Myth: The Spiritual Dominator

"Well, please make way, thank you."

Trying his best to act like an ordinary person, even appearing polite, Iapetus stood up from his seat and walked to the outside of the venue.

In the entire terraced auditorium built against the mountain, there is a flat road between every ten or so rows of seats, which surrounds in an arc and connects to the gate to the outside world.

However, at this moment, the spectators who participated in the conference as audiences were very enthusiastic, and it was not uncommon to see people talking loudly and standing up. So much so that Iapetus almost moved out of the viewing platform little by little, and even kept greeting acquaintances on the way.

Well, yes, acquaintances. In fact, Iapetus not only had acquaintances in Athens, he even had a noble status passed down from generation to generation, a considerable fiefdom, and a widespread reputation.

In the minds of most of the upper class in Athens, he was a foreigner who had inherited a family lineage for hundreds of years. As the head of the family, Mr. Ilos was just like his ancestors, keen on books, calligraphy and painting, and liked to watch speeches and debates, but he rarely participated in them himself.

"...Yes, I just suddenly remembered that I have something urgent to do...Yes, there is no way to postpone it, and there is nothing I can do..."

With a helpless look on his face, Iapetus talked to his last friend for a few words and then strode out.

It was most likely that he was dazzled by his eyes just now. Gaia should not appear here. However, despite this, he still didn't want to stay here for even another second.

He walked hurriedly, observing the crowd's movements in the distance without making a sound, searching for his target in the bustling venue. The exit door was just ahead...

boom--

Accompanied by a dull collision sound, Iapetus staggered and almost fell to the ground. The God of Speech reacted and subconsciously expressed his apology. He had not paid attention to the movement in front of him at all.

"Shh... I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you just now."

His tone was sincere. If it were any other god, many of them would probably have been furious. However, Iapetus did not take this matter to heart. Even if there was no suspected existence of Gaia, he would not remember such a small matter.

Since ancient times, whether it was Iapetus, Prometheus or Epimetheus, they had to deal with humans a lot because of their own weak power, and thus developed different personalities.

For example, Prometheus once saw himself as a "leader and protector", with an arrogant yet kind attitude; and Iapetus felt that there was no difference between humans and gods, with the only difference being in power.

After all, he had once been the weakest god, and even the gods of the underworld didn’t exist at that time… So even though he was in a hurry to leave, Iapetus still apologized politely.

"I'm so sorry, but I have something urgent to do. I am Count Ilos, who lives in Athens. If I have time in the future, I would be happy to host you at my home and have dinner with you."

"Count Iros?"

The voice came from in front of him, and Iapetus nodded slightly.

As the god of speech, he easily read surprise, joy, and thought from the other party's tone... Strange, is this person who has heard of his name but has never met him before? At least Iapetus can be sure that he has never seen the young man in front of him.

But no matter who he is, he has to leave here quickly.

"Although it may be a little rude, I'm afraid I can't stay long. I have urgent matters at home-"

"I understand your anxiety, Count Iros, but I would like to ask..."

The young man looked up and looked at Iapetus in front of him.

"Are you avoiding her?"

"what?"

He raised his head suddenly, and it was only at this moment that Iapetus suddenly felt that something was wrong.

He looked in the direction the strange young man in front of him pointed. At the end of his sight, he saw a familiar reddish-brown hem of clothing, which made him hold his breath subconsciously. Fortunately, the other party did not look in his direction.

I'm actually here... It wasn't an illusion just now! But why did Gaia come to Athens? What was she doing here? Was there something wrong with this conference?

And besides that…

With a serious expression, the God of Speech looked at the young man in front of him.

He looked to be around 20 years old, maybe even younger. His handsome appearance and well-made clothes seemed to prove that he was not lacking in wealth... But at this moment, what attracted Iapetus was not these earthly creations, but the things hidden underneath.

He just realized that even though he was nervous because of Gaia's fleeting figure, he couldn't bump into anyone. You know, although Iapetus took the initiative to seal his body, which was not strong among the gods but could be regarded as the top among the mortals, in order to behave like a mortal, this definitely did not include his perception ability.

Not to mention just thinking about things, even if he ran with his eyes closed, Iapetus would not bump into anyone. The only possibility for this to happen was that the person in front of him avoided his perception, avoided the perception of a god.

Even in the mortal world, this was still a very incredible thing. So who was the being in front of him, and did he realize the true identity of himself and the woman he was pointing at?

"Who are you and what do you want to do?"

He did not make any rash moves, not to mention that there was a big thunder next to him, even if there was no thunder, he would not easily make such a risky move. Iapetus just asked seriously, and in front of him, the young man spread his hands innocently.

"Don't be so nervous, Count Ilos. I'm just a poet passing through Athens. Of course, you can call me a prophet or a soothsayer. Anyway, it's fate that leads us to meet here."

fate?

Iapetus secretly complained, he was sure that the man's surprise when he saw him was not fake, he had no idea who he would meet here...but on the surface, he still looked like he believed it.

"Okay, let's just call it fate, but I'm leaving here--"

"So you are really avoiding her? But at such a close distance, can you really avoid her?"

The young man spoke casually with a smile.

"…Maybe, but we have to try it. Or do you have a better idea?"

He spoke in a deep voice, and Iapetus knew that the other party was telling the truth.

