Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 619 - 201: Abstention and Discourtesy

"I abstain."

"I abstain."

"I also abstain."

Her heart skipped half a beat as she sat in the seat designated for competitors, Andrea was shocked by the meaning of the voices in her mind. However, at almost the same time, three voices rang out one after the other from beside her.

Looking towards the voices, the Little Princess recognized the owners of the voices.

One was a scholar from Phoenicia, one was a well-known historian and jurist from the City of Athens, and the last one was a prince from Pislatius.

The reasons for the first two abstaining were not surprising, for Andrea had heard them express doubts about the historical records before. They believed that the Fire Thief, Prometheus, was actually a respectable True God, contrary to what the official scriptures of Olympus recorded.

As for the last one... although he was also a prince, he was not as renowned as Odysseus of Ithaca. However, just from the name of that country, Andrea knew why he abstained.

As one of the oldest nations of humanity, Pislatius was now just a small country with a few cities, rarely favored by the gods. According to folk rumors, this was because one of their kings had proclaimed that the Divine King had abducted his daughter, though no evidence could prove this to be true.

Even though many later believed it might be true... it did not affect the decline of the kingdom, nor the royal family’s subtle rejection of the deities.

The reason these three abstained was probably that they neither wanted to betray their own convictions by speaking at the convention, nor did they want to attract the censure of the deities for it. After all, while speaking openly in such a debate, the gods might not punish a player directly for their speech, but that did not stop them from acting indirectly.

It was once so in Thebes, at the wedding of the Goddess of Harmony and Cadmos, when the Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite, gave her a beautifully crafted necklace and silk veil as a wedding gift. However, whether it was because she was furious about her daughter marrying a mortal or not, that necklace and veil seemed to carry a curse, as everyone who wore them met with misfortune.

"Wow—"

As the three finished speaking, the auditorium buzzed again.

There were no amplification devices installed at the seating area for the competitors, but standing here were essentially no weaklings, each capable of making their voice carry further with little difficulty.

As soon as the topic was announced, three people abstained, which was extremely rare.

"The three of you, I heard you just now expressing the intention to withdraw from the competition?"

In the center of the venue, the elder was taken aback upon hearing this, but he quickly understood the reason and asked officially:

"Do you assure that the act of withdrawing from the competition is out of your own free will, without being subjected to any external coercion or intimidation? If you choose to give up, there will be no possibility of changing your mind later on."

"Of course."

The Prince of Pislatius spoke, and the other two nodded in agreement.

"In that case, the three of you may choose to stay and watch the following matches or leave early."

Ignoring the clamorous voices, the elder Modia signaled to those who had withdrawn to make their own choice.

He slightly raised his hand, and immediately, melodious music resounded to the left and right of the stands, under the influence of the array, overshadowing the noisy discussions.

The central floating platform then trembled slightly, splitting into several smaller circular platforms, which moved across the sky like ships on the sea and landed in front of the remaining competitors.

"Now, please take the stage."

Exchanging glances, the remaining competitors stepped forward, Andrea among them.

She was not the only female competitor; there was also an old woman with white hair.

As the floating platform moved again, the competitors reached the center of the auditorium, in sight of everyone.

"Your identities need no introduction, as you are either renowned across all countries or have recently proven your abilities in Athens. Everyone knows you and looks forward to your performance."

"Now, let the competition begin, in the name of Athena of Wisdom, may you all excel."

Originally, there was a long segment intended to introduce the guests, the history of Athens, the reason for organizing this convention, and then to introduce the competitors’ identities and fame individually, but Modia was more interested in knowing about the sudden change in topic, and who had altered it.

So he simply skipped those unrelated matters and directly announced the start of the competition. According to the rules of a debate, at the start of the competition, the first thing all competitors had to do was to state their views.

"...Since the competition has already started, let me be the first to speak."

The venue fell silent for a moment, then Odysseus smiled unaffectedly.

He had nothing to be concerned about, and did not mind being the first to speak. As for his viewpoint, that went without saying.

As one of the many descendants of the Divine King left in the mortal realm, even though generations had passed, he could not possibly oppose Divine Court’s speech for mere rumors.

"So, esteemed audience, esteemed friends sharing the stage with me, beautiful ladies, and all gods, both of heaven and earth,"

"As the Prince of Ithaca, I am honored to stand here to share my opinions, to explicate my views. Here, I thank the priest who has traveled from afar, as well as King Theseus of Athens, for they have given us this opportunity to gather here. Therefore, I must do my utmost to demonstrate my eloquence, in hopes of adding a trivial amount of brilliance to this grand event."

