[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 25

Li Jia returned to the Hot Spring Stream and took out the hourglass necklace. The golden sand had dropped by nearly half a bottle, which made her incredibly happy. She hadn’t expected the favorability to rise so quickly just by going out to solve a public issue.

“Master, congratulations! Your favorability progress has reached one-third. With two-thirds left, the target’s favorability towards you can reach one hundred percent.”

“At that time, no one will be able to shake or provoke your relationship, which will play a crucial role in advancing the Master’s main and side missions.”

Does this mean that as long as the ‘Fated Match Post’ appears, the plot progress can be advanced?

Li Jia seemed to have found a bug in the plot.

“You could say that. Currently, my authority is insufficient to detect the subsequent plot. Master, you went out with the target this time, and the favorability increased after resolving the keyword, which indicates this is possible.”

Then I understand. I just need to follow her and solve problems to increase favorability, commonly known as striking the wooden fish for ‘Merit +1’.

So, what should I do next?

“Because of your intrusion, Master, the plot has begun to deviate. However, I believe it doesn’t matter; as long as the final outcome is good, the process is unimportant. Next, you will be sent to the Sanctuary of Artemis to study with her disciple.”

“System Prompt: Linai, like you, is from another world and will serve as an auxiliary to your subsequent plot progress. It is recommended to form a friendly acquaintance.”

As soon as it finished speaking, it went “snap” and powered off.

There’s not even a power bank in this world, and it keeps crashing. However, Li Jia was very happy. It turned out she wasn’t the only person from another land in this place.

Before two days of happiness had passed, Li Jia was packaged up and sent to the Sanctuary of Artemis. The sanctuary is located on the vast Ephesus Grassland, in the far east, with Winslow serving as her study companion.

Winslow: …

Automatically upgraded to a daytime babysitter.

Li Jia drew two pale-blue kindergarten soft-girl uniforms. She meticulously drew a small crescent moon on the chest of Linai’s outfit, as Artemis is also the Moon Goddess. Her own uniform had a little yellow chick and came with a matching sunflower yellow hat.

Going to school requires school rules: wear a uniform, understand etiquette, respect teachers, love friends, and help one another.

On the first day of school, Hera, like all anxious parents, waited early in the chariot, but she didn’t say anything.

When Li Jia, wearing her kindergarten uniform, little yellow hat, and backpack, appeared, skipping and hopping, Hera alighted from the chariot and helped her up.

Li Jia took milk out of her backpack and chugged it down. The grand plan to grow taller was urgent. Two bottles a day; she couldn’t forget this matter no matter what she did.

Hera was silent all the way, resting her eyes. She was not a talkative goddess.

Li Jia leaned over the side frame of the chariot, watching the scenery below. Hera gently tugged at her clothes corner, protecting her safety to the greatest extent.

Hera would not restrict Li Jia from doing anything she wanted. If she wanted to do it, then she should go for it. All Hera could do was shelter her, ensuring she had no life-threatening worries.

She wondered if she counted as a qualified divine ruler this way.

“Don’t be afraid if anything happens; I am here for everything.”

After saying this, she put a golden bracelet on Li Jia’s wrist: “This is a ‘Listener’. No matter how far, as long as you take it off, you can talk to me.”

Li Jia looked at the golden bracelet on her wrist and immediately perked up. She took off the bracelet and gnawed at it. It was solid gold! Hera saw Li Jia react exactly as she had predicted, and she couldn’t help but cover her face and chuckle.

It was just as she thought. The Listener had to be made of expensive material. If it were made of plastic, who knew where this little fellow would throw it.

Li Jia hollowly spoke into the bracelet: “Can you hear me?”

A matching golden bracelet appeared on Hera’s wrist, and Li Jia’s voice came out: “Can you hear me?”

Wow, that’s really convenient, just like a smartphone watch.

Hera put the bracelet back on her and gave her instructions similar to ‘don’t be naughty,’ ‘don’t get hurt,’ ‘eat more food,’ and so on.

Finally, seeing that Li Jia was truly annoyed, she rubbed her little head and let her enter the mansion of Artemis.

The Ephesus Grassland.

Artemis is the mistress here. As far as the eye can see, there are vast, boundless grasslands, carrying the fresh scent of grass and the breath of distant lands, flooding the infinite green.

After Li Jia entered the mansion, Artemis stood waiting in the morning light. She was like moonlight salvaged from the deep sea and solidified.

Her silky blue hair was braided past her waist, the ends shimmering with the silver-blue luster of water ripples. When she smiled, shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, forming a strange contrast with her cool blue eyes.

She was a gentle and warm goddess.

