Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 852 Toril Summons the Goddess of Agriculture
However, simply because they wanted more... immortality and power, they killed Demeter's most beloved human prince.

After all, as long as he was alive, Demeter would only watch over the little prince she had raised.

Then, those small countries were subjected to three years of perpetual freeze: everything withered and nothing grew.

Once humanity understood the terrifying aspects of Demeter, her faith spread throughout Greece.

If the Greek world hadn't come to an end, Demeter would have been the second-ranked god in the Greek world... second only to Zeus.

Of course, this is only a sequence of human beliefs.

But that's already incredible.

Zeus, in the end, actually regretted letting Demeter go to earth to spread her teachings, but he could no longer stop her.

Human behavior patterns have shifted from hunting and gathering to agriculture, and there's no going back.

Furthermore, Demeter also indirectly restrained Gaia, and fewer and fewer humans worshipped the Earth Mother Goddess.

Although Demeter still considers herself the goddess of agriculture, when humans worship her, they use the terms reserved for the goddess of the earth.

Moreover, Demeter had no weaknesses by then.

Persephone, on the contrary, became her support.

Of course, Zeus was still deceived by the attitude of the mother and daughter, so he was not worried that they would help Hades fight for Mount Olympus.

After Hades chose to completely renounce his right to the Olympia and devote himself entirely to the River Styx, Zeus paid even less attention to the couple... Before, at least Hades had seduced Persephone, but at that stage, he even dared to openly appear before Persephone, who had gone to the earth to accompany her mother.

Then he was brutally beaten by Hades, who was secretly accompanying his wife.

Hades simply didn't want the mountain, not the power.

In fact, because the Styx River made his power purer, his combat strength became even stronger!

Only after that did Zeus truly settle down.

He belatedly realized that it was Hades, who still longed for Mount Olympus, who was the one he could control.

This Lord of the Underworld, who wanted nothing, was powerless to fight back.

Demeter's status in his eyes was thus greatly elevated.

However, because of her previous experience, Demeter never got close to the Greeks again, and everything she did was done in an official capacity without any bias.

Humans have since lost the ability to grow and harvest food quickly and automatically, and can only plant in spring and harvest in autumn, working hard to cultivate the land.

However, the Greeks' behavior did not indicate that they were inherently evil.

It's not that they don't understand the power of the gods.

Rather, it was the Greeks, and the previous examples, that led humanity to lack reverence for gods other than Zeus.

For example, Athena was so powerful, and she even owned Athens, a city-state that was quite prominent, but her followers both respected and ignored her.

Athena couldn't even protect her distressed maid according to her own wishes.

Even the gods of this world, whose hands and feet are bound by humans, are not in such a miserable state.

But Athena cannot do anything that violates her divine duties and rules.

Not even a little bit.

This is a threat originating from Zeus.

Humans are actually quite aware of this.

So much so that even the Athenians feared not Athena, whose temple was right next to them, but Zeus, who was far away in the sky.

Athens wasn't always like this.

However, Athena was indeed unable to protect those believers who were solely devoted to her under Zeus's pressure.

She couldn't even protect her only friend, Triton's daughter... and could only kill the corrupted seashell girl with her own hands.

Even serious, principled gods had a difficult time in Greece.

Apart from Zeus, no god is perfect in human terms... not in character, but in power.

Faith will inevitably be compromised.

If the cracks in one's heart are large enough, one will always do some incomprehensible things.

Therefore, even though Demeter was so powerful and bestowed so many favors upon humanity, they would still have a sense that 'perhaps we can take advantage of her'.

It's really terrible.

But when they discovered that no god responded to their appeals, especially to a particular deity, those Greeks learned what respect meant.

Even Zeus couldn't subdue the goddess of agriculture, who had gone mad with grief over the loss of her daughter!

The main reason is that humans don't have that value to him.

Zeus, on the contrary, hoped that Demeter would be in a better mood after venting her anger on these humans, and at least not let the area around Mount Olympus become a wasteland as well.

One could say that the Greeks were driven by self-interest and disregarded morality, but this was something Zeus cultivated through his efforts.

It is likely that Zeus devised this solution after Prometheus gave fire to humankind.

Humans raised in such an environment would indeed never be able to unite against the gods. Even though they were ants in his eyes, Zeus had no intention of letting humanity grow unchecked.

