After investigation, Ares discovered that Atlantis was indeed the best testing ground for the new generation of Machine Gods.
Poseidon possessed the same arrogance as the Olympian gods. Besides demanding absolute respect and obedience from mortals, they basically wouldn't concern themselves with what happened at the lowest levels of a mortal country. Therefore, after Ares returned to Olympus, he immediately issued orders using the Sparta High Priest's account, sending a group of bards secretly trained in Sparta on the next batch of merchant ships bound for Atlantis.
With the shipping routes opened by the first batch of merchant ships, the voyage of the second batch of merchant ships was much smoother. In less than a week, the second batch of merchant ships from Sparta arrived in Atlantis. They brought many excellent weapons and equipment, as well as food and supplies, and in return, they exchanged for countless gold and silver from Atlantis, transporting these treasures back to Sparta.
But at a moment no one knew about, a group of bards quietly disembarked from this fleet. They went to the taverns and ports where the common people of Atlantis gathered, dispersing into ten areas of the city.
When the two batches of Spartan merchant ships left the port, they did not leave but continued to quietly lurk within Atlantis, spreading rumors for their god.
A few days later, Poseidon sent an oracle through the temple to the Ten Kings of Atlantis, ordering Atlantis to dispatch a fleet to attack Athens.
And at this very moment, a rumor about "Atlantis is bound to lose this battle" also began to quietly spread among the common people of Atlantis.
"Have you heard of... angels?"
Inside a tavern where the common people of Atlantis gathered, a bard from Sparta strummed his lute strings, pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and quietly asked.
"Angels?"
The drunken common people heard this and laughed, "What's that? A messenger from the great Poseidon?"
"No." The bard shook his head and then said,
"I'll quietly tell you a secret; you absolutely must not tell anyone else."
"Actually, the Sea God Poseidon is a demon who was defeated by the true gods and driven to the earth. His power cannot defeat the gods, but he can suppress mortals. Atlantis is the demonic city he built, and the royal family of Atlantis are demons with Poseidon's blood flowing through them."
If this statement were heard by the nobles and royal family of Atlantis, they would surely order this bard to be arrested and executed. However, the common people of Atlantis wouldn't care so much. For them, whether the authority of the Sea God Poseidon existed or not was not important. What was most widely circulated among the common people of Atlantis were Poseidon's romantic affairs and various embarrassing stories of his defeat by the gods.
So, when these common people heard what the bard said, they all laughed heartily:
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could Poseidon be a demon?"
"Don't disbelieve me. Demons are best at disguising themselves as deities." The bard said solemnly, "Look, isn't Atlantis currently under Poseidon's command to go to war? In fact, the gods have already discovered this demonic city built by Poseidon and intend to destroy it. Just wait, Atlantis is bound to lose this battle."
Hearing his words, the common people of Atlantis burst into laughter, and the tavern was filled with joyous air for a while. But the bard was not annoyed; instead, he smiled, strummed his lute, and continued to boast to this group of people with dirty jokes compiled from Poseidon's romantic affairs.
His goal had been achieved. Regardless of whether these common people believed him or not, they would surely help him spread this rumor. Then, once Atlantis suffered a defeat in battle, the truthfulness of this rumor would be established, and it would spread from ten to a hundred. At that point, with a little more guidance, the faith in the Machine Gods would easily spread among the common people of Atlantis.
Moreover, he was not fighting alone. Things like tonight were happening simultaneously in other parts of Atlantis. The bards from Sparta quickly spread this prophecy among the common people of Atlantis.
...
A few days later, the Atlantis fleet set sail, carrying the Sea King's wrath and five thousand Atlantean warriors, departing from Atlantis's ten ports and majestically heading towards Athens, the sinful city that had offended the Sea King.
At the same time, another batch of Spartan merchants arrived in Athens.
Unlike the purely commercial fleet bound for Atlantis, this Spartan merchant fleet included not only merchants from Sparta but also a group of warriors, cloaked and helmeted, carrying long spears, shields, and short swords, whose bodies were so robust they seemed almost inhuman.
They were mercenaries from Sparta, hired to do a job. The Athenians paid them, and they were responsible for helping Athens beat up their other business partner, Atlantis.
The human leader of Athens immediately received them. When he saw these imposing Spartan warriors, who exuded immense pressure just by standing there, the Athenian leader couldn't help but secretly swallow his saliva.
He inwardly compared Athens' current army with these Spartans and found that if these Spartans wished, they could conquer Athens with no effort at all.
Fortunately, Athena was currently in the temple.
The Athenian leader thought to himself, a smile appearing on his face. He extended a hand of friendship to the commander of these Spartans and said,
"Thank you for coming to help. With the warriors of the God of War assisting us, Athens is bound to win this battle!"
"There's no need for such pleasantries."
The Spartan commander, however, showed no intention of being polite with the Athenian leader. With a stern face, like an iron statue, he spoke to the Athenian leader in a cold, hard tone:
"We are mercenaries, we do what we're paid for, nothing more. No more idle talk, where should we set up our camp?"
Sensing the Spartans' distant attitude, the Athenian leader withdrew his hand, no longer seeking to embarrass himself. He casually rubbed his nose to hide his awkwardness, then said to the Spartans, "Your camp has already been chosen. Please follow us. During the operation, please be sure to cooperate with our actions."
"Of course, we know that."
After a brief conversation, the Athenians led the Spartan mercenaries to a high ground by the sea. This place was indeed very suitable for setting up a military camp, with good views and terrain.
So, after the Spartan commander expressed his satisfaction, he sent off the Athenians and then ordered his warriors to start cutting down trees from the nearby forest to construct some defensive fortifications and an encampment on site.
He himself went to the center of the camp, set up a small tent, and then, along with his chief of staff who arrived shortly after, entered the tent.
"How is the intelligence gathering on Athens?"
As soon as they entered the tent, the two sat opposite each other, and the Spartan commander immediately asked.
"I have already drawn the map."
His chief of staff handed a scroll of papyrus to the commander:
"Regarding the military strategies the Athenian commander will adopt, I am also ready to start recording. There's one more thing..."
"What is it?"
"I found that the Athenians recently captured a group of slaves from somewhere and are urgently training them into an Athenian army," the Spartan chief of staff said.
"What's so strange about that?" The Spartan commander unfolded the map, saying without lifting his head, "Athens has just been established, and all their weapons and equipment need to be bought from us. Their army has only just taken shape; otherwise, we wouldn't be here. Those slaves are probably people they captured after defeating nearby nomadic tribes, specifically to deal with the Atlanteans."
"That's what I find strange." The Spartan chief of staff had a somewhat peculiar expression on his face. "Logically, they are merely consumables captured by the Athenians, yet there are Athena's priests treating the wounds of these slaves and delivering food and water. Is this something priests would do?"
"Perhaps Athena wants to win over people's hearts through such means... No, do slaves need to be won over?"
The Spartan commander thought for a moment and could only say,
"Let's wait and see. Our main purpose is still to train with the Atlanteans."
"Hmm." The chief of staff inquired, "So, should this matter be reported to the High Priest?"
The Spartan commander thought for a moment, then nodded: "Since the High Priest ordered us to report everything in detail, we will obey the command."