Myth: The Spiritual Dominator

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 did 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. And their actions seemed to be restricted. There are often only records of their ascension, but no actual subsequent transmission."

"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 a real disappointment if it is...

squeak-

"Ok?"

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~"

Pushing the door open, Andrea's figure jumped into the room.

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 Cathar 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 people are with you, the clearer they should be about 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 speaking of the world of Chaos, I wonder if without Olympus, it will be a little more peaceful than before?

Maybe in the short term, but over time, there shouldn't be much of a difference, but Ryan didn't really care.

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, and from the perspective of astrology, the trajectory of the sun is also constantly changing.

Because of the pomegranate seeds she had eaten, Persephone, 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 the winners, and the losers will continue to play against the losers. 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 was shining brightly and there were no clouds 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 seats continued to rise up along the mountain. The statues, columns, and reliefs on the arches were engraved with the deeds and history of the gods.

And this rare event in the world is about to begin here.