Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 334 A Ship Full of Starlight
[The group has been banned. New QQ group number: ④①⑧④②⑥⑤零①418426501]

Several days later, the heroes who were qualified to board the ship finally made their decision.

On a bright, sunny day, these renowned demigod heroes killed a bull by the sea as a sacrifice to Zeus, the king of the gods, and even to all the other gods, asking for their blessings.

Then, the gods stirred up a wave that swallowed the offerings, signifying that they had witnessed this great adventure.

Then, the heroes began to argue about who should be the captain. The heroes discussed it at length, but in the end, the choice of captain fell to two people.

"Hercules is the bravest among us, and his fame is known to all. Who else is qualified to be captain but him?"

One person shouted.

Although Heracles had not yet completed his twelve great deeds at this time, the mere act of killing the lion and the hydra was enough to place him among the most powerful heroes in all of Greece.

But immediately, someone retorted.

"Wasn't it Jason who rallied the heroes? As the initiator of this great adventure, he should be the captain."

The one who objected was Acastus, the son of Pelias.

In theory, he should uphold his father's throne, but he idolizes his cousin Jason and, despite his father's objections, insists on joining this great adventure.

The heroes were arguing, but the two main figures in the discussion, Hercules in lion's skin and Jason in leopard's skin, remained silent, each sizing the other up.

To Hercules, Jason before him was a young and valiant man, with eyes like stars, a smile on his lips, and an air of confidence and pride.

Jason, however, saw Hercules as powerful as the legends described. While many heroes were tall and imposing, Hercules stood out even more, radiating an aura and awe far surpassing the others.

He unconsciously narrowed his eyes slightly. He wanted to use the Golden Fleece operation to build up his reputation in order to reclaim his throne. Therefore, he desperately needed the captain's position.

But if it's this Hercules...

Jason knew that he could not compare with this great hero who was famous throughout Greece.

what can we do about it?

Jason kept thinking of a solution.

However, right before everyone's eyes, Hercules spoke.

"Alright, my fellow Greek warriors, I know you want to pass this honor to me, but I believe this honor should belong to the one who organized us."

Once Hercules chose to withdraw from the contest, the debate lost its suspense.

Jason's palms were sweaty, but he tried to suppress his emotions and paid tribute to the heroes.

"Fellow warriors of Greece, prepare to set sail!"

Jason waved, full of confidence.

So, under the captain's command, the heroes quickly worked together to dig a trench and launched the huge dragon-headed ship, the Argo, out of the harbor.

The enormous dragon-headed ship was no less than a hundred meters long, large enough for a cavalryman to run a small circle. Two heroes shared one oar, and when they rowed together, the ship could cut through the waves at incredible speed and sail to the horizon.

The central position was unanimously given by the heroes to Heracles of Thebes and Ancaius of Thegea, who were considered by the heroes to be the two strongest on the journey.

In Heracles' view, Ancaius was also a very strong man.

He had heard the legend of the other party, the legend that he once made a bet with the giants by himself, easily subdued their wrists, and then the giants became angry, so he knocked them to the ground.

"Ha ha, Hercules, your name has been known throughout all of Greece over the years, it is a pleasure to meet you."

This generous man and Hercules hit it off immediately, and the two began to chat.

During their conversation, Hercules soon learned the next steps the man who had challenged the giants planned.

"Hmm? You want to challenge the wild boars of Calydon?"

Hercules said in surprise.

Ancaius nodded and said.

“I’ve heard it’s a very powerful monster that has killed many hunters and heroes in Calydon. After this mission, I’m going to see it for myself.”

This forthright man's eyes were filled with anticipation for the challenge.

"The wild boars of Calydon..."

Hercules muttered to himself.

He had heard of this infamous monster before, and if he could, he would have liked to give it a try. For Hercules, who chased after honor, any formidable foe only excited him more.

However, since someone as powerful as Ancaius went, it should be a piece of cake.

With these thoughts in mind, the heroes rowed the large ship, and darkness gradually fell.

When the heroes got tired, they began to drink and eat on the dragon-headed ship. These powerful and rude heroes were superior to ordinary people in terms of martial prowess, but in terms of personality, they were no different from ordinary people.

Once the alcohol got to their heads, the heroes started competing with each other, even boasting about their own and their ancestors' achievements.

One boasted that he was the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, while the other claimed to be a descendant of Hephaestus, the god of fire.

But like his ancestor, Palemonias, a descendant of the god of fire, was also lame. The son of Poseidon mocked his limp, and the enraged divine offspring began to fight amongst themselves. This fight excited the heroes, who gathered around the two men and jeered.

