Chapter 1256
"I think you are hoping to be chosen by a Diónia princess so that you can become the son-in-law of the king of Diónia." His teammate snorted with dissatisfaction.
Not only did Sirithaus not refute, but he also whispered seriously, "Unfortunately, according to the news I heard, several princesses of the royal family of Diónia have already been married. There is no chance! However, it would be good if you could be chosen by the daughter of a minister of Diónia! I say you should also work hard and try to stay in the Kingdom of Diónia! "
Although women were forbidden to watch the Greek Games in the past, anecdotes of choosing husbands through the Games still happened occasionally, and it became a popular story. For example, the former tyrant of the Athens Games, Pisistratus, once asked his daughter to disguise herself and enter the Games to choose an ideal husband. Sirithaus was handsome, tall and well-proportioned, and it was indeed very likely that he would be favored by the women of Diónia.
The people next to him were also a little tempted and fell into a fantasy for a while.
"It seems that you are ready to perform well in tomorrow's race." Megachides put the plate on the table and sat opposite Sirithaus.
"Of course I will perform well, but I am not sure if I can advance to the next round." Sirithaus said these words in frustration, but his expression was very calm. "I have been observing in the training room these few days. The athletes sent by Athens Games, Thebes, Corinth, and Ellis are very strong this time. Fortunately, this time Diónia has completely changed the way of the Games, and everyone is not used to it. I still have a little chance.
And even if I am eliminated in the 100m race, I still have the 200m and 400m races. If I show my face in the field a few more times, the chances of being chosen by the ladies of Diónia will be much higher. "
Megachides was a little dissatisfied with Sirithaus' attitude of not trying his best to win, but focusing on how to win the hearts of the ladies of Diónia. However, Sirithaus was a noble after all, and he did not dare to criticize him, so he just buried his head in eating.
"I heard from the management of the stadium that Diónia will hold a grand ceremony tomorrow. It will be completely different from the previous opening ceremonies. I really want to see it as soon as possible!" Sirithaios' exclamation stunned Megakides. Yes, Diónia can provide such comfortable accommodation and sumptuous food for the athletes. What kind of surprise will it bring to all the athletes and the city-state representatives at tomorrow's ceremony?!
Megakides was also full of hope.
… …
The Hades Arena was the first arena built by Diónia. It was located in the center of the inner city of Turií and was the venue for the final of the Kingdom's rugby and football finals every year. To meet the growing demand of spectators, it had undergone several large-scale renovations and expansions, the most recent of which happened two years after the King of Devers announced the holding of the Games. Now, its architectural structure and appearance were very different from when it was first built decades ago.
The entire arena was almost a huge circle, with a height of about 42 meters and an area of more than 15,000 square meters. It could usually accommodate nearly 60,000 spectators. It was not only a sacred place in the eyes of the athletes and fans, but also one of the architectural wonders of the Turií region.
In the early morning of July 2, 365 BC (the 29th year of the Kingdom of Diónia), a bustling crowd gathered from all directions to the Hades Arena. At the same time, 69 entrances to the Hades Arena opened at the same time. Only one entrance was temporarily closed, and that was the passage for the members of the royal family.
Ticket inspectors and patrols were in place. Even the Turií City Hall had applied to the Ministry of Military Affairs for the transfer of four reserve brigades from the Turií barracks to help maintain order outside the arena.
Under the guidance of volunteers and guides, tens of thousands of spectators turned into a trickle and went to every entrance. Many spectators from all over Greece handed the tickets in their hands to the ticket checkers nervously. In the past, they never had to pay to watch the games held in Greece. This was the first time they had to buy tickets. They were both curious and nervous. Would such a strange piece of paper work?
But for the spectators of Diónia, buying tickets to watch the games was a natural thing. They had been doing this for decades. Every year, Turií and other regions of the kingdom depended on the ticket money alone to bring a lot of income to the City Hall. The tickets this time were made with a thick, fine, blue paper newly developed by the Cristoya Chamber of Commerce. It was almost impossible for anyone to forge the tickets. It took dozens of scribes of the Chamber of Commerce nearly a month just to write down the game, venue, date, and seat number on all the tickets.
The ticket inspector mainly checked the authenticity of the tickets and whether the information on the tickets had been altered. After everything was confirmed, he would invite the spectators to enter the arena with a smile.
