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The following morning, the Gemini brothers, having successfully eradicated the beast nest in the mountains, led their army back into the city in triumph.
After smoothly handling a series of handovers, the two walked home hand-in-hand, laughing and chatting while carrying small pastries bought from the street.
However, before they could even step through the door, their sister Helen rushed out of the house and flung herself into the embrace of her two older brothers like a swallow returning to its nest, a wronged crying tone escaped her throat.
"Brothers..."
"What's wrong?"
Looking at their sister's eyes, which were swollen like peaches, the two revealed expressions of astonishment and quickly asked.
Helen pointed at the courtyard behind her, which was enveloped in light patterns, hesitated to speak several times, her face filled entirely with grief and indignation.
"They..."
Unable to contain themselves, the two brothers subconsciously leaned their ears forward and instantly felt a peculiar vibration from the ground, along with a surge of merging magical power transmitting from the courtyard.
That familiar rhythm made the two brothers, who had tasted the ways of the world, reveal a teasing expression.
Splendid.
To think they got together while we were out.
Still, even if you're going to do it, isn't this commotion a bit too loud?
Looking at the thick layers of magical barriers stacked multiple times before them, the two brothers clicked their tongues in wonder.
They cast glances of pity toward their sister, who looked as if she had been forced to stay up all night observing, while secretly criticizing the three indiscreet individuals in the yard.
Look how scared my kid is...
"Small matter, ignore them!"
"Haven't eaten yet, right? We'll take you to the street for a good meal."
The two brothers chimed in one after the other as they pulled along their aggrieved little sister toward the bustling marketplace, intending to use food to mend her wounded heart.
Helen, who was half-coaxed and half-dragged away by them, looked at her two brothers, who were completely unaware of where the real problem lay, and felt nothing but grief and indignation.
Eat, eat, eat—eat what? We're about to lose our home!
'The three opportunities that originally belonged exclusively to me had already had two of them used up in advance by the thief inside.'
'And what's even more detestable is that all three of them were doing that kind of thing, yet they left me out entirely, making such a massive commotion that I had to act as an audience member for a whole night!'
Outrageous, simply too outrageous!
Fortunately, the heartfelt doting from her two brothers washed away some of the resentment in Helen's heart.
"Come, come, come, starving, aren't you? Eat more."
"This steamed mutton and roasted pigeon taste quite good, try them both."
Under the comforting words of her brothers, Helen turned her grief and indignation into an appetite.
Clenching her silver teeth, she buried her head to bite savagely into the lamb chops and pigeon meat on the plate.
From yesterday morning until now, she hadn't even eaten a single mouthful of hot food.
On the contrary, the two in the yard had eaten their fill... in every sense of the word...
Just as Helen was getting into the swing of things, starting to enjoy the true flavor of the food, her eldest brother Castor, who had finished eating ahead of her, tossed down a bone, clapped his hands, and reminded her.
"Eat quickly. Once you're done, we still need to make a trip to the Temple of Artemis and the royal palace."
"For what?"
"Given this commotion, who knows how much longer they're going to keep throwing it down.
Since they haven't shown their faces for so long, we naturally need to find a reason to cover for them."
Pollux, who was beside him, answered casually, then turned his head, exchanged a smile with his brother, their eyes revealing the same playful look, feeling very much like old friends helping to cover up lies before their parents and elders.
Clatter~
The large lamb chop Helen was gnawing on dropped onto the plate, her sorrowful small face turning as black as the bottom of a pot.
The opportunities were yielded to them, the residence was yielded to them, and even the person she liked had to be yielded to them.
'In the end, while they were enjoying themselves, I had to run errands to cover for them?'
The girl lowered her head to look at the lamb chop she had gnawed halfway on her plate, pursing her lips.
She felt as if her teeth were starting to itch again...
~~
The herds in the depths of the Arcadian mountain range seemed to show signs of running rampant into a disaster again.
However, Queen Atalanta had already set out with her close friend, heading into the deep mountains to hunt and pursue them.
Regarding this news brought by the Gemini brothers, whether it was the Temple of Artemis or the royal palace, both were entirely accustomed to it.
Their queen had always liked to go solo.
