Chapter 1273
"That's why you refused?"
"Impossible!" Sostatus' eyes widened. "Those officials from the Ministry of Commerce were ordered by the Consul to negotiate with me! Cloto Catax, he's the next king. How could I refuse? I've been busy convincing those unreasonable fellows in the Turín Chamber of Commerce for the past two days. My mouth is dry, but I've finally managed to get them to make some concessions … "
"Even though you've suffered some losses, you've made the Consul remember you. Furthermore, the Ministry of Commerce owes you a huge favor. I think it'll be more beneficial to your business in the future!" Pebaricius said enviously.
"Who knows what will happen in the future? His Majesty the Devers has known about me for a long time, but I still have to work hard to develop myself." Sostatus shrugged and mocked himself. He then looked at Pebaricius. "I'm envious of your Chamber of Commerce. Unlike us, you don't have to deal with so many troubles. Not only will your profits increase greatly during the Sports Meet, but you'll also receive good reviews from everyone!"
"Our profits increase greatly?!" Pebaricius shook his head. "I'm afraid you haven't ridden in our Chamber of Commerce's carriage recently. Don't you know that the demand for carriages is extremely high? We're charging the same fees as usual, but it's more tiring than usual, especially for athletes and foreign VIPs. We have to work from dawn to dusk to pick them up in time … This is what we agreed upon with the Ministry of Commerce beforehand."
At this point, Pebaricius' expression became extremely solemn. "However, as citizens of Turín and Diónia, we should contribute at this crucial time. As long as the Kingdom can successfully host the Sports Meet, it'll be our pride!"
"That's right! That's right! " He knew very well that many officers who had been in the regular army for a long time, even if they were retired, would speak in a similar manner. He quickly changed the topic and called Hesklaus over. "Let me introduce you to a friend, Hesklaus. He's a merchant from Peleus who's been working with me for a long time."
Then, he introduced Hesclaus to Hesclaus. "You're talking about an important person! His father was one of the founders of the Diónia Cavalry Regiment, a famous hero of the kingdom! He used to be an officer of the First Cavalry Legion of Diónia and has made great achievements in battle. Now, he's in charge of the huge Turín Carriage Chamber of Commerce. All of you will have to listen to his commands when you're in Turín! "
Hesclaus immediately bowed respectfully, "Lord Pebaricius, it is my honor to meet you!"
Upon hearing the word 'Peleus', Pebaricius' heart skipped a beat. Ever since the Greek War, many of the upper class in Turii knew that King Dyvers was born in Peleus of Thessaly. So, he hurriedly supported Hesclaus and asked with interest, "Don't listen to Sostatus's bragging. I'm just a merchant like you. What do you do?"
"Hesclaus and I are partners in the pottery business. The 'Athens Pottery Shop' in the Turií market is his property." Sostatus continued, "Before the sports competition, His Majesty even personally sent someone to the shop to order pottery!"
"Did His Majesty receive you?" Pebaricius looked at Hesclaus, his eyes shining with desire.
"No … Not yet …" Hesclaus lowered his eyes guiltily.
"Although he didn't, His Majesty knows everything. That's why he sent Lord Ribazot to personally deliver the order to the shop," Sostatus interrupted with a smile.
Pebaricius pondered for a moment and smiled as well, "Since His Majesty has taken a fancy to your pottery, it means that the quality of your pottery is very good. If there's time, I'll introduce the members of our Chamber of Commerce to buy your pottery."
Hesclaus thanked him profusely.
Although Sostatus's expression was calm, he was actually quite happy. Over the past few days, he had successfully promoted Hesclaus' pottery to many of the upper class through this method in various arenas.
"Father, the competition is about to begin!" Lirias's urging voice came from behind.
Amidst the noise of the audience, the three of them, like the rest of the audience, soon saw that King Dyvers, who was wearing a golden crown, was standing on the railing of the royal stand. His right hand, which was stretched out in the air, was holding a red cloth, which was unusually eye-catching. Suddenly, he let go of his right hand, and the red cloth fluttered to the ground …
The eight starting gates on the east side of the arena sprang open at the same time under the effect of a mechanism, and eight chariots dashed out.
The entire arena immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
The 32 horses, who had been impatient for a long time, raised their hooves with all their might. The wheels spun rapidly, and the chariots rumbled forward. Eight fully-equipped drivers pulled the reins tightly with one hand and raised the whip with the other. They shouted loudly and whipped the horses at the same time. The reason why they let the horses gallop forward from the beginning was mainly to get a good position.
