Chapter 1097
Originally, according to the etiquette of the Kingdom of Diónia, the Devers were going to wait for Hakkar to finish saluting before saying some words of comfort. However, he didn't expect Hakkar's first words to make him freeze, and he casually said, "My student?"
Hakkar looked at the Devers with admiration and said sincerely, "Yes, Your Majesty. The Kingdom of Diónia that you've created and the system of government that you've taken the lead in formulating have fascinated me. I've been studying it all this time, and I've even used some of my insights to govern the southern part of Iberia from time to time. However, there are still many inadequacies, so I've come to Turín this time to learn from you! "
Heniboris, who had followed closely behind, heard this and couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Hakkar, you don't seem to like talking much, but when you start talking, you're actually so good at flattering!"
The Devers smiled happily and stepped forward to hold Hakkar's hands, saying, "You've managed the southern part of Iberia very well, especially the strategies that you've implemented for the various Iberian tribes in your territory. You're very unique, and it's worth us learning from you! So, as a teacher … I don't dare to be called that. You're very talented in handling government affairs, and you can completely take charge!
It's just that the affairs of the kingdom are complicated now, and there are many problems that need to be solved urgently. I'm also having a headache, so everyone and I are looking forward to seeing you! I believe that with your participation and brainstorming with us, we'll be able to come up with more creative resolutions and bring the governance of the kingdom to a higher level! "
Hakkar immediately replied, "I'm very willing to come to Turín and do my part for the kingdom!"
"Good! Good! " The Devers smiled and patted his hands, looking at him with concern. "However, before I give you more burdens, I have to nurse your body back to health first. Otherwise, if you fall ill, Dido will come looking for me!"
In the eyes of the Devers, Hakkar's body was extremely thin, and his face was dark and gloomy. He looked completely sickly, and he wasn't even 30 years old yet. This made the Devers feel fearful.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for taking care of Dido these past few years!" Hakkar expressed his gratitude again.
"Hey, I haven't thanked your family for raising such a good daughter-in-law for me! Not only is Diduo beautiful and virtuous, but she is also smart and capable. She has also given birth to a lovely grandson for our family. The whole family likes her very much! … "
The people around them smiled kindly. When they saw the two of them chatting, they suddenly realized that although it was the first time Hakkar had come to Turií, he was a relative of the King of Devers. Seeing that he was getting along so well with His Majesty, they might have to change their attitude when interacting with him in the future.
"Herpes!" Devers suddenly shouted behind him.
Medical Minister Helpes responded immediately.
"I'll leave Hakka's treatment and recuperation to you. You have to visit him personally to ensure his health!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Hakkar was a little frightened and immediately said, "Your Majesty, this... Helpes is an important minister of the kingdom and a famous doctor respected by the people. How can I trouble him with a small illness like mine... and waste his precious time! — "
"I'm a doctor. How can treating a patient be considered a waste of time!" Helpes walked forward and carefully looked at Hakkar. He worriedly suggested to Devers, "Your Majesty, Master Hakkar doesn't look too good. He might be too tired from the long journey. I suggest that he return to his residence to rest as soon as possible so that he can recover his energy!"
Devers already had this thought, and after Helpes' reminder, they agreed with him even more. They immediately said cautiously, "You're right! How about this, Hakkar? Go back to your new residence and rest. At the same time, let Helpes treat you. After you've recovered, you can slowly familiarize yourself with the senators during the Senate meeting. "
"Your Majesty, I'm still in good health. There's nothing wrong with me. I want to take this opportunity to get to know my colleagues!" Hakkar didn't want to leave in a hurry without greeting and thanking the senators who had come to greet him, so he quickly expressed his stance.
"Master Hakkar, don't force yourself. Your health is very important to the kingdom!" Senate chairman Lucius hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty has always been very concerned about the health of the senators. Everyone will understand. Don't worry, we'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to slowly get to know each other. "
"But …" Hakkar still wanted to object.
Devers straightforwardly said to Henneporis, "Let's do it this way. Send Master Hakkar to his residence first … Oh, right, where's Hasdrubal?"
"He … Hmm, he drank too much and is sleeping on the ship. I didn't want to disturb Your Majesty, so I didn't wake him up …" Hakkar braced himself and said.
