Simulate the universe, starting with speedrunning Greek.

After all, no normal person would spend so much money to specifically choose a follower just to hype up their status as a descendant of a hero.

Bored out of your mind—does someone have too much money to burn?

In ancient Greece, an era before the information explosion and pollution of later generations, the people were relatively simple and had no idea about hype.

Even in modern times, this trick of using the night is incredibly sophisticated and a deceptive tactic that's easy to fall for, let alone the simple-minded ancient Greeks.

Meanwhile, this despicable outsider, claiming to be a descendant of a Greek hero, was still chatting idly with the coachman, recounting stories of his grandfather…

The heroic tale of a man named Kratos Lista.

Huh? You said you've never heard of the legends surrounding this hero's name?

That must mean you're ignorant—

There are quite a few detailed and popular epic legends to support this.

He casually mixed heroic tales from the Nibelungenlied and many other mythological systems to create a brand new legend.

If he wanted to, he could even write a heroic epic of hundreds of thousands of words on the spot.

After telling the story, Ye thoughtfully added that it was normal for the other person not to have heard it before, since his grandfather's adventures were all on many magical islands at sea.

Such as Iceland, where the Valkyrie Brunhilde is trapped, and the lair of a dragon, which holds countless riches.

All of this filled the coachman with awe and excitement, his eyes brimming with reverence.

He said, "I apologize, but it seems I am truly ignorant, sir."

Your grandfather was a truly remarkable hero.

The legends you described are incredibly thrilling, no less so than the stories of any great hero.

He must be a warrior as strong as Lord Hercules!

Night smiled, offering no response—she simply gazed at the other silently.

Until the coachman realized he must have said something wrong, that his question was too presumptuous, and that the look he was being given—that was it—that feeling was right!

It's not that the other party doesn't know how to answer, but rather that they simply don't bother to answer.

Great achievements need no proof; their strength lies in their very existence. Lord Griffith is content to spend his precious time telling him a story about his great grandfather.

This at least satisfied some of my fantasies about heroes and epic adventures; I, in my lowly state, shouldn't ask for more.

At this moment, Ye was not flustered at all, but rather very calm, without any self-awareness of lying.

After all, the stories he told were a hodgepodge of other myths, and they would definitely have prototypes in other universes. Seriously, what's there to be afraid of with stories?

When even the perpetrator himself believes in the existence of such a hero, he has already deceived himself before deceiving others. Your attitude determines how credible others find your words.

If you tell a story in a flustered manner and tell a trivial lie, anyone can see that you are guilty.

But it's also important to maintain a balance—

...The more you say, the more mistakes you make. It's best to stop here and leave the rest to these ordinary people to imagine (the concept of "Yumi").

With such a good topic of conversation, the coachman would inevitably bring it up when he was transporting passengers in the future. As more and more people heard this incomplete story, someone would naturally be unable to resist filling in the gaps and trying to restore its completeness.

After four or five versions are released, no one will be able to tell what's real and what's fake. But due to the inertia of thinking, people will no longer doubt that such a hero actually exists.

They'll only question which version of the Heroic Epic is correct, and argue about it until they're practically bloodied, cough—

It's not that serious, but when it generates heated controversy, then Night's goal will have been achieved.

Just like the Trojan War, which was supposedly started for Helen, but once the war started, who cared about Helen anymore? Whether or not people were saved was no longer important... What mattered was who would win in the end.

As epics spread and evolve, their authenticity becomes less important; people will spontaneously vie for the legitimacy of their own versions.

Who knows, maybe a real Kratos version will emerge in a few years.

Just like the coachman's question was very insightful—Do you think this hero is strong? Is he as strong as Hercules?

Night: ...It's not a matter of whether he's strong or not.

If the name Kratos were to appear in this universe, the Greek gods would be terrified. He is synonymous with Ragnarok, the man who slaughtered Greece, ravaged Norse mythology, and ravaged various pantheons of the Western continent, leaving only a name in mythology...

Just thinking about it is exhilarating and gives me goosebumps. In an era where gods roam everywhere, it's like a game-changer, throwing the apex predator into a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

Soon, the carriage returned to the capital.

Night, as if casually and generously, suggests that if anyone else asks about the adventures of his grandfather that he mentioned earlier, you may tell them without hiding anything.

It wasn't some shameful story that needed to be hidden. It just happened in such a remote place that few people knew about it.

The coachman had no doubts—after all, Greece was so vast, especially with islands everywhere in the sea, and who knew if there was some magical place like Iceland.

Aren't there many magical and terrifying places on the many islands recorded during the Argo's adventure?

The world is so big, it's impossible for them to have seen everything.

Just like how Agamemnon didn't even know the land of Hercules' descendants, and went to the wrong place to fight Troy.