The eight starting gates were distributed in a fan shape, and their positions had a greater impact on the starting position of the racing cars. The position closest to the middle of the arena (the strip of separation) was the most advantageous, and the position closest to the audience was the worst. Although the Diónia Games emphasized fair competition, it was inevitable that there would be favoritism. This was human nature. For example, the racing cars of the Turií region were arranged in the starting gate closest to the middle of the arena. Based on their relationship with the kingdom, they were: Bruti, Po River, Western Numibia, Egypt, Thebes, and Macedonia. Cyrenaica was the outermost. After all, it and Diónia were only friendly neighbors, not allies.
Therefore, as soon as the race began, the eight racing cars rushed to the track at lightning speed. Soon, the front and back were separated, and the Turií contestant, Procris, took the lead.
When Soberks died in battle, Procris was only a child, but Soberks had laid a solid foundation for his family. His carriage shop had more than a dozen carriages and dozens of employees. He was already the president of the newly established Turií Carriage Chamber of Commerce and had a good reputation throughout Diónia (at that time, the kingdom had not been established, it was just an alliance, and the territory included was not large).
After his death, his eldest son, Pebaricius, did not pay much attention to the carriage business at first. Instead, he dedicated his passion to cavalry, so he was promoted to the captain of the First Cavalry Regiment at a young age. Unfortunately, he was unlucky. During the battle of Wolsey, he was injured and fell off his horse. Unfortunately, his leg was trampled by the horse, causing him to be permanently disabled. He had no choice but to retire and devote all his energy to the carriage business. Since he was a retired veteran and had meritorious deeds, coupled with his father's influence, he received support and help from many parties. His career grew along with the expansion of the kingdom. Not only did the family's carriage business expand from Turií to other towns, but they also began to dabble in the carriage manufacturing industry. This gave Pebaricius quite a reputation in the carriage business of the kingdom.
Compared to his brother, who had experienced many hardships and was smart and capable, Procris naturally paled in comparison. Under the protection of his father and brother, he lived a carefree life and did not have any outstanding performances. Instead, because he inherited his father's hobby of driving, he would secretly act as a coachman for the Turií people from time to time, and he became a joke among the young people of the Turií.
After the Devers announced that the Diónia Games would be held, Procris decided to participate in the racing competition and prove himself with the glory of being the champion. Because of this, he received strong support from his brother. Not only did he search for the most suitable horses from the entire Mediterranean Sea, but he also hired a coachman who was once the champion of the racing competition to be his coach. Procris had been training tirelessly for two years just for this day …
At the moment when the door of the starting point sprang open and the carriage dashed out, countless thoughts flashed through Procris' mind. Soon, they turned into a firm and loud shout, "Go! Go! Go! "
A moment later, his carriage was already charging ahead. From the corner of his eyes, he swept a glance at the field staff standing on the platform with buckets in their hands. His excited mood cooled down a little, and he immediately remembered his coach's advice. He began to pull the reins back a little bit, letting the equally excited horse slow down a little. After all, this was not a single short race, but a long race of more than 14 miles, which required continuous endurance. He could not go all out at the beginning, otherwise, he would not be able to accelerate in the second half of the race.
Just when he was trying his best to control the horse's speed, he suddenly heard a "wah wah" sound from the outside. He turned his head to look and saw that a carriage had caught up with him. The coachman was wearing a helmet with horns on his head, and he was baring his teeth at him with a ferocious expression.
"Damn Gauls!" Procris shouted back at him, not to be outdone. He did not have to worry that the other party would attack him out of anger. Not to mention that both parties were citizens of Diónia, the referees had repeatedly emphasized to the participants of the race, "Ensure the safety of the race. Do not maliciously attack or harm your opponent during the race, or you will be disqualified!"
The Gauls' approach was nothing more than a psychological tactic. Procris was not moved by it, and he focused on driving the carriage … The statue of Poseidon on the platform and the statue of the King of Devers on horseback flashed past the corner of his eyes. There were three pillars in front of him, and he knew that it was time to turn.
The distance of 500 meters on the straight track would take some time for a runner to finish, but for a four-horse carriage running at full speed, it was only a matter of a few blinks of the eye.
However, turning at high speed was an extreme test of the driver's driving ability. Procris did not dare to relax at all. He held the reins tightly, keeping the carriage close to the platform. The four white horses galloped side by side, bypassing the stone pillars almost at the same time.
Comments