Mythology: Spiritual Ruler

Over the unknown forest, the God of the West Wind, who has lost his tracking target, is helplessly searching for the 'lost child'.

However, regarding this matter, Cheferos was not as anxious as he thought.

After all, it was just a short rest, without wasting too much time, and the other party should not go too far.

After all, there is only one person on the other side, so where can he go?

That's what he thought, and that's what he did.

However, what the God of the West Wind didn't know was that at the moment he was searching, in the unknown forest at his feet, Hercules was slashing open the bushes blocking the way in front of him.

"brush--"

"Click——"

The knife was raised and lowered in his hand, and along the way he was chopping until the blade curled up a bit.

The vegetation in the primitive jungle is still too dense. If it is not cut down, it may be impossible to pass through.

Fortunately, Hercules was extremely powerful and didn't care about this consumption, it was just a matter of spending a little more effort.

"call--"

"The giant lion of Nomisa, I don't know where it is hiding."

"The God who arranged the trial has never told me about it...maybe finding it is also part of the trial?"

He was so energetic that it was impossible to tell that he had worked hard along the way.

During these days, although he often had some intuitive reactions, Hercules did not actually notice that the God of the West Wind was secretly following him.

After all, Cheferos is a god with authority.

Under normal circumstances, his whereabouts would not be exposed that easily, at least not to Hercules, who had no extra means other than brute force.

Because the young hero naturally didn't know that he had suddenly 'disappeared' in the eyes of the other party for no reason. On the contrary, he was still thinking about how to complete his mission.

Although in Eleusis, Hercules met the knowledgeable Athenian, and the other party also used actual actions to prove that the rumors about the knowledgeable Athenians were not groundless.

But the hero in front of him was not someone who listened blindly and believed blindly. Whether it was what the God of the West Wind said or what Ryan said, he only half-believed it.

Therefore, the trial must continue to be completed, and he must go to sea...but in the meantime, he must continue to inquire for information and learn more about the relevant inside stories.

A trial like this is a good opportunity. After all, Hercules has never been to the north of the continent.

He had long heard that evil gods were rampant here, but he had never actually seen these existences that were rejected by mainstream beliefs.

Maybe here, he can know more...

“Whoosh——!”

"Um?"

Raising his hand suddenly, Hercules grasped a sharp bone arrow in his hand.

Green light flashed on the sharp arrow cluster, and there was no doubt that it was smeared with poison.

However, the arrow sharpened from the giant beast's bones could not scratch the hero's skin at all, it only left a little white mark.

"——Who's there?!"

salsa——

His eyes were sharp and compelling, and under Hercules' gaze, the trees in the distance swayed, and he saw two figures emerging from the jungle.

One of them was holding a bow and arrow and saying something he couldn't understand.

"??"

"..."

"!!"

"..."

Silent, Hercules didn't know what to say for a moment.

"!!!"

"...Stop it. I am Heracles. I came here from the south of the earth to kill the demons who are causing trouble."

"Who are you and why are you the first to attack me?"

There was silence again. Although Hercules didn't know whether the other party could understand what they were saying, he still spoke.

Regardless of whether he can understand it or not, this at least shows that he has a desire to communicate.

But obviously, judging from the other party's subsequent reaction, his words had no effect.

The human beings wearing animal skins were looking at him nervously, as if they were on guard against enemies, and Heracles was gradually becoming impatient.

If he really couldn't communicate, he could only take action against these hostile beings.

However, just as he was about to make his next move, Heracles saw the bush behind him swaying again.

An older-looking man walked out. As he waved his hand, two rays of light fell on the two people holding bows.

"Strong men who have come from afar, please forgive our rudeness."

"They didn't mean it because this area has always been a hunting area for our tribe. We hunt here and sacrifice it to the gods.

"What happened just now probably means that the two of them regarded you as their enemy. But I know that a strong man like you will not take us seriously."

Although it was still in the strange language, this time Hercules found that he understood it.

Is it the rumored shamanic magic that allows people to understand other people's thoughts... But in the eyes of Hercules, this looks more like divine magic.

But no matter what it is, it’s good if we can communicate.

"It doesn't matter."

"I am Hercules, coming from Thebes to hunt the giant lion of Nomisa."

"Even as far as the south, I've heard that it has invulnerable fur that even Apollo's bow and arrows can't penetrate."

"But it can't stop me, so with God's guidance, I'm going to get rid of this scourge."

His tone was calm and matter-of-fact. Along the way, Hercules encountered powerful monsters in the eyes of ordinary people.

However, in his hands, these demons were so vulnerable.

Maybe this lion would be a challenge, but Hercules didn't think it could really hold him back.

In contrast, he paid more attention to these local people he met by chance.

The God of West Wind once warned him that the giant lion causing trouble was controlled by an evil god.

And since it is an evil god, there must be believers and tribes.

Who knows who these people he met are...maybe they are the so-called followers of the evil god?

As for the harmless appearance, it is not impossible to disguise it.

Wary in his heart, Hercules stared at the reaction from the other side.

However, to his surprise, the three people in front of him did not express any rejection because of his words.

They didn't seem to think it was a bad thing that they came to hunt the giant lion. On the contrary, the old man showed a hint of joy and welcomed his arrival.

During the subsequent conversation, Hercules unexpectedly discovered that they actually knew the whereabouts of the giant lion of Nomisa, and even knew the secrets about it.

"Hero from afar, the tribe welcomes you.

"And we do know something about the Nomisa giant lion you mentioned."

On the way back to the old man's tribe, Heracles listened to his sermon.

