"Woof woof... woof!"
Cerberus, who had barked in confusion twice, looked around and soon locked all six of its large eyes on Jason.
"Woof woof, Jason!"
"Jason, why are you here!"
"Jason, Jason, hurry and take me out of here. It's so scary!"
Cerberus, with its eyes wide open, called out and ran toward Jason.
"Annoying."
But the barking from its three heads clearly irritated this great primordial deity.
Thus, in the next second, Cerberus's body seemed as if time had stopped for it, maintaining a stiff pose and freezing in place right in front of Jason.
"As you can see, the child is fine... I can also let you take it away with you."
After dealing with Cerberus, the old man smiled and looked at Jason.
"But there is one condition."
"Great primordial deity, God of the Abyss Tartarus, please speak," Jason replied respectfully.
"Offer tribute to me." The words of the God of the Abyss Tartarus immediately made Jason's eyes widen a fraction more.
"I know about what you've been doing outside. The tributes you offered to those children were very interesting... Child, I won't make things difficult for you. You just need to offer something that can make me feel interested."
"Something that can make the great you feel interested." Jason's brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Tartarus.
"Yes." The old man nodded and said to Jason, "As long as it makes me feel interested... Whether it's a story, an item, or... a piece of music, it will do."
The God of the Abyss Tartarus truly was not making things difficult for Jason, because here, he had actually already made it clear...
He simply wanted to hear Jason play a piece of music.
That day, Jason's qin music had resounded throughout the entire Underworld, and Tartarus had naturally heard it as well.
And evidently, Tartarus had developed a certain interest in it.
"Something that feels interesting, huh..."
However, it was clear that Jason had not noticed this, because as he muttered softly, thinking of Tartarus's identity, the endless time he possessed, and this empty abyss.
For a moment, Jason unconsciously thought of something else entirely.
He thought of that thing which, before his transmigration, he would often see in novels, and which the gods of his homeland all liked to play with.
It was called—Go!
"Great primordial deity, God of the Abyss Tartarus, I have a small toy here... I think you might take a bit of interest in it."
"Oh?" Tartarus looked at Jason somewhat strangely and said, "What small toy? Take it out and let me see."
"Tartarus, I need some tools to make it, but I don't have those tools on hand right now..."
"It's fine." Before Jason could finish speaking, Tartarus interrupted him and said, "You just describe its form directly, and I can manifest it right here."
Upon hearing this, Jason described the Go board: nineteen horizontal and nineteen vertical lines of equal distance, perpendicularly intersecting to form a total of 19×19=361 intersection points.
He also described the requirements for the pieces: divided into black and white, mostly flat and round in shape, with 180 black pieces and 180 white pieces.
And according to Jason's requirements, Tartarus manifested the Go board and pieces out of thin air in this abyss.
However, just like Cerberus, which was now off to the side maintaining its fixed state and looking at Jason with a bewildered expression.
Tartarus, who had furrowed his brows slightly and taken the form of an old man, also looked at Jason in puzzlement, then at the things before him.
He did not know how this thing was interesting.
"Tartarus, this thing is played like this. It's called Go, and what we have in our hands are called pieces.
Black goes first, then white, taking turns to place one piece on the points of the board. Once a piece is placed, it no longer moves to other points, and then..."
Jason had Tartarus hold the white pieces while he himself held the black ones.
He then taught him a game.
The reason Jason suddenly thought of Go was actually quite simple. Who these days hasn't read a few web novels?
And whenever it involved gods or immortals, especially from the orthodox Eastern side, it would basically mention this thing a bit.
Something about using heaven and earth as the board, all living beings as pieces, playing a game that spans hundreds or thousands of years.
Though he didn't understand it, it inexplicably always seemed really cool.
Therefore, the boy before his transmigration had even specifically researched what Go was and how to play it.
So Jason wouldn't say he had a high level of skill, but he understood the basic rules.
Then looking at Tartarus... a primordial deity with infinite time, and the embodiment of the abyss itself, a big shot among the gods.
When he mentioned a toy he was interested in, Jason immediately associated it with Go.
And so...
"Take this, God's Hand!"
With a slap, Jason placed the black piece in his hand down, then looked at Tartarus smugly and said, "Tartarus, you lost..."
