The Greece Antagonist

For half a month, Knossos City was immersed in an atmosphere of joy and relaxation.

Farming, storing, brewing, trading... Ordinary people continued on their established life trajectories, all looking forward to better times ahead.

They didn't understand the struggles for divine power, nor the conflicts of faith. The few acres of land under their feet and the lamp in their homes were their everything.

They didn't comprehend the military and national affairs that concerned those above them, only knowing that under the governance of Great Mother Goddess Athena and Scribe Master Luo En, more and more wealth was flowing to Crete Island, and their own days were getting better and better.

Thus, the smiles on everyone's faces were genuine and enthusiastic, without a trace of pretense.

It seemed that because of this sincerity, the seas remained calm and tranquil.

With Athena taking over her shift, Luo En was able to disengage from the hectic state affairs, continuing to covertly develop his Dionysian Sect and draw faith from the joy of humanity.

Unlike those celestial "Gods Above," detached from the secular world, he was The God Among Men, born with both divinity and humanity, experiencing death and rebirth, and ultimately ascended due to human belief and pursuit.

Therefore, the mortal world was the soil where he took root and grew strong.

As for Athena's indulgence in Sasha's blatant undercutting, she turned a blind eye.

After all, seeking joy amidst suffering life is human nature and also the motivation for them to keep persevering.

And as a Lesser Deity of the Goddess of the Hearth, most of the corners he was undercutting were his aunt's.

If the Hearth Goddess didn't care, why should she bother?

With the support of two goddesses and a suitable environment for growth, the Dionysian Sect Luo En reformed had expanded rapidly and spread quickly across Crete Island, with followers increasing a hundredfold.

The concept of "Joy" and the influence of the "Dionysian Sect" spread through the city-states of Greece with Minos Fleet's voyages and the distribution of "wine," gaining a large number of potential adherents.

—The lower the social stratum, the more firm and pure the belief in this faith became.

After all, compared to the divine-blooded nobility "born with" privileges, "Joy" was scarcer and more precious to the destitute lower classes, those "with nothing."

As the power of faith grew exponentially and flowed continuously into Luo En's body, his divinity became more concentrated, and his deity nourished, quickly filling the gaps that would soon allow him to carve out his second divine law.

However, with the expansion of his responsibilities and the fledgling basis of his organization, many matters required his personal attention.

Busy with enhancing his strength and also keeping an eye on the movements at sea, Luo En inevitably felt overwhelmed.

So, he decisively delegated some of his responsibilities to his sister-in-law, Fedra, through the method of inebriated dreaming, letting King Minos's adventurous daughter remotely do some work for him.

To ensure the girl's safety, Luo En recycled a waste, assigning the mind-controlled Zephyr Goddess Ola, newly joined to the Dionysian Sect, to become one of the maenads, responsible for protecting Fedra, the current high priestess of the Dionysian Sect.

Originally, the blasphemous hunting nymph had not been killed by Artemis and could stay on Crete Island to recuperate because the Goddess of the Hunt needed an excuse to frequent Crete Island and have secret rendezvous with him.

But now, unable to contact his Little Moon several times in a row, Luo En figured he couldn't rely on Artemis this time.

Therefore, adhering to the principle of not wasting resources, Ola the Zephyr Goddess, who at least had divine powers, was appointed as Paru.

After all, according to Artemis, this woman had insulted him, so as a punishment, she was now his personal property, to deal with as he wished.

—If she was useful and good to use, then she might as well be used to death.

—Work hard, you're fighting for the liberation of humanity!

A certain leader of a heretical sect threw out this perfectly legitimate reason while heartlessly deciding the future of the Zephyr Goddess as the protector of the faith.

But even with all the cards in play, Luo En still felt inadequate.

—Whether it was concerning the development of the sect or the situation on Crete Island.

It seemed urgent to develop his Lesser Deities soon.

Thinking so, the native Minotaur's heart of Crete Island began to stir once again.

