"You mean... the world we're in right now isn't the supposed world of the Saints?" Mino felt her brain struggling to keep pace with how quickly things were developing.

Up until today, she had absolutely believed she had arrived in the world of the Saints, merely arriving a bit early, becoming one of the first Specters and participating in the first Holy War ever recorded!

But she didn't care; in fact, she was quite thrilled, especially upon learning that as a Specter, she would be practically immortal, which meant she would participate in countless subsequent Holy Wars until she finally got to see the characters she so admired... Of course, she had firmly resolved never to let that final outcome occur.

Yet, just as she established this grand ambition, an absurdly powerful Gold Saint had beaten her to a pulp, telling her: "The world you are in is not as simple as you think!"

"If this isn't the world of the Saints, then what's the deal with all these Cloths and that Sanctuary?" While her general knowledge wasn't vast, she understood that the Saint concept was absolutely impossible in Greek mythology: "Could it be..." she asked, sounding embarrassed as these were all his creations, "that there are other members of the 'Wearing Clan' here?" Ye Wen shifted slightly: "None of that matters too much. Simply put, the Olympian Gods were too bored, so I played a game with them! Yes... this Holy War is... 'A game...'?"

Mino felt like a colossal fool. The grand undertaking she had made her life's aspiration and worked towards was, in this person's eyes, merely a game for entertainment and passing the time. The contrast was too stark.

At the same time, she noticed a very telling phrase in Ye Wen's words: 'I played a game with them.' "You... are quite familiar with the Olympian Gods?" This seemed almost certain. If Ye Wen wasn't familiar with those gods, he probably wouldn't know so many inside details, especially since his current status seemed to be merely that of a Gold Saint!

A Gold Saint, despite being highly touted within the Sanctuary, was essentially just 'high-level cannon fodder,' nothing more! As pawns in this game, the Olympians wouldn't divulge these matters to mere fodder. Therefore, she could deduce that this Taurus was, in fact, a hidden overseer among the pieces—a military supervisor, so to speak.

Mino wasn't stupid; she was rather sharp. Once she figured all this out, her vision went black, and she instantly lost her direction. She felt trapped in utter bewilderment: "How could this be...?"

"...?" Ye Wen shrugged. "Now that I've explained things, I will personally go negotiate with Hades to pull you out of this Holy War!"

"No way!" Unexpectedly, Mino’s reaction was intensely vehement. She had been lying on the ground, looking close to death, but upon hearing Ye Wen's words, she sprang back to life: "If that happens, I’ll have to go back to that terrible place... to slumber forever. That’s just too frightening!" It turned out Mino feared that if she couldn't continue in the Holy War, Hades would throw her straight back into the deepest parts of the Underworld to sleep eternally. Having been reincarnated once (even if the destination wasn't what she anticipated), who would willingly choose to sleep away in the Underworld?

Ye Wen realized the girl did have something she feared and revealed what he thought was a kindly smile: "Oh, I see! If you don't want to sleep indefinitely, you had better behave and not do anything strange! While I'm not close friends with Hades, I can still exchange a few words with him."

"Hmph... Despicable!" Sensing she was being threatened, Mino found she had absolutely no room to refuse, which only made her more exasperated. She could only nod gloomily. After all, survival was paramount. If life itself was gone, everything else was over!

She could always console herself with the saying from her old world's civilization: "As long as the green hills remain, there's no shortage of wood to burn."

Seeing that Mino had reluctantly nodded after all, Ye Wen smiled, put his helmet back on, and beckoned to Mino, who was still sprawled on the ground, refusing to rise: "Let's go back. We have to hurry back to the Sanctuary first thing tomorrow morning!" Without waiting to see if Mino followed, he walked directly back to where they had been resting, closing his eyes to rest against the large tree under the slightly confused gazes of Ekaterina and Nice.

He didn't speak another word until the next morning, even when Mino dawdled for a long time before finally reappearing before the group.

He could easily guess that the long time she took was spent entirely contemplating the veracity of Ye Wen’s statements—not how much truth there was to his account of the world, but rather Ye Wen’s identity and whether he truly was intimately acquainted with the Olympians.

After much deliberation, Mino concluded that the possibility was quite high, so she abandoned the incredibly tempting idea of escape. She obediently returned to the group, sat down with a miserable expression, and quietly waited for the sun to rise... Ten minutes later, she collapsed onto the ground and promptly fell into a deep, unrestrained sleep.

