"All beings who obey my sacred laws and have contributed to the universe's flourishing, all who are pure, good, and unsullied, may ascend to 'Heaven.'"
"All who have rendered outstanding service to the cosmos and staked themselves on the survival of all beings may enter my 'Paradise' and enjoy eternal happiness and glory."
"I am the Lord of the Sky, King of All Gods, the God above gods! I am also Lord of the God-Realm, King of Heaven, and God of Paradise! I shall protect all gods and all beings who obey the sacred just order, and I shall grant to every worthy one endless happiness and glory! This is the eternal sacred covenant I establish with you!"
Styx was the first to step forward and cry out loudly: "His Majesty is benevolent and wise! Praise to the all-good and compassionate, righteous and faithful God-King Zeus!"
Themis, Mnemosyne, Hera, Metis, and many other goddesses closest to the God-King likewise responded in unison at once.
Since an example had been set, the gods hurried to call out together: "His Majesty is benevolent and wise! Praise to the all-good and compassionate, righteous and faithful God-King Zeus!"
Zeus nodded lightly, motioning the gods to quiet, then said, "You have set aside all else and endured great labor to come celebrate me. I am overjoyed and deeply gratified. Today, all of you are my honored guests."
"As you have shown me respect, I shall surely repay you with grace."
A gentle smile appeared upon the God-King's majestic face.
He gave a slight wave of the thunder-scepter in his hand and said in a slow yet ringing voice: "Today is a celebration for the entire universe! I hereby grant that every god present today, regardless of rank, shall receive one jar of god-wine and one platter of divine fare!"
"His Majesty is enlightened!" the gods cried again, their thanks resounding without end.
This time they shouted with truly the greatest fervor—and with the deepest sincerity.
Zeus raised a hand to still their cheers, then said: "Relations among beings should be founded on 'faith' and grounded in 'benevolence.' Mutual respect and mutual aid are the path to peace and tranquility. Whether facing familiar kin and friends, or strangers, one must put goodness first."
"I do not wish for this world to harbor deceitful, faithless folk. I do not wish all beings to guard against and slaughter each other. That is not my desire, still less the way to cosmic prosperity."
"Today you gods come to pay court to me to show respect to me. I shall likewise repay you with grace. And the beings of the universe should take this sacred gathering of today as an eternal model."
"Here, in the name of Zeus, Sovereign of the Universe, King of All Gods, Father of All Beings, I proclaim: From this day forth, whenever guests come to one's door, whether known or unknown, the host is obligated to receive them warmly, to provide them with food, lodging, bath, and gifts; the host shall not proactively inquire into the guest's origins or purpose, and must not harm or plunder the guest!"
"And guests, as those received, are likewise obligated to respect the host's home and customs; they must not bring trouble or harm upon the host; they must not greedily, deceitfully, or violently injure the host or the host's kin and friends. Upon departure, they should express thanks, and when necessary, repay with equal kindness."
"From this day forth, I am the sacred protector of all guests! This is my—Zeus's Right of Hospitality! If either side violates this, they shall surely suffer the severe punishment of my sacred, just thunder!"
The gods again answered in unison, and this time they were wholly convinced in their hearts.
Under the God-King's sacred and righteous decree, the entire universe was renewed.
In the new era, under the new just order, no civilization would ever again become that pitiful "dark forest" of mutual suspicion and mutual destruction.
The God-King was truly a gentle and magnanimous deity!
All had come to pay court to the God-King; that was only right.
But His Majesty also extended himself by analogy and established this sacred and merciful law for all beings.
The God-King was indeed great!
Zeus then cast his gaze upon the three special goddesses standing cautiously and reservedly behind Gaia—the Erinyes (Furies).
These three were formed from the earliest drops of the Lord of Spirit's blood, from the largest pool of spirited blood.
They were the only bearers of law-authority among Uranus's last triune lives.
They were the embodiments of "hate" and "loathing" among that former Sky-Lord's endless negative emotions.
This also meant that these three goddesses were not conventionally beautiful; the aura around them was notably grim and cold.
They were three matronly goddesses whose charms still remained, and their faces were comely.
