Chapter 432: Pray! Pray!
Agamemnon felt ashamed after losing the first battle.
So, after leading the remaining troops under his command to retreat from the battlefield, he went straight into his own tent with a gloomy face.
"You're back so soon? It seems like your luck isn't very good."
A lazy voice came from the throne. A graceful figure lay sideways behind the gauze curtain. The five white fingers of her right hand gently shook the crystal wine glass in her palm. The scarlet wine, which looked like fresh blood, showed an intoxicatingly bright color under the reflection of the fluorite light.
She was a woman who made people think of "bed" at first sight. Her long purple-black hair was draped over her half-naked shoulders like a snake. Her charming face exuded an alluring charm. Her enchanting figure made people want to strip her clothes off immediately and press her under them to ravage her.
However, after just a glance from a distance, Agamemnon quickly lowered his head, suppressing the uncontrollable divine blood in his body, and a faint fear and dread arose in his heart.
Because both the dead golden men and their Mycenaeans' hardened ancestors had set an example for him.
After peeling off the charming disguise, the poisonous wine and venomous snake are the true inner self of this woman.
"Lady Pandora, I'm sorry, I failed."
Agamemnon bowed his head and humbly apologized, but then he changed the subject and began to complain.
"But I can explain! The divine guards you sent suddenly lost control just as I seized the opportunity to attack! I suspected someone was behind this, so to be on the safe side, I had to withdraw and follow your next instructions."
Seeing that Agamemnon had put the blame on her, Pandora raised her arm and lifted the veil, smiling and asking:
"So, you mean that I am to blame for the failure to annex Sparta and conquer Troy."
“I don’t dare!”
King Agamemnon, feeling the invisible pressure, quickly shook his head and timidly tried to excuse himself.
"For the sake of your majesty's great cause, it is always better to be cautious..."
Pandora heard this, a hint of barely perceptible fear appeared in her eyes, and then she bypassed the topic of sharing the blame after the war and snorted:
"It's not wrong to be cautious. It's indeed unusual that the clay dolls lost control just now. It should be the gods who intervened directly."
"Troy also has a divine favor?!"
Agamemnon was shocked and looked a little unhappy.
According to that person, the gods and heroes have disappeared.
With the personal promise of the god king Zeus and the assistance of the witch Pandora, no one should be able to stop Mycenae's annexation and expansion.
As a result, he first encountered setbacks in Sparta, and then was attacked by gods on the battlefield of Troy.
This series of setbacks made him deeply doubt whether Mycenae really had the destiny to dominate Greece as His Majesty said.
If the answer was no, he would have to reconsider attacking Troy.
After all, how could a mortal man possibly fight against a god?
Seeing a hint of hesitation on Agamemnon's face, Pandora's eyes flashed with contempt, and then she said in a gentle voice:
"No matter how great the favor of God is, it cannot be stronger than the law of destiny. Since His Majesty has made a promise to you personally, he will definitely do it. He is the patron god of Mycenae, how could he possibly harm you?"
"You are right."
Agamemnon nodded, as if convinced, but then he still looked troubled.
"But I am just a mortal. How can I fight against gods?"
As he spoke, Agamemnon cast a pleading look towards Pandora on the throne, the meaning of which was self-evident.
"No, we don't need to fight against the gods. Wouldn't it be better to let others solve this problem?" Pandora shook her head and reminded meaningfully, "Don't forget, the coalition is a whole."
Agamemnon heard this and understood something:
"You mean..."
"Take a step back and let other city-states help you to solve the problem of Troy."
Pandora answered directly, and then her beautiful eyes flickered faintly.
"When the time comes, all the tigers will fight each other. No matter who dies or who gets hurt, it will be beneficial to Mycenae's hegemony..."
"That's true, but I'm not the leader of the coalition. I'm afraid the heroes and soldiers of other countries won't obey my orders."
Agamemnon smiled bitterly, somewhat regretting the bet he made with his sister-in-law Helen in Sparta.
"Besides, even if I want to withdraw, the leader must agree to it."
Pandora rolled her eyes at Agamemnon, frowned and snorted: "Isn't it you who did this stupid thing on your own initiative?"
