"Would you care to introduce them to me?" Mithra requested Alex.

"Follow me."

The group of three few out of the palace and followed Alex in the direction of the outskirts of the city.

Alex looked around and identified his destination.

A small two-story house that was quite familiar to Alex and Hermes.

He landed in front of the door and knocked. They didn't wait very long as a man shortly opened the door.

"You two, welcome back!" Behrouz greeted them as he saw Alex and Hermes.

However, when he saw Mithra, he jumped back in fright and stuttered, "L-lord M-Mithra?!"

Esfir, who was previously inside, also came to the door and asked Behrouz, "What's the commotion about?"

Yet, when she saw Mithra, she had a similar reaction and immediately kowtowed.

Following that, Mithra demanded them to stand up and they all entered inside. The two mortals were extremely fidgety and anxious in the presence of Mithra, and Esfir nervously asked, "L-l-Lord, what is Lord's purpose in our humble home..?"

Mithra cleared his throat and informed them, "I have been told you two would make for great Satraps(Monarchs) of Parthia."

Behrouz was drinking some tea, and the moment he heard that all of the tea spilled out.

Mithra, unbothered, continued, "Alex and Hermes, two of our allies from Olympus, have recommended you."

The couple stared at them and said, "You two are also gods....?"

Behrouz murmured to himself, "This must be the fate that mother always mentioned...."

Esfir kindly told them, "I don't think we're opposed to the idea, we're just overwhelmed, could you Lords give us some time to ponder on it?"

Mithra nodded.

After that, the three gods left the house and exited the city, halting under the shade of an unusually large tree.

Mithra suddenly advised them, "I think you two should immediately leave Parthia."

He carried on, "You've caught the attention of Angra Mainyu."

"Only Ahura Mazda or an extremely strong deity on the level of your chief can fight him off."

Alex thought it was reasonable and thanked Mithra for his advice.

Hermes still seemed sullen that he didn't inform him of his nocturnal adventure but they'd have to leave the explanations for later.

Afterward, they went back to the couple's house and the two accepted to become the rulers of Parthia.

A coronation ceremony was to be held in the afternoon under the direct observation of Mithra.

The two Olympians congratulated the new monarchs, bid their goodbyes to Mithra, and hastily left Ctesiphon, resuming their journey to the east.

"Alex?" Hermes called him Alex, which indicated that he was mad at him.

"H-Hermes...?" Alex replied and avoided the latter's eyes.

"You got into danger, didn't you?" Hermes lowered his eyebrows.

"No, I...-

"You could have notified me, Alex," Hermes stated coldly.

_________________________________________

They only stopped on a few cities in Parthia and swiftly exited Persia, entering into Bactria.

They were one step closer to their destination, and only a few stops were left before they'd reach China.

Bactria was under the rule of a Hellenic kingdom, so they expected that they would be treated better here than in Parthia.

However, as they entered into one of the cities, they noticed that the population was in utter chaos and anxiety.

In the center of the city, an acropolis towered over the rest of the population.

There was a ruined temple, and the signs of the destruction seemed new. Additionally, Alex perceived a statue that lacked a head outside of the destroyed temple.

Even though it didn't have a head, it was very clearly a statue of Zeus.

"Strange...." Alex remarked.

'Why does the wreckage look so new? Is it related to the state of the city?' Alex wondered.

The city's inhabitants were also not very cooperative and seemed preoccupied.

One local man told them, "The only thing we know is that misfortune and chaos have befallen our rulers, and rebels are destroying our land."

Hermes told him, "If I find that Alexander is related to this, I'll take him out of Elysium myself and directly escort him to Tartarus."

Alex chuckled.

The two moved from the small city to the northeast, towards a larger city by the name of Kabura.

Alex recognized the city as the predecessor to the capital of modern Afganistan, Kabul.

The trip was mostly over a hot and searing desert though the latter part of it had a milder climate thanks to the increased rainfall and the numerous rivers.

The city had a traditional circular design, and it spread out around a large statue in the center.

Alex recognized the statue as one depicting Siddartha Gautama, who was more commonly known as Buddha.

Hermes informed him, "That's the Buddha, he's probably the strongest individual in all of the eastern lands, but he doesn't interfere in any conflicts or wars."

Alex pretended he didn't know who he was and thanked Hermes.

However, he wasn't that surprised that Buddha existed.

'I think that monk I met back in Olep was Buddhist...' Alex thought back to his earlier days in Olympus.

They could also see several temples from here.

Alex and Hermes landed on the outskirts of Kabura and sneakily entered the city.

Strangely, the people inside gave the two strange looks.

'Here too??? I thought this was supposed to be a Hellenic kingdom...' Alex wondered why they received attention even in this place.

Suddenly, an extremely large chariot navigated through the street they were in.

Behind the chariot, a line of armed guards followed its every step. The chariot itself had a roof and a woman stood over the roof.

Alex noticed that she had western features, though it seemed like the intense sunlight had darkened her skin.

"It looks like a bigshot is coming, Alexei-boy," Hermes spoke and raised his eyebrows exactly once.

'With all of those guards, there's no doubt...' Alex nodded.

The woman held a wooden device similar to a megaphone, and it amplified her voice.

She was shouting out a speech to everyone in the streets.

"My people, we can vanquish the rebels if I get your help and support.!"

"My people, we can reclaim our rightful throne if you help out your queen!"

The people didn't have any reaction, and in fact, one man smirked and shouted, "Queen, I mean, Princess Nephis, your throne is already lost. You can't even live in the Satrapal Palace anymore."

When the man said that, the armed guards were about to charge at him but Nephis dissuaded them.

A heavy sigh was heard over her megaphone-like device, and she murmured in a tone that only deities like Alex and Hermes could hear.

"Perhaps it's time to give up."

The chariot navigated through the streets, however, the woman called Nephis didn't speak anymore.

When the chariot passed next to them, the woman took a glance at them and stared for an unusually long time.

She was staring at Hermes and didn't avert her eyes even as the chariot turned around to the next street.

"Do you know her, Hermes?"

"Not really."

Unexpectedly, a guard came running up to them.

He was catching his breath, and he looked at the two and said, "Queen Nephis requests your presence at the residence."

Alex was intrigued.

"Please follow me."