On the banks of the Styx, Lorne stood on the shore, watching Charon, who was poling the ferry, gradually disappear into the thick fog before finally retracting his gaze.
Although that guy, Mr. Add-Money, had a strong professional ethic and was very discreet, not asking about the identity or origin of Melinoe, who was wearing a disguise spell on the boat, treating it as a normal business transaction.
But considering certain connections between Charon and Hecate, Lorne still remained cautious.
He spread his divine sense, carefully probed several times, and only after confirming that Charon and the ferry had completely left his sensory range did Lorne finally relax, then turned and called out to Melinoe, who was waiting nearby, and walked into the depths of the thick fog.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Melinoe couldn't help but ask in surprise, "This doesn't seem to be the way to Elysium?"
"The banquet hosted by Queen of the Underworld will officially begin tomorrow, and Hecate, who was invited, probably hasn't even set off yet.
Both the palace and Elysium are unsafe right now, so of course, we need to find a place to hide for the night and wait for an opportunity."
Lorne casually explained a few words, then glanced at the new generation goddess of conspiracy beside him, who had a sudden realization, and secretly shook his head.
She seriously lacked experience and critical thinking; she was too naive.
With this level of skill, not to mention comparing her to the first-generation goddess of conspiracy Hecate, goddess of wisdom Athena, and ocean nymph Thetis, even he could easily trick her into a disadvantage.
For example, he only told her half of what he said just now.
Choosing to disembark here was certainly due to the Queen of the Underworld's palace and Elysium being unsafe.
But more importantly, the one who ferried them across the river was Charon, a deity connected to Hecate.
To prevent that Mr. Add-Money from selling them out, how could he obviously go to Elysium and wander around, leaving evidence for others?
Of course, he had to first fabricate an alibi, clear himself of suspicion, and then take action.
As the dim entrance to the Arima Cave, hidden among the rocks, came into view, Lorne let out a sigh of relief.
"We're here."
"Woof!"
At this moment, Cerberus, the guardian dog of the Underworld, hearing the commotion, quickly rushed out from the depths of the dungeon, raising his three dog heads towards the arriving Lorne and barking happily.
"Alright, alright, there's more."
Lorne chuckled as he stroked Cerberus's middle head while opening a magic array diagram to take out new honey cakes and honey wine, intending to bribe the guardian dog of the Underworld.
Under the delicious corruption, Cerberus barked even more excitedly, quickly yielding the passage behind him and even eagerly trying to lead the two stowaways beside him.
"No need; we need to stay here for the night."
Lorne smiled as he patted it's head, which had come closer, then turned and motioned for Melinoe to enter the cave to rest.
Seeing the current situation, the pampered Underworld Princess immediately became displeased.
"You're making me live in a doghouse?"
"Above the Arima Cave is the human world. This place is both offensive and defensive, capable of handling many troubles; moreover, according to the previous route of the Styx ferry, everyone will assume we have already left through this passage.
Even if something goes wrong in certain parts of the Underworld later, others won't easily suspect us, understand?"
Lorne explained his reasons for choosing this place while inscribing defensive and warning magic arrays nearby.
Hearing the detailed explanation, Melinoe finally understood the complex considerations contained within this small choice, and nodded as if she understood, yet didn't quite.
With the basic arrangements complete, several hours had passed, and night had fallen in the Underworld.
Lorne led Melinoe into a grotto within the dungeon, lay down on the dry grass and stone slab, and promptly fell asleep, preparing to conserve his energy and await the next day.
Under the deep night, looking at Lorne beside her, whose breathing was even and posture relaxed, seemingly in a deep slumber, Melinoe clenched her slightly itching finger bones.
But in the end, the Goddess of Conspiracy's eyes flickered for a moment, and she still obediently lay down on the spot and quietly fell asleep.
And the moment Melinoe's breathing became steady, the "sleeping" Lorne opened his eyes a crack, turned over into a more comfortable sleeping position, and secretly muttered to himself.
Hmm, looks like no "extra lessons" tonight.
~~
The next day, a familiar tremor in his arms woke Lorne from his sleep.
Pulling open his outer garment and taking out the horn of plenty, he saw the flickering faint light on it and immediately perked up.
Hecate had arrived, and Elysium was empty now!
"Melinoe!"
"What?"
Hearing the call, the Underworld Princess beside him immediately woke up from her Dreamland, sitting up and rubbing her sleepy eyes.
However, before she could react, a precise hand chop landed on the back of her neck, followed by a familiar divine power tremor.
...I'll X you, you XX!
Melinoe, whose vision went black, cursed indignantly in her mind, and her consciousness immediately sank into boundless chaos.
Lorne looked at the unconscious Melinoe on the ground and explained with a sincere expression.
"How could I let you risk such a dangerous place as Elysium with me? If anything unexpected happened, it would be difficult for me to explain to the Queen of the Underworld. Alright, stay put, I'll come get you as soon as I'm done with things."
After speaking, he skillfully cast more than a dozen suppression, restraint, and unconsciousness spells on Melinoe, ensuring that the Goddess of Conspiracy would not awaken before he returned.
Only then did he get up and leave the grotto, sealing the exit with a large stone.
He had too many secrets, and Melinoe, this rebellious girl, was not only restless but also always wanted to take the opportunity to stab him twice.
To avoid too many uncontrollable variables during the trip to Elysium, Lorne naturally would not take her with him.
Knocking her out and hiding her, then leaving together after the matter was concluded, was a plan Lorne had considered from the very beginning.
But he was unfamiliar with the Underworld, and after much thought, the only places he could hide someone were the [Trial Court] and the [Arima Cave].
Although the former had King Minos as an insider, it was a public place with spirits and deities constantly coming and going, making it difficult to avoid prying eyes, and once exposed, the hidden dangers would be too great.
