Athena's Sacred Snake = Saint King?

Our allies remained unmoved, using the Persians to weaken Sparta's power. So that's what you were planning, you old codger.

Samael secretly rolled his eyes. After a frank discussion, he gradually learned about Themistocles's sinister plans.

To be honest, Themistocles in history devoted himself wholeheartedly to ensuring Athens' continued prosperity.

Domestically, he supported Pericles's reforms, which greatly shook the rigid aristocratic system.

Externally, he participated in the Battle of Marathon, organized the Battle of Salamis, and defended the territorial security of Athens and even Greece in the two Iliad War.

In order to help Athens gain a prominent position in the Greek world, he led the Athenian navy to collect tribute from various island nations, thus accumulating Athens' economic strength.

Subsequently, he also strongly advocated for the construction of a new power structure after the Third Iliad War, namely the Delian League, with the aim of containing the rise of Sparta and maintaining the hegemony of Athens and Mount of Ares.

Perhaps because of Themistocles humble origins and the ridicule and ostracism he suffered from the nobles of Mount of Ares, this old general had an extreme and eccentric personality.

Within Athens, Themistocles also began to be envied by his compatriots; while the wealthy people of Athens admired his achievements, they began to expose his past misdeeds, such as his lack of manners, rude behavior, and extreme personality when he was young; Themistocles responded ruthlessly and without hesitation.

Themistocles always preferred to accumulate his duties until the very last day, making him appear powerful and drawing people to him. While this amassed him authority, it also attracted considerable hatred.

In addition, while expanding his navy and levying taxes on other countries, he also openly accepted a lot of bribes, which inevitably worsened the relationship between Themistocles and the inhabitants of these island nations.

Furthermore, his tough stance toward Sparta and other rising city-states led both internal and external forces to plot to remove him from Athenian politics.

Ultimately, they succeeded in banishing this old man who was both a hero and a tyrant, thus sowing the seeds for Athens' disastrous defeat in the Peloponnesian War.

In conclusion, if we consider Athens's gains alone, Themistocles was undoubtedly a qualified savior and a city-state hero.

If we were to cooperate with this old guy as a foreign ally, it probably wouldn't be a very comfortable situation.

Who knows, one day he might betray a bunch of allies for his own sake and for Athens' benefit.

Therefore, it was truly not unjust to kick this old fellow out of Athens.

Having realized the harm involved, Samael immediately abandoned his plan to put Themistocles back in his original position.

His perspective is too narrow; it would be more appropriate for him to be a combat staff officer.

"Forget it, why should I tell you all this? I'm no longer a general of Athens."

After a long and eloquent conversation, the old man came to his senses, stood up, waved his hand with a somewhat desolate expression, and looked utterly disheartened.

Just as they were about to leave the courtyard, Themistocles glanced at Scathach and the three Valkyrie, and gave them a muffled reminder.

"However, I still owe you a favor. Don't blame me for not reminding you that if you want to help the Spartans hold Hot Spring Pass on land, you should try to persuade those old stubborn guys on Mount of Ares as soon as possible. With 7,000 against 300,000, the disparity in strength is so great, they can only hold out for 5-7 days at most."

"Spartan Queen Gogo of Sparta and Helen, the High Priestess of the Temple of the Moon Goddess, have arrived in Athens and are seeking help from Mount of Ares. They should have a result soon."

Samael gazed meaningfully at Mount of Ares, and casually replied.

Themistocles frowned and sneered, offering a blunt and dismissive rebuke.

"If the Egyptians hadn't defected and the Battle of Salamis hadn't been won, these two women might have had a chance to persuade the nobles in the council chamber. But now, their successive victories have made them forget where they belong."

These short-sighted fools have already abandoned Rome, Macedonia, Thessaly, and what good is Hot Spring Pass? Their only goal is to hold onto their small territory of Athens, and they'd probably be willing to submit to the Persians for that.

Then, the old man gazed wistfully at the Acropolis of Athens, a hint of mockery appearing on his face.

"Don't waste your energy. To these stubborn old men who cling to the order of bloodlines, the emperor of the Roman Pantheon, those two Sparta women, and you yourselves, no amount of talking will be as effective as the great serpent in the Parthenon, which is revered as the Athenian Saint King, crawling in front of them and hissing a few times."

The Athenian Saint King – The Great Serpent?

Samael suddenly remembered that in history, after the defense of Hot Spring Pass, Themistocles, in order to persuade the Athenians to evacuate to the sea, used his naval advantage to fight a desperate battle with their backs to the river. He repeatedly warned the nobles of Mount of Ares to listen to his advice, but to no avail.

To put his strategy into practice, he deliberately led the priests to release a giant serpent, an Athena relic kept in the Acropolis, and used the serpent's disappearance to tell the Athenians that the Goddess of Wisdom Athena, had abandoned her city and that there was no need for them to remain there.

After completing their evacuation, the refugees saw the pride of Athens in the distance, and thick smoke billowed from the top of the Acropolis. Those stubborn old men who stayed behind in Athens eventually died Britannia, but it did nothing to help the overall situation.

Although Themistocles saved many Athenians' lives through his clever maneuvering.

His audacity in manipulating divine will foreshadowed his exile. The citizens who benefited from his benevolent lies later disregarded his motives and instead exiled him on charges of blasphemy and dictatorial intent.

However, this old fellow has long since been kicked aside by the Athenians. His trick of letting the Sacred Serpent of Athens escape and manipulating public opinion is probably no longer possible.

What Samael was more concerned about was the snake that had been used as a tool.

"What color is the snake enshrined in the temple?"

"Black, but not entirely; the scales have a faint purplish sheen..."

Is that how it is?

"That's right, but it's much bigger than yours."

Themistocles looked at the snake image in the man's palm with some surprise and nodded slightly.

Upon hearing this, Samael's lips curled up slightly, his eyes revealing a faint sense of nostalgia and joy, and he muttered to himself.

The Holy King? The seat I left behind has been taken by a snake.

If I'm not mistaken, could it be that one?

A strange expression appeared on Samael's face; the more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Just as the ancient serpent was deep in thought, two pillars of light, each composed of dozens of runes, shot into the sky, humming and trembling in mid-air.

"Oh, the talks broke down so quickly?"

Seeing that his probing had yielded results, Samael stretched lazily, a sharp, cold glint flashing in his eyes amidst his playful mockery.

"Hey, come with me up the mountain for a stroll... looks like I'll be busy today..."