Myth: The Spiritual Dominator

There aren't many people on the team, and even fewer are willing to raise objections.

So after discussing with his two companions separately, Hercules decided to set sail.

The road to the Eye of the Sea is long and tortuous. Even Oileus, who had been there once, could not guarantee that he would be able to go there safely again.

After all, they used to be able to pass through the countries that believed in the sea god and obtain supplies and assistance from them, but now, they have to bypass these places.

Hercules had no objection to this.

Even though he still had a complicated attitude towards the gods, he had no doubt that the King of Gods hated Prometheus.

"Tsk... So this is the power source of this 'ship'?

Inside the 'Sea Whale Boat', several people entered from the entrance one by one.

Unlike the stuffiness he had imagined, Hercules did not feel any discomfort as the entrance behind him closed.

There is no difference from the outside world, even the air is still fresh.

Looking at the furnishings inside, Amon, as a "studious young man", was the first to express his doubts.

"No matter how you look at it, this is just an ordinary furnace."

"So the so-called 'element crystals' you put in before are the fuel for this furnace?"

Approximately located in the middle and rear side of the hull, a structure shaped like a furnace is placed directly in the semi-enclosed space.

But there is neither fire inside it, nor can you feel either temperature or coldness.

"I don't know much about alchemy, but if it's just this primitive 'element furnace', then I can indeed help you solve your doubts."

"But before that, I want to ask you a question."

Stopping in front of the furnace and listening to Amon's questions, Oileus couldn't help but sigh at the cycle of fate.

He had asked the same question before, and now he had to relay the explanation to the new crew members.

"As we all know, gods possess divine power and can change everything and influence the rules."

“They can make dead things come alive and turn loess into an oasis. The origin of wizards is also related to this.”

"It is said that the original magic power was created by the goddess of the magic network imitating the divine power. Wizards use it to mobilize elements and affect matter and spirit."

"But the question is, is the essence of magic or divine power a manifestation of matter, or a cycle of spirituality?"

"…It should come from the soul."

After a moment's thought, Hercules replied.

"I heard that for wizards, meditation is one of their ways to advance."

"So compared to matter, the soul is more accurate."

"is it?"

Nodding slightly, Oileus did not comment.

He once thought so, but this is obviously not the real answer.

"If the essence of magic and elements is spirituality, then why can they create strong winds, bring about snow, and even create water in the desert and make wood burn in the ocean?"

"In fact, whether it is divine power or elements, they are not formed by pure matter or spirituality, but are somewhere in between the two."

"They can be easily influenced by it, and can also transform into corresponding existences under certain conditions."

"...Hmm, so this 'Elemental Furnace'..."

Hercules and Amon understood Oileus' explanation.

But no matter what divine power and magic are, what do they have to do with their problems?

"That's what this furnace is for."

"It burns the element, thus changing its form."

"Turning the elements into wind, this enclosed ship can breathe freely without floating up; turning the elements into water, for people to drink and rest."

"It can also bring pure energy to drive the wheel to rotate, thereby allowing the whale boat to continue moving forward on the seabed."

The principle was explained in detail, but Oileus didn't really understand the details.

For example, he still doesn't quite understand whether the water element turned into water, or whether it gathered the surrounding water in some form.

But this was all he knew, with at most a guess he had heard.

"This is the 'Elemental Forge'. Of course, what we see now is just a primitive version."

"It is said that the real thing is not like this. It is a device that can not only turn elements into matter, but also turn matter into elements, and even return elements to a more essential energy state, allowing them to transform into each other."

“At that time, water will be earth and air will be stars.”

"As long as we continue to pour seawater and soil into it, we can bring in endless energy and matter."

"...It's really impressive, but it doesn't sound like something that has been realized. If it were, Silvermoon City would have already ruled the world long ago."

The studious young man made a casual joke, and Hercules nodded in approval.

But at this moment, Amon felt that his interest in alchemy was growing.

Equivalent exchange is the most fundamental rule of everything in the world.

The random transformation of energy and matter is something that even God can only partially achieve. Even if he can do it, he only knows the result but not the reason.

As for the concept of blurred information and material energy, it is even more of the power of creation.

The fact that a mortal could achieve this, even if it was just a guess, was enough to surprise him.

I don't know who the goddess of the magic net is, and Hermes, the inventor of alchemy, is even more extraordinary...

"Tsk."

His eyes flickered slightly. As Amon, the survivor of Meng Village, he could only sigh.

But as the Star God Amon, he felt that he could still understand some deeper principles up close.

Of course, Hermes might be a little dangerous. Although he didn't find anything wrong now, he was not in a hurry to do anything.

