Lemnos, the Island of Women

The sea breeze carried a salty dampness. The sea was a tireless musician, forever playing melodies with the sound of its waves, expressing the feelings in its heart. It must have been bored now, its monotonous, unchanging waves as dull as the situation aboard the Argo. Even the spirited heroes had sunk into this stifling mood.

Sitting off to one side, he held a fishing rod and tried to fish. He sat on the deck above his room, with an extremely incongruous flag beside him.

"Bai Mo, I told you, with winds this strong and the ship moving this fast, no fish will bite."

Jason teased him. Bai Mo remained motionless, as though he had not heard, but still answered, "Even if I can't catch anything, is there anything else I can do?"

The sailing that day could be called smooth in every sense. They did not even need to row, and now stifling boredom had become the heroes' enemy.

Fortunately, they still had ways to relieve that boredom.

"Hey! Bai Ermo, how's your recovery going? Do you need to get some medicine from Asclepius?"

Bai Mo sighed. Although the system had solved his communication problem, everyone now seemed to call him Bai Ermo. It was difficult to explain, and after trying, he had decisively given up.

Of course, that was not the main reason. These heroes seemed intensely curious about him. There are so many extraordinary people aboard this ship, so why have they singled me out? At first, it had only been arm wrestling, but as Bai Mo kept performing impressively, it had now escalated to wrestling.

Bai Mo tried hard to avoid fighting, but these fellows began spreading rumors that he was a divine messenger or a secluded powerhouse. As a result, more and more powerful, renowned heroes began taking an interest in him. After Bai Mo defeated a hero named Polydeuces in a simple contest of strength through his skill at controlling his power, many of the heroes began wanting to challenge this so-called secluded powerhouse.

Bai Mo began to wonder, Is thirty percent of the complete realm really this powerful? These fellows are descendants of gods, after all. Just combining electric current push with the complete realm can actually produce results like this?

Little did he know that outside a fight to the death, technique played a major role. Wrestling and contests of strength both depended heavily on controlling one's power. Aboard this ship, apart from Heracles, who could overcome every technique with sheer strength, the others could barely bring even half their abilities to bear against Bai Mo.

Polydeuces picked up a pair of boxing gloves and walked toward Bai Mo, calling, "Bai Ermo, I challenge you!"

A cheer immediately rose aboard the Argo. Asclepius, who had been holed up belowdecks, sighed. He knew these muscle-brained fellows were about to start again, so he went to prepare medicine.

A girl dressed entirely in emerald green also cast an attentive glance their way. For Atalanta, this was her daily entertainment. The voyage was dull, and these workhorses added some variety to life. She might as well watch a show, and that fellow named Bai Ermo really was worth watching.

A handsome blond youth handed a waterskin to Heracles, who stood beside him, as powerfully built as a bear. Hylas knew that the fellow named Bai Ermo aboard the ship had some real skill. Even his master, Heracles, freely praised his fighting technique.

Bai Mo knew there was no escaping, so he accepted the gloves. At Jason's signal to begin, his opponent's fist struck as swiftly as a viper. Bai Mo punched in the same instant, his hand passing just clear of Polydeuces's fist as his elbow deftly struck Polydeuces's forearm. Polydeuces felt his hand shift uncontrollably, like an iron sword drawn toward a magnet.

"Impressive! You really are skilled." Polydeuces clearly still had strength to spare, since he even had the leisure to praise his opponent. As he spoke, he had already moved his head aside. Normally, a punch thrown at such speed could not change direction, but Bai Mo clearly could not be judged by ordinary standards. His fist changed course with uncanny agility, like a monkey's nimble hands, and came at him.

Yet at that moment, Polydeuces made an extreme move. He thrust his head straight into Bai Mo's fist. The skull was extremely hard, and with Zeus's blood in his veins, his body was all the more powerful and robust. Polydeuces decided to defeat his enemy with his own advantage. Once he took this blow, Bai Mo would face a storm of attacks, for he had already adjusted his stance, both hands poised to strike!

Thump! No pain came. Polydeuces could not believe what had happened. Bai Mo's fist had carried no explosive impact. Polydeuces had considered that this blow might knock him unconscious, but even if he passed out, his body should still have been able to carry out the commands his brain had already issued. Yet Bai Mo's strength was so strange. There was no pain, but Polydeuces felt like a child whose head had been pushed by an adult, his body falling backward beyond his control.

He went down.

Polydeuces could not believe it, but looking at Bai Mo's outstretched hand, he smiled helplessly and took it to stand up.

Cheers erupted aboard the Argo. Bai Mo was about to leave, but Polydeuces raised his hand outright, like a referee raising a champion's hand in the ring. All the heroes applauded. For someone as socially anxious as Bai Mo, this was far more frightening than an enemy's fists.

"Don't act so bashful. You just defeated Polydeuces, the finest boxer in Greece. Shout it to the world!"

Polydeuces showed no sign of acting defeated. This was also why Bai Mo liked the Argo. The heroes here were all forthright people, and getting along with them was easy and comfortable.

"Master, how did Polydeuces fall over?" the page Hylas asked Heracles. He lacked a warrior's eye and could not discern Bai Mo's technique. Heracles smiled faintly, then pressed a finger against Hylas's forehead. With a gentle push, Hylas began to fall, but almost instantly, Heracles caught him.

"Like that, Hylas. Bai Ermo's angles of force and control over his strength are the finest I've ever seen. Perhaps you should ask him for instruction. If you can learn thirty percent of his technique, it will be enough for you to travel freely across mountains and rivers."