Just after saying that, Jason suddenly froze for a moment.
Then he looked around at where this was, and at Cerberus frozen motionless in the distance...
Oh crap, how did I end up beating Tartarus!
In an instant, Jason's entire body went rigid.
However, Tartarus did not get angry, because after this game, Tartarus had already somewhat figured out how to play Go.
He wouldn't say he fell in love with Go all at once, but he did develop a bit of interest.
He felt that this toy was somewhat intriguing.
"Mm, you won... Child, let's play another game."
"G-Good... alright..." Jason replied awkwardly.
Then, the two played another game.
Who knew that halfway through, Tartarus suddenly said to Jason, "Child, your level shouldn't be like this... Don't you know that one shouldn't lie to gods? Show your true level. Even if I lose, it's not worth getting angry at a child like you."
Upon hearing this, Jason could only steel himself and play seriously.
Thus, Jason won again.
Tartarus then requested another game.
Jason won yet again.
Tartarus requested yet another game.
Finally, as expected, Jason won once more.
Next...
After ten games, Jason wanted to cry.
Looking at Tartarus, whose expression had gradually darkened somewhat, Jason really wanted to cry.
Because he could clearly feel that now the entire endless abyss was trembling slightly...
Tartarus, you said you wouldn't get angry!
Speaking of which, I'm such an idiot. Why did I bring this thing out!
"Again!" Tartarus said to Jason.
"Tartarus, Teacher Hecate and Brother-in-law Hades are still waiting for me outside. You see..." Jason probed cautiously.
"What, you want to leave after winning!" Tartarus glared at Jason and said, "How about this: let me win one game, and I'll let you leave... What, do you think I can't beat you!"
"N-No, of course not, but... it's just that, that..."
While Jason was racking his brains, thinking of a way to escape... He couldn't afford not to. If he kept winning like this, he might just get slapped to death by an enraged Tartarus!
As for intentionally throwing the game... emmm, that would also be courting death!
This is too hard. I'm really having it too hard.
Tartarus's body suddenly paused for a moment, then he turned his head toward a certain part of the abyss and furrowed his brows for a while.
"Child, He is looking for you."
"He..." Jason froze for a moment, then quickly reacted.
After all, in this abyss, aside from Tartarus, the only one Jason knew was that one.
Before, Jason might have hesitated about whether to go see Him, but now...
"Tartarus, I understand. I'll go see Him right away!"
With a swish, Jason drew the demon spear, preparing to go see Typhon.
At the same time, to ensure he could escape smoothly, Jason unhesitatingly pointed at Cerberus to the side and said, "Oh, right, Tartarus, just now Cerberus was watching us play the whole time. I think it's learned it too, so if you want to continue playing, you can play with it!"
With that said, Jason slipped away at top speed.
And the Cerberus, bound by Tartarus's power, could only watch with wide eyes as Jason sold it out and ran off...
"Right, I forgot I still have you."
Reminded by Jason like this, Tartarus suddenly realized and looked at the innocent Hellhound Cerberus, then released the bindings on it.
He said to it, "Come here, little dog. Accompany me in a game!"
Faced with the pressure from Tartarus, Cerberus naturally did not dare refuse, and so after a short while...
"Is this how you play Go? With one paw, you've wrecked the board! You stupid dog, you're so big now and still don't know how to transform yourself?
Hurry up, transform for me!"
Even as he ran far away, Jason could still hear Tartarus's angry voice.
Then, after some time passed, guided by the demon spear in his hand, Jason arrived before Typhon, who had taken the form of a bewitching goddess in the endless abyss.
"Child, you..."
Seeing Jason, Typhon revealed a seductive smile, but before she could say anything.
"Typhon, thank you so much. Really, thank you so much!" Jason, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, said to Typhon with immense gratitude.
Seeing this, Typhon was stunned.
Because even the last time Jason obtained the demon spear and defeated the hundred-headed dragon Ladon, the gratitude he felt then was not as intense as now.
This child... what exactly had he just encountered?
Now, connecting it to the abyss that had been trembling nonstop just now, as if in anger, Typhon could not help but grow curious.
In fact, if not for the abyss's anger awakening her, Typhon truly would not have known that Jason had come.