Chapter 303
In the Pinewood Arena, the audience was already crowded. The excited people were eagerly looking forward to the start of the preliminary competition. Contestants from various city-states were entering the arena one after another, and the audience cheered.
However, the start of the competition was not announced, because the referee was still arguing with some people at the entrance. The audience began to complain, and the Corinth official, who was in charge of maintaining order in the arena, hurried to the entrance and asked the referee, "What happened? Why didn't the competition start immediately?! "
"Look, this guy says he's a contestant in this group and has already gotten a number. But he's not a Greek! "
The Corinth official looked in the direction of the referee's finger. This athlete had brown shoulder-length hair, deep eye sockets, a high nose bridge, thick lips, a slender body, and strong muscles. Although his naked body was covered with olive oil, his fair skin could still be seen … His appearance was obviously not an orthodox Greek.
The official was shocked. "Why did the priests of the temple approve his participation?!"
"I think the officials of his city-state signed him up. The priests didn't know he was a foreigner," the referee replied.
The official said angrily, "Which city-state is he from? Don't you know the registration rules of the Isthmian Games?! "
"Diónia! We're from Diónia! " Adrianx squeezed over and explained loudly, "Although Lizaru is from Lucania, he's a citizen of Diónia. According to the rules of the Isthmian Games, any citizen of a Greek city-state can participate in the competition. We meet the requirements!"
Diónia?! The official thought the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where. It was probably not a big or powerful city-state, so he lectured with a straight face, "Only Greeks can participate in the games. This is a well-known fact, because no Greek city-state will give citizenship to a foreigner! Don't block the way here and delay the competition! Leave now, or I'll send someone to drive you out! "
Adrianx was speechless. He was born poor and had been a mercenary ever since he grew up. He had never participated in the Greek Games, so he did not know the rules. This time, the Senate of Diónia had decided to send a team to participate in the Isthmian Games. They hoped that the team would be led by a senator of the Senate to show the importance of the Isthmian Games. The reason why Adrianx actively signed up was that he liked sports. Besides, as an illiterate senator who only knew how to fight, there was little he could do in the Senate. Therefore, after becoming the person in charge of the Diónia delegation, he went to Crotone many times to ask for advice from experienced athletes. He even specially led a team to go with the Crotone delegation to Corinth. However, from the looks of it now, the Crotone had obviously hidden their strength. Their goal was probably to see the Diónia people make a fool of themselves.
While Adrianx was regretting, Lizaru shouted, "Our Consul Devers once said, 'No matter what race, as long as you are a citizen of the Consul, you should enjoy the same rights!' Therefore, in Diónia, no matter if you are a Greek, a Lucanian, or a Thracian, you can all participate in rugby together! "
The official of Corinth was stunned by his strange Greek pronunciation. He then laughed angrily. He raised his head and shouted to the audience above the arena, "Audience, is what this foreigner said right?!"
The audience had been waiting impatiently for a long time. They rushed to the lowest level of the auditorium and shouted, "What a ridiculous fallacy! The person who can say such words can only be the leader of you barbarians! "
"Get out of the arena, barbarian! Go back to the city-state that can give you citizenship and let you participate in the competition! I think it must be a dirty and scary place! "
"Get out, barbarian! Don't tarnish the sacred place of us Greeks! "
…
Mockery and curses were directed at Lizaru and Adrianx like swords.
Adrianx's face was livid.
Lizaru was furious. He was a person who loved competition and would never admit defeat. Ever since he became a citizen of Diónia and heard about the four major games, he had been eager to compete with all the contestants in Greece. He believed that no one could run faster than him in this event! When the news of Diónia sending contestants to participate in the Isthmian Games reached his ears, it was already a little late. He had signed up in a hurry. It was not easy for him to get here, but he was not allowed to participate!
He looked at the bustling arena, unwilling to give up. He suddenly roared and rushed out.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" The referee exclaimed.
"Catch him! Catch him!! "The Corinth official shouted anxiously.
Lizaru spread his legs and waved his arms with all his might, howling like a wild wolf. His bare feet stepped on the soft muddy ground, as light as the mountain wind whistling in the wilderness. He ran with all his strength, leaving the Corinthian officials and his men far behind him.
The anxious shouts of the Corinth official also alerted the athletes who were still waiting at the starting line. They all started to chase after this foreigner who did not follow the rules.
Not only was Lizaru not afraid, but he was even more excited.
The audience in the arena was surprised to see that the foreigner was as agile as a leopard in the face of the pursuit of the contestants. He dodged them one by one …
The race became a chase and capture. Most of the audience did not complain. Instead, they felt excited. Some of them even stood up and cheered for the "lone hero" on the field.
As one of the best runners in the Diónia rugby competition, Lizaru used his skills and skillfully dodged while maintaining his speed. One lap … Two laps … Three laps …
The cheers from the audience became louder and louder until the Corinth official called for more people to block the space in the arena.
Collins, who was panting, punched Lizaru in the face without hesitation.
Lizaru struggled to break free, but there were too many people on top of him. He could only glare at the Corinth official.
"Stop! Stop! " Adrianx rushed over and grabbed the Corinth official's fist again. "Let go of our citizen, or I will protest to the Corinth council!"
"Protest?!" The Corinth official looked at him and sneered. "Arrest him too! Destroying the sacred Isthmian Games is a big crime! Lock him up first. Let that weird city-state alliance of yours compensate and then come back to get him! "
A group of people escorted Lizaru and Adrianx out of the arena.
At this time, Lizaru struggled and shouted, "I, Lizaru, a citizen of Diónia, am the champion of the Isthmian Games!!!"
… …
Order was restored in the arena, and the competition started again. However, the audience was still discussing the farce just now.
"That man ran really fast. Unfortunately, he's a barbarian. Otherwise, he might have won the championship!"
"Which race is he from? He said he's a citizen of a Greek city-state. Which city-state gave citizenship to a barbarian?! "
"I think he said Diónia. Is Diónia a Greek city-state? Why haven't I heard of it? "
…
The audience of the Isthmian Games came from all over the world. Of course, there were Greeks from the western Mediterranean, and there were quite a few of them. They naturally became the answer to these questions.
"Diónia is a city-state alliance that was formed last year. It's in the north-central part of Greece, and its central city is Turií. That foreign man just now should be a Lucanian. Diónia occupied a lot of Lucanian land and gave citizenship to the Lucanians living in their territory. "
"In other words, this Diónia alliance didn't just give citizenship to one barbarian, but many?!"
"Yes, not only the Lucanians, but also the Thracians, Egyptians … As long as they're willing to become a citizen of Diónia and pass their assessment and meet the conditions, they can become an official citizen of Diónia after a few years. They can also get a piece of land!"
"Oh, wise Athena, am I dizzy? Did I hear wrongly?! Not only can barbarians become citizens, but they can also get a piece of land! This is … this is … Is Diónia really a Greek city-state alliance?! "
"Iavonnesi, you Peloponnesus people are indifferent to what's happening in the western Mediterranean. As long as you take a boat to the Taranto Bay, the word that rings in your ears the most is Diónia. Not only are there thousands of free people flocking to Diónia to become citizens of that alliance, but the councils of all the Greek city-states are also paying attention to the movements of Diónia … "
"I can understand that the free people want to become citizens and get a piece of land. But why are the higher-ups of all the Greek city-states — "
"Because Diónia is already the most powerful city-state alliance in Southern Italy!"
"What?! Are you kidding me?! I remember that the strongest city-states in Greece are Crotone and Tarantum?! "
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