Chapter 1269
After a long time, the Devers's expression became resolute. "When I defeat Persia and return in triumph, I will abdicate, and you will take over as the second king of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia!"
Cloto Catax was shocked when he heard this. "Father, you are hale and hearty, healthy, and have never been seriously ill. The doctor said that you can live for more than a hundred years. Why do you suddenly say that you want to abdicate?! Please dispel this absurd idea. I will never agree to it! … "
He was very emotional and even a little frightened. He almost knelt down to the Devers.
The Devers looked at him kindly and comforted him. "My son, I know you are very filial, but this idea of mine is not a spur of the moment. I have been thinking about it for a long time …"
The Devers reached out again and gently pressed his son's broad shoulders. He said with emotion, "I went from a poor mercenary to the king of the powerful Mediterranean Kingdom. In addition to the protection of Hades, I relied on hard work — persistent hard work! From being afraid of battle to personally leading the soldiers to charge, from not knowing about war to knowing about war, from being unfamiliar with political affairs to being familiar with the big and small problems of the kingdom … For more than 30 years, I did not dare to relax for even a moment. I always reminded myself that I must work hard! I must work hard! Otherwise, everything I have achieved before will be for naught! Now that the political situation of the kingdom is stable, and the great cause of unifying the Mediterranean Sea is about to be completed, I have nothing to worry about! "
The Devers used his other hand to massage his thigh and said softly, "You think that I am in good health, but that is all an illusion. In the past few years, I often can't eat because of stomach pain, and the joints of my shoulders and knees often hurt … These are all problems left from the previous battles. I am old … Not only do I lack energy, but my memory is also declining. I often fall asleep when I am reviewing documents, and sometimes I forget some important things … "
As Cloto Catax listened, he felt sad. With red eyes, he said eagerly, "Father, you don't have to work as hard as before. I have grown up, and I can share a lot of things with you. You just need to continue to control the direction of the kingdom! There's no need — "
Devers interrupted him with a smile, "Clotho, I have worked hard for most of my life, and I really want to live a simple and leisurely life. I want to chat and laugh with my old friends without any worries, and I want to travel around the world without any worries. I want to see Athens, Sparta, Carthage, Byzantium … Of course, I want to bring your two mothers with me … After so many years, how can I not know that your mothers worry about me day and night every time I go to war? How could I not know that I've been dealing with political affairs in the palace until late at night? Your mothers have been waiting for me … "
Devers said emotionally, "I owe them a lot. I want to use the rest of my life to make it up to them. Clotho, will you give me this opportunity?"
"Father …" Cloto Catax hesitated.
Devers smiled freely and said seriously, "The reason why I want to abdicate is also to set an example for our Hades Devers Family. When people get old, their thoughts tend to become rigid, conservative, and stubborn. This is nothing for ordinary people, but for a kingdom, this is not conducive to the development of the kingdom!
Let the heir ascend the throne earlier and accumulate more experience. If there are any problems, the father and son can still discuss it. This is beneficial to the whole kingdom … There has never been a kingdom that has never been prosperous. Let the successor have more experience, and there will be fewer muddle-headed people. Our Hades Devers Family may be able to persist longer … "
"Perhaps this is just a naive idea of mine." Dyvers smiled again and said earnestly, "It's better for us to focus on what's in front of us. Even if Persia is defeated by us in the future and the kingdom controls the entire Mediterranean Sea, there will still be a lot of problems that Dionia will face. Just like how you've always been worried about how to change Dionia's national policy of establishing a kingdom through military force, how to make the kingdom develop more stably, how to make the forces of the entire Mediterranean Sea more and more integrated into the kingdom without splitting up …
Also, even without Persia and Carthage as opponents, the kingdom will have many enemies in the future, such as the Gauls living in the vast territory north of the Alps, and the more savage and fierce Germanic living in the jungle north of the Gauls … These problems need to be faced by you. Some of these problems will even continue to the next generation of Chris, or even further. So don't worry, take it slow … "
"Father —" Cloto Catax was so excited that he wanted to say something.
