As a parchnt sketching out the general location and area fell into his hands, Luo En nodded in satisfaction.
He gave it a cursory glance and, with his extraordinary mory, etched the content into his mind before stuffing the "letter of challenge" into the Magic Circle Diagram.
"Your body hasn't fully recovered, and it's not suitable for you to appear before that War God. Stay here for the ti being, I'll go and draw him away," Luo En said.
Hearing the arrangent, Thetis let out a sigh of relief.
She was truly afraid that this fellow would force her hand, insisting that she stab Adonis along with him and board the ship only after leaving behind concrete evidence of the deed.
As Thetis was pondering to herself, a cool tal badge was thrust into her hand by the other party.
The Ocean Goddess spread out her palm to see a bronze badge emblazoned with the Gorgon dusa Emblem—exquisite in design and craftsmanship, with special runes engraved on both sides.
"This is reciprocity," Luo En said with a slight smile. "Consider it my way of repaying you for saving my life. If you need to, use it to contact , and I'll do my best to help you once."
Are you sure this is about repaying a debt, and not about exacting revenge?
Thetis muttered to herself skeptically, feeling the emblematic suspicious object in her palm sowhat hot to the touch.
Although driven by circumstances, she had to collaborate with the man before her to fool Ares, who was blocking the door.
But that didn't an she wanted to tie herself to that sinking ship, and from now on, share risks with so unsteady people.
However, after much hesitation, she still pocketed the badge.
It's okay to have it, just not use it if necessary.
Seeing that Thetis had accepted the token, Luo En also showed a smile, releasing more goodwill.
"I accidentally damaged your dress last ti. I'll get you a better one when I return," he said.
Last ti?
Thetis murmured to herself, seemingly recalling sothing.
All things considered, they had only t twice in total.
Apart from this ti, the other encounter was during the negotiations on Sicily.
And unfortunately, on that trip, she not only was robbed clean but also had a piece of her dress torn off.
Instantly, a certain Ocean Goddess's face darkened, and a murderous aura filled her eyes.
"Ti is of the essence, I'm leaving first!"
At this point, Luo En apparently realized he had accidentally slipped up and hastily dived into the surging dark red sea, vanishing into the tumultuous waves in a blink of an eye.
This little rascal!
Thetis looked up to find the slippery eel had already made a hasty escape upon sensing danger, grinding her teeth in frustration and clenching her fists unconsciously harder.
~~
Southwest of Cyprus Island, in the Paphos District.
Here in the shallow waters to the southeast, there is a cluster of jutting rocks—so rising out of the sea like stalactites, others standing tall in the water like giant mushrooms, the largest one about 30 ters high. Myth has it that Goddess Aphrodite, the deity of love and beauty, was born from the foam produced by the waves crashing against the rocks on the nearby shore.
Therefore, they are also called the "Rocks of Aphrodite."
To the north, the Bay of Polis Forest is said to be the favored spot where the "God of Love" would often swim, hence also known as "Aphrodite's Bath."
Gazing around, between these two capes in the small bay, the waters are clear and sandy white, with the densely leaved carob trees and silver-gray olive trees on the shore intertwining into forests, and the pale blue Troodos Mountains in the distance soaring like a giant jade screen, creating a scene of outstanding beauty—tranquil, pristine, and harmonious.
Until the arrival of an unwelco guest.
Accompanied by the sound of splashing water, Luo En erged from the sea's surface, looked back at the incoming blood-red storm about to hit an island far away, and imdiately took out the Spear of Nation-Building that had been sealed in the Magic Circle Diagram, pouring a strand of war divinity into it.
In an instant, a scent tinged with death and the sll of blood surged into the sky.
"Found you, you damned thief!"
Suddenly, Ares atop the sea, like a shark that slled blood, roared with excitent and irritability, swiftly turned around, and headed straight for the location of his beloved spear without a second thought.
So fast!
At that mont, Luo En, who was in the Bay of Polis Forest luring the enemy, saw the streak of lightning-fast blood light that plowed two hundred-ter-long furrows into the sea surface, approaching him rapidly, and he imdiately took a deep breath and dived down.
As the essence of war spread, the once-clear waters gradually turned dark red and murky, and various shallow sea fishes and sea turtles looking to lay eggs on the island scattered and fled in panic.