For the next few days, nothing particularly eventful happened with the four-person squad. They traveled during the day and rested wherever they could at night, finally arriving back at the Sanctuary after seven days.

When the Sanctuary guards saw a Saint returning clad in a Cloth, they immediately bowed respectfully. However, Ye Wen's towering physique and his absence from the Sanctuary for nearly ten years meant his appearance was somewhat forgotten. Many people stared at the golden Cloth adorned with many sharp angles and wondered, "Which Lord is this?"

Fortunately, Gold Cloths are never counterfeited, so no one dared stop them, especially with the Sagittarius standing by, which implied that this rarely-seen Gold Saint must also be legitimate.

Soon, almost everyone in the Sanctuary knew who that tall Gold Saint was: the man hailed as the strongest among the Gold Saints, the divine messenger personally appointed by Goddess Athena—the Taurus Gold Saint, who had left the Sanctuary nearly ten years ago, had returned!

The official explanation within the Sanctuary was: "Because the Holy War is about to break out, Lord Taurus has cut short his external mission and returned to the Sanctuary to prepare for this Holy War!"

But in reality, only a select few knew that Ye Wen’s return was entirely because of Ekaterina, and this select group didn't even include the Pope standing on the dais at that moment.

"Taurus, your timely return to the Sanctuary proves your loyalty to Goddess Athena. I am deeply gratified..." After a long, rambling speech, Ye Wen, standing below, was nearly nodding off. However, he had to play the part. Thankfully, his status as a divine messenger meant he didn't have to kneel before these two individuals. If this idiotic Pope had the nerve to order him to kneel, Ye Wen wouldn't mind showing him precisely why roses are red!

Glancing past the still-chattering Pope, Ye Wen now somewhat understood why Athena had chosen this man as Pope. This fellow was more verbose than Shen Gongbao, speaking for no less than an hour straight—a true hallmark of leadership.

At the same time, Ye Wen could sense that this Pope was stronger than many Gold Saints. This meant that at this crucial moment of the Holy War, the Pope could personally step onto the battlefield, paving the way for the next Pope, who would certainly be selected from the surviving Gold Saints.

His gaze swept past the Pope to the little girl standing behind him, possessing long purple hair, leaning on a massive staff, dressed in nothing but a simple, pure white gown devoid of ornamentation. She was smiling at him while secretly winking.

"This woman... she must be almost fully awakened by now."

After enduring over half an hour of verbal bombardment, Athena finally spoke: "Let me speak with Taurus alone. I have matters to discuss with him!"

"Yes, Your Highness the Goddess!" The Pope was exceedingly deferential to Athena; he would obey almost anything she commanded without question or discount. Though he hadn't finished his speech, since the Goddess had commanded it, he could only comply obediently.

Watching the Taurus Gold Saint depart with Athena into the rear Goddess Hall, the Pope refocused his attention on the others. The Sagittarius Gold Saint, though still bearing wounds, knelt respectfully, which greatly satisfied the Pope. After Athena and Taurus’s figures vanished, the Pope’s nearly endless monologue resumed within the hall.

"What a madman!" Ye Wen muttered under his breath, though the sound was fading, he could still hear it. Regardless of Athena’s expression, he strode directly to the steps and sat down.

The furnishings in the Goddess Hall were strikingly minimal, perhaps to emphasize the Goddess's supreme status. The entire hall contained only a single stone bed, elevated high up, and no other furnishings whatsoever.

In front of the stone bed were several steps, making this bed not only the resting place for the Goddess but also the location where she received the Saints.

Of course, usually, a curtain resembling a backdrop would be drawn to conceal the stone bed behind it.

Ye Wen now sat on those steps, watching Athena—whom he no longer called Elisabeth, as she was now practically Athena herself.

"You seem quite dissatisfied with my summoning you back?" Athena, though still possessing a childlike appearance and lacking the mature feminine charm of her main body, wore a mischievous smirk identical to her true form on Mount Olympus.

This was one of the aspects Ye Wen particularly disliked: "Of course, it's something that has nothing to do with me, yet you insist on dragging me into it!"

"Did I?" Athena tapped her chin with her finger, feigning innocence. "I merely informed you about the movements of my... sister. I don't recall saying anything else, do I? On the other hand, the moment you heard my sister might encounter trouble, you rushed back immediately, claiming you have no feelings for her?" She deliberately emphasized the word sister: "Moreover, seeing how anxious you were, you must know her true identity. Aren't you curious?"

