Chapter 848: 330 Strategy

Chapter 848: Chapter 330 Strategy

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Snap—

Time never stopped for anyone, and in the entire world, Silver Moon City and the East Sea were merely tributaries of fate.

Perhaps the meeting of Heracles and Prometheus would be a turning point, but before that, the world’s center was not there.

The next day, when the Goddess of Dawn danced at the horizon, Olympus was still a scene of festivity.

Beneath the fortress of the Aigaleo Mountains, countless figures gathered once again.

...

The worlds of gods and humans were never the same. When all gods focused their gaze on Achilles, the mortal realm’s wars did not slow down because of it.

With the arrival of the alliances of all countries, a bloody conflict destined to happen began to unfold here.

And at this very moment, in the center of the fortress, a middle-aged man in luxurious robes pushed open the door and entered.

He had already paid respects to the owner of the fortress, and in the mortal sense, he was ‘an aristocrat’ loyal to his king.

Only he knew the true purpose of his visit.

He needed an answer, to unravel the doubt in his heart.

“Long time no see, Count Ilos.”

“It’s been some years since we last parted.”

Putting down his pen, Laine looked up from the desk.

Looking at the uninvited guest, he extended his hand, and a chair was pulled out from the table before him.

“Welcome to fight for Athens here, but what brings you to me?”

“You know very well why I’m here, and you should know who I am, right?”

Speaking in a low voice, getting straight to the point.

Without a doubt, it was the God of Speech who appeared here at this moment.

With a serious expression, the middle-aged man stepped forward and sat down, staring straight at Laine across the table.

“You summoned Chiron, you sent him to find me, and then pulled me into this dispute.”

“No matter what, shouldn’t you give me an explanation?”

Yes, if it weren’t for Chiron and Achilles, the God of Speech wouldn’t have come here at this time.

He had considered many situations, and as Zeus’s attitude became increasingly clear, Iapetus knew that he had to make a choice eventually.

It was precisely because of this that he provided some assistance to the Centaur.

However, the God of Speech thought it was just some insignificant hints, which shouldn’t have amounted to much.

But what he never expected was that the human would do such a thing, and that he could even accomplish it.

Clearly having the opportunity to escape, he chose to cause chaos on the Mount of the Gods, and as a human, he somewhat stood against the gods.

For a moment, Iapetus didn’t know whether to call him a madman.

Holding a sword, he possessed the might to rival a principal god, something even the God of Speech himself had never witnessed.

If he hadn’t personally experienced the true power of great divine strength, Iapetus wondered if he too would have succumbed to arrogance.

But having seen the world, he was different from those who hadn’t. It didn’t take long for the God of Speech to figure out the ’cause and effect.’

The Divine Sword of the Lord of the Spirit Realm, and ultimately, that mortal was worthy of the Lord of Darkness leaving the Underworld personally to subdue him.

Indeed, this mortal war was always just a facade, while the conflict between the Divine King and the Primordial Gods, the Primordial Gods among themselves, was the true core.

Earth Mother Gaia was Zeus’s first enemy, and perhaps the Lord of the Spirit Realm was the next. Gods on the mortal plane were merely obstacles to be removed along the way.

And the unluckiest part was that Iapetus, who had been cautious for an epoch, found himself acting as a pawn right at the conflict’s onset.

“Explanation?”

Coming back to his senses, various pros and cons flashed through the God of Speech’s mind.

And sitting opposite him, Laine smiled and countered.

“What explanation do you mean?

“Was it me who forced you to help Chiron with strategies…or was it me who forced Zeus to imprison, torture, and hunt your child?”

“Hmm…Lord Iapetus, these matters have nothing to do with me.”

“If you wished, Chiron could have never met you at all.”

“…”

With a slight pause, it was only at this moment that the God of Speech was finally sure that the person in front of him truly recognized his real identity from the start, not just noticed some clues.

However, by comparison, he knew nothing about the other party.

From the initial meeting at the grand event to now, Iapetus’s only impression of Laine was that the latter seemed to know him very well.

“The explanation I want is very simple, give me a reason, a reason why you can oppose the Divine King.”

“Without this reason, I’d rather leave the Earth and Ocean forever, exiling myself to the starry depths.”

“Nothing is eternal, neither is Zeus.”

“When that time comes, I can still return.”

His tone serious, his expression solemn.

Yet in this world, perhaps only the Goddess of Lies could tell whether Iapetus was lying; the rest couldn’t discern his true thoughts.

However, what the God of Speech wanted wasn’t difficult. Since he wanted a reason to oppose Zeus, then just give him one.

“Do you remember Zeus entering the Abyss around the time of the Golden Apple banquet?”

Smiling as he spoke, Laine asked with a grin.

