Athena’s Actions Must Have a Deeper Meaning, Right?
The atmosphere in the hall, which had just started to ease, became heavy again.
The father and daughter couldn't help but feel a sense of gravity in their hearts.
"Alright, no time to waste. To avoid any long delays, I must set off immediately and return to Olympus!"
After briefing them on part of her plan, the Goddess of Wisdom, who also held dominion over victory, swiftly got to her feet, turned to the King of Minos and her High Priestess, and solemnly gave instructions.
"After I leave, the affairs of Crete will be in your hands. If you encounter any troubles that can't be resolved..."
Athena paused slightly, standing on the palace steps and gazing into the vast night that blanketed the city of Knossos.
Her purple eyes gleamed as a deep concern washed over her face.
"You can go to Third Street, Number Seven House, and find someone there. Perhaps, he might be able to help you..."
"You mean... the Divine Messenger?"
Priestess Ariadne was struck by a sudden realization as she recalled reports from several female priests who had delivered an emblem of a bronze snake crest. She seemed to brighten up immediately.
Athena smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying, however, a playful curve appeared on her lips.
"Yes, but when you go, make sure to bring two portions of pastries, and they must be offerings."
"...Huh?"
Ariadne froze, momentarily confused by the strange request.
However, before she could respond, Athena had already unfurled her metallic wings and vanished in a flash of light, leaving no trace in the vast hall.
Pastries? Offerings?
Princess Ariadne and King Minos exchanged a glance, their expressions serious as they both nodded solemnly, committing the Goddess's final instructions to memory.
Well, the Goddess must have a deeper meaning in this, right?
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Meanwhile, in the residential area of Third Street, at Hestia's house.
Lorne lay sprawled across his soft bed in a large "X" shape, lazily stretching his limbs.
Since waking up, he'd been busy all morning, planting and repairing crops.
It was a full-on task that occupied most of his time.
Around noon, Hestia had arrived, but before she even entered, she had dropped a bombshell, revealing Athena's identity.
This forced Lorne to face the clever and powerful Goddess ahead of time, trying to figure out a way to placate his formidable "older sister."
Not long after the intellectual and strategic battles, from the dinner table to the chessboard, the giant waves, like a natural disaster, suddenly arrived at sea.
As a result, Lorne found himself following behind the hasty Medusa and Hestia, taking on the responsibility of disaster prevention and relief, cleaning up after them.
Finally, after managing to get everything back on track, Athena showed up again, ramping up the pressure. It was as if she was saying, "I have high hopes for you," and insisted on dragging him onto the sinking ship of the Minos people...
After some back-and-forth, both sides finally reached a consensus and laid the foundation for their cooperation.
By the time he sent off this elder sister, who looked like she wanted to punch him, and handled the mess Medusa left behind at the camp, the sky was already getting light.
With all the intense physical and mental exhaustion, even Lorne, now a demigod, couldn't help but feel a little worn out.
Lying in bed, the mentally exhausted worker was reluctant to move.
However, in the end, he summoned all his willpower, forcing himself to get up. He raised his hand and drew a few lines of Hermes' script in the air.
Immediately, four items of various shapes appeared in the magic circle's shimmering light, coming into Lorne's view.
After several months of effort, only four useful items had appeared—this item drop rate was really low.
Lorne tossed the twelve-sided die in his hand, grumbling as he put it back into his body, seriously calculating the chips he had accumulated over the past few months while secretly grinding daily and weekly quests at Hestia's home.
Starting from left to right, he first picked up the seven sharp, ivory-colored fangs, carefully examining them.
[Teeth of Python]: After reaching adulthood, the Sun God Apollo personally went to the Delphi region to avenge his mother, shooting and killing the giant serpent Python, who had been sent by Hera to torment his mother, the goddess Leto, in an attempt to prevent him and his sister Artemis from being born.
After the battle, Apollo removed the serpent's teeth as a trophy.
In Greek mythology, the bloodlines of dragons and snakes are often intertwined and complex.
For example, the famous multi-headed dragon Ladon and the Hydra were siblings with the same father and mother.
Some Western records even consider snakes to be the origin of dragons, and often mix the two.
For instance, Satan, referred to as the "Ancient Serpent," has legends of battling the "Red Dragon" and the archangel Michael.
Therefore, in the world of Greek mythology, serpentine creatures often possess dragon attributes.
After some experimentation, Lorne confirmed that these items could also be used as mediums to summon Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
Moreover, because they were teeth from the giant serpent Python, the Dragon Tooth Soldiers summoned with them were all at the peak of the golden tier.
If it weren't for the fact that summoned creatures were limited by the summoner's magical power, summoning skills, and physical strength, Lorne speculated that the Dragon Tooth Soldiers summoned with these [Teeth of Python] could even reach the level of demigods.
Even so, seven peak golden-tier Dragon Tooth Soldiers, with extraordinary material strength and fearless battle spirit, would be enough to change the course of small-scale conflicts on the battlefield.
If needed, they could serve as a trump card.
Lorne thought for a moment, then nodded, tossing the seven [Teeth of Python] engraved with summoning runes into the magic circle for storage.
Next, he turned his attention to the second and third items.
These were an old bronze longsword and a set of bronze battle armor, both marked with signs of stabbing and slashing.
The sword emitted a cold gleam from its blade edges, and the armor bore dried bloodstains in red and black, clearly relics from the battlefield.
—In a brutal city-state war, the battle-loving God of War Ares descended to the mortal realm to join the fray.
He personally slew the most valiant demigod hero on the battlefield and stripped him of his armor and sword, keeping them as trophies.
Though these items didn't compare to divine artifacts forged by the God of Crafts or the Cyclopes, they were of demigod quality and were just right for Lorne at this moment.
As usual, Lorne put on the armor, weighed the sword hilt, and familiarized himself with the weight and feel of the weapons, ensuring he wouldn't be caught off guard in the heat of battle.
After a bit of simple training, he looked at the last item.
It was a bronze wristband with an owl motif, imbued with the essence of Athena, which he had often pondered.
Not only could it help the wearer stay calm and immune to certain mental disturbances, but it also facilitated quick meditation, enhancing magical power.
In fact, Athena, aside from being the Goddess of Wisdom and War, was also referred to by some as the Goddess of Magic.
Lorne glanced at it, then wore the bronze wristband and lowered his sleeve to carefully conceal it.
A refreshing coolness spread from the wristband, easing both his physical and mental fatigue, making him involuntarily let out a satisfied groan.
Though four items out of the ones drawn from the silver pool were useful, Lorne's favorite was undoubtedly this wristband with its excellent auxiliary effects.
It must be said, as long as Athena didn't lay any traps in the bronze pool, whenever she dropped gold, it was often top-notch.
So, after this battle, what else do you have in store for me, Athena?
Lorne, filled with a vague sense of anticipation, lay down on the bed, meditating and gradually drifting into sleep, the light patterns from the bronze wristband swirling around him.
(End of this chapter)
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