Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 329 The Golden Fleece

In many stories, there is a prince whose father is a glorious and righteous king. But when he was born or young, his father was overthrown by scheming men, and his own throne was usurped. After enduring many hardships, the grown-up prince finally defeated the scheming men and reclaimed the throne.

Such stories have been passed down for a long time, but Jason himself would rather not appear in such stories.

Jason, my dear nephew…

Before Jason, the old, bloated man with a disgusting smile, who was nominally his uncle, was speaking deliberately friendly words. But Jason, looking at his face, even wanted to draw his sword and kill him immediately.

This fellow who had seized the throne from his brother now tried to deceive him. But he couldn't do that. Looking at the many guards surrounding the king, the young and handsome Jason tried hard to calm himself down.

He revealed a seemingly cheerful and innocent smile: "Yes, my uncle, I miss you just as much... Now that I have come of age, according to ancient tradition, I will inherit the Kingdom of Thessaly, which you have temporarily entrusted to my father, Aeson."

Beneath his seemingly cheerful words, Jason subtly pointed out a fact.

Although his uncle was now the de facto king, he nominally claimed to be ruling in place of his mediocre brother. He would relinquish the throne to his brother's son when he came of age.

But in reality, Jason had already disappeared when his father Aeson was overthrown, and few people knew that he was rescued from assassins by the famous centaur Chiron.

The famous centaur Chiron possessed immortality and taught many heroes. He taught Jason many skills, including horseback riding, archery, literature, and poetry, which made Jason a young and robust man.

When Jason grew up, he tried to ask his uncle for the throne.

The sudden arrival of the prince caught the king off guard, but while comforting his nephew, the old king pondered a solution, and finally, he came up with one…

Amid the old king's tearful plea, he claimed that he was very willing to return the throne to Jason, but Jason was too young, and he feared that Jason would not be able to win over the people.

Then he bared his fangs.

“I often dream of the ghost of Phrixus, who longs for his homeland and hopes I can bring him peace. If you can bring his remains and the legendary Golden Fleece, it will prove your ability, and I can then entrust the throne to you with peace of mind.”

Golden Fleece?
The appearance of this term made Jason's eyebrows twitch wildly.

There are many legends surrounding this treasure, but the most important one is that it is the wool of the golden ram that once nursed Zeus, the god of the sky.

The goat was given to Hermes, who then gave it to Phrixus, the earthly child of Nephele, the goddess of clouds, and his sister Hele.

The two goddesses and the king's child rode a golden ram and flew far away. When they reached the sea, the elder sister, Helle, glanced at the ocean below, became dizzy, and fell to her death. The surviving Phrixus rode the golden ram and flew far away into the sea.

Legend has it that the goddess's child later gave birth to offspring in a distant country and became the king of that land. He sacrificed the golden ram to the gods, and the ram's wool became a treasure passed down through generations of that family.

Jason knew this was clearly an excuse from his uncle, who probably wished he would die far away at sea.

However, Phrixus and his uncle Pelias did indeed know each other. Pelias and his father Aeson were both sons of Poseidon, and it is said that the two had a friendship in their childhood. Using the name of this long-deceased man is quite convincing.

Jason glanced at the expressions of the people around him, knowing that he currently lacked prestige and, even with ambition, could not gain support. So he forced himself to suppress his inner turmoil and said with a smile.

"My uncle, I will do it."

Meanwhile, Jason was frantically thinking about what to do next.
Soon, an idea came to him.

……

A few days later, a sensational piece of news spread throughout Greece.

The vengeful prince Jason is about to set sail for the other side of the sea in search of the legendary Golden Fleece.

Immediately, the entire Greek region began discussing this matter.

The Golden Fleece is an extremely valuable treasure, and it is an honor, but what is even more awe-inspiring is its location.

Colchis, a legendary land, said to be located at the end of the sea, a mysterious and forbidden place. Many believe that in that land dwell mystical sorcerers, ferocious dragons, and precious treasures.

However, the vast ocean blocked the heroes' path.

The sirens of the sea bewitch the minds of mortals, the strange birds of the sea feed on humans, the strange fish and beasts of the sea, and the unpredictable storms and tides... each and every one of these is so dangerous.

Some people advised Jason not to go, saying it was too dangerous.

But the young man was not afraid at all. Instead, he issued a call to arms, summoning heroes from all over Greece to embark on an adventure to Colchis at the end of the sea.

Called upon by Jason, some heroes were tempted by the precious Golden Fleece, some by the glorious honor, and some were simply drawn by the treasure itself—the reasons varied.

And so, heroes from all over Greece began to gather at Jason's location.

At the foot of Mount Pelion, a magnificent ship is under construction.

To appease Jason, the old king summoned the best shipbuilders in all of Greece, whose skills were so powerful and perfect that they seemed to have been personally instructed by the gods.

A magnificent ship gradually took shape.

Half a year passed, and the great ship was finally completed. Many heroes gathered here, and amidst the hustle and bustle, the heroes, confident in their strength, began to compete against each other for the right to board the ship.

Such a lively scene even attracted goddesses from heaven and the underworld.

“Look, Mona, these mortals are young and impetuous, yet they are completely unaware of the dangers they are about to face.”

Extending her delicate, slender hand, the beautiful goddess clad in armor spoke to the girl beside her.

