Greece brings evildoers

Chapter 181 The Patriarch is here, and there will be justice (5.7k, completed in 8.3k days)

A few days later, a young bard with blond hair and blue eyes came to the outside of Thebes, carrying his luggage.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar "hometown" in front of him, Lorne, who had changed his vest, had mixed feelings in his heart.

Not long ago, he successfully aroused Aphrodite's anger by orchestrating the death of Adonis.

As a result, Ares, the God of War, was frantically pursued by his old lover, and slipped back to Olympus in disgrace, hiding at home all day long and not daring to come out.

The Sea of ​​Oceanus naturally returned to its former calm, and Thetis' troubles were also solved.

But to be on the safe side, Lorne did not turn around and have sex with the sea goddess. Instead, he decisively left the scene of the crime and planned to go to another city-state for a while to avoid the limelight and clear his suspicions.

After thinking about it, the word "hometown" that was almost fading in my memory came into my mind.

So, he stopped by Thebes to have a look, and continued his journey as a bard.

After all, the goddess of memory in the Temple of Memory is still waiting for his update, and the nine muses sitting in the boudoir are still waiting for him to use the manuscript to redeem her.

Of course, his current identity is still "Homer".

In fact, under the operation of him and the nine muses, this pen name is no longer just a person, but a creative group. In order to facilitate the crime in major city-states, they have a stack of vests.

Looking at the pool on the side of the road, looking at his completely different face and the way the pedestrians around him turned a blind eye, Lorne nodded with satisfaction.

The disguise formed by the triple superposition of illusion, the dice of chance, and the divinity of memory is really convenient to use.

After stopping for a while and confirming again that no flaws were left, Lorne walked through the overgrown path beside the avenue and arrived at a barren mountain on the outskirts of the city.

There is almost no grass growing here, and the rugged and charred rocks are piled up on the desolate and cracked ground, showing some traces that are suspected of being struck by lightning and burned by fire.

When we climbed to the top of the barren mountain, the terrain was steep and steep. The cliff facing the sea was almost at a 90-degree angle with the sea, as if it had been split open by a sharp blade falling from the sky.

Several pieces of scorched and rotten wooden boards were buried in the dark brown soil. Only a few green buds on the mountain emerged from them, bringing a fragile life to this dead land.

This place was once the palace of Semele, the princess of Thebes, and it was also the place of birth when she first came to this world.

Lorne stood in front of the ruins, staring at the unrecognizable former residence, trying hard to search for memories that were so far away that they were vague, trying to find a sense of familiarity nearby.

Unfortunately, he failed.

After lying in the cradle for more than a month, I was not too impressed by the flowers and plants on this mountain.

Even his mother, after such a long time, he could hardly remember her appearance.

The only impression I have is that she is relatively young, full of longing for love, often likes to tease herself, and even gave him the nickname "Little Lion".

"Feel sorry……"

Lorne shook his head, a little surprised, then bent down and placed a wreath in his hand on the charred soil.

——This was woven by himself on the way up the mountain using grape vines in the field and a few wild flowers nearby.

"There is good news and bad news." The figure in the wind muttered to the wreath in the open space. "The good news is that I am still alive, and I plan to avenge you and me..."

Then, Lorne paused and continued with some helplessness.

"However, the bad news is that he is still alive and well. I heard that he recently hooked up with the wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta."

"——The shape-shifting swan possessed Leda and gave birth to twin sons and the beauty Helen. According to the prophecy, this should be the eighth..."

A gust of sea breeze blew by, and the garland rustled and trembled, as if it was accusing some shameless scumbag.

Lorne glanced sideways, shook his head, and said to himself.

"Don't, I can't deal with him now. The old guy is in good health. He just took care of Poseidon and Apollo."

The sea breeze intensified, and the trembling of the garland seemed to become more intense.

Seeing this, Lorne had no choice but to raise his hands helplessly.

"Okay, okay, I will find an opportunity to collect some interest for you first. And I promise you that I will send him down to accompany you sooner or later. Is that okay?"

Under the solemn words of a certain "filial son", Hua Lei calmed down and seemed to be satisfied.

A ray of sunshine pierces the clouds and shines on the top of the mountain. The petals of the garland are more bright and the branches and leaves are greener.

It's sunny...

Lorne looked up and smiled to himself, then stood up from the ground, brushed off the dust and grass clippings on his clothes, and strode down the mountain.