Agamemnon knew he was in the wrong and could only lower his head in embarrassment.
Pandora thought for a moment, and a dangerous smile appeared on her charming face.
"It's easy to get Helen to replace you. Sacrifice your daughter Iphigenia to the gods for the [coalition's victory]..."
Agamemnon's face changed slightly when he heard this.
Iphigenia was the daughter of him and his wife Clytemnestra, and was also Helen's niece.
Because she admired Helen, who was in charge of Sparta as a woman, Iphigenia followed her aunt's example and became a priestess of the Temple of the Moon. She went to Sparta to study magical rituals with Helen for a period of time, and was considered half her disciple.
If Iphigenia were to be sacrificed to the gods, Helen would most likely have intervened to stop it, thus giving him an excuse to withdraw from the siege.
But what if? What if Helen didn't show up? Would he really burn his daughter to death in public?
And once he did that, even if there was a reason, the relationship between him and his daughter would be broken, and they would never be as close as before.
Agamemnon's face was gloomy. Although his wife's infidelity made him very angry, he still had some real feelings for this well-behaved daughter.
Seeing Agamemnon looking at her hesitantly, Pandora smiled and said, as if it had nothing to do with her:
"I'm just suggesting that you decide for yourself which is more important to you, family or the throne."
But then, she raised her hand and pointed at the night outside the tent, reminding him playfully:
"But you'd better hurry up, otherwise once it gets light, the second siege will probably begin. By then, I'm not sure I can keep you safe in the hands of the gods."
Agamemnon's body was shaken, and he finally made up his mind. He walked out of the tent with a gloomy face and summoned his brother who was the commander of the God's Blood Guard:
"Menelaos, go and bring Iphigenia here. By the way, help me prepare some things."
When Menelaos heard about the various items that were obviously used for sacrifice, his eyes flashed and he nodded respectfully. He then called two God-Blood Guards and disappeared into the night together.
At this time, Pandora in the tent looked at Agamemnon who had already made his choice, with a hint of sarcasm on her charming face.
Sure enough, for the bloodline of the God-King, power and throne always outweigh everything else.
Soon after, Menelaos, who had completed his mission, brought Agamemnon to a newly built altar.
On the altar, a girl with long chestnut hair was lying in the flammable fragrant wood, sleeping sweetly like a baby.
Agamemnon looked at his unconscious daughter and frowned at his brother:
"What did you do?"
"Give Iphigenia a jar of wine so she won't feel too much pain later."
Menelaos answered calmly, without much fluctuation in his tone.
Agamemnon glared at his brother who had acted on his own initiative, and then looked at the Mycenaeans who had begun to gather around the altar. He knew that there was no turning back, so he gritted his teeth, walked up to the altar, and loudly declared:
"Everyone, tonight I have decided to send my daughter Iphigenia to the altar and sacrifice her to the gods! I am not doing this to avenge my unfaithful wife, but I am willing to make a sacrifice for the victory of all Greece! Because the oracle in the dark told me that only by sacrificing blood to the gods can I prove my piety and allow the Mycenaeans to regain the favor of the gods and conquer Troy!"
All the Mycenaeans were moved when they heard this.
They either admired King Agamemnon's righteousness, or hoped to use this holy sacrifice to gain the favor of the gods and avenge their previous humiliation.
Soon, it was time to light the fire, and Menelaos handed his brother a bunch of burning fennel branches.
Agamemnon looked at the faces full of fanatical expectation in the firelight, as well as his younger brother who was looking at him intentionally or unintentionally, and felt that he was in a dilemma.
It seemed that whether Helen came or not, he had to go on with this play. Otherwise, once these subordinates found out that this was a farce of deception, he would not only lose the trust of his subordinates, but he might even lose his throne.
After all, he was not the only one who had the right to inherit the throne in Mycenae.
Agamemnon glanced at his brother beside him, made up his mind, and threw the torch towards the altar.
It’s just a daughter. I’m young and strong anyway, so the worst that can happen is I’ll have another one.
"stop!"
