At that moment, Cainis, who had clashed with the three individuals that morning, could barely contain her anger and began to menacingly rub her hands together.
"You dare to show your face again? Looking for a beating, are you?"
Seeing this, King Admetos quickly stopped Cainis, who was about to advance and start a fight.
"Cainis, these are guests from the kingdom of Iolcus, come specifically to help Thessaly with the giant crisis. You must not be rude!"
"They came all the way from Iolcus to help us? Is there such a good thing?"
Cainis raised an eyebrow and then let out a cold laugh.
"Since when did that greedy old man Peli As become a paragon of virtue helping others? I bet there's a catch, isn't there?"
King Admetos glared at his outspoken subordinate, then turned somewhat awkwardly to the two men and one woman beside him, managing a wry smile.
"It seems there might be some misunderstanding between you all, so please, first move to the garden. My wife, Alcestis, has prepared a banquet there. She has lived in Thessaly for a long time and misses her homeland dearly. Once I handle these trivial matters, I will definitely come and personally apologize to you all."
The leader, a handsome young man, nodded with a smile and obediently descended the stairs laid out by King Admetos.
"Great, I also wanted to chat more with that niece of the queen, so I won't disturb His Majesty any longer."
King Admetos sighed in relief as several maids led the three towards the garden.
However, before he could catch his breath, a hand heavily slapped his shoulder, almost making him stumble.
"Hey, he called her 'queen's niece'? So, that makes him your uncle too? When did Peli As have such a brother? Didn't that old man already eliminate all his eligible brothers to usurp the throne?"
Hearing the voice behind him, Admetos steadied himself by the throne and turned to see Cainis, who had sneaked up behind him, and he explained helplessly.
"They are Atlanteans, from the Sea God Temple."
"Oh, they're Poseidon's breed. I was wondering why I smelled a fishy odor from afar."
Cainis nodded thoughtfully, her eyes filled with mockery as she watched the three walk away.
In the corner, Luo En was enjoying the spectacle, quietly whispering an explanation to Medea beside him.
The former king of Iolcus, Cretheus, married his brother's daughter, Thilo, and they had three children, passing the throne to their eldest son, Aeson.
However, Queen Thilo had an affair with the God of the Sea, Poseidon, during her marriage and secretly bore two illegitimate sons.
The current king of Iolcus, Peli As, was one of those illegitimate sons. Driven by ambition, he took advantage of civil unrest to scheme against his brother Aeson, usurping the throne and exiling him.
But because of his illegitimacy, Peli As became suspicious and cold, treating his close kin with caution and harshness.
This king of Thessaly, King Admetos, faced much difficulty from his future father-in-law, Peli As, when courting his daughter, Alcestis.
If it hadn't been for the timely friendship with Apollo, who was serving a sentence in Thessaly, and the strong support of this God of Light, Admetos might not have succeeded in winning his bride.
Even though they became in-laws, the relationship between the two men was not harmonious.
Peli As, being selfish by nature, would not bother about his daughter and son-in-law's welfare unless there was a clear benefit for him. If a disaster befell Thessaly, he would more likely exploit the situation to seize people and resources under the guise of rebirth of faith.
So, this was why Cainis directly ridiculed the notion upon hearing that the three were introduced by Peli As.
And judging by the reactions of King Admetos and the three guests earlier, it was apparent Cainis had guessed correctly.
"Their condition for helping is that I build a Temple for Poseidon in the Royal City and personally preside over the sacrifice."
Admetos said, his eyes flickering with disgust.
The implication was clear: a nation's leader personally conducting a grand sacrifice to another Chief God in public meant abandoning their original faith and adopting a new Chief God as the protector of the city-state.
The gods are merely asleep, not dead.
Moreover, Thessaly currently worships the Divine King, Zeus.
He dared not do such a thing openly; he'd probably not see the Sun the morning after the sacrifice finished.
Moreover, it was well-known that Poseidon only cared about the spread of his faith and his own benefits, seldom cleaning up others' messes. Believing he would assist in mitigating pressure after the incident was less reliable than believing in an unpolluted River Styx.
Of course, it was also possible that this scenario was exactly what Poseidon and Peli As wanted to see.
With his death, the other side could take advantage of Thessaly's chaos to seize its people and resources under the pretense of reestablishing faith.
Luo En, satisfied with his share of drama, listened with a quiet smile, offering no opinions or reactions.
Admetos, unlike the straightforward Cainis, said these things in public mainly to express closeness and garner sympathy, perhaps planning to use their help in the future to counter the expansion of the Sea God Temple.
Unfortunately, Admetos's little trick was no match for the higher-ranked Luo En, amounting to nothing but casting flirtatious glances into thin air.
"Let's drop this, there are guests present. Let's not speak of these schemes and intrigues."