Even in the second simulation, the Moon Goddess fell in love with him without any suspense.
But she wasn't here to play.
The current situation was already impossible to ignore.
"My dear, you know, right? I love you. I love you so much that I can't breathe if I don't have you. Even if Zeus and the others want to punish you, I still won't agree."
"Mm, I know. Thank you."
"Hmph! If you know, why are you still so harsh with me! My dear, you're too wicked!"
Artemis stared intently at Moran.
Who would have thought the Moon Goddess would act like a petulant little girl?
But Moran had seen this countless times.
"Isn't the problem with you? When you first arrived on the island, you were shouting that you wanted to capture me."
"I can't help it! Who told you I like you so much!"
"Liking me doesn't mean you can act recklessly. Decades have passed, and your capricious personality hasn't changed at all."
Moran shook his head with a helpless smile.
Deities had a unique perspective on how to treat people.
Even now, she was still like this.
"Speaking of which, with things reaching this point, the gods have decided to issue sanctions against the Pellasgi. I love you, but even casting a dissenting vote won't stop it. However, there's one thing I can do. Do you want to hear it?"
Artemis smiled gently.
Her smile hid a deep joy, like a child who knew they would receive a gift on Christmas Eve.
It was beautiful, and captivating.
But her serious gaze was unsettling.
This Artemis was different from the one who used to playfully tease Moran; she was revealing her true nature more clearly.
"Artemis, what do you want to say?"
"Heh heh, I want you to truly become my husband."
In an instant, Moran felt a sense of daze.
Artemis's tone was different from before; she was no longer speaking playfully.
Her attitude this time was extremely serious.
The faint divine pressure emanating from her was enough to prove it.
Chapter 46: A Second Refusal of the Moon Goddess [Seeking Flowers! Seeking Monthly Votes!]
"To be precise, I want to make you, my dear, my possession. If that happens, even the gods won't lay a hand on you, because you'll be my possession, Artemis's property."
Artemis's face was filled with a cheerful smile.
She looked dazzling and radiant.
"Even though the country you built will be destroyed, you will survive completely unharmed, and even gain even greater power than before! You can also live with me forever! Isn't that wonderful? No one will blame you for anything you do wrong!"
Artemis's words were like honey.
They were wrapped in a charm that could intoxicate and enthrall.
But this was still unacceptable.
Recalling the playful and lively figure from the past, Moran knew that there was no going back.
"It can't be helped, can it? They are the gods, after all. No one on this land can rival our flagship. Even a hero like you, Moran, would have no chance of winning. So, choosing this way to survive, making every effort to live—isn't that what humans do?"
Artemis said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She was as pure and holy as the full moon.
Her beautiful face would make any man fall in love with her.
However, something was wrong.
...The conversation could only end here; everything was lost.
Since she had said such words, Moran could only give one answer.
Moran could only accept the fact that he could no longer banter and laugh with her as he had in the past.
"I'm serious. I only need one answer from you."
In Artemis's voice.
There was a hint of tension that shouldn't have been there.
"Artemis, I will not become your possession."
Moran took a deep breath and replied.
Just like when he returned to The Invisible Island in the previous simulation, he refused Artemis with the same resolute tone.
"..."
Her resolute attitude was met with silence.
Artemis was like a taut string.
Silent as a pale moon, driving one to madness.
The Moon Goddess's pressure expanded unintentionally, causing even Moran to hold his breath.
"Why, why, my dear, do you refuse me like this again! Those are the gods! You idiot! Don't you understand! If you don't accept... you'll die!"
Artemis's face was tinged with sadness.
Her voice also carried a hint of annoyance.
"Please, just this once, don't resist. If you comply this time, no one will question your status as a hero..."
[The goddess's pleading voice reached his ears]
[She lowered herself more than ever before, her desire for you to live was incredibly deep]
[He genuinely felt the goddess's love]
[Looking at the sad expression on the goddess's face before him, his heart felt as though it were being torn apart by blades]
[However, he understood one thing]
[He absolutely could not accept such a request]
"No, I cannot comply."
Moran's answer was the same as before.
He knew Artemis loved him beyond measure, but accepting like this was still wrong.
It was fundamentally flawed.
Fifty years had passed, and this land had been established.
He loved the women who accompanied him, and everything he cherished while with them.
She, as a goddess, did not see this.
For that reason, Moran could only refuse cruelly.
Complex emotions colored the beautiful goddess's face, yet she clearly wasn't willing to give up so easily.
This was the man she loved most.
Artemis didn't want him to die at the hands of the gods.
"I can also offer protection to your wife. As long as you agree, I can protect even your wife! I can wield the authority of the Olympian Twelve Deities!"
[Artemis said through gritted teeth]
[The goddess who had always wanted to monopolize this love had reached the point where she could tolerate other women]
[All to let the man she deeply loved live]
[You were surprised by Artemis's resolve, a bitter and helpless wry smile appearing on your face]
[Because she still didn't understand]
[This was no longer just about him and his lovers; none of them could betray their homeland]
"Even the Gorgon Sisters, I have the ability to save their lives, as long as I confirm with the gods that she poses no further threat! My dear... please don't... don't refuse again..."
Artemis had made her greatest concession.
This was the optimal calculation made by her Machine God Analysis Terminal.
Moran had no reason to refuse this proposal.
"No, Artemis, I cannot grant your request. Behind me are not just them and myself; I cannot betray my country and my people..."
Moran stepped forward, unable to help but reach out.
He was different from the indifference of the previous simulation.
This time, he proactively reached out to caress Artemis's face, gently wiping away the tears.
Where he could not yield, he would not yield.
This will was incredibly firm.
"Too much! Too much! I've conceded so much! I've even allowed other women to be by your side! Last time, you refused me like this too! I've clearly reflected on it!"
"I'm sorry, this is the one thing I cannot do..."
Moran knew Artemis was referring to the previous simulation.
[She possessed the memory reading capabilities of a Machine God]
[Upon their first meeting, she had read the information from Moran's mind, accessing memories and emotions related to herself]
[Coupled with the unavoidable sense of déjà vu]
[Artemis remembered herself from the previous simulation]
[Looking at the hero who, even facing death, was saving the Gorgon, her heart wavered and throbbed during this process.]
[If I were to encounter something like this,]
[Would he come to save me like this too?]
[This question had imprisoned her until the very end of the last simulation, and in the end, Artemis regretted it.]
[Even after enduring thousands of years in the river of time,]
[The Machine God system still remembered the emotion called love; anger and jealousy were no match for the emotion called love.]
[I don't want him to die, I want to see him again.]
[I want to hear his voice again.]
[Regret, remorse, why are you/I so willful?]
[The experience of the last simulation made Artemis lament. She wished that if she could go through it again, this time she definitely would—]
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Chapter 47: You Will Take Everything Away [Requesting Flowers! Requesting Monthly Votes!]
[I must keep my lover alive.]
[She knew why you were unwilling to accept.]
[Even if your lovers were saved, it would only be like being a caged bird, raised by the gods.]
[The price of survival was losing the land you cherished, betraying the faith and love of your people. Only by abandoning most of what you currently possessed could you obtain the possibility of survival.]
[Calculated with cold, mechanical thinking, survival was undoubtedly the highest priority.]
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