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"Okay, as you wish."

Having escaped the danger of a beating, Luo En quickly conceded, set up the chessboard, and recalling Hecate\'s chess strategy, he began to set traps for Athena in preparation for the upcoming match against that gambling goddess.

Time flew by, and dusk had arrived outside the window. The fading glow of the sunset streamed through the window lattice, spilling into the living room where Hestia was busy tidying up, and the two who were dominating the long table were locked in an intense and evenly matched game of chess.

"Luo En, Luo En!"

With a game ending, Little Medusa, who had been frolicking with Nike in the backyard, excitedly rushed into the house with her friend, showing him something she wore on her chest.

It was a bronze medal, on which the pattern of several intertwined serpents was cast.

Luo En touched the head of Little Medusa as she moved closer and asked with a smile.

"What is it?"

"A gift! The gift Nike gave me!"

Little Medusa replied excitedly, her little face beaming with pride.

Luo En took a closer look for a few more moments, then patiently agreed,

"Hmm, it looks good, and it suits you quite well."

"It\'s more than that!"

Little Medusa shook her head, a trace of solemnity appearing on her small face. She raised her hand, clutching the bronze medal in her palm and activated her divine power.

In an instant, a greyish glow flowed from Medusa\'s fingertips and covered her whole body, transforming into a glittering set of full bronze armor, with the characteristic serpent patterns looking almost lifelike.

"Hum!"

At the same time, Medusa gave her small hand a shake, and accompanied by a faint metallic tremor, a serpentine bronze chain sword appeared in the young girl\'s palm. With a casual swing, it made a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air.

Feeling the strong divinity contained within the armor and Little Medusa\'s suddenly much stronger presence, Luo En\'s expression changed.

"This is..."

"The Bronze Serpent Armor, it\'s what I asked the Craftsman God Hephaestus to infuse with a part of my divinity and personally forge as a weapon." said the Goddess of Wisdom across from him, as she set down the chess piece she was toying with. She smiled faintly and then cast a playful look towards Luo En.

"Originally, this was prepared for you. However, it seems you wouldn\'t need it, so I let Nike give it to Anna instead."

"..."

Luo En\'s mouth twitched, and he felt a pang of regret so intense it was almost turning blue.

A divine artifact! A real divine artifact! He couldn\'t find such a premium item even after smashing Circe to pieces!

Moreover, this was an exquisite piece personally forged by the Craftsman God Hephaestus, infused with Athena\'s serpentine divinity.

It is known that the great hero Achilles of the Trojan War was able to fight back the entire city of Troy, with divine assistance, because he had a full set of armor from the Craftsman God. In the end, it took Apollo, one of the Twelve Olympians, to personally intervene. Disguised as a commoner, he struck from the shadows and shot an arrow through Achilles\' only weak point, his heel, which led to the invincible war hero\'s ultimate demise.

Similarly, had Luo En been wearing this item, he reckoned he could have walked sideways among his demigod peers, and even if he faced a real deity, he would have had the power to fight.

Sensing Luo En\'s interest, Little Medusa decisively pulled off the bronze emblem on her chest and stuffed it directly into his hands.

"I can\'t use this anyway, so I\'ll give it to you."

Luo En felt a warmth in his heart and gently pressed down on Medusa\'s little hand, showing a gentle smile.

"No need, the serpentine divinity matches your lineage the best, and it seems this item has already recognized its owner. You should keep it."

Then he paused, nodded at Nike in the backyard, and reminded her in a low voice.

"Besides, you shouldn\'t easily give away a friend\'s gift to someone else."

Under Luo En\'s repeated persuasion, Medusa appeared to waver and felt a bit troubled.

"But..."

"Take this emblem, and you may enter and exit my temple at will."

The Goddess Athena across from him began speaking softly, her eyes twinkling with mirth, her voice then took on a teasing tone.

"It means you can eat whatever you want..."

"...!"

Instantly, Little Medusa stared intently at the bronze emblem in her hand and unconsciously swallowed.

Immediately afterward, the little girl resolutely stuffed the long-term meal ticket back to where it came from and looked up seriously at Luo En in front of her.

"Don\'t worry, I\'ll protect you!"

Watching Little Medusa, who had been pacified with a few meals, dash back to the backyard, Luo En couldn\'t help but smile wryly. He turned to Athena and asked, somewhat helplessly.

"Letting her get into your temple to freeload, that\'s not ideal, right?"

"Ordinary people certainly don\'t have that privilege, but she is my priestess, representing my will on earth, enjoying my offerings and worship, isn\'t that only to be expected?"

With her response prepared in advance, Athena spoke nonchalantly.

However, to Luo En, her words were like a thunderclap out of the clear sky, and he looked at the Goddess of Wisdom before him in astonishment.

"Your priestess? Yours?"

"Yes," Athena replied, nodding her head as her gaze fell on Little Medusa, who was playing with Nike in the backyard, her expression softening.

"I am very fond of this child, and she also loves the city of Knossos. Since you have no use for this object, why not train her to be my priestess?"

Luo En listened attentively, his exterior calm, but his heart stirred with waves that could not be calmed.

According to a certain legend, after becoming Athena\'s priestess, Medusa would be known for her beauty comparable to Athena\'s, which would eventually attract the covetous gaze of Poseidon.

In the end, Medusa was first violated by the shameless God of the Sea in the temple and then spurned and cursed by Athena for losing her chastity, falling completely into a demonic form.

—Could it be, even after successfully avoiding the fate of the Formless Island, the inevitability of destiny still possesses a strong rectifying force, seeking to pull everything back onto the set course in another manner?

Indeed, even with the Dice of Chance in hand, it wasn\'t easy to completely shift the wheels of inevitability.

Foreseeing a new crisis and realizing that the seeds of disaster had been sown upon Medusa, Luo En furrowed his brows deeply. After a moment of thought, he hesitantly turned to Athena, trying to dissuade the Goddess of Wisdom from this idea.

"Boom!"

However, before he could speak, a violent tremor came from outside the window, and the whole island of Crete shook slightly.

Athena\'s expression changed as she swiftly got up and rushed outside, with everyone instinctively following.

At that moment, the sky and earth were dark, and a hundred-foot-high wave rose up from the vast sea, stretching from heaven to earth, hurtling toward the coastline of Crete.

The Minosians on the streets looked at the engulfing torrent with ashen faces, some screaming and running in all directions, others hugging their loved ones and cowering in corners, the entire city enveloped in apocalyptic cries.

Damn it, can\'t you hold back any longer?!

The Goddess of Wisdom, her eyes darkened, divine power bursting forth from her body and transforming into golden flames that shot skyward, dispelling the gathered storm clouds in the sky.

Yet, the waves on the sea continued to advance, and the crisis was not fully averted.

"Nike!"

With a low shout from Athena, the little Goddess of Victory at the front immediately transformed into a gold-green long spear and flew into her master\'s hand, radiating awe-inspiring sharpness.

Then, the Goddess of Wisdom clad in bronze armor, she summoned a divine shield in her other hand, and stood lost in grave contemplation.

"I\'ll be right back. You all watch this place and keep others away from the shoreline!"

"Okay!"

Without hesitation, Little Medusa nodded and rushed toward the panicked crowd, announcing the warning.

Meanwhile, having given her commands, Athena extended dazzling golden metal wings from her back and leapt towards the towering wave that was almost upon Crete.

Luo En and Hestia exchanged a glance, both seeing the same worry in each other\'s eyes.

The trouble, it seemed, was about to begin…