The girl gazed quietly. She had been invited by the goddess Athena to travel among humans, and during her travels, she encountered these young heroes from all over the world.

The two goddesses, invisible to all, strolled among the demigod heroes, even commenting on their fates.

"Look at this elder, Polyphimos. He is the hero of the Lapite heroes. When the Lapite heroes fought against the centaurs, he bravely helped them and drove the centaurs away. Now he is old, but his heroic spirit remains."

Athena pointed to a middle-aged man striding confidently, who stood out among the many young people. At his age, warriors usually gradually retired from the battlefield, but this ambitious old hero refused to accept old age and still tried to prove his former glory to the world.

Mona shook her head.

"The courage of youth is like a sword, and the wisdom of elders is like a shield, but the sword is more advantageous than the shield when venturing out. His shield can protect his home, but he can hardly travel far."

Clearly, Mona, who has a keen eye for fate, doesn't think much of this old hero.

Upon hearing this, Athena casually pointed again.

"And what about this energetic young man? His name is Chronos, born in a prosperous land, who bravely came for adventure. He has bright eyes and strong arms, and he doesn't look ordinary."

"A brave and fearless warrior, but his stage in life is not here. He blocked the enemy's advance and fearlessly covered the rear for his comrades. His life will be sung by poets."

Mona gazed at the young, inexperienced man, who was chatting and laughing with his friends, and in her eyes, a vision of the future appeared.

Sometime in the future, this brave and fearless young man became the leader of his tribe. In a war against the centaurs, he covered the retreat of the other tribal leaders, while he himself was besieged by the centaurs.

The centaurs charged again and again, but they could neither repel him nor kill him. Finally, the indomitable warrior was struck down by a thick tree trunk hurled by the centaurs.

Meanwhile, the young people are completely oblivious to their future, laughing heartily.

Athena seemed lost in thought. She was not a god skilled in prophecy; rather than foreseeing the future, she was better at making the most of the present.

"The future of heroes is not yet determined, so how can we say that things won't change?"

"This is what the goddess who loves to accompany heroes and guide them forward said."

Mona calmly shook her head, neither confirming nor denying.

“Take a look at these two young men. The calm and wise one is Mepsos, who was born with exceptional intelligence. Apollo, the god of light, taught him how to make prophecies based on birds. The lively one is Canthos, who comes from the island of Euponia and is eager to join the adventure.”

"Those who know prophecy cannot foresee their own loss, and those who are passionate cannot illuminate the layers of fog. Poor people, they will be lost at the ends of the earth and will never be able to return home."

Mona sighed.

These two young people from different places will meet unexpectedly during this adventure, and eventually get lost together at the end of the world and perish there.

Athena sighed deeply at Mona's ability to see through the future of these young people. So, she deliberately pointed her finger at the demigods who possessed divine blood.

“Look, those are the two sons of Leda, the queen of Sparta: Polydecis, who is of immense strength, and Castor, who rides a magnificent horse. They are Zeus’s mortal children.”

Athena was pointing to a pair of young and handsome brothers, the elder brother being resolute and the younger brother being beautiful.

Once upon a time, Zeus saw that the Queen of Sparta was very beautiful, so he transformed into a swan and had these two brothers with her.

Mona looked at it carefully and then said.

"They were indeed powerful, but their fates were intertwined until they became starlight in the sky."

Mona's words seemed to be deliberately ambiguous, so much so that even Athena did not fully understand them.

In Mona's eyes, the brothers shimmered with a faint starlight; one day they would become a constellation in the sky, the Gemini constellation.

But the future cannot be revealed casually, so Mona could only choose to remain vague.

Athena was not discouraged, and pointed to another centaur.

"This Centaur is called Eurythion. He is strong and swift. I suppose he will be able to stand out among them?"

It was a centaur drinking heavily and laughing heartily.

Mona shook her head.

"He had the strength of a hero, but he lost respect because of his drunken indulgence. It's a real pity."

One day in the future, this strong but rude centaur, after drinking too much at his wedding feast, went mad and tried to snatch the bride away, only to be killed by another enraged hero, Theseus.

Athena then pointed to another young couple.

The heavier Mona's sigh, the more she knew that the twin stars born of Zeus would die because of their enmity with the brothers named Lincus and Idas.

Two pairs of brothers, who once fought side by side, ended up killing each other because of their falling out. Looking at the future Mona, he couldn't help but shake his head.

The remaining heroes, such as the offspring of Poseidon, the descendants of Hephaestus, and the descendants of the ancient Athenian king and goddess, were all gathered here. Athena asked Mona to comment on each of them, but Mona's evaluations were generally poor.

In the end, even Athena, the goddess known as the friend of heroes, was perplexed.

"Is the path of a hero really this difficult? Among all these countless heroes, both human and divine, is there not a single one who has been able to complete it?"

Mona shook her head.

The path of a hero is indeed arduous; countless people tread it, yet few reach the end. But those who do reach the end possess incredible power. Just like the one who is about to arrive, the one most likely to reach the end of this path.

"Look, Athena, the one most likely to succeed in achieving great things is walking towards us."

As Mona spoke softly, a great hero slowly walked in from afar, under the gaze of the two goddesses.

He had a handsome appearance and looked more mature than he had years ago. He still wore the lion skin on his back, and carried a large wild boar he had just hunted on his shoulder. His eyes were sharp as he stared intently at the chaotic harbor.

(End of this chapter)