"Hit him! Smash his nose! Poke his eyes... Ouch, look carefully and hit him down..."

The hero named Peleus pounded his shield, cheering on his comrades.

This hero, who would one day marry the sea goddess and father Achilles, was utterly oblivious to his status as a great hero. He laughed as he watched his two companions fight, occasionally offering enthusiastic encouragement.

His brother, Telamon, had tried to intervene, but after being punched in the face by someone, he also became enraged.

He took off his clothes, bared his chest, and joined the fight, battling alongside the two men.

This great hero, who would later become famous and known for his calm and humility, was far less mature at this moment and was at the height of his fame.

The scale of the battle grew larger and larger, and many heroes who were originally just bystanders were forced to get involved.

The chaotic battle among the heroes caused the massive dragon-headed ship beneath them to rock violently.

The Pollax brothers, who later became the constellations Gemini, fought alongside the Idas brothers who would later kill them, while the descendants of Orion and Caenis clashed with each other...

At this moment, the heroes on the ship were unaware of their future fate, nor of the wondrous connection between them.

Future friends and enemies, under the influence of alcohol, fought while laughing heartily.

At the bow, Orpheus watched the sky darken and the sun set on the distant horizon. With his back to the heroes locked in battle, the musician took out his harp and began to sing, oblivious to everyone else.

"In the primordial era, the heavens and the earth were not yet separated, and the stars were being conceived in the embrace of the Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother..."

The multi-talented pianist was completely immersed in his own world, singing with ease.

He sang of the time before heaven and earth were separated, of how the stars, the sun, and the moon cycled and returned, of how the rivers rushed and how birds and beasts were born.

In that era, the Titans were still imprisoned in Tartarus, which devoured everything, Cronus ruled the world with Gaia, and Zeus was still an infant.

The great king was then a guest of the gods and was respected by them. The queen, who later brought disaster, had just given birth to her son and daughter and was immersed in the joy of becoming a mother for the first time.

Humans and gods, kings and heroes—many stories are told in detail.

The musician continued singing until the heroes on the ship either fell asleep amidst the singing and fighting, or leaned against the ship to rest, exhausted.

These heroes, who would one day become constellations in the sky or be celebrated in songs, whether intelligent or foolish, handsome or ugly, simply lay there sleeping in a haphazard manner.

At that moment, they were not the heroes that everyone would later praise, nor the stars in the sky, but simply young and spirited seafaring adventurers.

The dragon-headed ship drifted on the boundless sea, starlight projected onto the ocean, creating countless tiny silver sparkles.

On the ship, the stars twinkled, as if we were sailing among the stars.

Hercules was drunk in his dream, and in the dim light, he seemed to see a figure.

“Alcides…Alcides…”

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang out.

I opened my eyes groggily and saw a goddess sitting quietly on the edge of the boat beneath the stars.

That familiar figure made Hercules' heart skip a beat.

"Is it a dream?"

He murmured, reached out to the figure, then collapsed at her feet, clutching her skirt. The great hero burst into tears like a child.

“Mona, Mona… Megara…it’s me, I killed my child by mistake…”

This great hero, who rarely showed his inner sadness and always presented himself as confident and strong, broke down in front of his adoptive mother, rambling on about his experiences over the past few years.

The great hero, envied and hated by Hera, was powerful but unlucky.

He once arrogantly believed that he could defeat all enemies, but he could not escape the hatred of the gods.

After Amphitryon's death, the great hero, who experienced fatherly love for the first time but quickly lost it, could not escape the Queen's cruel joke.

After that, he fell in love with Megara, the princess of Thebes, and the two had three children together. But Hera, the queen of the gods, drove her enemy mad. In his madness, the great hero accidentally killed his three children. When he came to his senses, he realized what he had done.

He could no longer face his wife, and in order to atone for his sins, he chose to accept the difficulties posed by his cousin, King Eurystheus of Argos.

According to his cousin, he must perform ten great deeds to prove to the gods and wash away the sin of killing his son.

The great hero willingly accepted the mission.

Having already killed the Lion of Nemea, he then went on to kill the Hydra, which had regenerated its head after being severed.

People only know that he accomplished two great feats, but few people have thought from a father's perspective how remorseful it must be to kill one's own child.

Hercules had never spoken these words to anyone else, but only when he saw his adoptive mother did he become unable to bear it and burst into tears.

While stroking the head of her godson, the goddess, who was as fragile as a swan in front of the grown-up man, lowered her eyes and gently comforted him as she had always done.

“It’s alright, Alcides…”

(End of this chapter)