The next day.
Perhaps because of the spread and fermentation of the news the day before, when Andrea came to the same place again, the environment there had changed drastically.
A huge umbrella was erected to block out the sunlight, and the originally simple wooden table was replaced with exquisite palace supplies.
Two rows of guards stood guard on the left and right, while the quality of the crowd watching was noticeably higher.
The people who came here for speculation like yesterday at the beginning have disappeared, or they are not qualified to approach. Now those who are waiting here are those who have some reputation and knowledge.
"Ms. Leah, your deeds yesterday attracted the attention of the church's top brass. Anyone who shows his or her wisdom will be valued by the Church of Knowledge."
"We will be responsible for maintaining order during your 'game' today. In addition, we will also meet your reasonable demands."
"Well, thanks, if you need anything."
Nodding in thanks, Andrea immediately sat behind the table.
Is this the feeling of being valued by others through one's own efforts? It's really good... Without wasting any time, Andrea sat up straight and said:
"After a day, you should all be impatient now, so let's start today's game."
"No one could defeat me yesterday. I think the wise men in the world will not let me down today."
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere around them became noticeably more serious. This direct intellectual provocation obviously aroused the anger of those present... and noticing this, Andrea secretly glanced at Ryan in the crowd.
Although Ryan had changed his appearance, she could still recognize him. In fact, many of the words he had said in the past two days were actually taught to her by Ryan.
If it were her, she wouldn't say such words... Well, that's right.
Feeling encouraged, Andrea was full of fighting spirit.
…
He crossed several streets and then jumped lightly, and under the helpless gaze of the guards who followed him, he arrived on top of a building.
Odysseus took his friend and looked down at Andrea who was surrounded by the crowd.
A gleam of surprise flashed across the young prince's eyes. He didn't expect to see such a beautiful girl here.
He had heard that in faraway Sparta, a warrior country ruled by big slave owners, there was a princess named Helen whose beauty was widely known.
The prince had never seen Helen, but he felt that the girl in front of him was the most beautiful one in his eyes.
"Why, Odysseus, are you attracted to her? This is not right—"
A complaining voice came from beside him, and the young noble put his arm around his friend's shoulders.
"I was counting on you to save my face. I've already said it, you can't back down now."
"Well, what are you thinking about? What's the point of backing off?"
Startled by his friend's voice, Odysseus came back to his senses with a slight cough.
"I don't have any idea about her, I just want to observe her expression when facing the enemy... Well, even if I do, I have to defeat her first."
It has to be said that the mature appearance Ryan created for Andrea is indeed incredibly charming, especially the adult appearance coupled with the soul of a twelve-year-old. It is a model of temperament contrast, so much so that many people were shaken by it when they met for the first time.
However, this is the limit of what mortal appearance can achieve, and above that is the extraordinary realm.
Even Helen, who caused the Trojan War, was actually blessed by the goddess of beauty. She was endowed with a beauty that almost distorted people's thinking. With just a smile, she could make the army that had experienced ten years of hard fighting believe that she was innocent.
But this time, I'm afraid no god will bless her... But considering her original fate, it's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
"Use your strength to conquer the heart of a beauty, Odysseus? It is said that King Theseus of Athens conquered the Amazon Queen Hippolyta in this way when he was young... It seems that you want to imitate him. After all, this is Athens."
Seeing that Odysseus had no intention of giving up, the young noble Maud breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed and teased.
"Well, Maude, let's not talk about this for now, let's take a look at this game. I heard you talk about this rule before, so I went back and tried it out."
"Why, have you figured out the secret?"
His expression brightened, and Maude no longer cared about joking.
He looked at his friend expectantly, but Odysseus just shook his head.
"Not really... If there is only one row, it's actually very simple. The first player will definitely win. He just needs to take all the gold coins in one go. If there are only two rows, it's actually also very easy to judge. If the number of gold coins in the two rows is the same at the beginning, then the second player will definitely win - he just needs to take the same gold coins as the first player to maintain the balance of the number of gold coins in the two rows, and the last gold coin will definitely fall into his hands. On the contrary, if the number of gold coins in the two rows is different, then the first player will definitely win, and he just needs to take the extra part."
"But three lines..."
It is obvious that as the number of gold coins increases, the difficulty of calculation will increase. If Odysseus is given more time, he feels that he can still understand it, but now, he obviously does not have that much time.
"So what are you going to do?"
His expression changed slightly and Maude asked nervously.
"Don't be impatient, don't be impatient... Mod, you know, when your opponent is more familiar with the rules and loopholes than you, it is the stupidest thing to rush in. Trying to familiarize yourself with the rules and loopholes is just the choice of most people."
Odysseus smiled and said:
"You have to understand that no matter what, we have to look beyond the surface and see clearly what our opponent wants. She set up this game just to outperform other contestants before the big game, not to win money, so I can completely ask her to change the rules of the game based on this point."
"Change?"
"Yes."
His eyes narrowed slightly. As the person who later created the Trojan Horse, Odysseus has never been a person who follows the rules.
"Since we want to prove our wisdom, why don't we play by such simple rules? Let's play bigger."
"Three rows won't do. I need four, five, six. One round isn't enough. I need two, three, five. I can't figure it out, but this should be an unfamiliar area for her... Spread the numbers out, avoid the element of pure luck, and bring both sides back to the same level. Then the competition will really be about intelligence."
