Erica, dressed in a trench coat, walks alone along the winding paths of hell.

On her shoulder was a crow, its eyes wide open, as she and Erica surveyed the strange landscape of the underworld.

The underworld is not as chaotic and terrifying as Erica had expected, and there is no strong aura of death here.

On the contrary, in this quiet and peaceful, the dead silence seems to have been softened a lot.

The soil of hell is covered with a layer of grass, and the hideous souls are no longer here.

It is surrounded by towering sculptures and majestic architecture.

The pale blue sky is clear and transparent, without a trace of clouds.

Only those blue birds, like ethereal souls, soared in the air.

Erica walked slowly along the mysterious land, her eyes occasionally falling on the grass on either side, where flowers were occasionally dotted.

These flowers are colorful, and each petal seems to release a faint green smoke.

With the light breeze of the wind, the petals sway gently, revealing an incomparably light beauty.

But Erica's heart was not pleasantly surprised by the beautiful scenery in front of her.

Because Vega's words still echoed in her mind:

'Victor is dead, so he can't leave the underworld. ’

If you want to take him back, you can only get permission from Hades. ’

In just a few words, Erica deeply 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, the king of Hades.

It's been a long time since that battle, but Hades' bitter coercion still haunts Erica.

His terrifying flaming body and the power to easily slice through space echoed through Erica's heart like a nightmare.

And now, she must face the Immortal King again in order to save Professor Victor.

This made Erica feel desperate like never before.

How could she possibly convince such an being?

The Immortal's angry gesture as he left was still fresh in her mind, and she feared that she would be sanctioned by his anger before she could say anything.

At the same time, she passed through a magnificent complex of buildings and statues.

After stepping through the lush meadows, we finally came to a tranquil river.

A faint blue mist drifted across the river, as if a chilling ghost was dancing lightly above the water.

An icy breath seeped through Erica's breath, causing her to feel a piercing cold and a deep despair.

It was as if the whole body was tightly wrapped in frost, and I was extremely tired.

Thankfully, Vega on her shoulder called softly, pulling her back from her hallucination.

Erica patted her chest with palpitations and took a few deep breaths.

She turned her gaze back to the river.

The river was so wide and deep that Erica could only faintly see its edge when she looked across the bank.

The surface of the river is calm and waveless, and it appears dark and deep.

There are countless such rivers in the underworld, and they are intricately criss-crossed like a giant web.

And this river is precisely the closest to the gate of hell, and the closest to the human world.

Through this river, it is possible to leave the underworld and, in the same way, go deep into hell.

As Erica stared at the river, Victor's voice rang in her heart:

"Stand here and don't move, someone will soon come to pick you up and cross the river."

"Remember, don't talk, don't make any noise, and don't look back when crossing the river, the same is true when getting on and off the boat."

"Also, prepare the gold coins and give them to the boatman."

Hearing a familiar voice in her heart, Erica nodded slightly.

This river Styx was the one who Professor Victor had led her here.

He said he wanted her to cross the river in search of a friend she had never met.

Although Erica didn't understand why Professor Victor was so familiar with the underworld, it was as if she had been here I don't know how many times.

But she knew that in such an unfamiliar place right now, she had to follow Victor's guidance.

Erica remembers her purpose clearly.

In order to get Professor Victor out of hell.

Soon, a thick layer of white smoke rose silently from that river Styx.

The smoke was as thick as milk, obscuring the surface of the river, preventing Erica from even seeing the deep black water.

The misty smoke enveloped the entire river, like a light veil, and even slowly drifted towards the banks on both sides.

Erica stared at the white smoke in front of her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She could faintly see through the thick smoke that a transparent hull seemed to float on the water.

On the ship stood a boatman dressed in a wide and bloated cloak.

He was a mysterious figure, holding a long pole in his hand, slowly paddling down the River Styx.

Erica observed the scene in front of her and felt a chill.

It's weird that there are still people rowing on this gloomy river Styx.

Moreover, she always felt that the boatman under the cloak looked extremely terrifying.

Erica swallowed nervously, not even daring to breathe, not daring to say a word.

However, as the transparent hull of the boat gradually approached the shore, she finally saw the true appearance of the boatman.

It turned out that the bloated body under the cloak was made up of countless gold coins, which hung all over his body.

Even the shaft in his hand was made of shimmering gold.

But what terrified Erica even more was the true appearance of the boatman hidden under the cloak-

A black, shriveled skeleton with a bony head and hands that exudes an eerie aura.

Pale smoke wafted from the skeleton's eye sockets, and its teeth were also made of pure gold.

Erica couldn't imagine how such a weak body could afford to be decorated with such a heavy gold coin.

At the moment, she didn't want to think about these strange things anymore, because the sight in front of her was enough to suffocate her.

