At noon,
The midday sun was like an enticing yet delicately flavored piece of toffee, like thick, juicy sour plum soup, leaving one wanting more.
Everything on the earth seemed gilded by the heat, its original colors richly stained with a touch of orange-yellow and reflecting dazzling rays of light.
But Thaumas was in no mood to appreciate the scenery. He stared blankly at the Griffin before him.
He wanted it!
He really wanted to ride it!
Griffins generally stood between three and four meters tall. Males weighed around a ton, while females were somewhat lighter.
Their wingspans could reach seven or eight meters, and they possessed powerful, well-developed chest muscles to support flight.
The Griffin race possessed the body and claws of a lion, along with the head and wings of an eagle. They were a powerful Phantasmal Species.
From the perspective of modern biology, such a combination of traits could not possibly exist in reality. Yet unfortunately, there it was.
This Griffin before Thaumas—
Its eyes came in varied shades, a crystal blue like the ocean, as azure and pure as Thaumas's own eyes.
Its tawny fur resembled a cloak. The front half of its body was eagle-like, with talons like an eagle's on its forelimbs, while a pair of huge, powerful wings grew from its shoulder blades.
The feathers on its head and wings were snow-white, its beak and feet a brilliant gold, and its claws a deep black.
So cool!
Although Thaumas was rather afraid of heights, just imagining having a mount like this was exciting!
The Griffin suddenly took off, whipping up a gale.
It hovered high in the sky, using its sharp vision and sense of smell to search for prey on the ground.
Its keen gaze could spot small animals hidden in the grass and even detect insects underground, though it had no interest in them.
Suddenly, it fixed its gaze on Thaumas's direction. It used an updraft to descend, then folded its wings near the ground and dived down like an arrow.
Like lightning streaking across the sky, it crashed toward Thaumas.
"Boom—!"
The tremendous impact instantly shattered the rock where Thaumas had been standing moments earlier.
"Ah—That was close! Good thing this body was tempered by Heavenly Fire."
Thaumas had not dodged. After becoming familiar with his body over the past few days, he had chosen to take the attack head-on.
Part of him had wanted to test the limits of this body, but the Griffin's strike seemed unworthy of the task.
Still, under such an impact, he had not died or even been injured, but it really hurt.
The Griffin's impact kicked up a cloud of dust. When it dispersed, the Griffin was revealed standing proudly.
"Mm—!" The Griffin raised its head high and let out a satisfied groan.
Its muscular body stood proudly, its pitch-black claws pinning the black horse beneath its feet.
Thaumas had specifically used that black horse to lure the Griffin. According to the information Athena had given him, this Griffin usually ate horses and other equine creatures, unlike other Griffins that enjoyed eating humans.
But its sharp eyes had ruined Thaumas's plan.
Highly sensitive to food, the Griffin had sensed danger. Once it flew into the sky, it immediately spotted the black horse and Thaumas hiding behind the rocks.
Come to think of it, Thaumas suddenly remembered something. Did these divine beasts that existed only in fantasy really play this wild?
Legend said that after a Griffin mated with its food, a horse, it would give birth to a creature that had not originally existed: a Hippogriff, Astolfo's mount.
(The author got this wrong earlier because there was an issue with the translation I read. Astolfo's Bond Craft Essence, [Hippogriff: Phantom Horse Not Existing in This World], is the descendant of a Griffin. It has been corrected; just mentioning it here.)
There really were creatures that did that with their own food...
Like cats and mice, or Big Bad Wolf and Pleasant Goat—two hostile creatures from different species coming together was nothing short of a Miracle!
Actually, Thaumas preferred Hippogriffs, because their very birth represented a Miracle, which suited Thaumas perfectly.
Besides, Hippogriffs, like Griffins, possessed lightning-like speed. In the Noble Phantasm settings of Fate/Grand Order, the Hippogriff had the ability of "Dimensional Jump," allowing it to vanish instantly and evade all forms of observation in the world.
This ability mainly came from the Hippogriff being granted the setting of "not existing in this world," so while it vanished, it could indeed be considered to have erased its own existence.
In short, it was basically "temporary invincibility"?
And Hippogriffs were very gentle, unlike the Griffin before him, which was not cute at all!
"Mm—" The Griffin looked at Thaumas disdainfully. Its crystal-blue pupils glittered in the sunlight.
It lightly raised a claw, then viciously swung it down at the black horse. Blood sprayed everywhere, and in an instant, the black horse's life was extinguished as it lay twitching on the ground.
It was demonstrating its power to Thaumas, this tiny human.
"Mm-chii—!"
Huh? He couldn't understand it. Could it speak human language instead?
Thaumas wore a troubled expression as he watched the wary Griffin. He did not dare approach rashly. If it ran away, he would not be able to catch it!