She had gone deep into the mountains where herds ran rampant several times to destroy formed beast nests; it wasn't surprising for her to take a similar approach now.
And even without Atalanta, the leader in a literal sense, the various factions in the city of Arcadia, having worked together through multiple beast disasters, were already fully capable of operating on their own to maintain basic order in the city.
Just like that, three to five days passed in a flash, and the royal capital remained as stable as before, with not even a single violent incident occurring.
The only thing that was a bit anomalous was that strange vibrations would transmit from time to time beneath the residence in the southeast of the city.
After a full seven days, the Gemini brothers, who came as a matter of routine to report their duties to Queen Clymene, found themselves unable to hold out much longer.
Looking at the middle-aged beautiful lady in the garden who possessed a soft, elegant countenance and was chatting highly pleasantly with Queen Clymene, the two inexplicably felt as if they were sitting on a bed of needles, unable to help but wail in their hearts.
'Old friend, it's been a full seven days, haven't you guys calmed down enough yet?'
'Please, come out quickly! Someone is looking for you! This appears to be a deity, no less!'
Seeing the conversation between the Queen and the middle-aged beautiful lady coming to an end, the two brothers outside, having discerned some clues, were hesitating whether to bite the bullet and step forward when a celestial voice transmitted from behind them.
"Is she the one who wants to see me?"
Hearing this, the Gemini brothers looked with pleasant surprise at Lorne, who had appeared behind them, nodding in a flurry.
"Old friend, you've finally stepped out of the house. Do you know she's been waiting for you in the royal palace for most of the day?
If you and those two still didn't show your faces, we were preparing to rush into the yard to drag you out of that tender trap."
"Thank you for your hard work..."
Lorne, knowing he was in the wrong, patted the Gemini brothers on their shoulders, expressing his gratitude with a dry laugh.
"If you have matters to attend to, go ahead and get busy. Leave this place to me."
The Gemini brothers nodded, then looked at the completely empty space behind Lorne, their faces showing astonishment.
"Right, why is it only you?
Where are the two of them?"
"Uh, they haven't gotten up..."
"Then should we have Helen go wake them up? The opposite party appears to be a god, not very easy to handle."
"Uh, they aren't sleeping; they passed out. They won't wake up anytime soon..."
Lorne spoke darkly, his face looking somewhat awkward.
Hearing this, the Gemini brothers fell into a brief silence before collectively raising their thumbs.
Subconsciously looking between a certain someone's legs, they muttered secretly in their hearts.
'Passed out from pleasure? Are you that much of a beast?'
Perceiving the bizarre gazes of the two brothers, Lorne instantly understood that the two had twisted his meaning, but it wasn't easy to clarify it directly.
After all, he couldn't very well say that this was a after-effect of the love authority being applied with too much force, and that he wasn't up to the task, right?
Swallowing this bitter pill,
Lorne watched the two brothers walk out of his line of sight, calmed down his emotions a bit, and stood up, walking into the garden, unfolding this formal meeting.
At this time, the visiting middle-aged beautiful lady had finished her casual chat and was sitting inside the pavilion with Queen Clymene, tasting sweet, delicious mead and exquisite pastries.
Crossing through the path shaded by branches and vines, Lorne arrived before the tea table, cutting straight to the chase.
"Madam, I heard you wanted to see me?"
The middle-aged beautiful lady smiled and nodded.
Sizing up Lorne before her from top to bottom, she spoke in a soft voice.
"Let us talk, little Dionysus..."
Hearing this, Lorne's eyelids twitched.
Before the other party could finish speaking, he activated his authority, waving his hand to fully catalyze the wine intent inside the cup.
Queen Clymene's body gave a lurch.
Dead drunk, she slumped onto the table, sinking into a deep sleep.
Having resolved the hidden threat, Lorne set up dozens of concealment barriers in succession across the surroundings before wrinkling his brows, looking at the mysterious noble lady before him who had exposed his identity in a single word.
"You are?"
"No need to be so tense, just call me Demeter."
The beautiful lady smiled and spoke, a sliver of serenity and peacefulness permeating her brow and eyes.
"So it is you." Lorne let out a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Demeter, the goddess in charge of agriculture, grains, and harvests among the twelve main gods of Olympus, was simultaneously the biological mother of his adoptive mother Persephone.
