Chapter 264
When the Devers bowed respectfully to the bust of Heraclides, the people also saluted and prayed, hoping that they would receive the same blessing when they died.
When the statue was carried into the temple, it was already afternoon. Although the people were a little tired, they were still in high spirits because of the new rituals that they had never held before.
Today, there was only the last one left, which was also the most important one — visiting the temple and praying.
Under the command of the Devers, the soldiers maintained order, and the people consciously obeyed the order, entering the temple in batches …
After experiencing the previous ritual, Kanios' impression of Hades had greatly improved. At this moment, he was eager to enter the temple and find out what was going on.
Following the crowd, he walked up the steps and stepped onto the pedestal of the temple. There was a statue on each side of the main entrance of the temple. On the left side was a handsome young man playing the harp attentively; on the right side was a beautiful woman twirling her clothes. With a smile on her face, she looked at the young man gently.
The two milky white marble statues had smooth lines and were lifelike. The affectionate gaze between the two created a pleasant and beautiful mood.
Kanios's eyes wandered back and forth between the two statues until someone exclaimed, "Is this the hero Orpheus and his beautiful wife Eurydice?!"
After being reminded, Kanios took a closer look and found that it was indeed the case, because their names were engraved on the pedestal of the statues.
Orpheus was the son of Apollo, the god of the sun, and Calliope, the goddess of literature and art. He was a hero in ancient Greek legend, and no one could compete with him in singing and playing the harp. His wife Eurydice passed away after being bitten by a poisonous snake. Orpheus, who loved her deeply, ventured into the underworld and moved Hades and Queen Hades with his beautiful singing. They allowed him to take away Eurydice's soul, but before leaving the underworld, he was not allowed to look at Eurydice, or she would stay in the underworld forever. Orpheus kept his promise and trekked with his wife. When he was about to leave the underworld, he accidentally looked at his wife, causing Eurydice to be captured and sent back to the underworld. Orpheus fell into remorse and died of depression.
But at this moment, what the two statues showed was not sadness or resentment, but happiness and warmth.
Affected by this emotion, Kanios entered the temple with a calm mind. What he saw were the three stone tablets that were carried into the temple.
This was the Valhalla. Kanos saw the letters engraved on the eaves.
The Martyr's Palace was only a side hall of the Divine Temple. It wasn't very big, and the four walls were decorated with colorful paintings. Kanius looked at it carefully. The main drawing on it was a magnificent war scene of the former mercenaries crossing the sea to save the people, fighting the barbarians, building a new city, and creating an alliance …
Even as an outsider, Canhos could not help but sigh at the hardships of Diónia. But unlike the Diónia people, he did not kowtow devoutly. Instead, he walked to the brazier and bowed before leaving from the side door.
There was another side hall on the right. That must be the Sage Temple that the people had been talking about. It seemed that there were already many people inside.
Kanos went straight ahead, crossed the middle gate, and entered the main hall of the temple.
The main hall was more than 20 meters high. As soon as he entered, he immediately felt how small he was. In front of the main hall stood a bronze statue that was more than ten meters tall. Its huge figure also gave off a strong sense of oppression. Fortunately, this statue of Hades did not show the ferocious and ferocious face of the legends. Instead, it was the image of a benevolent and amiable elder. Beside him was another statue of the beautiful Queen of the Underworld, Persephone. She held her husband's arm and smiled at all living beings. The most feared of the Greek gods, Hades, was now in harmony with the queen, giving people a sense of closeness.
Looking at the floor, it was made of carefully selected marbles that were as smooth as a mirror. The four walls were still painted with colorful paintings of dense forests, verdant mountains, and green grasslands. There were also all kinds of rare beasts, celestial couples, and celestial envoys. Humans were also laughing and playing among them, happy and contented, getting along very harmoniously … It was a fascinating sight. Sunlight shone in from the atrium in the middle of the temple and from the windows on both sides of the temple, complementing the bright colors in the temple, making the main hall even more magnificent, as if one was in a fairyland. Many of the Dionians were mesmerized by it, and they murmured, "Elysee?! This is Elysee Paradise!! " They actually knelt in front of the holy fire and did not want to get up for a long time.
The soldiers who maintained the order could only urge them again and again.
Seeing this scene, Kanius could not help but sigh. The people of Diónia were bold and ingenious. They turned hell into a paradise, and the evil gods into good gods! In such a warm place, there was no need to worry that there would not be people coming to worship!
Kanius walked out of the temple and could not help but recall the beautiful scene in the temple.
"The temple on the other side is so scary! Many people dare not go in! "
"No way! It's nice inside! If it weren't for the soldiers, I would still want to stay in there! "
"Over there … That side is completely different from this side. If you don't believe me, you can go and see!"