Hylas silently committed this to memory, then looked at Bai Mo, who already wished he could jump into the sea.

"What? You took his fist with your head? It seems your brain was broken even without Bai Ermo beating it, you idiot!" Asclepius scolded without hesitation. Polydeuces now regretted it bitterly. Why had he not stayed away from this fellow?

"It seems I need to examine not only your external injuries, but your intelligence too. Polydeuces, go lie down on the sickbed."

"Asclepius, I'm not sick. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my head!"

"You can't feel pain? It seems there's something wrong with the nerves in your brain. Still, that's good. You won't feel any pain during treatment."

"Asclepius! Stop!"

Just as Polydeuces was about to cause a disturbance in the infirmary, a voice rang out from outside. "Land! I see land!"

As though he had heard a signal of salvation, Polydeuces hurriedly said, "As a crew member, I must face the unknown dangers!" Then he left before Asclepius could even stop him.

"This should be Lemnos Island. There's a kingdom here. Perhaps we can replenish some supplies."

Jason checked the nautical chart and quickly confirmed their current position. The navigator also spotted the very conspicuous city walls and gate on the island.

"Wait, something's wrong. Why aren't there any soldiers stationed on the walls?" Atalanta spotted the anomaly at a glance. How could a city have no guards on its walls? This information immediately reached everyone's ears.

Bai Mo knew this part of the story. For now, he did not need to think too much about it, and there was no need to use that lead-colored arrow. In any case, it was nothing that a shout from Heracles could not settle.

The people on deck had already begun organizing a party to investigate. As captain, Jason prepared to lead them, and Bai Mo went with him. After all, Heracles was aboard, so he had no reason to keep staying on the ship.

The women on Lemnos Island had offended Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and their armpits and groins had begun to stink unbearably. Unable to endure it, the men here had gone to mainland kingdoms such as Thrace to seek women. After discussing it among themselves, the women had killed all the men as sacrifices to the goddess of love, and at last the goddess had withdrawn her curse.

Bai Mo considered how those women would open the gates for the heroes aboard this ship, and then the Argo's first challenge would end in utter defeat. This was an event that could be concluded by simply going through the motions. If he wanted, he could even spend a passionate night with a beautiful woman.

The outcome was just as Bai Mo had expected. When they reached the city gate, it swung wide open, and countless fair-skinned, beautiful women with graceful figures came out to welcome them. Bai Mo's party was ushered into the palace as honored guests. Along the way, Bai Mo looked at the women in the streets. Every one of them cast sultry glances, as though they could hardly wait to devour his group.

"The way these people are looking at us makes me a little uncomfortable," Bai Mo said quietly, softly enough that only Jason beside him could hear. But Jason heartily patted his back and teased, "I'd say their gazes are blazing like fire. Has anyone caught your eye, Bai Mo? Maybe I can put in a word for you later."

Bai Mo's tone was as calm as still water as he said evenly, "I have no interest in that. We still have to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Are you planning to bring women along on our adventure?"

Jason gave a somewhat sleazy grin. "It's just one night of passion between willing partners. Of course I won't forget that we still have a mission."

Then they entered the palace, and Jason certainly did not disappoint Bai Mo.

Half a month later, aboard the Agor, there were only a handful of people on the Argo, which should have been bustling with activity.

"I brought some food back. The food at their banquets is quite good."

Hylas returned to the Agor carrying some food. There were now only four people aboard the Argo: Bai Mo, Hylas, Atalanta, and Heracles. Yes, just as expected, Jason had gotten involved with the queen of Lemnos Island.

Fresh, delicious food was laid on the table. Bai Mo casually picked up a piece of bread and began eating. Heracles sat with his head lowered over his meal, while Atalanta's expression was utterly dark. Even now, she gritted her teeth as she ate, as though she were chewing those people's flesh.

"Enough! I didn't come aboard this ship to waste time here! What did those fellows set out on this journey for? Was it just to lie entwined with the women here?"

Atalanta was furious, and Bai Mo and Heracles understood perfectly. Hylas could only wear a bitter smile. It had already been almost half a month. Who would have thought that the Argo's first challenge would end in utter defeat?

Still, Atalanta had become less icy during this time. Perhaps in her eyes, only Heracles and Bai Mo now counted as heroes. Bai Mo shook his head and said, "If it were just Jason, I'd have a way, but with so many people, there's really nothing I can do. Still, there is some good news."

"What good news could there possibly be now?" Atalanta asked.

Bai Mo stretched and said, "They're merely lost in the tender embraces of women, rather than having been struck by the little love god's arrows. Otherwise, none of us could have escaped either. Right now, they're people pretending to be asleep. Even if you go tell them to come back, they'll only keep stalling."

Heracles stood and looked toward the nearby kingdom, his deep voice like that of a prehistoric beast. "Tomorrow, I'll make them remember that they're heroes. We really have stayed too long."

Only after hearing Heracles's assurance did Atalanta settle down. Night fell once more, but none of the three slept.

The heavy blade blank sounded as it cleaved through the seawater, each slash throwing up waves. Bai Mo stood in the sea, the water almost covering his chest, yet he continued swinging the blade blank against its resistance, churning the sea into whirlpools. Ever since the ship had docked, Bai Mo had been training.

Atalanta watched from aboard the ship. Bathed in moonlight, Bai Mo's ceaseless training gave him a distinctive air that drew this heroine, who had no interest whatsoever in the opposite sex.