A thousand-year-old city, the center of the world…
The current Age of the Gods began with the construction of this very "Labyrinth City—Orario," marking the official start of a new era.
In contrast, the overseas, Olympia, had existed far earlier, far longer.
So long that even the "Hero of the Beginning," Argonaut, had not yet been born, and the "First Age of Heroes" begun by his Heroic Vessel had not yet started, Olympia was already present in the world.
That was more than three thousand years ago—a seed of calamity planted.
At that time, the dungeons were not sealed by the Babel. Monsters born inside could roam freely, surfacing gradually to spread like a plague across the continent, wreaking havoc.
In that era, forget about the ascension power granted by Falna—even the Ancient Heroes, surpassing all limits, had yet to appear.
Humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, amazons, pallum… countless intelligent beings could only struggle to survive in the cracks of the world.
Witnessing the suffering, the Goddess Prometheus decided to cast the Primordial Flame of Heaven to protect the masses.
However, she came into conflict with the great god Zeus.
Both held long-term visions.
Prometheus knew that the Primordial Flame of Heaven—untouched by corruption—remained eternally pure, its light capable of illuminating all forever.
It was undeniably a "warm" and benevolent force.
But the Lower Realm was different.
Its intelligent beings were still too "young."
Unable to control their psychological fluctuations, their accumulated negative energy—corruption—would inevitably taint the Primordial Flame of Heaven, potentially turning it into a cataclysm of world-ending proportions: the Dragon Slayer becoming the Dragon.
Zeus believed there had to be another way, arguing it was too risky to sacrifice the future for the present.
Prometheus, however, disagreed:
"If we cannot preserve the present, how can there be a 'future'?"
Defying Zeus's orders, she cast the Primordial Flame of Heaven herself.
But at the last moment, Zeus noticed her insubordination. The Primordial Flame of Heaven did not descend directly onto the continent; instead, it was diverted to a distant overseas island.
That place later became Olympia.
Time passed…
The gods estimated that if Prometheus hadn't cast the Primordial Flame of Heaven, over half of the beings who could have been saved would have perished under misfortune.
The present of that time was preserved, but the future of the present… was now due for reckoning.
Over three thousand years, the Primordial Flame of Heaven had become thoroughly corrupted.
The resulting disaster would be as terrifying as or surpass Antares.
And to truly resolve it…
"First, we need to locate the exact coordinates of the overseas Olympia."
At noon, Renjiro and Lumine, having left the Apollo Familia headquarters, did not go directly to the Twilight Manor to meet Isis and others. Instead, they headed to a rarely visited tower, standing by a wall with a large clock on the top floor. While eating lunch, they communicated via their mental link, discussing confidential matters.
Renjiro held a piece of grilled meat wrapped in oiled paper. Taking a bite, he spoke while chewing:
"If I'm not mistaken, even combing through all historical records in the library, there won't be much information about Olympia."
"But there are currently three potential sources we can consider."
He swallowed, continuing:
"First, the founder of the Guild—Ouranos. He should know Olympia's exact location."
"Second, apart from Ishtar… and my sister Freya, the third goddess—Aphrodite—likely knows where Olympia is."
"Finally…"
Naturally, that would be Renjiro's own precognitive memory.
"According to the storyline of My Memory, the sea coordinates for Olympia are so distant that it takes seven consecutive days by powered ship from the City of Melen to reach."
"The surrounding region, called the Sea of Madeira, is said to be larger than ten major nations combined, forming a super-large inland sea."
Truthfully, even Renjiro, with fresh memories of the plot, felt overwhelmed.
"First you say it's overseas, then it's in an inland sea… sigh. We need more information to cross-check and verify."
"Also…"
Renjiro thought quietly. "Olympia is entirely shrouded in a massive fire barrier, Without priestesses carrying fragments of the Primordial Flame of Heaven inside, intruders would be burned alive."
"But this shouldn't be a problem for the 'Paimon + Mona' duo on my side."
After he finished…
"Then, as I suggested before, let's first send a few people to leave Orario and search for the goddess Aphrodite."
Lumine looked at him, transmitting through their mental link: "Knowing your nature, you'll probably prepare multiple contingencies, right?"
"Yes."
Renjiro nodded. "Ouranos… though he seems upright in the story, we can't be certain of his true intentions in reality."
"He's clearly withholding critical information—essentially a puzzle master. We can't place all our hopes on him alone."
"Of course, the situation is urgent, so we must find a way to contact him."
After hearing this…
"Understood."
Lumine gradually grasped Renjiro's plan. "You want to cross-check multiple sources to avoid being misled by a single party?"
"Exactly."
A slight smirk appeared on Renjiro's face. "Finding the path is just the first step. Purifying the Primordial Flame of Heaven is the real objective."
"From this point, we also need to monitor the movements of the Goddess Hestia."
Renjiro remembered clearly: in the plotline, only by combining Hestia's purification power, the Rabbit Boy's heroic wish (enhancement), and fragments from the Moon Goddess (fuel) could the corrupted Primordial Flame of Heaven be purified.
Otherwise, Hestia's life would be sacrificed, entering the millennia-long cycle of divine resurrection, to save the Lower Realm.
Thus…
"I may dislike talking about 'fate,' but following this trend, the Rabbit Boy will ultimately need to join Hestia's Familia to give the current timeline—and the future—any hope."
"Of course…"
Renjiro's eyes narrowed. "Without interference from an 'external anomaly' like me, that would have been the natural course."
"Now, we have to intervene."
Seeing this…
"Although you dislike talking about fate, you don't intend to just stand by."
Lumine said meaningfully. "Currently, Hestia hasn't crossed paths with the protagonist. If she handled the purification, it would save a lot of trouble… wouldn't it?"
"Yes, but…"
"But then it would be like taking away everything she rightfully had."
Lumine finished Renjiro's unspoken thought: "A true traveler should leave beauty behind in their journey, not deepen sorrow."
"Perhaps Hestia and the Rabbit Boy may never cross paths in the future."
"But at least, that goddess willing to sacrifice herself for the Lower Realm shouldn't shed tears she never would have otherwise."
"Otherwise…"
"Such a traveler—or hero—would be utterly unworthy."