Facing the dragon before him, Jason began patiently tempting it with benefits.
"In fact, compared to the Kingdom of Colchis, we can offer you far greater advantages.
The Kingdom of Colchis is merely the descendant of a long-fallen deity, but I am the prince of Thessaly, and my nation is sheltered by the Olympian gods at the height of their power.
If you hand over the Golden Fleece to me, I can ascend to the throne.
Then, as the King of Thessaly, I can rally the entire nation's strength to express my gratitude to you, whether it's delicacies, treasures, or immense wealth, I can provide it all."
Indeed, tales of dragons' greed for wealth had already spread in this era.
Yet, faced with Jason's inducements, the dragon showed not the slightest inclination to waver.
"Thinking that mere mortal benefits could make me betray the Kingdom of Colchis, you're truly delusional.
As Hecate's dragon, I have no need for such mundane mortal gains. Your so-called gold and delicacies mean nothing to me. So, hand over the Golden Fleece already."
The dragon's refusal was utterly decisive, chilling Jason to his core.
As expected, divine beasts belonging to the gods weren't so easily swayed.
He quickly shifted his approach.
"Then, what do you need? Divine artifacts? Or some rare heavenly treasures?
As the ruler of a nation and a devotee of the gods, I am willing to pray to the gods on your behalf for all of this."
However, what met him was the dragon's scornful sneer, as if it held utter disdain for the gods he invoked.
"No, I don't need those. Or rather, what could the deities you worship possibly offer us?
You must understand, for the goddess of magic who commands the ley lines, so-called heavenly treasures are mere trifles at her fingertips.
For mages who can craft all manner of magical items, divine artifacts are nothing more than slightly superior enchanted objects.
None of this means anything to me, what I desire, you cannot provide."
The dragon's words plunged Jason into despair.
Could this dragon truly be so utterly devoid of wants?
No! There was still one thing that could move it.
No matter how powerful this dragon was, with Hecate as its superior, it still had to consider the influence of the gods, right?
So Jason immediately said,
"In that case, we have the support of the Olympian gods for our journey to Colchis to claim the Golden Fleece.
Queen Hera backs me in taking the fleece and ascending the throne, Goddess Athena aided us in building the Argo, the god of navigation Apollo granted us oracles for a smooth voyage, and Poseidon the sea god has lent his help, the gods stand with us, supporting our claim to the Golden Fleece.
If you let us leave with it here, even the Olympian gods will remember your benevolence. That way, surely even Goddess Hecate wouldn't blame you."
Jason felt somewhat confident in this persuasion.
After all, while the support of other gods might be unverifiable, the blessing of Goddess Athena upon the Argo was undeniably real.
Unfortunately, his hopeful words backfired.
Upon hearing Jason mention the Olympian gods' support, the dragon instead grew enraged.
"You... are threatening me with the Olympian gods?"
As the icy female voice rang out, the dragon's head suddenly lunged closer to Jason.
The gaze of its draconic eyes sent shivers through his entire body, and the hot breath from its nostrils felt like it could incinerate him.
Though unsure what had angered the dragon, Jason hastily explained.
"I... I didn't mean that at all." He hurried to clarify, "How could I possibly have the audacity to threaten you?"
But the dragon ignored his explanation, continuing on its own.
"Do you think I'd fear those defeated deities?" She let out a disdainful cold laugh.
"Back when Lady Goddess ascended to divinity, those gods you speak of sought to suppress this newborn divine being.
But facing the Twelve Olympians, Lady Goddess rose in fury and waged war.
Together with my master, in her freshly ascended divine form, she single-handedly defeated the entire Olympian pantheon, forcing them to cede half of the Olympian gods' accumulated wealth, including no shortage of divine artifacts and heavenly treasures.
If not for Lady Goddess having no ambition to rule Greece, the entire land would now be under the magic divine system's domain, and now, you dare threaten me with the Olympian gods?"
The dragon's fury terrified Jason, but the secrets it inadvertently spilled about the gods left him utterly stunned and horrified.
So, this Hecate goddess he had never heard of before was actually this powerful.
So, the Olympian gods had once waged a divine war against Goddess Hecate, and lost? How could that be?
As a believer in the gods, Jason could hardly believe any of it.
Yet, the dragon's words forced them to accept it.
After all, compared to them, a mighty dragon was closer to the gods and should know their secrets far better.
Though this could be mere intimidation from the dragon, one must remember: in this age where true gods existed, the names of deities held special power.
Just like in the Harry Potter world, where Voldemort had enchanted his name so that mentioning "Voldemort" would alert him.
In the divine era, merely uttering a god's name could be sensed by that deity, this was why so many people in the divine era worshipped various gods, all prayers were effective.
And for the dragon to spout such bold claims about the Olympian gods, the gods themselves must surely be aware.
If what it said was mere fabrication, then it had essentially blasphemed the divine.
With such a pretext, unless the Olympian gods truly feared Goddess Hecate, it would certainly face retribution.
For the dragon to speak so boldly now, it must either be truth or backed by something formidable.
Either way, it proved Hecate's immense power and that the gods' names held no awe for it.
In this situation, Jason's tone grew even more conciliatory.
"No, respected dragon, I had no intention of threatening you.
I merely thought that, at least for the sake of the Olympian gods, letting me go would benefit both you and Goddess Hecate."
Unfortunately, next, the dragon coldly rejected his so-called benefits, showing no regard whatsoever for the gods' supposed pride.
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