Theoretically, she was one of their own.
However, out of caution, Lorne looked at the [Mark of the Dead] on his hand, asking in a deep voice: "Did 'Mother' tell you I was here?"
After all, the authority to drive souls on a large scale belonged to the Lord and Queen of the Underworld.
Having deployed this power himself, it was inevitable that they would perceive it.
"Not entirely..." Demeter gestured for Lorne to sit, answering in a soft voice. "Typhon's resurgence, half the areas of the Arcadian royal capital turning into Underworld soil, the life and death imbalance of tens of thousands of people; you guys made such a massive commotion that it's difficult to hide it from interested parties."
Lorne nodded, turning secretly alert in his heart.
Sure enough, utilizing strength beyond the divine level too much would inevitably cause one to be targeted. Actions would still need to be more cautious in the future.
After giving himself a warning,
Lorne asked carefully: "So, your trip to Arcadia this time is because..."
"Why not try guessing?" Demeter picked up her teacup and took a light sip, looking at the figure before her with a smile. "Persephone has always praised you for being clever."
Hearing the test in her tone,
Lorne fell into contemplation, as a relaxed smile gradually surfaced upon his face.
"Is it the Eleusinian Mysteries? Your followers caused such a massive trouble, someone has to step forward to clear the mess."
Hearing this, Demeter placed her teacup down, a bitter smile revealing upon her face: "I never asked them to slaughter cities and destroy nations for the sake of so-called [Immortality]."
Clearly, Lorne's guess hit the mark in a single word.
Now that humans and gods were separated, the strength growth of the gods for the next three hundred years was closely linked to human faith.
Although Demeter wasn't the founder of the Eleusinian Mysteries in a strict sense, nor did she directly stand for them, through long-term development, this Agriculture Goddess had already formed an inseparable whole with the Eleusinian Mysteries.
The words and actions of the followers, every move they made, more or less influenced human society's views and faith toward Demeter.
This time, the "Great Sacrifice of Arcadia" was a matter that wasn't small, yet wasn't large either.
If the Eleusinian followers mixed into it were promoted as negative examples, the Eleusinian Mysteries might become a twisted sect that everyone decried.
If it got severe, even Demeter, acting as the main god of the Mysteries, might see her reputation plummet.
Of course, even if one didn't look at Demeter's face, one still had to care about the feelings of his adoptive mother Persephone.
And even without the mother-daughter relationship with the Agriculture Goddess, she was also one of the main gods served by the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Coupled with the fact that the Cult of Eleusis wasn't deeply involved in the case, Lorne and Atalanta didn't intend to blow things out of proportion.
In fact, they had done exactly that.
After slaying the Typhon avatar and halting the great sacrifice inside the city, Atalanta had been dedicated to mediating the factions of the various religious sects.
Under the guise of making amends for their crimes with achievements, she led the congregation members of several sects who were free of stains to jointly tide over Arcadia's most dangerous time.
However, not pursuing certain matters didn't mean they didn't happen.
Lorne looked at Demeter, who had formally stepped forward to represent the Eleusinian Mysteries, letting out a sigh with a heavy tone.
"Although I understand your difficulties and believe in your character, the nature of this matter is too malicious, and it brought deep disasters to the Arcadian people.
Whether acting as a shepherd of the mortal world or as the teacher of Her Majesty the Queen, I must give them an explanation."
"I know, it was due to my lax discipline..."
The honest Agriculture Goddess nodded to admit it, the opened her magic array, and took out that [Horn of Plenty].
"Therefore, I brought this.
It can purify the land contaminated by death energy, allowing the Arcadians to obtain at least ten years of bountiful harvests.
I hope these can make up for the transgressions committed by my followers."
At this time, this sacred gear had already been injected with divinity anew.
A rich life breath permeated the area, and the vegetation inside the garden grew lushly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
'Changing the soil quality? Ten years of bountiful harvests? Good stuff!'
Lorne accepted that re-activated [Horn of Plenty], unable to put it down.
These authorities might not be of much use to a god, but to a nation, they surpassed countless gold, silver, treasures, and divine weapons.
