The Greece Antagonist

The next day, Olympus.

Early in the morning, Artemis, dressed in her hunting attire, excitedly arrived at Hestia's temple to call for Luo En.

When Luo En heard the noise and came outside, he saw not only the smiling Goddess of the Hunt but also her bothersome little brother-in-law trying hard to maintain a strained smile.

Noticing that the God of Light seemed less than cheerful, Luo En decisively moved closer to Artemis's side, to prevent Apollo from finding an opportunity to make a move on him.

Unfortunately, Athena was busy finalizing the details of forging 88 sacred robes and testing the combat effectiveness of a few finished products, so she was unable to leave her work.

Otherwise, it would have been possible to bring her along to Arcadia to provide support and keep a constant eye on the somewhat unsteady God of Light.

But this was just as well; Luo En couldn't always be under the protection of the Goddess of Wisdom. It was better to get some practice in order to better integrate into the large Olympus family.

Moreover, Athena was too clever; trying to pull any stunts under her watch required caution and was too troublesome.

Compared to the Goddess of Wisdom, whose mind was as complex as a honeycomb, most of the Greek gods Luo En had encountered, as well as the ordinary people from the city-states, were naively (easily deceived) adorable.

After making up his mind, Luo En packed his things, readily accepted the invitation to leave, and proudly joined the team of his host, Artemis.

As for the arrival of her lover, the Goddess of the Hunt could not have been more pleased and directly handed over the task of driving the chariot to this Lesser Deity, as they rode together in one vehicle.

The nineteen spurned hunting nymphs could only follow reluctantly, striding on their long legs behind the chariot, traveling on foot.

Apollo, watching the outsider who had actively seduced his sister, could not help but have fire in his eyes. He quickly drove his golden chariot to catch up with them, to prevent them from doing anything inappropriate on the way.

Suddenly, the nine Muse Goddesses who were accompanying them were all left behind, only able to follow the nineteen hunting nymphs with sorrowful looks, hastening on their journey by invoking their divine power.

Luckily, the abode of the gods, Mount Olympus, and the Arcadia region, considered a sanctuary of Artemis, are both located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, not far apart from each other.

Thus, a group of delicate goddesses did not suffer too much from the long journey. It only took a few short hours of travel to arrive at their destination.

As the chariot came to a halt in the woods, Artemis extended her hand to help Luo En down from the chariot, and without rushing into her favorite activity of hunting, took on the role of a host and accompanied her long-distance lover for a casual stroll through the secluded valleys and riverside, introducing him to the environment of Arcadia and its past, while reminiscing about her memories left in these lands.

"Arcadia" originally arkadia, with "ark" meaning to avoid or escape.

Initially, it was a wilderness. Legend has it that at that time, with people oppressing and exploiting one another, along with divine calamities from the gods and ravages from magic beasts, many fled to this land with their families to start anew.

Gradually, city-states were established here, transforming it into a sanctuary suitable for herdsmen, hunters, and mountain dwellers.

And Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt who blessed their livestock to thrive and their hunts to be fruitful, became the mainstream guardian deity of this region.

Besides that, this was also the birthplace of Hermes, the Divine Envoy, and the worship of Pan, the son of Hermes, spread throughout Arcadia.

It was unclear if it was the latter two who spoiled the local customs, or because it was a gathering place for mountain folk, thieves, hunters, and refugees, but the local customs were quite fierce.

If their hunts were disappointing, the hunters of Arcadia would even dare to whip the statues of the gods.

As a result, the "Arcadia" brimming with vitality and burgeoning with life also became synonymous with being uncivilized, looked down upon by other Greeks.

The few thieves Luo En had encountered on the Formless Island were heroes produced from this very paradise.

However, it's worth mentioning that in the future, Arcadia would also have another translation: "Utopia"…

Luo En, combining memories from the future and conducting cross-temporal field archaeology, revealed an ironic smile as he looked at the vast forests and secluded valleys from which magic beasts occasionally leapt out, baring their teeth at him.

After a brief moment of tenderness, Artemis, seeing that the accompanying nymphs and Muses had gradually arrived, had no choice but to adjust her mindset and start the formal hunt.

It must be said, Arcadia, as the sanctuary of the Goddess of the Hunt, was rich in wild fauna and flora, and magic beasts with divine bloodlines were also common.

But for ordinary people who might find them threatening, these beasts had no choice but to flee before two Chief Gods and a bunch of Lesser Deities.

In an instant, the entire Arcadian Mountains were in chaos, with a plethora of wild animals and magic beasts dragging their families to escape, and birds startled from the woods not returning to their nests for a long time.

By dusk, the beasts that saw the bullies who had invaded the mountains finally settled down and began to set up camp, make fire, and cook.

The once noisy forest finally regained some semblance of peace.

