嫩草官网国产精品

The aged lion that followed closely humbled himself by bowing his proud head, his eyes filled with shame and bitterness.

"To have troubled you to come here personally is truly a failure on my part."

"Enough, I\'m not here to listen to such futile ramblings."

Athena waved her hand to dismiss the formalities of King Minos and his chief priest, set up a barrier with another gesture, and got straight to the point.

"Besides Knossos, what about the other cities? Start with those."

Ariadne, responsible for liaising with all regions, nodded respectfully and reported the compiled details of each city to her Goddess Athena with accuracy.

This naturally included her brother\'s somewhat unruly actions.

After listening attentively, Athena nodded slightly, her face showing little surprise.

The situation in the Cretan cities was much as she had heard from Little Medusa, with little difference.

Although there were unexpected losses due to negligence, these were still within controllable limits.

As for how King Minos would deal with his disobedient beloved sons, that was not something she needed to concern herself with.

If she had to intervene in even such trivial matters, then his position as the King of Crete was better off relinquished sooner rather than later.

Filtering the information in her mind briefly, Athena opened her eyes and looked at the old lion beside her that was showing signs of ageing.

"Hmm, I\'m more or less informed about the matters on the island. And the sea? Any news about this sudden onslaught of the giant wave?"

"Yes!"

King Minos nodded emphatically, his golden eyes emitting intense frustration and anger.

"During your time back in Olympus, the Temple of the Sea God claimed that a detachment of the Atlantean Imperial Guard vanished near the waters of Occhanos, and there were mass slaughters of sea monsters with divine blood, including one of Poseidon\'s demigod offspring..."

"So, they suspect it\'s the work of the Minosians?"

Athena\'s eyebrows slightly raised, and then she nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense. To hunt down a large number of divine-blooded sea monsters and a demigod offspring of Poseidon, and then make a detachment of the Atlantean Imperial Guard that came to investigate disappear without a trace is not an easy feat. And looking at the entire nearby sea, it seems only Crete Island could have managed such a deed."

Following that, Athena glanced at King Minos beside her and then added another sentence.

"Besides, the motive also seems plausible..."

"Lady Goddess, I have always remembered your teachings and never once initiated such conflicts!"

King Minos immediately retorted with a solemn promise.

"Telling me this is of no use."

With a slight raise of her hand, Athena interrupted King Minos\'s earnest plea to prove his innocence and spoke solemnly.

"Whether I believe you or not is irrelevant; what matters is what they think on the other side. What does Poseidon think?"

"Just based on these baseless speculations, is the Temple of the Sea God going to condemn us? Even the gods should not be so irrational!"

King Minos\'s aged face was full of indignation and resentment, his fists clenched tightly.

As a wise king who strictly enforced the law, what he could least tolerate was the practice of trampling on rules with brute force.

"Evidence? You want evidence from the gods? Haven\'t you understood after all this time? It\'s pointless..."

Athena glanced at the furious King Minos, shook her head slightly, and murmured with profound meaning.

"Because for them, once suspicion arises, the crime is already established!"

"..."

Hearing this cruel and subversive answer from the mouth of the Chief God he worshipped, King Minos, who spent his life upholding justice and imposing strict punishments, looked dejected, struggling to accept this heavy reality.

Noticing the reaction of the old lion, Athena imperceptibly shook her head.

Although he was capable of governing a country, his integrity was too rigid, ultimately lacking flexibility.

Moreover, he truly had aged, no longer able to even control his own son…

Seeing the deep wrinkles on the old man\'s white hair and forehead, left there by the years, the Goddess of Wisdom sighed deeply and spoke in a low tone.

"Whether you did this or not is irrelevant, the Temple of the Sea has long coveted Crete Island, and they\'re just looking for a reason to intervene, understand?"

"Understood…"

King Minos nodded, his voice old and feeble.

"I am truly ashamed for not living up to Your teachings and expectations…"

"Enough, this is not your fault, there\'s no need to blame yourself for such inconsequential matters."

Athena waved her hand dismissively, her demeanor light and nonchalant.

Inconsequential matters?

Hearing their Goddess speak with such a lackadaisical tone, the Priestess Ariadne at her side couldn\'t help but be secretly shocked and cautiously reminded.

"But Your Highness, what if the Temple of the Sea comes to hold us accountable?"

"Hold us accountable?"

Athena\'s lips tightened as she let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"Accountable for what? Shouldn\'t it be me demanding accountability from Poseidon? He raised massive waves without distinguishing the innocent from the guilty, destroying 17 harbors and 25 villages on Crete Island in succession, burying thousands of acres of fertile land, leading to the death of thousands and the displacement of tens of thousands, and causing over 300 ships at sea to sink because of him. Shouldn\'t it be him who\'s held responsible first?"

"What?"

Ariadne, standing nearby, was utterly astounded by the listed damages, exaggerated tenfold or more.

Even King Minos himself was struggling to make sense of it.

Seeing their naive reactions, the Goddess of Wisdom rubbed her forehead in frustration, cautioning them with heartfelt earnestness.

"Remember, when the other party isn\'t playing fair, don\'t fall into the trap of proving your innocence, trying to explain yourself to others. Those who slander you know better than anyone how innocent you are. Such rebuttals are endless."

King Minos and Princess Ariadne nodded as if they understood, but the confusion in their eyes showed they still couldn\'t fully grasp the concept.

Noticing this, Athena pinched her somewhat aching brow, mumbling to herself.

Explaining this to honest and simple-minded people is truly exhausting.

If he were here, he\'d surely grasp it without need for explanation, keeping up with my thoughts...

While reminiscing about someone who was rarely on the same wavelength as her, the Goddess of Wisdom steered the conversation in a more straightforward direction.

"The logic is simple. If Poseidon can suspect that Crete Island massacred his Divine Blood kin and wiped out his Atlantean Guard,

then I can also suspect that the Atlantean Guard hasn\'t vanished at all, and it\'s all a self-directed ruse meant to frame us, with the objective of launching another great purge against humanity and thereby expanding his divine authority from the sea onto land.

The Chief God might ignore other affairs, but he would definitely inquire about such a matter."

With this realization, the father and daughter finally saw the light.

Indeed, if all are baseless accusations, then who is cleaner than whom?

Instead of proving oneself, it is better to tarnish the enemy!

As long as the noise is loud enough, Poseidon won\'t be able to meddle overtly."

"Don\'t celebrate too soon!"

However, before the two could relax, Athena doused them with a cold reality check.

"Even if I can hold back Poseidon and the mighty forces of Atlantis, I may not be able to fend off all the trouble at sea."

As she spoke, the Goddess of Wisdom turned her gaze toward the vast sea shrouded in night, her eyes distant, and her face reflecting deep concern.

"I have a premonition that Poseidon won\'t let this go so easily this time…"