Inside the Arcadian Royal Palace, the atmosphere was exceptionally stifling.
Lying on the bed, King Iasus looked deathly pale, a lingering trace of unwillingness flickering within his eyes.
Refusing to resign himself to fate, he turned his gaze once more toward the figure draped in a star-and-moon robe and holding a double-serpent staff, asking yet again.
"Lord [Hierophant], is there truly no other way?"
"Your Majesty, alchemy cannot create something out of nothing. If you wish to gain something, you must pay the corresponding price. And that which can save a life, is only life..."
A low, deep voice resonated from beneath the black robe.
The mysterious [Hierophant] shook his head slightly, putting on a face of being unable to help.
King Iasus bit his lip hard, his expression shifting unpredictably.
"But doing this, wouldn't it be a bit too risky?"
"Subjugating magical beasts inevitably brings death. This is the path they chose for themselves; you bear no responsibility for it.
Besides, us doing this is merely making that sacrifice a bit more valuable."
"They came here, after all, to put an end to the disaster in Arcadia..."
"You, Your Majesty, are the sole pillar that keeps Arcadia standing tall.
Since they wish to bring peace back to this land, then dedicating their lives to you is exactly what they ought to do."
Finally, under the Hierophant's persuasion, King Iasus fell into a brief silence.
Clutching his chest, which was starting to ache faintly again, a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes, and he spoke decisively.
"Fine, we'll do exactly as you say!"
Hearing King Iasus's compliance, the [Hierophant] lightly raised a hand to his chest and bowed his head respectfully.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty.
I will certainly not fail your trust."
On the third day, early in the morning, the [Royal Palace] and the [Temple of Artemis] jointly issued a mobilization decree, preparing to formally subjugate the [Beast Disaster] rampaging throughout the mountains of Arcadia.
Heroes from various city-states responded one after another, banding together as they headed to the palace square to assemble.
Lorne and his group had also packed their things early, preparing to head out.
However, just as they were about to leave, the Gemini brothers flatly rejected their sister Helen's request to go along, stubbornly refusing to bring her with them to participate in this subjugation.
The experience of barely surviving on the mountain pass previously still left the Gemini brothers with a lingering dread.
Not only had their sister almost died in the mouth of the three-headed dragon-serpent, but even they themselves had nearly perished inside that monster's toxic mist.
Amidst the mountains of Arcadia where magical beasts were rampant, there was no telling how many dangers were waiting for them.
The two brothers weren't even confident they could retreat completely unscathed themselves.
If they brought along their delicately raised sister Helen, the danger index would multiply.
Whether out of public duty or personal feeling, the Gemini brothers did not want their sister Helen to follow them into the mountains to take such a risk.
Therefore, the safest method was to let Helen stay inside the Arcadian royal capital, which was protected by high walls, and wait for the news of their triumphant return.
Helen was naturally very unwilling regarding her brothers' decision.
But facing her two steadfast brothers, she could only submit dejectedly, staying obediently inside the courtyard equipped with a protective barrier.
Just to be safe,
Lorne additionally attached several defensive spell formations.
With everything properly arranged, the group finally rushed toward the palace square.
By the time they arrived at their destination, they found that dozens of divine-blooded heroes had already gathered here.
However, they were basically divine descendants of the second or third generation and beyond.
Their talent and abilities were limited; although many had stepped into the demigod realm, most of them were completely obscure in reputation.
Lorne swept a glance around the area but couldn't find even a few divine-blooded heroes whose names he had heard of.
He could only temporarily extinguish any thought of recruiting fresh blood for the Eighty-Eight Star Palaces.
Similarly, the surrounding divine-blooded heroes were secretly sizing up these newly joined hunting members.
Hearing some information from their test results as well as the titles of the two Spartan princes, the crowd's eyes instantly showed a few degrees more familiarity.
Of course, a certain white-light trash card was not included in this category.
On the contrary, due to his excessively handsome looks and the two beautiful young girls accompanying him, he drew quite a few disdainful gazes.
Needless to ask, this was most likely a pretty boy who looked good but was useless.
Lorne didn't mind this at all.
However, the Gemini brothers, who had received his favor, couldn't bear to watch it silently.
They loudly reported someone's cover identity as a teacher of the Academy of Athens to the priests from the Temple of Artemis who were responsible for the audit.