"This is the solution of a smart person, and on this point...I will not lose to her!"
His words were full of confidence. At this moment, another person in the audience returned home defeated, leaving behind his fortune that he had used for gambling.
Looking at Andrea with a confident smile on her face, Odysseus turned over and got off.
By winning this game, he would not only secure half of the victory before the start of the conference, but also get to meet such a beautiful girl... That's really great.
When he returns home, he will give Maud a big gift.
…
Snap——
"Thank you for letting me."
Although Andrea spoke humble words, her eyes were not humble at all.
As another old man, whose name she couldn't remember but whose status could be seen from the conversations of the people around him, admitted defeat, Andrea glanced at everyone.
Clearing her throat, the little princess wanted to say 'who else', or 'I'm not targeting anyone, but everyone here is ***', but after thinking about it, she didn't say it out loud.
Mr. Irwin said that it would be better to wait until she defeated a famous person before saying such things, as this would be more impactful, and...
"That's right, it's not what I thought, it's what he taught me!"
After clenching her fists and convincing herself in her heart, Andrea smiled and said,
"So, who's next?"
The field fell silent for a moment.
From taking turns non-stop at the beginning to having to wait a while after winning each game, it only took half a day.
Obviously, the onlookers have gradually realized that this is not an easy game.
There was silence for a while, and then an elderly man walked out.
He has been watching it for quite some time, and now he plans to try it himself.
"I--"
"I'll do it."
Bang--
Odysseus was the first to speak after he landed on the ground. He gave the old man an apologetic smile, and many of the onlookers recognized his identity.
"Odysseus?"
Although she had never met him, Andrea saw the young nobleman who had made the harsh words yesterday walk up to him. So, as expected, this blond young man was the prince of Ithaca, the famous Odysseus.
"It's me, Miss Leah... I don't know where you are from. How come I haven't heard of your name before, such a beautiful girl like you?"
Taking two steps forward, Odysseus sat opposite Andrea.
Without making any noise, he tried to find out the other party's background.
"You are not the first one to be curious about this, Your Highness. But if you want to know, you'd better beat me first."
With a slight smile, Andrea spread her hands.
"Are you going to do it or should I?"
"Of course you can't do it. Otherwise, if you put up a 1, 2, 3 lineup, I will definitely lose. And if I do it... Actually, Miss Leah, I think your game is unfair."
"Um?"
Lifting her eyes from the table, Andrea looked at the foreign prince in front of her who was smiling a little too enthusiastically, and expressed her doubts.
"From the perspective of the bet, a hundred times the odds is unfair to you, Miss Leah."
"From a gaming perspective, this game that tests calculation and strategy was set in advance under your rules, Miss Leah. This is a bit unfair to the challengers."
"I know that you are using your financial disadvantage to make up for the home advantage... But if you want to prove that you are really better than all the challengers, then you should use fairer means to play the game, right?"
Odysseus' words obviously caused heated discussions among the people around him.
Yes, everyone knew that since Andrea dared to set up this game, perhaps she had already studied it for months or even years in advance, and she was using this time difference to gain an advantage.
Before, considering that the bet would be paid a hundred times, no one paid attention to this point, which was also a psychological loophole. But now it seems that Prince Ithaca is worthy of being a famous debater, and he easily found the loophole.
"So what do you mean?"
Although she was a little panicked, Andrea's expression remained unchanged. On the contrary, she tried her best to appear to be at ease.
But this did not fool Odysseus... Laughing secretly, the young prince said loudly:
"I will not take advantage of you. I will bet with wealth equal to yours, but at the same time, I also require you to compete with me on the same level."
"Three rows of gold coins are too simple, and it's too easy to find a pattern, so I'm going to increase the number and the number of bets."
"…Is that all?"
She was a little nervous just now, but then she breathed a sigh of relief and Andrea relaxed a lot.
She leaned back in her chair and said with a smile:
"If that's the case... I can agree to your request."
"It's just that if you want to bet the same amount of wealth, every time you lose, I'm afraid you have to double the bet. If you lose a few more times, I'm afraid it will be an astronomical amount of money."
"I know, but the goddess is my witness. Even if I don't have enough wealth now, I will return it to you in the future. This is Odysseus' promise."
After making a solemn promise, under the gaze of the crowd, Odysseus said in a deep voice:
"Then can we start this new game?"
"Of course, please. But the result will not be any different."
Andrea smiled slightly, feeling a little emotional for a moment. This feeling of being overwhelmed by others in terms of IQ... is really interesting.
······
The conference on earth is still in full swing, and the wedding on the sea has also begun preparations. However, these are all scenery on the earth, and there is nothing underground.
Even though it was an invitation sent by the King of Gods, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he avoided the gods of the underworld as if they did not exist at all.
Under the shining of the dark moon, the corners of the underworld are as deserted as ever.
The water of the River Styx rolled forward, and millions of souls were struggling in it.
Next to a huge pool, a gray-robed goddess stared at the hideous and desperate soul in the pool, and couldn't help feeling a little funny.
This is what human beings are like, arrogant and ignorant.
The closer they are to God, not only do they not know how to be grateful, but they will also try to provoke and deceive... If it weren't for the faith, I'm afraid they would have been destroyed by God again long ago.
"What are you looking at?"
"This is... Tantalus?"
