Between the silent throne in the deepest part of Hades, Hades's main body slowly opened its eyes.
The perceptions and experiences of the Norse embodiment 'Narcissus' receded like a tide.
But the abnormal 'strangeness' within Metis's consciousness caused him intense discomfort.
This was by no means the state Metis should be in.
This was a mental pattern that seemed to be blurred by some kind of deficient desire or chaotic force... There must be some problem.
The root cause needed to be identified and completely eliminated before it manifested a stronger impact.
Hades's first thought almost instinctively latched onto the little one who took pleasure in creating chaos and had a criminal record—Eros.
Hades's will was like an invisible giant net, instantly enveloping the entire world of Chaos.
The next moment, it landed on Earth.
Laughing and aiming her divine power at a pair of defenseless nymphs, preparing to watch them make fools of themselves, Eros only felt the surrounding light dim, and the scent of flowers and sunlight was instantly replaced by the cold and deathly atmosphere of the Underworld.
She blinked her wide eyes in a daze and found herself before Hades's solemn throne.
Hades looked down at her, his gaze so cold it made her tremble.
"Ha... Father God?" Eros called out timidly, her small face pale.
Lately, she had been very relaxed... At least, she hadn't done anything in the Underworld!
"What have you done to Metis?" Hades's voice held not the slightest wave, but the coercion contained within it made the air in the entire throne room seem to freeze.
Eros was stunned: "Metis? I... I haven't done anything!"
"This distorted consciousness, this sweet intonation, these misplaced 'symbols'..."
With every word Hades spoke, Eros felt the pressure on her body increase slightly.
"If it's not your power, stemming from chaos, who else could it be?"
"It's not me! It's really not me!" Eros was so nervous tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I admit I've played pranks before, but I swear, I absolutely haven't done anything to her! Her feelings are so terrifying, I... I wouldn't dare!"
Hades remained unmoved, simply raising his hand.
An invisible force restrained Eros and began to 'interrogate' her.
After several days and nights, Eros refused to admit it... Hades's suspicions faded.
Eros finally couldn't hold back and let out a "waaah", her small body trembling under the power of the divine force:
"You're bullying me (╥_╥)! Bad apple! Bullying me! I didn't do anything!"
Her tears were like broken pearls, mixed with grievance and fear, shattering on the cold floor of the Underworld.
Hades frowned.
Her cries and grievances were not a disguise; under the authority of Hades, he could see the truth.
It wasn't her.
Hades silently released the restraints.
As soon as she was freed, Eros immediately ran away crying, leaving only the faint echo of sobs in the air.
The first and most suspicious target was eliminated.
Hades sank into a brief moment of contemplation.
If it wasn't Eros, then who could it be?
Who could bypass his perception and influence Metis, who was a powerful god and a wise person?
His gaze shifted to another being in Hades, a daughter who had inherited part of Metis's divinity—creation and joy—and by nature was lively and even somewhat noisy—Thalia.
The next moment, Thalia, who had been in the garden directing a group of spirits in rehearsing a farcical play, her eyes full of color,
found herself before the oppressive throne of the Father God.
She was still holding the director's scroll in her hand, and the enthusiastic smile on her face instantly froze.
"Father God? Are you looking for me?" Thalia tried to make her voice calm, but the slightly trembling tail of her voice betrayed her.
"Have you used your power to try to influence or 'enrich' your mother's emotional expression?" Hades asked directly.
Thalia's eyes widened, and she quickly waved her hand: "No! Absolutely not! Mother Goddess's emotions still need me to 'enrich' them? Father God, do you have some misunderstanding about the Mother Goddess? Or has my recent play been too noisy and disturbed you?"
She subconsciously thought she had raised too much noise and attracted the Father God's 'attention'.
Hades did not explain and immediately proceeded to examine.
Thalia's divine power was full of life and joy, but there was also no clue related to Metis's abnormal consciousness.
She simply loved to create and have fun and had no malicious inclination to distort the will of others.
The second target was eliminated.
Hades's brow furrowed even more.
Everything seemed more complicated than he had expected.
He stood up and decided not to limit himself to Hades and individual targets.
He wanted to conduct a comprehensive investigation, even if it meant turning the whole world upside down, to find out who was hiding behind the scenes.
As a result, a 'great search', initiated by Hades himself, began, sweeping across the sky, earth, sea, and Underworld.
Its wide scope and the number of gods involved could be called the first time the world of Chaos had experienced such an event since the Titanomachy.
Olympus, the palace of the gods.
Zeus was leisurely sipping fine wine, admiring the dance of the nymphs, and thinking about his next 'encounter'.
Suddenly, a cold aura from the Underworld descended, and the figure of Hades appeared before him like a phantom.
"Hades? Brother, what wind blows you here?" Zeus put down his glass and smiled warmly, but his heart was full of alarm bells.
"Have you or any of your directors used any influence on Metis, especially on an emotional or conscious level?" Hades's question was cold and direct.
Zeus was stunned for a moment, then felt a surge of absurdity and irritation: "Me, on Metis? Hades, have you lost your mind? Provoke her? I want to live a few more years!"
He felt accused and looked down upon.
Hades looked at him and confirmed that although Zeus was agitated, he was not hiding anything.
The power of the God-King also showed that Zeus's recent thoughts were focused on how to consolidate his power and new affairs, and had nothing to do with Metis.
Hades said nothing and vanished.
The temple of Poros, the god of opportunity and turning points.
Poros was in a strange space full of random points of light, throwing dice symbolizing 'opportunity'.
Hades's sudden appearance startled him so much he almost dropped the dice.
"Father God! You... Why are you here?"
"Has your power, accidentally or intentionally, interfered with Metis's thought processes?"
Poros looked blank: "Interfere with the Mother Goddess? Father God, my power is to guide opportunities and turning points, not to distort consciousness! And the trajectory of the Mother Goddess's wisdom is like the movement of the stars; how could my little trick interfere with that?"
He displayed a stream of his divine power, which was indeed far from the capabilities of the consciousness-distortion class.