A small penguin was holding her hand, standing respectfully at Artemis’s side, along with a multi-colored parrot, a white tiger, and a red fox.

Li Jia couldn’t help but exclaim that she truly was the Goddess of the Hunt, equivalent to a zoo director.

Seeing Li Jia, the little penguin let go of Artemis’s hand and ran towards Li Jia. She called Li Jia’s name. Li Jia recognized who she was: she was Linai.

Artemis gave Li Jia and Winslow a crescent-moon nameplate each. Every divine ruler’s mansion is set with an enchantment, the type and solution of which are decided by the ruler.

With the crescent-moon nameplates, the two of them could enter and leave the Ephesus Grassland freely.

The blue and white interwoven crescent-moon nameplate hanging on the little penguin’s neck had her name on it, a unique favor on the entire grassland.

The parrot butler is Tian, the white tiger is Claire, and the red fox is Lotta. These are the main members of the mansion. The animals on the grassland are all managed by these three.

The Hall of Marriage governs the destiny of all things in the world, while the temple of Artemis is called the Water Mirror Palace.

Artemis and Apollo are twin divine rulers. One controls the sun, the other guards the moon. Perhaps because the night sky was too quiet, she became the goddess of nature and the wilderness.

The Water Mirror Palace is responsible for protecting wild animals and is regarded by animals as a sanctuary. It is closely connected to wilderness areas like forests and mountains, serving as the maintainer of natural order.

Li Jia understood it as the Forestry and Wildlife Protection Bureau. She truly was a meaningful goddess.

Animals cannot speak. Every life deserves to be treated gently. All are equal under the moon.

The moon is brighter in one’s hometown, and people are closer to fellow countrymen.

Li Jia and Linai had met on the day the disciples were chosen. Li Jia hadn’t expected Linai, like herself, to be a transplant from another world.

Linai transformed directly from a little penguin back into human form. She was very happy today, so she wanted to be in human form during the day and turn back into a little penguin at night.

Li Jia gave Linai the kindergarten soft-girl uniform she had prepared for her. In her memory, Linai was a little shorter than her. When Linai put it on, it fit perfectly.

Hera had suggested they receive some basic education, and Artemis had consulted Linai for her opinion. Linai was delighted to accept when she learned that Li Jia would be in the supplementary class with her, because she thought Li Jia was a very interesting person.

The two adorable girls, wearing their kindergarten uniforms, sat in a cave on the Ephesus Grassland. This was a spot Artemis had specially chosen, which was cool and relieved summer heat.

In winter, if lessons were required, they would go directly to the Hot Spring Stream. This was the result of a discussion between the two divine rulers.

The butler, Tian, taught them Ancient Greek grammar. Tian is a talented parrot; it speaks fifty-six languages and is a veritable bird-shaped electronic reading pen—point to where you don’t understand.

Claire was responsible for physical training, and Lotta taught them the most basic arithmetic.

Li Jia thought this curriculum was reasonable: language arts, math, and P.E.

Isn’t there a saying that goes, “Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you can travel the world without fear”?

Physics and chemistry weren’t needed here, as divine power could not be explained by man-made factors.

As for math, it was still necessary to study a bit, lest they be cheated when buying things.

Li Jia was a liberal arts major in her previous life, with terrible science skills. Fortunately, the “lazy fish” was open-minded; after all, she wouldn’t need functions to buy groceries. Knowing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division was already quite impressive.

The common problem in school: the teacher talks on the podium while the students start to slack off below.

Linai was listening to the lecture but started to feel sleepy halfway through. Suddenly, a small piece of paper appeared on the desk. Linai opened the note, and the two began passing messages back and forth.

Li Jia: “Are you also a transmigrator? What’s your mission? Can you go home after finishing the conquest?”

Linai: “Yes, I’m a transmigrator too, but I wasn’t in a book. I was born here with my memories. I was so unlucky in my last life, an orphan. I helped an old man cross the road and was run over by an unscrupulous driver. I don’t have to conquer anyone. I’m here to repay a kindness, and I don’t want to go back.”

Well, why is she the only one with a mission? This damned system!

Li Jia: “Judging by your accent, are you from the Northeast (Dongbei)? I’m from Hubei.”

Linai: “Aiya mama, how did you know? I’m from Heilongjiang. No matter where we’re from, aren’t we all fifty-six ethnic groups, fifty-six flowers, fifty-six toads from the same family?”

Li Jia: “Alright, so we’re like ‘not a family, but entering the same door.’ Good sister, I acknowledge you.”

Linai: “We are tight. Just come to me if you need anything. No matter where you are, I’ll take a ride-share to see you.”