No matter why Gaia came here, and why he didn't notice him for the time being, since he was here, he would be discovered sooner or later at such a close distance. Unless he used the power of a demigod to quickly leave the city and keep a safe distance - but this would only make him discovered faster.

"I can't do anything about it, but under the guidance of fate, if you stay by my side, she won't find you for the time being - provided you don't do anything that attracts too much attention."

The young man took two steps forward and sat back in his seat. He raised his hand slightly and asked with a smile:

"So are you planning on leaving or staying?"

"…What do you want me to do?"

After a moment of silence, Iapetus felt as if he had recalled a long time ago. It seemed that there was also such a "prophet" who used the name of fate to guide the then normal Mother Goddess to do many things... But now, thinking of that old figure who was not quite understandable, Iapetus took a few steps and sat on the empty seat next to the young man.

There was a fragrance in the air. It seemed that there was a girl here, but now no one knew where she went.

"Don't talk like I'm threatening you. I didn't instruct you to come here, did I? Well, but I do need your help with something. I wasn't completely sure before, but now I can."

Nodding slightly, the young man asked, "Count Ilos, I heard that you are good at debate?"

"Understood."

Iapetus responded cautiously, not knowing why the other party asked this.

"That's fine. I don't care if you know a little bit about it, but this is what I want to ask of you."

"Use your strengths to win a debate for me, and I'll consider it as the rent for you to stay here."

"No problem. Which match are you talking about and who is the opponent?"

After just a brief consideration, Iapetus glanced at Gaia in the distance and agreed decisively.

If it was just one debate, it wouldn't mean anything to him. But besides this conference, are there any other debates recently?

"It's obvious, Mr. Iros, you've already guessed it."

Still smiling, the young man pointed forward.

"I'm talking about this match. Your opponent is right on the stage."

······

call--

After taking several deep breaths, Andrea sat in the seat belonging to the contestants.

Thanks to the previous game, she used her own "wisdom" to defeat all the self-proclaimed smart people in the city, and no one has cracked the secret of the game so far.

So she skipped the previous competition and got a ticket to the finals.

At this moment, the people sitting next to her were all famous figures in Greece, and she, a twelve-year-old girl, was about to compete with them. She really didn't know how to win, so she could only try her best to make her defeat not so ugly.

After all, she has already won the "wisdom" test. As long as she gets a good score in the "fair" debate, she should be able to win the championship.

"Ms. Leah, I have to say, your game is really unfathomable."

"I have spent a lot of time studying it these past few days, but unfortunately, when the difficulty rises to five elements, it is difficult for me to find a solution with a high chance of success."

With a sigh, Odysseus sat aside, watching the voting on the topic and chatting with Andrea.

He was very enthusiastic, but the nervous little princess didn't want to pay any attention to him. She just felt that the Qatari prince was annoying, like a mosquito buzzing in her ear.

"That's normal. After all, this is a puzzle that only smart people can solve."

The voice was flat, and Andrea decisively killed the dialogue.

"..."

Odysseus remained silent, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and then he indicated that he had not heard the conversation just now.

He saw that Miss Leah, whose origins were unknown, didn't seem to want to pay attention to him now. Although he felt a little regretful about this, he didn't continue to pester her.

Maybe she was calming down for the upcoming competition. He really looked forward to competing with her on the same stage again. If he could defeat her head-on, she would probably face up to her own existence... The young prince fantasized in his mind, but he didn't know that Miss Leah was indeed preparing for the competition at this moment, but her way of preparation was not quite what he expected.

Falling into a shallow state of meditation, Andrea used her mental power to draw a strange, ever-changing rune in her mind. Concentrating her mind, the little princess called out softly.

"Hey, can you hear me, Alvin, can you hear me?"

"I feel like I'm no match for them at all. Please think of a solution for me!"

There was no reaction at first, until a long time later, the rune in Andrea's heart trembled slightly, and a sound came out of it.

"...Ahem, I hear you, don't be so anxious. You are the princess of Athens, you should have the composure to 'keep your face unchanged even when a sacred mountain collapses in front of you, and keep your eyes fixed even when a demon runs by your side'. The great heroes of ancient times were all like this, you should learn from them."

"I don't have it. I'm only twelve years old. I'm not a hero. You can't expect an underage princess to have this ability!"

Andrea gritted her teeth, feeling very angry at Ryan's mood of watching the fun. Feeling the admiration, dissatisfaction and eagerness of so many eyes towards her as a "wise man", she felt that she should not have participated in this competition.

Now, she can only choose between big failure and small failure.

"Well, okay, there's a saying that goes, ambition is not limited by age... But don't be impatient. Since we dare to let you come, there must be a way to win."

The voice continued to come, and the tone seemed a little unreliable, but Andrea was relieved to hear this.

Although Alvin often enjoyed laughing at her, he always kept his promises.

"So, what can you do?"

"It's simple. If you can't beat the game normally, the most direct way is to cheat. If you can't beat the exam, then just find someone to take the exam for you."

"But since I asked you to come this time, you don't have to find a substitute yourself. I have already found someone for you, and I guarantee that he is the most reliable one in Chaos at the moment."

Ryan felt that it was not a big problem to transmit the sound along the mysterious connection. He was a god after all, so he couldn't be too weak, right?

He glanced at Iapetus beside him. Although he was not very sure, he thought that the other party should be quite capable.