He is a pure-blooded dragon in the miniature garden.

Chapter 359 Joan of Arc Dares to Challenge the Dragon

"Prepare?"

Su Nian looked at Athena curiously and said in a somewhat uncertain tone.

Did you prepare in advance?

Although Su Nian was quite used to Athena's methodical approach, Athena had never mentioned this kind of preparation to him, nor had he paid any attention to it.

Who told him to never bother with such trivial matters? He trusted those he employed and didn't employ those he didn't trust, so he naturally trusted Athena completely.

And to be honest, he has quite a few things going on of his own too.

The Second Solar Sovereignty War, the true completion of the "Sun," the search for the Star Grail, and the research into the core code of the Dimensional Forum... Everyone is extremely busy, so let's not talk about each other.

Even Di Shitian, who had long since retired, was captured by Su Nian and the others and used as cattle and horses.

"Of course."

Athena looked at Su Nian with amusement upon hearing this, and then explained.

"However, I'm not sure what use these preparations will be. At least after Yavi left, the Church of Christ isn't a monolithic entity, is it?"

As the world's largest religious sect, Christianity has countless branches, and many gods and Buddhas have secretly supported their respective branches of Christianity.

For example, the Catholic Church supported by Greece, the Puritanism and Protestantism under the Halloween Queen, the Hell faction under Argir, and those cults that were established based on Christianity...

The Church of Christ is a large sect, with as many branches as the various popes on Mount Ling.

However, there are quite a few among them who harbor ulterior motives and have their own schemes.

They all operate within the same small community; who doesn't have a few spies sent from other factions under their command?
In fact, it's perfectly normal for someone running a large power in a small garden to send their most loyal subordinates to work as spies for others.

Here's a joke that's not really a joke: if all the high-ranking members of the Sandbox Garden withdraw their spies, most of the god groups will have to shut down the next day.

After all, there's a saying that goes something like this: those who work the hardest and most diligently, and have the cleanest backgrounds, are often not clean at all, especially wild powerhouses who rise from the bottom.

Given the current trend of involution in the Little Garden... where will the strong, untrained individuals in the lower levels come from? Anyone with even a little potential has already been poached.

Do you know in your heart whether there's something supernatural going on?
When the Thousand Eyes was singled out and the purge of internal traitors was initiated, it almost caused the Thousand Eyes to stop operating.

Upon hearing this, Su Nian looked at Athena with a hint of admiration in her eyes, and rubbed her head as she spoke.

"I have a feeling I'll have to take extra classes again..."

Upon hearing this, Athena couldn't help but chuckle. She didn't say anything. One of the reasons she came to see Su Nian in her spare time was to help Su Nian catch up on her studies and, incidentally, report on her work.

Yes, this is also one of the ways she recovers her spirits.

"Alright, compared to you, I think this Artemis sister needs more tutoring."

Athena chuckled softly and looked at Artemis, who was completely bewildered.

Compared to Su Nian, who was already familiar with the intricacies of the Little Garden, Artemis, who had just arrived and knew nothing about the Little Garden besides her brute strength, needed to catch up on her studies.

She even had to start learning from the most basic structure of various pantheons and Earth's mythology and religion.

"Huh? Me? I guess I won't need it."

Artemis pointed at herself, somewhat bewildered.

"Can't I just stay on Mount Olympus and not go out?"

"As she said that," Artemis said, pursing her lips.

"Not to mention, I didn't come to the Little Garden to compete for any spirit rank or anything like that. I came on behalf of my sister Sasha to keep an eye on whether Su Nian is continuing to flirt with other people."

“After all, Sasha doesn’t really trust you in this regard.”

Athena: ...

Upon hearing this, Athena's smile froze and gradually became forced.

I'm so sorry for being so incompetent.
Athena, who had fought countless battles throughout her life without ever suffering a defeat, was utterly defeated in matters of the heart, even failing to protect her fiancé on the day of her engagement.

Is it that she doesn't want to? No, it's that she really can't do it.

Thinking of this, Athena glared fiercely at Artemis and smiled.

"No, of course you need it. After all, you are Artemis, aren't you?"

"You don't think Artemis did nothing among the Greek gods, do you?"

Is not it?
Artemis looked at Athena suspiciously, feeling that Athena was trying to fool her.

