Chapter 131

She certainly remembered that the gate she passed through when she entered the simulation was called "The Gate of Atnan".

'I initially thought Atinan was a name the 'gatekeeper' had specifically given to this pass, but now it seems it's clearly not that simple... Wait, Atinan?'

Hebe kept chewing on the name.

A look of horror gradually appeared on her face.

She also remembered that in the Eastern Lostbelt, the simulator told her that the entire Greek Civilization had been swallowed up by Eris.

Hebe let out a long breath and gazed at the slightly rippling water. "Miss Medea, do you know 'Athena'?"

As Hebe uttered the name, a gust of wind suddenly blew through the woods, carrying a warm yet chilling scent.

Immediately afterwards, the tightly closed clouds in the sky suddenly separated.

Sunlight streamed onto Heracles Island, and many people's clothing ties inexplicably came undone.

The building's walls trembled, doors slammed open, door frames warped and twisted, and windows swayed open.

Joan of Arc suddenly felt a dull ache in her old wound, as if it were about to burst open from the inside out.

She quickly rolled up her sleeves to check the scars on her arms, thankfully it was just an illusion.

The same applies to Skadi.

"Such a powerful influence..."

Hebe looked around. The once-closed woodland was now bathed in sunlight from all directions, and a thin white mist had risen in the woods, creating a beautiful and enchanting scene, like a fairyland.

"I originally thought that no one would ever mention this name until I died." Medea's voice seemed to have a different meaning. "Athena is another name for the Great God Attinan ... Since you know Janus, you should also know that Janus is a gatekeeper, a double-edged god."

"Athena is to the left of Janus; she looks to the past, to the lost and unattainable Greek city-states."

"Atinan is to Janus' right; he looks to the future and will surely disappear into the deep waters of Atlantis."

"In other words..." Hebe let out a long sigh, "Athena is Atinan."

"Yes, you could say that," Medea replied. "Atinan is Athena who was born as a male."

"According to one version of Greek mythology, if Athena had been born as a man, he would have become the fourth king of the gods after Zeus."

"Yes, but Dionysus, the god of wine, also has this possibility."

Hebe paused for a moment. "Atinan corresponds to the goalkeeper, so who does Dionysus correspond to?"

"I cannot say," Medea replied hesitantly.

"I understand." Hebe nodded. "There's another version of Greek mythology that records Zeus and Persephone, the queen of the underworld, had a son named Zagreus. This god is considered to be the previous incarnation of Dionysus ... But who does Zagreus correspond to?"

"There are two answers to this question," Medea said. "I cannot say the answer now."

"Just tell me the answers from the past," Hebe pressed.

"Zagreus was once the lord of thunder and the bestower of abundance, so he was one with Zeus, yet he was also Zeus's youngest son."

"I understand," Hebe nodded.

Medea cannot speak of the counterpart to Dionysus.

This is because Dionysus, the god of wine, corresponds to Eris.

Eris usurped the entire Greek pantheon, uniting all the Greek gods under his own name, and became the fourth and last king of the gods.

Therefore, Athena's fate was lost; she could only be born as Atinan and go to Rome in the name of Janus, perhaps becoming the October Governor there.

Zagreus was once one with Zeus, so he also corresponded to the world's guardian, the Fisher King who wielded the power of thunder.

But now, Zagreus has become Dionysus, which means that Eris has almost completely hollowed out the Fisher King from the inside out.

Therefore, Medea could tell that Zagreus once corresponded to the April Archon, the Fisher King; but she could not say who he now corresponded to.

Today's conversation was enough to answer the questions that had been troubling Hebe for a long time, but she still had questions to ask.

She had long realized that the current "Medea" was probably more than just Pure Water Spirit.

After all, whether in the Atlantis Lostbelt or in the present world, there are fewer records of Greek mythology than in ancient Egypt.

When did an ordinary Pure Water Spirit start to consider itself the guardian of an island? And how could it endure such a long and arduous wait? It even witnessed its own three previous simulations?

Based on the powerful influence she had just experienced, Hebe believed that the identity of the "Medea" before her was basically similar to that of "Tutankhamun" in the Egyptian Lostbelt.

