An hour later, an aching Penthesilea and the crowd of Amazon female warriors slowly woke up.
Due to intense dizziness and weakness, their limbs remained devoid of strength, leaving them no choice but to lie honestly on the ground while gasping for air.
Seeing that her sisters' eyes were practically spitting fire, as if fully intending to cause trouble for a certain someone the moment their injuries healed, Hippolyta walked into the crowd, attempting to open her mouth and clarify the misunderstanding.
However, worthy of being descendants of the War God Ares, these Amazon warriors were stubborn to a fault, harboring deep skepticism toward her claims, especially the part about Artemis descending through spiritual possession to assist.
Left with no alternative, Hippolyta had to trace out the spirit-descent magic formula from last night on the ground, hoping to summon the Goddess Artemis to testify.
The figure of the virgin Goddess did not materialize within the magical formation diagram, conveying only a vague instruction instead:
"Ahem, the matter is roughly as stated. Just follow Hippolyta's arrangements."
Although the Amazon warriors felt somewhat confused about the specific details, they still obediently nodded to accept the Goddess's oracle.
Penthesilea was even more eager to remove the crown binding her hair, placing it back atop Hippolyta's head without delay.
As that familiar sensation returned, the Amazon Queen, who had only filled in for a few days, felt a sudden sense of ease, a gratified smile appearing on her face.
On one hand, due to her personality, she truly had no interest in the throne; on the other hand, she had once accidentally committed a sin while hunting wild deer, mistakenly injuring her sister Hippolyta to the brink of death, which left her constantly feeling indebted to her sister.
Being able to smoothly redeem her sister's freedom now and lead their kin to endorse her as Queen once more could be considered a way to alleviate that guilt to a certain extent.
In a vastly improved mood, Penthesilea rose to pat the dust off her clothes, circling the involved party while sizing him up as if examining livestock, muttering half in defiance and half in dissatisfaction:
"Although he is a bit lacking in height, looks frail and weak, and appears quite effeminate, since Hippolyta and Lady Goddess have both nodded in agreement, I suppose we can make do with him."
Looking at his sister-in-law and great-aunt critiquing him up and down, Lorne felt the veins on his forehead pulse violently.
And so, he immediately proceeded to deliver a slap straight to Penthesilea's buttocks, which were visibly a size larger than those of the other Amazon warriors.
"Ow!"
Instantly, a needle-like sting assaulted the Amazon as if she had sat upon a cactus.
Letting out a high-pitched shriek, her valiant facial features twisted into a grimace as a few glistening tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
"What are you doing?!"
"Praising you for speaking so well."
Lorne spoke with a smile, cracking his knuckles with crisp pops as he lightly flexed his intertwined fingers in front of his chest.
"Don't stop. If you have any more evaluations of me, keep going—I love listening to them..."
Watching that man with a gentle face humbly seek guidance,
Penthesilea felt her pores burst open for no reason as a chilly draft drilled straight into her bones and internal organs.
Growing instantly timid, she cleared her throat and answered.
"N-Nothing more. You're a decent person, so we agree to this matter."
Seeing that this reckless woman was finally handled and pacified,
Lorne nodded in satisfaction, casually dissolving the magical barrier enveloping the courtyard.
As the churning magic power and thick gunpowder smoke dispersed, a sleeping Caenis, Medea, and Helen woke up one after another, immediately rushing out of the bedrooms fully armed.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, just having a little spar with our visiting Amazon friends."
Lorne waved his hand, smiling as he salvaged some dignity for the Amazon warriors in the courtyard.
Looking at the three who had spontaneously formed a battle array and entered a state of vigilance, he could not help nodding in secret.
Although somewhat green in strength and experience, they were generally worthy of polishing, making it well worth entrusting the three high-potential Saint Cloths to them.
After all, in his memories, the Dragon, Virgo, and Phoenix Saint Cloths were all ultimate versions capable of evolving into God Saint Cloths; leaving them in the hands of incompetent people would be a sheer waste.
A spar?
Seeing the bruised and battered Amazon warriors on the ground, the three understood clearly and deactivated their battle readiness.
The three Saint Cloths dissolved into wisps of starlight, condensing into small, exquisite pendants hanging around their necks.
However, upon seeing the fine looks and figures of the three,
Penthesilea immediately displayed a look of suspicion. "Having to serve so many, are you hard enough? If Hippolyta fails to conceive, wouldn't all that effort be for nothing?"
"Pfft!"
Lorne's body shook, immediately spraying out the mouthful of wine he had just sipped.