At some point, Moanda, the incarnation of the golden apple tree and now the Olympian goddess of life, also appeared by the lake.
She looked in the direction the gray-robed goddess was looking, and of course she saw the madman, the son of Zeus, who cooked his own son into a dish to entertain the gods.
As eternal beings, the gods have always learned many means of eternal punishment over the long years, such as this one.
They turned Tantalus' flesh into fruit trees, his blood into pools of water, and then locked his soul in the pool, leaving him to suffer from cold winds and hunger and thirst.
He was only above the surface of the pond with his chin above his head, and the curved branches of the fruit trees hung over his head. But when he wanted to drink water, the surface of the pond would drop to within a hair's breadth of his reach; when he wanted to eat, the wind would lift the branches and let the fruits float past him.
Being out of reach and living in perpetual pain, this is the punishment the gods give him.
"You asked me to meet here...what do you mean?"
Still smiling, Moanda asked.
"I just want to tell you that as gods of the underworld, we may not have much presence, but we still have an advantage, such as living long enough."
Eris spoke calmly, as one of the oldest gods in the world besides the first Titans and the original gods, the gods of the underworld are not as powerful as other gods.
However, this also makes them often pay attention to things that the powerful ones do not notice. For example, there was a person named Moanda beside the former Mother Earth.
"Really? That's really amazing."
There was no sincerity, as if the Goddess of Life did not hear the other party's temptation, and her attitude was very casual.
But Eris had only asked casually, she had no real intention of doing anything.
It was just that this feud between the former master and servant was very much to the liking of the disaffected goddess.
"Give me the things as the God King wants."
Speaking quietly, Eris held out her hand.
And Moanda didn't say anything. She just flipped her palm, and then a shining golden apple appeared in her hand.
Chapter 329 Three Times
Since the turn of the era, there has been no trace of the golden apple in the world.
The original reserves were consumed by the Zeus brothers, and the newly born one became a prop for Moanda's reincarnation. And since she completed her reincarnation, she would not use her own body to bear any fruit.
For plants, bearing fruit itself is an act of wasting energy, even if the golden apple tree is the first plant in the world.
Moanda had no intention of following such meaningless instincts. She would not have even thought of creating those beings who called themselves "Dark Elves" if it were not for the will of Erebus.
After all, although they did bring her a lot of faith, the Goddess of Life was actually the one with the least lack of faith among the Olympian gods.
Among the three gods worshipped by the Delphi Oracle, the Earth Mother who seemed to give life to all living things has always existed. However, with the change of ownership of the [Aquarius of Life], this fixed belief also shifted.
That is to say, there is not only one will in the golden apple tree, but also a native one coexisting with Moanda, resulting in the fact that the [life] and [plants] on the material side do not actually belong completely to her... Otherwise, whether Athena is the strongest under Zeus is probably really a difficult thing to say.
"The golden apple... is truly a miracle of creation!"
Even though she had just tried to probe into Moanda's origins, Eris's eyes were still dazed for a moment as she looked at the treasure in front of her that exuded the breath of life.
This was also her first time to come into contact with this legendary food. She even felt that the records circulated among the gods might have underestimated its existence.
In her impression, the golden apple should only be used to reshape the body or injuries of the gods, or to help the true gods quickly reach the upper limit allowed by the innate priesthood. This is already an extraordinary ability, but at this moment, Eris felt a desire.
Her intuition told her that this golden apple might have a more miraculous effect. She didn't know if the rumor was wrong, or if it was different from the original ones?
"That's it." Nodding, Buhe confirmed the existence of the golden apple with the goddess: "Leave it to me. According to the agreement, I will - huh? What do you mean?"
Taking a step forward, Eris was about to take it, but Moanda took a step back and avoided the grab.
"Are you going to break the agreement? I don't have any objection. After all, I didn't want to do this in the first place."
"That's not the case. But as a member of Olympus, how could I 'give' the golden apple to the god of the underworld and let her stir up conflicts within the gods?"
Shaking his head, Moanda just smiled in the face of the goddess of discord's questioning.
She stroked the fruit in her hand, then gently threw it in front of Eris, throwing the golden fruit into the lake beside her.
The lake water splashed a little, and Tantalus' tortured soul seemed to notice this scene, and he turned his head with difficulty.
However, he only saw a golden light falling into the water, but failed to notice the two gods so close.
"Since you took the initiative to choose this place to meet me, I'll just follow your wishes. Eris, this golden apple was not given to you by me. You took it away by yourself. Before I left the underworld, I left a golden apple for the dark elves, and the Dragon Mother was there to guard it herself, as a so-called sacrifice to the original god. But no one thought that a true god of the underworld would deliberately steal this divine fruit under the suggestion of Hades."
"She used the prison set up by the God-King to escape pursuit, and then took the golden apple to the sea. As for what she will do next, I have no idea."
Turning around, as if Eris did not exist at all, Moanda described the process indifferently.
"The elves and the dragon mother were furious at the loss of the fruit, and were blamed by the original god. They swore that this was a sacrifice that only the great Lord of Darkness could enjoy, and no matter who stole it or where it ended up, they would get it back."
"No matter who it is, as long as they hold this golden apple, they are their enemy. Of course, the enemy of their enemy is their friend. If the opponent is too powerful, they will have to find some helpers. This is what happened. And this mortal who was punished by the gods noticed this incident by accident. This makes sense, doesn't it?"