~~

To comfort the mother who died young, a certain filial son seemed to have been relieved of a certain burden. Not only did his steps become a little lighter, he even had the leisure to practice his old trade as a minstrel, sitting in a tree beside the road with a lyre in his hand. Under the shade, he chanted sacred words to passers-by on the road to earn money for traveling into the city.

"I call upon the first-born, dual-gendered god who haunts the heavens,

He was born from an egg, with brilliant golden wings,

You roar like a bull, the origin of blissful gods and mortals,

Unforgettable sowing, endless carnival in the world, one of the original Phanes..."

However, when the pedestrians around heard the singing, their expressions changed and they hurried away.

Before he even finished playing a section, there was a vacuum around him.

Why, is Thebes so xenophobic?

But after all, I can be considered half a fellow countryman, so my father and fellow villagers should give me some face, right?

"Boy, do you want your life? Why don't you shut up!"

Just as Lorne was muttering secretly about the failure of the performance, an old farmer who was playing with grapevines in the field next to him rushed over and grabbed his lyre.

Faced with this sudden change, Lorne couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face.

"Old man, what are you..."

"Stop talking nonsense, if you don't want to die, come with me!"

The old farmer looked around vigilantly, and after confirming that no one was around, he quickly grabbed the arm of the young man under the tree and dragged him into the shade of the grape field. He spoke earnestly as he walked deeper.

"You tell me, what's wrong with learning at a young age? You have to learn the tunes of those foreigners and sing praises to the god of wine. If I hadn't helped you, the city defense army would come later. Be careful about your life. No guarantee!”

Hearing this, Lorne frowned slightly.

"Old man, what do you mean by this? The Thebans don't like Bacchus?"

"More than that! You can't even mention it!"

The old farmer said, stopped and looked back at Lorne in surprise, his eyes thoughtful.

"Are you a foreigner? No wonder you dare to sit under a tree and sing [sacred words] related to Dionysus in a swaggering manner."

Lorne nodded, took out two Gold of Zeus from his pocket, and handed them to the kind old farmer. He pretended to be frightened and asked in a low voice.

"Old man, what is going on? Can you tell me in detail, so that I will not accidentally violate any local taboos when I am new here."

"This taboo has nothing to do with us Kuhaha. It is an order from the king. He doesn't know why, but he hates the Dionysian Cult outside. He prohibits any believers from preaching here. He can't even mention topics related to Dionysian Cult. Otherwise, they will all be arrested. Go to jail and await trial and severe punishment.”

The old farmer pointed to the city of Thebes in the distance and warned in a deep voice.

"For this reason, many Dionysian believers have been arrested in the city. Even the king's mother was thrown into prison for participating in the Dionysian gathering. Young man, if you don't want to get into trouble, be careful..."

While speaking, the old hand pushed back the two golden Zeus in his palm, with a displeased look on his face.

"I saved you because you were still young, not for these reasons..."

Lorne quickly explained: "I just caused trouble, and I don't know what the situation is outside. Why don't you lend me your land to hide it for a few days, and prepare some food by the way? This can be regarded as your reward." ”

The old farmer nodded, and then his face turned cloudy. He accepted the gold coins and led the stranger to the temporary shack he had built in the grape field.

Along the way, through insinuations, Lorne also roughly understood the current situation in the city.

The current king of Thebes is named Pentheus. He was the son of Echion and Agao, born of the clay.

In fact, by blood, Agaeus is the daughter of the old king Cadmus and the biological sister of Semele, the princess of Thebes.

In other words, the person in the palace is his dear cousin, the god of wine.

However, Pentheus himself is irritable, extremely controlling, and has a high self-esteem. He cannot tolerate disparaging words and criticism. Only the main god of Olympus can allow him to reluctantly lower his head and express himself during the sacrifice. Superficial respect.

But in recent years, a foreign sect called Dionysianism has become famous in Thebes and spread widely. A large number of middle- and lower-class people have become followers of its teachings and willingly worship the unknown god of wine. .

"Speaking of which, they were just preaching and didn't do anything harmful..."

On the way, the old farmer couldn't help but complain on behalf of the captured Dionysian believers.

Since the main members of this missionary sect are basically at the bottom of society, they understand better the hardships of life and the difficulties of ordinary people.

