"Why are you screaming?" Linley was the first to react.
"You're alive?" Odysseus asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"Of course," Linley stood up and noticed the room was packed with people, all priests and apprentices of Dionysus.
"No wonder Dionysus chose you as the new god of wine." Odysseus took a big gulp of wine, his expression complicated. "How much power do you have?"
"Not much," Linley whispered.
In fact, he had no power at all; all his divine abilities had been sealed by the system.
"Then we're screwed," Odysseus said, his voice filled with despair.
"What?" Linley asked, alarmed.
"Look outside," Odysseus said, pointing to the window.
Linley rushed to the window and saw a throng of Roman soldiers outside. Athens was the political hub of the Greek peninsula, with several Roman legions stationed in the city. Even though these legions were second- or third-tier troops, they were still the strongest armed forces on the Greek peninsula.
The Roman soldiers were clad in armor, holding large shields and bronze short swords, standing in the famous Roman phalanx formation.
"What are they up to?" Linley asked, puzzled.
"I don't know, probably here to kill us. I haven't had a chance to ask," Odysseus replied, shaking his head helplessly.
"Then go ask them already!" Linley urged.
Odysseus walked out and shouted, "What's going on?"
A short, stout man in ornate armor stepped to the front of the phalanx. Everyone recognized him as Philip, the Roman legion commander. He said somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, you should surrender immediately, or we'll kill you all!"
"Oh my god," Odysseus exclaimed, "What happened? We were just drinking together yesterday."
Philip waved the short sword in his hand but spoke even more awkwardly, "Well, drinking is one thing, but this is official business. All the temples in the city are to be shut down."
"Why?" Odysseus asked.
"Enough!" A tall, thin man stepped forward. His face was haggard, he wore a simple linen robe, his skin was dark, and his eyes were frighteningly bright, as if a fire was burning within them. "You followers of false gods deserve nothing but to be eternally burned by hellfire! Philip, kill them all, leave no one alive!"
"Who are you?" Odysseus asked.
"I am Maurice, the Pope's envoy," the tall, thin man replied coldly. "I am here under the Pope's orders to destroy you."
"The Pope? I thought Augustus ruled Rome. When did we get a Pope?" Odysseus asked in confusion.
"Deception and devilry!" Maurice shouted angrily. "All Romans now believe in Holiness, including all members of the Senate and Augustus himself."
Augustus is not a name but the title of the Roman Emperor, meaning sacred and inviolable. Odysseus usually didn't care much about politics, but he knew that Holiness had spread rapidly in Rome, encroaching on the territory of the Olympian gods. However, he hadn't expected the situation to develop so quickly, with Holiness becoming the state religion of Rome.
When Dionysus returned yesterday, Odysseus already sensed trouble, but what could he do? Fortunately, Dionysus had found a successor in time, leaving only one way out.
"I am willing to surrender!" Odysseus said.
"Surrender?" Maurice's smile was chilling. "We do not accept surrender. All followers of false gods must die!"
"Sir," Philip quickly grabbed Maurice, "the governor's orders were not like that. If they are willing to surrender, that's enough."
"I know what you're thinking. People always need to drink, whether in Athens or Sparta, Greece or Rome. As long as they temporarily surrender, there will always be a day to rise again. I'm telling you, this trick won't work. This time is different from before. The Holiness is the state religion, and we won't let these followers of false gods escape!" Morris roared.
"Even if you want to kill them all, wouldn't it be better to let them surrender first?" Phillip whispered.
"We won't use such schemes. Today, we will openly burn down this place of heretics! Attack!" Morris ordered.
Originally, without Phillip's order, his soldiers couldn't attack. But with Morris's command, a dozen javelin throwers behind him immediately hurled their javelins. Odysseus turned and ran, accidentally tripping and stumbling into the building.
The acolytes quickly shut the main door. This temple was built very sturdily, with walls made of large stones and a massive wooden door. Because there were so many drunkards in the temple, many would go on drunken rampages. If it weren't built sturdily, it would have been torn down quickly.
Now it served an unexpected purpose. For the Roman soldiers to take down the temple, they would need siege equipment. The javelins struck the walls and broke, not even leaving a mark.
"This is such a hassle," Phillip muttered. "These are stone walls. We should accept their surrender. Who knows how many will die if we force our way in."
"No one will die," Morris said coldly. "I've already investigated. There are no weapons in the temple of the Dionysus, only some barrels of wine. Can they fight back with wine barrels?"
Phillip thought it made sense but couldn't help complaining, "I can't let my soldiers take risks. If we accepted their surrender..."
"These are not your soldiers," Morris interrupted.
Phillip pouted and said, "Yeah, yeah, I misspoke. They are not my soldiers; they are the Senate's soldiers, the soldiers of the Roman Empire."
"No, all souls, all lives, belong to the great Lord!" Morris shouted. "Dying for the Lord means ascending to heaven immediately, becoming an angel, and enjoying eternal bliss in Eden! Charge, charge!" At once, many soldiers rushed forward, some kicking the door with all their might, others slashing at the windows with their swords.
Maurice shouted angrily, "What do you think you're doing?"
If this were a real battlefield, this chaos would have led to a complete rout. Athens, deep within the empire's interior, hadn't seen war for over a hundred years, and the legion stationed here hadn't fought in just as long. But they shouldn't have fallen into such disarray. After all, they were a regular legion of the Roman Empire, recruited from all over and formally trained. Yet, their fighting was so disorganized.
Philip had never fought in a war himself. He was a second-generation official; his father was a senator in the imperial senate. Growing up in Rome, he had solid military knowledge but didn't dare to go to the front lines. So he came to Athens to be a legion commander. Although he couldn't earn merit for promotion, it was safe and profitable. Seeing his soldiers now, he felt extremely frustrated.
He had always thought he trained his soldiers well, but seeing this today, he feared they would become fodder for the barbarians in a real battle.
"Let them be," Maurice said. "The temple can't resist us."
Before he finished speaking, the windows suddenly opened, and several buckets of liquid were poured out, drenching the Roman soldiers. But the soldiers weren't scared at all; instead, they laughed heartily.