Although he knew the Amazon tribe was a matriarchy that observed no taboos regarding topics of intimacy, was there really a need to bring such things up in public?
Besides, one could question his character, but never his capability!
Never mind three; even if thirty more showed up, who ended up flat on the ground remained to be seen!
As if sensing his indignation, a hand slapped down heavily on Lorne's shoulder, solemnly clarifying on his behalf. "Don't worry, it's harder than iron! It jabs me so hard every night that it hurts!"
"Pfft—!!"
The mouthful of wine he had gulped down to steady his nerves sprayed out once more as he cast a resentful gaze toward his busty bro, Caenis.
To vouch for me like this, I truly thank your ancestors for eight generations!
"Sounds decent enough, but since he is with my sister, he counts as our Amazon tribe's war trophy.
It's better for him to return to the Amazon military camp with us and properly cooperate with Hippolyta to complete the procreation ritual."
"Keep dreaming! He is a guest of Thessaly, so if you want to take my brother away, ask my spear first!
Besides, who in all of Greece doesn't know what you Amazons are like? Does any man who falls into your hands ever meet a good end?"
"Looking for a fight?"
"Let's go then!"
At this moment, Medea watched Caenis and Penthesilea rubbing their fists on the field, along with a flushed Hippolyta on the perimeter, clenching her small fists as her silver teeth ground audibly.
Not only did these vixens bypass my surveillance to steal a taste, but they actually dare to think about kidnapping my senior brother to ravish him together; truly abominable!
It's all because this idiot Helen insisted on competing with me; otherwise,
I could have guarded the senior brother's side, so how could he ever have suffered this kind of humiliation!
Beside her, Helen was entirely oblivious to the towering resentment of her fair-weather sister, gazing coolly at Caenis and Hippolyta with flickering eyes.
To dare treat that Lord in such a manner...
Disrespect! This is utter disrespect!
A way must be found to snuff out this crooked trend so the atmosphere in the courtyard can return to sacred purity.
With the tension escalating to the brink of swords and bows drawn, the many women with complex motives looked at one another amid surging undercurrents, leaving Lorne at the center of the storm feeling needles at his back and a numbing scalp.
"Ah? You're all here?"
Just as he was pondering how to mediate, an astonished voice carried from outside the gate.
Looking closely, Lorne found that the visitors were actually the Gemini brothers and Telamon, prompting him to step forward with a broad smile to welcome them:
"Is something the matter?"
"Yes, His Majesty the King has prepared a banquet within the royal palace, wishing to invite everyone inside for a discussion."
Telamon spoke in a deep voice, a humble and rustic smile showing on his face.
Hearing this, Caenis scratched her head in confusion:
"Didn't we just eat a few days ago?
Is that guy Admetus hungry again?"
"At the banquet, His Majesty wishes to hear everyone's suggestions regarding how to thoroughly resolve the raids by the Gigantes on the city."
Telamon automatically filtered out Caenis's rather disrespectful way of addressing the King of Thessaly, explaining with a light smile.
Hearing this reasoning, Lorne's eyes held a thoughtful glint.
The previous banquet was a collective celebration without distinction of status in principle, whereas this invitation was more of an internal council for the leadership class, where likely only heroes and faction leaders capable of swaying the tides of battle were qualified to attend.
Glancing at the women glaring at each other in the courtyard,
Lorne stepped over the threshold without hesitation, agreeing enthusiastically:
"Since His Majesty the King has extended a warm invitation, we naturally must attend. Please lead the way."
With these tigresses gathered together, the headache was unbearable; rather than watching them bicker here, it was far better to find peace in the royal palace.
Moreover, once a few key figures departed, neither a war of words nor a group brawl would be able to start.
"We are going too!"
Sure enough, seeing Lorne leave, Medea and Helen followed along without a second thought.
Hippolyta ordered Penthesilea to lead the Amazon female warriors back to their camp while she attended the banquet alone.
Her fiery elder sister had just suffered a beating and was in a foul mood, so to prevent her from ruining things, letting her rest at the camp was the better choice.
Under Telamon's guidance, the four boarded a bronze chariot cushioned with soft animal pelts, entering the royal palace unimpeded along the way.
When they stepped into the gathering hall, they discovered that aside from the familiar Heracles, four other figures were seated before the tables.
One was an heroic and imposing youth with a gloomy temperament, clad in a black cloak, with short purple hair and golden eyes.
Seated beside Heracles, he appeared delicate and slender in contrast to the future God of Strength.
Lorne narrowed his eyes, asking in a seemingly casual manner. "Who is that?"
