"Thank you for your kindness, great Goddess Hephaestus!"
Only after hearing Hephaestus speak did Jason finally let out a sigh of relief.
Hephaestus glanced at the grateful Jason, quietly averted her gaze, and looked a little guilty.
The truth was that at first, she had not cared about any tribute at all...
Athena's evaluation of Hephaestus was that she was the complete opposite of Artemis: the most difficult yet also the easiest goddess to deal with.
The main reason was that Hephaestus simply did not care about tributes.
What made her "most difficult" was her identity as the God of Craftsmanship.
As the God of Craftsmanship, anything she desired, anything she could imagine, she could almost always create with her own ingenious hands.
Thus, although she lacked the favor of the gods and was even neglected by them, she was, in the end, the same as Artemis: she lacked nothing.
Gods and heroes often came to her with requests, and the mountains of treasure had accumulated precisely because of this.
At the same time, because she was the God of Craftsmanship who pursued absolute perfection in forging, any tribute offered to her could not have the slightest flaw.
What made her "easiest" was that since she had no expectations for tributes, as long as Jason did not anger her, almost anything he offered would probably be accepted.
But clearly, such good fortune was no longer available now.
"Ahem, that will be all for now, child. Stay here for the time being." Hephaestus gave a light cough and then said to Jason, "There is no rush regarding the tribute. Rest well first."
With that, she gently clapped her hands.
Soon, the three maids who had previously guided Jason entered together and escorted him out.
Watching Jason leave, Hephaestus fell into silence.
"Seeking the past, is it?... But what past is he seeking? Could it be the throne?... No, that does not seem right, yet he was not lying."
After murmuring to herself for a while, Hephaestus could not help smiling. "A very interesting child. No wonder Athena and the others pay so much attention to him.
So, little Jason, what kind of tribute will you offer me?"
After unconsciously saying this, she suddenly froze.
"...Am I looking forward to it?"
Then Hephaestus placed a hand on her full chest and whispered, "It has been a very long time since I last felt this way."
That very night,
in her own temple, Athena gazed toward Hephaestus's temple from afar.
When she noticed that Jason had not left the temple, the corners of her mouth curved upward. "As I thought... Hephaestus, you have been captivated by this child too?
Ah, as expected of little Jason. At this rate, the only gods who will not be paying attention to you are the Goddess of Beauty and that war god.
In that case, what will you offer Hephaestus?
And what will you obtain from Hephaestus?"
Within the radiant temple of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, surrounded by the puzzled gazes of the nymphs who served her, Athena picked up the lyre she had secretly taken from Jason and happily began to play beautiful music.
That same night, in the vast bath of Hephaestus's temple,
"Lord Jason, are you truly certain you do not require our service?"
Three automatons of different styles: princess, female warrior, and queen, stared expressionlessly at Jason, who stood with his arms crossed.
"No, really, I'm fine!" Jason shook his head repeatedly.
"Is that so... That is truly regrettable."
The queen maid said this with visible disappointment before leaving the bath.
Watching them depart, Jason wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered, "Are these really automatons and not real humans?... Lady Hephaestus is a little too amazing, isn't she?
To think there are over a hundred automatons of every style, capable of fulfilling any fantasy, portable and ready to use at any time..."
The more he thought about it, the more Jason hurriedly shook his head to dispel the thought.
I can't keep thinking about this. If I do, the brakes on this train of thought will fail!
"If Hephaestus is this incredible, then what can I possibly offer her?... Romance?
No, she is different from Goddess Artemis. Although she probably isn't completely uninterested... it clearly won't work.
But on the other hand, isn't Hephaestus a little too much of a perfectionist? Compared to the automatons she makes, Teacher Hecate's are practically perfunctory..."
Jason soaked in the water and pondered for a long time, yet still could not figure it out. After all, they had known each other for too short a time.
"This won't do... I should ask them."
With that thought, Jason got out of the bath and actively sought out the automatons to inquire about Hephaestus.
Although the automatons answered every question Jason asked, he ultimately gained no particularly valuable information from them.
According to many of the female automatons, Hephaestus had not left her temple in a very long time. Some even said that since their creation, they had never seen Hephaestus leave.
Even when King of Gods Zeus summoned her, she mostly sent automatons in her place.
Was it because of her legs?
Recalling Hephaestus seated in her wheelchair, Jason naturally wondered this, but immediately dismissed the idea.
The reason was simple: she was the God of Craftsmanship. Even if the injury to her legs could not be healed, she could easily craft mechanical legs or something similar.
Thus Jason understood: Hephaestus was similar to his teacher Hecate. Both were reclusive goddesses...
One studied magic, the other studied forging.
In the blink of an eye, Jason had already stayed in Hephaestus's temple for three days.
During these three days, Hephaestus only met Jason at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The rest of the time, she remained in her own room.
Seeing this, Jason could not help feeling a sense of déjà vu whenever he looked at Hephaestus, as though he were looking at Hecate...
And the two shared another striking similarity: they left even daily chores entirely to their automatons.
After three days, Jason still had not thought of a suitable tribute for Hephaestus.
He examined everything he possessed and found nothing appropriate, which distressed him greatly.
He could not possibly offer his chastity, after all...
Jason could not imagine what Hephaestus lacked, nor could he think of anything that would satisfy her.
