Chapter 422 Waiting and Hope
Under the bright night, Lorne embraced Helen who came to him.
Looking at that frail figure, and thinking of what he had seen and heard in Sparta along the way, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for this carefree little girl who used to like to follow him around:
"It's me. I'm back. It must have been very hard for you all these years, right?"
Hearing the heartwarming question from the man she loved, Helen's suppressed emotions rushed out of her rational defense line like a flood. She hugged Lorne's waist tightly, buried her head in his arms, and sobbed.
Lorne patted Helen's pink back and whispered to her in comfort:
"It's okay, it's okay..."
An unknown amount of time had passed, but Helen, who had been immersed in that warm embrace for a while, suddenly remembered her two brothers who were left aside. She stood up reluctantly, her pretty face showing a rare hint of embarrassment and shyness, and she coughed lightly to greet them.
"Brother Castor, Brother Pollux, you are back too..."
Hearing the word "also", the twin brothers, who were already depressed, almost vomited blood in anger.
So the lover is the real one, and their two biological brothers are just extras?
However, seeing their sister's pitiful appearance, the two brothers no longer had the heart to complain, and instead got to the point with a serious look:
"Helen, what's going on with the King and the Queen?"
"I don't know either..."
Helen shook her head, her face looking somewhat gloomy.
"Not long after you left, my father and mother fell ill, and their condition got worse day by day. I invited many doctors and scholars to treat my father and mother, but they were unable to find the cause. Later, Lord Apollo even came in person to bless them, but it was of no avail..."
"The Lord God's blessing is useless?"
"Well, everything seems to be destined, no one can stop it..."
Helen nodded as she narrated, a deep sadness evident on her face.
Her parents passed away, her sister married and moved away, and her brothers were not around. That period was the most difficult time for her.
Luo En, who was standing by, couldn't help but look surprised when he heard the conversation between the three siblings.
That shouldn't be the case. Apollo has some authority over medical treatment and healing. His blessing should theoretically be the nemesis of disease.
Unless there is another hidden reason behind the death of the Spartan king and queen...
Loen's eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but think of Helen's sigh.
——It’s destined?
Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart and looked at Helen seriously:
"What happened next? What was the reaction of Ares Mountain?"
"I don't know either..."
Helen shook her head and added seriously.
"Because not long after that, they all disappeared, overnight!"
Luo En nodded slightly and continued to ask:
"So, did they leave you any message?"
"Yes! On the eve of the disappearance of the gods, an owl flew from the Ares Mountain and brought me a message."
"What is it?"
Helen took a deep breath and slowly uttered the message that sounded like a warning and an oracle:
"【Wait】, and have 【hope】..."
After listening to this, Luo En closed his eyes and thought for a moment, as if he had realized something.
Now, he probably understood why the gods disappeared.
Some danger was brewing in Greece, and the death of the Spartan king and queen was a sign of it.
It is very likely that the people at War God Mountain discovered some clues and were unable to deal with it, so they had to take some risk avoidance measures.
Sparta was the first place to have problems, and Helen was the person who had the most contact with the king and queen of Sparta, so they didn't even dare to take Helen with them. They could only leave her behind and give a vague oracle as a backup plan.
——Wait and hold on to [hope]?
Luo En lowered his eyes and looked at the palm of his hand. He already had the answer in his mind.
There is no doubt that he is the "Hope" that the gods and Helen are waiting for...
But before he left, the Ares Mountain had eleven main gods, three think tanks Athena, Prometheus, and Thetis, as well as almost countless monsters, gods, and heroes... With such a luxurious lineup, they did not put up any resistance and chose to temporarily avoid the limelight.
Moreover, this retreat meant a 200-year disappearance...
A glimpse of the leopard in the cage can give us a rough idea.
The crisis brewing in Greece was apparently so powerful that even the gods feared it.
——Zeus?
Loen thought about it, then shook his head to reject the answer.
His Majesty the Divine King alone is not enough to make the entire War God Mountain retreat, there must be other reasons!
After pondering for a long time, due to insufficient information, Lorne still couldn't find a clue. He could only sigh helplessly and looked up at Helen:
"So, did they leave you any contact information?"