Hearing this layer of identity, the surrounding divine-blooded heroes couldn't help but rein in a few fractions of their contempt, feeling a sudden surge of respect.
The [Academy of Athens] was the most renowned educational institution in the entirety of Greece, aiming to dispel ignorance and inspire wisdom.
It was co-founded by the sage Chiron and a group of gods.
During this time, it extensively absorbed talents from all over Greece, spreading knowledge to the human collective and bringing about no small revolution to society as a whole.
Strictly speaking, they had all been beneficiaries of it.
After graduating, the highly accomplished God of Medicine, Asclepius, and many divine descendants from various nations joined the Areopagus one after another.
They walked the lands outside, either healing the sick and saving the dying, eliminating disasters, or revolutionizing technologies, continuously bringing widespread benefits to the world.
Now, under the dual blessings of the [Academy of Athens] and the [Areopagus], as well as the popularization and dissemination of various cultures, Athens had long since become the cultural center of Greece, holding the high reputation of "The Athens of the Greeks."
Seeing the change in the attitudes of the people around him toward himself, Lorne nodded secretly.
In an era where strength reigned supreme, earning a unique share of respect dedicated solely to culture and education from a group of divine descendants was exceptionally rare.
It was enough to prove that the [Cultural Victory] strategy he and Athena had devised back then had achieved excellent results.
As long as the plan was patiently pushed forward, along with the fading away of the gods and the curtain falling on the heroes,
Athens would inevitably cause the entire Greece to become "The Greece of the Athenians."
"Everyone, the time is about right. Let us depart!"
Amidst the crowd, a handsome young man clad in bronze armor was escorted up to a high platform, speaking aloud to call the assembly to action.
The heroes, impatient to establish their achievements, raised their arms in response one after another.
Gathering and forming ranks around that young man like stars surrounding the moon, they began to pack up and set out.
Seeing that the trio of Lorne's group looked a bit puzzled,
Castor, the elder brother among the twins, pointed at the young man who was faintly becoming the leader of the expedition and proactively introduced him.
"He is the commander of this operation, personally appointed by King Iasus. I heard he is a descendant of Hermes and has awakened the power of [Divine Speed] within his bloodline. What was his name again..."
"Hippomenes."
The younger brother, Pollux, spoke in a deep voice, fittingly providing the follow-up.
Hearing this, Lorne's eyelids twitched, his brow furrowing slightly.
'It's him?' The mysterious hero from the legends who, in order to pursue Atalanta, made sacrifices to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, and ultimately utilized three Golden Apples to beat Atalanta in a footrace through cheating methods, successfully winning the beauty?
The reason he was labeled with the word "mysterious" was because various versions of the story didn't have much description regarding this person.
It was only known that he won the race through cheating methods and ultimately took the beauty home, but his identity and background seemed to be a complete mystery.
As if hearing the conversation between the few individuals, the young man named "Hippomenes" turned his head over, smiling as he released an aura of goodwill.
When his eyes fell upon the two beautiful females in the group, a flash of astonishment and burning passion couldn't help but surface within Hippomenes's eyes.
Seemingly out of a feline's sharp instinct, Atalanta subconsciously avoided the other party's gaze, leaning closer behind her teacher's back as she furrowed her brow and murmured in a low whisper.
"The way he looks at me... is very strange. I don't like it."
"Me too..."
To the side, Medea cradled her staff, similarly muttering in a small voice.
Lorne nodded, proposing to the Gemini brothers beside him.
"This subjugation shouldn't have a mandatory requirement that everyone must act together, right? How about we form our own team?"
"Good!"
The Gemini brothers nodded in agreement, gladly accepting the team invitation from Lorne's trio.
When out in the world, compared to mixing together with a group of strangers, they were naturally more willing to entrust their backs to these companions beside them who had experienced a crisis of life and death together.
And with the Gemini brothers leading the way, Lorne's trio didn't need to worry about the official attitude of Arcadia either.
After all, as honorably positioned Spartan princes, the two of them were reinforcements specifically invited by the King of Arcadia after swallowing his old pride.
There was absolutely no need for them to give face to a temporary commander like Hippomenes.
Sure enough, seeing the few individuals drawing a distance from the main army and mixing together with the priests of the Temple of Artemis, Hippomenes merely furrowed his brow, but ultimately, didn't speak up, tacitly permitting the unconventional behavior of the group.
