time will pass in the blink of an eye.

However, she found it difficult to endure the three-month ban on drinking the divine wine.

This all-knowing goddess had few hobbies, but her greatest love was wine.

She couldn't believe that even though she had taken the initiative to admit her mistake, Zeus still punished her, and she felt deeply aggrieved.

However, the goddess of civilization now knew Zeus's intention to use this to warn the gods, and naturally cooperated and obeyed.

She obediently replied, "Thank you for your leniency, Your Majesty. Mnemosyne will certainly comply."

However, her voice was very low, and it was clear that even though she understood, she was still very unhappy.

Zeus seemed oblivious to this, and looked at the Lady of Night, saying, "Nyx, it is indeed Mnemosyne who was at fault. However, you can come to me to seek justice for you."

"As a primordial god, you are of noble status and have sacred duties, yet you acted so impulsively, directly attacking another god and damaging Mount Olympus. What kind of behavior is this!"

"Do you know you were wrong?"

Seeing Mnemosyne in trouble made Nyx feel much better. Even if she were to suffer along with her now, she would accept it!
Moreover, Zeus had genuinely frightened her today, and she was truly afraid that Zeus would harbor resentment towards her because of this, so she was now behaving exceptionally obediently.

She replied in the gentlest tone, "Your Majesty the Supreme God-King, Nyx knows her mistake. Please punish her; Night will accept it with full authority."

Zeus nodded and said calmly, "Alright, since you have shown such a good attitude in admitting your mistake and this is your first offense, then I will treat you leniently."

"You are not allowed to leave the Netherworld for a year, and you are also forbidden from drinking divine wine for three months."

Nyx wasn't a heavy drinker, but she was forbidden from leaving the Underworld for a year—how was she supposed to face Zeus then?!
Zeus wouldn't go a whole year without coming to see him, would he?

Good heavens, how am I supposed to live like this!

Nyx hesitated before saying, "Nyx thanks Your Majesty for your leniency and will certainly comply."

"However, however, if there are some important matters in the Underworld that need to be reported to His Majesty for a decision, then..."

Zeus replied softly, "I have my own plans, no need to say more."

Hearing Zeus's unquestionable tone, Nyx felt a little more at ease.

Although she was still somewhat uneasy, she dared not say anything more.

Zeus then looked at all the gods present and loudly announced, "Today, all gods who have neglected their duties and violated their responsibilities shall be forbidden from drinking divine wine and eating celestial food for one year! If they violate this rule again, they shall be severely punished!" After saying this, Zeus turned to look at the holy and solemn goddess of justice beside him.

He asked softly, "My dear Themis, is my action in accordance with the order of justice? Can it be called fair?"

The goddess of justice, with a solemn expression, said, "The gods have indeed acted in violation of the divine law. As the foundation of the universe, if the gods act according to their own desires and are undisciplined, then all they will bring to this universe is disaster."

"Merit should be rewarded, and wrongdoing should be punished! This is the ultimate principle of the balance of the universe!"

"Your Majesty, the most revered God-King, your decision was perfectly just and in accordance with the sacred order of justice! I fully agree with your decision!"

Zeus smiled and nodded, then looked at the gods once more and said majestically, "Do any of you gods have any objections?"

All the gods agreed without any objection.

Zeus then snorted and turned into lightning, returning to the temple without saying a word or seeing anyone again.

But the dark clouds that had obscured Olympus began to slowly dissipate.

After Zeus left, Themis, who was also in the center of the temple, with her majestic and upright posture, spoke slowly in a cool and serious tone: "Gods, today's lesson should serve as a warning to all!"

"Your Majesty the God-King is tolerant, kind, and benevolent, but!"

"This is absolutely not a reason for the gods to squander His Majesty the God-King's grace!"

"His Majesty the God-King has established the order that is most beneficial to all gods and living beings, the most just order!"

"Gods, you must uphold the sacred and just order of His Majesty the God-King!"

"All gods, including myself, should forever remember that all our honors come from the grace of His Majesty the God-King!"

"We must uphold the sacred order of His Majesty the God-King! For this is the foundation of the existence of all of us gods!"

"If anyone does not respect His Majesty the God-King's sacred and just order, or the honor bestowed by His Majesty the God-King."

"Then He no longer desires honor!"

"The gods are the fundamental laws governing the universe. Your every action affects the operation of the entire universe. Any mishap will bring suffering to all living beings. How can you act recklessly?!"

"This time, it is His Majesty the God-King who has shown you leniency. However, in the name of my right hand, the God-King, I declare that there will never be a next time!"

"Next time, no matter who it is, I will use the authority bestowed upon me by Zeus, the ruler of the universe, the supreme god-king, and the king of all gods, and in accordance with the principles of sacred justice and order, to deal with them strictly and without mercy!"

Seeing the gods fall silent in fear, Themis, with her cold, piercing eyes, surveyed them and asked authoritatively, "Did you all hear me clearly?"

The gods all agreed, and Themis then adjourned the meeting, transforming into a streak of light and returning to her own temple.

The goddess of night and the goddess of all knowledge glared at each other, then each snorted coldly and turned into streaks of light, departing in a huff.

A sense of regret rose in their hearts; they shouldn't have let things get so out of control because of a moment of anger.

But this feud is now truly settled!
The remaining unpunished gods also left the council hall with solemn expressions. They secretly warned themselves that they must never neglect their duties or abuse their divine authority again. The sacred laws promulgated by the God-King are an inviolable red line.

Those who were punished were all dejected. They were just watching the show, how did they end up getting punished?

They were also more careful, secretly reminding themselves that they must never make the same mistake again.

The majesty of the God-King is inviolable; one must not assume that one can act recklessly simply because of the God-King's usual leniency.

If His Majesty the God-King were to truly become angry, the consequences would be something no god could bear.

Zeus's assertion of authority this time had an extremely significant effect.

He even disposed of his beloved goddess and his staunch confidants, leaving no one able to say anything about it.

All gods clearly understand that even the most accomplished primordial deities, the most beloved goddesses of the God-King, and the most trusted confidantes of His Majesty the God-King, will be punished for violating divine laws.

Moreover, it's not actually a big deal, so if other gods dare to violate the sacred order, their fate will certainly be much more miserable.

Zeus also had another plan, which was to deal with the goddesses at the same time.

If you try to coax them directly, it will definitely be difficult, and it's too tiring to coax them one by one.

But if someone pulls this stunt like this, using the situation as an excuse to escalate things, first making a big deal out of it, and then losing their temper, then it's the goddesses who will panic.

The goddesses, who might have been noisy, would instead quiet down out of awe and fear, and would even try to guess His intentions, carefully coming to appease the god-king who had been "angered" by the goddesses' excessive commotion.

It achieves multiple goals at once, it's simply perfect!
This is called turning defense into offense! It's about always seizing the initiative!

(End of this chapter)