The next day, the sky was just beginning to lighten, the morning colors dim and soft.
Dozens of wagons drawn by hunting hounds and golden-horned deer rumbled down the wide main road, approaching the gates of Knossos City.
Loaded with all kinds of game piled high, from a distance they looked like small mountains rising up.
"It's the Lord Scribe! Quickly, open the city gates!"
Seeing that familiar figure on one of the wagons, the officer in charge of the city guard patrol, I,mmediately ordered the soldiers to turn the winches and open the entrance to the city.
Lorne looked up with a glance, and found that the officer on patrol at the gate today was actually an acquaintance.
—When Poseidon's waves had swept across Crete and thrown Knossos into chaos, it was this man, together with three temple priestesses, who had personally verified Anna's divine envoy status, and afterward allocated manpower to help defend the coastline.
Lorne waved at the figure on the battlements, smiling as he spoke. "Thanks."
Immediately, the officer seemed flattered and hastily struck his right fist to his chest, bowing respectfully. "You are too kind, Lord Scribe."
Then he took off his bronze helmet and came forward to the gate, looking curiously at this strange caravan, and asked with great enthusiasm,
"Lord Scribe, is there anything you need help with?"
Lorne glanced over the upright figure, letting his gaze pause for a moment on the golden double-axe badge pinned to his chest.
If he remembered correctly, the badge on this man's chest used to be a silver one.
Realizing where this sudden enthusiasm came from, Lorne smiled faintly and didn't refuse, raising a hand to point to the side.
"This Miss Cynthia went into the mountains yesterday and caught some game.
She can't finish it herself, so she wants to give it out free to the people of Knossos City."
Hearing this introduction from a certain guide, Artemis, who was driving the lead wagon, smiled and nodded slightly, showing a hint of discreet satisfaction.
Though honored as a goddess, she did not like the feeling of being worshipped in a loud and crowded way.
Hiding her identity would no doubt make this journey longer and more relaxing.
At this moment, the officer at the gate, hearing Lorne's explanation, immediately showed a knowing smile.
"Very well, my lord, I will have the people clear the public area of the sacrificial square, maintain good order there, and also send word to the temple so they can dispatch staff to help gather the people and distribute the game."
Lorne and Artemis looked at each and nodded slightly.
The sacrificial square did not exist only to offer gifts to the gods; it was also a bridge linking gods and men, the upper classes and the lower.
Usually, after sacrifices were made, the remaining offerings would be given to the people as gifts from the gods.
As the descendants and agents of the gods, the royal families with divine blood would often bring their own hunted game to the sacrificial square, where the priests would divide and process it, then distribute it to the people to show their compassion and win hearts.
Strictly speaking, letting this scribe make use of the sacrificial square might be a bit presumptuous.
But this man was already the uncrowned king of Knossos City, the one who had truly saved Crete.
Who would care about such tiny technicalities?
Moreover, from past experience, he knew this was hardly a bad thing.
The officer touched the golden double-axe badge on his chest, the symbol of a legion commander, and looked at the two with even more enthusiasm and respect.
"My lord, all the heavy lifting and unloading can be left to my men.
Recently, a new batch of wine was brewed in the sacrificial square to honor the gods, but no one knows if it's any good.
Since you're here, could you, an expert, help judge it?"
Looking at the officer whose face practically read "I want to rise up so badly," Lorne couldn't help but laugh in spite of himself.
Sure enough, no matter where or what era, humanity's "desire for progress" was always so simple and honest.
"Wine from this year's new brew?"
At that moment, Artemis, thinking of yesterday's fascinating experience, couldn't help but lick her lips.
Seeing this, how could Lorne not know what the goddess of the hunt was thinking?
He immediately waved his hand.
"All right, take me to have a look."
"Yes, sir!"
The officer immediately beamed with delight and agreed, turning over the scene to his deputy and then personally taking the lead, not caring in the slightest about his own dignified rank as a legion commander.
Soon, under the guidance of this native-born Minoan, they made their way straight from the main gate to the storerooms of the sacrificial square, completely unimpeded.
As a side note, even the gatekeeper was a familiar face, one of the three priestesses who had verified Anna's identity before.
Right now, they were under the direct assignment of Chief Priestess Ariadne.
Watching several white-robed priestesses place jars of newly brewed wine onto a table for him and Artemis to taste, Lorne couldn't help but laugh again.
