Chapter 1077
Plesinas placed the first plank on the table, and Hennepolis immediately exclaimed, "What a mighty God Hades!"
On the plank was a drawing of a black-haired, long-bearded Hades. He stood upright with his head held high, his right hand holding a sharp three-pronged pitchfork, and his left hand holding a scale for judging good and evil. He wore a black cloak, his eyes were bright, and his expression was solemn. He was truly awe-inspiring!
After all, this was not a painting but a statue to be cast. There was also a heavy base designed under Hades' feet so that he could stand steadily on the top of the mountain. There was also a number on the upper left corner of the plank: The statue and the base were 14 meters high, 2.5 meters wide, and the estimated cost of bronze # tons. (Statues placed outside the temple naturally could not be made of wood. After all, they were easily damaged by the wind and rain. They were often made with a certain degree of softness.)
"It is indeed a very good design!" Dyvers praised from the bottom of his heart.
"This is Miliktos' design," Plesinas added.
Devers nodded. He knew that Miliktos was a famous sculptor in the kingdom and was now in charge of the casting of the statue in the main temple.
Then Devers looked at a few more planks. They were also good works, but the design was roughly the same.
Devers rubbed his eyes, feeling a little visually tired. At this time, he heard Plesinas say, "Your Majesty, there is another design here. Our priests unanimously opposed it, but I think this work is very special, so I would like to ask you to take another look."
"Oh? What kind of design caused you to disagree?! "Devers was curious.
When Plesinas placed the plank on the table, everyone's eyes were attracted to it. On the plank, they saw Hades holding a pitchfork in his right hand and a soul about to be punished in his left hand, who was kowtowing and begging for mercy. Hades' left foot was behind and his right foot was in front. His whole body was slightly hunched and he slightly lowered his head, looking at the soul in his left hand with a look of pity on his face. Under his left foot was the three-headed dog Cerberus, but it did not look ferocious. Instead, it stretched out its head like a domestic dog and licked Hades' left hand …
It was no wonder that the priests did not like this design. The designer made Hades look more like a kind old man, thus lacking the majestic divinity.
Even Heniboris and Aristiras who were present were surprised by the designer's boldness.
After all, King Devers was a descendant of Hades. He was worried that such a bold design would anger the king, and he would be implicated.
The atmosphere in the office was both quiet and strange …
At this time, Devers asked quietly, "Plesinas, why did you insist on leaving this design despite the opposition of the other priests?"
"Your Majesty … because I feel a sense of closeness when I see this work. I think if it is erected on the top of the mountain, the believers will also feel a sense of closeness when they see it …" After listening to the Devers' question, Plesinas had an idea in his heart, so he said truthfully, "I remember when you made me the priest of Hades, you said, 'Hades is not cold and gloomy. It is precisely because he cares about humans that he chose to stick to Underworld Purgatory …' You also warned us, 'As the priest of Hades, we must care passionately about believers and not be aloof. We must take the initiative to help them solve their difficulties …' I think this design is in line with your requirements, Your Majesty!"
"Well said!" Devers praised loudly, "You are worthy of being the Scepter Priest of Hades!"
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty!" Plesinas responded calmly. When he was young, he was a radical person who would do anything to achieve his goals. When he first became the priest of Hades, it was not his own will. However, after so many years of studying the Holy Bible, he was influenced by it day and night. His body and mind gradually changed, and he became more humble, easy-going, and compassionate.
"If such a statue of Hades is erected on the top of the mountain, every citizen of the kingdom who sees it will deeply feel that there is such a benevolent god protecting the kingdom. It will make them feel warm and at ease! At the same time, it will also remind us to always care about our citizens! "Devers pressed on the wooden board and said solemnly.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Plesinas and the two priests, Heniboris and Aristiras, all looked solemn. Now, they were sure that Devers had chosen this design.
"Eh, why is there no base in the design of this statue?" Heniboris suddenly discovered a problem. "The creator must have neglected this. According to the data indicated on it, it is also 14 meters tall, and its body is leaning forward. If there is no base, it will easily collapse."
"I specifically asked the creator about this, and he told me that this statue does not need a base. It can stand very steadily." Plesinas pointed at the wooden board and explained seriously, "He called this a three-point support. Look, the double thighs and the right foot of Hades that is moving forward act as a fulcrum, and the left foot that is falling behind acts as another fulcrum —"
"Where is the last fulcrum?" Heniboris looked at the drawing on the wooden board and was a little confused.
