As the only goddess among the first generation of Titans to hold the divine office of fate, Phoebe's revelation held significant value.
Returning to the still bustling Pantheon, Tyche continued to try and decipher Gaia's intentions. Although some questions were answered, what was Gaia's ultimate goal? Was it truly, as it appeared on the surface, to make the God of Growth, Crius, the King of the Gods?
But now that things had reached this point, why hadn't the Earth Goddess intervened to suppress herself? Was it simply because she did not wish to bring her opposition to Night and the Abyss into the open?
Regardless of Gaia's plans, this contest was still her victory!
Tyche whispered the merits of the Cyclopes into her son's ear. Zeus understood and ordered the God of Growth, the God of the Soul, and their close associates, all stripped of their divine offices, to be thrown into the Abyss.
Crius, the God of Growth, lost all his power and fell into a deep slumber. Iapetus, the God of the Soul, with a wry smile, told the God of the Stars and the God of Destruction beside him to cease their resistance and calmly accept their fate.
For the sake of Asteria, the Goddess of Stars and Night, Perses, the God of Destruction, who had not participated, was granted forgiveness.
The era of the first generation of Titans thus came to an end. The only Titans still in power were the prophetic couple, and their main divine seats would undoubtedly be reserved for their eldest daughter, who was about to become Queen of the Gods. Leto's children would be the inheritors of these two main divine seats.
Including Aphrodite, who would certainly be treated as a good luck charm, eight of the twelve main divine seats were now occupied, leaving four vacant seats awaiting the King of the Gods' allocation.
The gods had not contributed much to Zeus's coronation, so they could not expect any spoils of war. Their gaze immediately shifted to the restless God of Strength, Atlas, and the calm Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter.
The new main god, Hades, shared the same bloodline as the Goddess of Agriculture and was a natural ally. Demeter also had the advantage of being a goddess, so she would not be overly targeted by Zeus's faction.
However, it was different for the God of Strength. The new King of the Gods was very pleased to see the gods depose Atlas from his main divine seat. Not secretly kicking him while he was down would already be considered noble.
Kanos, the God of Disaster, led the star gods in escorting the defeated into the Abyss, in exchange for the long-imprisoned Giants.
Zeus was well aware of the value of the Cyclopes and generously granted them a volcano as their territory, thereby earning their loyalty.
Tyche, having achieved her goal, withdrew from the scene, leaving the Rainbow Goddesses to assist Zeus with affairs while she herself went to the earth.
In the Earth Temple, Gaia leaned against her throne. Her golden robe, adorned with obsidian, was voluminous but did not detract from her beauty.
The first glance anyone cast upon Gaia would not be drawn to her beauty, but to her eyes. They held a gaze of immense authority and aggression, like sharp blades piercing one's soul to reveal their deepest desires. Now, she scrutinized Tyche, who stood at the foot of the steps, with such a gaze.
Tyche, enduring the pressure, approached Gaia and bowed respectfully, "Your Highness Gaia, it has been a long time."
However, the Earth Goddess, abandoning her usual stern demeanor, smiled and said, "Don't call me Gaia. I wasn't always called that, just as you were only called Tyche after you came to this world."
Tyche almost couldn't control her expression. Although she knew this primordial god, the first to be born, could not be deceived, she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat when she realized Gaia knew all of this.
"Don't be afraid," Gaia conjured a jeweled seat to her right, gesturing for Tyche to sit beside her.
"We are the same. You simply arrived a little later, otherwise, you too would have become a primordial god," Gaia said, revealing a world-shattering piece of information to Tyche in a casual tone.
Clenching her teeth to calm herself, Tyche tentatively asked in Chinese, "奇变偶不变?"
The Earth Goddess showed no surprise at Tyche's behavior and sighed with a hint of regret, "It seems we are not from the same place."
Gaia poured Tyche a cup of mead. "My name was once Cybele, the goddess of fertile earth and nature. Mountains and cities were my domain! Lions and leopards pulled my chariot, and bees were my messengers! My followers would cheer for my appearance and kiss the land where I walked!"
As if reminiscing about a glorious past, Gaia, or rather Cybele, was filled with joy and pride.
Tyche couldn't help but interrupt the goddess, who was lost in memory, and asked the question she most wanted to know, "How did you come to this world?"
The joy and pride on Gaia's face faded as she gazed into the void before her. "Our world is like a bubble in the sea of chaos. After the tide receded, it vanished like a dream."
"The world that gave birth to me encountered a powerful, unknown entity in the chaos. He destroyed everything as easily as crushing an ant."
"While I was wandering aimlessly, I was captured by Chaos. It used me and several other captured deities as materials to create this world."
Gaia's pain was evident. "I originally wanted to find a newborn world and rebuild my home. But all of that was destroyed by Chaos. I am bound here and cannot leave! My dream became a sacrifice for his ascent to greatness!"
Gaia clutched the fabric of her chest. "You cannot imagine how much I hate this world!"
"Did my arrival in this world also have something to do with you?" Tyche realized something.
"Yes," Gaia admitted without hesitation. "When you passed through the sea of chaos, you attracted our attention. We all agreed that your appearance would bring us a turning point."
Gaia gently touched the ruby necklace on Tyche's neck. "What a marvelous power! Your appearance will bring change to this dormant world!"
"So, you were the one orchestrating all of this! The divine office of craftsmanship you bestowed upon me when we first met, and then the divine office of the sky, were all tests?" Tyche could only keep asking questions, having no initiative.
"We yearned for change so much!" Gaia's answer was an undeniable confirmation of Tyche's speculation. "We have been watching you."
Tyche didn't know whether to feel fortunate or disappointed. Fortunate, because the primordial gods treated her as a goddess of magic and didn't see through her mortal nature immediately; disappointed, because Gaia clearly didn't know how to return to Earth.
"And after that, after I obtained the divine office of the sky and ascended to powerful divinity, were all these things you did merely to test me?"
Tyche still didn't understand Gaia's purpose. "The God of Growth competes for the position of King of the Gods, and the Goddess of Justice and the God of Radiance, your couple, also supported him due to your intimidation. What benefit did all of this bring you?"