It was unexpected for Poseidon that Ye Wen could not be easily killed. Furthermore, it now seemed that even if Ye Wen's strength fell short of his own, a life-or-death struggle might not guarantee Poseidon's safe retreat.

Under these circumstances, seizing Artemis and dragging her back to the seabed was an impossible feat. As someone who had held a high position for many years, the Sea Emperor Poseidon's judgment among the Olympian gods was indeed outstanding, and in the span of these fleeting moments, he grasped the current situation completely.

“Damn it, such a rare opportunity, ruined by this Easterner!” With a resentful glare at Ye Wen, Poseidon turned sharply and strode toward the deep sea. With every step he took, his body sank slightly further into the water. After about a dozen steps, he had completely vanished beneath the surface.

“He left?” Ye Wen was also somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the Sea Emperor to be so decisive and swift; seeing no hope, he immediately retreated without wasting any effort. This straightforwardness indeed startled him.

Gazing at the now-calm sea, Ye Wen turned his attention to Artemis, who stood not far behind him. He noticed the Moon Goddess also wore an expression of surprise. Perhaps she, too, hadn't expected the Sea Emperor, usually quite fixated on beauty, to give up so readily today.

Artemis certainly didn't attribute it to a lack of her own charm. The only explanation was that Ye Wen’s strength had reached a level that even the Sea Emperor hesitated before. After testing a few moves, Poseidon was clearly unwilling to engage in a fatal deadlock with the Eastern man, thus being forced to depart.

Yet, this realization was somewhat difficult for her to accept. Standing there, she couldn't help but scrutinize Ye Wen again. It was hard to reconcile such a seemingly slender man with a powerhouse potentially comparable to the Sea Emperor.

Ye Wen stood bare-chested, clad only in trousers with the cuffs rolled high—his appearance was hardly flattering. Compared to the excessively muscled figures on Mount Olympus, Ye Wen’s frame truly didn’t measure up. In the eyes of a goddess like Artemis, accustomed to robust physiques, he did indeed appear somewhat slight.

Taking a few steps across the water, sending up a spray of droplets, Ye Wen returned to the beach. He glanced at Yuwentuo, who was panting heavily, and the Qilin, whose vigilance had finally lowered. Finally, he addressed Artemis, saying, “This ocean is ultimately not a safe place. Who knows if the Sea Emperor will resort to further tricks? Since we have found the Stardust Sand, let’s not delay any longer. We should go!” Artemis agreed that this was indeed the case, so she offered no objection. She turned, boarded her chariot, nodded to Ye Wen, and shot off toward the heavens first.

Ye Wen didn't even have time to adjust his appearance. He went to Yuwentuo and the Qilin and said, “Let’s go too!” He then burst forth with sword light, enveloping the man and the beast within it, following closely behind Artemis as they ascended into the clouds.

Little did he know that as the two of them departed, several pairs of eyes watched from beneath the sea—among them, those of the Sea Emperor Poseidon, and some of the subordinates of his son, Triton.

Seeing Artemis leave immediately, Poseidon sighed with regret and headed back into the deep sea. As for his disappointing son? He couldn't be bothered to care. Besides, he knew exactly how capable his son was. Now that Artemis had left the Aegean Sea, even if his son stirred up trouble, he likely wouldn't cause much of a ripple. Poseidon decided to let him be.

Triton, just as his father had predicted, felt considerable disappointment when Artemis departed. But deep down, he lacked the audacity to leave the Aegean Sea to harass the Moon Goddess. His own strength was not formidable. In these waters, he dared to rely on his royal status to command some sea monsters and his father’s troops, or to use unique artifacts of the sea realm for ambushes.

But to leave these things behind and face Artemis head-on based on his own power? He wouldn't dare even if given ten times his courage. Moreover, Artemis had a man by her side who made even his father slightly apprehensive.

“That damned Easterner!” Thinking it over, he realized he’d had a real chance to claim the beautiful Moon Goddess, but that Easterner had ruined it. In truth, Ye Wen was the greatest obstacle to his plan; he was his true enemy.

“Hmph, don't let me see you on the sea again!” Triton surfaced, revealing his seaweed-like head. He watched the two distant streaks of light fading away and muttered resentfully before plunging back into the water.

However, his anger was hard to quell, and his mind continually schemed about how to teach that fellow a lesson.

Ye Wen was unaware of all this. He and Artemis employed their respective skills, flying at incredible speed toward Mount Olympus, returning to the mountain's vicinity in a very short time.

Once they reached this area, there was no longer any need to worry about Poseidon reappearing, so they both instinctively slowed their pace. Artemis stood on her chariot and turned to Ye Wen beside her: “Should we go to the Great Forge, or back to Mount Olympus?” Although Hephaestus had renamed his domain the Heart of the Furnace, they were still accustomed to the older name, the Great Forge, and it was unknown how long it would take to break that habit.