"It should be the three-headed dog. He raised his head and licked Hades' left arm, which is actually connected to the statue as another fulcrum on the left. Moreover, this statue is in a bent posture, which lowers its center of gravity. With a stable support, the statue will be even more stable. The designer's idea is very ingenious!" Devers praised.
"Your Majesty saw the crux of the problem at a glance. I didn't really understand at that time, but fortunately, he prepared a small wooden sculpture that was exactly the same as the statue and showed it to me. It is indeed very stable. And look at this, Your Majesty! "Plesinas pointed at the lower right corner of the wooden board.
"This is the position … What does this number refer to?" Devers looked at it and was a little puzzled.
"Your Majesty, this is the latest writing method of the Pythagorean School of Tarantum to express the position and angle. According to the designer, the statue should be erected on the edge of the cliff in the southwest direction of the main temple, 68 meters away from the temple. The front of the statue should be 30 degrees from the central axis of the main temple. In this way, after the statue is completed, it will overlook most of the city and be able to reflect the sunlight to the greatest extent during the day, so that ships entering and leaving the Krati Estuary can see the flash of the statue!" When he said the last sentence, Plesinas was a little excited.
"It seems that the designer is really very attentive and has considered all aspects of the problem!" Devers's heart moved, and he asked, "From what you just said, he is from Tarantum? A disciple of the Pythagorean School of Tarantum? What's his name? "
"Your Majesty, the designer is called Alekson, a clansman of the former Tarantum consul Archita, and a student of the leader of the Pythagorean School, Lycis. He is only 21 years old …" Plesinas introduced in detail.
How could a mathematician design such an excellent sculpture?! This did not surprise everyone in the room because many scholars in this era studied multiple fields of knowledge. Although mathematics and art seemed to have nothing to do with each other, the Pythagorean School had long used mathematics to discover the golden point of sculpture and painting, thus creating their unique aesthetics. This was something that everyone knew.
Alekson … Archita … When Devers heard this name that he had not heard for a long time, he was a little absent-minded for a moment. Then, he remembered the rude young man that his daughter kept talking about at home, and he could not help but smile. "Although he is young, he is able to design such an excellent statue. It can be seen that he is very talented. He can be responsible for the casting of the statue, and you will be responsible for supervising and assisting him in completing it."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Plesinas finally breathed a sigh of relief.
… …
The arrest of Servius, Frius, Aulus, and the others by the Turiyi Patrol quickly began. As the people's attention was focused on the matter of the army heading to the border to defend, it didn't cause much of a stir.
At the same time, the officers of the Slave Management Office came to the Turís slave camp to reward Maximus, the meritorious person of this incident.
When the person in charge of the camp, Icarus, knew about it, he made a request. "Can you wait until the task of providing stones to the main temple is over before announcing this matter? Because Maximus is an excellent slave captain, the team he leads is very efficient in quarrying."
The officer only said one sentence. "This is an order personally issued by His Majesty, and it needs to be carried out immediately!"
Icarus did not dare to say anything more.
This morning, after the slaves had breakfast, all of them gathered in the square. The officer of the Slave Management Office announced the order in public: Brutus Maximus was granted freedom.
Countless slaves cast envious looks at Maximus, and Maximus was hit by this sudden happiness. For a moment, he was in a trance, and a voice repeatedly echoed in his mind: I am free! I am finally free! …
Until someone's gaze pierced him like a sharp sword, causing him to suddenly feel pain.
Gaius, a compatriot who was once very close to him, now looked at him as if he was looking at an enemy. This was because the order announced by the officer was very clear. "Since Maximus bravely exposed the conspiracy of some people from Rome to destroy the order of the kingdom, and maintained the stability of the kingdom … I hope that everyone will learn from Maximus. As long as you sincerely protect the kingdom, the kingdom will not ignore your contribution! … "
"Maximus, you traitor!" Gaius roared angrily and rushed forward, wanting to beat Maximus up.
Maximus did not refute, nor did he resist. He allowed Gaius to grab him, but Gaius' fist did not go down because the surrounding slaves hugged him.
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