Chapter 183: Filling the Pit with All Your Strength and Digging Like Crazy (51k)

Chapter 183: Filling the pit with effort and digging madly (5.1k)

On the palace hall, King Pentheus looked down at the arrested young pagan in front of him and snorted disdainfully.

"Apostle of Bacchus?"

In "The Sacred Word" and "Theogony", Dionysus, Bacchus, Phanes... these are all incarnations and aliases of the god of wine.

"See you again, Your Majesty."

Lorne smiled and nodded, asking with a warm look.

"I have come here at your invitation. So, how do you plan to deal with me?"

"Want to know?"

Looking at the fearless young pagan in front of him, Pentheus raised his eyebrows, and a hint of gloom appeared in his eyes.

"Come on, put a pair of heavy shackles on him, put him in the cave near the stable, and then seal the cave entrance!"

Hearing the king's order, the God Blood Guards on the side looked embarrassed and stopped a little.

They were the ones who had seen the miracle with their own eyes, and it was inevitable that they had some awe for the god in their hearts.

Moreover, the apostle's willingness to stand up to prevent the believers from suffering also made them admire him.

"Don't you have ears? Why don't you arrest this bold pagan!"

Under Pentheus's angry rebuke, the God Blood Guards picked up the shackles and stepped forward hesitantly.

"It's okay..."

Loen smiled and comforted, and stretched out his hand in cooperation, willing to let everyone put the shackles on him.

After all, these people were just following orders, and there was no need to embarrass them.

Seeing that this noble apostle did not forget to comfort the perpetrators at this moment, the Blood Guards of God who were carrying out the order were relieved and grateful.

They knew very well the mysterious strength and elusive speed of the other party. If he wanted to escape, no one on the scene would be able to stop him.

Seeing that the previous big trouble fell into his hands so easily, Pentheus could not help but completely relieved. Jealousy flashed in his eyes, and he stepped forward and sneered at the prisoner in front of him.

"Bacchus? The spirit born in wine? A lowly thing with unknown origin, what qualifications does he have to be arrogant in my land and share the glory with the gods of Olympus?"

In fact, the reason why the young king targeted the Dionysian religion was simply because of his pitiful vanity and anger at not being valued by the people.

There is no two suns in the sky, and no two masters on the earth.

Thebes only needs one object to be worshipped.

As he spoke, Pentheus looked at the prisoner in front of him, proudly puffed up his chest, and issued a declaration of victory.

"Only I, the blood relative of Poseidon, the god of the sea, the descendant of Ares, the god of war, a true descendant of God, am qualified to be a hero admired by all the people in this land, like my grandfather Cadmus, to give salvation to those fools and lead them to prosperity!"

"You seem to have made a mistake."

Lorne shook his head, interrupted Pentheus's boasting, and spoke earnestly.

"The reason why your grandfather Cadmus was remembered by this land and crowned king here is because he killed the poisonous dragon and built the high city of Thebes, so that the people were free from the invasion of monsters and could live and work in peace. And you have not been respected and praised by the people because you have not yet established the same great cause and saved the same lives."

Then, the young apostle on the field paused, raised his head, looked at the young king meaningfully, and spoke slowly.

"So, it is not the [hero] who has established great deeds and saved the people; it is the one who has established great deeds and saved the people who deserves to be called a [hero]!"

Such a sentence is deafening.

The God Blood Guards on the field heard this, and they remained calm on the surface, but nodded in agreement in their hearts.

That's right! The reason why they are willing to follow the old king Cadmus is because of his bravery and great deeds.

If it weren't for the influence of his ancestors and the lack of a suitable heir in Thebes, how could this irritable and conceited descendant of God be qualified to ascend the throne and boss them around.

Penthes' face flushed red when he noticed the slight change in the gaze on him, and he became even more furious.

"Shut up! You and your gods are just liars, you only know how to deceive people! I will definitely uproot you from the land of Thebes!"

However, Loen sneered and shook his head at this murderous threat.

"You want to be worshipped by the people, but you don't build great achievements and govern the country, but instead blame the gods for taking away your glory. Isn't this a bit of putting the cart before the horse, Your Majesty?"

After all this time, it's just a brat who wants to flip the table because he can't get love and praise.

With this character, it's no wonder that your grandfather Cadmus and your mother are unwilling to stand by your side.

It's really sad...

Loen looked up at his cousin, with a hint of playful pity in his eyes.

Suddenly, Pentheus was deeply hurt by the gaze and roared like thunder.

"Come here! Throw this liar into the cave, immediately! Right now!"

Faced with the king's stern order, the God Blood Guards seemed to have not heard it and looked away.

The commander of the guards saw that none of his men were willing to do it, so he could only step forward in person under Pentheus's louder and louder scolding, pull up the chain tied to Lorne, and squeeze out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"I'm sorry..."

Lorne smiled and nodded, and did not make it difficult for the commander, and followed him obediently.

Seeing that the uncle behind him was so easy to talk to, the commander of the guards couldn't help but feel touched and more fortunate for his previous choice.

But at this point, he was powerless under the king's strong order, and could only give the person behind him a little dignity and convenience.