She did exactly that in the previous world. Her job was to monitor whether the universe's timeline was functioning correctly, and generally, nothing would go wrong.

As for Artemis of this world? If she remembers correctly, apart from the lord of the gods, the other gods really don't have anything to do unless they have an important mission, right?

At least Artemis in this miniature garden is quite leisurely, and is only responsible for the production of the Greek gods.

The key point is that the main person in charge of production was Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, while Artemis was in charge of animal husbandry, so she wasn't as important as Demeter.

Artemis strongly suspected that Athena was taking revenge on her.

Seemingly sensing Artemis's thoughts, Athena smiled and said softly.

"From now on, that won't be the case. I will gradually hand over the affairs related to Olympus to you."

To be honest, Athena didn't quite trust the other members of the Greek pantheon, but she trusted Artemis, who was isolated and helpless from the Saint Seiya universe, more.

It would also be better to place one's own people under her command, and incidentally give a warning to the other members of the Greek pantheon, so as to prevent them from having any improper thoughts.

"Um???"

And just like that, Artemis found herself completely bewildered to the fact that she seemed to have suddenly become Athena's second-in-command.
Her initial thought was simply to have Su Nian come and keep her company.

"Come on."

Su Nian patted Artemis on the shoulder with a hint of sympathy, after all, they all had their own things to do, and you were the only one lying there doing nothing.

I absolutely can't stand watching it.

Realizing she had been tricked again, Artemis puffed out her cheeks in anger, completely ignoring the two con artists.

He picked up an apple and took a vicious bite.

"By the way, how's the Solar Sovereignty War going?"

At this moment, Su Nian suddenly remembered something and asked Athena out of curiosity. She had gone to Disbots before, but she hadn't expected Pegasus to reveal his strength.

What adjustments will the White Demon and the Halloween Queen make to the upcoming war for solar sovereignty?

"It didn't go very smoothly."

Athena sighed softly.

"Although Pegasus Boy is very strong, he is a hot-blooded idiot... and Halloween Queen and White Demon have also realized this."

"So before they challenged the guardians of the sun's sovereignty, they added some game elements."

"The number of times Pegasus has gained sovereignty over the sun is not ideal."

Unfortunately, for a hot-blooded idiot like Tenma, the various convoluted game elements of the miniature garden were really a bit of a challenge.

Even if Pegasus could easily defeat Star Beasts and the Queen's Knights, it wouldn't matter.

It's like a math problem; if you don't know it, you simply don't know it, even if you crush a planet with one hand. Because essentially it's a game of giving away sovereignty over one's own sun, no matter how many more steps are added, Athena can't really say anything.

Moreover, these games are only for obtaining the qualification to take on the challenge.

Upon hearing this, Su Nian's lips twitched slightly.

"I never expected such a turn of events..."

"I feel that the reason Pegasus was exposed too early is still the problem."

"Yes."

Athena sighed, then tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and chuckled softly.

"But these are all harmless little things that add some fun. Even in an exhibition match, shouldn't other people be involved?"

"That's true."

Su Nian nodded, not making a big deal out of these trivial matters, since the previous game segments did add to the atmosphere.

"But if that's the case, then I'll prepare some games too."

"Anyway, it's all about participation."

…………

The City of Flames, 54545 Outer Gate.

On a bustling commercial street, a beautiful young woman with long, radiant golden hair, azure eyes, and dressed in a coarse brown linen outfit similar to prison clothes and simple leather armor was walking down the street.

Looking at the snack shops by the roadside, the girl revealed a longing expression, but after touching her meager wallet, she finally forced herself to look away.

Just then, a girl dressed in what looked like a male high school uniform, with hair as brown as a lion's, unexpectedly raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"A Christian saint?"

Izayoi Sakamaki looked at Jeanne d'Arc with considerable surprise. Although she did not recognize who she was, the strong divine aura and dazzling faith emanating from her made Izayoi Sakamaki realize who she was.

"Shouldn't a Christian saint be so poor that she doesn't even have money to feed herself?"

Izayoi Sakamaki's gaze gradually became subtle; she had noticed this girl exuding a dangerous aura long ago.