Those magical islands must be hidden deep in the remote Aegean Sea.

Actually, the coachman also wanted to ask about the location of the island where the dragon's lair, which was said to be filled with countless gold treasures, was. Even though he knew he didn't have the ability to snatch the gold and silver treasures from the dragon, human curiosity and desire to explore are boundless.

However, at this time, Ye would not say anything, but would just look at him with a cold, indifferent smile, as if he were looking at a fool.

The coachman would immediately become more restrained and even more respectful, secretly praising the night.

Ugh, I got criticized again!

That look was so cool! Lord Griffith is so classy and sophisticated; he has once again ignored my humble request and hasn't even uttered a word of insult about my greed.

That's right—how could we expose such a dangerous location to the world?

He must have remained silent to protect this wealth from being taken by evil-minded people, and also to prevent those who overestimated themselves from challenging the dragon and losing their lives.

This act of kindness—the coachman: I'm crying my eyes out!!!

P.S.: Happy National Day!

Chapter Fifteen: The Sun God: I watched a marathon all afternoon. The Moon Goddess: ...

The coachman insisted that the hero's name should not be forgotten!

He'll definitely tell Kratos's story to everyone he knows later.

However, his memory wasn't that good. After returning home, he forgot many of the stories he had told the coachman the night before, and could only remember some of the parts that had left a deep impression on him. He had to make up the rest.

But this was just a minor incident—

Ye found a spot to rest near the city gate and waited for the crowd to arrive.

finally--

After a long wait, time ticked by, under the scorching sun—

Not only was the night waiting at the city gate, but also in the heavens—the sun god Apollo and the moon goddess Artemis were watching the developments here with their divine thoughts.

Apollo and Artemis couldn't figure out what he was up to regarding his intriguing actions before nightfall...

But this did not prevent the two deities from being interested in his behavior.

In Greece, where sports are already very popular, the earliest marathon originated.

There is a plain called Marathon in Greece, about 30 kilometers from Athens. The name Marathon in Phoenician means "lots of anise," which is interesting because it sounds like shouting "Come back home, come back home."

The marathon also originated from a story established by the Athenians to commemorate the soldiers who ran home to deliver news of victory in the Greco-Persian Wars.

Not only do humans enjoy holding such events from time to time, but the gods also love watching running races between humans.

Atalanta, a famous princess and follower of the moon goddess Artemis, chose her future husband through a running race.

Olympus also occasionally hosts sporting events that invite outstanding human talents to participate.

And those people running at this moment, aren't they just like they're doing a mini-marathon?

They ran wildly from the slums outside the city, and some of them, seeing themselves falling behind during the long run, chose to give up.

Others grew increasingly tired as they ran, but their spirits became more resolute and focused...

They still had expectations in their hearts, and the closer they got to their destination, the more excited they became, and they didn't feel so tired anymore.

Whether by design or not, the night did allow the gods to witness a glimpse of humanity's indomitable spirit, seeing them still striving despite their exhaustion.

Artemis's gaze softened gradually; she admired the resilience of humankind.

Good performance deserves recognition.

Artemis remembered that Night had sworn an oath to the gods that if Night had deceived them and failed to receive the reward she deserved, she would not hesitate to impose a small punishment.

And finally—

On the horizon, a strong middle-aged man was the first to appear in front of the city gate. He was panting heavily, his body felt incredibly heavy, and he looked like he was about to faint at any moment.

But when he saw that his destination was within reach, the man seemed to have drawn a new strength from somewhere, and he charged towards the city gate in one go.

Just as consciousness was about to fade into unconsciousness, the moment of finally reaching the finish line arrived.

"Congratulations, you're the first one to arrive here."

When the man looked up and saw Ye's handsome figure—was he—the first?!

The shock jolted the man awake.

He remembered that the first person to arrive was the one who could prove himself the strongest and qualify as a hero's follower.

He didn't dare to have too high hopes; he just wanted to get one gold coin as a safety net.

This unexpected joy almost stunned him.

After that, many more people arrived at the city gate. When they saw that Ye was indeed there, they all breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed that the other party had not deceived them and was not deliberately playing tricks on them.

For a moment, everyone stared at Ye with eager eyes, waiting for their money to be handed out.

Ye simply said that the money would be collected after everyone arrived, and that the first man to arrive would be responsible for temporarily settling the people in.

The man's name is Kress...

In ancient Greek, it means to run fast.

Indeed, his name suits him perfectly... It seems his name was chosen well; he does run very fast.

Kreis was not dissatisfied with the Night's orders; on the contrary, he was delighted and quickly adopted the identity of a hero's follower.

If Ye doesn't instruct him to do anything, he'll worry that the other party might be dissatisfied and not intend to take him as a follower.