Come to think of it, wasn't it all because back then, he and Heracles happened to run into an Amazon hunting party in the canyon on the eve of their Day of Life, when they were out abducting men for breeding?
To get himself out of that mess, Samael had, on a whim, filled Hippolyta's head with all sorts of novel ideas.
For example, changing their cruel old custom so that baby boys would be sent to their fathers or entrusted to the Areopagus to be raised, while the girls would stay behind...
For example, instead of carrying out the Day of Life the old way, they could send Amazon warriors of childbearing age to a deserted island, then summon the strongest men in all Greece to compete for the right to land there and mate with them...
That's right. It was these two reforms that made heroes across all of Greece eagerly await the yearly Day of Life and flock to it in droves, allowing the Amazons to obtain the finest bloodlines and genes.
Over time, after generation upon generation of this beneficial pairing, the Amazon women warriors of today had gradually become a truly terrifying warrior race.
Although the one who implemented those reforms was Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons, the one who had started it all was Samael himself.
Come to think of it, did this count as a snake lying quietly in the sea while the blame fell from the sky?
Now that he understood the full chain of cause and effect, the Ancient Serpent could only laugh helplessly.
Still, since she was truly one of his own, Samael finally put out the last trace of doubt in his heart and brought up the question that had been weighing on him for so long.
"Do you know anything about the gods of the Areopagus?"
As he spoke, the Ancient Serpent kept his eyes fixed on every change in Hippolyta's expression, his nerves taut with that uneasy feeling of wanting the answer and fearing it at the same time.
The Amazon Queen thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"According to the last oracle I received, they all went to the [Inner Sea of Stars]."
"The [Inner Sea of Stars]?!"
Samael shot to his feet, shock written all over his face.
It was a special Reverse Side of the World, located within the planet itself, a realm capable of housing fantastical beings such as dragons, gods, spirits, and fairies. It was effectively the last sanctuary this planet had granted to the Age of Mystery.
Which meant that the existence of the [Inner Sea of Stars] should only have become widely known after Mystery had already faded from the surface.
"You know of it?"
Hippolyta was clearly surprised by Samael's reaction.
The Ancient Serpent thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I've only heard of it. Go on..."
The Amazon Queen gave a slight nod and began to explain the whole story.
After the war of the giants, the skies above Greece were shattered, the landmasses shifted, the earth split apart, and the entire world was left utterly transformed.
The gods spent a long time recuperating, slowly recovering, and then began the work of repairing it.
In the process, they accidentally discovered a torn rift that led deep into the planet, connecting to a special region that looked as if starlight itself had poured down into it.
That place was the [Inner Sea of Stars].
At that point, Hippolyta's tone shifted, turning grave.
"Actually, in a sense, this war that has lasted for over a hundred years began because of it."
"How so? The Hun Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Egyptian Empire are all interested in the [Inner Sea of Stars]?"
"To be exact, they're interested in something inside the [Inner Sea of Stars]."
"Hm?"
"The planet's Greater Source! Legend says that the planet's Greater Source is hidden within the [Inner Sea of Stars]. Whoever obtains it and brings it under control can recast the planet itself and become a god above gods!"
So that was it.
Samael instantly understood, fitting all the scattered clues together into a complete picture.
No wonder Greece had become the target of everyone's ambition, with the three great empires of Egypt, Persia, and the Huns all staring at it like predators. Even the gods had been secretly pulling strings from behind the scenes, or stepping onto the board in person to fight in place of others.
So land and faith were never enough to justify such a massive mobilization. Only the legendary planet's Greater Source could be tempting enough for that.
After a moment of thought, a cold sneer slowly spread across the Ancient Serpent's darkened face.
"Reforge the planet and become a god above gods? Let me guess. That story has never been verified, has no clear source, and yet it's spread everywhere?"
Hippolyta nodded in surprise, confusion flickering in her eyes.
Samael glanced at the Amazon Queen beside him and explained evenly,
"What exactly is the planet's Greater Source? Even the gods of the Areopagus and Olympus have probably never seen it, so how would they know what it actually does? And whether that thing is even in the [Inner Sea of Stars], or whether it exists at all, is still a question."
"So the [Inner Sea of Stars] too..."
"That part is probably real. Otherwise, there's no way it would have tempted so many people."
"If that's the case, then why not simply make the existence of the [Inner Sea of Stars] public and let them investigate it for themselves? If they find nothing, wouldn't the crisis in front of us be solved right away?"
Hippolyta could not help speaking up.
"I'm now certain you really are Ares's own daughter..."
Samael raised a hand and lightly rested it on the Amazon Queen's shoulder, his expression utterly sincere. Before Hippolyta could fully process what he meant, the Ancient Serpent rolled his eyes and let out a snort.
"Still don't get it? Let's take a step back. Even if you revealed the location of the rift and opened up the [Inner Sea of Stars], if they found nothing there, they would only assume that the Greek gods had already obtained the planet's Greater Source.
"So the issue isn't whether Greece actually has such a thing. The issue is that they believe you do!"
Then the Ancient Serpent's gaze flickered, his face full of scorn.
"And when they think you have it, you'd better actually have it.
"After all, if you really could control the planet's Greater Source and wield overwhelming power, then the problem would be much simpler."
Hippolyta fell silent at once, embarrassed by her own fanciful suggestion.
Of course, what Samael did not say was that the one who had spread this rumor from behind the scenes was probably among the forces besieging Greece. In a situation like that, reasoning was useless.
Still, something felt strange. Why head for the [Inner Sea of Stars] at such a critical moment?
Now it was not just the Greek gods. Even Athena and the others had vanished.
Were they really not worried that if this Greco-Persian war escalated, Persia's true gods might descend all at once?
As the Ancient Serpent thought, one question after another surfaced.
Athena, Themis, and Ana did not seem like the sort to act so rashly...
Unless they truly had nothing to worry about.
Suddenly, Samael seemed to realize something. His cross-shaped star pupils flashed open and shut, deep and dark.
The powerful restraints over Greece, Rome, and other regions were probably connected to the Pantheon and the Areopagus.
He had no idea how they managed it, but accelerating the stripping away of the Age of Gods and forcibly preventing the gods from descending into battle really was a brilliant move.
After all, ever since the war of the giants, no one knew how much the gods of Olympus and the Areopagus had recovered. If an all-out war truly broke out, then even united, they would still only amount to two incomplete divine systems. They likely could not withstand a combined assault from the Persian gods and Egyptian gods.
And once that geographic separation was broken, the Greek gods might not have to face only Persia and Egypt. India, the Norse lands, and others probably would not stay quiet either.
Replacing war between gods with war between humans was the only way to narrow the gap in top-tier strength as much as possible, reduce the intensity of the conflict, and buy time for later preparations.
The logic was simple. The enemy had too many fully leveled accounts. A chaotic group fight would be a losing proposition. So it was better to seal everyone off, drag them back to the same level, and let the believers fight in their place.
At that moment, Samael recalled where those from the Areopagus had gone, and the corners of his lips slowly lifted.
It seemed that even if the [Inner Sea of Stars] did not contain the planet's Greater Source, there was probably something else hidden in there that could not bear the light.
Perhaps that was the taboo powerful enough to keep the gods in check and restrain their descent...
Athena, you really are something.