"…"
There was a moment of silence, Eris was once again stunned by the shamelessness of the earthly gods.
She thought that only Zeus, who secretly instructed her to harm his relatives, could do such a thing, but she didn't expect that Moanda could say such words without changing his expression.
Although most of the gods of the underworld are in charge of discord, lies, and doom, they rarely do such things. It's just that mortals are afraid of them, so they make up all kinds of rumors.
"…What a high-sounding rhetoric."
"Anyway, my mission has been completed. The rest has nothing to do with me."
Without paying attention to the sarcasm of the goddess of discord, Moanda turned into a green light and flew in the direction he came from as if no one was around.
Eris was surprised. She was still surprised. Although they were both working gods sold to Zeus by the Lord of Darkness, the other party was really diligent in doing the work and taking the blame. The enemy they were facing was another primitive god...
Since the creation of the world, with the exception of Mother Earth Gaia, there has never been any two great beings who have an irreconcilable hatred and would not give in until the other was seriously injured and fell into sleep. However, it is different for ordinary true gods.
Although Moanda didn't know why Erebus and Zeus suddenly planned to start a war on earth, she didn't want to be the fuse. If Eris was smart, she should have found someone to take the blame.
But what the other party planned to do had nothing to do with her. The chips that Erebus promised had been paid, the forces he wanted to send were ready, and she could also leave the underground with her body and completely belong to Olympus... Thinking of this, Moanda realized that she had been resold three times.
The god who gave her a new life turned a blind eye to her and sold her to the Lord of Darkness for an unknown price. After Erebus created life with her, he sold her to the King of Gods again. How long can Zeus hold out this time?
No one knows the answer. In short, in the dark underworld, a transaction that is destined to be recorded in history books was reached.
The wedding banquet on the Sea of Pontonoris is still being prepared and the stage has not yet been set up, but the preparations off the stage are already half completed.
······
Snap——
"If I remember correctly, this is the third game..."
"Yes, it doesn't look good. The prince has already lost two games."
"It's hard to say. The result is still unknown after two rounds. This game is getting more and more complicated. Maybe it's just a matter of luck?"
"I don't know, but didn't the woman who set up the bet say that there was a 'secret' in her game? If anyone could crack it, they would be considered the winner."
"Who knows if it's true or not? Even for the legendary demon, the Sphinx, I've never heard of a fixed solution. Every puzzle it poses is different."
"It's hard to say... If Prince Odysseus can't win, perhaps only the goddess of wisdom can see the mystery behind it."
…
In the city of Acropolis, the crowd has been increasing. After all, this is not a large arena, but just a street.
People outside couldn't see inside at all, as a dense wall of people blocked their way. Fortunately, there were many professionals among the onlookers, and they naturally had ways to solve this problem.
At this moment, all kinds of mystical eyes, contracted birds, or other means of spying were densely scattered around the small street, staring at the large table in the center.
Gold coins were being placed on the table with a snapping sound. This was Odysseus' third game.
"Your Highness, it seems that the wealth you brought out of your home has been used up. If you cannot win this round, I'm afraid you will have no chips to use."
After taking a sip of tea, she felt much more alert. Andrea glanced at the pile of gold coins and couldn't help but give some advice.
This is already more than a city's tax revenue for several years, and Ithaca is not a famous big country. It is just an island country near the Ionian Sea like Phoenicia.
You know, the change in the gamble requires Odysseus to put up an equal amount of wealth as chips, which means an exponential leap.
"I know, but most of this is actually the income from my travels around the world over the years. I have never paid much attention to the growth of wealth before..."
Taking a deep breath, the young prince's expression was already extremely serious. He carefully placed the next gold coin on the table. At this moment, six long rows were neatly arranged from left to right.
"My intuition tells me that the secret of this game is closely related to who plays first and who plays second, so your rules require that 'if you don't arrange the gold coins, then you decide who takes the first one'. But unfortunately, I still don't see the secret."
Raising his hand to indicate that he was done, Odysseus watched the expression of his opponent.
Although he was very relaxed at the beginning and even wanted to get to know this beautiful girl named Leah, he now regarded Andrea as an equal opponent.
He noticed the other party's thoughts, as if he was calculating something, and then took away the corresponding number of gold coins without hesitation, but unfortunately, he still couldn't understand what the other party was calculating.
"Ms. Leah, what are you going to do next? If no one can crack your game, will you spread it around the world as a puzzle?"
"I don't know, but at least I have no intention of revealing the answer before this conference is over."
As they chatted idly, Andrea had no idea of the prince's changing mindset. After all, ever since she learned the algorithm of the game, she knew that she would not lose no matter what. The only surprise was that someone could see the pattern and win in this way.
However, the human world of this era may have made some achievements in geometric composition due to the needs of architecture, but that was all. So after less than half a water clock, Andrea won the game again.
Crash——
clang——
When the third game ended, a large amount of wealth was dumped onto a hill nearby, even including a sword that looked extremely gorgeous.
There was already a lot of sweat on Odysseus' face, and he looked at the empty table solemnly.
He had a vague feeling that the existence of this first and second hand seemed to maintain a kind of "balance". As long as this "balance" existed, he would not be able to win the game no matter how he played.
Logically, he could have given up, but he understood a little bit of something, which made the prince unwilling to end it.
