227 King of Ithaca Nervousness
In the realm of Hades, where the most prized souls of heroes and warriors were kept, including those of Heracles, Leonidas, and Achilles, there was an area with the strongest and most secure security. Hades himself occasionally strolled through this place, finding joy in watching the souls of these honored warriors living their afterlives in captivity, akin to admiring the most precious jewelry.
Among the cells, Odysseus lived out his unlife, a seemingly endless cycle of devising escape plans. He had repeated this process countless times, never losing hope of breaking free, regardless of the numerous failed attempts.
Then, an indescribable power seized his soul, bending the laws of space and time to create a rift into the Unknown. Without hesitation, Odysseus seized this opportunity, preferring the risk of his soul's destruction to a life in captivity under Hades' watchful eye.
Much like Hermes, his soul journeyed through the channels of energy, traversing the core of the world, which resembled roots leading to the vicinity of Daniel's location within the great space near the world's core. Odysseus felt an overwhelming sense of awe and reverence for the unknown mortal who had wielded the power to snatch his soul from Hades' grasp.
Odysseus's soul gathered and the power to reshape reality formed a perfect body for him, restoring him to his prime, the form he had during the war against Olympus.
As Odysseus began to regain control of his body, he looked around and noticed two figures. The first was his benefactor, the one who had helped him escape from Hades' prison. The other figure was none other than Hermes Trismegistus, a god who had aligned himself with humanity during the war against Olympus.
"Greetings, my lord," Odysseus instinctively bowed towards Daniel. Even though he found this behavior somewhat unusual, any such thoughts quickly vanished from his mind. He then turned his attention to Hermes.
"Greetings, Lord Hermes," Odysseus offered a respectful bow to the god.
"Likewise, Odysseus," Hermes replied before turning back to Daniel.
"Excellent choice, my lord. Odysseus possesses a sharp mind and remarkable resourcefulness. I'm certain he will serve you admirably!" Hermes praised Daniel. He then continued, wearing a smile, "May I recommend the next heroes you plan to retrieve from Hades' grasp and resurrect?"
Daniel was taken aback when he heard Hermes' suggestion. He hadn't expected events to unfold in this manner. Had he merely snatched souls from Hades? Did this mean he was provoking the wrath of the lord of the underworld? Would Hades investigate and locate him? Anxiety surged through him, prompting thoughts of heightened preparations to confront the gods themselves.
Despite the inner turmoil, Daniel concealed his concerns and quickly regained his composure to respond to Hermes.
"Of course, Mr. Hermes. Whom do you recommend?" he asked.
"The next one should be Heracles, Atalanta, or even better, Artemis herself. I'm confident that one of these heroes would be of immense help if you intend to challenge Olympus. I'm also willing to provide my utmost assistance," Hermes recommended and offered his services to aid Daniel.
While he found it more satisfying to contemplate Daniel challenging Olympus, as it would provide him a chance for personal revenge, he assured Daniel that he would assist him regardless. He was fully aware that sooner or later, Olympus would come seeking trouble with Daniel.
"We'll see what we can do. Right now, I've used all of my power to resurrect both you and Mr. Odysseus. It will take quite some time before I regain some of my power back," Daniel explained, his gaze shifting towards a counter on the wall displaying a zero, signifying that all of his Merit Points had been depleted.
From the perspectives of both Hermes and Odysseus, they noticed the core of the world, which resembled colossal tree roots, had dimmed and no longer sparkled as it once did. It appeared that the power of their benefactor and lord was directly linked to the core of the world.
"Mr. Hermes, there's a favor I need from you. Could you listen to me?" Daniel addressed Hermes, who was still captivated by the sight of the core of the world.
"Oh? Please, tell me. How may I help you?" Hermes quickly regained his composure and inquired.
Daniel proceeded to explain to Hermes the complexity of his situation and the role he needed Hermes to play as his alchemy teacher, guiding him and helping teach his people about alchemy. Hermes gladly accepted, finding great amusement in sharing his knowledge and observing how humans would use that knowledge to create remarkable things. It was one of his favorite pastimes as an immortal being.