—The Three Graces under Aphrodite, The Nine Muses and the Medicine God under Apollo, and Pan under Artemis...

—Mine, all of these could be mine!

However, while the idea was beautiful, in the Age of Greek Gods, power was of the utmost importance.

As a newly ascended deity, Luo En still lacked the qualifications to challenge the authority of those chief gods.

Of course, distant waters cannot quench immediate thirst, and the watchful Poseidon would not give him the chance to develop in peace.

Soon, the calm sea began to grow increasingly capricious.

Within just a few short days, ships sailing from Crete Island began to sink one after another.

Some were lost to hidden reefs in sea mists; others were torn apart by storms; still, others encountered Sea Beasts…

Rushing home in an emergency, Luo En and Athena exchanged a glance, both feeling a sinking sensation in their hearts simultaneously.
Enjoy new stories from empire

—Poseidon had grown suspicious.

If it were just the sea fog and storms, they could be chalked up to accidents, but the reappearance of Sea Beasts in the waters off Occhanos, and their attacks on vessels on the once-safe routes assured by the old man of the sea, Nereus, were somewhat thought-provoking.

Obviously, this was a test from His Majesty, God of the Sea.

As for whether Nereus, as a guarantor, would suffer from the backlash of his oath, sorry, but this was not within His Majesty, God of the Sea's range of consideration.

To reach the summit of power, he wouldn't even hesitate to slaughter his own brothers, let alone a mere father-in-law.

Watching the dark clouds gathering on the distant sea, Luo En turned back and asked, still not ready to give up.

"Is there really no other way?"

"I went to see Aunt Demeter, but she has gone to the Netherworld to visit her daughter Persephone…"

"So meticulous, no need to say, it must have been permitted by His Majesty the King of Gods, right?"

"Hmm…"

Athena and Luo En looked at each other, falling into a prolonged silence, then let out a mutual sigh.

Time was running short.

Just as they had anticipated, the number of maritime accidents involving sailing vessels rose, and the frequency of disasters such as typhoons, torrential rains, earthquakes, and so on, also increased.

Even the Beast Tide, originally driven to the inner seas, began reappearing in the outer sea regions, gathering in ever greater numbers.

Gradually, even the ordinary people of Minos sensed an impending crisis, as if a mountain rain was about to pour and the wind wished to fill the building, and they began to discreetly stock up on food and medicinal herbs.

Finally, Luo En awaited the outcome.

But it was not from the sea; instead, it came from the Dice of Chance turning within his mind.

The twelve-sided die spun faintly on the sacrificial altar, with the three wave lines representing Poseidon and the five snake patterns for Athena, emerging in succession and transforming into three golden oracles.

"Blasphemy One: Choose to assist Goddess Athena, of wisdom and war, to combat the imminent maritime calamity, and successfully scheme to obtain a divine blessing from Poseidon.

Blasphemy Two: Choose to assist God of the Sea Poseidon, to prematurely guide Minos civilization to its end, and successfully scheme to obtain a divine blessing from Athena.

Blasphemy Three: Choose to oppose both Athena and Poseidon simultaneously, extinguish the flame of wisdom, topple the glory of the God of the Sea, make the Minosians weep, let Atlantis sink, and successfully scheme to obtain a divine blessing from both Athena and Poseidon!"

Seeing the three eerily similar paths of fate before him, Luo En's face subtly changed; any trace of wishful thinking in his heart died completely.

Looking at the unstoppable storm on the sea and the mortals in the city in a terrified panic, he fell into a long silence.

Which side should he choose this time?

Was it to follow the predetermined fate, or to continue a futile resistance like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?

Finally, as if struck by an idea, Luo En's lips curled into a smile, and he burst into a fit of joyful, almost crazed laughter, his eyes flashing with madness, as the answer burst forth from him.

"—I choose 3!"

At the same time, the first two oracles automatically dissipated inside his brain, leaving only the last, mocking and scoffing at both destiny and defiance.