"Mm-ah—!" Seeing that Thaumas did nothing, the Griffin repeatedly struck the ground with its claws, as though trying to express something.
Huh? Was it chasing him away?
After all, Athena had said that this fellow did not like eating humans very much and preferred horses instead.
It must have mistaken Thaumas for someone trying to compete for its prey. But after seeing that Thaumas was unharmed by its strike, it had restrained its ferocity and watched him vigilantly.
This Griffin had grown up on Mount Olympus and had seen gods.
To it, humanoid lifeforms were all quite powerful. It was merely a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, with little reverence for gods.
However, because this Griffin was still too young, it foolishly could not tell humans apart from gods.
So the fact that it did not eat humans was also partly because it did not quite dare to.
Seeing the Griffin trying to drive him away, Thaumas felt somewhat disappointed.
This was bad. If he left now, all his efforts would have been for nothing.
But heroes were supposed to defeat the impossible and create Miracles!
He decided to make one more attempt.
"Um, Griffin, as a Phantasmal Species, can you speak?" Thaumas tried to communicate.
"Mm? Mm—" After hearing him, the Griffin tilted its head, blinked those ice-blue eyes, stared at Thaumas for a long time, and finally shook its head.
It was confused. Hadn't the humanoid lifeforms—gods—it encountered on the mountain before all been able to understand what it said? Why couldn't this one?
"No, hey! What the hell? I thought you were supposed to be impressive! If you can't even speak human language, what kind of Phantasmal Species are you?" Thaumas could not help complaining.
Then,
How could the Griffin tolerate such an insult? It slapped the black horse away with one claw, leaped over, and landed directly in front of Thaumas, opening its mouth angrily.
"Mm-ah—! Mm—chii!"
Then it pointed one claw at Thaumas, raised that claw upright, and shook it from side to side.
At the same time, it shook its head, lifted its head arrogantly, then turned away and refused to look at him again.
This time, Thaumas understood. The Griffin was saying that he was no good.
Hmm, it seemed to have some intelligence. And since it had come over to argue with him, his chances were high...
Then—
"Hahaha, Griffin, I originally came here to be friends with you. But I never expected that you, a Phantasmal Species, would amount to nothing much. What a disappointment!" Thaumas suddenly laughed, waved dismissively, and turned to leave, his words filled with contempt for the Griffin.
"Mm—"
The Griffin followed Thaumas again, slowing down to stay close beside him as it chattered away in words Thaumas could not understand.
"Can't understand you. Just as I thought, you're only a pathetic little Griffin. I should go find other Griffins. I'm going to be friends with the very best Griffin."
Thaumas deliberately picked at his ear and pretended not to care as he rejected the Griffin right to its face.
For some reason, the Griffin grew even more agitated after hearing that. It pointed at itself with its black claws and stammered a whole lot of things.
Then the Griffin flew circles around Thaumas, constantly showing off its wings and claws, like a concubine currying favor with an emperor.
Excellent. Simple-minded Griffin, just as expected, it was a child that had secretly run away. It could not withstand even a little provocation.
Once it took the bait, it would not escape! As he had said, he was quite the bad guy!
"Huh? Griffin, what do you mean?
Hmm? Are you trying to say that you're the best Griffin?" Thaumas looked at the Griffin in "surprise."
"Mm-ah—!" The Griffin cried out proudly, lifted its head and chest, struck what it thought was a very charming pose, then patted its chest with a foreclaw.
It really was young. No wonder Athena had said Thaumas could trick it away.
"I don't believe you! I could also say I'm humanity's greatest hero. Do you think anyone would believe that?" he said scornfully.
"Mm-ah—!" As though determined to prove itself, the Griffin beat its wings and soared into the sky, roaming the heavens like lightning before vanishing in an instant.
"! Wait, it ran off? It couldn't take that much? Did it just run away?" Thaumas was a little dumbfounded. This... this was not right, was it?
Wasn't it supposed to follow the script? Why did it pull this on him?
Just as Thaumas was preparing to give up, another gust of wind swept in, kicking up clouds of dust and forcing him to shut his eyes.
After a long while, he opened them and finally saw who had arrived. It was the Griffin.
In each of its two foreclaws, the muscular beast held a horse, while a dead snow leopard hung from its mouth.
It tossed all three prey animals in front of Thaumas and once again proudly displayed its "muscles."
"Not! Good! Enough!" Thaumas said, emphasizing each word.
The Griffin then circled around Thaumas, chirping and calling as though asking how it was supposed to prove itself.
After leaving the Griffin hanging for a while, it finally lowered its head in dejection.
Seeing that the timing was right, Thaumas slowly spoke.
