The Greece Antagonist

"Three Athena's Bronze."

"And this one?"

"A bit more expensive, five pieces."

"..."

Soon, Luo En's hands were filled with a variety of local specialty snacks.

"Here, try these."

Seeing the delicious skewers presented before her eyes, Medusa couldn't help but swallow saliva reflexively, but she seemed to hesitate a bit in an effort to maintain her usual aloofness.

Luo En slowly raised his arm, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Oh, not eating? Well, then I'll eat it all."

"Who said I'm not eating!"

As the fragrant food seemed about to sprout wings and fly away, Little Medusa could no longer resist the temptation and grabbed Luo En's arm, taking her share without courtesy and munching it eagerly.

As different flavors bombarded her taste buds, bringing pleasurable delight, the last bit of embarrassment and reserve on the young girl vanished, and she focused on savoring the handful of snacks in her hand.

Luo En shook his head with a light laugh, nibbling on a skewer of roasted eggs as he strolled through the bustling market with Little Medusa by his side, inquiring about prices for the items they had.

After several rounds of asking and investigating, he finally chose a relatively fair-priced shop to sell his goods.

Total earnings: 14 Hera's Silvers, 107 Athena's Bronzes.

Meanwhile, he and Medusa had eaten away about a quarter of the income as they walked and snacked along the way.

It had to be said, as the royal city of Crete Island, things here were not cheap.

Of course, hidden away on that ship, there were still many valuable items, such as temple stone tablets, God of the Sea's ritual vessels, and mystical study materials, among others.

All those carefully handpicked treasured items from the thieving leader were sure to bring in a great windfall if sold.

However, first of all, those items were too conspicuous and easily attracted unwanted trouble.

And second, thanks to the gold coins that the Twelve Olympians exploded with every day, he wasn't exactly short on money; if he ever ran out, he could just utter a few more blasphemies, so there really wasn't any need to take such risks.

Luo En casually pocketed today's gains, his face breaking into a friendly smile as he struck up a conversation with the elderly man at the counter.

"Sir, could you tell me what temples there are in the city and how to get to them? I'd like to make an offering to the deities, hoping for a smooth journey ahead."

"Young man, you must be from out of town, right? Looking for temples in Knossos City might be a bit difficult."

The old man, his face etched with the wrinkles of time, smiled helplessly.

"For some reason, the current King Minos seems not to like the deities very much. He rarely participates in worship and doesn't repair the temples, so many places have fallen into disrepair."

After listening to the old man's explanation, Luo En nodded thoughtfully.

He could probably guess the reason.

Nine times out of ten, it was the Minotaur's fault.

His wife, mocked by the gods, was taken by a mere beast, and bore the hybrid monster—a disgrace so enormous that no man would likely just let it slide, let alone King Minos of Crete.

That he didn't slaughter the Minotaur in the Labyrinth Offering and smash all the temples in a fit of rage was already quite tolerant of him.

How could he continue to worship the gods as he had before?

Now, this is going to make things a bit difficult for me.

Luo En rubbed his chin, his brow furrowing slightly.

The "Weekly Chapter" cooldown was almost over, and he had to actively create some work for the Twelve Olympians in order not to be forced into a corner by that damned dice he bore.

Now, here comes the trouble.

"However, if you truly wish to offer your respects to a deity, there is indeed a place you can go," the old man added slowly, his latter words snapping Luo En, who had been deep in thought, back to reality with a spark of interest in his eyes.

"Where?"

"In the northwest corner of Knossos City, there's a palace dedicated to a goddess atop a small hill."

"Who?"

"The sovereign lady, Athena."

Luo En briefly paused upon hearing that title, and then the historical records that surfaced in his mind helped him understand.

Legend had it that the Minos civilization had a strong tradition of goddess worship, and among them, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, was the most honored and held the highest status.

They called her "πότνια," meaning lady, queen, sovereign, and corresponding records appeared on subsequent Mycenaean tablets.

Of course, Athena was absolutely worthy of this honor.

For in the process of creating humans, Prometheus bestowed upon them their form, while Athena gave them their souls.

In a sense, she truly was the "sovereign lady" of the human race.

Nevertheless, Luo En had originally intended to flip Hermes' card and play a trick on the ancestral thief of the Greeks.

Taking Medusa to Athena as a means of teaching her a lesson was certainly not an option he had considered.

But at the moment, aside from this, there seemed to be no better choice.

"Stranger, may the goddess protect your journey."

The old man lifted his hand to his chest and nodded as he offered his blessing.

After briefly thanking him, Luo En, holding Little Medusa's hand, stepped out of the shop and looked towards the columned temple in the northwest.

It's just a visit, she can't be that petty, right?

He muttered to himself for a bit before looking down at Medusa, who was still engrossed in her snacks, and forced a gentle smile on his face.

"Shall we go for a walk over there?"

"I don't like them."

Medusa shook her head, her eyes filled with strong resistance.

In the mythological world of Greece, most monsters were labor tools for the gods and a whole bunch of achievements and leveling-up experiences reserved for demigod heroes.

Although the three sisters had escaped slavery, they were still unable to avoid being hunted by the outside world.

Therefore, Medusa naturally didn't have a favorable impression of the gods who were orchestrating it all.

Luo En blinked and spoke leisurely.

"I heard that the marketplace there is more prosperous than the one in the east, and there's even a greater variety of food."

"..."

At these words, Medusa's eyes lit up, clearly tempted.

"And drinks too—the weather calls for a cup of chilled grape juice and pomegranate juice. It's simply unbeatable."

"I'll go!"

Immediately, Medusa, lured by her cravings, no longer hesitated and swiftly raised her little hand, her face full of eagerness.

Even before Luo En could move, the next moment, Little Medusa decisively grabbed him and headed towards the northwest corner, taking the initiative.

Luo En, dragged along, couldn't help but shake his head in amusement.

Tsk tsk, isn't this girl too easy to trick? I could fool ten of them at once!

Soon after, the corners of Luo En's lips lifted, sketching a wicked curve on his face.

How could this do? He must seize this opportunity to show her the dangers of human nature and what true "cruelty" is!