Linley asked anxiously, "Are we there yet?"
Dave seemed a bit nervous and replied, "Not yet. This is Andros Island, there are many Romans stationed there. We have to go around it."
The harbor of Andros Island was full of Roman warships. Although the fishing boats passed by hurriedly without attracting attention, everyone was still afraid to get close to the solid land. Although they might not be discovered, once they were discovered, there would be no escape.
After sailing for a day and a night, another island appeared ahead. Before Linley could ask, Dave explained, "This is Delos, there are also Romans there, we have to go around it."
They sailed for several more days, far from their original route, and could no longer see any other ships. Finally, they saw a rocky island.
The island seemed to rise abruptly from the sea, surrounded by cliffs, with no beach, only a small gap for landing, other places were inaccessible. The crevices of the rocky mountain were covered with weeds and bushes, and many goats jumped on the cliffs, nibbling on these plants.
Dave explained, "This is a place we used to take shelter from the wind."
Linley was incredulous, "You would sail so far to fish? It's been days."
He thought fishing was only done a few tens of kilometers from the coastline. Was it too early to start deep-sea fishing? Besides, it was so far from the coastline, how could they preserve the fish? There was no refrigeration at that time.
Dave smiled and said, "We don't sail so far for fishing, we also do some other business sometimes."
"Smuggling!" Linley understood.
This was a very old profession, as long as there were tariffs, there was smuggling. Modern tariffs are mostly a few percent, but ancient tariffs were often ten or twenty times higher, especially for those precious and rare items.
For example, Greece imposed heavy taxes on wine exports, forcing barbarians in the north with icy winters to learn to grow grapes and make wine.
With tariffs, naturally there were people smuggling, smuggling ordinary cheap Greek wine to other places, they could sell it for a lot of money, so some fishermen would work part-time as smugglers.
For Linley, this was good news, only the ships of smugglers could be so sturdy. If they were just ordinary fishing boats, they might not be able to sail so far.
Linley was the first to board the island. The gap was actually a crack between two peaks, not very large. After everyone landed, the narrow passage was nearly filled. Even so, after so many days of sailing, their feet finally stepped on firm ground, everyone was overjoyed.
Odysseus shouted loudly, "Praise my Lord! We survived! This is all thanks to the blessing of Wine God!"
The followers of Dionysus sang hymns in unison, bringing out the last of their treasured wine to share with everyone. The fishermen felt somewhat awkward. They worshipped Poseidon, the god of the sea, and while they couldn't participate, their yearning for wine made them swallow hard.
Dave stared at the wine jar in Linley's hands, his gaze fixed, until Odysseus, standing beside him, gestured discreetly. He then suddenly realized, and shouted: "Brothers and sisters! We were once followers of Poseidon, but as you all can see, Poseidon has abandoned us. It was Dionysus who saved us. From today on, let us worship Dionysus!"
As soon as he said this, most of the fishermen agreed: "Yes, from today on, we will worship Wine God!"
Thus, they joined the ranks of Dionysus' followers, sharing the fine wine. However, a small number of fishermen remained steadfast in their faith in Poseidon. Because they refused to convert to the Holiness, they had fled the Roman soldiers, but now they were going to convert to Dionysus. It would have been better to have stayed in the fishing village and converted to the Poseidon then. Although Dionysus was closer to them than the Poseidon, converting to the Poseidon wouldn't require them to leave their home.
"Wine God, we are followers of Poseidon. Although Poseidon did not give us a timely oracle, we cannot abandon him just like that," said one fisherman.
"This is an island, surrounded by the sea on all sides. If we lose Poseidon's protection, we may not be able to survive," another fisherman added.
"We have sailed for so long without encountering any storms or losing any ships, suggesting Poseidon's protection."
"I have been a follower of Poseidon since birth, and after death, I will also be a follower of Poseidon."
Linley didn't care about this, and said, "You can continue your own beliefs. We, the Olympian gods, are all a family."
He took out the wine jar and took a big gulp, exhaling fragrant wine vapor. Due to the lack of freshwater, they had to be frugal with their drinking along the way, often adding a small amount of wine to their freshwater for disinfection.
After a long journey, they were finally able to drink freely, and Linley also became tipsy. He poured the remaining wine into a large vat used for freshwater and said to those who refused to convert: "We have finally reached a safe place. Let's all drink freely, and we will rebuild civilization here."
The fishermen cheered and gathered around the vat, drinking desperately. Although the wine was weak, it was a supreme treat for them. After a few sips, everyone was drunk, and even those who initially didn't want to convert felt that there was nothing wrong with converting after all.
Linley walked along the crevices, and soon the two mountain peaks merged, and the path disappeared. He had already released some of his divine power, and his body far surpassed that of ordinary humans. He walked effortlessly on the steep mountain cliffs.
Odysseus, on the other hand, was different. He was fat, and had to use both his hands and feet, and even needed help from others to barely keep up. After climbing only a dozen meters, he was out of breath, and his clothes were soaked with sweat. The others were slightly better than Odysseus, but they were also panting heavily.
The initial excitement soon faded, as everyone looked at the desolate island and felt a sense of discouragement. The island was large, but it was all rocky mountains, unsuitable for cultivation and they didn't know how to build houses. Although there were many goats, they were obviously difficult to catch.
"Dionysus, this place doesn't seem suitable. Should we look for another place?" Odysseus suggested.
"There are no better places nearby. Either they are too small or they are occupied," Dave said. "Let's stay here for a few months and see how it goes."
"No," Linley shook his head.