Erica, wearing a trench coat, walked alone along the winding path of hell.
There was a crow sitting on her shoulder, its eyes always wide open, surveying the strange scenery of the underworld with Erica.
The underworld is not as chaotic and terrifying as Erica expected. There is no strong smell of death here.
On the contrary, in this quiet and peaceful atmosphere, the dead atmosphere seems to have been softened a lot.
The soil of hell is covered with a layer of green grass, and the ferocious souls are no longer here.
It is surrounded by towering exquisite sculptures and majestic buildings.
The light blue sky is clear and transparent, without a trace of clouds.
Only those blue birds, like ethereal souls, soar in the sky.
Erica walked slowly along this mysterious land, her eyes falling on the grass on both sides from time to time, where flowers were occasionally dotted.
These flowers are colorful, and each petal seems to be releasing a faint green smoke.
With the breeze, the petals sway gently, showing an extremely light beauty.
But Erica was not surprised by the beautiful scenery in front of her.
Because Vega’s words still echoed in her mind:
'Victor is dead, so he cannot leave the underworld. '
'If you want to take him back, you can only get permission from Hades. '
In just a few words, Erica felt the enormity of the task.
She learned from the words of Professor Victor and Vega that the terrifying giant she had just challenged was the ruler of the underworld——
Hades.
That battle has passed for a long time, but Hades's fierce pressure still lingers in Erica's heart.
His terrifying flaming body and the power that could easily tear apart space echoed deep in Erica's heart like a nightmare.
And now, she must face Pluto again to save Professor Victor.
This made Erica feel unprecedented despair.
How could she possibly convince such a being?
The angry gesture of Pluto when he left was still vivid in her mind, and she was worried that she would have encountered his angry sanctions before she even opened her mouth.
At the same time, she passed through a majestic complex of buildings and statues.
After walking through lush grass, we finally came to a peaceful river.
A faint blue mist floated on the river, like a cold ghost dancing lightly above the water.
An icy breath seeped into Erica's breathing, making her feel a biting coldness and deep despair.
It was as if his whole body was tightly wrapped in frost, and he was extremely exhausted.
Fortunately, Vega called softly on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality from the hallucination.
Erica patted her chest with lingering fear and took a few deep breaths.
She turned her attention to the river again.
The river was wide and deep, and when Erica looked across the river, she could only vaguely see its edge.
The river was calm and calm, looking dark and deep.
There are countless such rivers in the underworld, and they are intricately criss-crossed, like a huge net.
And this river is the closest to the gate to hell and the closest to the human world.
Through this river, you can leave the underworld, and you can also go deep into the hell.
As Erica stared at the river, Victor's voice sounded in her heart:
"Stand here and don't move. Someone will come to pick you up and cross the river soon."
"Remember, don't talk, don't make any noise, and don't look back when crossing the river. The same goes for when getting on and off the boat."
"Also, prepare gold coins and give them to the boatman."
Hearing the familiar voice in her heart, Erica nodded slightly.
This River Styx was led here by Professor Victor.
He said he wanted her to cross the river to find a friend she had never met.
Although Erica didn't understand why Professor Victor was so familiar with the underworld, it was as if he had been there countless times.
But she knew that now in this unfamiliar place, she had to follow Victor's guidance.
Erica clearly remembered her purpose.
To take Professor Victor out of hell.
Soon, a thick layer of white smoke silently rose from the Styx River.
The smoke was as thick as milk, obscuring the surface of the river and even preventing Erica from seeing the deep black water.
The misty smoke enveloped the entire river, like a veil, even slowly drifting to both sides of the river banks.
Erica stared at the white smoke in front of her eyes, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.
From the thick smoke, she vaguely saw a transparent hull that seemed to be floating on the water.
In the boat stood a boatman wearing a large and bulky cloak.
His figure was mysterious and unpredictable, holding a long pole in his hand as he slowly rowed on the River Styx.
Erica observed the scene in front of her and felt a sense of horror.
On this dark River Styx, there are still people who can row boats. This is really weird.
Moreover, she always felt that the boatman under the cloak looked extremely scary.
Erica swallowed nervously, not even daring to breathe or say a word.
However, as the transparent hull gradually approached the shore, she finally saw the true appearance of the boatman.
It turned out that the bloat under the cloak was made of countless gold coins, and they were hung all over his body.
Even the boat pole in his hand is made of shining gold.
But what frightens Erica even more is the boatman’s true appearance hidden under his cloak——
A dark and shriveled skeleton, with an emaciated head and hands, gave off a gloomy aura.
Pale smoke floated in the skull's eye sockets, and its teeth were also made of pure gold.
Erica could not imagine how such a weak body could support such a heavy gold coin decoration.
At this moment, she didn't want to dwell on these strange things anymore, because the sight in front of her was enough to make her feel suffocated.
Immediately afterwards, the skeleton boatman approached the shore and stretched out his dry and dark three-fingered palm towards her.
Erica was stunned for a moment, and suddenly remembered Professor Victor's instructions.
