He is a pure-blooded dragon in the miniature garden.

Chapter 97 One wrong step leads to another
Strolling along the avenue where cherry blossoms were falling, Su Nian reached out and caught a petal, saying with some surprise.

"Oh? So it's springtime in the miniature garden now?"

He only just realized that he was currently in the season of the miniature garden.

Although pursuing seasons in the miniature garden is a mistake, each outer gate may be affected by the territorial ruler, causing the seasons and weather to be not as regular as imagined.

However, whether it's the outer sect 3345 where White Yaksha is located, or the End City where Su Nian is currently stationed, the seasons are quite regular, and there are even different festivals in different seasons.

"Did you just know?"

Argel was clearly in a very good mood. Although she was still wearing the straitjacket with bandages, she was now standing under the cherry blossom tree, watching the petals drift past her, which was quite a sight.

Upon hearing this, Su Nian neither confirmed nor denied it.

"I've never paid attention to these things; at most, I'll change my clothes depending on the temperature."

"But Al-chan seems to be in a pretty good mood right now?"

Upon hearing Su Nian's words, Argel hummed comfortably twice, like a big cat that had been petted and made a cute purring sound.

"Of course! After all this time, Al-chan has finally found that ugly woman's Achilles' heel!!"

Argel excitedly raised his hand and waved it in front of Su Nian, as if he were determined to drag Athena into the abyss.

"So, Su Nian, let's go mess with Athena together!!"

Argel looked at Su Nian with an expectant expression. Now was the weakest moment she could find in Athena. If she didn't take advantage of this opportunity, who knew when the next chance would come.

"No, we cannot attack Athena now. In fact, we should help Athena suppress this news."

Su Nian waved her hand, suppressing Alger's excited expression.

Previously, because the White Yaksha was still around, she couldn't reveal her true nature too much. Who knows if the White Yaksha would reveal her thoughts to Athena?
"Um???"

Argel tilted her head in confusion, wondering if she had misheard something. What did they mean by not taking advantage of Athena's misfortune, but instead helping her out?
Seemingly sensing Alger's question, Su Nian explained.

"After all, Athena is currently only possibly preoccupied with something very important, not dead, nor has she completely severed her connection with the Little Garden."

"Do you think she has any idea whether she has a grasp of the current situation in the miniature garden?"

Su Nian countered with a question to Alger.

For a moment, Arger fell silent; clearly, she knew very well that being disconnected from the miniature garden was a very serious matter.

She is now the best example. Apart from Su Nian, she has no other means to access the upper circles. Although when she was in Perseus's hands, they would send her the latest intelligence regularly, it was hard to say how much of that intelligence was true and how much was false.

Just like a high-ranking leader in a large company, sometimes if you take a day or two off, it may cause you to fall behind in the information you have, and make your position unstable.

Not to mention that in the upper levels of the Little Garden, countless groups of gods are clashing, and undercurrents are surging. If the intelligence is even slightly out of sync, who knows how much it will cost to get it back from the Thousand Eyes.

As for the consequences of not completing the missing information? Heh, Aisilia's case is the best example. Just because she didn't know Su Nian's identity, Su Nian was able to confirm that Athena was in trouble.

This is truly a miniature garden, a game of cards where countless gods and kings strategize and benefit from each other. A slight misstep could lead to being ruined by information asymmetry.

This is especially true for someone like Athena. It's almost impossible for Athena to give up her intelligence network; if she did, she would essentially regress into a primitive human.

She is simply unable to act now, not unable to act.

Stirring things up and kicking someone when they're down might be easy and satisfying, but when Athena unleashes her furious revenge, things won't be so pleasant.

As for Athena's revenge? No one is more qualified to speak on this than Arger.

She was just a bit foul-mouthed back then, but who knew that Athena, that madwoman, would actually send someone to cut off her head and then seal her away.

She was a formidable force among the Greek gods at the time.

Once this crazy woman goes berserk, she won't care about the situation in the miniature garden or Su Nian's background.

Even among the goddesses of the Little Garden, Athena is an absolute anomaly.

Thinking of this, Alger's arrogant arrogance gradually subsided, and even his mood became depressed.

"Sigh, so should we prepare to go back and help that ugly woman next?"

"Hmm~~"

Su Nian nodded.

The miniature garden is never about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions. It was clear that Argel didn't understand this, offended too many people, and ended up like this.

Simple bad breath, ultimate enjoyment.

In fact, with Argel's superb beauty skills, she could have easily become the most popular goddess in the miniature garden. It's just that Argel's mouth was really too foul back then.

If she had actively shared her beauty techniques with other goddesses and built good relationships with them, even if she had lost the final battle against the gods and Buddhas of the three thousand worlds, she wouldn't have been disliked by all the major god groups, and only the Greek gods would have been willing to take her in.

Then her mouth offended Athena, resulting in her being beheaded and sealed away.

All I can say is that Alger's mouth is the absolute MVP in explaining her current predicament.

"Moreover, this is also an opportunity for you to return to the upper echelons, although you may not reach your former peak, but you will not be reduced to a familiar."

Su Nian said lightly.

"In any case, as long as we help Athena, she will have to accept this favor, and once she has a favor to show, there will be more she can do."

"For example, let Athena hold her nose and let you out~~"

Upon hearing this, Argel envisioned a scene where Athena told her to get lost with a look of disgust. The key point was that no matter how close she got to mock Athena, Athena had to keep a sour face and treat her well.

Because Athena owed her a favor, she had to repay it.

Arger repaid evil with kindness, so Athena should at least show some attitude, right? Unless Athena is shameless.

