Mythology: Spiritual Ruler

"How dare you!"

Inside the big tent, behind the table, when Iapetus' voice fell, Priam's face changed immediately.

Death is imminent? It's a joke.

Now the coalition army is besieging the city, and the gods are about to come to help.

Even if he can't win for a while, there is absolutely no possibility of a big defeat.

Moreover, as the king of Troy, there is a capable successor as a replacement, and Priam didn't intend to go to the battlefield in person.

In this case, who can kill him, and who dares to kill him?

Clang——!

"Father?"

The silver-handled sword was slightly unsheathed, and Hector asked with his eyes.

With just one order, he can kill this madman.

However, under the prince's gaze, although Priam was furious, he hesitated to nod.

Few people know that as the king of Troy, Priam is actually a person who believes in fate.

Maybe it's because of his education since childhood, or maybe it's his nature.

Anyway, in the original myth, his second son Paris was like this.

Just because the queen had a nightmare, she dreamed that the child turned into a beam of fire and burned the entire palace. He would bring disaster and misfortune to the kingdom.

So the king ordered the slaves to kill him... Of course, the final result is obvious.

No one can reverse the fate that has been said, and everything he does will only make the end come faster.

So Paris not only did not die, but became the fuse of the ten-year war, and made the prophecy finally come true.

The high wall built by Poseidon, the sea king, failed to protect his people after all. Under the tall wooden horse, the whole kingdom turned into a sea of ​​fire.

Of course, the story has changed now, and Troy is no longer a city-state facing other countries alone. However, when Iapetus's words were so rampant, Priam still hesitated.

Because in legends, even in nursery rhymes, there have been more than one time when prophets who glimpsed the future predicted the fate of the king, but the king turned a deaf ear, which eventually led to rumors of disaster.

Even if the king knew that these were just stories, so what... After thinking again and again, Priam was finally ready to listen to what the visitor had to say.

"Death is imminent... Athenian, I can give you a chance, a chance to convince me."

"But if you can't convince me... then death is your only end."

"Hehe... OK."

"Since your majesty still wants to hear how he died, then I will tell you one by one."

With a slight smile, Iapetus was not surprised.

As long as he was allowed to speak, no mortal could refuse to communicate with him.

At least to this day, he had not seen such a human being.

...

"Come, both of you, take a look."

Without delay, he casually drew a sketch on the ground.

There was no background or characters, only the symbols of the allied countries and gods.

Picking up a wooden stick, the god of speech was unrestrained and unrestrained, wielding it with great vigor.

"I heard that since ancient times, when two countries confront each other, there is no war without a name."

"Whether it is national hatred or family feuds, or coveting gold and silver, whenever a war is provoked, there must be a reason."

"And this time the coalition forces gathered and the army attacked, nominally because Athens allowed witchcraft to exist, but in fact it was because of the disputes among the gods."

"A golden apple banquet led to the gods' mutual filthiness."

"As a result, this coalition siege took place. I wonder if your majesty has any objections to what I just said?"

"..."

Silent, Priam neither denied nor admitted.

But in his heart, he did think so.

Strictly speaking, Troy and Athens had no hatred, and if there was no will of the gods, they would not come.

"It seems that your majesty agrees with my statement... Then next, let's talk about why Troy joined the coalition forces."

The wooden stick drew an arc in the air and finally fell on the symbol of Troy.

Under the king's slightly changing expression, Iapetus drew two crosses, which fell on the marks of the two gods respectively.

"Because of the will of the gods?"

"No, if it is other countries, it may be possible, but Troy will not."

"Because of interests or grudges?"

"This is even more impossible, because Troy and Athens not only have no grudges, but have a long history."

"Since these two are impossible, there is only one result."

"The Kingdom of Troy actually had to come here, and the reason you chose to come here was completely forced."

"...I don't know how to call this sir?"

Priam asked the name of the visitor for the first time after taking a long breath.

And Iapetus just smiled, and the other party's reaction was completely within his expectations.

"Your Majesty, just call me Ilos, but it seems that I am right again?"

"..."

Silent again, Priam had to admit that the Athenian in front of him said it word for word.

Whether it is him or the Trojans.

The reason they came here was not to please the gods, or to have any feud with Athens.

On the contrary, there was a statue of Athena standing in the city of Troy (it was in the original book).

If in the original myth, the Trojans offended Athena because of the choice of the second prince Paris, this is not the case now.

The statue of the goddess has been protecting the city, blessing them with good weather and good wind.     If possible, Priam did not want to attack Athens at all.