This is truly my good sister; the word ‘righteousness’ is practically etched on her forehead.

Li Jia: “Then do you also speak with an accent when you talk to the Divine Ruler?”

Linai: “How could I do that? We have to act weak to fool the strong. You can’t rush into eating hot tofu. Lure them into the trap first, and then say what needs to be said.” (Meaning: play a role to get what you want)

Li Jia: “A Master, indeed a Master.”

Linai: “Of course! I majored in psychology in my last life. It makes me angry just thinking about it! I was finally about to graduate with my Master’s degree, and BAM! I got hit and thrown here.”

Li Jia: “That might not be a bad thing. With the current job market difficulty, it’s better to serve someone tea and water. At least you get room and board, and you don’t have to suffer other people’s temper. Even if you have to suffer someone’s temper, it’s only one person’s.”

Linai: “You’re right.”

…

The two chatted merrily. Initially, it was just a few notes to be polite, but later, they found chatting with notes unsatisfactory, so they wrote directly in their notebooks, filling several pages with dense text.

“What are you two talking about? Look at the blackboard!”

Like all teachers, Tian keenly spotted their little actions. Originally, he had planned to be gentle for the first lesson, but seeing them escalate and their minds stray entirely from the course, he had to burst out in annoyance to bring them back to attention.

It was a complete stress response. Who in their student days isn’t afraid of the teacher? Tian howled, and the two immediately sat up straight, forcing themselves to look at the blackboard.

Greek grammar and mathematical symbols are somewhat similar; it’s either Alpha (α) or Beta (β). Li Jia adopted the Chinese character memorization method, copied the symbols, put them in parentheses, and noted the Chinese phonetic equivalent. Suddenly, the difficulty was solved.

Linai and she reached a consensus, and both noted things down this way.

The whole world should speak Chinese. Li Jia considered going back and teaching Hera Chinese. Hera is so smart that she might learn Chinese faster than Li Jia learned Greek.

Artemis also provided Linai with a ‘phone watch’; hers was a blue bracelet. Li Jia then realized that the ‘Listener’ could take different forms.

The two exchanged their Listener identification codes, which were equivalent to phone numbers.

The bell for the end of class rang. Li Jia had requested a ten-minute break after every hour of class, and Hera had agreed.

In raising children, Hera and Artemis were highly consistent: no strict education, preserving their natural free growth. In short, no intense schooling; being happy and joyful was enough.

Winslow had been waiting outside the classroom, eagerly looking forward to seeing Li Jia. When she came out, he intentionally approached her.

“How was it? Was it difficult? If you can understand, then listen. If you can’t, just sleep. Don’t force yourself.”

As Winslow spoke, he pulled two hawthorn lollipops out of his backpack for her.

Li Jia took the lollipops, peeled off the wrapper, and licked them twice: “What’s so hard about this? Don’t worry, I absolutely will not embarrass the Hot Spring Stream, and I absolutely will not embarrass His Majesty.”

Winslow was very pleased to see Li Jia’s persistence, looking like a beloved family member who had finally grown up.

Li Jia had another matter on her mind: “Where are we having lunch?”

“…”

Couldn’t this ancestor worry about something useful for once?

Winslow still put on a brave face and asked Tian. Tian reassured them that there would be lunch.

Li Jia’s hanging heart finally settled. Being provided with food was good. No matter what job it was, whether room and board were included was always the first factor. Otherwise, after deducting rent, utilities, and food costs, she’d earn nothing, essentially working for others for free.

She couldn’t be blamed for this; it was a fixed mindset formed over so many years. Habits aren’t something that can be changed quickly.

Being a ‘money-grubber’ isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The food at Artemis’s place was mainly vegetarian. Looking at the cabbage and tofu stew, scrambled eggs with bean sprouts, blanched broccoli…

Li Jia immediately wilted. She didn’t want to eat a weight-loss meal. There had to be at least one meat dish to hold the fort.

Linai saw her dispirited face, sighed, and secretly told her: “There are little animals everywhere here. No one dares to eat their own kind. I eat this stuff every day; my mouth is going to taste like a bird’s.”

After hearing her, Li Jia expressed sympathy and invited her to return to the Hot Spring Stream with her next time for roast whole lamb.

Li Jia no longer found the food in her bowl so difficult to swallow. After all, she could go home and have a good meal, unlike Linai, who had to eat this stuff three times a day.

Li Jia hadn’t noticed that she now referred to the Hot Spring Stream as ‘home’ so smoothly, speaking the word with the innate confidence of someone who had lived there all their life.

After eating, the two also took a nap together, which was reasonable and part of the successful way they were being raised.

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