"According to the Goddess's will, should I encounter a difficult problem, I can seek your assistance."
After downing his cup, King Minos spoke with a serious expression, his gaze piercing as he looked directly at Luo En across from him.
"We invited you here this time to seek advice on how to deal with the second wave of the beast tide?"
Clearly, after a period of observation and consideration, he had finally determined who was the person Athena had spoken of, the one he truly needed to find.
Luo En set down his cup, and his eyebrows lifted slightly.
"They've retreated?"
"Not yet."
King Minos shook his head, took the nautical chart that Princess Ariadne had presented, and spread it out on the table, pointing to a stretch of sea not far from Crete Island.
"The first wave of the onslaught was anticipated, and they took heavy losses when they landed, along with the leader, a demigod level Siren, who was slain by the Divine Envoy. These beasts, having lost their leader, fell into chaos and temporarily retreated here to regroup."
As he spoke, the old man looked towards Anna sitting opposite him, nodding in gratitude and respect.
Hearing this, Luo En glanced at Little Medusa beside him.
So that's how it was; no wonder last night's beast tide was quelled so swiftly.
Feeling Luo En's gaze, Little Medusa lowered her head somewhat guiltily.
However, the expected reprimand did not come. Instead, a hand radiating warmth covered her small head, gently stroking it.
Peeking up, she saw his purple eyes were filled with nothing but tender indulgence and concern.
Little Medusa's heart warmed, and she gathered some courage to sit up straighter.
"Thump!"
But just as her little head straightened, it took a harsh knock.
"Next time, don't take such risks alone!"
The light chiding by her ear came through as Little Medusa clutched her head and nodded reluctantly.
Having briefly chastised his overly rash "sister," Luo En refocused on the attack and asked the question that concerned him.
"What are the specific losses on both sides?"
"Knossos City had 37 deaths, and 58 injured; Nossia City had 87 deaths and 153 injured; Gidus City had 92 deaths and 118 injured... Overall, nearly 200 people on Crete Island have been completely incapacitated."
King Minos paused, then added.
"Of course, those beasts suffered heavier losses, a rough estimate puts the count at over two thousand sea monsters and sea beasts of all sizes, killed in the first onslaught."
Luo En listened quietly, his expression not showing much change.
To have the forethought against the unprepared and achieve casualties close to a ratio of one to ten seemed decent.
"Ha, what a clean escape, Crete this time probably cannot blame it on that God of the Sea!"
The aged King Minos did not speak, only clenched his fists tighter, a series of crisp bone sounds barely audible, while his face flickered with shifting expressions.
Seeing the old brother mention an old nemesis, nearly exploding into a blood rage and going berserk, Luo En quietly moved his chair back and cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem, Your Majesty, I have a question that I've long wanted to ask, and I hope you can enlighten me."
King Minos snapped back to reality, curbing the anger on his face and managing a forced smile, he nodded slightly.
"Please ask."
"About that grand sacrifice to the God of the Sea Poseidon all those years ago, it shouldn't have been that simple, right? From mortals to a deity, and the deity himself provided the offering, which seems somewhat against common sense..."
Luo En saw King Minos's body stiffen slightly and knew he was onto something. He changed tack and added softly.
"Moreover, a mere beast for sacrificial offerings shouldn't have caused a monarch with an otherwise wise reputation to discard his honor, risking the wrath of the deities, and claim it for his own."
"No, I did indeed keep it..."
Unexpectedly, King Minos across from him slowly shook his head, cementing his guilt of blasphemy against the deities.
However, his aged body was trembling slightly, with veins on his fists bulging as if he were enduring immense humiliation and rage.
After a long silence, the old man looked towards his daughter at his side and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Ariadne, go and check how the kitchen's preparation of the meals is coming along..."
"Yes, father."
The astute princess instantly grasped his intention, nodding and leaving the courtyard, carefully closing the door behind her and disappearing at the end of the path.
As he watched his daughter walk away, King Minos was surrounded by a surge of golden Divine Power, erecting a barrier that cloaked the entire courtyard.
After another lengthy silence, the old man finally made up his mind, beginning to speak painfully and with difficulty.
"Because, Poseidon deceived me; that was not a mere bull, but the embodiment of Crete's divinity and sovereignty!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this secret that had never been disclosed before, the three of them were shaken and listened intently, waiting for the eyewitness of the event to reveal the true story.
"Initially, when contending for the throne, I admittedly used some disgraceful means, and thus worried about the Goddess's reproach, I prayed to Poseidon for his protection.
But to my surprise, he seized the opportunity to withdraw the divinity and sovereignty of the entire Crete Island, transforming it into a bull and sending it to me to sacrifice to him!"
King Minos downed a cup of fruit wine, placing the cup forcefully on the table, his spine straight.
"Although I yearned for the gods' protection, I never intended to sell my entire country to Poseidon! I am the king of the Minosians, not a slave tied to the chariot of the Atlanteans!"
Then, the old man took a deep breath, his gaze icy and resolute.
"The sovereignty of Crete Island is not for Poseidon to meddle with! Only the Great Mother Goddess who protects and guides us, only our own female monarch of the Minosians—Athena, is worthy of this offering!"