Chapter 1098
Four days later, in the morning, Hakkar and Hasdrubal, who had recovered from their cold and regained their spirits, left the mansion after breakfast. One sat in a sedan while the other walked, treading on the flat and sturdy streets towards the Senate.
Along the way, there were many people dressed in white robes with black stripes. They were obviously the senators who were going to attend the meeting. They walked in twos and threes, greeting each other with a smile. Those who were familiar with each other gradually gathered together, excitedly discussing the topic of the day. Some groups had already gathered more than ten people before they even reached the square. Hence, passersby would give way to them and greet them, receiving friendly responses from them.
Hakkar was a newcomer, and he was sitting in a sedan. Even though some senators cast curious glances at him from time to time, no one came up to him to ask questions.
Ever since Hasdrubal came to Turín, other than attending a banquet at the mansion of the Devers, he had not shown himself in public. Very few people knew who he was. It was only when they were about to reach the Grand Assembly Hall that someone happily greeted him.
Hasdrubal could not remember who that person was.
"I'm Antioka of Mazara," the person said with a smile.
Hasdrubal's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at the person's face. Remembering something, he said angrily, "It's you! You led the Mazarans to secretly open the city gates! — "
"Brother, as His Majesty said at the banquet, 'no discord, no concord'. The past is the past. Now, we are all citizens of Diónia, and we are all colleagues working together. We should be closer to each other!" Hakkar poked his head out of the sedan and reminded him.
"Lord Hakkar is right!" Antioka said with a relieved smile. "We are all Phoenicians, outsiders to Turín. We should help each other! Of course, I am very happy to listen to Lord Hakkar and Lord Hasdrubal's instructions. I believe the other Phoenician senators have the same idea. "
Hasdrubal snorted and turned his head away. He did not reply.
After attending the banquet in the palace last night and talking to the Devers, Hakkar already had an idea of what to do. He said calmly in the palanquin, "Thank you for your trust, Lord Antioka. I will do my best to live up to your trust!"
Antioka immediately smiled. Soon, he summoned several Phoenician senators from western Sicily and Sardinia.
When the other elders saw the Phoenician elders, who were usually ignored, gathered around a sedan chair, they more or less guessed the reason. They could not help but think more highly of the sickly new chairman.
Hasdrubal couldn't help but feel a little nervous when he saw the round building that looked like a giant egg. He and Hakka were going to enter from the side door because it was closer, but Antioka suggested, "Since this is the first time you and Hakka are attending a Senate meeting, you should enter from the front door. That way, you can show your presence."
Even Hasdrubal, who had a grudge against Antioka, had to admit that Antioka's suggestion made sense. They bypassed the senators lining up to enter through the side door and came to the front of the Grand Assembly Hall.
There were also senators lining up to enter. Hakkar stopped the sedan chair and walked out with the help of his servants. He stood in front of the steps and looked at the Victory Square and the towering memorial pillar in the center. The statue of the Goddess of Victory at the top was particularly dazzling under the light of dawn.
Although it was still morning, there were already many pedestrians in the square. Some were officials working in various departments near the square, some were peddlers working in the shops by the side of the square, some were preparing to go to the Supreme Court for hearings, and some were just taking a walk to relax in the square. There were also some children chasing and playing in the square with puppies. The patrolling team in velvet clothes did not stop them. Instead, they smiled and helped the children who fell to the ground up and patted the dust off them. It was a lively scene.
Hakkar looked for a while and sighed. "Victory Square is much bigger than Carthage's Square!"
Hasdrubal wanted to say, "But Carthage's Square is much more magnificent than this one."
But then he heard Antioka say, "It's really big! After that war, Turií held a triumphal parade. I was there to see it. This square can accommodate nearly 40,000 soldiers, which is equivalent to five legions. That scene was really shocking! "
Hasdrubal remained silent, but from his restless expression, he must be thinking about something.
"Hey, what's this?" Hakkar pointed curiously at the protruding platforms on both sides of the steps. The two platforms were connected to the main entrance of the Grand Assembly Hall. There was a fence on the platforms, and the stone walls of the platforms were welded with bronze protrusions. In between the protrusions, there were round shields, making the stone walls of the platforms look like they were made of bronze.