She hurriedly took out two gold coins from Victor's trench coat pocket.
Erica looked at the two gold coins, feeling a little guilty and twitching her lips in embarrassment.
It should be okay to spend the professor's money.
When the gold coin landed on the boatman's hand, he withdrew his arm.
He examined it, struck the gold coin, listened to the sound, and even bit it with his gold teeth.
After confirming that the gold coin was genuine, he put the gold coin into a cloth bag on his shoulder, making a crisp jingle.
jingle——
A crisp sound reached Erica's ears, which was the sound of gold coins colliding with each other.
The boatman moved slightly toward the stern of the boat, making room for Erica to stand.
She stared at the transparent boat, her heart turbulent.
Is this possible?…
But we have come this far, and now there is no way to turn back.
So Erica plucked up the courage and stepped onto the ship.
As soon as her feet landed on the boat, she clearly felt the stability of the transparent hull.
And she herself was gradually obscured by the misty smoke.
Erica stood on the boat, and through the transparent hull, she could even see the deep Styx beneath her feet.
At this time, the scene below the river seemed to have changed.
Several pale, wailing undead were waving their pitch-black hands underwater, as if they wanted to drag passing living people into the water.
However, this mysterious ship seemed to have cast some kind of magic, and those deformed arms quickly contracted the moment they touched the hull.
The more Erica looked, the more she felt a chill covering her whole body. She quickly raised her head, not daring to look any further.
The boat started slowly, and the boatman used the boat pole to paddle gently on the water.
At this time, Erica remembered Victor's instructions and did not dare to make a sound.
As the boat rowed across the river, Erica felt that the boat beneath her was as light as floating, with a slight sway.
Erica even had the illusion that she was floating on the River Styx.
However, she knew the depth and lightness of the River Styx.
Even a feather can sink into it.
Only these ships belonging to the underworld can cross the River Styx.
This is what Professor Victor told her.
After an unknown amount of time, the surrounding smoke became so thick that Erica could hardly see anything clearly.
She started to feel sleepy and wanted to yawn.
But yawning made a sound, so Erica held back.
As the hull moved, the smoke gradually thinned.
Erica felt as if she could see the other side, which was covered with white snow.
Suddenly, Victor's voice sounded in her mind:
"Now, you can talk."
Erica suddenly felt a sense of surprise, and the depression in her heart disappeared.
She was about to speak when suddenly, her whole body was soaked in cold sweat, as if a premonition of death was spreading over her head.
This made Erica instantly alert.
The professor had made it clear before that there was absolutely no talking during the river crossing.
Why did the professor suddenly violate his previous instructions?
As she thought about it, the fear in her heart gradually increased.
So she endured it strongly and ignored the voice in her head.
Until the boat docked, Erica got off the boat.
Even when she heard the sound of the boat leaving the water, she didn't look back.
She walked resolutely along the snow-covered road, remembering Victor's words.
Once you get off the boat, don’t look back.
After a while, the cold voice in my mind finally sounded again:
"You can talk now."
This time, Erica finally relaxed and let out a long breath:
"Did I do the right thing just now, Professor?"
In his mind, Victor's somewhat satisfied voice came.
"As a boatman, Charon will give cues during the crossing phase."
"If you make a sound during the river crossing stage, Charon will know that you are alive and eventually discard you into the River Styx."
The soul of the dead cannot speak. If you want this strange boatman to take you across the river, you must make it think that the person it is taking is the dead person.
"You did very well."
Erica straightened her nose and smiled proudly.
Professor Victor's compliments made her feel happy for a long time.
With this relief, she continued along the snow-covered trail.
The snow beneath her feet made a soft crunching sound under her steps.
As she walked, a ray of sunlight seemed to shine through the clouds in the distance.
The golden light shines on the snow-covered ground, especially dazzling.
Erica's eyes widened in surprise.
For a moment just now, she felt as if she had left hell and returned to the human world.
But when she looked along the sun, she saw a vibrant garden full of flowers.
Although it is surrounded by white snow, this green and vital land seems to exist like a miracle.
Seeing the scene in front of her, Erica couldn't help but spread her legs and walked into it.
However, the moment her footsteps touched the grass, Erica felt as if her limbs were frozen.
An invisible force seemed to imprison her whole body.
Strong shock arose in her heart, and at the same time, a chaotic and ethereal voice came from the sky:
"The living? How could the living enter here?"
"Why did you come?"
Although this voice was light, it was not gentle at all when it reached Erica's ears.
Just like Pluto, it seems very scary.
At this time, Erica's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and even breathing became difficult.
But soon, Victor's cold words echoed in her mind:
'Give me your body. '
Hearing this, Erica seemed to have given up her struggle to break free and closed her eyes.
Just a second later, she opened her eyes again.
His eyes are sharp and calm.
She calmly put her hands into her pockets and said calmly:
"You invited me here, Queen of Hades."
The corners of Erica's mouth raised slightly, and a hint of teasing flashed in her eyes:
"Madam, I am here as promised to spend time with you."
"You won't refuse me."