Therefore, the commander of the guards did not walk fast, and even deliberately loosened the chain.

However, this move angered Pentheus who followed.

The impatient king could no longer bear it, so he grabbed the chain and roughly pushed the pagan who had made him lose face into the cave next to the stable.

"Build a wall! Quick, seal all the exits!"

Under Pentheus's order, the God's Blood Guards were dissatisfied, but they had to seal the cave entrance because of the job and their families left in Thebes.

After the job was done, Pentheus, who was worried, specially checked every wall and confirmed that there was no shoddy work, and then nodded with satisfaction.

Such a distrustful behavior made the God's Blood Guards even more angry, and their evaluation and attitude towards the young king would also reach a freezing point.

At this time, Pentheus, who was unaware, looked at the completely closed cage in front of him with satisfaction, a grim smile appeared on his face, and he reached out to pick up a burning torch.

"Aren't you very talkative? I wonder how long you can keep yelling!"

The irritable king said this, and was about to raise his hand to throw the torch into the cave.

The faces of the soldiers around him all changed. There was not only the apostle who was thrown into the cave, but also a large amount of horse fodder stored.

If there was a fire, it would be a big loss for the kingdom.

Is Pentheus crazy?

Everyone wanted to stop it, but it was too late.

A burning torch was thrown high from Pentheus's hand and flew into the only remaining air hole above the cave.

"Boom!"

At the same time, a roar of shaking the earth came from the cave.

Accompanied by the diffuse smoke and dust, the brick walls that were sealed around were collapsed at the same time, and the pagan apostle walked out safely with a torch in his hand.

In the light of the fire, the figure looked taller and more handsome than before.

Amid the crowd's relieved or astonished gazes, Lorne walked forward, put the burning torch back into Pentheus's hand, smiled slightly, and spoke in a low voice.

"The second time..."

As a burning sensation hit his hand, Pentheus screamed and hurriedly threw away the burned torch. He looked at the man in front of him with a look of fear.

Everything seemed to have returned to the night of fear he had in the palace.

"Catch him! Catch this believer of the false god!"

Pentheus felt guilty and instinctively hid behind the God Blood Guards and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty! I think you misunderstood. Bacchus is a true god!"

Finally, a God Blood Guard who could no longer bear it took the lead to refute.

Following this, several others echoed.

"Yes, we have heard of his name in Thrace, Athens, Crete...!"

"Yes, he is the spirit of wine, the embodiment of joy, and also the most important attendant of the goddess Hestia!"

"Even Olympus where the gods are located has a place for him. There is no reason for Thebes to expel such a god who brings peace and joy!"

Penthos was so angry that his face turned pale and blue when he heard this.

"Shut up! Shut up! Have you all been bewitched by this liar?"

Then, he glanced and saw the commander of the guards who was walking towards him. His face suddenly became happy and he shouted loudly.

"Portis, don't care about your people! Hurry up and catch the bewitching pagan!"

However, the commander of the guards was unmoved and spoke lightly.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I'm sorry, because I think so too."

"You!"

This sudden backstab made Pentheus tremble with anger.

"Crazy! You are all crazy!"

"I don't know if I am crazy or not, but I saw with my own eyes that group of women who escaped from the prison, under the blessing of the god of wine, turned water into milk, made the branches flow out of honey, and filled their stomachs. And your mother and sisters are the leaders of this group of women."

The commander of the guards paused and added earnestly.

"Your Majesty, if you were there and saw the miracle with your own eyes, you would definitely kneel down to them."

In the commander's narration, Loen could even feel a trace of faith flowing from him to his own mental world.

The spirit in the wine, the embodiment of joy, the existence that brings joy to the world...

It seems that his unremitting image marketing and persistent small essay promotion have been very effective.

Look, this is the benefit of reputation, winning without fighting.

Looking at the God Blood Guards, who were nearly half on the side of him and the incompetent and furious Pentheus, Loen felt very happy.

"Traitor! All of them are traitors! You actually let those pagan lackeys go and even argued for them!"

At this time, Pentheus was even more furious. He immediately pulled off the shoulder straps of the Guards Commander and ordered loudly.

"Call all infantry and cavalry, prepare weapons and armor to go out of the city, block Mount Kitalon, and arrest all pagans immediately! Those who disobey will be killed without mercy!"

"No need to be so troublesome..."

Just as Pentheus was angrily giving orders, Loen came to the young king and smiled.

"I can take you to see those Dionysian believers, let them give up resistance under your majesty, and surrender to the case and be punished."

"Okay!"

Seeing that the God Blood Guards around him were already unable to command, the angry and annoyed Pentheus agreed after hearing it.

If I can't deal with you, can I deal with them?

The young king sneered secretly, and a trace of longing rose in his heart.

As long as he relied on his personal ability to catch all these criminals and bring them back to prison and expose the false gods, it would be equivalent to creating a commendable merit.

At that time, let's see who dares to disobey his succession!

Seeing Pentheus's look of not thinking, Lorne sighed and changed the subject.

