Back and Forth on the Brink of Death

I can't figure it out... I can't figure it out...

Scathach frowned, racking her brains but still unable to figure out how these Athenians came up with the bizarre idea of voting to exile their commander.

It should be noted that although Persia lost more than 200 warships, with a fleet of more than 1,000 warships, its strength was still considerable, even if it was severely damaged.

If the naval commander were exiled at this point, what would the Greek navy use to defend against the enemy's attack if the Persians were to return? Their heads?

"War is a continuation of politics. In terms of human thinking, many things that seem absurd, once you peel back the layers, are actually driven by self-interest!"

Just as the four were racking their brains trying to figure it out, Horo was lying on the stone table eating an apple, threw down the core, clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling with wisdom, and raised her chin to speak eloquently.

Instead of trying to guess the Athenians' thought process, why don't you think about Timmy... Timmy what was it again?

However, in the end, that image of a wise and virtuous person collapsed due to a stumbling block in the name.

"Themistocles..."

Scathach glanced at Horo's wagging tail and gave her a helpless reminder.

"Yes, Admiral Themistocles, use him as a starting point to see whose interests he has offended in Athens, and you might get the answer!"

The wise Wise Wolf raised his hand and slapped it on the stone table, grinning contemptuously and revealing two tiger teeth, his expression resolute.

"That guy taught you?"

"Was it... was it our own idea? Tch, you underestimate us, I can't be bothered to talk to you!"

Scathach watched as Horo stormed off in a huff and went to sleep in her house. She shook her head and smiled, then turned to the three Valkyrie and issued her orders in a deep voice.

"That guy wants us to hold onto Athens, and the naval battle might break out again. A great general like Themistocles shouldn't fall victim to a sneak attack from his own people."

The three of you should investigate this naval commander's interpersonal relationships and his conflicts of interest with certain people in the Athenian upper class, and then report back to me.

If needed, Sigurd and his men, who are lurking in the surrounding city-states, can be sent to gather intelligence.

When the conversation turned to business, the three Valkyrie nodded seriously, but just as they were about to turn and leave, a word of advice came from behind them.

"Oh, by the way, pick two baskets of the best apples from the field and deliver them to this girl's room as a gift to thank her for her advice."

Scathach glanced at the tightly closed door behind her, her gaze falling on the slightly ajar crack, and she chuckled and shook her head.

As evening fell, the three Valkyrie, Thrud Hildr, Ortlinde, returned one after another. Together, they pieced together the information they had gathered and actually managed to uncover several related hidden clues.

First, the naval commander Themistocles came from a merchant family. Although his father was wealthy, he did not belong to the most prominent family in Athens. His mother came from Thrace, a foreign land, and was not a descendant of the Athenian people. Therefore, he was often bullied by the nobles. After he gained power, he had many dirty dealings with the Divine Blood Family who actually controlled the council hall of Mount of Ares.

Secondly, Themistocles was on good terms with another naval commander, Kshantipos. Of course, this wasn't the main point; the key was that he had a son named Pericles, who, with the secret support of the two naval commanders, was implementing civil reforms in an attempt to weaken the power of the Mount of Ares council.

As Pericles' reforms were gradually implemented, the already corrupt and decaying Divine Blood Family on Mount of Ares naturally wanted to remove the wings of this young man who was in charge of the family.

Under the aristocratic system, the naval commander Themistocles, who had no powerful connections, became the easiest target.

Clearly, the unsuccessful rescue efforts and fears of usurpation were all pretexts. The real reason was that those Divine Blood Aristocrats were unwilling to relinquish power and wanted to use this opportunity to put pressure on the so-called democratic system.

So, after all that, it's all about this trivial matter of fighting for power and profit?

Even as they faced certain death, they clung tightly to their remaining power, refusing to relinquish it.

Scathach was speechless, her brow furrowing as a feeling of disgust welled up within her towards these so-called Divine Blood Aristocrats of Athens.

"He's imprisoned on Mount of Ares? Hildr, Ortlinde, you stay home, Thrud and I will stay together."

Hehe, I want this person!

Afterwards, they sent him out of the city and entrusted him to Sigurd's care. This was only a minor victory; the Persians hadn't withdrawn yet, and this old general might prove very useful in the future.

Immediately, the Queen of the Land of Shadows rose with a soft hum, her gaze deep and mysterious, and two demonic spears appeared amidst the shimmering crimson ethereal patterns.

She admires warriors, whether they are highly skilled fighters or generals proficient in battle formations; they all possess outstanding souls and are worthy of being cherished.

However, just as the two were about to set off, the earth trembled violently, the sand and stones beneath their feet were thrown up, and a blue beam of light, a diameter of one meter, shot into the sky, illuminating most of the Acropolis of Athens.

A mysterious connection emanated from within the blue pillar of light, a powerful call rising from their very hearts, driving them to approach that radiant light as if on a pilgrimage.

That's... the direction of Mount of Ares!

What exactly happened?

Scathach and the three Valkyrie simultaneously sensed that faint, peculiar resonance, their gazes met, and their expressions froze.

Meanwhile, in the Chaos Sea.

A simple, bamboo-like raft, a rudimentary means of navigation, glides upstream against the surging waves.

Suddenly, the crew member who was lying on the side of the bamboo raft, swimming with his claw-like weapon, twitched his leopard ears, dropped his equipment, and stood up abruptly. His beastly orange pupils stared straight at a certain direction shrouded in mist, and he murmured excitedly.

"Q'uq'umatz, over there! It sounds like something is calling to us, you can feel it too, right?"

"Smack!"

The Blonde Goddess next to him, dressed in Sumer- style casual clothes, slapped the Jaguar Man on the head, raising an eyebrow and sneering.

"Do you even need to tell me? Keep rowing!"

"But I'm so hungry! I've been paddling all the way from Maya to here, it's been a year! How can you treat a leopard like this? We're sisters, after all..."

"Stop complaining. If the course is correct, it looks like we're about to find that land. Once we're ashore, you can eat your fill."

"Great! I want to eat human flesh!"

"Boom!"

The Jaguar Man, who has feline characteristics and is constantly on the verge of death, was blasted away by a punch and plunged headfirst into the Sea of Chaos.

"I'm not eating anymore! I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding, okay...?"

Seeing that Serpent Eyes Feathered Serpent God looking at her with a half-smile and ill intent, the Jaguar Man soaking in the water shuddered, her shivers standing on end. She immediately surrendered.

"I've made you row all this time, it must have been hard on you. How about this, I'll take over the rest of the rowing."

"It's not hard work at all, I'm doing this voluntarily! A love of labor is a fine quality of leopards!"

"Don't force yourself, it's your turn to rest. Besides, I've reserved a nice place for you on the boat."

The Feathered Serpent God's voice grew gentler, and his smile more enthusiastic. The Miss Leopard Person sensed something was wrong, and a strong palpitation made her instinctively turn around and swim away from the demon.

However, repeated failures proved that such resistance was destined to be futile.

Ten minutes later, a strong wind blew across the sea, propelling the bamboo raft forward rapidly. The Feathered Serpent God goddess remained leisurely, arms crossed, leaning against the boat and admiring the sea view.

On the mast, there was a poor thing in the shape of the word "big", which was hung up with its mouth blocked and turned into a sail. It blew the cold wind without tears and expressed its true feelings in sobs.

I... I want to go boating...

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