…
Kanius heard the voices of the people, and he was stunned. There was another temple? No, there was only one here. Could it be … Impossible! …
Many people were as shocked as Kanius. It was normal to be surprised. After all, the temples of the ancient Greek city-states had always been dedicated to one god. The statue of Porpephone, the queen of Hades, appeared in this temple, which was already a bold breakthrough. Fortunately, people regarded Porpephone as a subordinate of Hades, so they were not too surprised! But they never expected that the designers would have an even bolder way to divide the temple into two parts — one temple, two gods! No wonder the length of the Temple of Hades was twice the length of an ordinary temple!
Driven by doubts and curiosity, Kanius quickly passed through the corridor outside the temple, which was supported by a dozen huge Dorian stone pillars, and came to the other side of the temple.
Sure enough, there was another entrance to the temple, and it was also crowded with people.
There were also two stone statues on both sides of the main entrance, but they were black. They were the ferryman of the Underworld River, Colon, and the guardian of the Gate of Hell, the three-headed dog, Cerberus. Their ferocious appearance made Kanius's heart skip a beat.
Walking into the entrance, there was a side hall with the words "Prison of the Wicked" engraved on it. In the middle was a ferocious statue of Thanatos, the god of death, holding a sharp sword, and on both sides were engraved black letters: "Traitors must go to this prison! Murderers must go to this prison! Rapists must go to this prison! … "
At the end of every sentence, there was a bloody skull, which made people feel a chill in their hearts. The four walls were all kinds of horrible pictures of ghosts torturing souls, which was even more creepy.
Kanius staggered out, and the horrible scene made him hesitate: should he still go in?
At this time, he saw the words "Confessional" engraved on the side hall on the right, and next to it was a string of eye-catching words: "Repent, God will forgive!"
Kanius calmed himself down and continued forward. He passed through the confessional and entered the main hall.
It was a dark world. The floor was made of black marble, and the walls were black. There was no patio or window, so there was no sunlight. Only the brazier in front of the statue brought some light to the temple, but it did not add much warmth to the temple. Instead, the flickering flame cast a haze on everyone's face.
There was more than one statue in front of him. The statue of Hades, which was more than ten meters tall, no longer had the beautiful and gentle Queen of Hades beside him. He was wearing a black robe and holding a double fork. He looked majestic, and his eyes seemed to be able to see through people's good and evil intentions.
There were three eight-meter tall statues in front of him. They were the three judges of hell, Minos, Rhadamantos, and Eyagos. All of them looked solemn. One was holding a paper scroll, and the other was shouting. The one in the middle was holding a scale, with weights on one side and a bright red heart on the other. This was the only red color in the entire temple, but it made all the believers in the temple nervous and sweaty. It was so eye-catching, as if it was asking, "How is your conscience?"
Kanius walked out of the temple in a daze. Even the fresh air could not make him feel relaxed. This was simply a test of the soul!
Kanos walked down the hill and couldn't help but look back at the majestic temple.
The people who came out from one side of the temple were smiling and happy; the people who came out from the other side looked solemn and thoughtful. Heaven and Hell were polar opposites, but they were perfectly contained in a temple. The genius of the people of Diónia had built this strange temple. He did not know how it would affect the people of Diónia in the future!
… …
At dusk, the hustle and bustle of the city of Turií had not dissipated. The people on the streets were still talking about the temple celebration in the day. Of course, this included the famous Cristoya Restaurant.
Canios chewed his bread and drank his mutton soup as he listened to their conversation.
He knew that the strange design of the Temple of Hades was originally suggested by the Consul Devers. Even every unprecedented ceremony in the celebration was arranged by him. This made him even more curious. What kind of person was the Consul of Diónia?
During the celebration, Kanius only saw the Devers in front of the temple from afar. He looked young but had an extraordinary presence. When he remembered that he had not been received by the ruler of Diónia, Kanius could not help but feel a little depressed.
"Can I sit here?" A man came to the wooden table and asked politely.
Kanius nodded.
"A big plate of tripe!" The man shouted. Not long after he sat down, the piping hot food was served. He quickly scooped a big spoonful of sauce from the clay pot on the table with a wooden spoon and put it on the plate. It was a sauce made from shellfish from the sea. It tasted strange and Kanius was not used to it. But the man dipped the tripe in the sauce and ate it with relish.
"Hmm, this is still the best! I haven't eaten it for a few months. I've been thinking about it every day. I'm dying of hunger! "The man's intoxicated look made Kanius smile.
The man glanced at Kanius and said, "Did you know that when the Greek mercenaries were in Persia, the Devers was just an ordinary soldier. He used the tripe to conquer the other soldiers' mouths and attracted everyone's attention. He later became the leader of the mercenaries."
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