Chapter 37: 33: There are thousands upon thousands of deities in the sea, yet I alone can provoke half of them!
"Bang!"
In an instant, blood splattered, and the head of a fish with eyes wide open in death tumbled from the side of the ship into the churning waves.
"Ding, today's blasphemy task completed, Bronze Proof +1"
Accompanied by a mechanical voice resounding in the sea of consciousness, the three glowing numbers on Luo En's twelve-sided die dimmed, and a bronze badge fell into his hand.
Come on, come on, send me a Poseidon, or maybe a Hermes!
In his delirious muttering, the bronze badge was swallowed up by the bronze altar formed by the Wheel of Hecate, and the previously still twelve-sided die began to spin again, finally landing on the side marked with three wavy lines.
"Congratulations, you've received Poseidon's blessing—'Bountiful Fish Tide'."
The glimmer of anticipation and excitement on Luo En's face instantly solidified, and, gritting his teeth, he viciously gutted the headless fish in his hand with a kitchen knife, his fierce and grim expression carrying a personal vendetta.
Fish, fish, fish! Damn your ancestor! Trashy draw! Trashy Poseidon!
The blasphemer at sea cursed under his breath, while at the same time drawing in mid-air the triangular Hermes Script symbol for fire, igniting a flame light, and grilling the skewered fish meat on the dagger until it sizzled and dripped with oil.
The series of actions were smooth and uninterrupted.
After all, he had been adrift at sea for seven days and nights, eating nothing but fish for a whole week.
As the fishy smell rose from his rumbling stomach to his throat, Luo En couldn't help but scowl, silently cursing the twelve-sided die in his mind.
All these chips gone and not even a pity system implemented, one day I'll dismantle you!
"Hum..."
The twelve-sided die on the altar emitted a faint tremor, as if understanding its master's complaints, and yet began to spin idly, a subtle sense of pleasure mingling within, and casually activating three silvery-gray oracles.
"Trial one: Steal a golden sacrificial vessel from the temple of Hermes, and deceive the deity famous for his thievery."
"Trial two: Destroy a marriage, provoking the wrath of Hera, the guardian of marriage."
"Trial three: Lead Medusa in prayer at the temple of Athena, and defile the sanctuary of the Goddess of Wisdom."
Come on, if you're a man, face me head-on!
As the updated weekly chapter tasks surfaced in his mind, Luo En bared his teeth, feeling a pang in his liver.
Through continuously accepting and completing tasks, his entanglement with the twelve-sided die in his mind had grown deeper.
And it seemed the thing could evolve. After being exposed to his memories related to gaming, it had started to upgrade, slowly transforming towards a more systematic and humane approach.
Of course, considering the integrity of that gambling-addicted goddess, Luo En hadn't ruled out the option of righteously destroying the die to prevent future troubles.
But no matter whether he tried roasting it with fire, submerging it in water, slashing it with a sword, or striking it with lightning, he wasn't able to chip even a tiny fleck off the stone die.
Even if he threw it into the sea and then took off running, it would automatically return to him, dragging him into a frenzy of death-seeking in the world of the gods.
I've been kidnapped by a die, who would believe that?
As Luo En silently commented, he sensed the three refreshed weekly book tasks in his mind, and his mood grew even gloomier.
This week's chapters were much more troublesome than the last.
Just being asked to find the temples of the three chief gods in the vast sea was a problem in itself.
Not to mention the last two options, which involved playing the minotaur and pulling the wool over Athena's eyes right under Hera's watchful gaze, and how incredibly suicidal they were.
So he had reason to suspect that this problematic die had deliberately targeted him with these task selections.
But luckily, he had previously completed two weekly chapter tasks in one go, entitling him to two weeks of protection.
At least for a short while, he didn't have to brazenly swagger in front of the Olympian gods.
But even though he could put off these problematic weekly chapter tasks, other big troubles were waiting for him right now.
As the salt-infused fish meat gradually became charred on the outside and tender on the inside under the heat of the flame, turning a golden brown, Luo En came back to his senses, sighed, and took the perfectly cooked fish off the flame, placing it on a plate. He turned around, opened the partition, and entered the cabin, casually setting the tableware on the floor.
"Dinner's ready."
From the dim corner, a rustling sound emerged.
A moment later, a purple-haired young girl, standing at a height of one meter thirty, with a black headband tied at her forehead, dragging an oversized, loose-fitting linen robe, came forward, her entire being exuding an air of 'keep away' coldness and a gloomy aura that blended with the darkness.
"Fish again?"
The young girl's melancholic gaze fell on the fish meat in the plate, her footsteps halting for a moment.
"That's all there is in the ocean, make do with it," Luo En said, spreading his hands, sharing the helplessness.
The purple-haired girl took the plate with a despondent air, looking at the meal that made her somewhat nauseous, and bit her lip, lifting her taut little face.
"I want to go home..."
Luo En glanced at the purple-haired girl opposite him, sat down cross-legged on the floor, and replied without much enthusiasm.
"Coincidentally, so do I."
Suddenly, a visible excitement sparked in the purple-haired girl's gloomy face.
"Then let's hurry up and go!"
"Go? Where do we go? Your two older sisters' map cannon has blasted the ship to who knows where. Now that we can't determine the direction or position, are we supposed to navigate with our heads?"