He touched his empty waist, perhaps feeling a little drunk, and Odysseus gritted his teeth slightly.
"Next round, if I lose, I will bring enough money to you later, and if we become enemies in the future, I will definitely give in to you three times."
"Come on, then."
Andrea nodded indifferently.
So the fourth round began, and then ended as expected after half a water clock. The result was no different, and the little princess won the final victory again.
Looking at the crowd of people talking and Odysseus who was trying hard to maintain his manners, Andrea smiled from the bottom of her heart.
The young prince was so distracted that he even forgot the frustration of failure.
"Who else?"
Looking around, Andrea tried to speak in a calm tone.
You know... She has been waiting for this moment for a long time~
Chapter 330 Begins
There was never anything new in Acropolis under the sun, but this was an exception.
It has never happened that the people of a city are stumped by a game, or even that all the smart people in the world are stumped by a game.
If nothing unexpected happens, this will inevitably become another legendary story that will be passed down through the world and talked about with great relish. Although it did not kill the demons or quell the disaster, the reputation it brought was not necessarily lower than the former.
In some groups, this is even a plus.
"So what changes will this bring?"
"Compared to the previous ones, she doesn't have so many distractions..."
In the temporary residence, Ryan looked at the sun outside the window and thought silently.
Different from thousands of years ago, if the original sun being pulled by the golden chariot was just a metaphor, with the two parties actually moving in some special way, then this is now a real solar chariot.
A light body is suspended behind the frame. It may not be as big as the original sun, but it is also closer to the ground.
What is hung now is the 'Sunset', and its light carries a sense of decline and decay. This is the authority that the ancient sun god himself never mastered during his lifetime, or it is because he was shattered that the sun has since possessed some of this symbolism.
"There is actually a precedent for non-gods becoming quasi-gods."
"Perseus was like this. Under the guidance of the gods, he killed Gorgon, and with the blood of gods in his body, he eventually ascended to heaven. However, he did not have his own authority, just like the large and small constellations that ascended to heaven later. Moreover, their actions seemed to be restricted. There were often only records of their ascension, but no actual subsequent stories."
"Pandora...she's like that too."
"The disasters in the world come from the gods. She just played the role of a tool in the process. So until I left a thousand years ago, she did not show any signs of gaining authority."
"So, the so-called 'great achievements' and 'great reputation' cannot directly bring real authority, at least simply having them is not enough. There is definitely something missing, which I have overlooked..."
"And Hercules, I don't know if he's born yet."
Hercules is not the only immortal mortal, but he is indeed the only mortal who is suspected of having authority. Moreover, the authority of power has a master. In theory, there is no such thing as depriving the priesthood after birth except in the world.
So how did this "Hercules" come about? It is worth discussing. Or is it really just a title, and he never actually had any real authority?
Hopefully not, it would be disappointing if it is...
Squeak——
"Um?"
While Ryan was thinking, the door was pushed open with a slight sound.
It has to be said that the bearing design of this era was really average. From the palace of the gods to the gates of the mortal world, it seems that there is no door that does not make a sound.
"Ivan, I'm back~"
Andrea pushed the door open and jumped in.
She looked around and, as expected, saw a familiar figure at the table.
"Come back if you want. It seems you have got what you need?"
Without looking up, Ryan didn't think there would be any accidents regarding such a small matter.
The age gap between the two sides was too big, and Andrea would definitely win big, as long as she didn't get nervous and cause any problems. However, his indifferent attitude calmed the little princess's excitement.
"…Well, I beat Odysseus, the prince of Ithaca I told you about yesterday. He's very famous."
"When he loses, I will do as you said and say that the level of these challengers is too low. I will not accept competitions from ordinary people in the future, and I will not wait there anymore."
Andrea pursed her lips and sat across the table. After calming down, she was also a little worried.
"The head of the church in Acropolis, who is also a good friend of His Excellency the Patriarch, plans to meet me and invite me to directly participate in the final round of the competition... Will I be recognized?"
"Under normal circumstances, of course. Even if your appearance is different, your habitual movements will still be recognized by acquaintances. After all, you have not received professional training. But when you have such a big reputation, no one will put you and the missing princess together."
"After all... the more familiar you are with someone, the more they should know your abilities."
"…"
Ryan's implication was very clear. You were so bad before, and the difference between you and now is obvious at a glance. Naturally, others would not equate you with the original Andrea.
Although this was the truth, Andrea still felt like she was shot by an arrow when she heard it.
"I see. You know everything, okay?"
With a light snort, the little princess lay down on the small bed beside her, lying in a big letter shape.
After being out for a few months, she felt like she had forgotten half of the etiquette she had learned before... But to be honest, her father didn't really care about these things.
"But speaking of which, Alvin, what exactly do you want to do by asking me to participate in the competition? What good will it do you if I win the championship?"
"It's secret."
Ryan said calmly, not intending to answer at all.
Anyway, he also had a black robe that represented secrecy, so there was nothing wrong with saying this.
"But that's what you said before. Can you say it another way?"
"Then... this is fate."
"…Aren't you a bard?"
"It makes sense that a bard would prophesy. Just assume that I'm here to save Athens and... bring peace to the world?"
Ryan couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, and shook his head slightly.
World peace... There is probably no wish in the world more difficult to achieve than this.
But specifically for Chaos World, I wonder if it will be a little more peaceful without Olympus?
