The white horse quickly neighed twice. It even forced a stiff smile onto its long horse face, its expression clearly trying to flatter.
It had obviously inherited Poseidon's family philosophy very well.
Adapt to circumstances and survive.
Of course, that did not stop it from practicing another classic Poseidon family tradition.
Secretly cursing people behind their backs.
You shameless bastard. How dare you say that?
Was it not because you used that terrifying punch that nearly blinded me that I was forced to surrender?
You arrogant monster!
Mickey could vaguely sense the horse's silent complaints, but he did not care at all.
When the foolish creature had knelt down and surrendered earlier, Mickey had already understood what kind of personality it possessed.
Objectively speaking, it perfectly matched the traditional values of Poseidon's family.
Because of that, Mickey had no expectation of loyalty from it.
After all, when it came to relatives from his uncle Poseidon's lineage, honesty was considered an extremely rare commodity.
Expecting noble virtues from such a bloodline would truly be asking too much.
Even Zeus himself probably would not dare to dream of something so unrealistic.
Still, Mickey had once been a "flower of the nation" who completed nine years of compulsory education.
He knew a few basic tricks about motivating stubborn animals.
Seeing the mule-like horse finally understand its situation, Mickey raised his fist first.
Then, with the merciful generosity of someone offering meat to a starving donkey, he gave the creature a sweet carrot.
"When I leave, you will guard the house for me."
"If you behave well, I will take you to mate with a beautiful mare. Understand?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the white horse's previously miserable expression vanished instantly.
Its horse face lit up with excitement.
It looked like a starving young man who suddenly discovered a legendary beauty standing right in front of him.
The horse was practically drooling.
Its two large nostrils even began spraying clouds of white steam.
Seeing this pitiful display, Mickey could not help but sigh.
"You foolish creature. Do you have any dignity at all?"
Then he quickly added another promise.
"Do not worry. If you follow your master from now on, there will be many opportunities like this."
"Hiii!"
The horse neighed loudly with sincere devotion, as if it had just discovered the meaning of life.
Perfect. The bait had worked.
Mickey smiled secretly to himself.
This way he could earn a handsome breeding fee from Mrs. Badley.
After all, this horse carried the bloodline of Poseidon.
That meant noble lineage.
In truth, Mickey had already planned everything.
He intended to make money by renting this foolish horse out for breeding.
And the poor creature was now happily walking straight into that plan.
If anything, it should probably thank Mickey for the opportunity.
The horse even neighed gratefully.
"Thank you, Master!"
Reputation truly worked wonders.
Under the influence of Poseidon's family traditions, the horse had already accepted Mickey as its master simply for the promise of mating opportunities.
If this were another god's descendant, it might not have surrendered so easily.
But Poseidon's bloodline had always been… practical.
Seeing that the horse was completely hooked, Mickey decided to push a little further.
"If you perform well this time, next time I will take you to mate with the Queen's riding mare."
"That mare is a descendant of a great divine bloodline."
"Hiii!"
The white horse stomped its hooves excitedly and danced around the courtyard.
Its eyes were filled with anticipation.
Could it really approach such a noble mare?
"You want to go?"
The horse nodded wildly.
It shook its head so quickly that it looked afraid the opportunity might disappear if it moved too slowly.
"No."
Mickey rejected the idea immediately.
"You have not earned enough performance points yet."
"Why should you be allowed near the Queen's mare?"
"If you hurt her, do you know how much compensation I would have to pay?"
"I cannot afford that."
"Hiii! Hiii!"
The horse neighed anxiously.
It was desperate.
"Fine."
Mickey suddenly changed his expression and spoke with a gentle smile.
"I heard about another mare. She carries the bloodline of the hundred-headed dragon Ladon. That bloodline originates from the legendary monster ancestor Typhon."
"That should not be a bad opportunity for you."
"Hiii!"
The horse nodded frantically.
It could feel a dangerous aura behind Mickey's friendly smile.
If it dared to cause trouble again, the next thing waiting for it would definitely be a "sweet and crispy fruit."
And that fruit would probably be made from the horse itself.
"That is better."
Mickey nodded with satisfaction and casually dispersed the thunderous lightning in his hand.
It was as if the man who had just been preparing to use violence was someone else entirely.
Inside his mind, Mickey snorted.
If the horse refused, how would he earn money and build his reputation?
After tying a thick rope around the horse as a symbolic restraint, he gave one final instruction.
"Guard the house carefully."
"When I come back, I will take you breeding."
"Hiii."
The white horse raised its head proudly and stood tall like a heroic warrior.
It looked completely different from the shameless creature from earlier.
Seeing the horse's beautiful appearance, Mickey suddenly felt reluctant to hit it again.
