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And so Kereseira, the singer of epics, the gentlest hero of Agamem,

Hung her harp upon the branches of the laurel tree—

Its body made from the tallest firs atop Mount Hymnoi, its strings made from the bravest burdenbeast that roamed the Agnes Plains;

When it played, all things in the Land of Heroes sang together, riding upon the winds in freedom.

Now, Kereseira hangs her harp by the laurels.

'The outlanders have come from afar,' said Kereseira, clutching her knife tightly,

'They trample our lands, set fire to our homes, and let the rivers cease their peaceful flow.

And they command all things to sing for them!

This alone wrenches my heart.

My harp sings only the tales of the heroes!'

—<i>Kerespereia</i>

'While there is no specific mention in the records, historians generally agree that Padishah Malla most favored Athenius out of the three great nomadic cities that Sargon built for Minos.'

'Sargonian and Minoan engineers took great pains to preserve its signature feature as the Mountain-Rimmed Garden, when it was moved to a nomadic platform.'

'Today, you will see the same mountains and rivers as Kereseira once did, upon entering Athenius through the mountain pass that Padishah Malla made it a point to preserve.'

'This is a route that I highly recommend my readers—'

Oh, shut up! Just look at where your stupid book has led us!

And this big, heavy piece of stupid crap we have to carry, just the two of us!

Take it easy, calm down! No hitting!

Like I wasn't tired enough after walking for days on end...

You're one to talk, girl!

Why did you decide, on a whim, to travel separately from the group? I would be lying in the Athenian flower fields and drinking floral liqueur by now, if it wasn't for you!

It wasn't on a whim.

I told you, my father used to tell stories about a place called Minos on the other side of the Agnes River, stories that left a deep impression on me.

And I told you it was an invaluable opportunity for diplomacy with Minos. I wanted to go to Athenius via Kereseira's old route and experience history—

You didn't have to experience history with this <i>thing</i>! It's got to be, what, over fifty kilos, with just the two of us to carry it? Are you trying to experience the Yanese idiom where you bear a bundle of logs to beg forgiveness?

It's a bundle of 'thorns'. The Yanese wouldn't appreciate you rewriting their idioms.

That's not the point! Have you got anything in that skull of yours besides history books?

Alright, alright, no hitting. I wasn't comfortable letting someone else handle it.

This is the most valuable item in the Varjavandabad Museum's collection, an important relic to both Sargon and Minos. We came all this way...

To give it back to the Minoans, to build a new era of friendship between the two nations. So you haven't forgotten your mission. Yay. Clap clap.

YOU, ARE, LOST! You are LATE! And you have MISSED your appointment with the Astynomos of Athenius, Medjehtiqedti Nasutu Mashayer!

Uh... well, the rest of the mission should be in the city by now, using the normal route. I'm sure Behnui will explain to the Astynomos.

Behnui? That noble who thinks his scat smells like roses? Are you just acting dumb, or are you actually that dumb?

Did you see that look on his face when he learned he was gonna be your assistant in the mission? It's like you've stolen fifty carts of Pure Gold from him.

No, no, Behnui is a very nice man.

Taking on such an important mission so soon after I became the curator of Varjavandabad Museum made me... anyway, Behnui helped a lot on this journey.

Fine, suit yourself. I'm just tagging along as a tourist.

Let's get going. Before we collapse from exhaustion.

Yes, yes. See? We're almost there.

Look—

Wow—

Wow—

I've read a lot about Athenius, but to actually find myself here...

I see fields of flowers... floral liqueur and flower cakes! We're saved!

Minos, the land of a thousand <i>poleis</i>, separated from Sargon by a river.

Here is Athenius, the First Polis, the Mountain-Rimmed Garden.

As the city that Titi has only ever known through historical records reveals itself, she lays eyes on a scene very different from the sands of Sargon.

White walls.

Green fields.

Rivers weaving their way through mountains.

Strange temples unabashedly announce themselves on the mountops and beside the rivers. If heroic epics are the rain that nourishes Minos, then these temples are the mushrooms that grow afterwards.

No wonder this land has birthed so many famous plays, philosophers, stories, and legends, which not even the sands could bury.

Hey, why are you pushing me?

I haven't even caught my breath yet...

For days, Titi has been placating her Beast Aristocrat companion, trying to wear a mask of calm for this journey.

Now, though, she is even more eager than Mio to get into this city.

You see the ferry crossing down there? We're not truly in the city until we cross over.

Hurry, now.

Should I help?

The river is freezing. I see the ice floating on it... but all you have is an oar.

Just sit tight, Ithakos.

My luggage is not heavy. I can walk on my own.

Let me ferry you for a little bit... there's little else I can do for you.

It's been two years since you experienced divine revelation, since our meeting.

You taught us the knowledge you brought from the cities, built a village on the marsh that the Sargonians wouldn't bother with, farming the paddy fields and fending off the cold.

We lived together. We were family.

For the past two years, I've been trying to figure out why divine revelation led me here.

Now I understand... the Sargonians will appear on the riverbanks nearby. I can reach the place quickly by following this river out of the marshes.

...I see.

Do you believe that the guerrillas can defeat the Sargonians?

Even though we've been losing for a century?

(Nods)

I haven't received any divine revelations, and I can't tell the future. I can't even leave with you.

But I will promise what I can.

I'll protect our village, our houses, our farms and flowerbeds. Perhaps we can go to Athenius, where you came from, once you're victorious.

I'll still be a ferryman, ferrying you to your workplace at the temple on the other side of the city as the sun shines upon the Delphi Canal... I've been imagining the scene ever since you described it to me.

...Are you listening, Ithakos?

Minos is in for a cold winter this year, brother.

(Rows furiously)

The ferryman shakes his head. What was his response to Ithakos?

For many years, he still could not remember.

There you are, Master Xanthos. You're ten minutes late.

I've never been late before, Lykeion. This is the first time.

I saw your chiton by the shore. I thought you might have dropped it yesterday when you left, or a thief might have stolen it only to decide it was too old and ragged to keep. Little could I have imagined that you had gone for a morning swim.

So, out of habit, I folded and stowed your chiton—

You cannot reproach me for it, for you had not informed me of your schedule.

It is I who should reproach you, for the doctor has warned you to be careful...

Thank you, Lykeion. Over the years, I have taught you how to fight and ferry, and you have handled my daily needs wholeheartedly.

I am not reproaching you. I simply have to leave early today, so tardiness weighs heavily on my mind.

You're changing the topic again... wait, are you going to the cemetery to visit...?

Ithakos, my friend.

He was only your age when we bid farewell. I never saw him again.

I should say some words of comfort, but I find them beyond my ability.

You should stay within your abilities. It's rarely your place to go beyond them.

The fruit farmers and workers at the First Temple have been in conflict over boat assignments for days. They're asking the dockmaster—me—to arbitrate. <i>This</i> is what we should be putting our minds to.

Let's go to the main crossing. It will be a busy day.

One moment, Master Xanthos.

The Astynomos 'requests' your presence at this secondary crossing today, to repair the boats that have broken down.

No one in Athenius uses the word 'priority' more than Lydia. What else did she say?

Nothing.