Devers waved his hand again to interrupt him. "Well, we've been out long enough. It's time to go back to the banquet. Don't let everyone worry! Remember, this matter must be kept a secret! "
Cloto Catax's heart was filled with all kinds of emotions. In the end, he could only squeeze out a cry of grievance. "Yes …"
Devers stood up and pushed the door of the study open. Looking at the dark night outside, he seemed to be relieved of a heavy burden. He said in a relaxed tone, "For the next few days, let's enjoy the sports while waiting for the news from Afrika."
… …
The exciting performance on the first day of the Dionysian Games had ignited the passion of the participants and spectators. The following matches were in full swing. To the people of Tuliyi, it was as if they were participating in a celebration every day. They would cheer crazily at the side of the arena, and after the matches, they would drink and celebrate in the restaurants …
But in this festive atmosphere, the ordinary people had no idea that the Egyptian emissary delegation had encountered a storm at sea. No one knew that on the second morning of the opening ceremony, the King of Devers had called Aristiras, the director of the Intelligence Department, to the study of his mansion for a secret meeting.
On the fifth day of the competition, the individual archery final was being held in the archery stadium in the west of Turín. The finalists were Megakides of Crete and Stasippus of the Turín region of Diónia.
Both sides had completed the required three rounds, a total of nine arrows, and were waiting for the referee to calculate the results.
In fact, after every round, the target announcer would bring over the round wooden board with the arrows and show it to the contestants and the audience to show the fairness of the competition. Therefore, both the contestants and the audience had a rough idea of the results of the competition. But when the referee announced loudly, "Megakides of Crete, 86 points; Stasippus of Turín, 86 points!", the audience sighed with regret, but then they applauded enthusiastically.
When the archery competition had just started, there were not many spectators. More than half of the audience came to watch the event out of curiosity, which had never been seen in other games. Many of them even had no choice but to buy tickets to the archery stadium to experience the real atmosphere of the games because they could not buy tickets to other games.
However, the ingenious setting of the archery competition schedule by the preparatory team, as well as the unique quiet and exciting competition style of archery compared to other competitive sports, gradually attracted a large number of fans. By the time the final round came, it was already difficult to get a ticket.
"The two sides are tied, so there will be an extra round!" As soon as the referee's voice trailed off, the audience began to cheer. Of course, they were happy to have more games, and most of the audience were cheering for Stasippus. After all, Stasippus was a Turín. Among the few who were cheering for Megakides, Sirithaios cheered the loudest.
Sirithaios was eliminated in the semi-final of the 100m sprint the day before yesterday. He did not have much confidence in winning the championship, but he was not too depressed. On the contrary, because of his eye-catching performance a few days ago, there were people who approached him in private, expressing their desire to marry their daughters to him.
However, none of these people were citizens of Diónia. The reason was simple: most of the young women of Diónia had received orthodox education from Diónia schools since childhood. Most of them were knowledgeable, intelligent, and open-minded women. Handsome faces and strong bodies were not enough to fully attract them. Moreover, the current trend in Diónia was to revere heroes on the battlefield, honest and capable officials, and knowledgeable scholars. Sirithaios was not even a citizen of Diónia. He was just a Greek from a barren island. The young women of Diónia had become the overlord of the Greek world, so they were extremely proud. Therefore, they would not consider this aspect at all.
Sirithaios was jumping and shouting in the audience, but it did not affect Megakides at all. His attention was on his opponent. He was an elderly citizen of Diónia, but he did not look fat at all. Instead, he was burly and well-proportioned, with short hair and a pair of sharp eyes. He looked calm and capable.
Noticing that Megakides was looking at him, the Turín player named Stasippus turned his head and smiled at him. There was a kind of grace in his gestures, which made Megakides a little impressed.
"The extra round begins. Both contestants, please get ready!" The referee's voice brought Megakides back to his senses. He took an arrow from the staff next to him and put it on the bowstring. Then, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The distracting thoughts in his mind were expelled along with his breath. He slowly raised the bow and pulled the bowstring. When his right arm was slightly above his shoulder, and his left hand pulled the bowstring to his ear, he stopped all his movements, like a statue, completely still.
The experienced audience held their breath at this moment, and the entire archery stadium became unusually quiet.
After a while, they heard "Whoosh! Whoosh! … "Two bowstrings sounded one after another, and two arrows were shot out.
Megakides didn't pay attention to the situation of the hit. Instead, he calmly took another arrow and nocked it on the bowstring.
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