Luo En's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot as he pointed at the vast sea surface in accusation, while his deep gaze fell on the purple-haired young girl in front of him.
Medusa, the youngest of the Gorgon Sisters, and the only one with a mortal body.
At the same time, she was the spark that ignited the bloody massacre on Formless Island.
And the reason this legendary Gorgon happened to be on this ship was purely accidental.
If one wishes to find the root cause and untangle the sequence of events, one cannot ignore the demigod Skester, a descendant of Hermes.
How should I put it?
This fellow truly lived up to his Hermes bloodline, skillfully inheriting the knack for thievery.
——During the Celifos people's fleet arrival at Formless Island to search for traces of the Gorgon Sisters, he inadvertently dug out Medusa's cocoon from beneath an abandoned temple.
Normally, such a matter should be reported.
But the greed in his blood made the old fellow decisively choose to conceal.
Of course, in Skester's mind, he merely thought he had found an "egg" laid by the Gorgon Sisters.
At most, he planned to extract some Gorgon divine blood from it, make a fortune, then spend it extravagantly.
But what he didn't expect was that the Gorgon Sisters were precisely undergoing a divine transformation, a stage akin to snakes shedding their skin to grow.
Thus, Skester, habituated to his thieving ways, stealthily moved the giant cocoon hiding Medusa onto his own secretly prepared small boat, mixing it among a pile of stolen goods.
The following events were well known to Luo En.
First, he was chased to Formless Island by the Atlantean Imperial Guard, where he collided with the Celifos people who were raiding the temple at that time.
Then, after fanning the flames, the Atlantean Imperial Guard and the Celifos people, under his conniving, started fighting each other.
Immediately after, the rampant flow of blood and the frenzied gathering of magic power awoke the other two Gorgon Sisters from their slumber in the earth's depths.
Ultimately, the two awakened Gorgon Sisters, finding their younger sister missing and seeing masses of intruders, furiously displayed their full might, and in their rage almost wiped clean the entire island of outsiders.
And Luo En, who was originally merely watching the drama at sea, also suffered an undeserved calamity. Detected by the two Gorgon Sisters, he was targeted by their combined attack and narrowly avoided ending up like the unfortunate Skester, becoming hero bits scattered all over the ground.
At this thought, someone who had been inadvertently dragged into the matter couldn't help but start complaining again.
"I told you, I just happened to pass by! I am innocent! Why did your two sisters insist on targeting me to blast?!"
"Whoever chooses to go ashore doesn't seem all that innocent, right?"
Little Medusa lifted her head, her clear purple eyes pensively looking towards the face pleading her case.
That gaze, as if penetrating straight into the soul, made Luo En unconsciously shift his gaze away, muttering to himself in his heart.
I haven't done anything wrong.
I merely exploded a batch of gold coins from my tutor Circe, took out a hundred or so sea monsters with divine blood, and killed Poseidon's illegitimate son...
Then, provoked an entire squad of the Atlantean Imperial Guard, kidnapped a descendant of Hermes, destroyed Celifos people's ships, conned them into fighting the Atlanteans...
In the end, the awakened Gorgon Sisters took the two invading groups that fought all the way to their doorstep for thieves, and cleared up the situation...
At this moment, having briefly replayed his glorious deeds in his mind, Luo En felt somewhat embarrassed.
Although he himself can't claim to be innocent and virtuous, his crimes were indeed too numerous to count.
Of course, if he knew that he had indirectly ensnared Ares and Aphrodite, causing a new round of family crisis in Olympus, he'd probably have to add two more glorious achievements to his already dark and purplish list of sins.
Luckily, Medusa, who had asked the question, did not notice the changes on Luo En's face but simply continued gnawing on the fish meat and asked in a sullen voice.
"When will you send me back?"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely send you back when there's a chance."
Luo En guaranteed earnestly on the surface, but his words lacked any substantial promise.
Send her back? What a joke.
Things had progressed to this point, and his suspicion of kidnapping a young girl was almost confirmed.
Who knows if the Gorgon Sisters of Formless Island would tear him to pieces on sight?
Those two with off-the-charts combat strength, even a fully-equipped Perseus in the future wouldn't stand a chance, only left to flee with his head in his hands, let alone the current him?
Instead of betting on whether the Gorgon Sisters would listen to his explanation, it was safer to stay put, cultivate a good relationship with the only one who could prove his innocence, Medusa, or wait until he had sufficient strength to protect himself before confronting them on Formless Island.
Although it inadvertently added some risk factors, when considering the overall situation, it was the most prudent method.
While conducting this analysis in his mind, Luo En reconsidered his shining accomplishments and couldn't help muttering.
Putting it together, the Gorgon Sisters are the successors of the first-generation God of the Sea, Pontos, Circe is the granddaughter of the second-generation God of the Sea, Occhanos, and the Cyclops is the son of the third-generation God of the Sea, Poseidon…
Well, isn't this complete chaos?
I've managed to directly or indirectly plague all of the new and old sea gods. For the sake of my life, it's better to stay out of the sea and find a way to get ashore quickly.
At that moment, Luo En, who felt a little unsteady, realized that a whole bunch of angry debtors from his past were sharpening their knives, earnestly hoping for a city-state or land to appear soon so he could successfully smuggle himself ashore.