As for pleasing the gods, it was even more ridiculous.

Although Priam was reluctant to admit this, he actually knew very well that Troy had been blacklisted by the gods long before his father did such a thing.

Laomedon, the famous "deceiver" and "mad king who enslaved the gods", was also Priam's father.

During his reign, Poseidon and Apollo, who had fallen into the human world for some reason, happened to come to Troy.

Maybe it was for faith, or maybe it was for something else. In short, the two main gods served the king for a period of time, but only asked for some rewards that were useless to them.

Laomedon agreed, so Apollo grazed for him, and Poseidon built an unbreakable wall for him.

However, what Priam could never understand was that his father refused to pay at the end of everything.

The gods were furious, and Laomedon's name was known to the world.

From then on, few Troy clergy were willing to join, and the mad king was punished by the gods of Olympus.

"It seems that you understand what I mean, but I have more to say."

"After all, the reason why your Majesty came to attack Athens was actually to wash away the sins committed in the past."

"Perhaps in your Majesty's view, as long as you can stand out in this war and make contributions, then everything in the past can be written off, right?"

"Troy will rise again in your hands and become a powerful kingdom at that time... But in the final analysis, your Majesty Priam, do you really believe in such a future?"

He stretched out the stick and drew again.

This time, the king of Troy saw it clearly.

Iapetus cut open the place where Athens was, and they were divided into three places.

One is close to the countries, where part of it will become the spoils after victory.

The other is the edge of the ocean, where it will become the territory of the sea god.

These areas are also painted with the marks of different gods, symbolizing the main gods believed in by these kingdoms.

As for the last piece, it belongs to the prince who stabbed his father in the back, and it is also the remaining territory of Athens... However, as he looked at it, Priam couldn't help sweating.

Because he had realized why Iapetus said he would die.

Yes, he did nothing wrong. If Athens was destroyed, Troy might really be spared by the gods.

After all, it is better to incorporate a kingdom into one's own beliefs than to destroy it.

So the question is, what else needs to be done before this kingdom becomes the property of the gods?

"As you think, the gods need Troy, but not the son of Laomedon."

"The gods need faith, but they also hope to deter future kings before that."

"However, the gods cannot kill you directly, after all, that will hinder them from establishing faith in Troy."

"But they cannot let you go either, because there is nothing they cannot do as long as they want."

"So, Your Majesty Priam, when do you think you will end your life?"

"...Of course, soon, in this war with the Athenians."

After the last sentence, Priam looked solemnly at the mortal transformed by Iapetus.

Strictly speaking, what the God of Speech said is not flawless.

Or in some places, Iapetus did not intend to delve into it.

He is the God of Speech, not the God of Strategy, the Goddess of Wisdom.

What's more, the bystander is clear, and the authorities are confused. Priam may not be unaware that he is in great danger, but he cannot solve it, so he subconsciously ignores these problems.

Iapetus only considered the problem from the perspective of God, and naturally he could find many things that were overlooked by others.

However, even though there were many flaws, at this moment, Priam was still convinced.

He was shocked by the wisdom of the God of Speech from the bottom of his heart, and he also deeply understood how he was in danger.

Looking around, the only person who could help him at this moment was only one person.

"I was so rude before... Please save my life!"

The king bowed and was convinced.

"Well, after all, Troy has also been protected by the goddess."

"In this regard, we can also be regarded as a family."

"Although the Olympian gods are numerous, Her Majesty Athena is not without means to deal with it."

"Your Majesty, I wonder if you still remember Achilles?"

"What!"

Hearing this, Priam was shocked. Although he had never seen the real person, he was not unfamiliar with this name.

Achilles, the man who severely injured Agamemnon with three moves and two styles, is actually Athens' trump card?

"Haha, it's good for your majesty to know."

"So don't be anxious. Although the coalition forces of various countries are numerous and powerful, the final winner will only belong to Athens."

"By then, I am afraid that Athens alone will not be able to occupy the territories of the Western countries."

Smiling silently, Iapetus did not admit the relationship between Achilles and them, but the hints in his words were so clear.

First make a good first move, then exaggerate, and finally describe the prospects to lure them.

This is enough to deal with a mortal monarch.

"It's a pity... That person is definitely blessed with great divine power."

"Otherwise, how could I not be able to see through his mind and influence his judgment..."

Seeing that the task was completed, Iapetus was relieved.

But at this time, he thought of the human who represented the abyss.

Great divine power... If there was such power, why would there be such a need to rush around.