dmims Chapter 10 Change is a Good Thing
Chapter 10 Change is a Good Thing
Crossing the wilderness and past the corpses of the Nestlings lying in despair, Achilles and Patroclus finally reached their final destination.
Holding flags in their hands, they climbed step by step up the highest cliff.
Achilles placed one foot on the edge of the cliff, clenched his fist, and gazed downwards.
In the ominous, dark purple fog, he could vaguely make out the general structure of the maze.
It was less like a maze and more like a much larger, uncapped birdcage.
The maze has nine entrances and nine exits.
According to the history of Troy, for countless millennia, the ancestors who remained there shared a common god with the aliens, and they firmly believed in the importance of wisdom and change.
Achilles pointed towards the labyrinth covered in twisted runes: "It's almost over, Patroclus."
"Stay vigilant, as danger often occurs at this time."
The two walked through the fog, and after going back and forth nine times, they saw a steel plate made of plastic steel.
A line of text was written in Trojan script above:
"Indestructible and unalterable."
At the very top of the steel plate is a nine, symbolizing that this is Entrance Number Nine.
As they approached the location, both of them simultaneously heard a sound like something being plucked, along with a chilling whistling sound, similar to wind whistling through a hollow.
The sound came strangely and disappeared very quickly.
The two exchanged a knowing glance, but even Patroclus was momentarily at a loss for words.
While Patroclus was lost in thought, Achilles shook his head, indicating that he should stop thinking about it.
As they continued to approach, the dense blue-purple mist they had seen on the cliff disappeared, and the two lines of text on the original steel plate, "Indestructible, Unalterable," quietly changed.
Destruction and alteration devoured the impossible, twisting into a hideous smile.
A large crowd had already gathered in front of the ninth entrance.
They gathered there, silent before the tightly closed stone door.
Achilles.
It's an annoying sound.
Achilles didn't even want to look back.
Apollo clapped his hands, brushed off the dust, and looked defiantly at Achilles, who had just arrived.
"You're slower than I expected. I thought you went somewhere else," he said.
"Don't bite people like a rutting earth beast, Apollo," Achilles said listlessly.
This nonchalant attitude attracted the attention of everyone present. Even Paris, who had been staring at the stone gate in thought, was drawn back by Achilles' undisguised attitude.
All eyes were drawn to this side, especially to Apollo.
The humiliation lingered in Apollo's heart.
"What are you looking at!"
After scanning the room, Apollo not only failed to calm the situation, but also provoked most people to laugh at him without any restraint; they were all watching this joke.
Everyone who has made it this far has a firm goal and a strong will.
There is a rather harsh reality: of all those who have reached the labyrinth, only one is a gangster from the bottom nest; the rest are aristocratic scions who have received more education and experience.
And almost all of the dead were children from Zhongchao.
They lacked the strategic acumen of those who descended to the bottom of the nest, as well as the privileges and qualities of those who ascended to the top.
Apollo trembled slightly, his hatred for Achilles, who had humiliated him, growing even stronger.
He hated why it couldn't do as he wished, he hated why it had defeated him time and time again, he hated—
Extreme emotions were spreading; conspiracies, tricks, and murderous thoughts whispered in Apollo's mind. No one noticed that the stone tablets around him, engraved with the beliefs of the ancient sages, were emitting the faintest light.
Without threatening the Emperor, the evil god of the warp tirelessly sets up his pieces, relying on the dark faith left over from ancient times.
The sounds, like birdsong, like women, like men, like the laughter of countless living beings, echoed in the palace of the highest heaven.
Sometimes He would praise the perfect chess game He had just set up, then overturn it with an even sharper laugh, using the threads of fate to re-hook the fallen pieces and begin a new round of planning.
He sometimes blesses believers who offer sacrifices to Him and thirst for knowledge, and then coldly watches them go from intoxication and gratitude to unease, pleading, and fear, until their bodies turn into twisted, wailing eggs of chaos and their souls become a palace of eternally sinking, screaming books.
Savor the beauty brought by countless changes.
"Hector, Hector."
From the moment Hector was born, the gaze of the highest heavens was fixed on him, those eyes that had revealed omniscience and sorrow since infancy, and that gaze that had been calm and burning in his youth.
"Change, change."
On the chessboard are pieces symbolizing Cassandra and Thetis, with wings on their backs, beautiful faces showing fear and the eyes of nine birds.
The threads extending from beneath the chess pieces connect Paris, Achilles, Priam, and many other important figures associated with them.
And all the threads eventually connect to Hector.
"Change is a good thing."
·······
·······
"There's no need to embarrass him like that, Achilles."
Patroclus unlocked the secret of the stone gate, and now he was holding a Trojan lion emblem in his hand, speaking to Achilles.
During the time it took to unravel the secrets of the stone gate, their conflict escalated into a physical fight.
Although Apollo's relationship with Achilles wasn't great, it was still considered normal compared to Achilles.
So quite a few people still disliked Achilles and joined Apollo's side. When Paris saw so many people helping Apollo, he hesitated for a while but still did not choose to step forward.
Paris even kindly reminded Patroclus, who had come up to decipher the mystery, to go and help Achilles.
As a result, Patroclus's affection for Prince Paris increased considerably, and their relationship quickly warmed up.
The two exchanged information, discussed many possibilities, and became very close.
Meanwhile, the people behind them also started fighting amongst themselves, and the final outcome was self-evident.
"I admit my actions were a bit excessive." Achilles had the wounds left by Apollo on his face.
The battle ended, and the passion subsided.
Achilles, who aspires to be the strongest warrior in Troy, habitually reviews what just happened, scrutinizing everything from his fighting stance, emotions, and even the way he clenched his fist.
He was surprised, because Achilles found that at that moment his emotions were like a wild horse, like a frightened herd of cattle, completely out of control.
Almost all of his actions and movements were geared towards facilitating more extreme emotions.
Achilles became alert.
"Something's not right," he said.
Patroclus turned his head, cautiously reaching for his short sword, his peripheral vision quickly scanning his surroundings.
"Something's not right?"
"Is there an enemy?"
Patroclus asked.
Achilles calmly analyzed the situation and finally arrived at an answer that he found somewhat unbelievable.
The cheerful young man hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Is faith poisonous?"
Patroclus was taken aback by the subtle remark. He rolled his eyes and lowered his guard.
"What nonsense are you spouting, Achilles?"
"Faith is faith. What use is it? If faith were truly effective, the statue of Athena that the Trojan people had worshipped for so long would have already manifested its power."
"No," Achilles instinctively retorted, "What I mean is, the beliefs worshipped by our ancient ancestors were poisonous, or rather, there's something wrong with this place..."
"Be careful!"
Before Achilles could finish speaking, he quickly stepped forward and pushed Patroclus aside.
Just as Patroclus was being sent flying, another figure flew even faster and farther than him.
That person is—
"Achilles!"