"Griffin, do you know? Among humans, there is a great kind of existence known as a hero."
"Mm?" Those ice-blue eyes were filled with confusion.
"Yes, heroes! They are the equivalent of exceptionally, exceptionally outstanding Griffins among your kind!"
"Mm-mm!" The Griffin pointed at itself and raised its head proudly.
"Ah! No, that's not it! For a human to become a hero, they must not only be exceptionally outstanding themselves, but also spread their reputation!"
"Mm?"
"Because only by spreading your reputation can more people know that you are outstanding!
Don't you want to tell other Griffins, or even other creatures, that you are the very, very, very best Griffin in the world?" At that moment, Thaumas looked just like a demon from a fairy tale, tempting it bit by bit.
Poor Griffin. On its first step into "society," it had encountered someone like him. Come to think of it, did this count as Thaumas employing child labor?
Probably not, right? How old was this Phantasmal Species anyway? Then it was fine, no problem!
"Mm-ah! Mm-ah!" The Griffin nodded excitedly, then looked at Thaumas with expectant eyes, signaling him to hurry up and continue.
"And the fastest way to spread your reputation is to stay beside people who are already famous!"
"Mm?" The Griffin eyed Thaumas suspiciously. Its large head could not understand why.
"Think about it. Since famous people are famous, doesn't that mean they are very famous?"
"Mm~? Mmm~" The Griffin scratched its head with a claw. It did not know what was happening. It felt as though something strange had appeared?
"Since they're already famous, that means other people will pay attention to them!
Then if we think one step further, will the people around them also receive attention? The answer is yes. Doesn't that make sense?"
"Mm!" The Griffin did not understand, but its instincts told it to nod. It trusted its instincts.
"Then tell me, Griffin! Do you want to become famous? Do you want the whole world to know that you are the best Griffin?" Thaumas patted its wing, met its eyes, and asked seriously.
"Mm!" The Griffin nodded heavily.
"Then, Griffin, become my companion!"
At last, the dagger was revealed. Thaumas had gone on and on until he finally led the Griffin into the trap.
"Mm?"
"Because I'm fairly famous among humans. If you follow me, you'll become famous too!"
"Mm-ah?"
"A companion is a good friend. Usually, we help each other. Specifically, whenever we need to travel, you'll carry me! And if we encounter enemies, we'll fight side by side!
But as for food and lodging, you'll have to handle those yourself. After all, we're good friends. You shouldn't trouble your friend over such little matters!"
After talking with the Griffin for so long, Thaumas had finally begun to understand some of its simpler meanings, though he still could not understand more complicated expressions, such as—
"Mm-ah—!" The Griffin suddenly jumped ten paces away.
The Griffin suddenly came to its senses. Sure enough, this human had been after it all along. Its mother had often said that humans were greedy creatures.
Not only would they steal away the treasures Griffins guarded, they also dreamed of taming them and treating them as lowly beasts.
It was angry now.
"Hey, hey, hey! Griffin, I don't want to fight you! Wait, what's wrong with you?" Thaumas raised his Longbow warily.
"Mm—!" The Griffin let out a long howl and violently struck the ground.
A fight?
"If that's how it is, then I have no choice. Let's have a fight, Griffin!
Oh, right, Griffin. Whoever runs away is a coward!"
"Mm-chii—!"
And so,
After a round of friendly communication,
Thaumas gently applied the herbs his senior brother Asclepius had once given him to the Griffin.
"Wuwu~ Awoo~" The Griffin cried out in pain. It could feel a huge bump growing on its head.
Damn human!
Sure enough, it could not oppose these humanoid lifeforms! It could not win...
Wuwu~ Could you be gentler? You! Why couldn't it speak human language? Was it because it had not worked hard enough?
Thaumas looked sympathetically at the poor foolish child. It had actually dared to compete with someone as invulnerable as him. There was no helping it.
This foolish child had never met humans before, yet among the vast sea of people, it had happened to encounter him. What terrible luck.
But it had to be said, as expected of Asclepius, the future god of medicine, son of the sun god and messenger of serpents. The herbs he made were truly effective.
In the blink of an eye, the bump on the Griffin's head began to go down.
But—
"Mm-ahhh—" The Griffin burst into tears. Sometimes a child's breakdown happened in an instant. You'll understand when you're their age. (Just kidding.)
Mom!
It would never come out again!
Mom had never told it that the foot of the mountain was this terrifying!
When it got back, it would sleep on time, go home on time, never make trouble again, and even report its dad for fooling around!
Mom, come save it!
"Hey—why are you crying, kid? Don't cry. It's just a beating; you won't die. With your physique and my senior brother's medicine, it'll hurt at most. You can still take several more beatings from me." Thaumas hurriedly tried to comfort it.