Devers obviously saw something fishy going on, but he didn't expose it. Instead, he said with some concern, "Since that's the case, don't wake him up. When you've all rested and recovered your energy, I'll set up a banquet in the palace to welcome you! I heard that Hasdrubal loves to drink. I have the best wine and beer in the western Mediterranean, and there are many military senators who are good drinkers attending. I'll definitely let him drink to his heart's content! "
… …
In order to welcome Hakkar's arrival, the Devers and the Senate put in a lot of effort, such as preparing a residence for him. Logically speaking, there was no space in the inner city to build a residence for a senator, and some of the senators who joined the kingdom later lived near the outer city. This time, the Senate specially put up a notice on the bulletin board in front of the Grand Assembly Hall, buying houses from the citizens of the inner city and promising great discounts. However, very few people responded. In the end, it was Sostatus, a merchant from the Turií Chamber of Commerce, who transferred the residence left behind by his father, Cunogorata, to the Senate in exchange for a piece of public land in the outer city and the approval of the Devers.
The Ministry of Construction specially sent people to carefully renovate the residence. When Hakkar, Hasdrubal, and the others arrived in Turií, they immediately moved into their new residence.
Just as Helpes had predicted, Hakkar had been on a boat for a long time, and this morning, he had forced himself to look at the entire city of Turií from the Krati River. He had been exposed to the river breeze for a long time, but as soon as he entered the residence, he fell ill. Helpes brought medical staff with him to diagnose and treat him.
At dusk, Helpes rushed to the Devers' residence.
"Master Hakkar has been exposed to the river breeze for a long time, which is why he has caught a cold. I've already given him medicine, and I believe that after the fever subsides, he will get better in a day or two …" Helpes reported.
"Fortunately, you reminded me in time today!" The Devers temporarily heaved a sigh of relief. He knew very well that Hakkar had just arrived in Turií, and nothing could go wrong! Otherwise, the Iberian citizens and the Phoenicians from other regions would have bad guesses. For example, Hakkar was in good condition in Iberia, but when he arrived in Turií, he was bedridden. This must be the work of the King of Diónia and the senators! …
"Your Majesty." With a worried expression, Helpes continued, "After examining Master Hakkar's body, I discovered that the reason why he is weak and sickly is because he has a heart disease … His heart sounds very loud and very noisy, very similar to many patients with heart diseases I've treated in the past … We've obtained your consent and the consent of the patients' families. Under the witness of God Hades, we've dissected a few patients with this heart disease who eventually died of illness. We discovered that their hearts are slightly different from the hearts of ordinary people. The places that should be sealed are missing, and the places that shouldn't be sealed are sealed … Moreover, they seem to have this problem since birth, so I …"
"So, you named it 'primary heart disease'. I've heard a series of lectures about this in the past few years at the Scholar Conference. This is a very remarkable discovery!" Devers praised, but there was still a layer of gloom between his brows. He asked straightforwardly, "As far as I know, 'primary heart disease' can't be treated. So, based on Hakkar's current physical condition, how long do you think he can live for?"
"Your Majesty, based on our current level of medical skills, it is indeed impossible to treat this disease. In fact, we discovered that there should be many types of 'primary heart disease', and we're currently working hard to classify them bit by bit through dissection … This is a very long process. But according to our statistics and observations of these patients, as long as they can live past the age of 20, their heart disease is usually relatively mild. As long as their living conditions are good, they don't engage in excessive labor, and they can receive treatment in time, their lifespan will be relatively long … "
"That's good! That's good! " Devers's brows relaxed, and his entire body relaxed. He said in a gentle tone, "You've worked hard, Helpes. I'll leave Hakkar's long-term treatment and nursing to you."
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although we can't cure this disease, we can still delay Master Hakkar's symptoms!" Helpes said confidently.
"It's getting late. Have dinner at my place tonight."
"Your Majesty, I received an urgent message from the hospital on my way here. They've received a patient with a serious condition, and the symptoms are very strange. I need to rush to the hospital to consult with this patient."
"Alright, then I won't keep you."
Helpes bowed respectfully, turned around, and prepared to leave.
Devers saw that Helpes was a little hunched over, and his hair was white. His gait was slightly trembling, and he looked very old. Devers was very touched, and he couldn't help but say, "Helpes, you have to take care of yourself! I can't leave you, just like 20 years ago in Persia … "
Helpes' body trembled slightly. He turned around and bowed respectfully to Devers again. Just like how he always responded to Devers's instructions 20 years ago, he said, "Yes, teacher!"
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