Helen shook her head, also looking helpless:
"No, ever since the gods disappeared, the temples and priests of various city-states have made countless sacrifices and called out to them, but none of them have received any response. Even the accompanying God Blood Heroes have disappeared. It's as if they have completely evaporated from this world."
In order to verify the authenticity, Loen also tried to take out various media in the magic circle to establish a resonance ritual, but the other end really had no response, and the signal he sent disappeared like a drop in the ocean.
- To investigate the real crisis facing Greece on your own without any support.
——And I have to find your traces without alerting the enemy...
Sister Ya, you guys have really given me a difficult problem.
Lorne raised his hand and rubbed his aching temple, then his eyes fell back on Helen.
Since going straight to the point doesn't work, we can only start with Helen.
"By the way, where is King Agamemnon? Didn't the old man come to harass you after he entered the city?"
"I am the chief priest of Sparta who exercises royal and divine authority. I am not a trophy he robbed from another city-state. If he dares to mess around in the temple, he must be ready for a full-scale war with Sparta!"
Helen paused with the wand in her hand, raised her smooth chin, and answered proudly.
Following Helen's gaze, Loen looked at the teams of Divine Blood Guards patrolling outside the great temple and the several side halls that were almost filled with clergy, and a smile of approval appeared on his face.
"It seems that you did a good job during your administration and are well-liked by these people."
"Well, it's not that good..."
Hearing the compliment, Helen's pretty face turned red and she waved her hands quickly.
"Compared to the great achievements you have made, everything I have done is but a tiny spark of firefly light, not worth mentioning. Moreover, the changes I have brought to Sparta and the followers of those outsiders are all due to your teachings."
As she spoke, Helen looked at Lorne lovingly, the admiration and adoration in her eyes burning like a flame that would never go out.
If I used to be just a star-chasing girl who was attracted by appearance, then now I am a seeker who strives to get closer to my idol.
Because the more I implement the teachings of this earthly pastor, the more I can feel the greatness of that thought.
“Ahem…”
Seeing that the atmosphere in the temple had become ambiguous again, two electric bulbs could not help but interrupt the eye contact between the couple with dry coughs.
"Speaking of which, where is Agamemnon?"
"In the Elders' Council, they are the ones who invited people in, so naturally they are responsible for entertaining them."
"They actually let outsiders into the city. What do they want to do?"
"What else can they do? They just saw that I have been in power for too long and wanted to use my sister's escape to join forces with King Agamemnon, who came here to call me to task, to force me to step down."
Helen rubbed her temples, smiled helplessly, and told her not-so-good situation.
"The Council of Elders and the Inspectors have already taken control of more than 70% of Sparta's Blood Guards. Although I have many followers in the city, they are mostly ordinary people with mediocre qualifications and combat effectiveness. Together with my brother-in-law and the elite he brought, the other side has completely overwhelmed the Moon Temple in terms of military strength. A rash conflict will only increase casualties, so I am sending people to borrow troops from the God of War Mountain to mediate this dispute..."
The Spartan twins were surprised when they heard this.
"Seventy percent? You have done a lot of good things for the country and the people, so why are all those God Blood families standing on the side of the Council of Elders?"
"Because the butt determines the head..."
Loen pointed out the key point in one sentence, and then continued to remind the two brothers who seemed to understand.
"If you don't understand, think about why Sparta was founded."
"Strong Army?"
"So what is most needed to maintain a strong army and ensure that they have a steady supply of military merits?"
"war!"
The two brothers suddenly realized what was going on and looked at their loving sister, asking dryly.
"Helen, how many wars have you launched in the past two hundred years?"
Helen thought about it and slowly raised a finger.
The two brothers asked tentatively: "One hundred?"
Helen shook her head and retracted her finger in embarrassment: "Not even once."
Upon hearing this, the two brothers could not help but rub their foreheads in pain.
Sparta was founded on its strong military. Various brutal trainings and the tradition of universal military service turned the entire city-state into a war machine designed to serve war.
Plundering wealth, plundering slaves, gaining military merit, and maintaining class mobility are all benefits that war can bring.
But since his sister came to power, she first implemented various policies that destroyed traditions, and then brought about two hundred years of peace, which was simply driving Sparta's military class and the Divine Blood Family to death.