Only their eyes were blood-red, filled with an unquenchable, piercing cold hatred.
Their teeth were sharp, with two tusks slightly protruding beyond their lips. A pair of bat-like, sinew-membraned, baleful black wings grew on their backs, which even when folded still exuded a baleful air.
Especially their hair, which was formed by countless poisonous snakes in blue, green, black, red, and other hues tangled together.
Ordinarily, these vipers would rise and fall, horribly flicking forked tongues and hissing threateningly.
But on so sacred and solemn an occasion as today, these snakes-for-hair behaved very obediently.
Each and every one squeezed its eyes shut, drew in its tongue, and clamped its mouth tight—playing dead, all of them.
Usually they would hold burning torches, long whips woven of venomous snakes, and blood-dripping swords as weapons.
Of course, at this sacred Assembly of All Gods, none of the gods carried weapons, and so they too stood empty-handed.
Zeus could not help the impertinent thought: perhaps my foolish little brother might like their type.
Though these three were nobly born and extremely powerful, the truth was that the current universe had no room for their honor.
After Uranus's ascension to the heavens, the primordial Titans who formed the new ruling order of the cosmos found the very sight of these incarnations of Uranus's hatred deeply repugnant.
If not for Mother Gaia's protection, their days would be exceedingly hard.
At this moment, the three goddesses stood very reservedly behind Mother Gaia, doing their utmost to restrain their aura, terrified of being noticed by the great gods upon their high thrones—keeping as low a profile as they could.
If not for this audience with the God-King being the greatest and most urgent matter in the present universe, they truly would not have wished to show themselves at all.
And now the God-King Zeus's gaze had indeed fallen straight upon them.
They all lowered their heads in unison, screaming inwardly: Don't see me! Don't see me! He's definitely not looking at me!
"Erinyes, step forward," said Zeus—shattering their last hope.
Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, hearing this, grew instantly, extremely uneasy.
They had no idea why the great God-King had suddenly summoned them and were inwardly lamenting.
But they did not dare the slightest resistance. They quickly stepped out from behind Gaia, came before the hall, and bowed deeply to the God-King: "Alecto (Megaera) (Tisiphone), pay homage to the supreme, sacred, and great God-King."
With a gentle attitude, Zeus smiled and said slowly, "Erinyes, you are remnants of the old order."
At that, the three poor goddesses trembled—but before they could react, Zeus continued, "However, you have not violated my order."
"You too are deities born of the Lord of Spirit and the great Mother of All Things. You too possess most noble blood. My brand-new sacred just order welcomes you."
"Are you willing to obey my will and receive my grant?"
Hearing this, the three Furies froze, then their endless unease transformed in an instant into wild joy!
So they were to be integrated into the new order?! Blessings from the blue!
Without hesitation they dropped to one knee and cried in voices stirred from the deepest part of their divinity: "Great God-King! We thank you for your grace! We are more than willing to obey your will and to fulfill your sacred just order unto death! Let you and the great Mother be our witnesses!"
Zeus nodded with a smile and said slowly, "Rise. In my sacred just order, the gods need not kneel at random."
"Thank you for your generosity and magnanimity!" the three Furies said, rising slowly, though they still bowed deeply and did not dare stand straight.
Zeus looked around at the gods, then said with majesty: "In my sacred just order, those who advocate and practice it shall not lack for reward; but those who defy and destroy it shall surely be severely punished!"
"Rewarding merit and punishing fault—that is proper doctrine."
"I know well that the gods arise for many reasons, each different and each with its own nature. To force the gods to act against their natures is not the right path, still less my order."
"But to indulge every whim is likewise not conducive to the good of the universe's beings nor beneficial to the gods themselves."
"The nobility of divinity should be born of nature, then govern nature, and finally transcend nature."
"The nobility of divinity must spring from 'self-restraint.' The god should control the id, not vice versa—being controlled by one's nature, allowing primitive impulses and desires to completely dominate the self. If it is so, then it is the chaos of disorder."
"And 'disorder' is the greatest destruction of my order and the greatest destruction of the whole universe. If the gods all act on impulse, in the end, all existence shall be devoured by the ultimate chaotic nothingness of disorder."
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