Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"It's finally over, though only temporarily,"

As she followed the crowd out of the venue, Andrea returned to the Royal City of Athens, and Laine then disconnected from her.

"I just don't know how things turned out over there... From the start, it seems quite a bit of time has passed."

The journey was brief, and while stimulating for others, it now needed to come to an end.

Andrea still had her duties as a princess, and Laine wanted to explore this world. So while they might not completely lose contact, in the next few years, they were unlikely to meet often.

As for when they would meet again... Laine divined the future. Not surprisingly, there were no clear omens; he only saw a scene within destiny.

It was a figure with a bloodstained sword, and before her, it seemed there were many people with varying expressions.

There was excitement, admiration, fear, and reluctance... All these emotions came together, like a painting of this fleeting world.

"Does this mean the next time we meet will be around the time Andrea draws her sword to kill?"

"But she seems to be a godhood practitioner, so now even the godhood practitioners start slaying with a sword..."

A hint of confusion flickered through Laine's mind as he once again felt that prophecies were not very reliable, especially when the subject of his divination was connected to him.

You're either trapped in destiny by a precise prophecy or you only receive ambiguous hints. In this regard, prophecies could never serve both purposes.

"And Athena... didn't she read the 'script'? For some reason, I always feel her initiative is somewhat low..."

As his thoughts churned, Laine remembered the vision he received before disconnecting: Artemis warning Theseus.

He wasn't surprised by the other's choice; he would find it strange if Chaos's human champion started being humble and cautious. But Athena's demeanor in this matter... seemed like she was saying, 'I know you might get into trouble, so I'll remind you just in case. I also know you probably won't listen, so I'm just following the procedure.'

But no matter how one looked at it, this 'procedure' seemed rather nonsensical.

"What do you mean by 'over there,' Mr. Aiven, what did you just say?"

A voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Laine's thoughts.

Following the crowd out as well, Count Ilos, disguised as Iapetus, was leaving with Laine. His expression was somewhat nervous, occasionally surveying his surroundings.

"Nothing much, I wasn't talking about the person you're hiding from... Didn't you see? She's not there anymore."

With a slight shake of his head, Laine stopped pondering the issues with prophecy, "I was referring to a distant place, a place far more remote than anything you could imagine."

"Someone very close to me is over there, and I was just worried about whether they'd succeed in what they're doing. After all, it's too far, and I can't reach them."

"Well, even though I don't understand what you're talking about, I wish you achieve what you desire,"

Seeing that it had nothing to do with him, Iapetus breathed a sigh of relief.

Now the tournament had finally concluded, the spectators who stayed at the scene couldn't wait for their champion to return, but they never received news of Andrea's summons by the goddess.

The incident with the Golden Apple also began to spread among the people. Even though the stories circulating in the Mortal Realm only detailed the reasons and consequences of Andrea giving the Golden Apple and didn't cover the secrets of the conflicts among deities, it still sparked heated discussions.

Choosing the most beautiful goddess as the tournament's champion was a topic worth gossiping about in these times, no matter how one looked at it.

However, the layman enjoys the show, but the expert sees the technique. Having heard the same story, Iapetus sensed a storm coming.

The story was a simple choice, but who knows what happened in reality. Now, he just wanted to find out the exact events of the God of the Ocean's wedding feast to see what had actually happened.

"The tournament is over, and I have completed what I promised you. Thus, let's part ways here,"

Iapetus spoke with a smile, bidding farewell.

"Of course, as you wish,"

Nodding in acknowledgment, Laine didn't try to stop him.

He watched as Iapetus disappeared into the crowd. Who knew when he would return and what he would choose to do.

After all, he was almost certain to return, willing or not.

From the moment he helped Andrea win, he was destined to be unable to escape this strife between gods and humans.

...

Shortly after leaving the crowd, Laine quickly returned to the inn where he had been staying.

Compared to before, the number of people coming and going had increased significantly.

Now that the tournament had ended, many foreigners had no reason to stay any longer.

In the near future, aside from a few individuals, most are likely to leave the Acropolis of Athens.

"Please wait—Mr. Aiven, please wait a moment!"

"Hmm?"

The voice came from behind, and Laine turned around to look.

He shouldn't have known many people in Athens in these two days... but the next moment, he understood how the visitor knew him.

"Prince Odysseus, I didn't expect to see you here,"

"I thought you would have returned to your kingdom after the tournament ended."

"I was about to leave... My father's health is no longer good, and the old wounds he sustained, even divine arts can hardly heal completely."

A touch of regret flashed across his face as Odysseus continued with an apologetic tone, "Mr. Aiven, I must also apologize to you."