Let’s finish things here first. As for the other side, let’s consider it after we recover some strength.

······

Click...

hum-

wow...

As the buckles loosened, the huge box lost its connection with the land.

When the large ship called the 'Sea Whale Boat' fell into the sea, the furnace that had been slightly silent finally lit up with a faint light. On the inner layer of the hull, lines that were used to isolate the breath began to take effect, and from then on, the energy inside and outside was completely separated.

Only the transmission between matter continues, and the speed and direction of the ship can be changed through the transmission of gears.

Soon the boat was in motion.

It gradually penetrated deeper into the seabed, moving forward several hundred cubits from the water surface.

No one could have guessed that there was a ship carrying living people sailing under the sea.

Even the fish swimming around just treat it as some kind of reef moving in the sea.

And through the light reflected from layers of mirrors, the crew members on the boat can see the scenery outside.

Even though Hercules had experienced many great things, he was still amazed by this rare sight.

However, novelty is only temporary, and repetition will eventually make people bored.

Even though the air inside the hull is still fresh, and the food and water are fresh enough, boredom is inevitable as the days go by.

This was the case with sailing in the classical era, and even Hercules was no exception, even though his situation was far better than that of his contemporaries.

Even if he wanted to find an opponent to compete with, it would be difficult to do so in the depths of the sea.

Fortunately, he was not alone. Both Ender's story and the interesting anecdotes about Oileus's travels could alleviate some of the boredom, which was somewhat of a consolation.

I don’t know how long this kind of days lasted... Until one day, just after breakfast, the hero in the room suddenly heard a beautiful melody.

I can't describe it in words, let alone how 'wonderful' it is.

But Hercules knew that if he had to use something to describe the sound of nature, this was probably the only possibility.

"Oleus, did you hear that?"

I shouted loudly, but got no response.

However, Hercules soon found the location of Oileus.

In the spacious cab, Orleans was walking forward with a blank look in his eyes.

His hand was slightly raised, pointing at the wheel that changed the direction of the ship.

"Oleus, what's wrong with you?"

With a frown on his face, the hero strode forward.

He held down Oileus's outstretched right hand tightly, but the other party still did not respond.

The look on his face just gradually changed from confusion to a smile, as if he had seen some beautiful sight... At this moment, a voice came from behind Hercules.

"Let me do it, my powerful hero."

“Many times, brute force won’t solve the problem.”

Amon spoke with a smile on his face.

In his hand he held a necklace, on which twinkled faint starlight.

"Amon, do you know what happened to Orleans?"

"He was bewitched. It was a spiritual bewitching, but interestingly, it didn't rely on mystical powers to accomplish it."

Amon took a few steps forward and hung the necklace around Oileus' neck.

Soon, the starlight above began to flicker.

“This power is conveyed by the song, but it is not the power that makes the song extraordinary, but the song itself contains power.”

"So the ship's defenses were ineffective - of course, it could also be that he didn't understand the true capabilities of the ship."

"Of course, this is not difficult to solve, because I have a treasure left by the elders of Meng Village. Just like it can help us get in and out of the poisonous swamp, this song can't do anything to it..."

"—Look, he's awake."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hercules saw that Oileus' eyesight gradually became clear again.

However, before he could ask, Orleans, as if waking from a dream, shouted out an unfamiliar word in surprise.

"Siren, it's Siren!"

"what?"

"Hoo-I mean the Sirens, the demons that fascinate passing ships with their singing."

Taking a deep breath, Oleus gradually calmed down.

He realized his current situation, and then explained with some apology: "Siren, no one knows their origins."

"Their legend has been circulating across the sea since shortly after the Sack of Typhon."

"It is said that they use their singing to confuse the members of passing ships, leading them to crash into reefs and huge waves."

"But logically speaking, they shouldn't be here."

Somewhat puzzled, Oleus continued to explain: "I have met them before, on the route I once took."

"But maybe because of the protection of the gods, they couldn't do anything, and no one on our ship was in danger in the end... But this time I clearly changed the route, why did I encounter a group of sea monsters?"

"Maybe it's migration, maybe it's just luck, no matter why, we met each other in the end."

He spoke calmly, now that he understood the situation, the great hero was no longer anxious.

The song in his ears was still beautiful, but he just felt sick.

Sure enough, no matter where you go, there are always demons that harm people.

"Don't leave so quickly. Let me go up and take a look."

With a grim look on his face, Hercules picked up the iron rod that he had brought on board the ship.

"Since they want to find me, I'll go over and take a look."

"If it's really like what you said..."

Although no god came to test him this time, the great hero did not intend to turn a deaf ear to it.

It would be fine if he hadn't met them, but since he had, he would not let these so-called monsters go.