Chapter 617 - 199: In addition to Mathematics, there is Substitute Hitting

"Excuse me, please make way, thank you."

Trying to blend in as just another ordinary person, and even appearing quite polite, Iapetus rose from his seat and headed toward the periphery of the venue.

The entire amphitheater, built against the mountain, had flat interstitial roads every dozen rows or so, which arced around and led to the exits to the outside world.

However, at the moment, the spectators participating in the convention were very enthusiastic, with loud talking and standing not uncommon. This meant Iapetus had to inch his way out of the viewing platform, even having to continually greet acquaintances along the way.

Yes, acquaintances—in fact, in Athens Iapetus not only had acquaintances but also an inherited aristocratic status, a not insignificant fiefdom, and a widely known reputation.

To most of the upper class in Athens, he was seen as a scion of a family that had come from foreign lands and had been passed down through the generations for hundreds of years. As the contemporary family head, Mr. Ilos, like his ancestors, was keen on books and paintings and enjoyed watching speeches and debates, although he seldom participated in them personally.

"...Yes, I just suddenly remembered there’s urgent business I haven’t taken care of... Yes, it can’t be postponed, and there’s nothing I can do..."

With a helpless expression, after talking briefly with the last friend, Iapetus quickly walked outside.

It was probably just a trick of the eye just now. Gaia shouldn’t be here, but even so, he didn’t want to stay even a second longer.

Walking briskly and inconspicuously observing the distant crowd’s movement, searching for his target within the bustling venue, the exit was just ahead...

Bang—

Accompanied by a dull thud, Iapetus staggered and nearly fell, the God of Speech instinctively expressing his apologies; he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings.

"Hiss... I’m truly sorry, I wasn’t paying attention just now."

The tone sincere—were it any other deity, many would’ve been unable to contain their anger, but Iapetus didn’t dwell on the incident, even if there hadn’t been a perceived presence of Gaia, he wouldn’t remember such a minor issue.

Since the ancient times, whether it was Iapetus, Prometheus, or Epimetheus, they had all frequently dealt with humans due to their comparatively weaker divine powers and consequently developed different personalities.

For example, Prometheus once saw himself as a ’guide and protector’, an attitude combining arrogance with benevolence, and Iapetus, who felt not much separated humans from gods, only a difference in strength.

After all, he had also once been the weakest god, a time when even territorial gods did not yet exist... So, although he was eager to leave, Iapetus still apologized politely.

"I’m really sorry, but I have some urgent matters to attend to—I’m Count Ilos, residing in Athens, and should you be free later, I would gladly host you for dinner at my home."

"Count Ilos?"

The voice came from in front, and Iapetus nodded slightly.

From the tone of the other, as the God of Speech, he easily read out surprise, delight, contemplation... Strange, could this be someone who had heard of his name but not met him before? At least Iapetus was sure, he had never seen this young man before.

But no matter who he was, he needed to leave quickly.

"Although it might be rude, I regretably cannot stay long, I urgently need to get home—"

"I understand your haste, Count Ilos, but could I ask presumptuously..."

The young man looked up at Iapetus.

"Are you avoiding her?"

"What?"

Startled, Iapetus looked up, and only at that moment did he sense something amiss.

He followed the young man’s pointing finger and at the end of his gaze, the familiar auburn dress hem made him involuntarily hold his breath, thankfully, the person did not look in his direction.

To actually be here... So it wasn’t a hallucination after all! But why would Gaia come to Athens, what was she here for, was there something amiss with this convention?

Moreover besides that...

With a solemn expression, the God of Speech earnestly looked at the young man in front of him.

He appeared to be around twenty, possibly even younger. His handsome face and exquisitely made clothes seemed to suggest he was not lacking in wealth... However, at this moment, what attracted Iapetus wasn’t these mortal creations, but rather, what lay concealed beneath.

It was only then he realized, even if he had been tense from the fleeting glimpse of Gaia, it wasn’t possible for him to bump into someone. One should know that although Iapetus had voluntarily blocked his divine figure, which although not strong among deities, was considerable in the Mortal World, this did not include his perceptive abilities.

It’s not conceivable even if he was deep in thought, let alone if he was running with his eyes closed, Iapetus couldn’t have simply bumped into someone. The only possibility was that this person had eluded his perception, had dodged the perception of a god.

Even in the Mortal World, this remained an incredibly incredulous feat. So who exactly was this presence, and had he realized the truth about himself and the woman he was pointing at?

"Who are you, what do you seek?"