Ye Wen didn't deliberate long and replied directly, “Let’s just go straight back to Mount Olympus!” This choice wasn't without reason. He and Artemis had been gone for half a month, enough time for Hephaestus to complete some work, now waiting for them to return with the Lischen Sand to finalize the final steps.

Thus, staying at the Heart of the Furnace served no immediate purpose for him. It was likely better to return to Olympus to await their return or to gather news here—the Olympians’ ability to spread gossip was not weak, and staying on the mountain would allow him to learn what had transpired in the Aegean Sea.

Indeed, as soon as the two landed on Mount Olympus, the first to greet them was Hephaestus, the God of Fire and Craftsmanship. The ugliest man on Olympus disregarded his lameness, rushing forward in a few strides to stand before Ye Wen. Before Ye Wen and Artemis had even fully stabilized themselves, he pressed: “How much did you find?” He didn't ask if they found it; he directly asked how much, indicating he believed the Stardust Sand was easy to locate and impossible to miss.

Ye Wen naturally picked up on this implication and couldn't help but ask curiously, “How did you know we would definitely find it? When we left, we forgot to ask the location of the Star Island. If not for a few coincidences, we might have missed it entirely!”

Hephaestus blinked his small eyes, stunned for a moment before recovering, “How could you not find it? That Stardust Sand is practically scattered everywhere in the Aegean Sea!”

“What?” Although Ye Wen had suspected this possibility, he hadn't expected it to be the truth!

Seeing Ye Wen’s reaction, he glanced back at Artemis and found her equally perplexed. The God of Craftsmanship finally understood that the two were not joking; they genuinely did not know the meaning of Star Island.

As he walked with them toward his palace on Mount Olympus, he spent the time briefing them on the lore of Star Island.

“In reality, Star Island is not one specific island, but refers to all the islands scattered across the Aegean Sea like fallen stars!”

Ye Wen covered his face. He understood now; he and Artemis had truly spent half a month wandering the sea like fools. The Stardust Sand had been right under their noses all along, they just lacked the discerning eye to see it.

Hephaestus, however, failed to notice their increasingly grim expressions and continued his explanation: “Among these islands, any island possessing a stretch of beach is generally referred to as a Star Island. This is because these sands have endured countless years of exposure to sunlight and starlight, causing some degree of transformation…”

“Of course, if it were only this, Stardust Sand would not have appeared. Another major factor is the unique situation of the Aegean Sea! The Sea Emperor’s divine power blankets the entire sea, granting this region peculiar qualities.”

“Those sands exposed above the water, though absorbing much energy from the sun and stars, cannot retain this energy long-term. Therefore, the energy in this portion of sand constantly cycles between strengthening and dissipating. While it can be considered Stardust Sand, it lacks stability.”

“However, those sands surrounding islands that are submerged in the sea are different. Due to the special effect of the seawater infused with divine power, the starlight energy absorbed by the sand does not dissipate. Over many years, this solidifies into true, superior quality Stardust Sand. This is the source of the Stardust Sand…”

To put it plainly, the sand absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, and due to the unique environment, this essence does not dissipate, refining over the years to become this special celestial treasure.

In other words, any island in the Aegean Sea with a beach meant that the submerged area surrounding that island was paved with countless amounts of Stardust Sand. The two had absolutely no need to spend half a month scouring the sea for it.

Artemis’s face flushed crimson. She likely realized that she had almost been captured and dragged to the seabed by that despicable prince of the sea realm due to a simple lack of common knowledge. Thinking about it made her deeply unhappy, so for a while after, she offered Hephaestus no pleasantries, much to the god’s confusion.

“What’s wrong with me? What did I do wrong?”

Ye Wen was also in a foul mood. Although this serendipity had resulted in him gaining another disciple of exceptional potential, the sense of suffocation remained. Therefore, once they reached the Fire God’s palace, aside from necessary exchanges, he kept his conversations with Hephaestus brief.

The Fire God’s palace was vast, and one of its wings served as Hephaestus’s workshop on Mount Olympus, where he could create items or bring semi-finished products from the Great Forge for final, meticulous processing.

Compared to the wretched environment of the Great Forge, this place was undoubtedly more comfortable. Unless absolutely necessary, Hephaestus himself wouldn't seek the torment of entering that volcano. Thus, he had brought the twelve sets of Gold Cloths and the weapons prepared for Artemis here for the final crafting.

The series of works, already taking form and resembling finished products, were laid out before the group. As Ye Wen focused his gaze on these exquisite artifacts, which could be called works of art, he noticed a familiar figure standing nearby—Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and War, who was soon to be the true owner of these Cloths.

