Chapter 59 I am old, not dead!

Late at night, Knossos, the royal palace.

An old man in a white robe, holding a golden scepter, sat on a cold throne with his brows slightly lowered. He looked like a dozing lion, exuding an aura of majesty without even being angry.

King Minos, now the religious and political leader of the cities on the island of Crete, the common ruler of all Minoans, and the son of the god-king Zeus and his goddess-consort Europa.

Legend has it that Zeus, the king of gods, who transformed himself into a white bull, brought the Phoenician princess Europa to Crete, where he wooed her and gave birth to her sons Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon, and promised them to rule the land.

In order to inherit the throne, the three brothers turned against each other and fought against each other.

In the end, Minos expelled Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon and became the winner.

But although he usurped the throne, he relied on his outstanding personal talents to lead the civilization of Crete to its peak.

During the reign of this Minoan king, he was known for his strict rule of law, making the entire island of Crete the most prosperous and developed human settlement today.

At this time, as the huge waves from the sea subsided, several priests and generals were gathering in the hall to report to King Minos on the throne about the losses and casualties of the city-states on Crete.

"All 27 large and small ships that went out to sea on Crete during the day have been confirmed to be destroyed. The current death toll at sea is 98, with 32 people injured and 64 missing..."

"Two seaports outside Knossos were slightly damaged and are currently under repair. Three merchant ships and four fishing boats collided, but the rescue and blockade were timely, and there are currently no casualties..."

"Two villages in Norcia were destroyed, 37 people died, and 21 people were missing..."

"One hundred and twenty acres of fertile land in Guidos City was flooded by seawater, 29 people died, and 15 people were missing..."

"The city of Cydonia..."

As pieces of bad news reached his ears, the old man on the throne's brows gradually furrowed, forming deep grooves, like a mark filled with sorrow and depression.

“That’s enough!”

Finally, the voice of intolerance echoed in the empty palace. The old man opened his half-closed eyes, and his messy white hair flew with the excitement of divine power.

"Wasn't the warning message delivered immediately through the temple? Why did those city-states still have so many casualties?!"

The gloomy roar blew through the hall like a cold wind. The priests and generals in charge of reporting felt the majestic divinity and couldn't help but bury their heads deeper.

"Father, this may have happened suddenly, and my brothers and the others were not prepared immediately..."

Along with a clear and pleasant voice, a bright-eyed girl with long smooth flaxen hair, dressed in white priest clothes and holding a golden scepter shaped like a flying bird, walked out from behind the gauze curtain, squatted in front of the throne, and gently stroked King Minos' chest, which was heaving with anger.

Seeing the beautiful oval-faced, quiet and elegant girl appear beside the throne, the trembling priests and generals in the court couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Ariadne, the second daughter of King Minos, was a princess known for her gentleness and kindness.

At the same time, she was also the high priestess in charge of serving the goddess Athena, and was in charge of the overall management of the temple affairs in Knossos and the corresponding sacrificial activities.

In a sense, this princess's status in terms of divine authority was even higher than that of King Minos, the high priest.

After all, the Minoans worshipped a goddess, King Minos was only a symbol of royal power, and the priestess could better represent the divine power in the secular world.

However, Ariadne was not the eldest daughter. The reason why she could have such a high status was, on the one hand, because of her own excellence, which made her deeply trusted and loved by her old father, King Minos.

On the other hand, the eldest princess Akakalis, who was the most qualified to inherit the position of the high priestess, ignored her father's ban, secretly met with Apollo, the male god of Olympus, and gave birth to a child.

In a rage, King Minos expelled Akakalis from Crete, and the father and daughter became enemies.

Therefore, the position of high priestess naturally fell to the second daughter Ariadne.

Fortunately, Princess Ariadne lived up to the favor of King Minos. Not only did she often patiently try to make her old father, whose temper became increasingly eccentric, happy, but she also did her duties of worshiping the gods and managing the temple in an orderly manner since taking office.

According to past experience, as long as Her Royal Highness the Princess came forward to appease him, King Minos would most likely calm down his anger.

"Shut up! Don't make excuses for them!"

However, this time, the anger in King Minos' chest not only did not subside, but the anger on his face became even more intense.

"These rebellious sons clearly think that I am old and do not take my orders seriously!"

Hearing the gnashing of teeth voice, the priests and generals in the hall lowered their heads and dared not utter a word, each of them feeling very uncomfortable.

Excluding the one who cannot be mentioned in the underground palace, King Minos had a total of ten children, half of whom were sons and half were daughters.

In order to expand the influence of the royal power and consolidate his rule, King Minos naturally sent several princes to serve in several important city-states on the island of Crete after they came of age to protect the royal capital Knossos.

However, the relationship between fathers and sons and brothers in Greece has never been very friendly.

Freed from their father's control, these newly appointed princes gradually revealed their own restless habits.

This trend became more and more obvious, especially as King Minos grew older.

Normally, for the harmony and prosperity of the Cretan cities, King Minos would turn a blind eye.

But now that the crisis is approaching, these princes' neglect of duty has obviously violated King Minos' taboo.

"I am old..."

On the throne, the old lion pushed away the consolation of his daughter Ariadne and stood up suddenly. His nearly two-meter-tall body stood tall in front of the steps. His awe-inspiring power gushed out, making it almost impossible for everyone to breathe.

"But I'm not dead yet!"

Each word was spoken with great emphasis from the mouth of this aged lion. Its pair of pale golden eyes looked down at the generals and priests gathered in the palace and growled coldly.

"Let them all come back and report to me in person!"

“Yes! Yes!”

The priests and generals who were responsible for delivering the order nodded like chicks pecking at rice, and then, at King Minos' impatient wave of his hand, they wiped the cold sweat from their brows as if they had been pardoned, and hurriedly retreated from the palace.

No matter how old a lion is that has seen blood, as long as its teeth are not lost and its claws are not worn out, it is not something that the cubs living in a greenhouse can disobey or contend with.

It seems that those older brothers and younger brothers who have been slacking off for a long time are going to suffer when they come back this time.

Ariadne looked at her furious father and couldn't help but sigh secretly.

But now, it is a critical moment concerning the survival of Crete, and there is no room for leniency. Her brothers have not yet realized the real crisis facing the Minoans, and they cannot blame others for being punished.

After all, compared to these insignificant accountabilities, the disaster brewing at sea is a huge trouble.

In the empty hall, the father and daughter looked at the dark night and sighed at the same time.

Suddenly, the bronze bird-patterned wind chimes on the eaves rang with clear sounds, instantly diluting the gloomy atmosphere in the hall.

The father and daughter were shocked and looked at the figure that appeared in front of the door at the same time.

Thanks to the reader Shengxia’s music10 for the reward of 500 Qidian coins, this book now has its first helmsman.

Thanks to readers scp and 049 for becoming the second deacon, and thank you for the reward.

(End of this chapter)