No wonder the Council of Elders would rather bear the infamy and bring outsiders into the city to force the palace. No wonder nearly 70% of the Divine Blood Families in Sparta stood in opposition to the Moon Temple.
"I know this is overkill..."
Seeing the unhappy faces of her two brothers, Helen quietly expressed her vision.
"But I have seen the cruelty of war in Thessaly. We have exchanged countless bloodshed and sacrificed for the dawn of peace. So I don't want the Spartans to bleed again because of war during my reign."
Then she paused, a hint of deep uneasiness flashing in her eyes.
"Moreover, since the gods disappeared, the city-states that had fought side by side have begun to attack each other. Many of the heroes of divine blood that I know of have died inexplicably in the war. Therefore, I suspect that there is some kind of power behind this that is secretly causing the entire Greece to fall into disputes and turmoil, and they dare not rashly start a war..."
"You're right."
Lorne patted Helen on the shoulder and gave an affirmative answer.
In fact, as early as the Sea of Oceanus, he vaguely felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere in Greece as a whole.
The casual chat with the fisherman further confirmed his guess.
During the two hundred years since they were away, all kinds of natural and man-made disasters such as plague, famine, war, and floods occurred one after another, making life miserable for the entire Greek people.
This familiar doomsday atmosphere made it easy for him to think of a person.
——Pandora, the witch of disaster!
As the number one war criminal under Zeus who destroyed several eras of civilization, the current chaos in Greece is mostly related to her and the master behind her.
Moreover, according to the legend, the Pandora's Box held by Pandora not only has the ability to bring all kinds of disasters, but also contains the "hope" that can make the world fall apart and then be rebuilt in the deepest part.
Waiting and hoping...
This prophecy left by Athena may not only refer to him returning from overseas, but also contain a metaphor about Pandora's Box.
At this moment, hearing Loen's comfort, Helen's anxiety gradually disappeared, and she looked at the three reinforcements with a bright smile.
"Just now, I was still worried about whether the messenger could reach Athens safely and whether Ares was willing to mediate. But now that you are back, everything is no longer a problem."
As Helen spoke, a look of relief appeared on her face, as if she had unloaded some kind of burden.
Although she has been in power for two hundred years, to be honest, she does not like the feeling of intrigue with outsiders. Now that her two brothers who have the legitimate right to inherit the throne have returned, she can hardly wait to throw away this burden and live together with the god she admires.
"Don't be too happy too soon. Our current identities are not to be revealed to the public. I'm afraid you will have to take this seat."
Lorne spoke up, shattering Helen's fantasy and expressing his concerns.
The mystery of the disappearance of gods and heroes, as well as the potential crisis that even the God of War Mountain retreated, I have not yet figured out the clues.
Before the situation becomes clear, the enemy is in the dark. If they want to seize the initiative, they cannot be exposed too early.
Helen couldn't help but look sad when she heard the bad news:
"The Blood Guards in the city have been mobilized frequently recently. With King Agamemnon already here, the Council of Elders will most likely take action in the next two days. But you can't be exposed now. You can't rely on Gego in the short term. This is a bit troublesome."
"What's there to worry about with just a few Blood Guards? Otherwise, we can help you kill all those Mycenaeans tonight. What hope do those old guys in the Council of Elders have!"
The twin brothers offered a casual word of comfort, and immediately transformed into murderous sister-protecting maniacs.
"Don't go!"
Helen quickly grabbed her two brothers who were about to walk out of the hall while talking and gave them a stern reminder.
"Mycenae is not as simple as you think. My brother-in-law seems to have some strange helpers around him. They are dressed in black wings and black robes, and their faces cannot be seen clearly. Ordinary God Blood Heroes can't fight them at all! It is precisely with the help of this hidden power that Mycenae has annexed several regions in succession in recent years and has become the most powerful city-state in the Peloponnese!"
Wearing black clothes and a black robe, the face cannot be seen clearly... This outfit sounds a little familiar.
Just as Luo En was frowning in thought, a slight change in the air flow made him narrow his eyes suddenly. He looked up at the roof of the temple and shouted coldly:
"Who? Come out!"
In an instant, the power of the maze covered the entire temple, turning the surroundings into a cage.
(End of this chapter)
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