Chapter 494: The Roman Gods

When Luo De finished packing his travel pack, weary from the road, he once again hurried to Yu Lin's house in Nazareth, ready to officially begin his teaching career as the "Teacher of the Saint."

Yuese, who had been out delivering goods, and Mary also returned home.

Regarding the new "guest" in the house who seemed quite learned and claimed to be a priest, Yu Lin also told them that this Luo De Priest would be teaching Jesus for the coming period.

After their initial surprise, Yuese and Mary quickly accepted the arrangement.

Having a full‑time priest to systematically teach Jesus, in their view, might be another arrangement of the "Lord" and a good thing.

Yuese immediately set to work, cleaning a side room that had been cluttered, moving in an old but sturdy wooden table and a few stools, and fashioning a simple bookshelf from planks, treating it as a "classroom" for Jesus.

Mary prepared clean drinking water and some simple food to host the newly arrived teacher.

However, regarding Jesus's true identity—the secret they held unwaveringly, that he was the "Son of God" and "born to be King of the Jews"—

Yuese and Mary exchanged a glance and tacitly chose to keep it sealed.

They warmly entertained Luo, thanking him for his willingness to teach Jesus, but they said nothing about Jesus's special nature.

Having endured the terror of Bethlehem, Herod's murderous intent, and the hardships of fleeing Egypt, Yuese and Mary are no longer the naive young couple they once were.

They have become especially cautious.

Luo De Priest appears upright and is the person Yu Lin recruited, but his outward demeanor hides his true heart.

If he were to leak Jesus's identity and the Jewish religious leadership learned of it, what kind of uproar would ensue?

Would the sect acknowledge it?

Or would they, like Herod then, see it as a threat and even take more extreme measures?

They dare not gamble.

Jesus's peaceful growth is more important than anything.

For now, this secret can only be buried deep within.

As for Yu Lin…

At this moment, he is leisurely lying on the flat roof of his modest house, a straw mat beneath him, enjoying the warm afternoon sun.

His hands are tucked behind his head, eyes half‑closed, but his gaze does not fall on the bustling streets or distant hills; it rests on the endless, bright‑blue sky.

In his perception, a familiar figure, tinged with haste and urgency, streaks across the sky at breakneck speed, racing toward Nazareth.

Before the figure reaches near, a voice, as if transmitted through the void, rings directly in Yu Lin's mind:

"Yu Lin! Yu Lin! I have something that needs your help!"

Yu Lin raises an eyebrow, remains lying still, and lazily watches the Golden Light drawing nearer.

In the blink of an eye, the Golden Light contracts, and a five‑clawed Golden Dragon, shrunk to the size of a common small snake yet fully scaled and with a prominent head, lands clumsily on the roof edge—Dragon Lord himself.

Its golden scales seem a bit dulled, and its dragon whiskers are somewhat disheveled.

"Yo, finally decided to come back?" Yu Lin finally sits up slowly, eyeing the somewhat disheveled Dragon Lord, his tone teasing:

"What could make our Dragon Lord so frantic to show up? Haven't you been traveling and having fun these past years, forgetting home?"

"By the way, Tu Shan Zhi? Why didn't she come with you?"

He suddenly recalls something, his eyes turning suspicious: "Surely it's not that you, you rascal, couldn't control your mouth or claws again and caused an unmanageable mess out there?"

"Ah! What do you mean 'again'? Am I the kind of dragon who stirs trouble everywhere?" Dragon Lord, as if his tail were stepped on, hurriedly waves his little claws to deny it, but his eyes flicker with a hint of insecurity.

He leans close to Yu Lin, quickly explaining: "Well........."

"It's like this: these past few years I've been roaming with them, sightseeing, tasting local foods, and life has been fairly carefree."

"Later... I remembered that I once went to that Olympus Mountain for a trip, didn't I?"

"The scenery there was nice, the gods were quite enthusiastic, so I thought of taking her there to broaden her horizons and experience exotic customs."

He licks his lips and continues: "When I went... I didn't expect a little mishap to occur."

Yu Lin raises an eyebrow: "Oh? What kind of mishap? Got lost? Or blocked by some short‑sighted deity?"

"Not lost, nor blocked."

Dragon Lord shakes his head, his face showing a mix of confusion and a haunted look:

"It's... the place seems right, Olympus is still that Olympus, but the 'gods' up there... just don't feel right!"

"Don't feel right?" Yu Lin shows interest, "Tell me specifically."

"We arrived there, the mountain is still that mountain, shrouded in clouds and mist, and the temple is quite grand."

"But the gods that appear, their looks... the same, yet their names and aura are completely off!"

Dragon Lord gestures: "For example, the one seated on the throne looks almost identical to the Greek Zeus, with a big beard and holding a lightning scepter."

"But when he speaks, he calls himself 'Jupiter'! The goddess beside him looks like Hera and is called 'Juno'!"

"Also! I tried to sneak a visit to the Heracles I knew before, and I found a fellow who looks almost identical, but his gaze treats me like a stranger!"

Dragon Lord spreads his claws, a puzzled look on his face: "If it weren't that they don't recognize me and the divine aura on them has subtle differences, I truly thought I'd had too much to drink and taken the wrong mountain!"

Yu Lin, hearing this, already understands.

This is not a case of taking the wrong path.

After Greek civilization was conquered by the Roman Empire, its rich mythological system was wholly adopted by the Romans, reshaped and reinterpreted to fit Roman political, social, and cultural needs.

The names, offices, and symbolic meanings of the deities also underwent subtle changes to suit the Roman Empire's rule.

Essentially, this can be said to be the same mythic source wearing different "skins" or "versions" across civilizations.

Although Dragon Lord has read many books, he evidently slacked off and didn't study this area, accidentally stumbling into Rome's "Olympus".

"And then?" Yu Lin asked:

"Because I trespassed on someone else's territory and got captured?"

Dragon Lord chuckles sheepishly:

"It's like this............"

Upon hearing this, Yu Lin fully comprehends.

Old Master Dragon has come back to seek aid.

Yu Lin stroked his chin, a hint of thought and interest flashing in his eyes.

Zeus and Jupiter, Hera and Juno…… Are they two gods, or different manifestations of the same god?

Yu Lin really is a bit curious about this question.

Well, we'll know after making the trip.

"Alright." Yu Lin stood up from the grass mat, his tone casual, "Looks like we have to make a trip."

"Let's go."