Therefore, members of the Dionysian Cult often distribute some free bread and red wine, or give rice, flour, grain and oil collected within the cult to lonely elderly people in need.

And sometimes, they will also recruit people to perform voluntary labor and do whatever they can for some families who have won the lucky lottery.

According to them, this is called "the teachings of Dionysus" and "bringing God's love to the world".

The few acres of grape fields in the old farmer's house were also visited by them.

The other party not only purchased the grapes of that season at a fair price, but also removed weeds and maintained the seedlings for free.

It was precisely because of his good impression of those Dionysian believers that the old man took the risk of dragging Lorne, who was singing by the roadside, into the field.

In fact, the reputation of the Dionysian Cult has always been good in Thebes, and many people at the bottom and even the middle and upper classes have a similar favorable impression to the Dionysian Cult believers.

Moreover, when they expounded the divine way, many men, women and children in Thebes, and even prominent nobles, came to follow and praise this new god who brought joy to the world, and even elevated him to the same level as Olin. The same height as the gods of Pease.

However, this angered King Pentheus.

In his opinion, a wild god who appeared out of nowhere was not worthy of such respect.

In particular, the status and reputation of the god of wine in Thebes actually exceeded that of the real king.

Therefore, Pentheus strictly prohibited people from worshiping the god of wine.

However, as the influence of Dionysianism has spread, private worship and gatherings have been repeatedly prohibited.

Therefore, Pentheus was furious and characterized Dionysianism as a demagogic cult. He hunted down the Dionysian believers and threw them all into prison.

Even his mother was imprisoned because she and a group of noble ladies participated in the Dionysian Cult's private [pleasure banquet].

Neither the warning of Tiresias, the blind soothsayer in the temple, nor the persuasion of the old king Cadmus could change Pentheus's attitude of resolutely fighting Dionysianism.

Therefore, as an ordinary person, the old farmer also knows that he is even more powerless and can only complain temporarily and do some good deeds within his ability.

"Young man, you hide here for a few days and then go out after making sure everything is okay. I will go home and get you some food."

After the old farmer gave up his shack in the field to the rash stranger in front of him, he gave a few simple instructions and turned around to walk to his home in the village.

Looking at the old man's leaving figure and the gloomy outline of Thebes City in the distance, Lorne, as the patriarch, narrowed his eyes slightly.

~~

At night, in the magnificent palace of Thebes.

King Pentheus, who was tall and tall, but had a trace of childishness on his face, looking young and vigorous, sat on a throne made of gold and looked at the newly captured Dionysian believers.

There are old and young among them, and there are even some nobles with divine blood.

Seeing this, Pentheus couldn't help but be angry and reprimanded.

"What drove you crazy to follow a lowly false god in droves? A group of cowardly fools and crazy women! Have you forgotten the heroic blood flowing in your body?

Thebes is the country of the brave! Our fortress is built on the great deeds of dragon slaying and the bones of our enemies!

And the false god you want to believe in wears a garland of grapevines on his head instead of a helmet; he wears an obstructive robe instead of armor; he holds a ridiculous wine glass instead of a sword. Do you expect to come to the battlefield and drink the opponent to death? "

After hearing the barrage of reprimands, everyone on the field reacted indifferently.

"Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, whether it is slaying the dragon or building the city, these are all the achievements of your grandfather Cadmus, and he once advised you not to treat these innocent believers in the Dionysian Cult harshly."

A low voice came from the crowd, causing the young king on the throne to blush with anger.

Pentheus looked around and glared grimly at a young man with blond hair and blue eyes in the crowd.

"Damn it, what's your name? Who are your parents? Where is your home? Why do you believe in the new ordinance?"

The young man shrugged fearlessly and replied calmly.

"My name is Polymonos, and my hometown is on the island of Crete. My parents are ordinary people, with neither livestock nor land. My father only taught me to go fishing, because this skill is his wealth. Later I I learned to sail, became familiar with the sky, observed the wind direction, and knew where the best port was. Once, when the ship was sailing to Delos in the Aegean Sea, it was kidnapped by a group of savage pirates. Boat.

At first I thought I was dead, but I didn't expect that there was a god on board at that time.

The pirate captain probably thought he was some kind of prince because of his handsome appearance and tender skin, so he captured him while he was waiting for the ship on the shore, intending to get a ransom.