"I have heard that among all the wise monarchs in all countries, there is no one who does not clearly reward and punish. A ruler like King Theseus would certainly punish those who break agreements and penalize those who commit crimes, for only in this way can the interests of those who adhere to agreements be protected, and the law-abiding citizens not suffer.

This is a universally accepted truth, a justice that does not change with time, and this is my view. I view the disaster of the Bronze Age, the destruction of the Bronze Age, as a monarch’s punishment for the unfaithful, a ruler’s sanction of the guilty, which is reasonable and beyond doubt."

"Those who steal must be imprisoned; those who do not abide by the rules must be judged according to the law. This is a rule that should be fulfilled by everyone from aristocrats in city-states to the divine monarchs of all gods. If such actions are considered ’unjust,’ what then is considered just?"

Standing on the high platform, Odysseus slowly stated his standpoint, then concluded with a rhetorical question and bowed in respect. In fact, what he said was precisely the summary of the ideas quietly promoted by the Divine Court over the years.

The Bronze Humanity had violated the divine-human covenant; their destruction was naturally lawful and justifiable. Prometheus stole fire, which was against the law, so it was only right that he be imprisoned.

It was hard for anyone to question this, as they had already sensed that the crux of this debate would inevitably become a critique of which of Prometheus’s crimes was the most severe.

In this era, openly criticizing deities was rare, except of course when they were guilty. Thus, following Odysseus’s opening, the next contender also stepped forward to present his viewpoint.

······

Clap, clap, clap—

The mortal debate had just begun, but naturally, the audience was not limited to the mortals in the audience.

Whether it was Iapetus or other deities present at the scene, they all silently watched this grand assembly. In a palace beneath the Pontus Euxinus, the God of the West Wind gently clapped his hands in support of the speech of Odysseus he saw in the phantasm before him.

With the authority of the Divine King and the temple built on the Acropolis along with its followers, everything happening at the venue was reflected in this palace, and Odysseus’s speech was naturally conveyed synchronously.

Regarding his speech, the deities present basically had no objections. Most of them had no connections with Prometheus, and even if they did, they did not believe that Divine Court was wrong in this matter.

Even Hestia thought Prometheus should not have taught humans to deceive the gods... Therefore, the speech of the Prince of Ithaca naturally pleased the deities, and even the tense atmosphere caused by the Golden Apple eased a bit.

Of course, only a little bit.

"Respected Sovereign, it seems your lineage is still so extraordinary, that even though three generations have passed, it can still produce such distinguished offspring.

If it weren’t for the haughty nature of mortals, who lose their reverence and self-knowledge as soon as they approach the divine, I’d even suggest you invite him here to share a drink with all the gods," Zephyrus said with a smile, while the Divine King laughed modestly for a few moments.

He had already forgotten which branch of his bloodline Odysseus was from, but the latter’s performance was quite acceptable. Moreover, the Divine King could see his thirst for wisdom and fame.

This candidate could potentially become a champion; he would make the right choice... Of course, as the God of West Wind had mentioned, although his performance was good, sharing a drink was out of the question.

Since Tantalus’s incident, the gods had learned another lesson, which in another civilization’s words would be called ’familiarity breeds contempt.’

The more gods interact with mortals, the more they generate undesirable thoughts and commit intolerable acts.

Thus, they no longer allowed beings incapable of eternal life to come close to them, even their own offspring.

"The fourth generation of humans grew up under the teachings of gods from the moment they were born, indeed unlike the irreverent and unruly Bronze Generation," Zeus nodded in approval as he glanced to his left.

A young girl in a knee-length dress, sitting upright and composed, was calmly watching the phantom before her, as if this grand assembly was not happening in her mortal sanctuary, and as if she had not been affected by the previous issue with the Golden Apple.

Inwardly, if this were not his daughter but a son, if he did not possess power surpassing all deities, Zeus might not have been able to tolerate her existence.

Even deep down, the Divine King felt a slight apprehension.

But reason, after all, triumphed over vague premonitions. Zeus did not feel that Athena, being a goddess, could truly threaten him. However, if he could take this opportunity to teach her a lesson along the way, it wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

She needed to remember who her father and king were and not spend her days in the stars, mixing with those unruly deities."

"Athena, my most illustrious daughter, I changed the topic of the competition without your consent, and that was indeed my fault,"

"However, if one were to choose a mortal to judge deities, it would naturally require a competition of judging another god to demonstrate his capability—yet, since the topic was replaced by me, I promise you, no matter what speech appears in this competition, I will not hold it against Athena."

"Then I shall thank Your Majesty for your kindness,"

With a slight smile, Athena seemed not too concerned about this. She nodded gently and then continued to watch the mortals speak at the venue.

By this time, several individuals had completed their opening statements, and only two figures remained in the center.