Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 855 Sometimes, it's okay if it doesn't work.
That embodiment of the world's will is truly powerful.

Almes felt that even if all of Greece came together, they wouldn't be enough to overwhelm the other side.

However, his biggest problem might be that he is too smart and too capable.

Instead, their strength held them back.

If it weren't for this calamity that caused even powerful gods to perish, he would have undoubtedly led this world to a directly powerful level.

What's most terrifying is that even when he was preparing to sacrifice himself, he was so calm and composed, arranging everything perfectly.

Although some unexpected events caused the results to deviate slightly, they were not significantly different overall!
Even AO, using the Tablet of Fate, couldn't achieve what he did!

It seems that no one tried to change anything, but in the face of extremely thorough and meticulous preparations, and the gods who steadfastly pulled everything back to its predetermined course no matter what happened, they only made a small splash.

Almes didn't even dare to imagine what kind of rules or traps such a world's will would set up... His instincts would only lead him to fall into those traps.

Even though he has changed a lot, his innate instinct to be clever still lingers.

His greatest stroke of luck in life was that he met Apollo when he first started causing trouble.

When the sun god discovered him, he was neither angry at his prank nor did he harbor any ill intentions upon discovering his identity as the son of Zeus. Instead, he presented him to Zeus and praised his intelligence.

At that time, Hermes was proud of his decision, which he had observed for a long time!

After all, Apollo was not the kind of narrow-minded god.

However, after spending a long time on Mount Olympus and truly understanding its darkness and conflict, Hermes realized the immense risk he had taken.

Apollo was not actually Zeus's favored son or his staunchest supporter, as rumored.

Apollo must have been in turmoil at that time, which is why he didn't kill Hermes, who had shown great divine power from birth.

Hermes did test Apollo later, and eventually came to the conclusion that Apollo's leniency at the time was mainly due to Hermes' young age, but also partly due to concerns that Hermes' appearance was a test by Zeus.

After all, Artemis had just declared her chastity at that time, and Zeus was somewhat suspicious of the siblings' stance, worried that they would side with Athena.

Of course, his concerns were not unfounded.

The vows of chastity made by Greek goddesses are not easily made; they require a response from Mount Olympus.

Athena was able to do this directly because she was the de facto first successor.

When she, the goddess of wisdom and the daughter of the gods, was finally freed from Zeus's body, the entire Mount Olympus celebrated for her.

The only thing we can be thankful for is that Athena was a goddess.

Otherwise, Zeus would probably risk incurring the wrath of Mount Olympus by simply killing her.

But Artemis is different.

Their mother, Leto... although she still held the title of goddess of night, was completely removed from Mount Olympus by Hera.

Being one of Hera's attendants was a natural right of the Queen of Gods.

The fates of the other goddesses who were seduced by Zeus and bore children were not so terrible.

Leto's foundation lay with Hera, so even Zeus couldn't save her.

If Hera hadn't had so many enemies, even Poseidon couldn't resist joining in, Leto would have been destitute and unable to even have children.

The divine authority and divinity of the Olympian gods came from two parts: the bloodline of their mother and the grace of their father.

Artemis and Apollo were most unfortunate in this respect; they inherited nothing from their mother's bloodline except for the basic attribute of being 'born of the night'.

Fortunately, Artemis earned her first divine title as the goddess of childbirth because she personally delivered her younger brother.

Logically, this divine position should belong to the goddess of the hearth, but her younger brother, who always doted on her, didn't care at all about giving a portion of the divine position to Zeus's daughter.

Apollo, being naturally handsome, was adored by the Muses... As a symbol of Greek male beauty, he almost became the embodiment of Greek art.

The divine authority of art and literature began to condense upon him almost from the moment of his birth.

Zeus then noticed the presence of the brother and sister.

However, Artemis and Apollo's innate divine powers could not help them ignore Hera's hatred, so they had to unite around Zeus and obey his commands... and that's how they obtained the two divine powers of the sun and the moon.

It would be extremely difficult for Artemis, in this situation, to make a vow of chastity on her own.

The most likely explanation is that they received help from Athena.

During that period, Apollo feigned madness to let Zeus see his impulsiveness, lack of common sense, and ease of control.

At another time, the outcome of Hermes' adventure might have been...

Although Hermes had become truly honest with Apollo and they had become friends, it did not prevent him from feeling remorse for his arrogance.

