Chapter 261
"The temples of the traditional Greek city-states are like high and mighty nobles, waiting for the people to donate gold and silver to build a sacred treasury, but they rarely take the initiative to help the citizens of the city-states who are in trouble. The priests and saintesses of the Temple of Hades should use the gold and silver donated by the people to help the poor people, help the patients who can't afford to see a doctor, listen to the doubts and troubles of the people of the Alliance, and use words to enlighten and dispel their confusion … Also, the annual slave liberation ceremony should be hosted by the temple … Plesinas, the Temple of Hades can provide so much help to the people of Diónia, how can the people not be grateful to the temple and believe in it!"
The words of the Devers seemed to have opened a window for Plesinas. The method that the Devers proposed was different from the traditional temples, but it made him vaguely see the bright future of the Temple of Hades. He was excited for a moment, but he did not know what to say.
"The Elysee is the paradise built by the Hades in hell, and his temple should be the paradise of the world, the home of the people's souls! When the time comes, we will build a Temple of Hades in every city of Diónia, and unite people from all places and races around it. Then, the Diónia Alliance will have nothing to fear! " Devers' tempting voice rang clearly in Plesinas' ears, "Plesinas, are you willing to help me complete this great cause and become the senior priest of the Temple of Hades?"
Plesinas looked at the Devers' expectant eyes, weighed the pros and cons in his heart, and then nodded heavily, "I am willing!"
… …
Canios followed Avinogis to Turií and stayed in the hotel on the south side of the Victory Square. This large hotel was built by the Senate of the Alliance, and was specially used to receive foreign guests. Usually, there were many rooms, but now it was overcrowded.
The generals of Corunna, Triene, Sirium, and Crotone were invited to attend the ceremony, as well as the famous councilors and citizens of the city-states of the Southern Alliance. If it were not for the fact that Amicus and others of Castellón were temporarily staying at the homes of Cunogorata and Cornelus, the leaders of the Lucaria tribes of Neutum and Grumentum were staying at the homes of Vespa and Hemont, and the Avinogis of Laos were even staying at the home of the Devers, thus reducing the task of the officials in charge, the hotels in Turií were definitely not enough.
At this time, the lobby of the hotel was very lively. The distinguished guests were from different cities, but they belonged to the same alliance. It was rare for them to gather together, so they took this opportunity to visit each other, bond, and discuss their views on current affairs …
As an outsider, Kanos was received politely by the Dionysians, but his request to visit Dace immediately was not well received.
The person in charge told him, "The Consul Devers is busy preparing for tomorrow's ceremony. He will only have time to meet him after tomorrow. "
Although he envied the chatter and laughter of others, Canios and his men stayed quietly in the room, because he heard that the envoy of Picossis had also arrived in Turií, and he wanted to avoid conflict when they met. It was not until he tasted the unique cuisine of Turií that Canios' anxiety was temporarily alleviated.
… …
On the morning of the 25th of July, 398 BC, the citizens, families, freedmen, and even slaves of Diónia gathered from all directions in the city of Turií. With the help of thousands of Diónia militia to maintain order, they entered the center of Turií.
In a short period of time, all the courtyards, houses, and even the roofs were filled with people. At a glance, it was a sea of people. It was a spectacular sight. Only the large empty space in the Victory Square was left untouched.
Canios was arranged to sit on the left step of the platform in front of the square. It was said that the envoy of Picossis was arranged to sit on the right. The attentiveness of the Diónia staff allowed him to avoid the awkwardness of a sudden meeting, and allowed him to calm down and enjoy the ceremony.
"Oh, there are so many people! Diónia is really bold. Aren't they afraid that if there is a riot, it will be a disaster here! "Someone beside Canios said worriedly.
"It's better if there is a riot. If that happens, Diónia will be finished!" Another person said loudly, taking pleasure in the misfortune of others.
Like the others, Canios turned around to look at him.
"Eutydemus, why would the Crotone let you into the council! If there is a riot here, do you think we can escape?! "Someone recognized the speaker and retorted loudly.
"Why should we escape? Isn't this the celebration of the completion of the Temple of Hades? Isn't it better for us to meet the Temple of Hades together? "Eutydemus said fearlessly.
"The proud Crotone are actually using words to satiate their disappointment after their defeat!" Someone immediately mocked.
