Chapter 798: 294: Condania and Meng Yi

Chapter 798: Chapter 294: Condania and Meng Yi

“`

In the mortal realm, near a river in the southern part of the continent.

The closer you got to the southern end, the denser the waterways became, and even the River God and Lake God could often be seen.

Unaware of everything happening on Mount Olympus, with the help of Ande, Heracles quickly arrived at this place, which could be described as a boundary.

To the north lay a realm shrouded by the faith of the Olympian Gods.

To the south, there were still unexplored wilderness and rivers, and his target was hidden there.

...

As for the east, it was a renowned Sin City.

It wasn’t Silver Moon City; in fact, almost none in the realm governed by Olympus had actually seen the wizards of Silver Moon City, but this ‘Sin City’ was different.

It was the furthest city radiated by the influence of Silver Moon City and the city closest to Olympus.

If Silver Moon City was afar in the sky, then this place was an enemy right before their eyes.

In fact, over the years, this city had never lacked brutal battles beneath it.

“Condania City, you must have heard of this place.”

A pocket was cut open on the chest of his clothes, and in front of Heracles, the puppet revealed its head.

He glanced around the surroundings, speaking sporadically.

Faintly, Ande could still see some shadows of the Bronze Age.

Clearly, the former remnants had excellently inherited the culture of old.

Whether in architecture or art, the traces left by ancestors could be seen.

“Condania… I have indeed heard a little about it.”

Gazing at the grand city in the distance, Heracles couldn’t help but be greatly amazed.

Although just a border city, its prosperity was no less than the king city of Thebes.

“I’ve heard that it was once a place where many wizards worldwide came to study, whereas Silver Moon City—it’s said that few spellcasters who went there for advanced studies ever returned.”

“Even the Grand Alchemist of Athens, the Grand Sorceress Hermes, studied here in his youth.”

“Without Condania, he might not have achieved today’s results.” (See 3-173)

The city was situated on both sides of the river, and with Heracles’ eye power, he could clearly see the scenes over there.

The river flowed from the southwest to the northeast, dividing the entire city into two.

The northwest section generally served merchants from various countries, while the southeast part was under the jurisdiction of officials sent by Silver Moon City.

This division was initially meant to reduce conflicts arising from different faiths and systems, but ironically, as the night approached, standing here, Heracles felt he was witnessing primitiveness and backwardness.

A river separated the two sides.

One side flickered with lights, while the other remained as bright as daylight.

Because there floated a tower, at the top of the tower, an orb of light illuminated half the city.

“That is the ‘Man-Made Sun.’ Once a bard who believed in me came here.”

“It’s said to be a creation crafted by the people of Silver Moon City using the remains of an Ancient Sun God, inherently possessing strong Curse Attributes, yet these spellcasters somehow exempted it.”

“But indeed, the reason Silver Moon City placed it here also has a provocative intent. Because it’s said that each ‘Man-Made Sun’ could actually create a Mortal Demigod—as long as he can withstand the curse of the Ancient Gods.”

“So has anyone succeeded?” Heracles asked.

“No, that’s precisely what I wanted to say.”

The puppet’s mouth opened and closed, but no one knew how it made sounds.

Looking at the bright ‘sun,’ Ande continued the narrative.

“They put the ‘Man-Made Sun’ here, in fact, to mock the followers of the Olympian Gods.”

“After all, something they can manipulate with witchcraft, not a single person in various countries can utilize.”

Silently nodding, Heracles felt he had learned something new.

These were things absent in the education he received in the past, even though he had also been taught by scholars.

But indeed, scholars from various countries would not narrate these unpleasant histories. Perhaps only an ‘Evil God’ like Ande could speak of these things without hindrance.

“Oh, by the way, from what I know, there’s actually an interesting story behind how Condania City was established.”

“It involves a somewhat clichéd love story, crafted into scripts by many poets and sung far and wide… That’s how I came to know of it.”

Conversing with great interest, possibly because he had rare opportunities to engage in equal exchanges over the millennia.

On the way to the city, Ande continued the tale with excitement.

“Condania City, its name is actually a combination of ‘Connios’ and ‘Deo.'”

“It’s said that during the process where Silver Moon City expanded from being a singular city to a country, it was established by a man named ‘Connios.'”

“At that time, the first generation Great Prophet worshipped by the people of Silver Moon City had already passed away, and they were led in different directions under various Thoughts.”

“Some chose to stay, others chose to leave. Some even found the buildings left from the Golden Age and the traces of their living.”

“This man, Connios, found the remnants of this city and established it upon those ruins.”

“He was a powerful warrior, one of the rare individuals who, without relying on the power of deities, nearly touched the edge of divinity before reaching the end of life—perhaps he crossed it, perhaps not. After all, relying on divine blood is both a shackle at a certain stage and the greatest aid before becoming a demigod. Through history, those who broke through relying purely on mortal strength can be counted on fingers.”

“Of course, no matter how brilliant he was, now he and his stories have turned into specks of dust in history.”

“And then?”

Just engrossed, Heracles found that Ande stopped narrating, and instinctively prompted for more.

He had no feelings about the so-called shackles but was quite interested in the origin of the city.

However, the puppet merely pointed to the separate sides of the city, where two bronze statues stood.

“As you see.”

“That young man named Connios, to fulfill a promise made in the past, he built this city at the cost of his life.”

“His last battle defeated the enemy—followers of your Olympian Gods—and at that time he touched the edge of divinity, but his life also ended because of it.”

