Granting a Hero a Grand Trial!

The night lingered late, a faint veil of darkness still clinging to the horizon.

Nyx, the Goddess of Night, seemed quite willing to tarry, lingering to observe this intriguing mortal realm, while Helios, the Sun God, was equally content to dim the radiance of his sun chariot, remaining to admire the scene alongside her.

King Pelias wore a grim expression; he had never imagined that the companions of this foolish nephew would possess such sophisticated tactics.

Hmph! Regardless, he, Pelias, was the King of the Kingdom of Iolcus—this was his natural advantage! This was his home turf!

No matter how silver-tongued they were, no matter how flowery their speech, they would never make him surrender the throne!

Still, he would not be stingy with the appropriate attitude; after all, it cost him nothing.

And so, "Oh, is that so? So you truly are my dear nephew Jason! Your uncle has finally found you! Ever since I ascended the throne, I have spent every day thinking of how to govern, and every night missing my parents and brothers!" Pelias looked at Jason with feigned affection, then spoke with practiced sorrow.

"Then, King Pelias, are you now willing to return the throne that rightfully belongs to Jason? Or is it that you do not care for your brother Aeson at all, and your previous words were merely a performance?" Thaumas immediately pressed, his interrogation sharp.

Thaumas was, after all, a champion of debate! And one should never underestimate the wisdom from a certain ancient land! Politics and the like...

Hmph! He had been well-schooled in such things!

He prided himself on being a "Grand Debater"!

Heroes might feel a mutual appreciation for one another, and "villains and villains" or "good and evil" certainly shared such sentiments as well.

Although they were opponents, this brief exchange left Pelias quite astonished—whose disciple was this, exactly?

But astonishment aside, Pelias still replied coldly: "I am, of course, willing to return the throne, but it seems my dear nephew is quite timid, is he not?

How could such a person govern such a vast nation? How could I possibly feel at ease handing the throne over to him!"

This was the answer Pelias provided: a stalling tactic!

As long as he could drag this out until the sacrifice ended, these two would be at his mercy.

Furthermore, even if he failed to dispose of them, as long as he sired an heir, he would have the capital to confront Jason head-on.

For now, he would avoid their sharp edge and endure!

More importantly, he had only seized the throne with the help of Zeus, though that was hardly worth boasting about. Yet, it was the very reason he dared to profane Hera in front of her own temple.

Come to think of it, ever since Pelias had murdered Sidero within the temple of Hera, this act of sacrilege had made him a mortal enemy of the goddess, though Zeus had intervened, and the matter had eventually passed.

Regarding Pelias, he was a figure from Ancient Greece, the King of the Kingdom of Iolcus. He was the son of Poseidon and Tyro, and the twin brother of Neleus.

Pelias and Neleus were abandoned by their mother at birth; their mother, Tyro, had been abused by her step-grandmother, Sidero. Upon reaching adulthood, the two brothers drove Sidero away and rescued their mother.

However, after this, Pelias murdered Sidero in the temple of Hera, an act of sacrilege that made him a sworn enemy of Hera.

Later, the brothers quarreled over the throne of Thessaly; Neleus was exiled by Pelias and moved to Messenia, becoming the progenitor of the kings of Pylos, while Pelias became the King of Thessaly and married Anaxibia, the daughter of Bias, with whom he had Acastus and the Peliades.

Pelias's mother, Tyro, remarried Cretheus, the founder of the Kingdom of Iolcus, and bore three sons, including Aeson, who later inherited the throne.

Pelias, their half-brother, seized the throne of the Kingdom of Iolcus with the assistance of Zeus. After Aeson's son, Jason, came of age, he demanded that Pelias return the throne that should have been his—this was the original plot...

Now, the fish had taken the bait!

A smile curled the corner of Thaumas's mouth, and he followed up with confident words: "Then that means, as long as we prove that Jason has the ability, that will suffice, right!"

"Hmm, if he can prove his capability, I will consider it. But he does not appear to be a qualified individual." Pelias nodded slowly.

"Then, right here before the temple of Hera, please grant Jason a trial! Let him prove that he has the ability to lead the Kingdom of Iolcus toward prosperity!" Thaumas shouted aloud.

"Yes... yes! That is it!" Jason, trembling, finally found the courage to speak under Thaumas's prompting.

After all, Thaumas had pinched him quite hard.

He then added arrogantly: "This master is not afraid of a mere trial! Bring it on!"

Right! Yes, that was exactly the spirit!

"This..." Pelias wore a look of hesitation.

"What? Is the King afraid! Or did you never intend to return the throne that rightfully belongs to Jason in the first place?

If that is the case, then I must ask: are you truly acting for the sake of the people, or do you merely wish to be king? Answer me! Pelias!" Thaumas declared before the gathered crowd.

Faced with Thaumas's interrogation, Pelias was truly put on the spot, but with the surrounding populace casting doubts and Thaumas watching him like a tiger, he pondered for a moment before replying:

"Very well, I can agree to my heroic nephew's request, but..."

He paused, then added craftily: "Since my nephew is so heroic, then surely, he can retrieve the legendary Golden Fleece!"

The Golden Fleece was a rare treasure of Ancient Greece, and for a long time, the Greeks had spun many legends about it. Many heroes and monarchs had sought to possess it. It symbolized not only wealth but also adventure, an indomitable will, as well as ideals and the pursuit of happiness.