He was certainly no good, but that certainly ensured the absolute dominance of Mount Olympus.

However, even knowing that these Greeks were raised this way, Almes couldn't feel any affection for them... Knowing that his believers, his followers, might betray him at any time, who would take them so seriously?

He also lacked the ability and patience to set things right.

Even Greek gods, if they have principles and conscience, will prioritize themselves.

The lesson of Prometheus is still very clear to everyone... Although the punishment Zeus gave him was very cruel, it wasn't that there was really no solution.

All that is needed is for humanity, whom he created and bestowed with fire, to be willing to climb to that peak and share his suffering.

They don't even need to give up the flame.

However, they would have to sacrifice their lives... Climbing cliffs teeming with ferocious beasts and birds of prey was deadly, and being devoured by eagles capable of swallowing the internal organs of Prometheus would also be fatal.

It's not that they have to do anything; Prometheus already knew his fate and wouldn't allow humans to keep sacrificing their lives for him.

Even if, in the end, someone could reach Prometheus's side and make him say that he would never come again, or that if he did come, he would be driven away, then the Greek gods would probably be somewhat shaken.

However, the loss of just over a hundred lives while climbing the cliff led the Greeks to give up.

Just as Zeus said... their nature is not good. Although it is indeed possible to cultivate them in a better way, it is too troublesome and tiring.

After all, they were made from Gaia's clay.

But if you want them to go astray, it's very easy, and he doesn't even need to do much.

Zeus was never a saint; naturally, he would only choose the easiest method.

Of course, in retrospect, that choice was incredibly foolish.

The result of keeping the people ignorant is that the whole world will perish along with them.

If the world loses all impetus for development and progress, it will naturally perish.

When Zeus himself was unwilling to move forward, and forced the other gods to stay put with him, the fall of Greece was simply inevitable.

If Athena had been in power back then, there might have been a sliver of hope for redemption.

Unfortunately, they didn't make it to that day.

All preparations were completely ruined by the destruction of Greece.

Persephone lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before saying softly, "You seem to mention my mother quite often lately."

Armies raised his head and blinked slightly.

Everything you said is correct.

"But! Before, you only used Athena as an example in front of me." Persephone pressed, "So, you got news about my mother from Hermes, and it was good news, right?"

Armies had not expected that Persephone would be so perceptive.

He sighed, nodded, then shook his head: "I think about the same as you, but I'm not sure what will happen, which is why I didn't tell you."

The stars in the sky began to dim slowly, and the silver moon began to blend into the night sky... Dawn was approaching.

Armies stood up, looked at the gradually brightening sky, and said with some emotion, "Toril is currently in a period of chaotic change."

My old friend Ransendall escaped a big trouble.

But it also left Toril with an empty slot that no one wanted to fill.

The dragons that once occupied vast fields of Toril have lost many of them due to a catastrophe.

The land, swept by the primordial power, became extremely fertile.

The nature deity most resistant to human exploitation of the land fell silent after the origins of Mama were revealed.

Thus, Toril officially entered the agricultural era.

"Agriculture...the goddess?" Hades asked inquiringly.

Persephone was so preoccupied that she couldn't say anything for a moment and could only stare at Armes.

“That’s right.” Armies smiled. “Originally, according to Tagore’s prophecy, this goddess of agriculture should have been the daughter of Lansendel and Chantia.”

He shook his head, somewhat incredulously: "It is precisely because she foresaw this most unlikely event that Tachibana is filled with anxiety about her resurrection."

She just couldn't understand how Ransendell could have fallen to such a low point!

Even with both Lady Luck and Lady Misfortune present.

No matter how bad things got between those two and Ransendell, Ransendell, under Taiji's protection, should be immune to misfortune!
“Taiji thinks that Rangsendel may have encountered an insurmountable disaster, and that was the only way he could save himself,” Armies sighed. “She can’t blame Rangsendel many years later, but she can’t give him her last chance at life.”

Even so, Taki did some tampering, hoping to help the future Ransendall.

As long as Ransendel remains true to his original intentions, and even transforms into a sun peacock chasing the sunset as he did with Taki, he might encounter a glimmer of hope.

Almes once thought her reckless act of throwing sacrifices into the river of fate was foolish.

But judging from the results, it seems like he was the fool.

(End of this chapter)