But clearly, he had no experience taking care of children, and Griffin cried even harder.
Then Thaumas suddenly thought of something. He quickly pulled out what he had prepared in advance from his backpack and poured everything inside onto the ground.
Something flashed before Griffin's eyes, and it stopped crying. It froze.
!
So, so much! So much gold!
It was utterly captivated!
Griffins were symbols of wealth. They guarded the treasures of Mount Olympus, and some legends said they served Zeus.
But regardless of which legend was true, they all proved one thing: Griffins were inseparably connected to wealth.
Legends of Griffins and gold had once spread widely across the Eurasian Steppe, and even circulated in the Western Regions of Huaxia during the pre-Qin era.
This legend was originally brought to Europe by a Greek poet named Aristeas.
Later, Herodotus, the Father of History, recounted records from Arimaspi, the Greek poet's epic poem, in his work Histories. He repeatedly mentioned the half-lion, half-eagle monster Griffin that guarded gold, as well as the one-eyed tribe that often clashed with them.
According to Aristeas's Arimaspi, the one-eyed people—the Arimaspians—were numerous, fierce, and skilled in battle, with flourishing animal husbandry and herds of sheep and horses.
Their hair was disheveled, and their faces were strange. They had only a single eye growing in the center of their foreheads, hence the name "one-eyed people." They often fought the gold-guarding Griffins to seize their gold.
Since the divine beast Griffin, with its winged lion body and eagle head, guarded gold, it was inevitably connected to gold.
And the Altai Mountains within present-day Xinjiang were called the "Golden Mountain" in ancient Huaxia texts.
The Altai Mountains were called the Golden Mountain because they had produced abundant gold since ancient times.
The "one-eyed people" who fought the winged, lion-bodied, eagle-headed divine beast Griffin in Ancient Greek records perfectly matched the accounts in ancient Huaxia texts.
Both the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Huainanzi recorded that there was a One-Eyed Kingdom in the far north. The One-Eyed Kingdom was the one-eyed people.
In modern historical studies, the legends of the Griffin and the one-eyed people reflected conflicts between two tribes active in the Altai Mountains region at the time.
But in the Nasuverse, it was precisely the existence of Phantasmal Species that connected these two regions.
So "Golden Mountain" referred both to Mount Olympus and to the Altai Mountains.
As a species that guarded gold, its heart had long since become bound to the sight of so much gold.
This gold was a batch of treasure Thaumas had "picked up" using Hera's Authority. However, he had not used that Authority too ruthlessly.
After all, the total amount of wealth in this world was fixed. If his wealth increased, then whose wealth had decreased?
This also proved from another angle that the Queen Mother of the West had been right: when immortals fell in love, the Three Realms would know no peace. If the God of Wealth fell in love with someone and gave all his money to one person... (At any rate, the author would be the first to object.)
He had not refused Hera's Authority. He had obtained it through his own abilities, so why couldn't he use it? It was merely certain principles in his heart that told him to exercise restraint.
Knowing how to curb one's desires was the deed of a hero. Yet he had not given up using this power, because he was human, not a saint.
Griffin stared at the gold, its ice-blue eyes glittering.
There were only two things it cared about: horses and treasure. Though now, there was one more—fame!
"Mm—"
Griffin thought for a long time, then gathered the gems into its arms without the slightest intention of returning them to Thaumas.
"So, you're not crying anymore, right? Oh, Griffin! If you follow me, maybe you'll get gold every so often!" Thaumas said slowly.
"Mm!" Griffin nodded heavily.
However,
Griffin immediately shook its head again.
"What? You don't want to?" Thaumas asked in confusion.
This time, Griffin immediately shook its head.
"Then why are you nodding one moment and shaking your head the next?"
Griffin thought for a long time, but did not know how to express itself. Anxiously, it scratched at its head with its claws.
"Thaumas, this child Griffin wants you to tame him personally." A gentle voice rang out. Athena, who had been laughing for a long time, finally revealed herself. Stroking Griffin's head, she said to Thaumas,
"This silly child wants to see whether you truly have what it takes to soar through the skies with him!"
PS: I posted these two chapters together, so the three updates became two. Today's total word count was eight thousand words.
I got off work too late today. I did not finish until nine thirty, and it was already very late by the time I got home. There will be no extra update tonight; I'll post it together with tomorrow's.
Tomorrow, there will first be the usual three updates, plus one for successfully signing the contract. I was deeply moved that two readers gave monthly votes, so I'll add another two updates.
That means six updates tomorrow.
Oh, right, there are also the rewards. I'll leave those for later. Seven updates would be too intense; six is barely manageable.
I was too busy today, but I'll keep track of every extra update I owe.
Before you continue