Eutydemus' expression changed immediately.
Canios was not in the mood to care about the verbal conflict between the people around him. He only carefully observed the surroundings of the square. With so many people here, it should be very noisy. But the people were either sitting or standing, trying to be as quiet as possible. They rarely moved around. Perhaps they had been warned by the Alliance in advance. But for the Greeks who valued freedom and freedom, this was quite a shocking performance! Yesterday, when Canios entered the city of Turií, he noticed this. Now, his impression of the Greeks was strengthened once again.
At this time, a loud bugle sounded, announcing that the ceremony was about to begin. The people consciously stopped talking and focused their curious eyes on the victory square.
Hundreds of men in Greek armor entered the square. Plesinas led ten male "messengers" and fifty women, all dressed in white robes, onto the platform with solemn steps.
The culture of Diónia was relatively open. Many people outside the square had brought their wives and daughters to watch the ceremony. But for dozens of women to appear in public at the same time, especially on such a sacred occasion, even the priestesses of Hera or the Temple of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, did not have so many. So not only the people, but even the distinguished guests from the Alliance in front of the square began to whisper among themselves.
The uniform bugle sounded again throughout the city, and the square was quiet again.
Plesinas's loud and long voice sounded, "In the first year of the 95th Olympia, in the Kingdom of Persia thousands of miles away from us, a group of Greek warriors were recruited by Cyrus the Little, the prince of Persia, who loved Greece, to overthrow the cruel king of Persia. However, after a war, their employer died in battle, and the leaders of the mercenaries were deceived and captured by the Persia. The whole mercenary team fell into despair, but the great Hades did not abandon them … "
As soon as Plesinas's voice trailed off, a dozen harpist under the platform began to pluck the strings. The fifty women in white robes on the stage opened their mouths at the same time, and their ethereal singing swept through the audience like a breeze.
Canios shivered, and he felt the hairs on his skin stand up. The traditional hymns of the Greek temples were obviously incomparable to the harmony trained by modern bel canto. Bathed in the beautiful and harmonious singing, even his soul seemed to be cleansed.
Like Canios, the other people in the audience were completely intoxicated by the singing. In the weeping hymns, they were also affected by the heaviness.
The soldiers on the field used exaggerated body movements to show their weeping, helplessness, and despair. Only the person in the center was lying on the ground, motionless.
At this time, the singing gradually weakened to silence, and the soldiers on the field also began to fall asleep …
Just when the people were feeling lost, a high-pitched singing sounded again, like lightning cutting through the night sky, lifting the spirits of the audience.
A man walked out of the tunnel. He was tall and strong, with long black hair and a thick black beard. He was wearing a black robe, holding a double fork in his hands, and walked to the center of the square with a dignified expression …
Someone in the audience exclaimed, "Hades?! I know he is Hades! "
There was a small commotion in the crowd, and more people stared at the field. They had begun to be attracted by this unique performance.
They saw "Hades" come to the center of the field, standing next to the man who had been lying motionless, waving his double fork as if he was using divine power …
The singing disappeared again. "Hades" left the field, and the people turned to look at him.
"Dong! Dong! " The crisp sound of drums rang out in the silent square. The man who was lying turned over and sat up. He began to wake the others up, waving his arms to encourage them. Finally, the crowd gathered around him. Someone put on a helmet with a red crown, and then they lined up in front of him and moved forward with difficulty under his leadership …
Seeing this, the people who had heard of the legend of the Archon Devers vaguely understood that the dazzling leader on the field should be playing the role of the Devers who had once conquered Persia!
"Devers seems to have forgotten that he was not the only mercenary leader in Persia," Tormid, who was also watching the celebration from the side, complained.
"Yesterday, Devers came to me and told me about this. He said that it was necessary for the performance, and he hoped that I could understand." Zantiparis shrugged, looking calm.
"Well, this is Diónia, he has the final say!" Tormid said helplessly. "But this kind of performance is quite interesting!"
The sound of drums grew louder and louder, mixed with the bugle call.
"Wow!" Accompanied by the exclamations of the audience, groups of soldiers appeared in the tunnel. There were cavalry, infantry, and archers. They wore long robes and held long shields in their hands. They were in a loose formation, and under the command of a general in shining golden scale armor, they approached the Greek mercenaries in the square …
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