Chapter 484
Melishanda was not surprised. He knew that his mother preferred to live in the small city of Amendolar. She only chose to live in the noisy city of Turís to take care of Felicius. After Felicius left for the war, she felt lonely and naturally chose to come to Amendola to live with her daughter-in-law and grandson.
Melisande walked along the corridor.
"Brother! Brother! " A little girl was running towards him.
"Little Doris!" Melishanda stepped forward and picked up Doris, the three-year-old daughter of his mother and Felicius.
"Brother! Brother! " Another child ran towards him, wobbly and wobbly.
"Be careful, my baby." Melishanda hurriedly hugged him with his other hand and corrected him, "I'm not your brother. I'm your father. Call me daddy, okay? Call me daddy!"
The boy was Arsinis Jr., the son of Arsinis and Hepna. Melishanda had taken good care of Hepna when she was pregnant, so he regarded Arsinis Jr. as his own.
Interestingly, the daughter of his stepfather and mother was much younger than Melishanda, but she was about the same age as his two-year-old stepson, Arsinis Jr., so they were more like siblings. Arsinis Jr. also loved to play with his little aunt.
"No, just call him brother! Just call him big brother! "The mischievous Doris egged him on.
Arsinis Jr. looked at Doris, then at Melishanda, and called out again, "Brother! Brother! "
Melishanda was angry and amused at the same time. He patted Doris's butt twice and pretended to be fierce. "If you teach Arsinis Jr. any more nonsense, I'll beat you up!"
Doris immediately burst into tears.
"Melishanda, how old are you? You still don't know how to give in to your sister!" A female voice came from the front. It did not sound like a reproach, but more like a comfort.
"Mother!" Melisande stood up and said affectionately. He then turned to the young and graceful figure next to Delia and said softly, "I'm back, Hepna."
Hepna stared at her husband, who had long lost his childishness. She looked at him carefully. After confirming that there were no scars on his body, she stopped worrying and smiled at Melishanda.
"Devers, didn't His Majesty order you to go home and reunite only after defeating the enemy?! Why are you back now? " Delia asked in surprise. The reason why she called the Devers so smoothly was because it was them, the loyal followers of Hades, who had pushed the Devers onto the throne.
"Because His Majesty allowed us to go home to donate and return to the barracks tomorrow," Melisanda replied.
"Ah, we'll go back tomorrow!" Hepna blurted out. She didn't expect that their time together would be so short.
"When the war is over and peace is restored, you can let Melisande stay at home for as long as you want. But for now, they must chase away the enemies who destroyed our land!" Delia lectured her daughter-in-law. She had seen her homeland being ravaged by the Tarantum with her own eyes, so she didn't want such a thing to happen again.
"You're right, Mother," Hepna replied respectfully.
Melisande gently pushed away his son's little hand that was scratching his face and said, "His Majesty will soon lead us to the south to repel the Syracuse people. The biggest problem now is the lack of food supply."
"I heard that your father's situation isn't too good …" Delia was very worried. Not only did she hear that the soldiers at the frontlines were short of food, but she could also hear some people criticizing her husband even though she was in the hinterlands of Dionia, such as his poor commanding ability. It was not hard to imagine how much pressure Felicius was under at the frontlines. "I've already prepared the money and food for donation with Hepna. You came back just in time. We'll send it to the Victory Square later."
"That's great!" Melisande said happily. It saved him a lot of effort.
"Melisande, my son, when you go to the south, you have to help your father!" Delia warned again.
What can I help him with? Father is the commander of the South, and I'm just a squad leader. Melisande thought to himself, but he still promised.
Hepna took little Arsinis from his arms, and Delia held Doris in her arms as the family entered the main building.
… …
"What did you say?! His Majesty can't go home yet?! " Asuna asked anxiously. "But I heard that the soldiers in the barracks have already gone home!"
Aristiras said calmly, "His Majesty still has something important to do, so he'll be back later. That's why he asked me to inform Madam first."
"I understand. We'll wait for him to come back," Kristoya replied with a smile.
Aristiras said goodbye and left.