Especially since this region of Arcadia was mountainous and heavily forested, the land suitable for farming was considerably limited.
The Horn of Plenty, which could clear wilderness and guarantee bountiful harvests, was simply the most valuable treasure for the Arcadians.
And with this object, Atalanta's position as queen would bound to be unshakeable.
Judging by this Agriculture Goddess's move, her sincerity for reconciliation and compensation was fully adequate.
However...
"Although I really want to help you clarify and understand your sincerity, this object seems to be what I gave to your followers, and it was done before a crowd of divine-blooded heroes.
Using it alone to clear the debt might find it difficult to convince the masses."
Lorne gripped the Horn of Plenty in his hand, a face full of helplessness.
To sum it up—it wasn't enough, she had to add more!
Although Demeter was gentle, she wasn't a fool either.
Rolling her eyes at the little fellow before her, she let out a light snort and placed another cloth bag onto the table.
"This is the Spring Seed Bag. Inside are choice seeds I selected while traveling through various nations.
If certain crops suitable for the Arcadian soil quality are promoted and planted, ordinary people won't have to risk entering the mountains to hunt magical beasts to fill their stomachs."
"I believe the Arcadians will thank you for your benevolence, keeping in mind the sacrifices made by the Eleusinian congregation members to resist the Beast Disaster!"
Lorne immediately defined the stance issue for the Eleusinian congregation members, while returning a favor to Demeter, who had bled heavily.
"Once the situation stabilizes, regarding the issues of resuming farming and breeding seedlings,
I will have Her Majesty the Queen seek guidance from the scholars of the Eleusinian Mysteries extensively."
"That would be for the best."
Hearing this, Demeter nodded with satisfaction, a gentle smile surfacing upon her face.
In fact, this was also one of the reasons she came to Arcadia.
The proper duties of herself and her daughter Persephone were as deities of agriculture and plants, yet those followers of the Eleusinian Mysteries blindly pursued "eternal life" and "immortality" due to the Eleusinian Mystery rituals she had displayed back then.
This was no different from putting the cart before the horse, even obstructing the spread of her faith.
Therefore, Demeter intended to take this opportunity during her trip to bring order out of chaos internally, re-establishing the doctrines and purposes of the Eleusinian Mysteries anew.
And Lorne's underhanded move of sending this crowd to farm perfectly met Demeter's expectations.
This was how it should be.
Worshipping the gods of agriculture and plants meant practicing medicine and farming honestly, researching plant characteristics.
Pondering over taking drugs and eternal life all day long would sooner or later stir up new troubles for her.
Seeing the issue that had troubled her for a long time easily resolved, Demeter's mood improved vastly, waving her hand to leave behind a pottery jar.
"I heard from her mother that the child lost her father due to this matter and has just succeeded the throne?
Accept it on her behalf; this is a small gift I am giving her."
As the Agriculture Goddess spoke, she rolled her eyes at a certain slippery fellow who was finding ways to exploit her gold coins, letting out a light snort with irritation.
"...Consider it an extra!"
Lorne accepted the pottery jar with a sheepish smile, as he opened it curiously to take a look, only to discover that this was actually a jar of kykeon barley porridge.
"One that I personally brewed. Although it cannot bestow the immortality of a deity upon her, it is fully adequate to wash away most of the mortality upon her body."
Demeter spoke softly, as she glanced at the Queen of Arcadia sleeping soundly before the table, seeming to have her feelings of shared plight stirred up, adding in a deep voice,
"The wine her mother and I drank also had it..."
Lorne nodded, unable to help but feel a sudden surge of respect for the Agriculture Goddess before him.
Being capable of harboring pity toward the suffering of mortals and being willing to put it into action was truly a rare quality for a deity.
"Alright, that's enough said, I should be leaving as well."
The meeting officially came to an end. Demeter turned into green fluorescence, her figure dissipating.
Just as Lorne wanted to take stock of the wool he had pulled, the Gemini brothers, who had gone and returned, rushed inside.
"Someone is looking for you again. It appears to be a deity, no less..."
The voice ground to an abrupt halt.
The two looked at a certain someone who had leaned forward as he stood up, and the Queen of Arcadia sleeping soundly before him, their faces filled with complete astonishment.
(End of this chapter)
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