"Huh?"
Rober only managed a bewildered grunt as the large, calloused hand of the armory keeper clamped onto his collar from behind. The strength in that aged but steel-like arm easily lifted him off the ground, his feet dangling uselessly in the air.
Before he could gather his wits or resist, the old man turned, dragging him unceremoniously deeper into the cold armory. The soles of Rober's sandals scraped harshly against the stone floor.
The old man pulled Rober to a secluded corner of the armory, where a large pile of old weapons and armor lay stacked, coated in dust, cobwebs, and reddish-brown rust. There was a motley collection: long spears with dulled points, bent bronze xiphos swords, dented and cracked round aspis shields. Beside them lay bronze cuirasses, greaves, and helmets that had lost their original luster, resembling a forgotten heap of scrap metal.
The old man dropped Rober forcefully to the ground, making him stumble slightly. He pointed a thick finger at the chaotic pile, his voice gruff and raspy as he ordered:
"Stop wandering off! Get back to your work! Clean up that pile of weapons and armor in the corner! Make them shine like new, understand?"
Rober looked at the heap before him, then back at the old man, and asked hesitantly, his voice uncertain:
"I... I have to clean... all of this?"
The man's eyes widened with displeasure.
"What do you think?" he snapped.
"Let me tell you, Linus, I only agreed to let you work here because I felt sorry for you, a penniless wanderer. Don't you dare get entitled, lazy, and try to shirk your duties!"
He planted his hands on his hips, continuing the lecture:
"You need to know your place. Having food, shelter, and a job, even a lowly one, is already good fortune. Make sure you do it properly!"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, the old man added, his tone slightly mocking:
"Oh, and let me remind you. You'd better try to finish tomorrow's share of the work as well. If you want the day off to go see the union ceremony of Princess Andromeda and Lord Perseus, you'd best get all this finished."
Rober, who had been about to retort against the old man's rather harsh words, froze upon hearing the last two names. Princess Andromeda... and Lord Perseus?
Those names... they sounded incredibly familiar! He searched the hazy memories of his past life. That's right! They were characters from Greek mythology, stories he had read, tales he had heard back on his old Earth.
A strange feeling, an unexpected connection between the two worlds, crept into Rober's mind. He struggled to maintain composure and asked the old man again, seeking confirmation:
"You... you just mentioned Princess Andromeda and Lord Perseus? Are they the ones involved in the incident where the sea god Poseidon punished the kingdom because of Queen Cassiopeia's words?"
As soon as Rober finished speaking, the old man glared at him, his eyes sharp as knives. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence, then hissed, his voice a sharp warning:
"Watch that mouth of yours, boy! Do you want this whole kingdom sunk beneath the waves again?"
He lowered his voice, continuing with unconcealed fear:
"That terrible disaster happened precisely because Queen Cassiopeia spoke words of arrogance. Those words reached the ears of the sea god Poseidon, infuriating him and leading him to punish this entire kingdom of Ethiopia!"
The old man emphasized each word as if carving them into Rober's mind:
"Therefore, I repeat, keep your mouth shut! Never mention that incident again, and never speak disrespectfully of the gods! Otherwise, not just you, but me and everyone else here will suffer the same fate!"
Rober, having received valuable information along with the stern warning, nodded, indicating he understood.
"Yes... yes, I understand. I will never mention it again."
He turned towards the corner, pretending to inspect the weapons and armor, and began the task of cleaning. He did this partly to reassure the old man so he would leave, and partly to buy himself time to think, to organize the crucial information he had just received.
Sure enough, seeing Rober obediently comply and start working, the old man muttered a few more grumbles, then turned and left, leaving Rober alone in the vast, quiet armory.
As soon as the old man was gone, Rober stopped working, sat down on an old wooden crate, and let his thoughts drift.
So, he concluded, this dream isn't just some illusory space; it's constructed based on the Greek myths from my previous life. Andromeda, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Poseidon... all those names are familiar figures from ancient legends.
He tried to recall the details of that particular myth. He only remembered the main events vaguely. Queen Cassiopeia's arrogance offended the sea nymphs. Poseidon, angered, sent a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage the kingdom of Ethiopia. King Cepheus, Cassiopeia's husband and Andromeda's father, consulted an oracle and learned the only way to save the kingdom was to sacrifice his daughter, Princess Andromeda, to the sea monster. Andromeda was chained to a rock by the sea, awaiting death. But just then, the hero Perseus, returning after slaying the Gorgon Medusa, flew past, saw the beautiful princess, and intervened. Perseus bravely fought and killed Cetus, rescuing Andromeda. Afterwards, they fell in love and married.
Therefore, Rober deduced, the old man mentioned the union ceremony of Princess Andromeda and Lord Perseus. That means the current time in this dream is after the main myth has concluded. Perseus has defeated Cetus, saved Andromeda, and they are preparing for their wedding.
Rober nodded to himself. At least he had established a timeline for this dream. That would help him better understand the context and potential future events.
Next, he considered a small but crucial detail: Queen Cassiopeia's boastful words reaching Poseidon and causing offense. This detail, though minor in the myth, opened an interesting possibility for Rober. Perhaps communication with the gods isn't entirely severed in this dream. Although the incantations using the languages of the gods from his second world, Lumalyn, Vivarivane, etc. don't work... perhaps the gods of Greek mythology, the ones he knew from his past life, can still hear and intervene in this dream.
The only problem was, Rober didn't know how to communicate with them. He didn't know the language needed to connect with them.
"Even though I don't need to rely on the gods to perform magic directly" he sighed inwardly, feeling a bit helpless "I still wish I could learn those languages!"
He told himself he needed to find a way to learn, or find someone, a prophet, a mage, someone chosen by the gods, characters common in myths, who could communicate with them.
He thought again about the union ceremony of Princess Andromeda and Lord Perseus, scheduled for tomorrow.
"That will be a major event, attracting many attendees, from nobles and officials to common folk. A good opportunity to gather more information, learn more about this world, and... perhaps find the others, the souls pulled into this dream like me. Kalis Marry, yes, I wonder if Madam Marry is as beautiful in this dream as she is in reality? Or will she appear as an old woman closer to her actual age of 72? How curious!"
Questions kept swirling in Rober's mind, but he knew he couldn't find immediate answers.
He looked up at the pile of old, dirty weapons and armor in the corner, then sighed again.
"Why did Linus ask for such a menial, boring job?" he wondered, then answered himself:
"Oh well. It's just a dream, anyway."
Rober stood up, stretched, rotated his wrists, preparing to tackle the work. He encouraged himself:
"This dream, however strange, feels frighteningly real. It might have its own rules, its own limitations I don't know yet. If I do something too drastic, too different from this 'Linus' persona, it could lead to unpredictable consequences. It's best to proceed slowly, calmly, observe, gather information, and find the right opportunity to end this dream and return to the real world."
He picked up a rag and a small bottle of oil, beginning the task of polishing the bronze armor plates. As he worked, he muttered absently to himself:
"If only... someone would ask me something..."