Death Knocks on Hell’s Door Chapter 55 Part 2

Chapter 55.2 Zhongyuan

The cloaked god opposite him remained as silent as ever, carrying his quiet defiance to the very end.

King Yan laughed. “What’s wrong with you Greek gods? One after another, you all come flocking to China. Is this some kind of team-building exercise?”

The moment those words left his lips, the divine energy surrounding Thanatos vanished instantly.

The young man’s red lips parted, and from beneath the shadow of his cloak, a voice cold as winter rang out.

“Poseidon?”

Thanatos had spoken only a single name, yet Yanluo understood his meaning instantly.

Retracting his Judge’s Brush, Yanluo asked, “You’re looking for him?”

Thanatos gave a small nod.

And so, that was how the two of them ended up standing at the entrance of the apartment complex together.

Yanluo had brought Thanatos home. On the way, he had already introduced himself as the Chinese King of Hell and had also asked Thanatos a great many questions.

After all, to know one’s enemy was the key to winning every battle. While Yanluo firmly believed that Chinese culture reigned supreme, that didn’t mean he was unwilling to learn about others. Belittling foreign cultures without understanding them was blind arrogance. True cultural confidence came from learning about all cultures, acknowledging their unique strengths, and still believing that one’s own culture was the best.

The Western gods who had previously moved into the apartment were either majored in oceanography or love and beauty, which were different from Yanluo’s research direction, leaving them with little common ground for conversation.

But now, someone from the same underworld realm had arrived, making this a highly valuable exchange. Yanluo’s blood was already boiling as he thought of debating with him for three hundred rounds.

Unfortunately, the entire way back had been a one-sided conversation. Thanatos, apart from stating Poseidon’s name at the very beginning, had not uttered a single word. His silence was lofty and unshaken.

This Western god was quite arrogant.

Yanluo clicked his tongue. Acting all high and mighty, on Chinese soil, no less?

Later, after witnessing Lucifer’s arrogance firsthand, Yanluo would look back on this moment and feel the need to apologize. Compared to Satan, Thanatos was downright adorable.

“……Thanatos?” Venus’ voice was filled with surprise.

Why would the God of Death come to China, accompanied by Yanluo?

Thanatos looked at Poseidon and went straight to the point. “King Hades wants you to return.”

Yanluo, who had been listening idly, immediately straightened up.

His first thought — Finally, this arrogant god speaks again.

His second thought — Wait, he wants to take away my money tree that could drop a divine artifact every month? No way.

Poseidon seemed completely unsurprised by Thanatos’ arrival. “Let’s talk upstairs.”

With that, the family of three led Thanatos toward Room 202 for a private discussion. Yanluo watched them go without protest. This was an internal matter among Greek gods, and he had no reason to interfere.

Inside Room 202.

Seated before Poseidon’s family, Thanatos felt marginally more at ease. Unlike with King Yan, he had interacted with Poseidon and Venus before. Speaking to them wasn’t nearly as difficult.

“Tell Hades that I won’t be returning anytime soon. Venus is pregnant, and a long journey would be too much for him. He needs to stay in the East and rest until he gives birth. If anything were to happen, Hades certainly can’t compensate me for a lost child.”

It was a perfectly reasonable excuse.

And considering that no one could predict how long a god’s pregnancy might last, Poseidon’s message meant he might not be going back for the next ten years.

Of course, this was nothing more than an excuse. Pregnancy wasn’t nearly as fragile a state as Poseidon made it seem, especially when he was pouring divine power into Venus to reinforce their child’s divine essence without the slightest hesitation. The truth was, he simply didn’t want to go back. Life in the East was peaceful, leisurely, and free from responsibilities. After working for so long, he figured he deserved a proper vacation with his wife and child.

Thanatos had never been pregnant himself. Moreover, he lacked any connection to the domain of fertility, so he had no real knowledge of how weak or strong one might be during the process.

He believed Poseidon’s nonsense.

The God of Death fell silent. This matter concerned a small life, and he could not forcibly persuade Poseidon’s family to return to Greece now. But King Hades also said that if he could not bring Poseidon back, he wasn’t to return either.

Thanatos thought for three seconds. Then he made his decision. Until Venus gave birth, he would remain in the East. After all, he had no choice. This was his king’s command.

Far away in Greece, Hades had no idea that this was how Thanatos had interpreted his words. Not only was he now stuck doing two jobs, but he had also just lost his most reliable subordinate.

At last, Poseidon showed some interest in Greece. “How are things back home?”