Speaking of this, wasn't this basically abusing public resources for personal gain?
But then he thought about it and decided not to worry.
Never mind sampling a few bottles of wine offered to the gods, even the old King Minos now was practically wishing he could pack up the whole island of Crete, along with his precious daughter, and hand them over to him so he could hold the line against the pressure coming from the Oceanus Sea.
Compared to the thirty thousand kiograms of prey, he had brought into the city this time (over ten thousand from Athena, over twenty thousand from Artemis), which was enough to feed the entire city for half a month, casually drinking or taking a bit of tribute seemed practically honest and incorruptible to the extreme.
So... was I still too upright?
Sigh...
Lorne shook his head, sighing over his own overly high sense of morality, while he quietly swept a few boxes of specially made pastries from the storage shelf into an opened magic array.
As for the newly brewed wine at the sacrificial square, he didn't touch it at all.
There was no other reason, even if others learned fast, catching up to or surpassing him in the craft of winemaking would be no small challenge.
Sure enough, Artemis had barely lifted a cup and taken a sip when she couldn't help but spit it out.
"So sour!"
"No way around it, the storage containers aren't sealed very well, so to prevent spoilage, they used some not-fully-ripened grapes to brew the new wine."
As the future god of wine, Lorne only needed to glance over it, and thanks to his innate divine talent, he could analyze the cause immediately.
Then, to help save face for the busy priestesses working around them, he gave a light chuckle and comforted Artemis, who was acting as their taster.
"But once it's exposed to air a while, oxidizes a bit, it should get better. It might even develop a hint of nutty aroma, with something like honey sweetness."
"Really?"
The goddess of the hunt was half-convinced.
When she saw Lorne nod in reassurance, she curiously tried another type.
However, after just one sip again, Artemis couldn't help but spit it out once more.
"Why does this taste like herbs?"
Hearing Artemis's complaint, Lorne was a bit speechless too, but had no better answer.
Historically, ancient Greek wine had never undergone fermentation or refinement in oak barrels.
To enhance flavor, winemakers would add certain herbs or plant juices to increase the complexity of the wine.
Therefore, ancient Greeks believed that wine made this way was beneficial to health, and often combined it with medicinal herbs, tree sap, olive oil, or plant roots to create remedies for conditions like menstrual pain or depression.
But obviously, the goddess of hunt, who was perfectly healthy and free of illness, could not get used to these artificial flavors.
Forget it, forget it, all inventions have to take many wrong turns.
After all, wine was still a brand new product here, and even if he offered up his own brewing techniques for free, it couldn't stop ordinary people's curiosity and their bold experimentation.
As the future god of wine, Lorne comforted himself this way while also speaking up in defense of those hard-working if not exactly skillful priestesses.
Facing the eager eyes of everyone around them, Artemis tried to muster her spirits, tasted a few more new brews, and finally could stand it no longer.
She tossed down the cup, grabbed Lorne, and fled through the door.
"The new batches they made are completely undrinkable!"
Outside, Artemis, standing in a shaded corner, offered no politeness in her criticism.
She then rinsed her mouth with some honey water and looked thoughtfully at her guide.
"Forget it, wine is something I'll only drink if you brew it from now on."
Lorne looked at that fair and delicate hand resting approvingly on his shoulder, and his eyes flashed faintly.
You sure? Aren't you afraid you'll wake up with a sore butt?
Just as this mortal and goddess were lost in their thoughts in the shade, a few groups of people approached from outside the sacrificial square.
Artemis, who had developed a bit of a trauma about wine tasting, suddenly froze in panic, and subconsciously wanted to pull her guide to run.
However, before the hunt goddess could move, voices, some old, some young, some thick, some crisp, called out to them.
"Lord Scribe? And… Miss Cynthia, was it? May the goddess bless you, thank you for bringing so much meat. We don't have to worry about winter now."
"My family got a whole pork side, more than a hundred kilograms.
Now the kids can get stronger."
"I saw the giant python you killed, the one that had nested on the southern slope of Mount Crete.
The city organized several expeditions to get rid of it, but none succeeded.
Even my elder brother died there, and I lost an arm because of it. Now to see it finally taken down, and even eat its meat, that's such a relief!"
"..."
