The sea's azure waves undulated, and a small boat sped along with the wind.
The newborn sunlight pierced into the cabin, waking Luo En from his slumber, who, feeling something, bowed his head to look towards the bulging, wriggling blanket, unintentionally drawing in the cold morning air that filled the cabin.
With a deep inhale, a lovely visage buried under the blanket emerged, tilting upward as it gracefully moved its throat in a swallowing motion, then twirled its pink tongue to erase the marks left on its lips, finally breaking into a faint smile on that sublime face.
"No need for such greetings this early in the morning, right?"
Luo En nodded, his gaze towards the Goddess of the Hunt in his arms revealing a hint of helplessness.
Artemis blinked her bright eyes, smiling nonchalantly, "You like it this way, don't you?"
As she spoke, that gorgeous face slightly lowered once more, blending innocence and allure, sacredness and insanity, emanating the unique charisma of the moon goddess.
"Let's rest for now; we're almost there."
Luo En quickly pressed down Artemis's drooping shoulder, reminding her with helplessness.
Upon hearing the advice and seeing the brightly lit sky outside the window, Artemis sullenly conceded and got out from under the blanket.
Recalling the ludicrous past three days and nights of the return journey, as well as the various thrills from continuous attempts and bold breakthroughs, the fanciful thoughts Luo En had just suppressed began to surge again.
But soon, he shook his head, forcibly scattering all unwarranted thoughts.
Truth be told, Luo En now somewhat regretted imparting his eclectic knowledge to this once pure and chaste virgin goddess.
It wasn't that Artemis was unwilling to try and cooperate.
On the contrary, the Goddess of the Hunt, with her intense competitive spirit and curiosity, not only learned various skills quickly but also tirelessly applied them on her teacher.
After such toil, facing the energetic and physically robust goddess, even Luo En, with a robust divine body and the War God's divinity, began to grow increasingly haggard.
Indeed, acquiring some practical authority was necessary, or else he would be drained dry sooner or later.
It seemed like a good idea to find an opportunity to fleece his great-grandmother's wool…
While Luo En muttered to himself, his gaze flickered with deep thought.
If he remembered correctly, in some versions of Greek mythology, The Three Graces, originally under Aphrodite's command, were counted among the God of Wine Dionysus's lesser deities, or seen as the combined product of both the God of Wine's and God of Love's divinities.
Because in a way, these three goddesses personified human desires, the embodiment of life, and the joy that life brings to people.
Thus, they not only represented love and desire but also games and all irrational behaviors.
Like the freedom unleashed after a bout of drinking, the unlocking of constraints when drunk, and so on…
Adding to that, the God of Love's blood that was flowing within him…
All in all, if he had the chance in the future, it wouldn't hurt to show his great-grandmother who's boss, by incorporating The Three Graces into his own God of Wine system and taking over the family business seamlessly.
On one hand, this would weaken the God of Love's own authority; on the other, it would ensure he wasn't caught off guard by powers of love and desire.
Besides, other chief gods had plenty of authorities he needed for building his own godly power system:
For example, wine belonging to the domain of household and food, Hestia, as the first candidate for fleece-plucking, could not escape;
The grape and other raw materials needed for winemaking, the Agriculture God Demeter's plant divinity must be exploited;
The wildness and conflict brought by drinking, providing courage and bloodiness, matched well with War God Ares's war divinity—a great-grandfather worth getting closer to;
Wine is the medium of desire, after wooing The Three Graces from the God of Love Aphrodite's side, perhaps more wool could be fleeced;
Wine was also regarded as a type of medicament, so maybe a bit of Medicine God Apollo's medicinal authority could be shared? It just so happened that his son, the future god of medicine, didn't get along with him, making him a prime candidate to be persuaded to join as a lesser deity...
Gradually, the more Luo En thought about it, the wider his thoughts became, and he realized that these relatives seemed like untapped treasures waiting to be exploited once he ascended to godhood.
Indeed, in the Age of Greek Gods, to rise in rank, striking old comrades and plundering the coins of forebears was the most reliable path.
Mm, an excellent family tradition not to be missed!
Luo En nodded excitedly to himself while using his reason to rein in the fervent ambition that wished to plunder all his family's wealth in one go.
Although the idea was good, one must eat bit by bit, and walk step by step.
So, the most pressing matter right now was to properly complete the steps to godhood on Crete Island.
After going over his plans, Luo En stood up from the cabin and walked leisurely onto the deck.
Artemis, who had come out before him, was now rinsing her mouth with a water skin filled with fruit liquor at the side of the rail.
Luo En watched the Goddess of the Hunt's furrowed brow, his gaze slightly shifting.
Many techniques he taught were likely top-notch experiences for males.
But for the other half, they probably weren't as pleasant.
The reason Artemis had done all of it, and done it exceptionally well, was merely to please him, the person who had led her out of predicament.