Maybe in the short term, but over time, there should be no difference, but Ryan doesn't care much.
Although it is not very beautiful and full of sin, compared to the golden age... perhaps this kind of world is the real world.
······
Time passes like water. From the perspective of astrology, the trajectory of the sun is also constantly changing.
Because of the pomegranate seeds she had eaten, Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, would only stay in the sacred mountain in the first half of the year, and would go to the underworld in the second half of the year. Then, the whole world would enter deep autumn.
The game competition, which lasted just two days, has now become known to everyone in the city and has even begun to spread to further places.
People called this 'Lia's Game' and speculated about Andrea's origins.
After all, she had been invited to various dinners more than once in recent days, and her performance was impeccable. This proved that she had definitely received a good education, and coupled with her strong bloodline aura, it all proved that she was extraordinary.
However, no one could really find out Andrea's background, not even Odysseus, who often visited her after his defeat. Andrea's origins were like a mystery, hidden in a thick fog.
However, these are just episodes before the competition. As the days go by, preparations are in full swing.
There are thousands of contestants with very different cultures and identities. It is obviously impossible for them to swarm into the completed venue and take turns to decide the winner.
In order to save time and space, the Athenian officials temporarily drew on the cases and puzzles piled up in the subordinate cities and prepared hundreds of topics.
In the streets, in the city, in parks, squares, theaters, and even in front of courts and churches, competitions of all sizes were held day and night.
There was no referee, and no one announced the winner, only soldiers responsible for maintaining order. When a competition was over, the audience would vote anonymously, which was also a manifestation of the classical Athenian republic.
The winners of each game will continue to play against each other, and the losers will continue to play against each other. In the end, the total number of wins of each player will be counted and ranked to determine who is eligible to participate in the final showdown.
This was a scene that was hard to see in other kingdoms of the time, and even in other places in Athens, because in order to understand the debate, understand the process of decryption, or judge whether the judgment was reasonable and legal, it required a certain level of cultural literacy.
No city could have achieved such widespread literacy except the site of the Parthenon, the Church of Knowledge's greatest sanctuary on earth.
Standing on the towering city wall, the middle-aged man with a hint of boredom in his eyes looked at the city and felt somewhat relieved.
He came here alone. In fact, as the monarch of this kingdom, he had not paid much attention to the progress of this competition until today.
There were many things that bothered him, and the disappearance of his little daughter was only a small part of it. Because Theseus knew very well that the kidnapping that Andrea encountered was just a superficial phenomenon, and behind it was the dissatisfaction of the traditional countries and the gods they believed in.
Athens was born too late, its geographical location was too good, and many of the things it chose were too unconventional.
This is not surprising. It is a challenge that latecomers must face. For example, the former Kingdom of Eleusis, a kingdom that worshipped the goddess of agriculture, is now showing a tendency to become a vassal of Athens.
The monopoly of the channels of communication between the maritime countries and the continental countries, the influence continued to extend inland, and suppression followed. In fact, before Theseus came to the throne, Athens was almost surrounded by enemies, and even faced the defeat of a foreign war.
So Theseus, who grew up in a region with a strong witchcraft atmosphere, decisively reformed many systems of the kingdom, from politics to diplomacy. He abolished the noble councils in various places, traded with Silvermoon City, developed ocean trade, introduced the alchemy industry... He also invited the great wizard Hermes, whom he met during his adventure, to Athens. This was also the first precedent among the countries to openly invite a magician to the kingdom.
As a result, Athens' national strength grew, but what followed naturally was more direct open and covert fighting.
"Compared to that, it was more interesting back then... Holding a sword, I would chop down anyone I didn't like. If I couldn't win, I would just run away. I didn't have to give face to the gods. There was no need to worry about so many things."
Feeling somewhat nostalgic for the past, Theseus glanced at the sky.
The sun is shining brightly and there is not a cloud in the sky.
The weather had been so good since the start of preparations for the conference. Many people said that this was a sign of the gods' favor, but Theseus knew very well that at least the gods worshipped by Athens had never sent down their power to affect the celestial phenomena.
So if this is really a gift from the gods...it's probably from some other god.
"Whatever you guys are going to do, I'm ready for it."
The newly built conference hall in the distance was bustling with people. It was a huge building half located on the hillside.
It was carved out of the mountain, and the seat continues upwards along the mountain. The statues, columns, and reliefs on the arches are engraved with the deeds and history of the gods.
And this rare event in the world is about to begin here.
Chapter 331: Title and Bad Guests
Under the clear sky, people are pouring into the Acropolis conference hall.
This newly built building relies on the mountain terrain. It has dozens of corridors from top to bottom, hundreds of rows of seats, and even a suspended corridor that clearly does not conform to the laws of mechanics.
It was required to accommodate at least 150,000 people at the same time when it was designed, which even exceeded the population of some remote towns. The ingenious design allowed the huge area to have good ventilation and viewing experience. When the alchemy pattern was turned on, even the audience at the outermost edge would not be affected by the prosperous voices and could clearly hear the voices on the floating platform in the center of the venue.
This is destined to be a magnificent building that most countries in the world cannot build even if they spend all their wealth. This is not just a matter of money, but also a technological gap.
Many visitors from various countries were shocked by this. After all, less than half a year had passed since the decision to build this building was made.
