Several days later, on a lush green island.
Bright sunlight poured onto the beach, spreading warm comfort; the moist sea breeze passed through the forest, bringing fresh air.
A figure under the shade of a tree yawned as if waking from a long dream, lazily stretching his limbs.
Then he shifted into a more comfortable position, preparing to continue enjoying the wonderful sunshine and beach.
However, the soft and delicate touch under his hand made him jolt slightly, and he instinctively opened his eyes.
At once, beneath him was a "cushion" golden-haired, blue-eyed, curved in all the right places, perfectly suited for quality sleep, entering his view.
Lorne's expression stiffened.
He tried hard to recall what had happened, but had no memory of it at all.
In the end, he could only look somewhat awkwardly at the beautiful goddess beneath him.
"Um…"
"Thetis. I was the one who brought you ashore."
The goddess seemed to know what he wanted to ask and answered calmly, though her voice carried a faint, lingering resentment.
"So, can you get up now?"
"Oh, oh — sorry."
Hearing her faint reminder, Lorne snapped back to his senses and hurriedly climbed off her with an embarrassed laugh, secretly looking at this sea goddess with his eyes.
Thetis? So this is what she really looks like?
Too beautiful.
No wonder that old pervert Zeus had his eye on her.
The man beneath the tree shade admired the stunning sea goddess before him while sighing subtly in his heart.
What an inescapable ill-fated connection…
In fact, regarding the conflict between the Thracian king Lycurgus and the wine god Dionysus, there is a later passage in the long heroic epic "Iliad":
"Because he fought against the heavenly gods, he once drove
The nurses of mad Dionysus from sacred Nysa's mountain,
They were struck down by murderous Lycurgus with a thorny staff,
He fled diving into the sea's waves and Thetis Received him into her arms, though mortal roars still made him tremble."
Simply put, the young Dionysus, frightened by Lycurgus, turned into a bull and fled, was driven into the sea, and survived only because he received the protection of the sea goddess, Thetis.
Although he himself was not the young wine god of the original history, and Lycurgus was not merely the King of Thrace, after being wounded and falling into the sea, he still ran into Thetis, unable to escape the track of fate after all.
While Lorne's thoughts were churning, his "savior," feeling his hot gaze, bit her cherry lips and said coldly, unable to hold back:
"Have you looked enough?"
Realizing that staring like this was somewhat rude, Lorne quickly withdrew his gaze and stepped back a few paces, trying to show he meant no offense.
"Stop!"
Seeing him retreat, Thetis immediately called out, both angry and anxious.
"Help me up!"
"Huh?"
Hearing this strange request and seeing the sea goddess lying motionless on the beach, Lorne was confused and instinctively asked, "What happened to you?"
"It's all because of you!"
Thetis angrily accused him and explained how she had kindly rescued him, only to be crazily drained to exhaustion by a certain humanoid juicer.
After hearing the victim's resentful account, Lorne felt a bit ashamed.
He did not need to think hard to understand what had happened.
He had simply been too badly injured to resist the death will contained in that divine spear.
His body's self-protection instinct activated and treated the nearby Thetis as a healing pack, forcefully drawing the ocean divinity from her to gradually purge the remaining destructive power inside him.
No wonder he felt refreshed after waking, and had recovered so quickly despite such heavy injuries.
After all this, the sea goddess had not only been used as a mattress, but had also miserably served as his blood pack for several days.
Seeing the culprit still standing there stupidly, Thetis grew even more irritated.
"Get over here already!"
Hearing the resentment-filled call, Lorne came back to himself, gave an awkward smile, and quickly helped the sea goddess, who could truly be considered his benefactor, up from the sand.
After being drained for several days and nights, Thetis had clearly been badly worn out.
Even when supported, her whole body was bonelessly soft, limp against Lorne, unable to even walk on her own.
"How about I carry you?"
Lorne took the initiative to suggest.
After she gave a dull nod, he carefully lifted the sea goddess onto his back and, following her directions, brought her to a palace built on the island, placing her on a soft bed formed from a giant clam shell.
"Rest first. I'll set up some magic circles nearby to help you recover faster. If you need anything, call me anytime."
With that, Lorne left Thetis's chamber, cut his finger, and used divine blood as ink, lowering his head to draw rune after rune.
Watching the busy figure outside the hall, the sea goddess lying in the clam shell finally relaxed her guard.
Her tense body gradually loosened, and the spirit she had been forcing herself to maintain sank into deep sleep.
After being tossed around for days and nights, she was too tired.
'You trust me that quickly?'
Seeing the unguarded sleeping beauty in the clam shell, Lorne shook his head with a helpless smile, patiently finished the final stroke of the magic circle, and activated it.
And soon, several interwoven light patterns rose from the ground, forming closed rings that completely protected Thetis and her chamber within.
As the sigils flickered rhythmically, magical particles from the surroundings continuously gathered toward the center.
After finishing all this, Lorne clapped his hands in satisfaction, turned to a deep pool nearby, sank his mind into his sea of consciousness, and carefully checked his own condition.
It had to be said, with Thetis as a healing pack, he had recovered very well.
His injuries were completely healed.
Moreover, the natal grapevine within the golden wheel had grown further.
The green-red vine extended into the fifth slot of the golden wheel, and the ripe grapes at its tip dripped purple-red divine fluid, gathering into a violent and frenzied divine phantom holding a spear.
— The Fifth Incarnation, Warrior!
Looking at the twelve-sided die on the bronze altar, now with five faces lit up, Lorne opened his eyes and clenched his fist excitedly.
Clearly, after his battle with Ares and completely destroying that incarnation, the grapevine, having drunk massive amounts of war blood and devoured the remaining power of that divine heart, successfully catalyzed the fifth incarnation for him.
Great-grandfather was really generous, traveling a thousand miles to deliver himself, helping condense the fifth incarnation, and even dropping rare equipment when he saw Lorne lacked a good weapon.
While joking inwardly, the young man opened the magic array diagram, took out the sealed divine spear, and examined it carefully in his hand.
Legend says that one of Rome's three supreme gods once bestowed a "Nation-Founding Spear" forged from a branch of the World Tree to his son, enabling him to establish an empire upon seven hills.
Judging from the connection between Greek and Roman myth traditions, if his guess was correct, this was that future "Nation-Founding Spear."
Good stuff.
Lorne sighed in admiration, fondly stroking the divine weapon that had made him suffer greatly before.
However, as they made contact, blood-red patterns surfaced on the spear, erupting in violent buzzing, trying to break free and return to its former master.
"Heh, trying to run?"
The newly leveled-up Minotaur God sneered in disdain as the fifth incarnation condensed behind him.
At once, the blood-bathed "Warrior" roared, grabbed the struggling spear, and poured pure, tyrannical war divinity into it, burning away the old imprint and stamping a new ownership mark.
Moments later, the transferred "Nation-Founding Spear" stopped resisting, became completely obedient, and emitted a tame trembling hum in Lorne's hand.
But before the Minotaur God could celebrate again, a crimson blood light tore through the clouds and crashed onto Cyprus Island like a red comet.
Amid violent explosions, a burly, savage figure stepped out through burning flames and climbed from the crater, releasing an enraged roar.
"My war spear! Who? Who did this! I'll butcher him!"
Mm. The rightful owner had come chasing.
On the nameless island, Lorne casually stuffed the war spear back into the magic array diagram, raised his head to look toward Cyprus Island at the crimson blood light staining half the sky, and a trace of ill intent appeared in his eyes.
Perfect timing, the next act still needs your cooperation, great-grandfather…
(End of chapter)