However, Hermes at that time had already gone astray in many ways, and had even gone to Toril.

Having learned too many lessons, he finally understood that in a confrontation with the strong, it's best to stay within one's bounds and not do anything unnecessary.

If it were the old him... how could he have only thought about protecting himself in such a war, instead of using the enemy's strength against them?
Judging from the current situation, his caution was absolutely correct.

Almes would certainly not act on his own initiative in his most important step.

Besides, the real test for the world is on the other side, Travis; he doesn't need to rush to pave the way for others.

Let's just wait for Travis to finish his run. The only question is whether the other side can do it, and whether they can do it well.
-
A man shouldn't say no, but saying it a couple of times occasionally shouldn't be a big deal.

Looking at the thick 'Prediction of Dangers Ahead' that Armies presented, Travis looked bewildered and dejected.

At this moment, he truly wanted to retreat back to Luscania's dragon's lair.

Selflessness is a compliment, but he never really wanted it.

He even tries to take shortcuts in his bid for a clergy position!

How could someone bind their entire life to the side of kindness?

Besides, how could someone who made a contract with Luscania be a good person?
Moreover, this matter must be formally completed before the world reopens and Hades City officially emerges from the water.

Once he actively formulates a contract to restrict the gods from taking away the souls of believers in the River Styx, what believers will he have left?

This means that before he even started, his path to godhood had turned from a sunny avenue into a muddy path.

Even some of his current followers will choose to leave him.

Who risks their life for someone else?
Even fighting for noble reasons brings spiritual satisfaction.

Many believers follow gods because of shared beliefs, but most follow them for a better life.

This is not a mistake.

Because of this belief, choosing to distance oneself from an overly just and impartial God is not wrong... it's not like suddenly converting to another faith.

They just won't choose Travis's path.

Just like between the Lord of Storms and the Goddess of Night, unless they are descendants of believers who are born to stand on the side of the storm, most people would choose the Goddess of Night if given a choice.

If all else fails, I'll choose wealth.

It's not that the Lord of Storms isn't powerful enough, but his attitude towards his followers is definitely not as good as that of the Goddess of Night.

It's not even as good as the 'equivalent exchange' of wealth.

Very good, from now on, the Lord of Storms can step down to the sidelines!

He's the one with a church but no believers... Ha~ Don't let him end up having fewer believers than that madman Lord of Valor.

The Lord of Valor, apart from his main temple, has absolutely no secondary temples. The few scattered chapels are no different from thatched huts.

Of course, the valiant lord doesn't care about these things.

But he cares!
Travis groaned in pain.

What should he do?
So, he's managed to become a protector of humanity, or a guardian of souls?
These are all awful titles; who would want them?
He can be kind, but he absolutely does not want to be forced by the rules to always be a good person.

"Wait, wait..." Travis muttered softly, "Don't rush, don't rush."

There must be another way to go, so don't act impulsively.

Even ice can walk out of there!

"Could I possibly be worse than him?"

Travis muttered to himself for a long time, scratching his hair into a bird's nest, before finally calming down.

Looking down at the thick stack of documents... Travis knew that he should actually thank Armies for bringing them up.

Knowing this now is far better than suddenly realizing it after he embarked on the path to divinity.

At least, he doesn't have to experience the sudden collapse of his business empire.

At least it doesn't need to be like the Lord of the Tower, neither god nor ghost.

Even now, Travis is not sure if the Lord of the Tower is a legitimate god, even though his divine power is extremely strong.

When he saw the ice, he only felt madness and coldness, but it was indeed the aura of divine power.

Even though the Lord of the Tower's divine power was at least three times that of the Lord of Ice, Travis still felt that something was amiss.

That was the taste of time passing.

Travis didn't know how to describe it.

It is not decay.

It felt like his treasure trove, filled with artifacts that had existed for hundreds of thousands of years.

Although it is still gleaming, when you see that treasure, you can feel the marks that time has left on it.

Even if there isn't a single scratch on it.

That feeling was very faint.

Travis had tested it, but the Lord of Storms didn't feel anything similar.

Even though the Lord of the Tower was always considered a freak by the Lord of the Storm, who believed that the guy's choices were beyond the comprehension of normal gods, the Lord of the Storm did not think that the Lord of the Tower was not on the path of gods.

(End of this chapter)