"This is the public podium of the Senate. It was remodeled three years ago. During major celebrations, important events, or the passage of important bills, His Majesty the King of Devers and the rotating chairmen will give speeches to the people here." Antioka looked at Hasdrubal, pointed at the bronze protrusions, and said, "And this is the bronze ram of the warship. It was unloaded from the captured Carthage's warship. And those bronze shields were also seized by the Dionysian Army in that war."
Antioka saw that Hasdrubal's expression was very ugly, and quickly added, "But most of them came from Rome. His Majesty the King of Devers once said, 'The reason why the podium is designed like this is not to show off military achievements, but to remind the people, and also to remind the senators, that it is not easy for Diónia to achieve what it is today. Everyone must always be vigilant, and remember that those who fight too much will die, and those who forget to fight will be in danger!' "
Hakkar carefully listened to these words, and then showed a look of admiration. He said, "His Majesty the King of Devers is indeed wise. I believe that under his leadership, the Kingdom of Diónia will become even more powerful!"
Hasdrubal finally could not help but say angrily, "If those idiots in the Senate of Carthage understood this, they would not have become like this today!"
Hakkar obviously did not want to talk about this. He looked at the senators in front of him, who were looking at him, and said softly, "Let's go, let's go and line up."
Antioka immediately said, "Lord Hakkar, you are the rotating chairman. You can enter the hall directly!"
Antioka deliberately spoke very loudly. The surrounding senators heard his voice, and immediately focused their attention on him. They began to whisper among themselves.
The ceremonial officer who was on duty at the main entrance quickly ran down the stairs, and said uncertainly, "Lord Hakkar?"
"I am." Hakkar nodded.
"Then please follow me." After saying this, the ceremonial officer turned around and walked up.
Hakkar turned back to look at his brother.
"Fortunately, I didn't make you line up here. If you fainted, it would be a joke. Hurry up." Hasdrubal waved his hand impatiently.
Hakkar slowly walked up the stairs under everyone's gaze. Then, he saw a golden pillar as tall as a person in front of him, facing the main entrance of the Grand Assembly Hall. There were some words engraved on the pillar. He walked closer to take a look. It was written in Greek: XX miles from Crotone, XX miles from Sirium, XX miles from Hadrumentum … and even XX miles from Ceci (the central city of southern Iberia).
"This is a milestone. It records the distance between the Victory Square and all the major cities in the kingdom," the ceremonial officer explained.
"Hmm, milestone. Very interesting." Hakkar patted the pillar lightly. He knew that Diónia was not Carthage. According to its unique system of government, the numbers on the pillar actually represented the distance and area that Diónia's power could cover. Impressive!
"Sir, please sign your name here." Arriving in front of the tall wooden door, the ceremonial officer held a wooden board in one hand and a white pen in the other as he spoke to Hakkar.
Hakkar saw that the time was marked at the top of the board, and that there were already some names written on it. Without hesitation, he wrote his name and then asked curiously, "Does every elder who attends the meeting need to sign?"
"Yes. This way, we will know which elders did not attend or were late, especially those who have no administrative appointment and should attend the meeting. If they are absent many times within a month, they will be criticized and punished by the Overwatch Council. Those who do not attend for a long time may even be stripped of their status as elders! … "
Hakkar nodded lightly, but in his heart, he was thinking: I and Hasdrubal, as elders of Diónia, have not been to the Senate for a few years. What should I do?
The ceremonial officer seemed to understand his thoughts and continued, "Previously, you and Sir Hasdrubal guarded the southern region of Iberia for a long time, and the situation was special. But now that you have returned to Turií, I hope that you will abide by the rules of the Senate in the future!"
"Of course!" Hakkar immediately replied solemnly.
Under the signal of the ceremonial officer, the guards made way for them to enter the door.
Hakkar followed the ceremonial officer in and then went up another flight of stone stairs. Soon, they arrived in front of the second wooden door. There were also guards stationed here, and they were politely searching the bodies of the elders who entered the door.
The ceremonial officer turned his head and said, "Sir, because there are often fierce arguments in the meeting hall, and when people are excited, there may be insults and even small conflicts … for the safety of the elders, this is a necessary inspection."
"I understand." The sickly Hakkar agreed with this. After calmly accepting the soldiers' search, he followed the ceremonial officer into the meeting hall.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Hakkar's gaze was immediately attracted by a large pure white chair carved from ivory in the center of the hall. It was placed firmly on a stone platform about two meters high, and the back of the chair was covered with brown lion skin. It proudly faced the countless wooden chairs surrounding it.
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