Night fell, on War God Mountain.
After finishing a full day of hard labor, the surviving people of Crete sat gathered in the open space, waiting for the two princesses to distribute dinner.
Because too many Minos people had poured into Athens in a short time, even though the King of Athens had prepared places for them to stay in advance, they were only crude shelters to keep out the wind and rain.
Many things inside still needed to be slowly improved.
Therefore, for a short period of time, this group of wanderers would still need to eat several communal meals from a big pot.
As for this, the two princesses, one steady and composed, the other fond of stirring things up, had no objections.
And Hestia, who rarely had the chance to put her own strengths to use, raised both hands in approval.
Although she was a goddess, she regarded these ordinary people she had lived with for a long time as her neighbors and friends.
Although King Minos and that group of admirable warriors had been determined to die, the fact that she had failed to give them a helping hand at the critical moment was also undeniable.
So Hestia had always harbored guilt over this.
And now that she finally had a chance to make some amends, she was naturally filled with joy, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the daily preparation of meals.
Dinner that evening was still abundant, fragrant stewed meat, paired with filling bread, and the two princesses were responsible for serving the portions.
Once the steaming food was in their hands, the two princesses then went around and filled a cup of sweet wine for each person, serving as a post-meal reward.
At first, seeing the once lofty royal bloodlines bending down and lowering themselves for them, the gathered Minos people could not help but feel flattered, and some elderly people with outdated views even stubbornly refused to accept it, no matter what.
However, as time passed, the people realized that the two princesses were not putting on a show.
Gradually, they relaxed as the sense of class distinction between them faded away one after another, and the bond of blood tied them together.
"Wine is our blood, and we will sacrifice for you."
"Our blood is thicker than water, our bloodlines are connected!"
By drinking this cup of wine, they would reunite in their dreams with those heroic spirits who faced death head-on, and with their own departed loved ones.
Therefore, even as ordinary people, worthy of this bloodline and worthy of that land, they could calmly raise their cups and accept this crimson gift without shame.
"Sister Phaedra, I dreamed of Father."
"Me too, but I dreamed of Sister Sephra from the temple."
"And Uncle Florence too, he smiled at me in the dream!"
Several children, still too young to know sorrow, gathered around the Fourth Princess Phaedra, chirping excitedly as they talked, their small faces full of pride.
A group of adults, who were chewing the food in their mouths, heard those words and names and revealed gentle smiles, without much of a sorrowful atmosphere.
The Greeks feared death and classified both sleep and death under the dominion of the Underworld.
However, they were different.
Just as that scribe had said, life was a labor and a trial, during which one could only obtain brief rest, while at the end of the journey, death was the eternal sleep.
After people died, the Goddess of Night would receive them into the Underworld.
There, a vast black river surged and flowed, carrying the suffering of the human world.
After crossing the river lay an expansive gray plain, called the Field of Truth.
From there extended two roads, leading respectively to the place of happiness, "[Elysium]", and the place of suffering, "[Tartarus Hell]".
The souls of the dead would receive just judgment at the tribunal before the Field of Truth.
Their beloved King Minos would render fair verdicts based on their deeds and crimes during life.
The guilty would receive punishments of varying severity in hell according to their sins, while those without guilt would be able to live a carefree, peaceful, and joyful life in the beautiful and tranquil Elysium.
So by comparison, death was not terrifying; life was the arduous journey that required endurance.
"Sister Phaedra, I want to see Father as soon as possible. Can I..."
The leading child spoke shockingly, lifting his head and looking expectantly at Princess Phaedra, the High Priestess of the God of Wine.
"No! Absolutely not!"
Princess Phaedra shook her head firmly, rejecting the child's dangerous thought and pressed both hands on his tender shoulders, earnestly admonishing him.
"Meaningless suicide is a shameful act despised by the god Dionysus! Because that is the same as trampling on life itself and refusing the trials of living. Such a person deserves only to stay in hell!