After King Aeetes accidentally obtained the Golden Fleece, he offered it to Ares, the God of War. He ordered it to be nailed to a sacred grove dedicated to Ares and set a fire-breathing dragon to guard it.

Because the oracle had told him that his life was inextricably linked to the Golden Fleece—if the Golden Fleece survived, he survived; if the Golden Fleece perished, he perished.

Since that was the case, it was absolutely impossible for Jason to complete such a task.

Pelias wore a look of confidence, and likewise, Thaumas was even more confident. Although Pelias had no idea what Thaumas was so confident about, he himself was quite confident in this matter...

As long as the goal was achieved, Thaumas was happy from the bottom of his heart.

Then, "Of course, no problem! It is precisely because this is an impossible task that it is worthy of our Jason to complete!" Thaumas grabbed Jason's hand and shouted, "I swear to the gods, he, Jason, is truly a magnificent hero who stands tall between heaven and earth!"

Thaumas's words were deafening! At this moment, these words were echoing in Jason's mind; never before had anyone acknowledged him as a hero...

Thus, Jason raised his head and said firmly, "That's right! A mere Golden Fleece is within my, Lord Jason's, reach! I am a hero, after all!"

As he finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd! They sent their blessings to Jason, the protagonist of the hour!

This is the Age of Gods; not only the gods, but even humans hope to see someone dare to challenge the impossible.

This is Ancient Greece, an era filled with heroes and epics!

Therefore, at this very moment, not only the common people but even the schemer Pelias himself acknowledged it!

At the same time, as if the sun had heard, the surrounding clouds gathered, focusing beams of light onto the altar and illuminating the two children!

Such a divine miracle drew another round of cheers, signifying that the gods were watching!

However, things were far from over.

"Then, King of Iolcus, are you willing to swear to the great Olympian Gods that after Jason retrieves the Golden Fleece, you will voluntarily return the throne and cease targeting Jason, whether openly or in secret?" Thaumas interrupted cruelly at the height of the atmosphere.

"Fine, I agree!" Pelias said readily. To refuse now would be to court death, but he made things difficult for the two once more.

"However, since this is an oath to the gods, it surely requires a god as a witness, provided you can make a god respond to you."

He truly is a schemer.

This put Thaumas in a difficult spot, but just as he was about to counter, Hera, who had been watching the show in a daze, finally reacted.

The old woman stepped out nimbly and drifted slowly into the air, revealing her usual mimetic divine form, looking noble and elegant.

Although things seemed a bit unexpected, this child was indeed excellent; to think he could achieve this much without the help of the gods.

And looking at him, it seemed he could go even further.

But that wouldn't do. If things continued this way, he wouldn't be able to accept the favor of the Queen of Heaven.

Hm, it was time for her to make an appearance. Although she couldn't fill his heart completely, she had to at least stuff a bit of this "favor" into it.

The moment the Queen of Heaven appeared, she drew waves of cheers, signaling the bankruptcy of Pelias's plan. No matter what he did today, he could not salvage his image; after all, the story of him killing his brother and sister-in-law had come from the mouth of this very goddess!

"I am the Queen of Heaven, Hera. People of Iolcus, and all those who believe in me, I shall witness this oath!

At the same time, I shall personally bestow a great trial upon the hero! Go, heroes, gather the most valiant heroes of all Ancient Greece, and under the witness of the gods, go and retrieve that Golden Fleece.

Go and complete that absolutely impossible task!"

This was the grace of the Queen of Heaven, Hera.

Treasures like wealth are not truly precious, for after humans die, they cannot use them in the Underworld.

But the deeds of men and the epics of heroes will be passed down by the mouths of bards, sung to the ends of the earth, to the corners of the sky, and into the Underworld.

Forever depicted in the history of humanity, and even the world, the hero will be remembered for eternity!

This gift is truly invaluable!

Thus, under the witness of the gods, this impossible task, accompanied by the voices of the people, was eagerly sung by bards. What kind of magnificent epic would this great trial bring to the world?

It is truly something to look forward to—no, not just for humans!

After the prologue of this grand epic concluded, the lingering darkness vanished completely. Nyx yawned and returned to the Underworld, satisfied. Meanwhile, the Sun God Helios, who had been slacking off for quite a while, began to perform his work for the day in earnest.

On the other side, A certain god who had been watching this place all along, "Hahaha, interesting, truly, truly interesting!" Athena, with her purple hair and golden eyes, laughed maniacally.

A human abandoned by fate had personally shattered the destiny she, the Goddess of Wisdom, had woven for him!

For the first time, she had encountered a hero who could refuse to follow the script she had written!

And yet, he could do even better! He didn't even need the help of the gods!

Interesting! Interesting! Then, let her see how many more "miracles" you can create!

How many people's fates can you change?

Just as you said yourself, prove it to me! Thaumas! You have made the Goddess of Fate feel ashamed, and you have made the Queen of Heaven, Hera, run about for you; so, can you bring pleasure to the Goddess of Wisdom?!

She, the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, admitted one thing: Hera certainly had a good eye. This was an excellent child, even if she hadn't been sure at first.

But now, she really wanted to snatch him for herself!