However, Tutankhamun was a servant of the March Archon Raven, while Medea was most likely an apostle of the October Governor Gatekeeper.

So she initially said she "didn't know who the gatekeeper was"?

Hebe smirked. What a self-deceiving act.

"I have a few minor, insignificant questions."

"Ask away, we have plenty of time now," Medea smiled. "After all, these secrets might be helpful for what you're about to do."

"That would be wonderful." Hebe nodded. "You just mentioned that the Great God Attinan protects them— the Pure Water Spirit are called 'Narcissus' and are the servants of the June Archon. But how could they be protected by the Great God Attinan?"

"You've fallen into a misconception, young Narcissus," Medea replied. "Like the Northerners after four hundred years of suffering, who cares about dwarfs, women, or foreigners if it's all about saving them?"

"The same goes for the daffodils."

203 The King of History (Two-in-One)

Hebe hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

That's a very harsh comment, but it's absolutely true.

The Northerners want to live with dignity, and aren't the Pure Water Spirit the same?

Thinking about this, she suddenly smiled with relief.

Having solved the most important problem, Hebe felt completely relieved.

However, she still had some questions that needed to be answered by Medea, such as "Heracles Island".

In Hebe's previous life, if we talk about "Hercules", it is inevitably closely related to the concepts of "hero" and "hero". In Western culture, all heroes must possess extraordinary strength and be able to overcome difficulties that ordinary people cannot overcome and achieve great things that ordinary people cannot achieve.

Heracles.

His illustrious achievements need no further elaboration—even in the entirety of Greek mythology, none can surpass them.

When discussing Greek mythology, Heracles is an inescapable legend.

But that was in Hebe's previous life.

In this world, the Greek pantheon has already been swallowed up by Eris, so how could Heracles survive alone?

Having finally found someone with whom she could discuss Greek mythology, how could Hebe not seize the opportunity to ask more questions about the secrets?

However, to Hebe's dismay, Medea also expressed her doubts: Heracles? Never heard of him before.

"?"

Hebe carefully crafted his words: "You mean the Greek mythology before it was changed; or the Greek mythology after it was changed by 'Dionysus'?"

"Whether before or after the change," Medea replied firmly, "I have never heard of the name 'Heracles'."

Hebe put her hand to her forehead.

Greek mythology doesn't include Heracles? That would be an insult to the sea...

In an instant, countless classic Heracles jokes flashed through Hebe's mind like lightning, but time was of the essence. She resisted the urge to share the jokes with Medea and hurriedly asked:

"No Heracles? Then which Hercules do you worship on your 'Hercules' Island?"

"Atlas, the Titan that holds up the sky," Medea said matter-of-factly. "Of course, Atlas doesn't correspond to a specific entity. If I had to say... you should know that in that era, Greece also had connections with Egyptian lands, right?"

Hebe nodded slightly.

In her previous life, Greece had close ties with Egypt from very early times. Many philosophers traveled to the fertile lands of Egypt, leaving behind numerous masterpieces.

So when Iskandar died suddenly in the army and Alexander's empire fell apart, Ptolemy, the Greek who remained in Egypt, declared himself king and established the last pharaoh dynasty.

When I was studying at Hebe, my classmates often had the idea that ancient civilizations were relatively isolated and independent from each other.

But in fact, the opposite is true.

"So, the Hercules Atlas mentioned here actually refers to the Atlas Institute in Egyptian lands," Medea said slowly. "I've heard that there has been a similar organization in China since Cathay times, which monitors the movements in the wasteland in real time and influences changes in the hidden order of the present world."

Hebe could not hide her shock.

She never imagined that Atlas from Greek mythology would correspond to neither a ruler nor Named Attendant of a ruler.

The Titan Atlas, who supports the heavens, established the Atlas Institute under his influence!

Yes, isn't the so-called "sky" just a "wasteland" relative to the present world?

And "supporting the Azure Sky" means being in the real world, upholding the order of the hidden world, and influencing change, right?

If we were to be more specific, tracing back more than a dozen generations, wasn't the Silent Bookstore a branch that split off from the Atlas Institute, established on the Blankog Island by the "King of Ibis" and the "Eternal King" across time?

