Myth: The Spiritual Dominator

"presumptuous!"

Inside the big tent, behind the table, when Iapetus finished speaking, Priam's face changed immediately.

Death is imminent? It's a joke.

Now that the coalition forces are besieging the city, the gods are about to come to help.

Even if he cannot win for the time being, there is absolutely no possibility of a major defeat.

Moreover, as the king of Troy, with a capable successor as a replacement, Priam had no intention of going to the battlefield in person.

In this situation, who can kill him, and who dares to kill him?

Clang——!

"Father?"

The silver-handled sword was slightly unsheathed, and Hector looked for instructions.

With just one order, he could kill this madman.

However, under the prince's gaze, although Priam was furious, he did not nod for a long time.

Few people know that as the king of Troy, Priam was actually a man who believed in fate very much.

Maybe it’s because of the education I received since childhood, or maybe it’s just my nature.

In any case, in the original myth, this is what happened to his second son, Paris.

Just because the queen had a nightmare, she dreamed that the child turned into a beam of fire and burned down the entire palace, and he would bring disaster and misfortune to the kingdom.

So the king ordered his slaves to kill him... Of course, the final result is obvious.

No one can change the fate that has already been spoken, and everything he does will only make the end come faster.

So not only did Paris not die, but instead became the fuse of the ten-year war and made the prophesied scene finally come true.

The high walls built by Poseidon, the king of the sea, were ultimately unable to protect his people. Under the tall wooden horse, the entire kingdom was reduced to a sea of ​​fire.

Of course, the story has changed now, and Troy is no longer a city-state facing other countries alone. However, when Iapetus' words were so rampant, Priam still hesitated.

Because in legends and even in nursery rhymes, there have been more than one story about a prophet who could see into the future and predicted the fate of the king, but the king turned a deaf ear to it, which ultimately led to disaster.

Even if the king knew that these were just stories, so what... After thinking it over again and again, Priam finally decided to listen to what the visitor had to say.

"Death is imminent... Athenian, I can give you a chance, a chance to convince me."

"But if you can't convince me... then death will be your only fate."

“Haha…Okay.”

"Since Your Majesty still wants to hear how I died, I will tell you everything."

Smiling slightly, Iapetus was not surprised at all.

No mortal could refuse to communicate with him, if he were allowed to speak.

At least until now, he has never seen such a human being.

……

"Come, both of you, take a look."

Without delay, he drew a sketch on the ground.

There is no background or characters, only symbols of the allied nations and gods.

Picking up a wooden stick, the god of speech becomes free and unrestrained, speaking with great force and authority.

"I heard that since ancient times, when two countries clashed, there was always a fight between them."

"Whether it's national hatred or family feuds, or coveting gold and silver, any war that starts must have a reason."

"And this time the coalition forces gathered and attacked, nominally because Athens allowed witchcraft to exist, but in reality it was because of the disputes among the gods."

"A golden apple banquet led to filthy conflicts among the gods."

"It was because of this that the coalition forces launched the siege. I wonder if Your Majesty has any objection to what I just said?"

"..."

In silence, Priam neither denied nor acknowledged.

But deep down, he really thought so.

Strictly speaking, Troy and Athens had no hatred, and they would not have come without the will of the gods.

"It seems that His Majesty agrees with my statement... Then, let's talk about why Troy wants to join the coalition."

The stick drew an arc in the air and finally landed on the symbol of Troy.

As the king's expression changed slightly, Iapetus drew two forks, one on each of the two gods' symbols.

"Because of God's will?"

"No, if it were any other country, it might be possible, but not Troy."

"Because of interests or grudges?"

"This is even more impossible, because Troy and Athens not only have no hatred, but have a long history."

"Since both of these are impossible, there is only one possible outcome."

"The Kingdom of Troy actually had to come here, and you chose to come here completely because you were forced to do so."

"…I don't know how to address this Excellency?"

After letting out a long breath, Priam asked the visitor's name for the first time.

Iapetus just smiled. The other party's reaction was completely within his expectations.

"Your Majesty, just call me Iros, but it seems that I am right again, am I?"

"..."

After another silence, Priam had to admit that the Athenian in front of him had said it word for word.

Neither he nor the Trojans.

The reason they came here was not to please the gods or because of any feud with Athens.

On the contrary, there is a statue of Athena standing in the city of Troy (it is included in the original book).

If in the original mythological trajectory, the Trojans offended Athena because of the choice made by the second prince Paris, this is not the case now.