Afterward, Daniel led them out of the summoning room, and they materialized in his office within the Astral Tech Building.
"Please make yourselves at home. Coffee and cocoa are on the shelf, and cola and beer are in the fridge. I'll call my secretary in shortly to help you two with clothing," Daniel offered.
"Oh? In that case, don't bother, Daniel. Give me a sec," Hermes declined Daniel's help and promptly transmuted his attire into a luxurious white suit and pants, typical of modern-day businessmen. He also transformed Odysseus' armor and clothing into contemporary formal attire resembling what an average salaryman would wear.
"See? You don't need to bother," Hermes commented, showcasing his new outfit to Daniel, while Odysseus remained stunned by Hermes' alchemy transmutation abilities.
Daniel smiled and shook his head. "Well, we still need to get you some necessities like soap, shampoo, toothbrush, and more clothes for you to change into. We also need to find you both a good place to stay. Please let me handle it, Teacher," Daniel said as he busied himself with making phone calls to arrange these accommodations.
Daniel then summoned Maria and gave her instructions to go shopping for him and take measurements for both Hermes and Odysseus. Maria had a brief chat with the two men while taking their measurements and noting their preferences. She also ordered custom suits for them from the workshop at the base. After all the arrangements were made, she left to carry out Daniel's instructions.
addressing Daniel.
23:45
"Er… My lord, it seems that nature is calling, and I need to go to the toilet," Odysseus said with a One advantage of owning a city and having complete managerial authority was the ability to grant citizenship to anyone without arousing suspicion. Their identities and IDs would be entirely authentic.
Daniel phoned the city hall to grant city citizenship to both Hermes and Odysseus and sent their pictures to the city hall via email. Then, he made a call to Penthesilea.
"Penthesilea, please come to my office in the Astral Tech building. I have two individuals who will be of great help at the base," Daniel said over the phone.
Upon hearing Penthesilea's name, Odysseus was startled, and cold sweat broke out on his face and back. Unaware to Daniel, he didn't realize that Penthesilea's name made Odysseus nervous as he was still engaged in a call with the Veneziale gang, who were requesting a new shipment of artifacts from him.
While waiting, the tension within Odysseus's heart continued to mount, and he raised his hand, addressing Daniel.
"Er… My lord, it seems that nature is calling, and I need to go to the toilet," Odysseus said with a forced smile, confusing Daniel. He gave Odysseus directions to his personal toilet inside the office.
"Oh, please go ahead. You can use mine. The door is behind that patio," Daniel pointed toward the direction of his personal toilet inside his office.
Odysseus was taken aback, and his nervousness became more apparent. However, as a former king of Ithaca, he was well-versed in the art of politics and acting, allowing him to quickly conceal his unease. Nevertheless, Daniel, ever observant, noticed Odysseus's anxious demeanor and wondered about its cause. Then, an idea struck Daniel.
"Ah, you don't need to worry so much, Mr. Odysseus. If you happen to have a big one and make a mess, I'll just send this little guy to clean it up. Don't worry, no matter how messy it gets, no one will see it! And it will clean up all the mess, good as new!" Daniel cheerfully remarked as an artifact golem in a cleaning bot outfit emerged from a hidden compartment in his office.
Upon seeing this, Hermes struggled to contain his laughter, although his amusement still shone through in his crooked smile.
"Er…," Odysseus began to explain, realizing the misunderstanding. He simply didn't want to meet Penthesilea face to face. Entering the toilet would leave him with no escape route. However, when he attempted to refuse and saw Daniel's cheerful mood, as if he wanted to test the cleaning golem, he could only nod and accept his fate.
"Th… thank you… My lord," Odysseus replied, deciding to embrace his destiny.
After Odysseus had gone into the toilet, more than 25 minutes had passed, and Odysseus still hadn't emerged. This began to worry Daniel. Could Odysseus be having trouble flushing his own significant "bomb"?
Just then, a knock resounded from the door.
"Come in!" Daniel called out. At this time, it should have been Penthesilea arriving.
The door opened, and Penthesilea entered the office, bowing respectfully. "Hello, My Lord."
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