Hephaestus turned the drawing over and over in his hands, noticing that this particular blueprint was utterly unlike the previous twelve. This one even contained notations on precautions and specific data required during its forging—data that would make the manufacturing process significantly smoother. It was clearly not just a drawing, but a detailed schematic.

"It does!" Ye Wen’s hands never paused as he inscribed the weapon's true name above the drawing with a quill: the Esinos Blade!

The armament of a certain controversial figure, though the original Esinos Blades were a pair, a detail Ye Wen omitted, and which the drawing likewise failed to indicate.

"The Esinos Blade..."

Hephaestus squinted at the name, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. "Who is this Esinos?"

Literally, the term 'Esinos' did not seem to carry any particular inherent meaning; thus, it could only be inferred to be a proper name.

According to the customs of their realm, if a weapon was named after a person, it was either because that individual made the weapon famous, or because the name's owner was the inventor and creator of the weapon.

However, Ye Wen genuinely did not know the answer to this. The schematic he obtained from the ring was not detailed enough to include a thorough history of the weapon's origins, so he simply offered a casual deflection. "I don't know either. I acquired this blueprint by chance!"

I wasn't lying, he thought inwardly. I did get it by chance... The blueprint for the Esinos Blade was something he conjured up in a spare moment, ensuring Athena and Hephaestus didn't notice. He then retired to a secluded spot to memorize the contents before sketching out this most streamlined version along with the necessary specifications.

This weapon is what he intends to offer as compensation to Artemis. The fact that the Moon Goddess generally prefers bows and javelins is not his concern.

In fact, upon obtaining the design, Ye Wen's first instinct was to forge a pair of Esinos Blades and present them to Huang Rongrong.

Huang Rongrong’s Blood-Void Dual Slashes were clearly ill-suited for this new world, and the Shu Mountain sect possessed no suitable magical artifacts or weapons for her use. Hence, forging a new pair of weapons was almost inevitable. He had previously considered crafting a pair of Zanpakutō for her, but upon summoning this design, he recalled that suitable weaponry was not limited to that single option.

Yet, the sheer size of the Esinos Blade—it would barely be shorter than Huang Rongrong when stood upright—made him feel an odd sense of awkwardness at the thought of the young girl wielding such massive implements. After all, the finished weapons would not automatically adjust their size to the user, as they might in a game.

Hephaestus, unaware of Ye Wen's meandering thoughts, was already able to spot the inherent flaws in the blueprint immediately, being the most skilled craftsman on Mount Olympus.

"Hmm... this design is not entirely perfect. If certain specialized materials were incorporated, it might yield even superior results, crafting a truly flawless weapon!"

Ye Wen remained silent. He had provided a simplified version; whatever blade Hephaestus crafted based on it was no longer his responsibility.

Of course, if Hephaestus managed to evolve the Esinos Blade into something demonstrably more powerful, Ye Wen would certainly seek him out for consultation—to see if there were any techniques he could covertly learn.

The God of the Forge settled down to study the schematics for the twelve Golden Cloths alongside the Esinos Blade. Athena and Ye Wen sat opposite each other, saying nothing.

They sat in silence, as if facing only empty air.

Finally, Athena broke the quiet. When it came to sheer patience, perhaps only the Buddhas of the Immortal Realm could rival the Eastern cultivators.

"It seems you had a rather enjoyable evening yesterday!" Athena's gaze held a hint of curiosity. "And when I saw Artemis this morning, she no longer carried the dissatisfaction she displayed yesterday."

Ye Wen offered no reply, maintaining an air of profound inscrutability.

"It seems you are far more robust than you appear..."

This air of profoundness was instantly shattered by a single sentence from Athena. Ye Wen nearly choked on his own saliva. He was utterly speechless before this formidable Goddess of Wisdom. "I... I didn't actually do anything..."

"A beautiful goddess stays a night in a room with a man, filled with anger and dissatisfaction, only to appear before everyone the next morning with a smile. If someone told you right now that absolutely nothing happened, would you believe them?" Ye Wen countered, "I would!"

"..." Athena was momentarily dumbfounded. She had underestimated Ye Wen's sheer audacity, especially now that she realized this Easterner could rival Zeus himself when it came to stubborn sophistry.

"Fine... let's just assume nothing happened then!"

Not dwelling on that topic, Athena, as the Goddess of Wisdom, knew exactly when to advance a discussion and when to curb her curiosity.

"Let us continue discussing the establishment of the Sanctuary!"

"Is there still anything left to discuss?" Ye Wen was desperate to move past these minor details. He urgently wished for Athena to descend the mountain, find a location, and begin constructing the Sanctuary immediately so she could depart. "What reason will you use to establish it?"

