The Greece Antagonist

The Centaur Sage by the river's edge rose up on all fours from the verdant meadow and looked back at the old man behind him.

"Has he left?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Hmm..."

"Shouldn't you be leaving too?"

"Almost time, I guess."

Luo En nodded, sat down on a piece of bluestone with a bend of his waist, swiftly pulled out paper and pen, then suddenly took on a serious demeanor and asked earnestly.

"So, whom did we talk about last time?"

"Uranus, the Father of Heaven."

"Very well, Teacher Horse, please continue, I'm all ears."

"..."

Chiron glanced at the blind old man before him and ultimately chose not to correct the strange address, opting instead to patiently continue the story about Uranus, the first of the Titan Gods.

A few days earlier, the blind poet who called himself "Homer" had come to his dwelling on Mount Pelion, pretending to seek medical advice.

During the consultation, he showed no concern for his own afflictions; instead, he eagerly asked a myriad of strange questions.

For instance, where did the primal Life originate from?

Did a ruler by the name of "Chaos" exist within the ancient Chaos?

What was the past of the twelve Titans?

Were the gods of the Titan era more like men or more like beasts in their usual ways?

Before the woman Pandora came into being, how did the first golden humanity procreate?

These perplexing questions covered local customs, historical legends, rumors, and secrets among other things; many were beyond his own knowledge, so he could only pick a small portion of the questions he knew about to explain.

Yet, he was extraordinarily content.

And to obtain more detailed information, the odd old man even used his blindness as an excuse, lingering on Mount Pelion for several days.

A gentle breeze brushed by, the old man, now an audience, listened quietly to Chiron's explanation, while his pen moved over the parchment, inscribing line after line of profound and beautiful Sacred Words.

"Uranus, from which all life is born, a constant in the universe,

The oldest of gods, the beginning and end of everything,

Father of the cosmos, you orbit the earth like planets,

The abode of the blissful gods, you traverse in but an instant,

Guarding the heavens and the earth, enveloping all creation!

In your heart, you endure the inevitability of Nature's law.

Within you lies the indomitable deep blue, shining bright, ever-shifting,

An outstanding spirit of bliss, you see all things, and you will birth Cronos,

Hear me speak, grant the faithful a holy Life."

As the last sentence finished, the blind old man set aside the parchment to dry with satisfaction and continued to inquire.

"Good, what about the next one, the second-generation Divine King, Cronos? What kind of existence was he?"

The Sage Chiron pondered for a moment, as usual, offering a fair description.

The old man's pen began to move again, and as he traced the letters, Chiron caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye: around the blind man, nine graceful figures seemed to come in and out of view as if made of air.

Whenever there was a pause in coining phrases or he faced difficulty in refining the text, the nine figures would react differently:

Some would grasp the old man's arm, taking the pen for him; others hummed in his ear, calming his mood;

Some brushed past his grey eyes, broadening his vision within Chaos; others gently cradled his ancient head, awakening thoughts from their wellspring.

...

At the same time, the expressions, demeanor, and aura of the old man's aged face seemed to shift continuously, now somber, now cheerful; now dignified, now lively; now angered, now serene... as if countless roles, memories, and personalities flooded into his brain, collectively coloring the lines of Sacred Words beneath his pen.

"Cronos, father of gods and men, you age not,

Clever, pure, strong, and valiant Titan,

You destroy all and rebirth all,

In the bond of Immortality, you embrace the infinite cosmos,

Cronos, eternal master of time, Cronos of a thousand faces,

Son of Gaea and starry Uranus!

Origin, growth, decay, husband of Rhea, precursor of dignity,

You dwell in every corner of the universe, you are the ancestor of life,

Cunning and bravest of all! Hear my plea,

Grant my Life abundance and an unblemished ending."

The period dropped, the scratching pen ceased its motion, and the old man showed a contented smile, passing the parchment filled with characters across.

"How is it?"

Gazing upon the Sacred Words, Chiron's eyes revealed astonishment, as though he could see through the paper to the grandeur of history past, as if the silhouette from a certain memory sprang into vivid existence on the page.

Yet, imperfect it was.

"It's beautifully written."

"Which part?"

"I mean the character portrayal..."

Chiron looked at the description of Cronos on the parchment and honestly pointed out the errors.

Upon hearing this, Luo En couldn't help but give a wry smile.

This Centaur Sage, Chiron, was in fact a full deity born of the Titan King Cronos and the goddess Philyra.

But because Cronos mated with Philyra in the form of a horse, Chiron was born in the shape of a centaur.

His mother Philyra, unwilling to nurse him due to his odd appearance, ultimately transformed herself into a linden tree.

Combined with the notoriety of Cronos for devouring his offspring, it's only natural that Chiron's view of his parents wasn't too favorable.

As for the skeptic in question, Luo En, the author himself, had a prepared justification ready.

"Since it's a Sacred Word praising the gods and creation, it's only natural to show them in a more favorable light, and a bit of embellishment is appropriate."