But after the boy was brought to the ship, the pirates guarded him with sharp knives and tied him with the thickest rope, but they couldn't tie him up no matter what, and the rope would fall off on its own.

What’s even more amazing is that during the voyage, grape vines instantly grew on the sail and spread to both sides, producing many grapes. There was also an ivy growing up around the mast, and the sides of the ship were covered with ivy. Wine was flowing all over the deck, and the aroma was overflowing.

And the young man also changed back to the appearance of a god. He wore a headband made of grape leaves and held a staff wrapped with grape vines. Surrounding him were tigers, lynxes and leopards. The sweet smell of wine spreads throughout the ship..."

Listening to the magnetic voice's narration, everyone was immediately fascinated by the strange scene, and their emotions rose and fell as the story progressed.

"Wait, we seem to have heard of this?"

"Yes, it's "Dionysus"!"

"Yeah, yes, I also remembered that the author is the blind poet Homer!"

There were some thoughtful believers on the field. After a moment, they looked at this unfamiliar brother in the crowd in shock, with envious expressions on their faces.

Obviously, this person is probably the witness of that story, a living saint!

It is really a great honor to be able to meet Lord Dionysus and be on the same boat with him.

At this moment, Pentheus was furious when he heard the murmurs among the crowd.

"What nonsense! A mere fake that appeared out of nowhere dares to claim to be a god!"

The blond narrator smiled slightly at the young king's rebuke.

"Your Majesty, what a coincidence, those pirates didn't believe it at first, and then guess what?"

Then, he paused and continued to add.

"The pirates first came forward with their swords, but Lord Dionysus transformed into a big lion standing on the bow of the ship and tore the swords into pieces;

But the pirates didn't give up, and bent their bows to nock arrows. Dionysus turned into a giant bear again, used his fur to deflect the arrows, and at the same time protected me;

In the end, the pirates had no choice but to sink the ship and escape. But as soon as he touched the water, the pirate captain who caught Lord Dionysus on board found that his lips and nose were connected together and turned into a fish mouth.

Before the other pirates had time to scream, they suffered the same fate: blue skin grew on their bodies, their backs curved, their arms shrank into fins, and their feet had long turned into tails.

I recognize that fish, its name is dolphin...

In this way, all the pirates who entered the water were stripped of their human form and became like this.

There were a total of 20 people on the boat at the time, and I was the only one left safe and sound. Just when I was feeling scared, Lord Dionysus came to my side.

He said: Don't be afraid, my friend, you did not harm me, you are a righteous man.

If you like, just send me to Crete. When we get there, you can become my disciple and preach my teachings to the world:

The unjust, let him be unjust still; the filthy, let him be filthy still; the righteous, let him be righteous still; the holy, let him be holy... because God will punish evildoers and protect those who do good.

And God is also merciful. Even if he is a bad pirate, he will give those sinners three chances to repent. "

In the silence, the "disciple" raised his head and stared at Pentheus' young and energetic face, pondering quietly.

"So, what's your choice, Your Majesty?"

"That's enough, I'm tired of listening to your nonsense!"

"It's not too late to know when you've lost your way..."

"How dare you, a pretentious pariah, come to teach me a lesson? Shut up!"

Pentheus on the throne had a cold gaze, stood up from his seat angrily, and waved his hand.

"Come here, capture him, make him suffer a thousand tortures, and then put him in a dungeon!"

After hearing the order, the soldiers above the main hall immediately picked up the ropes and torture instruments and stepped forward, preparing to tie up the arrogant young man in the crowd.

However, a strong wind blew by, and the soldiers who poured into the crowd became dizzy.

When they came to their senses, they found that the criminal who needed to be arrested had disappeared.

At the same time, a faint groan came from the dark night sky.

"first……"

Pentheus looked at the palace gate that was blown open by the strong wind and the empty square outside the window. His face was gloomy and he roared angrily at a group of bewildered soldiers.

"Catch him! Catch that bastard who is pretending to be a ghost!"

The soldiers were excited, and under the king's scolding, they rushed out and searched for the fugitive criminal.

The believers who witnessed this scene were so excited that they couldn't help themselves.

saint! He is truly a saint!

The god of wine must have known that we were being treated unfairly and sent someone to rescue us!

At this moment, the believers, who had been shaken and fearful under the power, became extremely firm in their faith again. They clasped their hands one after another and prayed excitedly to the merciful and just god.