"That's strange. Aren't you people excellent at such matters? You can conjure up any pretext to have the ignorant mortals engage in massive construction projects for temples. This is only slightly larger... with a few more buildings!"

Athena did indeed have a plausible scenario ready. Her questioning Ye Wen was merely a way to test this Easterner, to see if he had already arranged everything.

After all, while the Goddess of Wisdom opposed endless wars against the East, she was still one of the principal deities of Olympus. Ye Wen, fundamentally, remained their adversary. If she didn't harbor a degree of suspicion towards his proposals, she wouldn't trust herself.

Though she faintly guessed that Ye Wen's presence on Olympus and his persistent suggestions were aimed at preventing Olympus from launching further attacks on the East, she still needed to proceed with caution, ensuring Ye Wen wasn't hiding some other objective within his plan.

All her previous tests, including her own teasing, were partially motivated by this desire to gauge whether Ye Wen held an entirely hostile stance toward Olympus or if he genuinely sought peaceful coexistence with the Olympian gods.

Based on the current available intelligence, Ye Wen did not seem overtly malicious. His actions appeared strictly focused on preventing Olympus from continuing hostilities against the East.

Although he had not outright accepted marriage to the Moon Goddess, Athena could sense that Ye Wen was not entirely repulsed by the goddesses of Olympus, nor did he seem to harbor any ulterior motives.

If Ye Wen had agreed immediately, Athena would have suspected him of pursuing some sinister aim—perhaps using marriage to pacify the Olympians into complacency.

Conversely, if Ye Wen had flatly refused or explicitly drawn a line between himself and Artemis, Athena would have suspected he was still harboring deep resentment toward the Olympians, simply lacking the depth of cunning to mask it well.

Only his current ambiguity allowed Athena to slightly lower her guard. Ye Wen’s reaction suggested either a complete lack of ill intent or a terrifyingly profound level of political skill and acting ability. If it were the latter, Athena admitted she would have no recourse but to react to whatever move he made.

For now, however, Athena leaned toward believing Ye Wen was genuinely without malice, and thus she decided to cease her teasing. Still, the past two days of jesting had greatly amused the sharp-witted goddess, and having had her fun, Athena chose the opportune moment to stop.

Athena offered a gentle smile. "I do have an idea forming, but I would still value your perspective! After all, you designed the framework of this game; perhaps you have even better suggestions!"

Following this, Athena briefly laid out her concept. Ye Wen listened quietly without interruption, only beginning to process the information after she finished speaking.

Athena’s plan was, in essence, unremarkable: they would descend to the mortal realm to display a divine miracle, proclaim that a terrible calamity was about to befall the Earth, and the method to withstand this doom would be the construction of the Sanctuary to honor Athena. Simultaneously, the finest individuals would be selected from humanity and trained to become powerful warriors serving the Goddess—the God Warriors of the Goddess.

These warriors, raised from mankind, would then defend the Earth and their compatriots. In essence, this would grant humanity the opportunity to defend everything they possessed using only their own strength.

Such a temptation would be utterly irresistible to mortals who had lived entirely under the dominion of the gods.

"You Olympians truly understand your subjects well enough," Ye Wen murmured.

Humanity, living under the shadow of divine majesty, must have dreamed of such an age. Athena was undeniably exploiting this desire, offering them an infinitely beautiful aspiration to draw them into this game orchestrated by the gods.

For some inexplicable reason, Ye Wen was suddenly reminded of that classic line: "Poor mortals, you are nothing more than pawns in my hands. No matter how you struggle, you cannot escape my control!"

Or perhaps: "An invisible hand steers everything!"

At such a moment, someone immensely powerful should stand there and shout: "My fate is mine to control, not heaven's!" "Only I can decide my destiny!"

Unfortunately, Ye Wen currently stood aligned with the gods; indeed, he was the designer of this divine game. Viewed from another perspective, Ye Wen was the true hidden mastermind, the ultimate Big Boss, the Demon King who should rightfully be overthrown.

Have I been operating with the Boss Template all along?

Reflecting on his past adventures, Ye Wen realized his earlier fortuitous encounters merely paved the way for him to become the ultimate antagonist. Only now did he fully grasp that his true identity was that of the Great BOSS... burdened with the duty of opposing countless protagonists, heroes, and transmigrators.

At this instant, the gears of destiny began to grind into motion... Ksh-ksha!

"Pah!" He shook his head, driving away the increasingly chaotic thoughts. Ye Wen had no desire to inexplicably become a grand villain; waiting around to be defeated was hardly an appealing prospect.