Everything in the past and the future has already been mapped out.

But... is this all there is to it?

Hebe rubbed her temples, and for no apparent reason, she thought of several of her targets.

[Secondary Objective Five: To spread the name of the "hero."]

The Atlas Institute does not exist in the Atlantis Lostbelt, and how much of a role can they play in a confrontation of this level?

Hebe was not belittling the Atlas Institute.

This is, after all, Lostbelt, not the real world.

Therefore, Hercules should be given to a more suitable candidate...

Hebe took a deep breath, gazed at her hands soaking in the spring water, and slowly spoke.

"No, Medea, you're mistaken."

"Hercules is not the Titan that holds up the sky, nor is he the Atlas Institute, but Heracles."

Medea was stunned. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could Hercules be someone I have never heard of before?"

"No, Medea, you are not completely unaware of this; you have known Heracles for a long time."

Hebe said calmly, "Because Heracles is not his real name. His real name is Helius."

"This is a historical context that only I can be aware of," Hebe said. "Helius was Cathay. He was oppressed by the February Archon, Scar Father, and persecuted by the August Archon, Remnant Wolf. These two regents demanded that he do many impossible things, but Helius accomplished them one by one."

"Helius fought against the flood, using his body to resist the diverted Taiga so that civilians in Cathay could be safely evacuated."

"Helius, leaping from a great height into a communication-severed area to dig through the rubble with his bare hands, allowing those buried inside to survive;"

"Helius defeated all his enemies in a century-long war, and thus he rose through the ranks and entered the wasteland."

Hebe sat by the Beside the Spring, raised one hand, pointed to the sky, and spoke with unwavering resolve.

"In the wasteland, there is no order of time, which is why Helius was able to travel back in time and send down the incarnation of 'hero' at different points in time!"

"He was once Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to Heaven, who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, which refers to the 'Wilderness'! After that, he vanquished demons and monsters along the way, and under the guidance of Tian Celestial Flint, the September Archon, he achieved 'Supreme Enlightenment' and became the new August Archon, Private!"

"He was once Yang Jian, the True Lord of Qingyuan Miaodao who split the mountain to save his mother. This mountain points to 'Scar Father'! He controlled the rivers and floods, protected children and people, brought peace to all directions, protected the borders, relieved the people's suffering, and helped the nation's revival! Under the decree of the September Archon Celestial Flint, he became the new August Archon Private!"

"He was once Nezha, the Third Prince Nezha who stirred up the sea and slew the dragon, and that evil dragon was none other than 'Crippled Wolf'! He stained the flag with his own blood and shared his flesh and blood with the suffering people. He died in battle many times, and now he will return from among the people. Inspired by the September Archon, Celestial Flint, he will become the new August Archon, Private!"

"He was once a soldier of 'Scar Father,' a subject of this King Father. Therefore, he was also Thor worshipped by the Normans! He once fought under the King Father's command, repelling the packs of wolves time and time again!"

"He was Prince Ivan of the Caucasus, an adventurous hero in Caucasus folklore who symbolizes wisdom and courage."

"He was Garshasp, the demon slayer of the Persian region. He slew three-headed dragons and fought against countless demon races. He fought against evil eternally, and even when his body fell, his soul turned into stars—yes, this corresponds to the assistance of the 'King of Forging Stars'."

Hebe's speech became increasingly fluent, and she felt as if there were countless listeners all around her, listening to her words.

The Third Mark: The Lesson of Strength

She also used illusion magic.

What limits illusion is never its scale, but rather one's own imagination.

Hebe finally uttered her last words.

"... He was once Hercules, the great hero, the fearless Heracles of the Mediterranean Sea. He triumphed over the gods in wrestling and accomplished the twelve unparalleled works. In the flames of the September Archon, he ascended into the wasteland and became the new August Archon, Private!"

"He was once a man, now he is a god... Medea, do you remember?"

Hebe screamed hoarsely, "The Heracles Island you are protecting originated from Him!"

"Medea! Think carefully! Who is the Hercules you remember?"