This might allow Alger to return to the upper echelons of society.

It can only be said that after years of being sealed away, Alger has become much more tactful and his personality has softened, making him less difficult to get along with than before.

Over the long course of time, even the hatred towards Athena was somewhat worn away, transforming into something more like an instinct.

Alger isn't the problem child he used to be anymore.

To be honest, we have to thank Athena for this.
-
Upper level of the miniature garden, the celestial realm, Mount Olympus, the Temple of Athena. Having returned from the Thousand Eyes, Asheria hurriedly passed through the boundary gate and arrived at this temple carved from pure white marble.

As the sleeping quarters of the goddess Athena, the temple was extremely spacious, with only a few nymphs cleaning it.

Aisilia hurried through the empty hall, past the guards at the door, nodded slightly to them, and then entered the library where Athena usually secluded herself.

Yes, a library, not some secret room.

Athena loved books, or rather, she frequently absorbed the ideas from works of different eras and worlds, using them as nourishment for herself.

Moreover, reading is one of Athena's few personal interests, which allows her to temporarily abandon unnecessary thoughts and also inspires some wisdom.

This was a good way for Athena to relax.

Upon entering the library, you are greeted by the image of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and intellect, sitting at a simple stone table, reading a book.

Aisilia completely ignored the 'Athena' she was reading. She knew very well that this was not the goddess Athena, but rather a phantom left by Athena to deceive others and create the illusion that she was still in the temple.

For hundreds of years, Athena has been reading books here, enriching herself.

She wasn't like a vain goddess who attended banquets everywhere to prove her charm and vent her desires.

She wasn't like a male god whose mind was always filled with the thrill of battle, or the struggle for power and scheming.

She simply sat calmly in her own temple, reading and absorbing the nourishment from the books of great men, enriching her spirit.

Because she had long since passed the period when she needed to fight to accumulate strength, it was far better for Athena to calm down and sort out her gains than to continue fighting.

Therefore, Athena has been in a state of disappearance for nearly a thousand years.

Passing through the towering bookshelves, I arrived at the very heart of the library, where Ishilia saw a pure white goddess statue carved from a single block of marble.

The statue emitted a soft glow, appearing exceptionally sacred and holy, even more like a goddess than the phantom of Athena outside.

Indeed, this statue is none other than the embodiment of Athena's own divinity and spirituality.

Without hesitation, Aisilia knelt before the statue of Athena and confessed the mistakes she had made.

"I am very sorry, Your Majesty Athena."

"This was my mistake; I almost exposed your plan."

Ashlia looked remorseful; she knew very well that the moment she gave in, it meant that the matter had likely already failed.

In the miniature garden, no one is a fool. Those who treat others as fools have long since lost everything in rounds of struggle.

The moment she saw Su Nian and Alger in the Thousand Eyes, she realized that this was probably the worst-case scenario.

However, due to a lack of information and insufficient capabilities, she really didn't know what to do.

She felt like a small boat on a turbulent sea, and even a large wave could plunge her and Athena's plans into utter ruin.

"The sea?"

Instantly, Asheria became alert, realizing that she had just entered a state of inspiration.

This is an inspiration often encountered under the statue of Athena, an enlightenment from the wisdom and authority of the goddess Athena. Each time this inspiration appears, it signifies an approaching risk.

Since the goddess Athena left, she has repeatedly escaped temptations from other beings through enlightenment.

This time is no different.

"Is the risk not from Alger and Su Nian, but from His Majesty the Sea Emperor?"

Ashlia breathed a sigh of relief, as if the biggest weight had been lifted from her heart.

Given the animosity between Arger and Athena, if Arger were to notice Athena's current state, it would be impossible for him not to take advantage of her misfortune.

As for Su Nian, if he had figured it out, he certainly wouldn't have kept it from Alger, so there was no need for him to.

So, did I manage to keep it from them? Or was there simply no need for them to reveal themselves?

Although she didn't know which possibility it was, Aishilia was certain that she had passed that hurdle.

The real challenge comes from Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Athena has already shown her just how high the risks are in her recent enlightenment.

It's no different from an ordinary person piloting a small boat across a stormy sea.

But then Poseidon's probing made her heart pound again.

Given Poseidon's understanding of Athena, Eshilia did not believe that her disguise could fool Poseidon's eyes.

Unfortunately, Poseidon and Athena did not get along well, and Poseidon even had a strong objection to Athena becoming the fourth generation of god-king candidates.

Before Athena left, Poseidon had provoked her several times, but Athena always managed to shut him down.

Thinking of this, Aishilia tensed up again.

The trials from within the Greek pantheon were far more dangerous than those from external enemies.

She absolutely cannot afford to make another mistake when faced with the next test.

She understood very well that one wrong step could lead to a series of wrong steps.

If the Greek gods were to learn of Athena's absence, they would surely be met by a pack of frenzied, bloodthirsty hyenas.

They will do everything in their power to drain Athena of her last remaining benefits within the Greek pantheon and strip her of her final achievements.

Even Athena's spirit, which was placed in the temple, could be discovered, and Athena could be forcibly labeled as dead.

Seemingly sensing the difficulty of this matter, a crisp green leaf fell from the olive wreath atop the head of the Athena statue.

The word "wait" was written on the leaf in divine script.

Perhaps Athena already knew that this task was far too difficult for Aisilia?
Clearly, Athena may have anticipated this event and made preparations accordingly.

Seeing this word, Aisilia breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Athena had made arrangements; otherwise, she might really not know what to do.

(End of this chapter)