Summoners: One Golden Term per Level

On the second day of the banquet.

Shen Fei and the Moon God exchanged brief farewells, ignoring King of Plovdiv’s continued requests to stay a little longer and enjoy the festivities before taking their leave.

Only this time, there were more, with one person and one bull joining them.

”So, technically, you two aren’t gods?”

”Hmm, we’re considered nymphs, I guess. We don’t have divine authority, but because we are affiliated with Apollo, we can borrow a portion of Apollo’s power.

I pleaded with Apollo to allow me to follow you during this time, so I’m also part of your assistance.”

”This is quite common among many heroes, like Hercules in the past; he had helped from many nymphs, and even other demigods.”

Jasper Pool held a Seven-Stringed Zither, sitting on ’Minotaur,’ which had grown to the size of a young wolf in just one day. This ’Minotaur’ was the calf born from the War Bull.

”I still have my previous abilities, such as Time’s Moment and Time Acceleration, but using higher-tier abilities is no longer possible,” Jasper Pool said.

Shen Fei nodded, realizing this increased his confidence.

”Next, we need to deal with Charybdis and Scylla, these two are troublesome,” Shen Fei said, rubbing his temples after this intensive study session.

Honestly, he was no longer unfamiliar with these peculiar existences.

Charybdis and Scylla, one being the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, the other being children of Phorcys and Ceto, representing the Sea’s Fury among the old gods.

Anyway, they all have relations with the divine spirits, or rather, they might as well be considered gods.

They simply possess the power of the gods, but lack divine authority.

”The problem is, without a god’s power, neither of them can be killed,” Shen Fei slightly frowned, as Charybdis was just a massive whirlpool without a tangible body.

The one who placed the curse on Charybdis was God King Zeus.

As for Scylla, she does have a tangible form, but her situation poses a problem. Just relying on their current strength, plus the fact they are on the sea,

how could they possibly defeat Scylla?

”First, deal with Scylla. Scylla used to be merely one of the nymphs, transformed into a Sea Siren by the Witchcraft Goddess Circe. Given that she can transform her into a Sea Siren, she can revert her to her original state.”

”Once she becomes a nymph again, she can be killed.”

Jasper Pool spoke, but quickly frowned, ”However, Circe is highly jealous, and has a tendency for love. She easily falls for others, and if the person she likes falls for someone else, she uses witchcraft to turn them into animals.”

”Getting her to help might require getting her to fall in love with you...”

As she spoke, Jasper Pool glanced at Shen Fei.

”Of course, not suggesting you should feed the demon with yourself, but merely seeking her help. If it turns out to be unmanageable, we’ll just leave.”

”As for whether we get hunted later, that can be dealt with when the time comes.”

Shen Fei nodded, ”That’s something to consider, but the odds are too uncertain. Who can ensure Circe will fall in love with me?”

The Moon God suddenly suggested, ”What about seeking Eros?”

Shen Fei shook his head and said, ”Impossible, Eros is the son of Ares and Aphrodite.

Why would he help us when this is meant to fulfill Artemis’s plan?

Aphrodite and Artemis are natural enemies.”

The two of them and the bull stopped walking, and Jasper Pool suggested, ”Then let’s look for Athena. Since Artemis and Ares have locked horns, Athena must be involved in the background.

She surely wants to thwart Ares’s scheme and may have a plan.”

”That’s worth considering.”

Shen Fei nodded slightly, for in Greek mythology, Athena is like a mother to heroes.

If there’s something unsolvable, one would seek Athena.

Isn’t that the natural thing to do?

...

In Athens.

This city, simply inescapable when discussing Ancient Greece, the cradle of the Renaissance, is an illustrious jewel in Greek mythology.

Legend said Athena and Poseidon competed for this initially nameless city. Poseidon’s trident became a warhorse, while Athena offered an olive branch, one signifying force, the other peace.

Eventually, Athena was chosen by its people, symbolizing peace prevailed over force, thus the city was named Athens.

The three walked towards Athens’ gate, followed by a bull that had grown to the height of a person. They were adorning fine clothes, and among them were handsome men and beautiful women. One of them even carried a Seven-Stringed Zither, naturally attracting attention.

”Ares is truly stingy!”

Shen Fei rubbed his temples, for the journey had been far from peaceful. Just leaving Plovdiv, they encountered turmoil, with nearby villages raided by barbarians.

Mistaken as a villager by these marauders, Shen Fei had yet to make a move before Minotaur gored these men to death.

Not long after surviving this, several lions mistook them for prey and were shot dead by the Moon God with two arrows.

After passing Odyssey, they were almost mistaken for deserters, almost causing the entire city’s guards to come after them.

If Shen Fei hadn’t displayed the symbol of Artemis Temple, a skirmish was inevitable.

That surely wasn’t a coincidence.

The only enemy Shen Fei might have is Ares, and bloodshed, turmoil, and such fall under Ares’s [War] divine authority.

Ares couldn’t personally kill them, but playing tricks to hinder them was certainly within his reach.

However, the closer they got to Athens, the fewer of these tricks there seemed to be.

In a city protected by Athena, Ares dared not intervene easily. During the last Trojan War, Athena gave him a severe beating, and he suffered too.

”To the Apollon Temple, Athena may well be waiting for us there.”

Shen Fei suggested, knowing that with other gods one might have to announce their visit at the temple for the deity to acknowledge their intent to seek them.

But Athena.

This god might have been keeping an eye on Shen Fei’s movements since he left Ephesus.

The trio made their way to the Apollon Temple, akin to how the Apollo Temple stands in Delphi, bustling with people.

Shen Fei only had to ask around and quickly knew their way. Upon reaching the temple entrance, they found a maiden dressed in priestly robes waiting for them.

As one of the three Virgin Gods, Athena also employed maidens as priests. Setting aside the stances each took during the Trojan War,

Artemis and Athena had decent relations, as in Greek mythology, kindred spirits and deep friendships were common, while true virtue was scarce.

Upon seeing Shen Fei and his companions with the bull, the maiden priestess hurried forward with a respectful demeanor, ”Our god has sent a divine oracle, already waiting for you heroes at the temple.”

Shen Fei nodded in secret approval, no wonder Athena was revered by mortals, with such a humbling demeanor.

As a divine spirit, dispatching someone to receive guests at the temple doors, claiming to have been awaiting their arrival,

For people accustomed to tales of divine spirits, encountering such behavior, one would at least initially perceive Athena to be a benevolent and approachable deity.