The banquet at the Royal Palace ended amidst countless exuberant cheers of "Victory," and in the stillness of the deep night, an unexpected guest arrived in Greece.
She was a woman with beauty comparable to a nymph, with powder-blue feathers on her head and elf-like pointed ears. Her attire was the wrap-around garment of Ancient Greece that covered only one shoulder, making her resemble an elf from a fairy tale.
Such a beauty, appearing in Greece, would stir the local kings and princes to vie for her favor and drive the heroes to madness.
"Troy? The place where that kind-hearted hero appears?" The young lady overlooked Troy, her lips slightly curved in a seductive smile, as if she had found her own worth.
Her name was Calypso, the renowned "Transforming Witch" of Ancient Greece and the aunt who betrayed the witch Medea.
Her father was the Sun God, and her mother was one of the Sea Goddesses. This witch was adored by countless admirers, a witch who had lived from the early days of Ancient Greece up to the present.
She had witnessed the legend of Perseus slaying Medusa, seen the heroic exploits aboard the Argo, and also observed her niece Medea's tragic later years.
Thus, having fallen into "gamophobia," she roamed Greece.
This time, she received oracles from three gods.
The first was Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, who told Calypso to lead the Greek heroes aboard the Celestial Thunder to Olympus, granting them the gods' trials.
The second was her own father, the Sun God, telling her to ensure she protected the heroes aboard the Celestial Thunder, especially that kind-hearted hero.
And her mother, the Sea Goddess, told her she would meet her destined hero on this journey.
So she came to Troy, to fulfill the tasks given by Father Zeus and her own father, and out of curiosity, having witnessed the tragic later years of her niece Medea, she wondered what kind of man she would come to love.
Then let's begin the heroes' first trial!
And when the morning light broke, Xue Dili's door was knocked upon, much to his discomfort.
After months, his body was already battered, and the hardships he had collected were not even a fraction of what the Great Sage had once endured.
Even though he now had a Demigod Physique, the protection of Treasures and boosts, his body was still wrapped in bandages, concealed under a white robe to hide his wounds and diseases.
The sickness and hardships left his body numb, and he could barely move, his body nearly at its limit. It was time to depart for Olympus on this day.
[The Prophetic Module has been installed. In the final moments, I've added a few more functions for you. I can no longer support you in real time. Good luck.]
The words from the old thing popped up on the panel.
During this time, the old thing spoke little, and Xue Dili knew the old thing's periods of lucidity were growing shorter.
He was already a dead man, and in this Ancient Greece, he had exerted himself to shield Xue Dili from the gods' prying eyes.
[Prophetic Function: Once a week, it allows you to clearly foresee a specific piece of future information within this world. Cost: You will not gain the trust of any being in this world for 7 days.]
Indeed, this was a function obtained by analyzing the prophetic witch.
He had no intention of using this ability now, merely pulling down his hood, muttering to himself, "Wish me luck."
Originally, it should have been very quiet outside the Divine Hall.
All the Trojans were aware of his poor health, and it was usually very quiet around here in the mornings. Even the most uncouth laborers would lower their voices as they passed by this Divine Hall.
This was the Trojans' respect for him.
But today, outside was filled with noise.
And the sound of pigs?
The first thing Xue Dili saw upon stepping out of the Divine Hall were Greek heroes with weapons in hand, faces filled with anger, and at the door, dozens of clothed and armored pigs?
A question mark appeared above Xue Dili's head, and at that moment, standing among the pigs, that elf-like young lady spoke.
"Are you the kind-hearted hero Xediles? My name is Calypso, messenger of Father Zeus. I am here to grant you trials and to guide you to Olympus," the young lady's voice echoed.
But at this moment, the Greek heroes, even more furious, ignored the witch's intimidation, eager to kill her without hesitation.
Xue Dili looked at the young lady, who appeared young, but Xue Dili knew this was an old witch who had lived for an unknown length of time...
At the same time, she was also the most famous... mad hag in Ancient Greece?
Especially since she came as Zeus's messenger.
Did Zeus discover their plan?
No, if Zeus had truly discovered it, it wouldn't be Calypso the witch standing here, but rather the Thunderbolt of divine retribution and the Scylla Sea Monster.
"This is the first trial I grant you. How will you treat these heroes who have turned into pigs?" She slightly raised her head, haughtily looking at Xue Dili and the heroes.
Seeing the Greek heroes' furious expressions, the armored pigs, combined with this mad hag's original tale, Xue Dili quickly deduced most of the story.
In the original tale, Calypso deceived the heroes who passed her island, drugging them into pigs.
And now, she used the same method.
The main thing was, today was the day the Celestial Thunder was set to sail, and yet, a twist had emerged.
Xue Dili faced this most renowned witch of mythology and spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, "O messenger of the Father, do we need only to complete this trial to set sail?"
"Precisely, the gods will set trials for you, and emulating the heroes of the Argo, you too will undergo twelve trials and only then can set sail for Olympus. This is the first trial," she said, unfazed by the Greek heroes' angry glares.
Because behind her was Hermes, and behind Hermes was Zeus. Moreover, her father was the Sun God, her mother the Sea Goddess, giving her the confidence to be brazen.
And in Calypso's heart, she thought the heroes before her would either abandon these pigged companions or take them along on the journey.
If they chose the latter, she would let this trial pass, as that was the answer key. If they chose to abandon their companions, it would prove the kind-hearted hero was not so, and Calypso would unhesitatingly destroy the newly built Celestial Thunder, ending this journey abruptly.
Of course, there was a third option, which was to capture her and force her to transform the heroes back.
If in the past, she might have been a little worried.
But now, behind her was Zeus, under Hermes' swift protection, and among the gods, who knew how many eyes were watching here, like a live broadcast, eagerly awaiting the launch of this epic voyage.
Therefore, she was not at all anxious, instead thinking it would be quite a spectacle if they chose this option.
And among the Greek heroes, Odysseus approached Hector and said, "Hector, do you think you can capture her before the witch has a chance to react?"
The originally solemn Hector replied, "Perhaps I can try."
"Then we capture her and force her to hand over the antidote, and this trial should be considered complete," Odysseus said.
The man known in modern internet parlance as "Trickster Odysseus" immediately thought of this countermeasure.
Hector's eyes became sharply focused, his spear aimed at Calypso.
Seeing the unfriendly glances from the distant Greek heroes, she laughed and turned back to say, "O Greek heroes, I received a blessing from Queen Hera before departing. She instructed me to fear no threat, and I am still under the blessing of Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite, such that any hero who tries to harm me will face retribution, so I hope you won't consider directly threatening me to complete the trial."
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