Even in later times, it would be quite difficult to build such a building out of thin air in several months. In this era, it is simply a man-made miracle.
"I heard that during the construction of the Acropolis Grand Hall, no legendary wizards participated in it, and the entire construction was mostly completed by ordinary spellcasters and craftsmen?"
Sitting in the contestant's seat in advance, Odysseus asked the priest who guided him here.
"Yes, although more than one interested wizard offered to help, His Majesty rejected their kindness."
"Take the initiative... I understand."
With a twitch of his lips, Odysseus knew what was going on.
It's not that those wizards are too easy to talk to. In fact, as far as he knows, there are very few who can truly become legends on the path of spellcasters, even among clergymen.
The scarcity of numbers and irreplaceable abilities naturally brought them a higher status, but in this matter, they might really help for free. After all, if the conference proposed by the God King Priest was held in the building they built, it would be a very interesting thing.
The gods of Olympus rejected wizards, so they naturally had no good impression of them. In contrast, the northern part of the continent did not hate spellcasters. There were even three goddesses of fate living on Mount Nisa in the north. They did not have a church in the human world, but instead had an organization called the Witches of the North.
According to some legends, they seem to be able to see the future and destiny, and often guide many heroes to walk on the "right path" and achieve extraordinary achievements. However, although this so-called right path is sometimes good, sometimes the results are not good, so that others have a rather neutral impression of them.
"Speaking of which, Your Excellency, I have always been curious about what you, as clergymen of the Church of Knowledge, think of those beings with shallow faith who attempt to infringe upon the realm of the gods. Don't you think this is blasphemy?"
After hesitating for a moment, Odysseus finally asked the question he had been wondering about. Beside him, the middle-aged priest also explained calmly:
"Your Highness Odysseus, this is actually a misunderstanding by outsiders."
"We are equally disgusted by the intrusion into the realm of the gods - the problem is that the wizards are not invading the realm of the goddess."
"No?"
His expression was a little strange, and Odysseus didn't understand what the other party meant.
Just like the special fertilizer invented by alchemists, the plants grown with them have almost the effect of the exclusive divine arts of the Church of Agriculture, which once made many people question Demeter's authority. Another example is some special alchemical preparations sold in Athens today, which can keep people young and energetic for a longer time. Even though the Church of the Goddess of Beauty and the Queen of Heaven has banned it, there are still many smuggled products flowing into Western countries.
This kind of infringement on the authority of the gods happens almost every moment, and even though it is far less effective than the authority of the gods now, this behavior itself is intolerable.
In many cases, a breakthrough from zero to one is not necessarily much worse than a breakthrough from one to one hundred.
"No, I haven't."
The middle-aged priest nodded, his expression still gentle.
"The goddess is a symbol of wisdom. Whether it is skills or the art of war, they are just extensions of the realm of wisdom. Your Highness, have you ever discovered that there is a way to truly improve a person's wisdom?"
Wisdom, not intelligence, not memory or understanding. At this moment, Odysseus felt as if he understood the other person's thoughts.
True wisdom has indeed not been violated by humans. On the contrary, all their achievements prove the importance of wisdom.
"But then again, can Her Majesty Athena really improve the most fundamental wisdom of a life?"
The thought flashed through his mind, but Odysseus obviously would not ask such a blasphemous question. Besides, how to measure a person's true wisdom is a difficult thing to say.
What most people can see is nothing more than the manifestation of experience, character, memory, knowledge, etc. If you add all these together, I don't know if it is true wisdom.
Odysseus didn't know. The reason why he suddenly started thinking about these questions was not because he suddenly became a philosopher, but mainly because he was hit hard by Andrea before.
After losing several times in a row, he often looked for other people to play against, and even found a few so-called winning ways to start the game, but they were all just rote memorization.
The exhaustive method is used to solve the problem by listing all possible options, and finally finding that one party does have a sure-fire way to win, but he only knows how and why.
Although Odysseus later used his words and quick wit to win more than one victory in other aspects when facing other opponents, and regained some confidence, it inevitably made him begin to doubt his own wisdom.
He was so conceited and clever that he once wanted to find the Sphinx and solve its mystery, but he never succeeded. Now he thinks he may be too confident. The world is so big that there are always things he doesn't know.
"Dear guests, envoys and citizens from the major city-states and kingdoms in the eastern part of the continent, as well as Phoenicia, Lydia, Phrygia and other countries, the conference is about to begin."
Odysseus was only in a corner of the meeting place. While he was communicating with the priest, people continued to come in.
It was not until the sun was at its zenith and most people were seated that an old man from the royal family stood in the center of the stage, facing the hundreds of thousands of people in the audience.
"Today, under the witness of God and the rule of the Kingdom of Athens, we will hold such a grand ceremony, where the wise men of various countries will show their talents and present them as gifts to the gods."
"But before that, we still need to do one more thing, which is to finally choose the topic and judges for this conference."
Raising his hand, the old man on the suspended platform in the center of the venue pointed to the air, and then twelve leather scrolls tied together floated in the air.
The twelve scrolls have different numbers and colors. They are so vivid and eye-catching that every viewer who comes here can clearly see their existence.
"Everyone has his or her own ideas. The truly fair judges are none other than the guests from all over the world. They use their wisdom to solve the questions, their judgment to prove fairness, and their words to convince you. This is the best way to judge. The real winner will have his or her own opinion. However, every topic may be biased, so we choose to leave everything to fate."