Chiron, after a moment's thought, nodded in agreement and, realizing his own impertinence, showed a hint of an apologetic look.

Teacher Horse, what a good soul!

Seeing this, Luo En felt moved that in the lands of Greece, he encountered such a rare species of pure goodness but also couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt for the half-hearted concealment.

Well then, as a pragmatist, he would only bother to embellish that scoundrel Cronos when it served a purpose.

The reason for doing so was that whitewashing Cronos would indirectly blacken Zeus's act of usurpation.

As humankind proliferated upon the earth, the gods seemed unaware that an era where culture determines faith had arrived.

The pen is mightier than the sword; if one can control this narrative power, reshaping the image of the gods in literature and history, then one inevitably influences humanity's belief in different deities.

And of course, writers have always loved to mix in their personal agendas.

But to create a universally acclaimed literary work, expanding one's influence requires the sharpest minds and inspiration.

It was for this underlying purpose that Luo En braved the risk of deeply offending Apollo, managing to acquire the nine Muses from the God of Light, and took this opportunity to descend to the mortal world and, under the collective pseudonym "Homer," carry out his long-planned scheme.

—which was to revise the "Sacred Words," write the "Divine Chronicle," and surreptitiously grind up the doctrine of his Dionysian Sect and sneak it in.

Of course, to appear impartial, it was necessary to seek out the parties involved and the informed, to conduct "historical research."

The good-hearted Chiron was his first interviewee.

Aside from this, he had other designs regarding Teacher Horse himself.

It seems that because the linden tree that his mother became was a kind-hearted type of tree towards the world. Its flowers could be used in medicine, and the bark was used for divination tablets.

Thus, even without parental love, Chiron never wallowed in self-pity nor lashed out against the world, but instead grew up to study diligently and become a sage.

Generally speaking, besides being outstanding hunters with the lower body of a horse combined with exceptional bow and arrow skills, centaurs also have a savage side that involves snatching various items.

For instance, the centaur tribes Luo En and Artemis encountered in Arcadia were the untamable kind.

Only Chiron was especially marked with the impression of a "sage," his gentle nature also being unique among centaurs.

Grown up, Chiron mastered all sorts of knowledge, and thanks to his composed character and clever teaching methods, the number of "future heroes" of Greece educated by him were countless.

Hercules, Achilles, Asclepius who later became the god of medicine, and Castor who became part of Gemini were all his students.

In addition, Jason, the leader of the Argonauts and the suitor of Medea, was also one of his students, truly his influence was widespread.

Moreover, the reason Luo En chose the residence of Teacher Horse as his first stop was partly due to his old flame Artemis's entrustment to look after his cheap nephew Asclepius, and partly because he intended to scout for Athena.

——Heeding his advice, that Goddess of Wisdom founded the "Academy of Athens" in Athens, focusing on the popularization of academia and magic.

Since it had just started, there was a severe shortage of both teaching staff and student sources.

The widely respected sage Chiron was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Furthermore, as an unwelcome son of Cronos, Chiron was also well-suited to become an ally in opposition to Olympus.

Although he was uninvolved in worldly disputes, in these chaotic times, inaction was seen as a weakness, and that would not necessarily spare you from fate at a critical moment.

As far as Luo En knew, one day in the future, while resolving disputes among the centaurs, Chiron, the good-hearted, would be hit by a mysterious poisoned arrow and suffer continuously due to his immortality.

Until the non-confrontational Centaur Sage became "Sagittarius," retired to Olympus, adorned the heavens with divine authority, and returned his immortality to the gods, he would finally be freed from this pain.

And the person who fired the poisoned arrow was none other than his most proud disciple, the great hero Hercules.

Moreover, it was Hercules, who in a quarrel over a cask of wine brewed by the God of Wine with a group of centaurs, started the conflict.

The hot-headed great hero pursued and brutally assaulted these centaurs who angered him.

But one arrow aimed at the centaurs skimmed off the unlucky arm of one and, unfortunately, hit Chiron in the knee.

The participants of this tragedy, aside from Hercules and that group of centaurs, included the venom smeared on the arrow, originating from the Hydra that the Great Strength God had slain.

A destiny cobbled together by a series of "coincidences," if there wasn't some trickery involved, even Luo En would not believe it.

Therefore, whether as a suspect of the case or to vex the King of Olympus, he had to snuff out this potential future, and lure the talented Teacher Horse to Athens.

With this in mind, Luo En's expression turned solemn as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Teacher Horse, your disciple Asclepius has already accepted the invitation from the Academy of Athens and plans to reunite with you in Athens after his travels in Cyprus. Through the revelations of fate, I foresee some misfortune might befall him, so..."

Chiron, upon hearing this, fell silent for a moment, then pulled out the Bronze Eleph of Medusa from his bosom, and after several days of hesitation, finally made up his mind, replying solemnly.

"Athens, you say? Very well, I shall go..."

Seeing that he had finally managed to lure the Centaur Sage onto the bandits' ship, a certain unscrupulous deity who specialized in deceiving the honest showed a satisfied smile.

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