"Curious about what?"

"Why is it that even though my memory has fully awakened, and even my reincarnated body can emit a portion of divine power, she has still never awakened her true memories, nor can she freely use the divine power she should possess?"

Before Athena mentioned it, Ye Wen hadn't considered this at all. He wasn't well-versed in the reincarnation of the Olympians, and since Pegasus Nice hadn't awakened his Zeus identity either, he never suspected anything odd about it. Now that Athena brought it up, he realized there was something fishy going on?

"What does this mean?" Ye Wen couldn't remain seated either. Ever since he started planning this Holy War, Athena seemed to be scheming constantly to bring him and Artemis together. Now, she had even deliberately set up a situation where he raised the reincarnated Artemis—albeit for only five years, it was a crucial period.

Furthermore, Artemis hadn't awakened her memories then, so she naturally grew close to Ye Wen. Once those memories merged with her main body, the resultant effect was unpredictable...

Regardless, this experience had already impacted Ye Wen. It was nearly impossible for him to not care about Ekaterina at all.

Athena seemed quite pleased with the outcome of her scheme, teasing Ye Wen in high spirits: "I didn't expect this! I always wondered why the Moon Goddess, with such dazzling beauty, couldn't attract you—turns out you prefer girls this young age..." She turned slightly, her long skirt billowing gently with the movement. "So, does my current appearance also stir your heart?"

"You're a lolicon! Your whole family is lolicon!" The enraged Ye Wen actually displayed some of the Taurus's imposing aura; at this moment, he was no different from an angry bull.

"Oh dear, getting angry!" Athena smiled, then abruptly changed the subject, her thought process shifting so quickly it stunned Ye Wen for a moment: "Since you want to know, I'll just tell you directly!"

"What?" Fortunately, Athena soon revealed the answer: "I need you to help me deal with someone. And right now, the only way to make him harbor sufficient hatred for you is to have you become involved with Artemis!"

Ye Wen frowned, his mind racing, and in an instant, he knew who Athena wanted him to confront: "The Sun God, Apollo?"

"Yes!" Athena admitted frankly, without any hedging. Ye Wen was even surprised by Athena's sudden straightforwardness, wondering if this was yet another conspiracy?

But the reason Athena gave afterward was something Ye Wen could barely accept: "Apollo has always sided with Ares, and His Majesty the King of the Gods holds Apollo in high regard, seriously considering the Sun God's advice. Therefore, in terms of alignment, Apollo and we are in complete opposition. And since the King of the Gods we need to win over listens closely to Apollo's suggestions, eliminating him is the best solution!" Everyone on Mount Olympus knew Apollo was in love with his sister. He had even orchestrated the death of Artemis's first love for this very reason. Artemis's aversion to men approaching her, or her approaching them, was partly due to this incident.

"So, you hope I can become mortal enemies with Apollo, fighting to the death?" Ye Wen was gradually piecing things together. "Even if I can't kill Apollo, as long as we fight fiercely, even if one wins, the other won't escape unscathed. At that point, even if Apollo wins, you can seize the opportunity to eliminate that troublesome Sun God... What a calculation!" Athena squinted and smiled: "This results in a good outcome for both you and me. Moreover, as compensation, the Moon and Hunt Goddess will become your spoils—a result many men dream of. Aren't you willing?"

"I certainly..."

Unfortunately, his words were cut off by Athena: "In the past, perhaps I would have believed you! But now? Having had such an unforgettable experience with Artemis’s reincarnation, even if you cannot develop romantic feelings for her, it’s unlikely you can truly let her go, right?"

"So what?" Ye Wen had calmed down now. The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, was indeed hard to deal with. He realized he had fallen into her chessboard without even noticing. "I only developed some affection for her because I was taking care of the reincarnated Artemis, but that was just concern. I can maintain a significant distance from her, and Apollo won't misunderstand..." Tsk, though it wouldn't matter much if he misunderstood anyway!

"Do you think you can do that? Or do you think I will give you such an opportunity?" Athena’s smile grew increasingly wicked: "Believe me, you and Artemis are about to embark on a very intimate journey, unless you are willing to watch Artemis meet her doom!"

"What do you mean?"

"Just what it sounds like!" Athena walked up to Ye Wen and gently stroked his body encased in the Gold Cloth. "Go and save the beautiful Moon and Hunt Goddess from her evil and detestable brother!"