At the bustling port established by the Kingdom of Thessaly, Iolcus, at this moment, many figures from all over the world had gathered. These people looked somewhat different from ordinary folk; they were either very tall or very handsome, and their hair color, facial features, and so on, differed somewhat from mortals.
Most of this group were demigods born from the union of the gods and mortal women, while the few who were not were outstanding Argo Heroes from various places, possessing extraordinary skills.
Their only goal was the exquisite large ship moored by the port, with an old oak tree planted at its bow, and the yellow-haired young man standing near the ship, smiling with immense satisfaction.
As the son of the former King Aeson of Thessaly, Jason was currently living a life of great triumph.
Although this kingdom had been usurped by his detestable uncle Pelias, in terms of legitimacy, the gods still believed that Jason should be the one to inherit the throne of this kingdom. This was evident from the fact that immediately after he came down from the mountain, he encountered the 'Old Woman', the incarnation of Hera, who guided him.
After he arrived in Thessaly, his uncle, who learned of Jason's identity, was wary of the gods' attention and dared not directly order his assassination. Therefore, to make things difficult for him, Pelias came up with the idea of having Jason retrieve the golden fleece from Colchis Island.
This golden fleece originally belonged to the sacred beast sent by Hermes, the Messenger God, when saving Phrixus, the son of the Cloud God. After Phrixus was saved, he slaughtered this sacred beast and offered it to Zeus, and then gave the golden fleece from the sacred beast to his father-in-law, King Aeetes, who had sheltered him.
After receiving the golden fleece, Aeetes, in turn, offered the golden fleece to Ares. Now, this golden fleece is enshrined in Ares's sacred grove on Colchis Island, guarded by a fire dragon.
Of course, on the surface, this golden fleece seems to be Ares's property, but in reality, Ares has never even seen it. The fire dragon guarding the sacred grove is naturally not Ares's subordinate. According to Medea, the little princess of Colchis Island and Ares's junior apprentice sister, at the time, it seems that after the golden fleece was sent into Ares's sacred grove, that fire dragon flew from the sky, settled on Colchis Island, and called itself the guardian of the sacred grove.
This fire dragon was most likely also Athena's doing, or rather, a monster advised by Athena and sent by Zeus, all for the matter of the Argo Heroes today.
However, the only ones who knew the specific details of these matters were Ares and Athena, because while these two secretly fought each other, they also put on a good show on Olympus, so even Zeus was somewhat confused, thinking that the two were merely bickering between siblings.
Jason, of course, was unaware of these divine secrets. He only knew that Athena, the goddess who helped him build this magnificent ship, had promised him that after this perilous journey, he would become a Hero, marry a princess, and reach the pinnacle of life envied by everyone in the Greek World.
And so it was. After Jason decided to launch the Argo expedition, this news quickly spread throughout the world, as if deliberately guided by certain individuals. While he was staying at the port of Thessaly, even before the ship was fully built, Argo Heroes eager to achieve great deeds had already come to join him.
Initially, Jason accepted all comers, but gradually, as the number of people on the ship increased, his standards also became more discerning. Mortals without divine blood, or demigods unskilled in combat, were quickly turned away. For although the ship was large, it could accommodate at most about fifty crew members. Jason's team did not have that many empty slots for these incompetent individuals. Athena had instructed him to reserve more positions for true Argo Heroes.
Now, a new day dawned, and Jason's front was still crowded with individuals who had rushed from all over the world to offer their services. He moved a table, sat on the port next to the Argo, yawning, and watched this group of constantly pushing, shoving, and shouting individuals.
Indeed, this group of people, who now resembled slaves vying for work, were formidable warriors anywhere in the world, except for the city-state of Sparta. If they swarmed him, tearing Jason to shreds would be no problem. However, compared to the "bodyguard" standing beside Jason at this moment, they truly paled in comparison.
Thinking of this, Jason turned his head, looked at the white-haired man beside him, and softly asked:
"Asclepius, what do you think of this group?"
Standing beside Jason as a bodyguard was Asclepius, the son of the Sun GodApollo, and Jason's fellow disciple. He also served as the ship's doctor on the Argo. Although this son of Apollo was not very skilled in fighting others compared to those from Chiron's tutelage who specialized in combat, he was still the son of a chief god, and he could certainly handle the weak Argo Heroes in front of him.
Upon hearing Jason's question, Asclepius also slowly raised his head, his slightly reddish eyes sweeping over the crowd, and then he shook his head:
"They are all useless people who don't need to be on the ship. The true Argo Heroes haven't appeared yet. But Jason, you'd better restrain these people, otherwise, if they start fighting later and get killed or injured, I'll have to treat them, which is very troublesome."
"Why don't you just ignore them? What does it have to do with us if they fight among themselves?"
Jason asked, propping his chin.
"Although they are useless, they are still human lives, and I am a doctor. A doctor cannot ignore patients who need help right before his eyes. This goes against my professional ethics."
Asclepius replied as a matter of course:
"So you'd better quickly dispel their illusions and not let them gather here. Foolish viruses will spread."
"If I were as blunt as you, how would they listen…"
Jason muttered, looking at the noisy crowd in front of him. He suddenly had an idea, then straightened up abruptly and loudly said to the crowd:
"Alright, everyone, stop arguing. Athena has said that only true Heroes are qualified to board the ship behind me. How about this: if anyone today can make others voluntarily leave this port unharmed, then he will gain the qualification to board the ship."
"Really?"
Just as Jason's voice fell, a voice also sounded from the back of the crowd.
Jason and the Heroes at the port all looked towards the direction from which the voice came, and found standing behind them a handsome young man carrying a scythe-blade, and an extraordinarily tall figure draped in a black cloak, his face obscured.
Perseus, carrying the Slaughter of the Undead Blade, took two steps forward and continued to press:
"Jason, are your words just now truly binding?"