The Greece Antagonist

The next morning, a noisy and chaotic clamor, mixed with faint crying, drifted from the harbor.

Something had happened!

Upon hearing the commotion, Hestia in the kitchen slightly tensed her expression and immediately peeked out from in front of the stove, eagerly looking towards the figure in the backyard.

Sensing the gaze almost sticking to his back, Luo En sighed, put away the bronze longsword in his hand, and took the initiative to speak.

"Forget it, come with me to have a look."

"Okay!"

Hestia instantly felt reassured, hastily setting down the kitchenware and obediently following behind Luo En, heading towards the direction of the harbor.

Her grandniece Athena had cautioned her before her departure to heed the opinions of a certain fellow in all matters.

There was much she did not understand.

But she knew that some words had to be taken seriously.

Following the flow of people out of the city gates and hurrying to the harbor on the outskirts of Knossos City, this place had already gathered quite a number of figures drawn by the news.

There were soldiers maintaining order, priests conducting statistics and investigations, and priestesses providing comfort and treatment; and on the outermost ring, an anxious crowd of common folk peered inward...

By now, within the harbor under martial law, dozens of bodies soaked white in the seawater were being dragged ashore by the soldiers one after another.

Most of the deceased were dressed in coarse linen, with rough skin and a faint redness from sun exposure, presenting the standard visage of seafarers and low-ranking merchants.

Their causes of death varied greatly.

Some faces showed the purplish hue of oxygen deprivation, some bodies were twisted with shattered bones, some eyes bulged with terror, and some limbs were torn off, leaving only half-trunks...

A grotesque and bloody scene made some of the weaker-hearted Minosians turn their heads to squat on the ground, heaving continuously.

But more people were anxiously pulling at soldiers and acquaintances, seeking and inquiring; or upon hearing the dread news, they rushed forward, crying and wailing in disbelief.

Clearly, among these dead might be their brothers and loved ones.

As more and more people arrived, the situation became increasingly chaotic and noisy.

Luo En slightly furrowed his brow, pulled Hestia to a higher point on the outskirts, and gazed towards the sea.

The murky tide slapped against the shore, creating rings of ghostly froth.

Amidst the foam, chunks of broken timber of varying sizes were carried onto the shore.

They were fragments of ships.

And not just fishing boats, among them, there seemed to be merchant ships engraved with simple protective spells...

Luo En's eyes moved across the irregular gaps on the timber planks and settled on a ship's keel in the distance that had seemingly been torn in two by a tremendous force, his brow knitting more tightly.

Luo En?!

Just as the two were surveying the scene, a certain small purple figure, surrounded by a group of white-robed priestesses, brightened up and excitedly waved toward the high point on the outskirts.

Is this girl also here?

Luo En's brows raised slightly and he nodded from afar, then discreetly pointed to a relatively secluded and quiet area before vanishing into the crowd.

Shortly after, having understood the hint, Little Medusa arrived at the agreed-upon spot and met up with Luo En and Hestia, who were already waiting there.

"It was ships from Crete Island that went out to sea, they've encountered trouble!"

As soon as they met, Little Medusa cut straight to the situation, her gaze burning as she looked across at Luo En.

Luo En, who had anticipated this, was not surprised and murmured softly, "Sooner than I had expected..."

Then, he pinched the bridge of his nose and asked the Athena Divine Envoy, who had already received official recognition from the Minosian authorities.

"What about the number of ships, casualties, and the location of the incident?"

"There were a total of seven ships that set out to sea from yesterday to today. So far, the wreckage found at the harbor has been identified as belonging to three of them, with no information on the remaining four."

Little Medusa relayed the news she knew truthfully, then paused, biting her lip with her pearly teeth, her voice growing softer.

"Nineteen people have died, and so far, no survivors have been found."

But soon, a ray of light bloomed again on the young girl's gloomy face.

"However, I have already asked the temple to quickly light the sacred fire on the seaside Divine Tower to guide the remaining four lost ships, and if there is a Mage on board, they could also use aether resonance to establish contact with the Priests stationed at the Divine Tower!"

"Do you really think the wind and waves at sea could tear a ship into that state?"

Luo En spoke softly, and although it was with some reluctance, he still cruelly and decisively shattered the sliver of hope in Little Medusa's heart.

"I'm afraid they encountered Sea Beasts..."

On the perilous Sea of Occhanos, one need not say more about the fate of ordinary people when encountering Sea Beasts.

Upon hearing this, Little Medusa's gaze dimmed significantly.

Beatrice's sister's father, Grandpa Constantine's son, they were all on one of the missing ships...

However, the young girl did not have much time to worry about others, as a question in her ear broke her mournful thoughts.

"When did the three ships that were discovered as wrecks depart from the port?"

"It seems they left yesterday afternoon..."

Little Medusa thought carefully and gave a serious reply.

Yesterday afternoon?

Luo En's eyes flashed as he took the initiative to speak.

"Do you have the departure times, the status of the investigation of the bodies, and the sea charts marked with merchant shipping routes and nearby fishing grounds? Bring me a copy!"

"Alright!"

Upon hearing the request, Little Medusa nodded without hesitation and immediately ran toward the group of Priestesses.

As the young girl left to retrieve the sea charts, Luo En turned to look at Hestia beside him.

"Do you know any experienced old fishermen nearby? I have some questions I want to ask."

"Yes, there are!"

Hestia, who had been idle, perked up at this and immediately looked around, pulling over an old man with a stooped figure from nearby.

The weathered face and calloused hands were enough to prove his identity.

Looking at the somewhat distressed face before him, Luo En was slightly taken aback.

He remembered, wasn't this old man named Constantine?

"Anna's brother? Whatever you want to ask, go ahead!"

The old man tried to muster a smile on his face and took the initiative to speak.

Luo En composed himself, nodded, and quietly posed several questions about the diurnal tides and the speed of sailing ships.

The old man, named Constantine, truly lived up to the name of an old fisherman; although his descriptions were somewhat vague, he could give Luo En relatively accurate data based on his rich experience.

As each question and answer validated each other, Luo En's eyes became thoughtful.

"It's here!"

Before long, Little Medusa returned with her hands full of sea charts, quickly running up to Luo En and spreading them out on the ground, one by one.

Luo En didn't speak, but picked up a stick, scrutinizing various markings around Crete Island on the sea chart and writing down several numbers for a rough calculation.

And when the results appeared before him, his expression inevitably grew more somber.

Seeing Luo En's expression, Little Medusa instinctively stepped forward to ask.

"What's wrong?"

Luo En waved his hand and waited until Hestia tactfully sent the old fisherman away, then turned to look at the newly appointed Goddess of Wisdom's Divine Envoy beside him and spoke in a deep voice.

"Believe what I'm saying, and remind the coastal defense forces and the Temple Priests to not sleep too deeply tonight, especially in the first half of the night..."

"...!"

Hearing that low and serious voice, Little Medusa, who knew the man's character well, turned pale and nodded gravely.