"It is said that when the King of Demons was rampant in the world, the gods of Olympus fled after hearing the news."

"The power of the hundred-headed dragon and snake is far beyond their ability to resist. The few gods who dared to resist have paid the price for it. Hestia, the goddess of hearth and fire, is one of them."

"Although the Kitchen Goddess is a noble main god, she is obviously far from the opponent of the ancestor of demons."

"So in a trauma, her blood flowed on the earth and was obtained by a good-luck demon."

"And this demon bathed in the blood of the gods is the giant lion of Nomisa."

The old man talked about it as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

After hearing this, Hercules couldn't help but solve a doubt.

It is not an easy thing to be able to survive Apollo's arrows unscathed, even if his silver bow is not a true artifact.

But if the giant lion's fur has withstood the sanctification of the goddess's divine blood, it is indeed possible to improve on the original foundation.

"But it can't stop me, not even with its invulnerable fur."

With confidence in his tone, Hercules didn't care about the strength of his enemy.

"So please tell me its whereabouts and I will be grateful for your help."

"Of course, I won't stop you."

The old man nodded and continued with a smile:

"I just want to remind you that if you can really kill the giant lion, you might as well bathe in its blood and cover yourself with its fur."

"Perhaps you can transform through this, and maybe you can become more powerful."

With a slight movement in his eyes, Hercules wrote this down.

There is some truth in what the other party said, so after he succeeds, he might really be able to give it a try.

Instead of following the old man back to their tribe, Heracles set out on his own journey again after finding out the whereabouts of the giant lion.

While he was talking to the old man, the invisible wind had been hovering in the sky three times, but no trace of him was found.

Although this encounter was a bit unexpected, the young hero did gain a lot of knowledge.

The only thing that made him feel a little strange was that the two men shooting bows and arrows looked a little dull.

"Maybe it's because I don't often have contact with outsiders... There's nothing surprising about this."

Thinking to himself, Hercules continued to move forward.

Before parting, the old man had warmly invited him to put on the animal skin after killing the giant lion and go to their tribe as a guest, so that the young people could see heroes like him.

Considering that the old man really saved him a lot of time, Hercules agreed.

"Come on...the first battle in my life!"

With high morale, Hercules held a stone club he found in his hand.

According to the direction given by the old man, the giant lion is within a day's journey.

He has not fought at full strength since his debut.

Until today, he finally got a chance.

······

Salsa…

Watching Hercules leave, the old man stood there for a while.

However, he didn't enjoy the silence for long. Soon, he felt someone tapping his shoulder.

"I know, let's go back now."

His tone was calm, and the old man glanced at the two young men holding bows and arrows.

How nice... at least they don't feel it...

Shaking his head, the old man immediately walked back along a path.

There are no roads in the mountains and forests, but when there are more people walking, there are roads.

Following the trampled marks, the old man kept moving forward.

Until we passed a towering tree, everything in front of us suddenly became clear.

It was said to be a tribe, but what appeared in front of the old man at this moment was a city.

Stone pavement, people and vendors walking back and forth.

The temples of the gods are looming, and they look even more comprehensive than the cities outside.

After all, cities in the outside world may not have temples for every god, but here, it seems like there is one for every god.

There was a constant flow of people, and from time to time there was the sound of hawking.

However, no one responded to the old man's arrival, as if there was no one there.

And the old man didn't think it was strange. He just calmly watched the two young men who followed him leave on their own, and then strode towards the center of the city.

Passing by the place where the craftsmen worked, passing by the clergy in front of the temple.

Until he came to the core of the city, the old man finally stopped.

There is a large temple dedicated to Zeus here, which is also the largest of all the temples.

He didn't go in, just looked at it for a while.

However, the temple of Zeus has not changed at all, just the same as before.

The old man turned around and left, and then walked to the place where the outer city was located.

Crossing the street, he passed by countless "passers-by".

The last place the old man passed was a blacksmith shop, which was also the only place in the city at the moment, but no one worked.

He looked at it with complicated eyes, and then continued to move forward until he came to the door of a small courtyard.

Dongdongdong——

"Come in."

A peaceful voice came, and the old man pushed the door open.

The scene inside the door was very simple, just an ordinary courtyard.

The only difference is the people sitting inside.

A half-grown child, holding a few thin strings in his hand, and wooden figures dancing with them.

The other one is a young man, who was also the one who spoke just now.

But if you look closely... you will find that this young man has no face.

It seems that it has been wiped away by something, and it seems that it is a taboo.

If it is born without a face, it is not allowed to have one.

A faceless person, a child smiling happily... This is an extremely terrifying scene, but at this moment, the old man's face is very calm and waiting.

After all, he has seen such scenes many times.

Now he should not speak, just wait quietly.

"...Sir, he should come to see me, I will leave first."

After a long time, until the song was over, the half-grown child stood up and said apologetically.

The faceless young man nodded to this, as if he didn't care whether he stayed or left.

So the little child walked towards the old man, took him out of the courtyard, and closed the door behind him.

When the gate of the courtyard was closed, an inexplicable atmosphere enveloped the streets... or perhaps the city.

"It seems... you have found someone, Cologne?"

His expression changed from happy to calm, and the young man asked calmly.

"Yes, Lord Ande."

Bowing slightly, Cologne's eyes flickered slightly.

"Just as you arranged."

"The stranger who came from afar accepted my invitation, and he has now gone to hunt the 'giant lion'."

"And when he finishes, he will come here."

"Really..."

Nodding, the young man did not comment.

Hercules... He is not the first person to come, and he may not be the last.

I hope he can have some ability. After all, I also hope to find someone to find an answer for myself.