“You’re back?” Athena seemed to have been specifically waiting. Upon seeing Ye Wen, she displayed a brilliantly radiant smile, though her gaze intentionally drifted toward the Moon Goddess, particularly focusing on the pale yellow, off-the-shoulder long dress she wore (Ye Wen had found another suitable one for her) and the high-heeled shoes that accentuated her height.

The Goddess of War, though possessing a fine figure, was not particularly tall, especially standing next to the high-heeled Artemis, which made her own stature appear diminutive. Consequently, Athena kept glancing in that direction, and seizing an opportunity, she asked Ye Wen, “I heard you gave Artemis these peculiar shoes?”

Ye Wen was observing Hephaestus performing the final step: using his divine power to integrate the Stardust Sand into the already formed Cloths and weapons through a special process. (In reality, if they had possessed the Stardust Sand earlier, this step could have been completed during forging, but he preferred not to destroy the existing Cloths for recasting, opting for the more troublesome alternative.)

“Yes, why?”

Turning only slightly, he saw the expectant expression on the Goddess of Wisdom and War. Ye Wen subtly shifted his stance, creating distance from Athena, and replied, “I have plenty more. I’ll let you pick some to take later!” Athena nodded with a smile and said nothing more, merely continuing to eye Artemis and Ye Wen, gazing so intently that Artemis’s face grew displeased. She addressed Athena, a fellow chief Olympian goddess, “What are you looking at? I can tell by your expression you’re plotting something again!”

Publicly, Athena was known as the Goddess of Wisdom, but on Mount Olympus, her reputation was far from pristine. Being petty, fond of scheming and trickery, and constantly calculating against others—these were the common assessments from many gods. Athena had heard more or less of these remarks, and once she learned who was speaking ill of her in secret, that person was in for trouble.

Artemis was also aware of Athena’s nature and usually tried to avoid contact. But this didn't mean she was immune. Athena genuinely disliked the Moon Goddess and would use minor tricks to annoy her.

The most recent instance was throwing Ye Wen in front of a bathing Artemis and then tricking Zeus into marrying Artemis to Ye Wen.

However, it seemed the Moon Goddess was not reacting with great intensity now. Had their excursion resulted in a sudden leap forward in their relationship?

From a strategic perspective, this was good news. If Ye Wen truly developed a deeper bond with Artemis, Mount Olympus could secure this interesting Easterner here permanently.

But from a personal standpoint, Athena was less pleased. She had hoped to see the Moon Goddess stew in frustration a bit longer, but now she seemed to have quickly returned to normal, apparently accepting the situation?

“When did this woman’s personality change? Shouldn't she rather die than accept something like this?” Out of curiosity, she stared for a long time before gradually shifting her gaze to Yuwentuo, who was standing quietly in a corner, looking around with curiosity.

“An interesting youth!”

Sensing the hidden divine power within Yuwentuo, as well as his unusual pupils, Athena turned to Ye Wen and asked, “What is the story with this boy?” “He is my newly accepted disciple… Furthermore, he has the potential to become the first Gold Saint under your command in this Holy War!” While Athena might not care about peripheral matters, the mention of the Holy War immediately captivated her interest infinitely.

She turned and surveyed the twelve sets of Gold Cloths one by one, then studied Yuwentuo. She noted that while the youth possessed the slenderness typical of Easterners, his build was generally upright. He should possess considerable presence once clad in a Gold Cloth.

“Which one?” Ye Wen and Hephaestus had fully explained the names and general characteristics of the twelve Gold Cloths to Athena, so she knew each set possessed unique abilities, even capable of passing down the Cloth’s signature techniques through generations.

Ye Wen walked up to a set of Gold Cloths. He gently tapped the Libra Cloth, which Hephaestus had just finished hammering. He had specifically asked Hephaestus to complete this one first. Watching the Gold Cloth gradually emit a brilliant, sun-like golden haze, Ye Wen declared, “This one!”

“Libra?”

The Libra Cloth is the only Gold Cloth, apart from Sagittarius, that is equipped with weapons—and numerous ones at that. Its significance is that the Saint of Libra is the sole arbiter, other than the Goddess herself, who has the authority to judge whether other Saints are permitted to use weapons. Furthermore, the Libra Saint holds judicial power, responsible for judging whether someone in the Sanctuary has committed a crime. Therefore, the selection for this position must be extremely cautious, as Libra represents the special existence of fairness and impartiality among the Saints.

Now that Ye Wen was placing the Libra Cloth into the hands of someone affiliated with him, Athena made no comment. In the Goddess's eyes, assigning such a crucial position to an ordinary human was less preferable than giving it to Ye Wen’s disciple, who was akin to one of her own. At least in Athena's view, the disciple of an Eastern immortal was equivalent to an immortal, an existence on par with the gods themselves.

And those mortals? Who cared about them?