“Upon learning of this, Deo rushed here, but when she reached the riverside, Connios had already died on the battlefield across the river.”

“Later, she remained in this city, becoming a priest here. As for the grievances during the process…”

The puppet laughed, spreading its hands.

“There are many versions of the poems, and more than one script.”

“But as for which one is true, I don’t know, perhaps none of them are true.”

“Nonetheless, from then on, the city has been named after the two of them, and the legacy continued to this day.” (See 3-145/147)

“…I see, establishing a city for a promise… indeed an interesting story.”

Compared to the city itself and the heroic feats of Connios, Heracles did not perceive Deo’s significance, as he had never experienced so-called love.

Even separation through life and death, upon learning that people could be resurrected, didn’t concern him much.

He merely remarked, and then walked towards the city gate. At least from this story, the grievances between Silver Moon City and the territories of Olympus truly had deep roots.

Condania City had no guards or inspections, perhaps owing to confidence or perhaps due to covert means, Heracles easily entered the city.

He came here partly to understand Silver Moon City closely, as it was akin to a mysterious forbidden zone for the various countries.

Another part was to track down the Nine-Headed Sea Demon Hydra.

Unlike the Nomas Lion under Ande’s control, the Nine-Headed Sea Demon wasn’t a lifeless entity and wouldn’t stubbornly stay in one place.

…

“Huff—”

“Gentleman, have you heard of the Nine-Headed Snake Demon?”

After settling in a random spot, Heracles began to gather information.

How to deal with Silver Moon City was a matter for later; the immediate priority was to kill Hydra.

This was something Ande could actually handle, as one of the sources of the bard profession of the age, over a thousand years, he knew not how much information he’d acquired.

Yet, since this was Heracles’ trial, while Ande had no qualms in assisting, he preferred Heracles handle such trivial matters himself.

Heracles had no objections to this, as he didn’t find gathering information particularly difficult.

However, after half a day, he had to admit he underestimated the difficulty of the task.

“I am Heracles from Thebes, here on a mission to slay demons. If you have any relevant information, please tell me. I’m willing to reward you for it.”

“But if you try to fool me with lies, I’m not to be trifled with!”

By the time he finished speaking, it was unclear if his face was a bit flushed or darkened.

In the pocket on Heracles’ chest, Ande shifted at a timely manner.

The young hero was not lacking in wisdom, yet he was unwittingly tricked once.

Had Ande not indicated that the so-called ‘Sea Monster address’ he got was likely false, he might have foolishly sought it out.

“Nine-Headed Sea Demon Hydra?”

Names somewhat differed, but it was clearly due to regional accent differences.

Regarding the elderly man before him, Heracles nodded affirmatively.

“It’s the one, do you three know its whereabouts?”

“Hmm…”

The leading elder hesitated, studying the hero before him.

The God of West Wind spoke no lie; he had indeed spread the news of Heracles’ feat of slaying the Giant Lion.

Nonetheless, the dissemination of news required time, and events occurring in the north couldn’t possibly spread to the continent’s south in such a short duration.

Hence, Heracles’ name was unknown, and the elder merely shook his head.

“I know where Hydra is, but I can’t tell you.”

“Young man, many have aspired to accomplish great things and gain fame like you, yet their ends weren’t good.”

“Some died, some barely escaped, but suffered the torment of the Nine-Headed Sea Demon’s poison blood for life.”

“You’d better return where you came from; this isn’t your mission.”

“Sir, merely because others cannot do it, doesn’t mean I can’t.”

“I am the son of a Divine Person, guided by deities to come here and slay the demon.”

Encountering finally an elder who seemed to know something, Heracles was naturally unwilling to let go.

He immediately revealed his origins, as few dared to joke about the gods.

Hearing this, the elder was visibly stunned.

He again scrutinized the young hero, then sighed.

“Young man, I don’t know if you truly possess the capability.”

“However, if you wish to go, let me accompany you.”

“To be frank, the reason I know Hydra is because I have a grudge against it.”

“All three of my children were taken by it, and their whereabouts remain unknown. Our village’s people perished due to it, only I was spared for being away then.”

“Given you truly intend to confront it, let me guide you. If we succeed, I too can avenge the great wrong.”

“If you fail, let me die along with them.”

The elder’s words halted the refusal on Heracles’ lips; with such a grudge, it was quite rational for him to choose the same path.

Although he might not be able to protect the elder during battle, the elder had expressed a resolution for death, so how could he refuse?

“Alright, sir, I can take you along… By the way, how should I address you?”

“My name is Meng Yi.”

Filled with a hateful gaze, the elder spoke through gritted teeth.

“My brothers, Meng Er and Meng San, all perished at the hands of the Sea Demon, as did my beloved grandson, Amon, whose whereabouts are also unknown.”

“To kill Hydra, there is nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice, including my life!”

“Hmm…”

“Meng… Yi…?”

The name seemed somewhat casual, but considering that not everyone was versed in culture, it didn’t seem strange.

In future eastern countries, they even used the ranks of Zhong, Shu, and Ji as civilian names; in Chaos, such a situation was even more common.

Just numbering names, that was entirely normal… thinking of it this way, Heracles nodded.

“Alright, in that case, Mr. Meng Yi, let’s rest for a day, then please guide me.”

“As long as you can lead me to the demon’s lair, I will certainly slay it and avenge your family.”

“`