“You mean…the Abyss?”

His expression shifted, and at this moment, Iapetus suddenly understood.

So that’s what it was…Tartarus.

The change in the Underworld wasn’t a secret, only no one knew what caused it.

Had part of the Abyss’s mind become animated, or had a forbidden demon like Typhon been born within?

But now, it seemed that whatever existed within undoubtedly possessed wisdom.

It had taken action long ago, arranging things in the mortal realm beforehand.

Thus, the battle among Primordial Gods, Abyss and Spirit Master, against Darkness and the Divine King?

The Divine King ruled the present world, Darkness entered the Abyss…so it seemed, indeed, it was such a case.

Looking at it this way, although the Divine King occupied the geographical advantage in the mortal realm, given his awkward position, there indeed appeared to be no other choice for someone like him.

“Alright, I accept.”

Releasing a breath, Iapetus finally made his decision.

Among the Primordial Gods, only they themselves knew the balance of power.

And since Zeus, the Divine King, did not yet dare to act directly in the mortal realm, it likely meant that, without the geographical advantage, he was not confident of a victory.

With that thought, the God of Speech stood up from his seat.

Despite the human before him not displaying great strength, since he could represent the Great One of the Abyss here, he was worthy of his respect.

“No matter what, I’ve already become involved, and it’s too late to back out.”

“So I’m willing to join you, and as a gift, I’ll help Athens overcome the current difficulty.”

“The armies outside the city have lingered for days, attempting to siege dozens of times.”

“Before long, they’ll launch a true large-scale attack.”

“Though Aigaleo Mountains boast formidable natural barriers, Athens alone finds it challenging to resist the allied armies of all countries.”

“Especially since the gods may intervene at any time, the immediate priority is to repel the armies outside and force the alliance to divide their forces.”

Nodding privately, Laine admitted that Iapetus’s idea had some merit.

As the military art of later generations says, when there are ten to one, surround them, when there are five to one, attack, when they are double, fight, when when they are evenly matched, divide them, when they are less in number, defend them, when they are equal, avoid them.

Whether it was personal combat or warfare between countries, there has never been a victory of the weak against the strong, only of the strong overpowering the weak.

In wars that seemed to have numerical disparity, this was still true locally.

Even in the age of firearms, in mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare, the same principles applied.

“However, the allied armies won’t retreat easily; they prefer to win in one go, showing off before the gods.”

“So, Lord Iapetus, what is your plan?”

Although he already had other plans, Laine was still willing to give the God of Speech an opportunity to show himself, rather than relying on his own method.

As for the reason…it was related to a recent discovery of his.

“No rush, give me a few more days, and I will certainly resolve this trouble.”

Having made his decision, Iapetus soon got into the swing of things.

He showed no reluctance, despite being a god listening to a mortal, and adapted quite well.

Seeing the God of Speech’s confidence, Laine nodded immediately.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll await good news.”

······

After sending off Iapetus and casually reviewing a few more documents, Laine turned and entered a sealed underground chamber.

Closing the only exit, the space was enveloped in darkness.

In the dark, Laine stepped forward a few paces to the center of the room.

The room was empty, like a sealed coffin.

Only the ground at the center had a faint outline of something.

Stepping forward slowly, Laine gently raised his hand, a ball of firelight appearing in his palm.

Puff—

The firelight spread, illuminating the ground.

Visible to the naked eye, a complex pattern intertwined, inscribed in scarlet.

Like a thousand characters forming one, only then could it outline the simplest stroke.

Overlapping, interwoven as one.

Ultimately presenting before him, a stump with only some remnant left.

“…[Kingdom]…”

Reaching out, he tried to connect with the incomplete engravings.

But despite using no extraordinary power, Laine’s hand passed through the image in front of him.

He knew why, because as the Lord of the Spirit, he had never truly touched the essence of [matter].

And the beginning of [matter] in this world, even today, still belonged to her, to the first god conceived by Kaos herself.

Even if she had long lost all her branches, even if her trunk had been replaced by other things, still, somehow, those last roots remained with her.

As long as the earth remained connected, Kaos’s original [matter] would have no second source.

“Falling from heaven to earth, and then from earth to heaven…three circulations, gaining the powers of above and below.”

“All the world’s rules, in the end, are so similar.”

Stepping back, Laine withdrew his hand, no longer pursuing a futile attempt.

He let Iapetus handle things in his way, naturally with his intention in mind.

This might not be as perfect as his method, and could even temporarily lead to Athens’s setback, but none of this really mattered.

War in the mortal realm and war among gods alike.

In the age of gods, the mortal realm could be very exciting.

But everyone knew that only those who stood at the summit and won could ensure their followers had a chance of victory in the end.

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