"Because Miss Leah was summoned by the goddess, she likely won't be back for a while. However, remembering the bet I owe you, I took the liberty of investigating her residence, then learned you were a friend who came to Athens with her."

"It might be a bit presumptuous, but I hope you can deliver my apology to her."

Behind Odysseus, a multitude of guards were unloading boxes one after another.

Looking at its heavy appearance, it probably contains gold.

That was the gambling debt Prince Odysseus had incurred before the competition, and besides that, he solemnly stated:

"Apart from the monetary stakes, there is also the promise I previously made."

"Since she won, if we became opponents again in another place, I swear on my honor, I will definitely yield to her three times without breaking my word."

"...I understand, Prince Odysseus. If there's an opportunity, I will pass on your integrity for you."

Nodding, Laine had no intention of refusing the other party.

Although there was no chance to hand over these riches to Andrea for the time being, on one hand, she didn't need them, and on the other hand, there was no problem with Laine keeping them.

The previous game bet was originally his idea, so it was only natural for him to collect some compensation now.

"Since you're willing to pass on my message, then I can rest assured."

He breathed a sigh of relief, Odysseus seemed to have let go of a burden, but soon after, he hesitated.

In the end, he still asked:

"Mr. Aiven, pardon me for being presumptuous, but I still wish to know... from where does Miss Leah originate?"

"She is an Athenian, as for her specific background, you might as well ask her yourself if you have the chance in the future."

Gently waving his hand, Laine did not intend to continue answering the other's questions.

However, receiving such a response seemed to satisfy Odysseus already.

"Thank you for your answer. If you encounter trouble in the future, I will certainly do my best to help."

Having made his promise, Odysseus left with a bit of regret and hope.

Even though he did not know her exact background, knowing she was an Athenian was enough.

Given the extent of education during that era, there weren't many young girls in the whole of Athens who had the opportunity to receive a quality education. All he needed to do in the future was to have someone search one by one, and he would eventually find her identity.

"Athens... I will come again."

Making a resolution silently in his heart, Odysseus departed with ease.

Only at this moment, he could never have imagined that he would indeed come to Athens again in the future, but in a manner drastically different from what he had expected.

...

Eastern Continent, Mount Olympus.

At the summit of the Mountain of the Gods, the palace doors opened, casting a myriad of splendid colors.

Standing on the peak and overlooking the Mortal Realm, nine layers of mist obscured the view.
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Mount Othrys, the erstwhile mountain, was distanced from the Mortal Realm by twelve layers of clouds, which was the number symbolizing perfection in Chaos.

In comparison, Mount Olympus with only nine layers seemed much further from the heavens yet closer to the Mortal Realm.

Step—

Exiting the palace, the sky had darkened at this moment.

Athena calculated the time; Artemis's matter should be almost settled by now.

"Athena!"

A voice filled with suppressed anger came from behind, and Athena smiled without a word.

Just now, Zeus spoke righteously for a while about harmony and goodwill among All Gods, but obviously, including himself, the two listeners and the Divine King didn't take these matters to heart.

However, the outcome was somewhat unexpected; Zeus actually asked Hera to stay in Olympus for a while to 'awaken herself to the folly of being the first to strike'.

In principle, what Zeus did was not wrong, as Hera indeed was the first Deity to act, and his punishment was beyond reproach.

But the issue lies in the fact that oftentimes, people do not care about the reasons, but rather the attitude.

And Zeus's punishment of Hera, which was 'flawless', was utterly meaningless in quelling the incident and even further ignited Hera's rage.

"Athena, do you think you've won? I don't know how you swayed Zeus to speak on your behalf... but don't think this is the end of it."

The voice was low and icy cold. Although the decision was made by Zeus, Hera's resentment was poured more onto Athena.

The reason was not strange; it was a common psychological phenomenon. Facing a decision made by someone of higher status, power, and influence, many individuals subconsciously refrain from laying the primary blame on that person, whether or not they are satisfied with the outcome.

Step—

Smiling again, Athena still did not respond, nor did she even pause in her steps.

The Spear of Voktor, now a bracelet, hummed gently on her wrist, but she merely stroked it, then soothed her Divine Artifact.

Yes, just as the rumors in the original mythology suggested that it was Athena's breath that bestowed Wisdom upon the third generation of Humans.

Although in reality there was no logic to it, given that the first two generations of Humans were born before Athena came into existence, but as the Goddess of Wisdom, she truly could grant Wisdom to objects, and her coexistent Divine Artifact was the first example.

"You—"

Continuously ignored, Hera's chest could not help but heave violently.

After restraining herself time and again, she finally calmed down.

Watching Athena's receding figure, the Heavenly Empress clenched her fists.

"Just wait, when Athens turns to ashes, I'll see if you can remain so calm!"

...