The latter, however, was rarely visited, had an "evil dog" inside, and being at the intersection of the human world and the Underworld, it was both offensive and defensive, making it an excellent hiding spot.
Therefore, this doghouse was not for Melinoe to live in, but specifically to imprison her.
Lorne smiled playfully, waved his hand to summon Cerberus from outside the cave, and instructed in a deep voice.
"Little Cerberus, guard the door well, don't let any Strangers in."
"Woof!"
"If I don't return after three days, or if the Gorgon emblem I left for you glows, take her out of the Underworld and don't let anyone find her!"
"Woof woof!"
Seeing the dozen or so more honey cakes and several jars of honey wine in front of him, Cerberus's three drooling heads immediately nodded excitedly.
Done!
After convincing this fierce guardian dog of the Underworld to collude with him, Lorne happily snapped his fingers.
This way, even if something unexpected happened along the way, he could use Melinoe as a trump card, serving as the last line of defense.
After making secure arrangements, Lorne walked out of the Arima Cave, concealed himself, and headed towards Elysium based on his previous memories.
~~
Due to his meticulous planning and Queen Persephone's cooperation, Lorne had an unobstructed journey and quickly and quietly reached the entrance of Elysium.
After the previous turmoil, the re-repaired and reinforced Wall of Sighs was even more majestic, with floating light patterns almost connecting heaven and earth, leaving no opportunity for Strangers.
However, Lorne, hidden in the shadows, looked at this natural chasm before him and couldn't help but want to laugh.
He recalled an allegorical story he had once read:
One day, the zoo keepers found that the kangaroos had escaped from their cages.
So they held a meeting and unanimously agreed that the cage height was too low.
Thus, they decided to increase the cage height from the original ten meters to twenty meters.
The next day, they found that the kangaroos had still gotten out, so they decided to increase the height to thirty meters.
Unexpectedly, the next day they saw all the kangaroos had gotten out again, so the keepers became very nervous and decided to go all out, increasing the cage height to one hundred meters.
A few days later, a giraffe chatted with some kangaroos, "Do you think these people will continue to raise your cages?" the giraffe asked.
"Hard to say," the kangaroo said, "if they keep forgetting to close the door."
The principle was actually the same; simply reinforcing the Wall of Sighs had no meaning in stopping him, a Stranger.
Because both King Minos and Queen of the Underworld had told him the keys to entering and exiting Elysium.
After a brief wait, Lorne, taking advantage of the rotation of the Underworld patrols outside the wall, slipped to the Wall of Sighs, then lightly tapped a few of the floating light patterns on it, and with practiced ease, opened the path into Elysium.
It seems that "Aesop's Fables" could be updated with another entry.
Lorne smiled, then flashed into the passage, effortlessly completing his infiltration.
Looking around, winding streams flowed, sweet fruit hung from branches, lush grass and flowers grew wildly, and residents stood like sculptures, their faces adorned with brilliant, eerie smiles, as if their spirits were immersed in some kind of ecstasy.
Everything remained unchanged.
Lorne carefully observed the nearby Elysium residents for a moment but remained clueless.
Their souls came from various sources: some were Nymphs, some were demigods, some were humans from the Golden Age and Silver Age, and there were even ancient divine beasts and ordinary humans...
Their strengths and weaknesses in life varied greatly, their territories differed, and their races were not consistent...
In short, apart from being collectively confined in Elysium, there was almost no consistent attribute.
Perhaps, there was also consistent happiness and smiles?
Lorne's gaze swept across the smiling faces of the residents, his eyes slightly narrowed, as he walked deeper into Elysium.
The last time he rescued someone, since Adonis, the target, was a newcomer to Elysium, he was automatically placed in the outer area.
Lorne found the pretty boy prince with almost no effort and abducted him amidst the chaos.
Therefore, their exploration of Elysium was not extensive.
Now that the opportunity was rare, he naturally wanted to learn more about this most mysterious area of the Underworld.
Even if he couldn't unravel the "secret" that Hecate possessed, deepening his understanding of Elysium was still beneficial.
Lorne pondered silently as he advanced deeper into Elysium.
As he continued to move, the figures of residents around him became more numerous.
Brilliant smiles still bloomed uniformly on their faces, the surrounding scenery became increasingly beautiful, increasingly unreal, and the eerie atmosphere grew thicker.
Unreal?
Lorne thoughtfully raised his hand and gently touched a butterfly perched on a flower; but his fingertip actually passed through the center of the butterfly.
Faint phosphorescence then scattered, dotting the flowers, grass, and rivers, forming even more dreamy and vivid colors.
It's a Dreamland creation!
Lorne suddenly realized, and his scanning gaze was quickly drawn to a peculiar gate standing in the center of a sea of flowers.
The frame of the gate was made of ox horn, and the center flowed like water, with various colorful hues and bizarre reflections appearing and disappearing within it.
Lorne approached to observe, his eyes flickering with a faint light.
Legend has it that Dreamland, where the Dream God Race resides, has two gates: one made of ox horn and one made of ivory.
Dreams passing through the horn gate provide truth; any mortal who dreams it will see reality.
But dreams passing through the ivory gate often deceive people, bringing them unfulfillable words and illusions.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was probably the gate connecting to the "True Dream."
Lorne looked back at the Elysium residents around him, with their identical smiles, like clay figures or wooden statues, and his eyes showed a thoughtful expression.
Could it be that these souls are all having the same dream?
—A "true" and "woven" dream?
After a moment of contemplation, he casually pulled a silver hair from his head and tied it around his wrist as a marker to remind himself to distinguish between Dreamland and reality.
Then he got up and stepped into the gate with the ox horn frame.