Crete, Royal Palace, Banquet Hall
The royal palace was a long courtyard. The King's palace, the Queen's bedroom, and the banquet hall were scattered around the courtyard. The buildings were connected by corridors, hallways, corridors, and staircases. There were thousands of doors and hundreds of rooms, just like a labyrinth.
After Pei Zi Yun had finished praying to Hera in Crete, King Idomeneus sent someone to invite Prince Paris to the palace for a grand banquet. At this point, he saw King Idomeneus reclining on a reclining chair in the middle of the main hall. Soft animal skins were laid out on top of the chair. A maid was pouring wine for the King and placing it in his mouth.
The banquet hall was filled with many nobles of the kingdom. At this point, the banquet was nearing its end.
King Idomenus straightened up and smiled. "Prince Paris, I hope you will enjoy the wine of Crete to your heart's content and enjoy our delicacies."
Pei Zi Yun bowed slightly and said, "Esteemed King Idomenus, thank you very much for your warm hospitality."
"Come, Prince Paris, cheers for our friendship." King Idomenus raised his golden cup and downed the wine in one gulp. Pei Zi Yun did the same.
"Prince Paris, I have long heard of your heroic reputation. You have killed Sirens, Dual Headed Lizards, and Bearmen. You also love and respect the gods. Every time you go to a place, you will offer sacrifices to the local temples. It is a joyous occasion to see you in person today."
Pei Zi Yun heard the praise and stood up. "King Idomenus, everything I have done is due to the guidance and blessings of the gods."
"Your praise and warm hospitality make me feel intimidated. Is there anything I can do for you, a king blessed by our common ancestor, Zeus?"
Pei Zi Yun looked at him coldly. King Idomenus of Crete was very powerful, and he was favored by Zeus. The palace's storeroom was filled with wine and olive oil, as well as food. The treasury was filled with gold, bronze, and weapons.
He had two thousand well-equipped warriors, and a large number of ships belonging to the King set out to trade all over the Aegean Sea.
However, Idomenus was still troubled. The reason was that in this era, Crete had declined, while Mykenia was thriving. King Agamemnon had also gained the hegemony.
The two divine descendants of Zeus, Agamemnon of Mackensie and Idomeneus of Crete, had been fighting against each other. Idomeneus had been trying to restore the glory of the Minos Dynasty.
"Yes, there is. The caravan that just came back told me that the Trojans have been increasing their control over tin, and they are imposing heavier taxes on it. Do you know about this?" Idomeneus said with a smile, but his eyes were cold.
This affected Crete to a certain extent, and his income decreased. At this moment, he was thinking to himself, Damn Trojans, they're causing trouble for me!
"Your Majesty, I'm not sure about this because I've been out for half a year." Pei Zi Yun replied politely, "However, I personally believe that we are all descendants of the great Zeus, and should have a closer relationship with each other."
"We can even reduce taxes on each other and increase exchanges."
"I do have some thoughts about this. Please take a look." As he spoke, Gesne waved his hand and respectfully handed over a sheepskin book.
"Ships close to each other, reducing taxes, not obstructing navigation, free trade, providing necessary convenience, and enjoying certain privileges." Idomeneus took a look at it and felt that it was a good idea. His intelligent brain immediately understood that Crete would benefit more from it.
The reason was simple. Troy controlled the Dardanelles Strait, and trade with the Greeks was frequent. Although it seemed fair to reduce taxes on both sides, it was actually a one-sided deal for Troy. With this, they could even earn extra profits from selling tin that was subject to the tax reduction.
"Is this true? Prince Paris? "
"Of course, but we have to sign a peace treaty with Troy. Regardless of the reason, we are not allowed to join the opposing camp of Troy. We cannot support our enemies and let them benefit from it. Am I right, great King Idomeneus?"
"Yes, yes … I have to discuss this further. However, for the sake of our friendship, I want to give you some gifts." After Idomeneus finished speaking, he clapped his hands three times, and servants came in with gifts.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the gifts and saw that there were gold, bronze, ivory, and fur. These were actually gifts in return for the goods that he had given to Crete.
Pei Zi Yun stood up and bowed. "Respected King Idomeneus, thank you very much for your generosity. May our friendship last forever, and may the gods protect you forever."
"Prince Paris, I have said that for the sake of our friendship, if you have any trouble in the future, feel free to look for me," the King said warmly.
The banquet proceeded in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere. Everyone drank to their heart's content. During this period, Pei Zi Yun also drank quite a bit of wine.
After about an hour, Pei Zi Yun bade farewell to King Idomeneus, and the King personally sent him out of the banquet hall.
Pei Zi Yun left the palace and boarded the carriage. He said to the driver, "To the Temple of Hecate."
"Pa!"
The sound of a whip cracking could be heard as the carriage headed towards the Temple of Hecate. At this point, Pei Zi Yun's face darkened and he shook his head. "Seems like it won't work!"