And if you want to reunite with your father in Elysium, you must strive to live your life well, wait until you complete the journey of life, and only then can you stand tall before your loved ones with your chest held high, telling the judges and your family that you did not go against the teachings of the gods, nor did you waste your time. Do you understand?"
The simple and easy-to-understand lesson flowed from the young girl's lips as the child listened word by word, gradually coming to a realization.
The gloom in his eyes was replaced by determination, and he could not help but nod heavily at this priestess sister in assurance.
"Yes! I will definitely live well, take good care of Mom and my little sister, and not disappoint Dad or the gods!"
Seeing that the child had gained enlightenment, Princess Phaedra nodded in satisfaction, gently patting his head, her heart filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Like the Minos people who had been dreaming frequently lately, she too would dream.
And in her dreams, besides the father she missed dearly, there was also that hazy and mysterious, tall and handsome Lord of Wine.
In her dreams, he would often teach her strange principles and stories, asking her to pass them on to her compatriots from Crete.
Phaedra followed his words with a try-it-and-see attitude, and as a result, she discovered that after listening to these teachings, her companions' depressed mental states clearly improved.
They gradually emerged from grief and confusion, and with greater courage and passion, strove to live their lives well.
The little fellow who had just developed thoughts of death and now rekindled his hope for life was the best example.
"Mm, Lord of Wine must be a really great and handsome person!"
Looking at her compatriots who had drunk the fine wine, leaning against one another to rest in their light intoxication, happiness overflowing on their faces, the Fourth Princess felt rather proud and could not help murmuring softly.
At the same time, the scribe upstairs, watching through the window, heard that childlike muttering and could not help shaking his head and smiling.
Whether it was the Orphic teachings from his memories in their original form, or the heavily modified Dionysian faith of today, their doctrinal core shared one common trait.
That was to guide people toward indulgence rather than recklessness, to strictly observe discipline, and to love their own lives.
You could choose to become a hero who built achievements, or choose to become a traveler who conquered mountains and seas, or rise with the sun and rest at sunset, feeling the warmth of blood ties and family affection in an ordinary life...
No matter the choice, as long as you could live your life well and live out your true self, there was no distinction of high or low, noble or base, and you would not be unworthy of the gods' teachings.
These were the principles that Lorne imparted to his High Priestess of the God of Wine during the gaps when he entered her dreams, and through her mouth, spread to more Minos people.
The results were also obvious.
These comforts of the soul allowed the Minos people, who had just experienced the pain of losing their nation, to quickly emerge from sorrow and fully devote themselves to new construction and the continuation of civilization.
At the same time, they also provided Lorne, the God of Wine, whose name was often spoken by everyone, with a massive amount of faith power.
In the dim room, a fair palm opened, and dense streams of golden light gathered in the center of the hand, almost tangible.
Seeing this pleasing harvest, Lorne nodded slightly, satisfied as he toyed with the serpentine-patterned dodecahedral die in his hand.
It had to be said that being able to make believers accept the "teachings of the gods" so wholeheartedly owed much to the efficiency of that witchcraft goddess in the Underworld.
After all, in just a day or two, King Minos and those heroic spirits who had died in battle had already begun their new posts, forming the tribunal of the Underworld, and through dreams, conveying their messages to the survivors of Crete.
With this assist, the threefold concepts of "Hell", "Purgatory", and "Heaven" that Lorne had constructed also quickly took root in people's hearts.
The survivors became ever more convinced that everything was the achievement of that "Lord of Wine", and conscientiously followed the guidance of this benevolent god, casting off psychological burdens and loving their lives even more.
Naturally, this group of tamed "lambs" also, in the process, conveniently provided the "god" with vast and pure faith power.
Lorne looked down at the land beneath his feet that connected to the Underworld, then raised his head to glance at Mount Olympus hidden among the stars, and the corners of his lips curled upward as he pulled out a mocking smile.
Fear and darkness are not the only ways to make life revere and follow.
Warmth and light can also make moths willingly throw themselves into the fire as an offering.
So, the version of faith needs to be updated, you old fossils!
(End of Chapter)