Very soon, the completely assembled Beast Disaster subjugation army marched grandly out of the city, advancing toward the heart of the Arcadian mountain range.
Looking out from afar, they numbered a full several hundred people.
In reality, participating in this subjugation, aside from the dozens of divine descendants from various city-states, were priests of the Temple of Artemis, alchemists of the Hermetic sect, recovery casters of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and saints of the Cult of Dionysus...
In order to accomplish the task in a single stroke and completely eliminate the Beast Disaster, the elite forces within the territory of Arcadia could be said to have collectively mobilized.
Of course, in order to invite these spellcasters from different sects to exert their efforts, that King of Arcadia had also given up no small amount of flesh.
Lifting restrictions to allow the three religious sects to preach within the territory of Arcadia was a basic condition.
The chaotic preaching scene
Lorne had witnessed on the streets back then was precisely because of this.
In addition to this, the King of Arcadia had almost emptied out his storehouses, giving a great deal of rare herbs, magic crystals, and uncommon metals as remuneration for the personnel of the three major sects to use.
With these benefits serving as a foundation, the three sects, which were otherwise in a competitive relationship, were willing to cooperate fully to jointly handle Arcadia's Beast Disaster.
Sure enough, the principle that a king doesn't send starving soldiers was a universal truth no matter the era.
Lorne's playful gaze swept across the followers of the three sects, unexpectedly spotting a somewhat familiar figure among the Cult of Dionysus.
—That was an honest-looking middle-aged man whose right arm was exceptionally thick and robust, his entire body radiating a faint, shifting mist of moisture.
His name was "Polymnus," once the son of a fisherman on the island of Crete, and also the very first follower to join and believe in the Wine God Dionysus.
As for that arm on his body, it had once belonged to the son of the Sea God, Orion.
Although the divine blood contained within it had already fused with Polymnus, bringing him a long life akin to a divine descendant, time had ultimately carved deep wrinkles across his face, sculpting the youth of the past into the appearance of a middle-aged man.
However, time had also given him another gift as it flowed past.
Through the polishing and accumulation of time, Polymnus had already stepped into the demigod realm.
Furthermore, due to his steadfast faith and his achievements in preaching, he had become a highly renowned saint within the Cult of Dionysus.
Currently, the missionary work in the Arcadian region was under his charge.
Watching a former old acquaintance appear before him with his current appearance, as an immortal and ageless god, Lorne felt quite sentimental in his heart.
Sensing the gaze behind him, Polymnus turned his head and gave a hearty smile, tossing a wineskin over.
"Little brother, thirsty?
Here, taste my newly brewed wine!"
"Thanks."
Lorne expressed his gratitude, gladly accepting this goodwill.
Pulling out the cork, he took a sip of that choice vintage possessing an authentic Cretan flavor, then raised his head to look at the vast, boundless mountains shrouded in rolling clouds and mist, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The mountains of Arcadia had arrived.
Very soon, the crowd arrived at the outpost pavilion that demarcated the dangerous and safe zones, preparing to hand over and complete the procedures for entering the mountains.
However, a rich, dense scent of blood wafted out from the camp.
The outpost pavilion and fences, reinforced by magic, had already been shattered to pieces.
The wreckage was covered everywhere with the claw marks and bite marks of magical beasts.
The garrison force of several hundred people that was supposed to guard this place had entirely vanished.
Judging by the dryness of the blood and the residual traces left around the area, this attack must have happened just last night.
They had likely met with disaster.
Lorne leaned his body down, picking up a bronze epaulet bearing the silver moon emblem from the crimson soil.
The figure of that middle-aged military officer who had waved his hand to see them off couldn't help but surface before his eyes.
Brushing away the dust and dirt on it, he placed it into his pocket.
Following the crushed and trampled plants around the area, Atalanta looked toward the small path inside the forest to their left front, speaking in a deep voice.
"According to the predatory habits of magical beasts, it's impossible for them to carry so many corpses very far. Therefore, there must be a nest of those beasts nearby!"
"Chase after them, wipe them out to avenge the innocent dead!"
Hippomenes raised his arm and roared furiously.
The heroes also seemed to be affected by this tragic sight, shouting in collective indignation.
They immediately picked up their weapons, donned their armor, and followed closely behind this leader, entering the mountains to subjugate the rampaging vicious beasts.
(End of this chapter)