In the midst of the excited chatter, one face after another, filled with joy, gratitude, curiosity, or warmth, crowded around them, sincerely expressing their thanks.
Even though this was an age of plentiful animals and rich resources, for most ordinary people, meat was still a relatively scarce and precious food.
Over thirty thousand kilograms delivered to Knossos City, distributed freely to them, for these simple folk, it was like a giant pie of happiness falling from the sky and knocking them silly.
The Lord Scribe, already a familiar face in the city, lifted his hand slightly to calm the excited and noisy crowd, then smiled and pointed out the true hero.
"It has nothing to do with me, it's all Cynthia's doing. If you want to give thanks, thank her."
At once, the gathered people surged toward that beautiful, hunt-dressed girl.
"Thank you, Miss Cynthia! You are such a good person!"
"We have meat to eat, thank you, big sister Cynthia!"
"To catch so much game, you're truly an amazing young lady!"
Some of them praised her without reserve, their eyes brimming with sincere gratitude.
Others brought out their own humble treasures, such as dates, dried fruit, flower garlands, copper coins and placed them at the huntress's feet, as a small gesture of return.
Faced with such a noisy and chaotic scene, Artemis, surrounded in the middle, felt a bit at a loss for a moment.
For this goddess of the hunt, hunting was merely a way to burn off excess energy.
Distributing the game was just because there was too much to handle, so she did it conveniently.
However, she hadn't expected that such a casual act could earn her a level of human gratitude and enthusiasm far beyond what they showed even during formal rituals or when witnessing a divine miracle.
The reason behind this, Artemis didn't fully understand.
But fortunately, this noise didn't seem to bother her all that much.
Just as the goddess of the hunt was about to be overwhelmed by the enthusiastic crowd, a lazy yet clear voice echoed in everyone's ears.
"Everyone, I heard that once the main cuts of meat are distributed, there will also be a chance to claim some innards and leftover hides, but the amount is limited, if you go late, there might be nothing left..."
"There's more?"
"The hides will be perfect for keeping warm this winter!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
In an instant, the crowd, hearing this news, practically became supercharged and turned back, rushing toward the sacrificial square.
Around Artemis, the crowd instantly emptied out, restoring calm.
Having successfully diverted the enthusiastic uncles, aunts, and neighborhood folks, Lorne stepped forward, concerned, and asked,
"Are you all right, my lady goddess? How do you feel?"
Artemis looked up at the fiery red newborn sun on the horizon, then at the smiling faces gathered around the sacrificial square, and couldn't help but curve her lips in a small arc.
"Not bad..."
Seeing the subtle change in the goddess of the hunt's expression, Lorne let a faint smile appear on his face.
"All right, the distribution is almost done. We should get going, otherwise I'm afraid I'll have to fish you out of another crowd again."
Hearing this, Artemis remembered the overwhelming enthusiasm of those townsfolk just moments ago, and her face changed slightly as she quickly followed behind her guide, subconsciously asking,
"Where to?"
Lorne answered quite naturally,
"Of course, back home."
Then he looked back at the hunt goddess behind him and showed a warm, gentle smile.
"You've been busy all day and haven't even eaten yet, right? I asked the city guard to set aside some good ingredients and deliver them to Lady Hestia's house..."
After a short pause, Lorne stretched lazily, his smile growing wider.
"Later, I'll cook personally and use these rare ingredients to make a sumptuous meal to reward you for your hard work on this hunt."
"Great!"
Hearing this thoughtful and comfortable after-hunt arrangement, Artemis was overjoyed, immediately nodded happily, and then licked her lips, subconsciously asking,
"Will there be wine?"
"There will! From the last batch of wine I made, there should be a few bottles left in the lowest level of the cellar, guaranteed to let you drink to your heart's content!"
At this, the goddess of the hunt was even more delighted, and her steps became light and carefree.
However, after just a few more steps, Artemis vaguely remembered something, and the happy look on her face froze for a moment.
Back in the sacrificial square's storeroom, this guy, who had invited her to taste the wine, aside from encouraging her to drink more, had not actually touched a drop himself the entire time?
...That guy!
Staring at the silhouette already walking far ahead, the belatedly aware Artemis couldn't help but darken her expression.
But in the end, she gritted her teeth, and still chose to quickly catch up.
—At this point, let's just eat first.
(End of Chapter)
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