Not rashly engaging in confrontation, not when there was major trouble nearby, and even if there wasn’t, he wouldn’t recklessly take such a risk. Iapetus simply asked sternly, while in front of him, the young man spread his hands innocently.

"Don’t be so tense, Count Ilos, I’m just a poet passing through Athens—of course, you can also call me a Prophet or a Seer, it’s all the same. In any case, it’s fate that has brought us together here."

Fate?

Iapetus inwardly scoffed, he could confirm that the surprise this person showed when they saw him wasn’t feigned—he genuinely didn’t know whom he would encounter here... However, outwardly, he still pretended to believe.

"Alright, let it be fate, but I must leave now—"

"So you truly are avoiding her? But at such a close distance, do you really think you can escape her?"

The young man said with a smile.

"... Maybe, but one must try it out, or do you have a better idea?"

Iapetus spoke gravely, knowing the truth in the other’s words.

No matter why Gaia had come, and why she hadn’t noticed him yet, since she was here, he would inevitably be discovered due to their close proximity. Unless he swiftly left the city using the power of a demigod to create a safe distance— but that would only make being found happen sooner.

"I have no solutions, but under the guidance of fate, if you stay by my side, she won’t discover you for the time being— as long as you don’t do anything too conspicuous."

Taking a couple of steps forward, the young man returned to his seat. He lifted his hand slightly and asked with a smile:

"So, do you plan to leave, or will you stay?"

"... What do you want me to do?"

Silence followed. For some reason, Iapetus felt as if he were recalling a distant past. There had been a ’Prophet’ then, who, in the name of fate, guided the normal Mother Goddess to do many things... But now, thinking of that incomprehensible aged figure, Iapetus took a few steps and sat down beside the young man.

The air was filled with a fragrance; it seemed a girl had been here before, but where she had gone now was unknown.

"Don’t speak as if I’m threatening you. I didn’t tell you to come here, right? —Hmm, but I do indeed need your help with something. I wasn’t completely sure before, but now I am."

Nodding slightly, the young man asked, "Count Ilos, they say you’re good at debating?"

"Somewhat."

Iapetus cautiously responded, unsure why the other had asked.

"That’ll do. I don’t care whether you ’somewhat’ know or not, however, the favor I need from you involves exactly that."

"Show your strength, and win a debate for me. Consider it your rent for staying here."

"No problem. When is the debate, and who is my opponent?"

After a brief consideration, Iapetus glanced at Gaia in the distance and agreed decisively.

If it was just a debate, that would be nothing difficult for him. But what other debates were there besides this major event?

"Obviously, Mr. Ilos, haven’t you already guessed?"

The smile remained, and the young man pointed ahead.

"I’m talking about this one; your opponent is right there on stage."

...

Huh—

After several deep breaths, Andrea sat in the contestant’s seat.

Thanks to that previous game, she had used her ’wisdom’ to defeat all who in this city thought themselves clever, and to this day, no one had unraveled the game’s secret.

Thus, she directly skipped the preliminary contests and secured a spot in the finals.

At this moment, sitting beside her were some of the most renowned figures in all of Greece, and she, a twelve-year-old girl, was about to compete with them. She had no idea how to win, so she aimed to lose as gracefully as possible.

After all, she had already conquered the ’wisdom’ round. If she could achieve a decent result in the ’justice’ debate, she might just claim the champion’s status.

"Miss Leah, I must say, your game is profoundly mysterious."

"I’ve spent quite a bit of time on it these past few days, but sadly, once the difficulty escalated to the level of the five elements, I could no longer find a high probability strategy."

With a sigh, Odysseus sat beside her, watching the voting on the selection of topics while chatting with Andrea.

He was indeed enthusiastic, but the anxious little princess had no desire to entertain him at the moment. She only found the Prince of Qatar to be annoying, buzzing in her ear like a mosquito.

"That’s normal, after all, only the wise can solve such puzzles."

With a flat voice, Andrea decisively killed the conversation.

"..."

Odysseus fell silent, his lips twitching slightly, then pretended not to have heard her earlier remark.

He noticed that this mysterious Miss Leah seemed unfocused, and he didn’t persist annoyingly.

Perhaps she was calming her mind in preparation for the upcoming competition. He was looking forward to competing with her on stage once again... However, the young prince was unaware that the current ’Miss Leah’ was indeed preparing for the competition, just not in the way he imagined.

Using mental strength, Andrea traced a bizarre, ever-changing rune in her mind and whispered softly.

"Hey, can you hear me, Aiven, can you hear me?"

"I feel completely out of my depth; you have to think of something fast!"