At this moment, a clear roar was heard, and a golden stream of light hit the altar, extinguishing the burning torch.
"Agamemnon, do you know what you are doing?"
Helen arrived in time and took a look at her niece sleeping on the woodpile, then glared at Agamemnon who had committed the brutal act.
"Of course I know. This is for the victory of the coalition forces! To save more Greeks from dying in this war!"
Agamemnon answered passionately, with a look of righteousness on his face.
When Helen arrived, the last bit of guilt he felt towards his daughter was extinguished.
Helen hugged her niece and retorted angrily:
"If our victory can be achieved only by sacrificing the life of an innocent person, then what is the point of holding the sword in our hands? This kind of victory is not glory for a hero! It is humiliation!"
“That’s right!”
Diana echoed loudly, and Penthesilea behind her couldn't help but speak with contempt.
"If you want victory, use the sword in your hand to take it. What kind of skill is it to throw your daughter into the fire?"
Agamemnon snorted coldly, his face showing grief and anger:
"It's easy for you to say that. It was us Mycenaeans who suffered heavy casualties during the day, and now the sacrifice for the coalition's victory is also my beloved daughter. If your courage is just words, then shut up and don't interfere with my sacrifice to the gods!"
"Who says we are just good at talking? You Mycenaeans are afraid of Troy, but we Argives are not!"
"That's right, we will take over tomorrow's battle, and you Mycenaeans just have to watch carefully!"
"That's right. The best troops and heroes of divine blood in all of Greece are here. I don't believe we can't conquer a small Troy."
At this moment, the divine blood heroes from other city-states also rushed over after hearing the news, and spoke in unison to show off their courage.
Seeing that the situation had developed to the point he wanted, Agamemnon immediately turned to look at Helen:
"Helen, you are the commander of the coalition forces. You tell me what to do. We Mycenaeans are definitely not cowards who are afraid of death!"
At this point, Helen didn't know that she had fallen into the calculations of her brother-in-law, but since things had come to this point, she could only make the best of it:
"The Mycenaeans have proven their courage in the last battle. What you need most now is rest. Tomorrow there will be heroes and warriors from other city-states taking your place. We are not about to lose yet, so there is no need to beg for mercy from the gods. Let this sacrifice end here. Iphigenia, stay with me for now."
"Okay, I'll wait for you to bring news of your triumph!"
Agamemnon answered with satisfaction, a sincere expression on his face.
However, Helen was almost disgusted by her brother-in-law's hypocritical appearance. She snorted coldly, said nothing, and walked down the altar with her sleeping niece in her arms.
After dispersing the crowd and settling her niece, Helen bit her lip and walked into a hidden tent, lowering her head in shame:
"Lord Luo En, I seem to have delayed your plan because of my recklessness..."
After listening to Helen's detailed account of what happened at the sacrificial site, Luo En behind the desk put down the file in his hand and smiled faintly:
"I just wanted to take this opportunity to test the depth of Mycenae and use them as bait to fish out something under the water. I don't really want to kill all the Mycenaeans. Now, I have some clues about the answers I want, so it's not a complete failure. Since the other party is on guard, let's try another way to verify it. There's no need to delay."
Hearing those comforting words, Helen felt warm in her heart, but her guilt became even stronger:
"But I was still impulsive..."
"But you did the right thing. If I were you, I would make the same choice as you."
Lorne looked at Helen gently, with no blame in his eyes, only affirmation and approval.
"Besides, it's not a bad idea to change players tomorrow. It will be a good opportunity to test Troy's bottom line."
Helen looked at the understanding god in front of her, the tenderness and emotion in her eyes were almost thick to the point of being indissoluble.
As the high priest who had ruled Sparta for two hundred years, she was no longer an ignorant little girl. She certainly understood that she had made mistakes, but she had this god to cover for her.
Since the mistake has been made, it must be punished.
Helen glanced at the dark night outside the tent, blushed, knelt down, and crawled forward in a pious yet blasphemous posture, entering the narrow and dark confessional room.
Looking at the shaking desk, Loen's body stiffened slightly, and he chose to accept this self-redemption for his faith.
(End of this chapter)
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