As night fell deeper, the aroma of meat filled the air around the warm fire. Luo En passed the roasted meat and mushroom soup to the accompanying nymphs and Muses in turn.

His exquisite cooking skills had the goddesses savoring every bite, lavishing in praise, losing their reserve and feasting heartily.

Having underestimated the goddesses' appetite, the game meat hunted during the day was sufficient, but the spices and seasonings Luo En had prepared were completely consumed.

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Under the hopeful gaze of the Nymphs and Muse Goddesses, Luo En could only get up helplessly, grab his own Golden Hound, and prepare to look for some wild substitutes for spices.

After following the river for a short distance, Luo En found a modest harvest and was ready to return and feed the group of goddesses who were waiting to be fed.

"Woof~!"

Unexpectedly, the Golden Hound, which had stuck its head into the bushes searching for mushrooms, suddenly let out a wail of frustration and quickly retracted its head, bouncing and leaping back to its master.

Something there?

A flicker of surprise crossed Luo En's brows as he stood and approached the bushes, parting the spreading branches with his hands, to then surprisingly discover a swaddled baby lying quietly on the dried leaves, its bright tea-colored eyes curiously sizing him up without the slightest fear.

In that small snow-white hand extending from the swaddling clothes clutched a bunch of pale yellow dog hair.

Looking down at his dog whimpering by his feet and the noticeable patch of missing fur around its neck, Luo En, as an irresponsible owner, couldn't help but stifle a chuckle.

Who would have thought the mighty Golden Hound, which had eaten Poseidon's sea dog pills, could be bullied by a little girl who hadn't yet emerged from her swaddle?

"Little girl, I didn't realize you were so fierce," Luo En said as he bent down to gently lift the baby from the ground while he playfully tickled the infant girl's tender cheek, laughing softly.

Whether irritated by the teasing or truly hungry, the fussy infant bit down on the finger playing on her face, gnawing with force.

However, as she had not yet grown teeth, Luo En's finger wrapped by the baby's small mouth felt not pain but a tingling sensation.

The utterly ineffective counterattack only made Luo En want to laugh more. He looked up, surveyed the surroundings to make sure they were alone, and then, with pity flashing in his eyes, he looked down at the swaddled child in his arms.

It appeared that this was likely a baby abandoned in the forest by parents who didn't wish to care for it.

However, judging by the fabric and pattern of the swaddle, it seemed the child's family was not of poor status. Surely, they hadn't abandoned her because they couldn't afford to keep her?

Just as Luo En was feeling puzzled, the sound of faint movements in the air caught his attention. He squinted sharply and planted his feet firmly on the ground, the invisible halo turning behind him and the golden silhouette of the [Bull] enveloping him in an instant.

"Clang clang clang clang!"

Accompanying the clear sound of metal clashing, several bronze arrows shot out from the darkness were bent upon impact and repelled.

"Who's there? Come out!" Luo En called out, holding the infant and shouting sternly as he stomped furiously on the earth.

Immediately, the virtual silhouette of the [Bull] let out a low bellow, its hooves trampling the ground, sending a robust divine power trembling through the earth and spreading outward.

The trees along the path toppled thunderously, and chaotic hoofbeats came from the darkness.

Bathed in the silver light of the full moon and peering through the dust, Luo En distinctly saw hundreds of creatures gathering around him—they had the lower body of a horse with four hooves; the upper body of a human, wearing bronze armor, and wielding bow, arrows, and axe.

Centaurs?

The name of these creatures flashed through Luo En's mind, darkening his expression.

Centaurs, also known as Centaurs, were hybrid descendants of the gods that existed during the era of Titan King Cronus, residing in the mountainous and wooded areas of Thessaly and Arcadia, situated in central and eastern Greece between Mount Pelion and the Aegean Sea. They were infamous for their violence, lust, love of fighting, and raiding. They often invaded human settlements and abducted beautiful members of the opposite sex to their dens for mating.

Thus, during the Age of Greek Gods, they were notorious among the tribes.

What irked Luo En was that Centaurs, due to their promiscuity and lust, were portrayed by poets as followers of Dionysus, the God of Wine...

There were also the satyrs and the god Pan, notorious for their lechery, who were said to be his vassals...

It feels like I'm at home minding my own business, yet I'm being blamed for things falling from the sky.

What do I have to do with these damned creatures? Don't try to pin the reputation of lecherousness and drunkenness on me, alright?

While Luo En was silently complaining, a rough and awkward common language came from the darkness.

"Male... don't kill... ahead... settlement... lots of women... take them back!" one of the centaurs, with a golden helmet and a large stature that suggested he was the leader, ordered in a hoarse voice.

As the indigenous inhabitants, they had become aware of the commotion caused by those foreigners early on.

With so many beautiful aliens coming to their doorstep and blatantly setting up camp, it would be a shame not to extend a proper welcome to these lovely outsiders during the night, in true Arcadian fashion.

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