However, because of Su Nian, there are quite a few powerful people coming and going in this Flame City. In addition, with Leticia guarding it, no one dares to cause trouble.

“…Miss Sakamaki, if you’d like to treat me to a meal, I will bless you on behalf of the Lord.”

Joan of Arc said somewhat guiltily, she hadn't expected that she would be recognized just because she was out for a stroll.

"Okay, it won't cost much anyway."

Izayoi Sakamaki was quite generous, and then led Jeanne d'Arc to a roadside snack shop.

“Jean-Dalque, or you may call me by my more well-known name—Joan of Arc.”

Joan of Arc made no attempt to conceal her identity, since the term "Catholic saint" was practically synonymous with her at that time, so there was no point in hiding it.

"It really is Joan of Arc."

Izayoi Sakamaki looked at Jeanne d'Arc with some surprise. Even now, she still felt it was a dreamlike experience to be traveling with such a famous figure from history and even mythology.

As she spoke, Izayoi Sakamaki took a bite of the fried skewer she had just prepared.

"But speaking of which, Joan of Arc, you shouldn't be so poor that you don't even have money for food, right?"

"...They were all donated to the church's orphanage."

Joan of Arc smiled.

"After all, it doesn't matter if I, as a deity, don't eat. Resisting the original sin of gluttony is also part of the saintess's cultivation."

"That really does fit the Saintess's words."

Upon hearing this, Izayoi Sakamaki remarked with a touch of emotion.

She thought to herself, the Church of Christ shouldn't be so stingy as to not provide Joan of Arc with travel expenses. If she remembered correctly, everyone in the Church of Christ in the Little Garden was incredibly wealthy.

After all, Christianity is not like Buddhism, where there are many monks but little porridge.

"If all the Christian derivative sects in the world were like you, that would be wonderful."

Upon hearing this, Joan of Arc fell silent for a moment, seemingly recalling the days when she was tried as a heretic.

Of course, Izayoi Sakamaki didn't dwell on the topic any further. Instead, she looked at Jeanne d'Arc with curiosity and asked.

"But what is Lady Joan of Arc planning to do by participating in the War for Solar Sovereignty?"

If she remembered correctly, the only thing the Church didn't participate in was the Sun Sovereignty War, an event that affected the entire Little Garden and plunged it into an extremely lively atmosphere—an event that was called a war but was actually a celebration.

They neither pay attention to nor participate in any activities to demonstrate their presence or expand their influence; it's as if they've simply faded into obscurity.

After pondering for a moment, the pretty young woman nodded earnestly.

"I intend to challenge the sovereignty of the Dragon King."

"????"

Izayoi Sakamaki tilted her head, seemingly questioning the accuracy of Jeanne d'Arc's words.

Challenging Chenlong's sovereignty? Are you serious? If she remembered correctly, Chenlong's sovereignty seemed to be in Su Nian's hands, right?

Would an ordinary person really dare to covet Su Nian's sovereignty over the sun?

"It's just a challenge; I don't expect to win."

Joan of Arc shook her head and smiled helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Izayoi Sakamaki seemed to understand something.

Is the challenge meant to convey a message to Su Nian? And what message is it that is extremely important?

"But challenging Su Nian won't be that easy."

Su Nian is currently the only holder of solar sovereignty who has not explicitly released the conditions for challenging it.

"It should be soon. Both Her Majesty the Queen and His Majesty the White Night King have chosen to set the challenge qualifications through games for Halloween."

"Your Majesty Su Nian should be arriving soon, right?"

Joan of Arc pondered for a moment and then stated the conclusions drawn by the Christian think tank.

However, these are all just speculations. She is here now simply to wait. If it really works out, it won't be a loss, right?
"That's true."

Izayoi Sakamaki nodded.

She had guessed what Joan of Arc was saying, which is why she came over to join in the fun.

After all, Kudo Asuka was preparing to challenge the Moon Goddess in a game to claim sovereignty over the Moon, while Kasukabe Yo went to study with her father's friend.

She was the only one with nothing to do; she couldn't find anything else to do but join in the fun.

Just then, their participation certificates in the Solar Sovereignty War suddenly vibrated, announcing a completely new change in the Solar Sovereignty War.

The rules of the Solar Sovereignty Challenge by Chenlong are—a game.

(End of this chapter)