The statue of the goddess had been protecting the city, blessing them with good rain and good wind. If possible, Priam did not want to attack Athens at all.

As for trying to please the gods, that is even more ridiculous.

Although Priam was reluctant to admit it, he actually knew very well that Troy had been blacklisted by the gods long before his father did that.

Laomedon, the famous 'trickster', 'mad king who enslaves the gods', is also the father of Priam.

During his reign, Poseidon and Apollo, who had fallen into the human world for some reason, happened to come to Troy.

Perhaps it was for faith, or perhaps it was for something else, in any case, the two main gods served the king of the time for a period of time, only asking for some rewards that were of no use to them.

Laomedon agreed, so Apollo grazed for him, and Poseidon built an indestructible wall for him.

However, what Priam could never understand was that his father flatly refused to pay the reward at the end of everything.

The gods were enraged by this, and Laomedon's name became famous among the people.

From then on, few priests were willing to join Troy, and the mad king was naturally punished by the Olympian gods.

"It seems that you already understand what I mean, but there is more to me than that."

"After all, the reason why Your Majesty came to attack Athens was actually to wash away the sins he committed in the past."

"Perhaps in your Majesty's opinion, as long as we can stand out in this war and make contributions, then all the past can be written off, right?"

"Troy will rise again in your hands and become the most powerful kingdom of its time... But in the final analysis, Your Majesty Priam, do you really believe in such a future?"

Extend the stick and sketch again.

This time, the King of Troy saw it clearly.

Iapetus cut open the place where Athens was, and they were divided into three places.

One is a place close to other countries, some of which will become spoils of war after victory.

One is the edge of the ocean, which will become the realm of the sea god.

These areas are also painted with the marks of different gods, symbolizing the main gods believed in by these kingdoms.

As for the last piece, it belonged to the prince who stabbed his father in the back, and it was also the remaining territory of Athens... However, as Priam looked at it, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

For he had realized why Iapetus had said he would die.

Yes, what he did was not wrong. If Athens was destroyed, Troy might really be spared by the gods.

After all, it is better to incorporate a kingdom into your own faith than to destroy it.

So the question is, what else needs to be done before this kingdom becomes the property of the gods?

"As you can imagine, the gods need Troy, but not the son of Laomedon."

"The gods need faith, but they also hope to deter future kings."

"But the gods cannot kill you directly. After all, that would hinder their establishment of faith in Troy."

"But they can't let you go, because there's nothing they can't do if they want to."

"So, Lord Priam, when do you think you will end your life?"

"…soon after, of course, during this war with the Athenians."

Following the last sentence, Priam looked solemnly at the mortal transformed by Iapetus.

Strictly speaking, what the God of Speech said is not flawless.

Or in other words, there were some places that Iapetus had no intention of delving into.

He is the god of speech, not the god of strategy, the goddess of wisdom.

What's more, a bystander sees more clearly than a participant. Priam may not be unaware that he is in great danger, but he cannot solve it, so he subconsciously ignores these problems.

Iapetus only considered things from God's perspective, and naturally he could discover many things that were overlooked by others.

However, even though there were many flaws, at this moment, Priam was still convinced.

He was deeply shocked by the wisdom of the God of Speech, and he also deeply understood how he was in danger.

Looking around, the only person who can help him at this moment is only one person.

"I was so rude before... Please save my life!"

The king bowed and was convinced.

"That's right. After all, the city of Troy was also protected by the goddess."

"In this respect, we can be considered a family."

"Although the Olympian gods are numerous and powerful, Her Majesty Athena is not without means to deal with them."

"Your Majesty, do you still remember Achilles?"

"what!"

Priam was surprised when he heard this. Although he had never seen the real person, he was not unfamiliar with the name.

Achilles, the man who severely injured Agamemnon with just three moves and two tactics, is actually Athens' trump card?

"Haha, it's good that your majesty knows."

"So don't be anxious. Although the coalition forces are numerous and powerful, the final winner will only belong to Athens."

"By then, Athens alone may not be able to occupy all the territories of the Western countries."

Smiling without saying a word, Iapetus did not acknowledge Achilles' relationship with them, but the hint between his words was so clear.

First make a strong impression, then exaggerate, and finally describe the prospects to lure them in.

This is enough to deal with a mortal monarch.

"What a pity... that person is definitely blessed with great divine power."

"Otherwise, how could I not be able to see through his mind and influence his judgment..."

Seeing that the task was accomplished, Iapetus felt relieved.

But at this time, he remembered the human being who represented the abyss.

Great divine power...If I had such power, why would I have to run around like this?