Thanatos answered calmly, “The God of Fire has overthrown Zeus.”

Venus’ eyes widened in shock. “He actually did such a big thing?”

Poseidon sneered. “Got it cheaply.”

Venus: “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”

Cupid suddenly said, “Oh, right! Father, I totally forgot to tell you that when we went to the sea realm to rescue you, we knew that Dad wasn’t there at the time…… He was actually attacking Mount Olympus. He was this close to overthrowing Zeus and taking the throne, but then you ran away. He gave up the chance to become King of the Gods and came looking for you instead.”

Venus: “……And you just forgot to mention this?”

So that was why Poseidon had been so busy back then. He had been plotting a coup?

Venus turned to him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Poseidon answered matter-of-factly, “It didn’t succeed. No point in talking about it.”

His thirst for power had waned. Now, Venus alone was enough to satisfy all his desires. The attack on Olympus had never been about the throne but about about punishing Zeus, about avenging Venus.

Cupid, for his part, felt unfairly accused. Back then, he had barely known Poseidon and had only found him terrifying. His father never wanted to hear that name spoken, so of course, he hadn’t brought it up.

When Venus and Cupid left for the East, Poseidon had soon followed. For a brief moment, Zeus had thought he could finally breathe easy. But he never expected that the one son he had never worried about, Hephaestus, would directly overthrow him and become the fourth King of the Gods.

Zeus had always feared that one of his sons would fulfill the prophecy and usurp him. He had kept a wary eye on Ares and guarded himself against Apollo, but in the end, the curse had come true through Hephaestus.

Hephaestus imprisoned Zeus and Ares in Tartarus hell for harming Venus. The former King of the Gods had fallen from grace, and among all the lovers he had once had, not a single one pleaded for his release. In the end, only Hera volunteered to follow Zeus into the abyss.

Hephaestus granted her request.

Hephaestus had cast his own parents and brother into the depths of Tartarus. The wife and child he had once loved now belonged to another. Although he now sat upon the highest throne, basking in supreme glory and unrivaled power, all he truly had was a cold, empty seat.

However, he was a wise ruler. His first decree was to free Prometheus, whose liver was pecked by a vulture for eternity. He would be revered and respected.

Thanatos had been a mere observer through it all.

Whether it was the struggle between the divine mountain and the sea realm or the infighting within Mount Olympus itself, the underworld stayed entirely neutral. For Thanatos, his sole mission now was to wait for Venus’ child to be born and then escort Poseidon back to Greece.

But he didn’t know how long it would take for the child to be born. In the meantime, he needed a place to stay. To monitor Venus’ condition at all times, it had to be nearby, preferably with them.

Thanatos stepped outside and descended the stairs.

Yanluo was still standing at the stairwell, listening intently for any movement upstairs.

He was extremely concerned about whether the golden goose he had found would be taken away by the Greek God of Death.

Thanatos walked down the stairs, his long robe dragging across the carpet. His massive scythe had already been tucked away, and his cloak once again shrouded him completely that not even his chin was visible. He was silent, low-key, and utterly unreadable.

Yanluo seriously doubted if Thanatos could even see where he was going like that. Maybe his robe had some kind of mystical power thay allowed him to see everything even with his eyes blocked.

Thanatos walked up to Yanluo and uttered two concise words, “Rent room.”

Not a single word more.

But his voice was like moonlight on a quiet spring, cool and clear.

Yanluo smiled. Since Thanatos was choosing to stay and rent, that meant his money tree wasn’t leaving. In fact, he had just gained another one.

“One unit, 100,000 underworld coins per month. I did the conversion for you, it’s about a million in your currency.”

“……”

Without hesitation, Thanatos turned and walked straight out the door.

Heartless capitalist.

It was too expensive. He needed to find another place.

“All the non-human residences here are full. Unless you want to deal with humans? Which I doubt you do. Not very fitting, either.” Yanluo’s words stopped him. “If you co-rent with me, I’ll cut the price in half. Do you want to come to 401?”

Yanluo wasn’t about to let go of a foreign god from the same profession. So what if he was aloof? They would become familiar with each other after being flatmates for a few more days.

At least, that was what Yanluo thought.

He had no idea that Poseidon and Thanatos were still practically strangers even after spending three centuries together.

Thanatos stopped in his tracks.

The introverted and socially anxious person did not want to share a living space.

But the introverted and socially anxious person had to bow to financial pressure.

He turned back and nodded his head slightly.

Deal.

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