After a brief exchange with Athena, he left the palace where he was staying. Athena immediately descended Mount Olympus to perform her miracles and manipulate those poor wretches into building her Sanctuary.

The God of the Forge, Hephaestus, departed Olympus, clutching the pile of schematics he had drawn. His workshop was not located here, but rumored to be within a nearby volcano—a place of such intense heat that no human could approach, and only a few demigods from Olympus dared to enter.

That volcano was nameless, as only Hephaestus frequented it, and he had constructed a massive furnace there. Consequently, many gods simply referred to Hephaestus's workplace as the Great Forge.

Upon hearing this name, Ye Wen blurted out, "It would be better if it were called the Heart of Fire!"

Hephaestus, hearing the unexpected comment, turned back and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing much. I just thought that name sounded better!"

But Hephaestus was already gone, muttering to himself, "Heart of Fire, Heart of Fire, Heart of Fire..." before mounting his completely black, aesthetically unappealing chariot and soaring away.

Watching the God of the Forge depart in such a daze, Ye Wen awkwardly scratched his cheek. "I think I accidentally plagiarized something again. Oh well, it's just a place name; it doesn't matter."

Just as he was about to return to his musings, an attendant arrived to inform him that His Majesty the King of the Gods wished to summon him. Thus, Ye Wen wandered off, lost in thought, until he reached Zeus’s Hall of the Gods. Zeus did not reside in this palace, but any summoning, banquet, or private meeting took place here.

Looking up at the ridiculously enormous palace and the entrance towering impossibly high above him, Ye Wen realized this was his third time visiting.

The first two times, he had merely lingered at the entrance without truly stepping inside this magnificent structure. This time, he was finally allowed entry.

Yet, he felt no excitement, only intense curiosity toward this temple symbolizing the supreme authority on Mount Olympus. He wondered if the interior was excessively gaudy or as solemn and austere as it appeared from the outside.

After walking for a while, passing through a long hall lined with towering stone columns, Ye Wen finally learned the answer when the attendant pushed open the colossal doors before him.

It was an exceedingly simple palace, nearly devoid of ornamentation. Even the walls and columns bore no superfluous carvings.

The entire hall was almost empty, save for a single stone chair symbolizing the King of the Gods' status. Sitting upon it, naturally, was Zeus, King of Olympus.

Furthermore, the hall contained no one else; even Hades, who had been conferring with Zeus on the matter of the Holy War game for the past few days, was absent.

Zeus seemed to perceive Ye Wen's silent query and laughed heartily. "Hades has returned to the Underworld to prepare for the Holy War. After all, he must make arrangements, including constructing palaces for his Underworld Warriors to reside in!"

"Oh."

Ye Wen merely acknowledged this and approached the short flight of steps—which nonetheless symbolized a distinction in status—and halted. He understood that while the King of the Gods appeared easygoing and affable, as if unconcerned by trifles, he was obsessively protective of his royal status.

Such a person, frankly, possessed a profound desire for power; he tolerated no encroachment upon his authority and placed great emphasis on the differences between hierarchical ranks.

Therefore, even Hades, his own brother, would perform the necessary deference upon seeing Zeus, addressing him as, "Your Majesty, King of the Gods!"

Ye Wen was not an Olympian, so he was not required to be so subservient, but showing appropriate respect was advantageous.

His perfectly timed halt was clearly noted by Zeus, who seemed to be watching him intentionally or unintentionally. The King of the Gods felt respected, allowing the subsequent conversation to proceed with a touch more ease.

"What are your thoughts on the game, now?"

In truth, the topics Zeus could discuss thoroughly with Ye Wen were limited. The matter currently occupying his deepest interest was, naturally, the Holy War.

"If everything proceeds as planned, this will be a heroic and moving Holy War! In this conflict, countless heroes worthy of eternal remembrance will emerge..."

"Oh?" Zeus had a general idea of the Holy War's structure, but he remained ignorant of the specific developments. He hadn't asked, recognizing that the unknown held the true allure.

Ye Wen understood this, yet some details could be revealed preemptively. "In this war, Goddess Athena's faction will be at a disadvantage. To defend the Earth, the God Warriors under the Goddess must exert tremendous effort... through sacrifice!"

Zeus's expression grew more animated; such conflict seemed to align perfectly with his desires! From his expression alone, Ye Wen knew Zeus had already chosen his side.

Without a doubt, Zeus, who relished epic warfare, had chosen Athena's camp!

Little did he know that to ensure Zeus was satisfied with the ensuing conflict, Ye Wen had arranged several brutally tragic scenarios. "Hmm, perhaps the Three Hundred Warriors could be modified into the Three Heroes? That might be even more impactful?"

For more novels, visit storyread.net.