"Pick a scroll you like and raise the corresponding sign next to your seat. We will choose the topic and process of the finals based on it. Now, please be quiet."
"Choose a topic, start now."
······
Clattery...
The waves hit the calm sea, making bursts of sound.
Thousands of gorgeous carriages streaked across the sky, plummeting down, and the sea parted before them.
Perhaps because of the arrival of the Earthshaker, the usually calm Sea of Pontonoris became turbulent, but it seemed so small and ordinary in front of the gods in the sky.
"What a hasty wedding... There wasn't even half a year from the decision to the start. What a joke."
Picking up a rose and watching it bloom and wither, Aphrodite felt a little uneasy.
She actually didn't want to come here, and she wasn't sure why. At first she thought it was a warning from fate, that something bad was going to happen on this trip, but then she remembered.
Her dislike for this place was not just one or two days, but started a long time ago. It was just that she subconsciously didn't want to get close to it before, but now she had to come because of the order of the God King.
"Such a hasty wedding, but the God King himself sent out invitations... Could it be that he finally couldn't help himself and wanted to break the oath he once made and exert his influence on the sea?"
The goddess of beauty spoke as if no one was around, but her daughter, the goddess of harmony, Harmonia, said nothing.
Her husband Cadmus, who was famous among the people, was no longer there, and he could not leave there at all, so the Goddess of Harmony was naturally alone most of the time.
However, she still didn't quite agree with her mother's words.
Perhaps it is the nature of the priesthood that in the eyes of the Goddess of Harmony, the connection between Zeus and the laws of the world has become increasingly harmonious and close. This is a good thing, just as the second-generation God King once believed that the [Code of Creation] was the most suitable artifact for the God King. This special state can allow Zeus to have power far beyond his imagination when facing existence that breaks the rules.
But on the other hand, this kind of connection that directly affects him is different from a divine weapon. The more benefits you get, the more constraints you have to bear. If there is anyone in this world who will never violate his oath and the order of the divine court, the goddess of harmony thinks it is Zeus.
So no matter what the King of Gods is here for, he will not use his own power to conquer the ocean.
"Forget it, you are always so boring. I didn't support you marrying a mortal in the first place, but unfortunately this is the order of the God King. But I don't think he really wants to repay the human named Cadmus."
Shaking her head, Aphrodite said no more.
Cadmus's later years were not good, and the Thebes he founded and his descendants were even more troubled, and she even had some influence in it.
But no matter what, that was in the past. The float went down from the parted sea, and Aphrodite and her daughter walked into the palace of the ancient sea god with the respectful welcome of the sea nymph at the door.
Behind her, more gods arrived, even the God of Light and the Goddess of Daylight, who had been living in seclusion for a long time, came in person.
These are two ancient gods with great powers, but they came down to the human world from the starry sky at the invitation of the King of Gods.
In addition, Aphrodite even saw traces of the first generation of Titan gods, who seemed to be the goddess of light who took refuge in the starry sky, the wife of the god of lightless celestial bodies who rarely left traces in history.
"...And her, why is she here too?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Aphrodite saw a red hem of clothing, but it disappeared as she turned around.
The Goddess of the Demonic Net and the god who wandered outside the divine court had nothing to do with each other, but because of an accident, the Goddess of Beauty seemed to have offended her.
Since then, Aphrodite has often become the target of the other party's teasing, and each time the harm is not great, but the insult is extremely strong.
"snort!"
With a cold snort, Aphrodite walked into the palace of Poseidon.
She had been planning to wait for Ares, but now she was no longer in the mood.
At most I'll say a few nice words, but that reckless man won't remember such a thing.
…
As time went by, more and more gods came. When the sun was at its highest point in the sky, even Apollo temporarily abandoned his golden chariot, let it hover in the sky, and came to the palace.
Gradually, things outside the Sea God's Palace became quiet again. If nothing unexpected happened, the wedding banquet should have begun. No god would put on so much airs and come at this time, so the sea fairy guarding the gate relaxed.
"…Who's there? Come out!"
Suddenly, the peripheral vision seemed to notice something wrong, and the sea nymph in front of the shrine became nervous.
She stared at the deep sea tide in the distance and subconsciously took a step back. As she watched, a goddess in gray slowly approached from a distance.
The visitor did not take the carriage, but the sea fairy still breathed a sigh of relief.
It was fine if it was a god, she was just afraid of encountering an irrational monster. The gods would not make a scene at a wedding banquet hosted by His Majesty the God King, but the latter would not care what the God King was.
"Welcome, Your Highness, I..."
"I come from Hades."
Eris said calmly without any fluctuation in her voice.
"...No matter where you come from, as long as you are the God King..."
"I don't have an invitation either."
The sea nymph was silent for a moment.
She knew why this was the case. After all, even she couldn't think of the gods of the underworld for a moment.
Even Hades was forgotten, let alone the goddess in front of him? But gods are gods after all, and the God King will never really reject her, so she still responded respectfully:
"…Then Your Highness, I will go in now…"
"No need."
Raising her hand to refuse, the goddess of disharmony showed a strange smile. She looked at the palace in front of her and said calmly:
"Without an invitation, you don't have to go in, but since you're here, you have to give a gift."
"I'll let you pass on my gift. I don't know whether this is lucky or unfortunate for you."