"However, if you want to go, I suggest you put on this dress before leaving."

"Women's clothes?"

Seeing the pink skirt handed by the pagan apostle, Pentheus' face darkened and he felt humiliated.

Lorne nodded, put on a helpless expression, and explained sincerely.

"They have just been stimulated and drunk a little, so their mental state may not be stable. If a man approaches them, and they have not yet converted to Christianity, those poor women and children will inevitably be afraid."

"Nonsense!"

King Pentheus knocked off the little skirt in Loen's hand, angrily pulled out the bronze sword he was carrying, and put it against the other's waist, threatening coldly.

"Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay, I will lead the way for you."

Loen raised his hands in surrender, and honestly got on the horse with Pentheus and led the way.

The galloping warhorse rushed out of the palace and headed out of the city of Thebes.

But in the bumpy ride, Pentheus didn't know why his eyes blurred, as if he felt that the world had changed strangely.

There were two suns hanging in the sky, a city of Thebes that was twice as big, and each city gate was twice as high as the original one. The man sitting in front of him looked like a bull with a pair of huge horns on his head. Wherever he passed, there were delicious grapes, and the rich aroma of wine filled his nostrils, bringing a hint of intoxication.

"Don't play tricks!"

Penthes frowned, pushed his sword forward and threatened coldly.

"Even if you run away, they can't run away!"

Lorne glanced at the barren mountain outside the city gate, and muttered helplessly in his heart.

You saw it too.

I'm working hard to fill the hole here, but I can't stop someone from shoveling the soil frantically.

So...

Lorne swung his long whip and hit the horse's belly hard, shaking off the God Blood Guards behind him, and led the cousin behind him all the way to Mount Kitalon.

At this moment, the pair of eyes behind his back had lost the slightest warmth, and his lips and teeth moved silently.

"The third time..."

~~

Soon, they came to a deep mountain valley, surrounded by pine trees.

"The Apostle is back!"

"Thank God, he is fine!"

"Bless the God of Bacchus, thank you for your mercy..."

The believers who heard the noise gathered together, singing praises to their gods, and at the same time gave fresh grapes and fruits and vegetables to the saint who warded off disasters for them to quench their thirst.

"What's the sound? Where are the people? Where are they?!"

Pentheus looked at the "pine trees" in front of him and questioned with his sword raised angrily.

Under the influence of [madness], he had lost his sight and ignored the women and old people who gathered around him enthusiastically.

"Don't worry..."

Lorne spoke softly, with a trace of hospice kindness in his eyes, and stretched out a hand to press forward.

Suddenly, a huge pine tree dropped its crown like a willow branch being plucked.

But Pentheus saw a wide road and the sinners who were trembling together in the valley at the end.

"Found it!"

Pentheus was excited and ecstatic. He immediately jumped off the horse and jumped onto the "road", and the crown of the tree also rebounded into the air.

With a sway under his feet and a strange feeling of being suspended in the air, the young king was suddenly awakened and found that he was about to be thrown out by the branches.

In a panic, he instinctively threw away the sword in his hand, hugged the tree trunk tightly, and finally stabilized his body.

However, at this time, a low voice sounded in the valley.

"Look, this is the beast that will kill you. I've brought it."

There was no trembling of leaves in the forest, and no sound of any creature. The followers of the god of wine looked up. They heard the call of the apostle and ran quickly. As if sent by the gods.

In the surging of wine, they passed through the turbulent river and dense jungle in revelry, gathered together under the huge pine tree, and saw the beast sitting on the top of the tree.

-A lion with gorgeous clothes and a golden crown on its head.

-Blinded by power and driven by violence.

The believers couldn't help but think of the torture they had suffered in the past, and some of their compatriots who died in violent capture. They couldn't help but feel angry.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

People first threw stones, broken branches and sacred rods. But these things couldn't be thrown to the treetop where the king was.

Then, feeling the intoxication in their bodies, they seemed to have gained infinite strength, and used hard oak sticks to dig the soil around the pine tree and dug out the roots.

The tree fell down with a loud bang, and Pentheus fell to the ground with the tree.

The crowd swarmed up, their eyes full of hatred.

"Damn it, what are you going to do? I am your king!"

Pentheus, covered in mud, shouted fiercely, trying to awaken the fear of these untouchables.

However, in the eyes of the believers, it was just a seriously injured lion roaring helplessly.

Outside the field, Pentheus' mother Agaeu, who had received grace and had been supported as a priest, waved her staff and gave orders fanatically.

"Quick, kill this evil beast! Don't let it run away!"

For a while, the peasant woman grabbed stones, the old man leaned on a wooden stick, and the young man held up the soil, and together punished the ferocious wild lion.

And some nobles with divine blood grabbed the lion's shoulders and suddenly broke his limbs.

Soon, the frantic women and old people began to retaliate, each tearing off a piece of flesh from him.

In the end, there was only a head left on the bloody pile, staring with endless fear, and dying with eyes wide open.

At this time, dozens of dense horse hoof sounds echoed from outside the dense forest, and the reflection of the armor brought a chill.

The Thebes' God Blood Guards are here!