"Hylas, Heracles's attendant,"
Telamon explained, a trace of teasing humor appearing on his rugged face. "He ran into a slight accident on the road, getting captured by a water nymph, and only recently escaped her grotto to rendezvous with Heracles in the royal city."
Given the fierce customs of the Greek Age of Gods, that water nymph had clearly taken a liking to the handsome youth, wanting to drag him into her cave to consummate the deed.
In Lorne's memory, Heracles indeed had an attendant named Hylas; because of his beauty, a water nymph fancied him, dragging him into the water to drown while fetching water, binding his soul to her side.
Heracles was heartbroken over this, even halting his trials for a time.
Because Hylas was not merely his attendant, but also his foster son and lover.
Indeed, this future little brother of great strength had inherited the fine tradition of his beastly father Zeus, being a non-discriminating dual-plug who swung both ways...
Thinking of these outrageous relatives in the family, Lorne once again felt how noble his own moral character was and how pure his heart remained, examining the handsome, purple-haired youth beside Heracles with a cool gaze.
Despite sitting in a lower seat, the superior Heracles glanced at this "Hylas" from time to time, his attitude even carrying a touch of deference.
Through careful observation,
Lorne vaguely sensed that Heracles did not resemble a father facing an adopted son and attendant, but rather a child facing a mentor.
Furthermore, the real Hylas would never have had the ability to survive the clutches of a water nymph.
Recalling how his little brother had approached him last night to return the Saint Cloth, Lorne narrowed his eyes at the purple-haired youth, having already reached a conclusion in his heart.
—Zeus's man.
As if sensing something, the purple-haired youth instinctively raised his head.
Lorne casually averted his gaze, looking toward the other three in the hall.
These three were quite familiar to him; the merman prince Triton, whom he had met several times before, along with the two Mechanical Gods beside him.
At this moment, Triton had brought them to sit across from Heracles, chatting and laughing warmly with King Admetus, who had stepped forward to toast.
"Wait, why are these guys here too?"
Beside him, Caenis glared with an unfriendly expression at the trio from the Sea God Temple, indirectly voicing the doubt in Lorne's heart.
"Admetus couldn't have lost his mind and agreed to the Sea God Temple's demands, right?"
"Of course not."
Telamon shook his head, clarifying on behalf of his king.
"The other side came to make peace, stating that to express gratitude for His Majesty's courteous treatment of the Sea King during Poseidon's punishment in the past, the Sea God Temple is willing to assist Thessaly against the Gigantes, provided that sacrifices to Poseidon are not forgotten once the matter is settled."
Generally speaking, human faith in the Gods fell into two categories.
One was an established faith requiring a temple to be built for lifelong worship, which belonged to a long-term contract; the other was receiving a God's favor and performing prayers and sacrifices afterward to repay that grace, which was a short-term contract.
The Sea God Temple's intention this time was clearly to allow Thessaly to cooperate through the second method.
Securing the Sea God Temple's aid through a single sacrificial rite was a bargain in Thessaly's favor no matter how one calculated it.
However...
"Can that old bastard Poseidon ever brew anything good?"
Caenis shot a sidelong glance at the trio from the Sea God Temple, her face full of disbelief.
"I think Admetus had better watch his back, lest he gets sold out without even knowing it."
Hearing this, Telamon explained helplessly. "His Majesty naturally knows that the Sea God Temple's compromise must come with other motives, but they brought something Thessaly cannot refuse."
"What is it?"
"Orichalcum! Tons of orichalcum! Enough to mix into the stone materials and forge an iron fortress for Thessaly!"
Telamon spoke solemnly, taking out a prepared manuscript sketch to hand to the allies before him while explaining. "Once this fortress is built, Thessaly will stand firm even when facing the earth tremors unleashed by the Gigantes, sparing more citizens from disaster.
Considering this, His Majesty agreed to the Sea God Temple's entry and entrusted me to explain the reasons to everyone, hoping you can understand His Majesty's difficulties and temporarily set aside grievances to confront Thessaly's crisis together."
Although everyone knew the Sea God Temple's involvement harbored no good intentions, the Gigantes' combat prowess was extraordinary and their numbers vast; last time, their main force had not even appeared, yet dispatching a single named Antaeus had nearly wiped Thessaly off the map.
For the greater good, Thessaly had no choice but to grasp the olive branch extended by the Sea God Temple.
Out of respect for King Admetus, the crowd could only nod to accept the established reality, steadying their minds as they followed Telamon into the hall.
(End of Chapter)
P.S: The Patreon run is fifty chapters ahead of this one, if you'd rather read it there: [Patreon.com/abhi28]