Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"Who are you cooperating with?"

Laine asked calmly.

"Of course, with us, the Resurrection Sect."

'How does she still ask such a question after they've come knocking...' Lady Samer was thinking, but the next moment, she couldn't maintain her forced smile any longer.

"Really, the Resurrection Sect," Laine nodded and smiled, "I thought it was a cooperation with the Kingdom of Argos that worships Heavenly Empress Hera."

...

Yes, this was why Laine found the whole matter very interesting.

The Heavenly Empress of Olympus had donned the guise of 'Mother of Resurrection' and, then, her church had transformed into a cult within the sphere of influence of Athens.

Their target was none other than the Church of Knowledge, which worships Athena.

In comparison, the so-called ability of the 'Mother of Resurrection' to restore youth and enable the bearing of offspring seemed so normal.

The latter naturally stemmed from the fertility authority of Heavenly Empress Hera, and the former was not strange either, as in the myths, Hera would bathe in the Springs of Canathus every spring, which supposedly could wash away irritability, fatigue, and decay, even reverting one's state back to virginity...

"Tell me, what have you come to do, or rather, what have you already done?"

Under Lady Samer's frightened gaze, Laine remained unflinching.

Unlike the previous two farmers, it was hard to directly read the memories of church members because they worshiped deities, unless one was inside a temple of another deity.

So if possible, Laine still hoped the other party would confess something on their own.

"Who are you? Even in the Church of Knowledge, only high-ranking priests and above know our identity!"

Lady Samer snapped back to reality, avoiding the question.

She was staring at the middle-aged man in front of her, seemingly unconcerned about her own life or death at this moment.

"A devout follower, huh? Troublesome, looks like I have to visit your stronghold... Stop looking at me like that, you'll be 'guiding' me."

Not intending to resolve the doubts of a soon-to-be-dead person, Laine simply finished off this beautiful believer.

Then, using her body as a medium, Laine performed another divination.

However, this divination seemed to be interfered with, only giving a general direction. Laine silently took note, then picked up the statue in the center of the prayer room and left the basement.

'The people here will probably realize their leader is missing tomorrow, but they might not discover this place immediately. From an ordinary perspective, it's quite well-hidden.'

'But it's becoming increasingly interesting. Hera's followers are causing trouble in Athena's territory, and even Athena's high-ranking clergy know about this. Athens and Argos have always had trade ties, showing no signs of hostility...

Indeed, war is inevitable, merely the result of accumulated disagreements driven by interests, but that doesn't mean there are no conflicts before the war arrives; they are just hidden underwater.'

In comparison, the so-called ability of the 'Mother of Resurrection' to restore youth and enable the bearing of offspring seemed so normal.

The latter naturally stemmed from the fertility authority of Heavenly Empress Hera, and the former was not strange either, as in the myths, Hera would bathe in the Springs of Canathus every spring, which supposedly could wash away irritability, fatigue, and decay, even reverting one's state back to virginity...

"Tell me, what have you come to do, or rather, what have you already done?"

Under Lady Samer's frightened gaze, Laine remained unflinching.

Unlike the previous two farmers, it was hard to directly read the memories of church members because they worshiped deities, unless one was inside a temple of another deity.

So if possible, Laine still hoped the other party would confess something on their own.

"Who are you? Even in the Church of Knowledge, only high-ranking priests and above know our identity!"

Answering off-topic, Lady Samer came back to her senses.

Exiting the room, Laine determined his direction; the divination pointed to the north district of the city, which indeed was more suitable for the growing influence of a covert organization.

However, it wasn't clear what was there, or more precisely, if it was merely a feud between two divine sects, what was the Saint Knight's involvement for?

"Regardless, I am now a member of the Resurrection Sect, a follower developed by Lady Samer."

Rubbing his face, Laine changed his appearance again and glanced at the deity statue in his hand.

"They call it a cult, but how can there be a cult without an Evil God."

"Hera clearly would never develop a cult, Mother of Resurrection sounds terrible, I think 'Great Mother of Reproduction' sounds much better."

A strange light flashed in his eyes as Laine's figure vanished into the shadows again. The night was still long.

······

Olympus, Golden Palace.

A millennium had passed, and the original ruins were nowhere to be seen.

Mimicking relics from Asgard, God-King Zeus had established another 'Golden Palace' atop Mount Olympus.

This building, blending the artistic styles of two divine systems, was indeed majestic, so much so that many deities often stayed here temporarily.

However, at the moment, within the sleeping chamber of the Heavenly Empress, Hera's expression was not pleasant.

"Hebe, my daughter... tell me, what has the King of Athens done again?"

Goddess of Youth Hebe, daughter of Hera, Cupbearer for All Gods.

Zeus's current favorite boy had not yet replaced her; this Goddess of Youth, born consecutively with the God of Decay from the Underworld, still held the golden cup, serving nectar to the deities. Naturally, she also occasionally acted as her own Mother Goddess's maid.

Yes, as a new goddess with weak divine power, her status was almost the lowest among the deities, and in her destined path, she would be given in marriage to Zeus's famously mortal son.

"...Mother Goddess, half a month ago, the King of Athens went to the sea, defeated the divine manifestation of Sea God Nereus, clearing the trade routes to the south, his reason for going missing was..."

"Enough!"

Hera interrupted sharply, taking a deep breath as her chest heaved violently.

She didn't care about the reason; she only knew that this human she disliked had done something significant again, and she was utterly helpless against him.

"If it were one thousand, no, two thousand years ago, I would have hung his corpse on Mount Olympus, let his soul suffer endlessly like Tantalus."

"...Mother Goddess, Tantalus deceived the Gods, even making the Goddess of Agriculture eat the flesh and blood of a descendant of the Divine King, but Athens is under the Goddess of Wisdom..."

"Whose daughter are you?!"

With a shout, watching a quieted down Hebe, Hera knew she was right.

Even without considering the current restrictions of the mortal realm on the deities, she couldn't just kill the King of Athens overtly, especially since it was Athena's territory. And though she loathed to admit it, she simply couldn't defeat Athena.

"Hmph"