After the spectators passed through the entrance, they had to go to the designated floor on the ticket, and then hand the ticket inspector at the entrance of the floor again before they could enter the auditorium. There were four floors in the Hades Arena, and the price of each floor was different. The first floor was mainly provided for the elders, ministers, VIPs, and citizens and heroes who had made outstanding contributions to the kingdom. There were no seats on the fourth floor, and it was the cheapest.
"Why is it so troublesome to enter the auditorium?!" Iphicrates found his seat according to the seat number on the ticket. As soon as he sat down, he began to complain, "I thought the people of Athens were very calculative, but I didn't expect the people of Diónia to be even more stingy than us. I've never heard of charging fees to watch the games!"
Calistratus, who sat next to him, said a few words of justice for Diónia. "It's understandable. They provide free accommodation and food to all the emissary delegations and athletes. It costs a lot of money, so it's understandable that they want to earn some money by selling tickets. I've asked the ticket inspector when I entered the arena, and the price of the tickets is not high. The cheapest one is only three Drachmas, and the most expensive one is only ten Drachmas (the tickets for the emissary delegations are given by the City Hall of Turií, so there's no need to pay). Even the poor should be able to afford it. "
"It's cheap, but look at how many people can sit here! After this game, Diónia can earn at least hundreds of thousands or even millions of Drachmas, and how many games do they have to hold in the entire Olympic Games … Diónia can earn a huge fortune just by hosting the games! "Iphicrates counted with his fingers, estimating the income of Diónia's games.
"Why, are you tempted?" Calistratus said jokingly, "Do you want to suggest in the council to learn from Diónia and start charging fees in the future Pan- Athens Games?"
Iphicrates thought about it carefully, then shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. Let's not talk about the fact that the Pan- Athens Games don't have a tradition of charging fees, and the people won't be able to accept it. Not to mention that our arena is open to the public, and it's difficult to restrict people from entering and leaving. "
"If we want to build such a huge and complicated arena in Athens, the funds and manpower alone are already unbearable, not to mention the construction technology it requires is probably something we don't have now."
Calistratus scanned the entire venue with a cautious gaze, and finally sighed, "Even if we build such an arena, the number of spectators it can accommodate far exceeds the number of citizens in Athens (the number of citizens in Athens is generally maintained at 4,000 to 5,000), and I'm afraid it'll take a long time to earn back the profits. Therefore, such a huge building, such a charging method … Only a big country with a strong national power and a huge population like Diónia can implement it!"
Iphicrates was silent. He was previously dissatisfied with Diónia. As the adopted son of the former King of Macedonia, Amyntas, he wanted to lead troops to help during the Macedonian rebellion four years ago. However, he was dissuaded by the General Executive Committee of Athens, and had no choice but to seek help from the leader of the Greek Alliance, Diónia. In the end, when Diónia sent troops, his sworn brother, Alexander, had already died in battle. Moreover, after Diónia quelled the rebellion, they did not allow Macedonia to join the Greek Alliance. Instead, they formed an alliance with Macedonia alone … Iphicrates believed that the people of Diónia had selfish motives.
Neither he nor Calistratus had been to Turií before. This time, as a member of the emissary delegation from Athens, they had truly witnessed the power and prosperity of Diónia, which was far from what Athens could compare to. Some of the thoughts hidden in their hearts had basically been dispelled. At this moment, he still said with some dissatisfaction, "The key still depends on whether Diónia can organize the sports meeting well. Otherwise, no matter how good the arena is, it's useless!"
Calistratus more or less understood the mentality of his colleague. For a period of time after the end of the Greek war, he was also dissatisfied. However, as Diónia's position as the hegemon of Greece became more and more stable, more and more Ionian city-states (islands in the Aegean Sea) joined the Greek Alliance, and Athens's path of expansion from the sea had been blocked. Due to the alliance with Diónia, Athens's trade channels had been greatly expanded. The domestic market was more prosperous, and the commercial taxes had increased significantly. The treasury was also richer, and the citizens were enjoying the peace and comfort. The situation had changed, and Calistratus had also given up on the idea of going against Diónia.
He did not continue on this topic. Instead, he pointed to the side and said in surprise, "Look, Agesilaus is here too! I thought he would not participate in this sports meeting. "
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