"Sister, will the Devers not come back today?!" Disappointment and worry intertwined on Aegnis' pretty face, making her look pitiful. Although she was already 24 years old, she had always been doted on by her father before she got married. After marrying to Turií, she was doted on by the Devers. She was usually either at home or in the temple, and had never suffered any major disturbances or setbacks. This was the first time she was pregnant, so it was inevitable that she felt uneasy. She urgently needed someone to accompany and comfort her (in this era, the rate of dystocia was still very high, even in the relatively advanced medical Diónia), but the Devers had been away for more than a month. When she finally heard that he was coming back, he said he would delay it in the blink of an eye.
Although Kristoya was also a little depressed, as the mistress of the house, she still cheered up and tried her best to comfort her, "Sister, don't worry. You know our husband. If he says he'll come back today, he'll definitely come back today! You, don't worry, go to the bedroom and sleep for a while. Otherwise, you'll be sleepy when he comes back. "
"Alright … Sister, don't forget to wake me up later," Aegnis said softly as she walked into the main building with the help of a slave girl.
Kristoya sighed lightly, feeling bitter for a moment: Aegnis has me to comfort, but who will comfort me!
… … …
At this moment, the Devers were carefully examining a weapon placed on the table in the main tent: it was a spear, its shape and style no different from the bayonets used by heavy infantry, the only difference being the length and diameter of the spear shaft. It was a full four meters long, two meters longer than the usual spears used by soldiers, and the diameter of the spear shaft was also thicker.
As soon as the Devers picked it up, the arms merchant Theos hurriedly shouted, "Your Majesty, watch out above you!"
The Devers's height and the length of the spear almost pierced through the high roof. He had to raise it diagonally, shake it a few times, and make a few sudden thrusts. Then he asked with satisfaction, "This spear is well made. Is every spear like this?"
Theos said frankly, "Your Majesty, you asked me to make 6,000 of these spears in such a short time. Of course, I can't make every spear as smooth as the one in your hand, but I can assure you that when used, they will have no problem killing the enemy! In terms of quality, this batch of spears is sturdier and more durable. Because of Your Majesty's approval, we cut down the cedar trees in the Amendolara Mountains and used the wood used to make warships to find the spears. Only then can we ensure that such a long spear shaft won't shake too much and won't break easily when piercing with the iron spearhead … "
The Devers nodded, "Are they all finished?"
"We only found 1,400 spears. Because Lord Capus urgently needed them, we had to send them here first."
The Devers frowned and said, "We have to hurry. I'm afraid we won't be able to stay in Turií for long before we have to go to the battlefield again. So we have to make all these spears as soon as possible and distribute them to every soldier. We also have to give them time to train. Time is tight!"
"Your Majesty, we've done our best! It's just that we have to cut down trees, carry them, cut them, and plane the wood … "Theos began to complain.
The Devers interrupted him, "I'll ask Capus to transfer some men from the supply camp to help you complete some of the less important processes, such as cutting down trees, carrying them, and so on. Your men will finish the spear head and the spear shaft. Will that work?"
"If that's the case …" Theos calculated carefully, then said loudly, "I should be able to … guarantee that in three days … No, the day after tomorrow, all the spears will be sent to you!"
"Then I'll have to trouble you! As for the cost of this batch of weapons, the treasury is tight now, so I can only calculate it for you after the war is over. But don't worry, I'll ask Mersis to add 10% interest. "
As soon as the Devers finished speaking, Theos hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I'm willing to donate all these spears to the Alliance. I've also donated three Talient to the Alliance. I've also asked my family to bring them to the Victory Square. Your Majesty, you've set an example for us. As a citizen of the Alliance, although I can't go to the battlefield, I'm willing to contribute my strength to the Alliance's victory in this war! "
"Good! Well said! " The Devers praised loudly, "Of course, your contributions will be recorded. When the war is won, the Senate will reward you!"
The Devers's vague words made Theos excited. He immediately took out a few pieces of papyrus and handed them to the Devers.
The Devers took them and glanced at them. They were densely written with words, and looked at Theos with some doubt.
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