Immediately after, the skeleton boatman approached the shore and stretched out his dry, dark three-fingered palm to her.

Erica was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered Professor Victor's advice.

She hurriedly pulled out two gold coins from the pocket of Victor's trench coat.

Erica looked at the two gold coins, a little weak, and pulled the corners of her mouth embarrassedly.

It should be okay to spend the professor's money.

When the coin landed in the boatman's hand, the other man withdrew his arm.

He examined it, tapped the gold coin, put it to his ear and listened to the sound, and even bit it with his gold teeth.

After confirming that the gold coin was genuine, he tucked it into a cloth bag on his shoulder, making a crisp clanging sound.

Jingle Bell –

A crisp sound came to Erica's ears, the sound of gold coins colliding against each other.

The boatman moved slightly towards the stern of the boat, making room for Erica to stand.

She stared at the transparent boat, her heart turbulent.

Will this work....

But they've all come here, and there's no way back now.

Erica plucked up her courage and stepped aboard 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 ethereal smoke.

Erica stood on the boat, and through the transparent hull, she could even see the deep river Styx beneath her feet.

At this time, the scene below the river seems to have changed.

Several pale wailing undead waved their black hands of nothingness underwater, as if trying to drag passing living people into the water.

However, the mysterious ship seemed to have cast some kind of magic, and the misshapen arms contracted rapidly the moment they touched the hull.

The more Erica looked, the more she felt a chill envelop her body, and she hurriedly looked up, not daring to look any further.

The boat starts slowly, and the boatman paddles gently on the water with the pole.

At this time, Erica remembered Victor's advice and did not dare to make a sound.

The boat rowed across the river, and Erica felt the boat beneath her feel as light as if it was floating, with a slight sway.

Erica even had the illusion that she could float above the River Styx.

However, she knows the depth and lightness of the River Styx.

Even a feather can sink into it.

Only these ships dedicated to the underworld can cross the River Styx.

That's what Professor Victor told her.

I don't know how long it took for the smoke around to become so thick that Erica could barely see anything.

She began to feel sleepy and wanted to yawn.

But yawning makes a sound, so Erica held back.

As the hull moved, the smoke thinned out.

Erica felt as if she was seeing the other side, covered in white snow.

Suddenly, Viktor's voice sounded in her head:

"Now, you can speak."

Erica suddenly felt a burst of surprise, and the depression in her heart vanished.

She was about to speak, when suddenly, she was drenched in cold sweat, as if a premonition of death was spreading over her head.

This made Erica instantly alert.

The professor had previously made it clear that one should never speak during the river crossing.

How could the professor suddenly violate what he had just said?

As she thought about it, the fear in her heart grew.

So she endured it strongly, ignoring the voice in her head.

Until the boat docked, Erica disembarked.

Even when she heard the sound of the boat leaving the water, she did not look back.

She walked firmly along the snow-covered road, remembering Viktor's words.

Once you've disembarked, don't look back.

After a while, the cold voice in my head finally sounded again:

"You can talk."

This time, Erica finally let out a long breath of relaxation:

"Did I get it right, Professor?"

In my head, Viktor's voice came with a little satisfaction.

"As a boatman, Charon will give hints during the river crossing phase."

"If you make a noise when you cross the river, Charon will know that you are alive and will eventually abandon you in the river Styx."

The ghost is unable to speak, and in order for this strange boatman to cross the river, it must be made to think that the person it is carrying is the dead.

"You're doing a great job."

Erica straightened her nose and smiled a little smugly.

Professor Victor's compliments can make her happy for a long time.

With this ease in mind, she continued along the snow-covered path.

The snow beneath her feet made a slight compaction sound under her steps.

As she walked, there seemed to be a ray of sunlight streaming through the clouds in the distance.

The golden light shone on the snow-covered earth, and it was particularly dazzling.

Erica's eyes widened, full of surprise.

For a moment, she felt as if she had left hell and returned to earth.

But when she looked into the sun, a vibrant, flowery garden appeared.

Although it is covered with snow, this green and vibrant land is miraculous.

Seeing the scene in front of her, Erica couldn't help but open her legs and walk 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.

A strong consternation rose in her heart, and at the same time, a chaotic and ethereal voice came from the sky:

"The living? How did the living get here? ”

"Why are you here?"

The voice, though light, was not at all soft when it reached Erica's ears.

Just like the Immortal, it seems terrifying.

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 the struggle to break free from her confinement and closed her eyes.

Just a second later, she opened her eyes again.

The gaze is sharp and calm.

She calmly inserted her hands into her pockets and said calmly:

"You invited me here, Queen of Hell."

The corners of Erica's mouth rose slightly, and a hint of playful teasing flashed in her eyes:

"Madam, I have come by appointment to spend spring with you."

"You're not going to turn me down, are you?"