After all, such a valuable horse now called him its master.
Still, thinking about Poseidon's legendary reputation in Greek mythology, Mickey made a wise decision.
Instead of punishment, the horse would receive… supervised probation.
Purely for formality.
To make the threat convincing, Mickey grabbed the horse's nose with a crackling lightning hand.
"Be a good horse."
"I have something important to do. I will return soon."
"Stay honest. When I come back, I will bring oranges for you."
After saying that, Mickey lightly scorched a few hairs on the horse's nose and quickly slipped away before it could react.
"Hiii…"
The horse stared at his departing figure with watery eyes.
It did not dare complain.
But the tears flowing down its face clearly expressed its resentment toward the scorched nose and threatening thunder.
From a nearby water basin reflection, Mickey saw the horse's miserable expression.
Satisfied, he quickened his pace and jogged toward the Temple of Apollo.
He truly had important business there today.
The sun slowly set.
When evening finally arrived, Mickey returned to the shop with a tired expression.
The white horse immediately neighed loudly.
It had been waiting for a very long time.
Mickey clutched his lower back and looked extremely exhausted.
When he saw the horse's excited and greedy expression, a headache instantly appeared.
He had just come back from Mrs. Badley's house.
If he actually fulfilled the promise he made earlier, he might have to enter that terrifying situation again.
Thinking about it made his legs weak.
So he turned his head politely.
"Good horse, do not rush. Listen carefully. Your master brought green oranges for you."
"Here."
With a gentle smile, Mickey fed the horse peeled pieces of extremely sour green oranges.
The horse blinked in confusion.
But it could not refuse the offering.
It swallowed one.
Then another.
"Hiii?"
The horse neighed through the sour taste.
"Master, when are we leaving?"
Mickey sighed.
He could no longer maintain the lie.
With the smell of green oranges surrounding him, he spoke in a fatherly tone.
"Horse, your master nearly exhausted himself arranging this matter for you."
"Unfortunately, although Mrs. Badley finally agreed…"
"Hiii?"
The horse looked nervous.
"But the mare with the Ladon bloodline happened to enter her monthly cycle."
"So the plan must be delayed for now."
Another sour orange went straight into the horse's mouth.
The horse forced itself to swallow.
Its eyes filled with hope again.
"Hiii?"
"So there is still a chance?"
"Of course."
Mickey patted its neck confidently.
"Your master has connections everywhere."
"I have already arranged everything."
"Once the mare finishes her cycle, I will take you there."
"You will be first in line."
"Hiii!!!"
The horse jumped with excitement.
It was deeply moved by its master's kindness.
Meanwhile, Mickey lay on a large bed inside the shop.
His body ached everywhere.
Mrs. Badley's enthusiasm had been… terrifying.
He rubbed his sore waist and muttered to himself.
Still, the deal was worth it.
That stubborn priest from the Temple of Apollo had finally agreed.
Now that his identity as the son of Zeus had been verified, he could confidently begin the next stage of his plans.
Suddenly Mickey groaned.
His exhausted body twisted like a shrimp.
He had clearly fought too many battles today.
After a long time, he slowly regained consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a strange space filled with dark mist.
It looked somewhat like the mysterious gathering hall from the Fool Tarot.
A handsome young man appeared in front of him.
Their faces looked about ninety percent identical.
Above the newcomer's head floated a glowing name.
Marvel Qi.
"Welcome," the young man said cheerfully.
"Welcome to today's Fool's Black Mist Consciousness Space, my brother."
Before Mickey could react, Marvel Qi reached out and touched him.
An enormous flood of memories and extraordinary power surged into Mickey's mind.
After about a second, another glowing title appeared above Mickey's head.
Greek Qi.
The young man smiled elegantly.
"My brother, your divine power has arrived."
With that, the fragment of divinity that Marvel Qi had been waiting for finally appeared beside him.
Without hesitation, Greek Qi transferred the power to Marvel Qi.
At the same time, he did not forget the other counterparts.
Kexue Qi and Cardmaster Qi.
After all, martial knowledge and magical trap techniques from the Marvel Qi Card Transfer System were extremely useful.
Marvel Qi burst into laughter.
"Success!"
"I finally did it!"
Without waiting for further conversation, he waved goodbye.
"You three can talk slowly. I am going to ascend to Demon God status first!"
A swirling vortex of consciousness appeared beneath his feet and swallowed him instantly.
Leaving behind the three remaining counterparts.
Kexue Qi.
Cardmaster Qi.
And Greek Qi.
All three stared at the empty space with awkward expressions.
Greek Qi scratched his head.
"…Am I really that foolish?"