From the looks of it, Troy was at a disadvantage in the peace treaty. However, in this era of war, Troy did not receive any taxes. Hence, they did not suffer any losses at all. However, they could still disgust the Greeks. At that time, would Idomeneus join the war or not?
However, Idomeneus was after all a descendant of Zeus. He seemed to have heard some rumors. Although he was tempted, when he heard about the peace treaty, he rejected it.
"But at least I can give him more gifts. At least I can still make a profit."
Pei Zi Yun did not think about this anymore. Instead, he thought about his next goal.
The Goddess of Hell, Hecate, was the goddess of the underworld. She had once helped Zeus defeat the Cyclops. Hence, she had the strength of a giant. Even Zeus had to give her some face.
"Was she the mysterious lady from the last time?"
"It doesn't seem like it. Although she is not a direct descendant of Zeus, she did not go against him. Hence, she would not help me."
"This time, I will go to the sacrificial ceremony to find out if she was the one who gave me the secret potion."
Temple of Hecate
As the chariot neared, it gradually came to a stop. Pei Zi Yun alighted.
In front of the Temple of Hecate was a huge sacred forest. The sacred forest was filled with towering ancient trees. Birds were chirping happily, and women were plucking fresh flowers. Although she was a deity of the underworld, the entire sacred forest gave off a sense of tranquility.
Behind the sacred forest, there was a temple in front of him.
The priest and his assistant were waiting at the entrance of the temple. When he saw Pei Zi Yun, he said, "Prince Paris, the great deity knows of your arrival. She has specially instructed me to wait for you."
"Is that so? When did I receive the attention of the Goddess of Hell, Hecate? "Pei Zi Yun thought to himself." Could it be that the lady from the last time was really her? "
He then replied, "I thank the great goddess Hecate for her favor."
The priest nodded his head and led Pei Zi Yun into the temple.
The entrance of the temple was a circular arched door. It was sixteen meters tall and eight meters wide. When one walked through the door, one would feel small and insignificant.
Inside the temple of Hecate, the entire dome was also engraved with murals, and reliefs could be seen everywhere on the surrounding walls. However, unlike other temples, the murals and reliefs were mainly black and gray. Most of the murals and reliefs depicted scenes of the Underworld, which sent chills down one's spine.
After walking through a long corridor, he saw an altar. In the middle of the altar was a statue of Hecate.
Every time he killed a cow, a piece of the offering would disappear. It seemed like Hecate still had a good impression of him. The priest smiled, "Prince Paris, the deity is very satisfied with your offering."
Pei Zi Yun replied, "I thank the Goddess for her blessings."
After the sacrificial ceremony was completed, a young lady walked over. She was tall and slender, and her steps were light. She bowed, "Medea, I heard that a young prince has arrived. I wish to meet him."
"Medea?" Pei Zi Yun's heart was filled with suspicion. This person was incredible. She was in the myths and legends, and shouldn't be here!
Just as he was thinking about this, a Plum Blossom appeared in front of him. It grew bigger and became a translucent information interface. It floated in front of his eyes, and a string of data appeared.
"Explain your position to Medea without reservation."
Under the guidance of the young lady, he walked through the corridor and came to a room. This room was tall and narrow. There was a wooden window, and a bed. On the bed was an old woman.
Not far away, there was a lamp made of clay made of sea beasts, and a vase with flowers in it.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the woman on the bed. The once mighty Medea was now a dying woman. Her face was full of wrinkles, and the years had left an indelible mark on her body.
The young lady took out a silver bottle and opened it. A strong fragrance wafted out. She carefully took out some and smeared it on her face. She did not use much.
In an instant, a miracle happened. Medea's wrinkles reduced rapidly, and she became a middle-aged woman. Although there were still wrinkles around her eyes, she had regained some of her youth.
"Looks like you are a little surprised!" Medea said. Her voice was as light as a breeze, "This is only a part of the power of the goddess I serve, Hecate. She can create a secret medicine that can restore youth."
"Can it only last for a day?" Pei Zi Yun asked.
"You are really sharp, and you know a lot. Furthermore, you are young and handsome." Medea did not answer him directly. She looked at Pei Zi Yun intently, "Just like back then …"
"I am not Ison." Pei Zi Yun interrupted her reminiscence.
"Oh, why? You are all princes. You are all so young and handsome." Medea said, "I have seen many heroes, but there are not many who are as handsome as you."
"Because I will not learn from Ison. I will push everything to my women and friends. In the end, even with the protection of the great Hera, I could not even sit on the throne."
Ison was the hero who obtained the Golden Fleece. However, he abandoned Medea and his son, and in the end, he died under the curse.
"Is that so? So this is what you think. "
"That's right. I heard that you did not have the help of other heroes, but you killed the sea monster, the double headed lizard, and the bearman. If Ison was as brave as you, he would not have ended up like that."
"In the end, even Hera, who favored him, gave up on him."
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