Stealing the Divine Throne 1/3

"Sorry, sorry, time is tight, we were in a bit of a rush."

The sunny man holding a harp lifted the curtain and unconsciously plucked a note as he spoke, clearly conveying a tone full of apology.

Atalanta looked at the head buried in her arms, her pretty face flushed, and she pushed the person away with a slightly embarrassed expression. However, although the burst of strength was rough, as it was about to end, the Huntress's hand involuntarily turned into a skillful force, changing the push into a support, while turning her hot and flushed cheeks to one side.

To break the awkward atmosphere, Samael coughed a few times, his eyes falling on a scroll that had fallen from Atalanta's lap. He picked it up casually and asked a question.

"Hey boss, what are you looking at so intently?"

Atalanta calmed her breathing, feeling the heat on her face subside slightly. She glanced at the driver's seat outside the carriage and gave a faint reply.

"It's nothing, just a manuscript of doctrine that I borrowed from Orpheus."

Orpheus, the one who drives the chariot outside, like Asclepius, God of Medicine, came from Mount of Ares and was responsible for delivering divine messages.

Moreover, this genius singer's father was Apollo, the god of light, animal husbandry, and music, and his mother was Calliope, Muse Goddess who ruled over the arts. He and the god of medicine were half-brothers.

Furthermore, Orphic Cult is said to have been created and spread by this outstanding bard.

Upon hearing this, Samael was somewhat surprised.

"A draft of the doctrines of the Orphic Cult? Why are you looking at this?"

Basically, the theological content of some religions is synonymous with conservatism, outdatedness, and prejudice, making it rather dull and uninteresting to use for relaxation and entertainment during a journey.

"I just feel that as your companion, I don't know you very well, and I want to take this opportunity to learn more about you."

Atalanta glanced at Samael indifferently, seemingly nonchalant, but from the clenched fingers in front of her knees, it was clear she was putting on a brave face.

Clearly, through her past experiences, a certain Huntress is trying to understand and accept a new presence in her life.

The ancient serpent was taken aback. A strange sense of elation welled up within it, but it also felt inexplicably guilty.

After all, he wasn't a proper Orphic Cult, and if he were to be exposed, Atalanta might become furious and beat him up.

"Ahem, it's not a bad thing to know more about these things. After all, the Orphic Cult doctrine of respecting nature and the concept of the Goddess of Hunting are quite similar."

Samael coughed lightly to appease the questioner, then opened the manuscript and quickly skimmed through it to avoid any slip-ups when asked about the contents of the doctrine.

However, after quickly flipping through the pages, the ancient serpent's expression changed drastically, becoming increasingly strange, presenting a bizarre appearance that seemed to be both crying and laughing, as if its worldview had been shattered.

"Yes, boss, we should take a good look at this. You go ahead with your work, I won't bother you any longer."

After a few breaths, Samael, having thoroughly read the manuscript, solemnly returned it to Atalanta's arms, and then obediently shrank into a corner beside the carriage.

Seeing that someone had closed their eyes to rest, as if they had fallen asleep during their journey, Atalanta finally relaxed her tense body with a sigh of relief. She quietly opened the book on her lap and began to read, her face showing more patience and seriousness as she studied.

In reality, as soon as Samael closed his eyes, he hurriedly connected with Mount of Ares, his expression constantly changing.

"What exactly is Orphic Cult?"

"What?"

The ancient serpent took a deep breath and, in as calm a tone as possible, began to describe the contents of the manuscript of the doctrine.

"In the beginning, the world was in a chaotic state: the sun had not yet risen, the moon had not yet been born, the sea, land, and sky were intertwined and mixed together; the ocean had not yet stirred, the land was not yet solid, and the sky had no light. But in this chaos, the sea, land, and sky clashed with each other, and cold, heat, softness, hardness, dryness, wetness, lightness, and heaviness fought each other. After a certain period of struggle, change occurred, and these primordial substances began to differentiate: the earth and sky were divided into two by a line; the land and the sea were distinguished from each other; the pure and ethereal qi and the turbid qi began to separate."

"The chaotic state of the world has changed, and a preliminary order has been formed, allowing them to coexist harmoniously: the light parts have risen to the azure sky, finding their resting place in the highest places; the heavy parts have gathered together to become the dark earth; between the earth and the sky is the omnipresent air; the swirling waters have created waves that surround the land; and at the very bottom of the earth lies the darkest place, called Tartarus."

"Just as heaven and earth separated to form the ocean and land, the first Ancient Gods emerged from the chaos, creating the world. In the primordial chaos before the formation of heaven and earth, she could find no foothold. So she waved her hand, separating the sky and the sea. She stood on the undulating waves and danced gracefully, flying forward with a strong south wind. Reaching the skies above the Aegean Sea, the goddess longed to control her direction. In a rapid spin, she grabbed the passing north wind, and with a rub, the north wind transformed in her divinely powerful hand into Ophion, a great serpent winding like a river."

"At this time, the great serpent Ophion was cold and stiff all over, so the goddess Euryonome danced rapidly. The serpent twisted and turned in her hands, gaining heat. Its body became warm and began to metabolize slowly, growing as fast as it was exposed to the wind, and its skin gradually turned a burning black."

"The great serpent coiled its body around the goddess and united with her. The pregnant goddess transformed into a nimble white dove, nesting on the waves. After forty-nine days, she laid a Gilgamesh cosmic egg. The goddess commanded the great serpent to coil around the egg seven times, after which the cosmic egg burst open with a deafening roar. The two halves of the cosmic egg tumbled on the waves for a while, and then all things were born: the sun, moon, stars, earth, mountains, rivers, and plants appeared on the world. Then, the goddess created a pair of giants, a man and a woman."

"The man's name is Uranus, and the woman's is Gaia..."

In Samael's low, gentle voice, another imaginative version of the creation myth unfolds like a scroll.

"You mean this..."

Athena seemed to remember something, blinked, nodded with a smile, and seemed quite proud in her words.

"I write!"

Samael coughed violently, his facial expressions were a fascinating mix, and his voice had an indescribable dryness and strangeness.

"So, Ophion and Euryonome refer to..."

Athena clapped her hands, making a clear, nasal sound, her expression both teasing and meaningful.

"Hmm, that's right, it's you and Tina..."

Or perhaps I should address you respectfully as Euryonome, the Goddess of Chaos and Order, and Ophion, the Primal Serpent.

Welcome, our God, our King!

Euryonome