I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 332: Let’s Meet a God

Jack stood in his room; the portal from Floor 25 had disappeared. After a lengthy conversation with Pho, Jack has decided what direction to go in after he settles some things in Elysium.

He needed answers.

The quest timer ticked in the corner of his vision. A constant reminder that he had less than a year to identify the god responsible and break whatever divine magic had stolen her voice.

’Draven won’t help with this,’ Jack thought, moving toward the door. ’He’s made it clear he won’t interfere with other gods’ actions unless they directly threaten me. And a curse placed before I even met Aurora doesn’t qualify.’

Which meant he needed to reach out to someone else. Someone who might be willing to trade information for the right price. Or desperate enough to prove themselves after losing a bet.

Jack descended the stairs, his boots clicking against marble as he made his way through the estate’s corridors. Servants moved aside as he walked by. Bowing respectfully as he passed.

The shrine Loryn had constructed sat not far from the manor, visible through the windows. The marble columns rose against the afternoon sky, elegant and imposing.

Jack pushed open the estate’s doors and walked across the grounds toward the structure. The shrine stood alone on a small hill.

He climbed the steps and entered, his boots clicking against polished stone. Runes representing the passage between life and death. Glyphs denoting the soul’s journey through realms beyond mortal comprehension.

At the center stood the altar, a rectangular platform where offerings could be placed.

Jack approached but didn’t kneel before Draven’s symbol. Instead, he stood there, arms crossed, feet planted shoulder-width apart, and spoke to the empty air like he was speaking down to someone.

”I need information about a divine curse,” Jack commanded.

”Whichever god is listening and willing to negotiate, I have an offer. I’ll spread your name across territories that have forgotten you exist.”

He paused, letting the weight of that promise settle. Gods valued worship and influence. Jack was offering both.

”You give me what I need. I give you what you want.”

The air grew thick. Not threatening, but heavy with attention from something vast turning its gaze toward this small shrine in a mortal estate.

Then reality folded like paper being creased, and Jack found himself somewhere else entirely.

The transition was seamless but disorienting.

One moment, he was standing in the shrine, stone floor solid beneath his boots. Next, his feet sank slightly into the carpet, so plush it felt like walking on clouds.

Jack’s eyes adjusted quickly, taking in his new surroundings.

The room was enormous. Easily the size of the Kaiser estate’s entire ground floor, possibly larger. The ceiling soared overhead, lost in shadows. Massive columns rose at regular intervals, carved from white marble veined with gold.

Silk drapes hung from every surface, the walls and columns. They were even suspended from the invisible ceiling in elegant, cascading fabric.

Rich purples silks moved constantly, rippling in a phantom breeze.

The floor was covered in elegant carpets. Each one probably cost more than most nobles earned in a decade. The patterns were intricate and mesmerizing, but if you stared at them for too long, they became overwhelming.

Braziers burned at intervals around the room, but they didn’t produce smoke. Instead, they released what looked like scented mist that hung in the air at chest height, creating layers of atmosphere that caught the light and diffused it into a soft, golden haze.

The scent was overwhelming but not unpleasant. Jasmine mixed with something musky. Vanilla undertones. And beneath it all, something that triggered an instinctive response.

Pheromones were being released into the air.

And in the center of this temple to indulgence, on a bed large enough to accommodate a small army, lounged Zephyros.

The god of winds and fertility reclined against pillows piled high enough to form a small mountain of silk. His muscular form was barely covered by loose silken pants that rode low on his hips, leaving his chest and abdomen exposed.

His silver hair flowed around his shoulders in waves that moved with nonexistent wind, never tangling, never falling across his face.

His features were perfect in the way only divine beings achieved. Sharp cheekbones, strong jaw, eyes that shifted between silver and pale blue depending on the light. Everything about him was designed to be devastatingly attractive, aggressively sexual, without crossing into vulgarity.

And he was absolutely surrounded by women.

They draped themselves across him like living decorations, at least a dozen visible from Jack’s position, possibly more hidden in the silk hangings or shadowed alcoves around the massive bed.

Beautiful, every single one of them. Zephyros’ recruitment of his women must have been very selective, as each woman was a supermodel.

A blonde with hair like spun gold knelt beside Zephyros’s right shoulder, holding a crystal goblet to his lips so he could drink without moving his head. Her other hand rested on his chest, fingers drumming across his defined muscles.

On his left, a brunette with skin like polished bronze fed him grapes one at a time, her movements slow and sexual, each offering accompanied by a smile that promised things that would make any man excited.

Two more women massaged his feet, their hands working with the professional precision of masseuses. They had the biggest smile on their face, as if what they were doing was the most significant honor imaginable. She braided flowers into his silver hair, weaving jasmine blossoms through the strands seductively as she stared at Jack.

A redhead lounged against his side, her head resting on his shoulder, one arm draped possessively across his abdomen. She whispered something in his ear that made him smile, showing teeth that were just slightly too white, like a toothpaste commercial.

More women surrounded the bed’s perimeter, some playing instruments that produced music so soft it barely registered consciously, others simply existing as beautiful ornaments to enhance the god’s aesthetic.

All of them focused entirely on Zephyros, their world apparently beginning and ending with his pleasure.

Jack felt his stomach turn slightly. The entire scene was so aggressively calculated to provoke arousal that Jack felt something he hadn’t felt in decades.

His loins were churning. It was as if a switch had flipped, and Jack wanted to rip these women apart one by one.

’This is what he considers power,’ Jack thought, his expression remaining carefully neutral. ’Surrounding himself with people who exist solely to serve his ego. Pathetic.’

Zephyros looked up as Jack materialized, his handsome features breaking into a grin that was both charming and insufferable. The god’s silver eyes tracked Jack’s appearance with obvious amusement.

”Well, well,” the god said, his voice carrying like wind through open windows. It was smooth and effortless, designed to be pleasant to the ear and make women swoon. ”Jack Kaiser. To what do I owe the honor of this visit? Come to finally accept my offer of divine pleasure?”

He gestured broadly at the room, at the women, at the luxury surrounding him like a physical manifestation of lust. ”I can arrange companions if that’s what you’re seeking. Mortal, divine, whatever your preference. Consider it a gift from one who appreciates potential when he sees it.”