Sensing the increasing proximity of that tyrannical presence, Luo En sped through the panic-stricken sea creatures and dashed into the coral forest indicated on the map.
Gazing into the distance, clamshells of various sizes, adorned in different colors, were scattered across the fine sand between the coral forests, consuming plankton as usual, slowly moving and growing.
Not these!
Luo En's gaze swept hastily over the scene, undeterred, he swam through the vast coral forest, heading deeper.
Finally, at the bottom of the sea, amidst oddly-shaped stones, he ca to a halt, his gaze settling on a peculiar clamshell more than a person tall, its surface glittering with a rainbow's glow.
Legend has it that after Titan King Cronus cast the severed genitals of his father Uranus into the sea off Cyprus, bubbles furiously erged from the spot where the flesh had plunged.
Soon after, a beautiful, gigantic clamshell appeared, surrounded by nurous smaller shells and pearls. The great clamshell, nudged by the sea breeze and waves, reached the shore, and as it trembled slightly, the two halves parted naturally, and from within erged a breathtakingly beautiful long-haired goddess: such was the distinct birth of the Goddess of Love.
It seems this is it.
He actually hid his mistress in such a place, awaiting their secret rendezvous to awaken her. No wonder Ares, that brute, searched all over Cyprus and couldn't find her.
While muttering to himself, Luo En approached the iridescent giant clam and reached out, pressing on both sides of the shell, attempting to pry it open.
However, truly befitting the divine vessel that gave birth to Aphrodite, it was incredibly hard; re brute force couldn't budge it an inch.
"Bang!"
At that mont, a thunderous splash from above rang out as crimson quickly spread across the water's surface.
Luo En steeled his heart, his gaze falling regretfully on the tightly closed iridescent clamshell.
Then, I apologize.
"I am one whose sharp fangs imperil all who approach, I grant thee destruction!"
With a silent chant, the halo behind Luo En turned, and the [Boar] carrying the divine power of [Destruction] erged, slowly rging with his figure.
"Bang!"
The next instant, amidst a piercing loud crack, the tusks of the [Boar] sank into the gap between the two shells. Making use of the divine right of [Destruction], he forcefully pried them apart.
The pink flesh of the clam, sensing danger, trembled as it spat out a figure that had been enveloped within.
Half-asleep and half-awake, Adonis struggled to open his eyes, only to see in a daze a wild boar with variegated fur baring its teeth at him, revealing an almost human-like smile.
This terrifying and bizarre scene provided a strong visual and psychological shock.
With a jolt, Adonis fully awoke, hastily sitting up on the sandy seafloor, his complexion deathly pale, looking around in panic.
Yet what he saw was a desolate emptiness.
What, another nightmare?
"Found you, you little bastard!"
Just as Adonis was beginning to relax, a nightmarish voice emanated from the coral forest, and the tyrannical figure wielding a golden sharp sword appeared before him.
In an instant, the handso man's blood ran cold, and his eyes turned ashen.
It's over, Ares!
anwhile, Ares, upon seeing Adonis, first froze and then, sensing the residue of the [Spear of Nation-Building] within him, imdiately erupted into an angry, sinister chuckle.
"Good lad, you again? Die!"
The golden sharp sword swung forward, unstoppable, its brutal crimson light sweeping violently, shredding everything in its path.
"No~!"
At this mont, Aphrodite, realizing sothing was amiss and racing from Olympus towards the Bay of Polis Forest, looked upon the crimson blade splitting the sea and couldn't help turning deathly pale, letting out a mournful cry like a cuckoo shedding blood.
But distant water cannot quench a near thirst, and alas, the reach was too short.
A certain essence, intertwined with the heart's blood of the Goddess of Love, unceremoniously dissolved beneath that expanse of blood-red light.
"Ares!"
The voice, filled with grief and chill, reverberated to the heavens as the disheveled Goddess of Love and Beauty, like a raging lioness, pounced upon the ravaging crimson on the sea.
At this very mont, hidden in the forests of Cyprus.
A certain culprit who took advantage of the chaos to flee, hearing that blood-curdling cry, crossed himself before the vast expanse.
Brother, may your journey be peaceful...
May the Netherworld be without wild boars, or Ares.
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