New Encounters

The two of them sat down and the consul said "Kind Lord, I see you were sent by the ever merciful and beautiful Lady Aphrodite. May this servant ask of the purpose of your visit?"

Alex didn't like the formal tone too much, but he figured the consul wouldn't budge, so instead he went along "I need a carriage to take me to the city of Abdera"

The consul then sighed deeply in relief and exclaimed "A carriage, Of course! Might this servant ask that this kind Lord spend the night in this servant's humble abode, as we prepare the best of carriages and horses for you, Lord?"

Alex nodded and the consul once again sighed in relief. He proceeded to ask the consul "Where can I get some good food in Olep?"

"Lord, I'll ask my best chef to prepare a banquet for you immediately." The consul responded in a frenzy.

"No, that's fine. I'd like to explore some of the regional cuisine" When he was walking down, he noticed some appetizing foods and it seemed like the citizens of Olep were active even at night, thus the city was brightly lit and the atmosphere, very cheerful.

The consul then told him about the best food spots around and proposed having a servant go along with Alex, which the latter refused fervently. He also told the consul that embarrassingly, he didn't have any money on him, to which the consul responded by giving him a pouch with bright and shiny gold coins that had Zeus' face on them. It seemed like the money was from the consul's personal stash, so Alex thanked him and promised to send a good word about him to the gods.

He then left the mansion, leaving the soldiers who wanted to take him on the palanquin, speechless.

He wanted to check out one of the restaurants that the consul recommended him, that wasn't too expensive and had good food. It was quite close so he soon reached the bustling restaurant and took a seat. Alex then ordered a simple meat composed of honey-braised chicken, a salad, some bread and red wine.

When his food arrived, he dug in. It was quite tasty, and the salty condiment that he believes is called liquamen paired very well with the simple salad. He tried drinking a bit but the wine was too tangy for his taste. While he was eating, he noticed 2 customers that were sitting next to him. The 2 looked different from the residents of Olep, as they looked south asian. One of the two men was short, bald and he was wearing plain monk clothing, he had a kind face. The other man looked younger, about Alex's age and had long black hair reaching his waist and was wearing luxurious and flowy clothing, though his expression was of confusion. The young man ordered oysters and was trying to eat them wrong and they kept slipping away from him.

'Who orders oysters in an inland city?' Thought Alex but turned away his attention.

He really couldn't bear the sight of the man wasting food any longer so he stood up, went up to the young man, and told him.

"That's not how you eat oysters. You're supposed to sever their body from the shell with the chopstick then eat them" Alex showed the young man how to do it.

Nevertheless, the young man didn't respond favorably and glared at him while declaring arrogantly "Who are you to tell me how to do it? However I do it is the right way"

The monk behind him looked at me with an apologizing expression on his face, as if he knew this would happen. He stepped up and told him "I'm Padmapani, this is Aadityapal, we are emissaries from the domain of Ashoka. Please forgive this young one's actions, he hasn't seen too much of the world"

Alex nodded and looked at the monk's eyes when he noticed the depth and glow they had, a characteristic of people who have ascended mortality.

The young man, after bickering for a while about how he was superior to everything else, asked Alex in an insolent tone "And who are you?!".

The way he spoke to him really made him want to slap the young man but he restrained himself, although due to the provocation he answered confidently "I am the demi-god Alex, son of Athena and grandson of the King of Gods, Zeus"

The monk behind the young man didn't look too surprised, it seemed there an implicit understanding between the two of them that they were both not ordinary people. The young man, however, glared at him with competitive eyes and stated "That's just perfect. I came here to challenge you weaklings anyways, who dare call themselves 'gods'. If you're really a god, then accept my challenge for a duel of fists"

Alex was surprised at the man's words. Either arrogance overtook his brain or he was confident in being able to battle a god. Anyways, after using the name of Olympus, he wouldn't back down and let their reputation be stained because of him. He went out of the restaurant and found a spacious street and called for the man named 'Aadityapal'.

The two stared at each other before Aadityapal made the first move. He was quite fast and each of his steps made a dent on the ground, showing his strength. Alex was a bit surprised but he didn't let the other's fist reach him as he stepped back. Aadityapal, however, looked ready for such a situation as he threw a kick at Alex.

At this short of a distance, Alex knew he couldn't evade so he parried instead. The kick hit his arms and he was pushed back a few steps. It really hurt and he was already getting ready for another attack but this time, Alex ran with incredible speed towards Aadityapal and tackled him, throwing him on the ground a few meters ahead.

Just as they were about to continue, golden letters appeared in the air and formed a round translucent cage around the young man, making him grit his teeth and look at the direction it came from.

It was the monk, who introduced himself as Padmapani. He came to his side and whispered in his ears "Thank you for not hurting him" It seemed he misunderstood. Alex decided to accept this misunderstanding as it didn't seem right to lose to a mortal.

Padmapani then released the cage on Aadityapal, who was acting like a mad beast, and took the young man from his shoulders, instantly calming him down.

"Alex, huh? I'll remember you! Just you wait until next time" He kept screaming like a child, it was rather annoying. The monk Padmapani waved his hands in goodbye to Alex and he did the same and they went on their way.

Alex wanted to finish his food but he no longer had an appetite so he made his way back to the consul's mansion, in the meantime thinking about what just happened and this strong enemy or rival he made today.