Even though he repeatedly pondered the oracle Athena had given him, he found no answer in the short term.
Time passed just like this for an entire week.
One morning a week later,
while Hephaestus and Jason were quietly having breakfast together again, Hephaestus suddenly spoke. "You do not need to remain here any longer, Jason."
Under Jason's slightly stunned gaze, Hephaestus said softly, "I am in no hurry for your tribute. Come find me again when you are ready... After all, there are people waiting for you outside."
Hearing Hephaestus's words, Jason looked at her and saw that her amber eyes were exceptionally calm.
It was the calm of someone long accustomed to waiting without any expectation...
If this had been several days ago, Jason might have thanked Hephaestus profusely for her kindness and left.
But a week had already passed. They saw each other every day. Even though they had not spoken much, Jason was not stupid.
Hephaestus was clearly looking forward to his gift.
She only decided to let him leave because she now understood that continuing like this would yield no result...
She looked forward to it, yet held no hope.
The moment Jason realized this, Athena's oracle suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Remember this, Jason.
If Artemis is the goddess who possesses everything and is beloved by all, making her both the easiest and the most difficult goddess to deal with,
then Hephaestus is the goddess who possesses nothing and is neglected by all, making her the most difficult yet also the easiest goddess to deal with!"
Possessing everything.
Possessing nothing.
That's right. Hephaestus possessed nothing!
No, I was wrong... I never found a tribute because I unconsciously treated her the same as Teacher Hecate!
At this moment, Jason suddenly awoke to the truth.
Hephaestus was different from Teacher Hecate... completely different!
Although both were reclusive goddesses, Hecate stayed home of her own accord and truly had no interest in the outside world.
Even if the world were destroyed, she probably would not bother to take a look!
But although Hephaestus stayed home, she was one of the main gods of Olympus, and whenever heroes or gods came to her with requests, she always granted them!
She was actually waiting... She had simply been disappointed too many times and no longer held hope for any expectation.
Just as Athena had said, she... possessed nothing!
At the same moment, Jason also understood something else... Ever since entering this temple, he had felt a faint sense of incongruity.
Now, Jason finally realized where that incongruity came from.
It came from the exquisite automatons that could be seen everywhere in the temple!
They were too exquisite, practically indistinguishable from real humans!
One could certainly say this was the result of Hephaestus's pursuit of perfection, but that was not right. There were simply too many of them, and most importantly,
every single one was completely unique!
Hundreds of entirely different automatons bustling about the temple... If Hephaestus truly treated them as mere tools, no matter how much of a perfectionist she was, she would not make every single one different.
Yet automatons were still automatons. Even though Hephaestus had poured her heart into filling every corner of the temple with them,
the moment Jason first entered the temple, he had felt it: the entire place lacked life. It was cold, oppressive, and made him slightly uncomfortable...
Therefore, she was clearly completely different from Teacher Hecate.
Hephaestus possessed nothing, yet still harbored expectation in her heart while long accustomed to receiving no results.
Thus, at this moment, Jason suddenly had an inkling of what tribute would satisfy Hephaestus the most.
That very night...
"Jason should have left by now."
Hephaestus, emerging from her forging room, thought this to herself. When she arrived in the main hall, she found Jason, who had been waiting for her for a long time.
Hephaestus froze for a moment before saying to Jason, "Why have you not left?... You should not waste any more time here."
"I cannot leave because I have not yet offered you my tribute, Lady Hephaestus."
Hearing this, Hephaestus asked with slight curiosity, "Then have you decided what to offer me?"
"No." Jason shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
"..."
Hephaestus fell silent and frowned at Jason.
"Goddess Hephaestus, right now I cannot offer you anything, because I know none of it would satisfy you."
Jason said softly to Hephaestus, "Treasures, weapons, or the blessings I have received from other gods: none of these interest you.
Therefore, Goddess Hephaestus, I hope you will grant me one request."
"Speak." Hephaestus replied calmly. "As long as it is within my power, I will grant it."
"Then, Goddess Hephaestus, from this day forward, I hope... you will take me as your disciple!"
When Jason said this seriously, Hephaestus froze.
Then, after recovering, she looked at Jason with visible astonishment.
Clearly, this was an answer she had never even considered.
"What did you just... say?"
"Goddess Hephaestus, I hope you will accept me as your disciple."
Jason remained serious and said clearly to the wide-eyed Hephaestus, "And teach me your forging techniques!"
Hephaestus was the God of Craftsmanship who could create almost anything, yet there was one thing she had tried countless times yet could never create.
That was the elusive thing called emotion... Even as the God of Craftsmanship, she alone could not recreate the miracle of Pandora.
Therefore, what should be given to her, just like with Artemis, should not be a physical object.
Yet herein lay the contradiction: Hephaestus was the God of Craftsmanship, so naturally the more exquisite the tribute, the better.
Thus Jason had also considered teaching her knowledge from the future and creating things this world had never seen to satisfy her.
He had simply always felt something was off, that it did not match Athena's oracle, which was why he had hesitated.
But now... he had found the answer.
"...Are you certain?" Hephaestus widened her amber eyes and stared at Jason. "You are truly certain... that you want me to be your teacher?!"
"Yes." Jason nodded and said earnestly, "And when I have learned enough that I will not disgrace the name of Goddess Hephaestus's student,
the first thing I forge... I hope you, Teacher, will accept it!"