Chapter 590
"You mean he's lying?" Celisis blinked his eyes.
"Without a doubt! But I did not send anyone to Katanai's address, as the freedman had said, to investigate further. According to the law, he has already canceled the report, so there is no need for the patrol to continue the investigation. And I don't want to alarm some people … "Diokasis whispered with a mysterious look," To be able to take out so much money to make a father forget his daughter's disappearance … Celisis, don't tell me you can't guess who is behind this. "
"Paphogris!" Celisis blurted out.
Diokasis pointed at Celisis and said excitedly, "I also think it's this guy who you have repeatedly reported to us that he 'abused female slaves'!"
At this time, the door was pushed open, and the waiter walked in with a plate of dishes. The two immediately stopped talking.
"Celisis, try this before you drink." Diokasis couldn't wait to grab a palm-sized oyster with one hand. Regardless of how hot it was, he carefully inserted the white flesh in the shell with the iron fork, put it into his mouth, and chewed carefully. Then he drank the remaining soup in the shell in one gulp and picked up another.
"This thing is soft, I'm not used to eating it." Celisis said, grabbed a roasted leg of lamb, and took a big bite.
"You don't understand this. Do you know who invented this' steamed oyster 'dish?"
"I'm not interested to know."
"Hehe …" After eating a few in a row, Diokasis showed a satisfied expression, and said mysteriously, "It's His Majesty!"
"Really?!" Celisis was surprised.
"Why would I lie to you! Seven years ago, when His Majesty Dyvers went down to inspect the military port that was being built in the port of Tarantum, he saw that the reef beach was full of these things, and the laborers were still pounding them, mixing them with sand and volcanic ash, preparing to pour them into boulders to facilitate the construction of the port. His Majesty stopped them at once, saying that they were wasting good food, and ordered the guards to collect the oysters. That night, he invited the admirals to a dinner of oysters, and told them that eating oysters could improve a man's sexual ability. Since then, Krystoya's restaurant has a new dish — steamed oysters. The oyster meat is covered with all kinds of sauces and cooked in boiling water. It tastes wonderful! "
The intoxicated look on Diokasis's face shocked Celisis. "So it was His Majesty who said that eating oysters can improve a man's ability. I thought it was something the restaurant made up to sell this kind of thing."
"Otherwise, how could His Majesty easily deal with two beautiful princesses and have so many children? Besides, without this thing, I wouldn't dare to go to the brothel frequently. "Diokasis joked.
Diocassis didn't dare to continue the conversation. He turned his head to look at the closed door and said with a straight face, "Stop joking around and get down to business. Do you want me to help you look into Paphocles? "
"Not to help me, but to help yourself!" Diocassis pointed at him and smiled. "Don't you want to go to Turií at the end of the year?"
Celisis's eyes widened when he heard this.
"Go to Turií" was not for sightseeing, but to participate in the annual assembly of the Protectors of the Kingdom of Diónia at the end of the year. However, not every city's Protectors could participate. There was a quota. For a city like Naxos, there were three Protectors, and only the Protectors with outstanding performance could be elected. The main responsibility of the Protectors was to reflect the suffering of the people, protect the interests of the people, and expose violations of the law and corruption. Because of the hindrance of the Laodician Family in the main area that Celisis was in charge of, most of the problems he reported to the higher-ups were not solved well. This affected the people's impression of him, and naturally, he was not one of the three Protectors elected by the people of Naxos every year.
According to the law, the Protectors were mainly responsible for the Demos where they were located. Of course, they could also participate in the affairs of other Demos when the Protectors of the other Demos were not doing anything or needed help. This time, if Celisis could use this matter to catch Paphocles by the tail, intimidate the Laodician Family, and redress the grievances of the free people, he would definitely be able to attract the attention of the people of Naxos.
Thinking of this, Celisis's eyes became a little hotter. He leaned forward and said, "Even an inspector like you has given up on this case. As a Protector, what can I do other than cry out for justice and incite the people? I don't have the right to forcibly search the houses of the people!"
"Celisis, as the Protector of the Prospero, the people there have a close relationship with you, so you can get some information that I can't. If you are familiar with the environment there, you will be able to avoid the attention of the Laodisian family and achieve your goal … "Diocasis spoke with fervor and assurance. He then lowered his voice and said with a serious expression," Let me tell you an important piece of news. Yesterday afternoon, a good friend of mine was in the Laodisian family's field when he saw two Laodisian family's slaves appearing from behind the hill in their field. When they saw my friend, they panicked and turned around to escape … This situation is very suspicious. I'm afraid it has something to do with the missing girl. Could it be that they imprisoned the girl somewhere in the hill or … "
"Killed her!" Celisis clenched the leg bone in his hand. "Do you remember that I once reported to you that 'Paphocles abused and may have even killed the female slaves'?"
Diocassis nodded. "Now you have the chance to confirm this rumor."
"Is that friend of yours Galadhmos?" Celisis asked cautiously. Seeing the slight surprise on Diocassis' face, he said, "Because I know that he was the only one who went to the Laodician Family's village to inspect the field yesterday afternoon. Since he said it, I can rest assured."
Celisis said resolutely, "I'll take care of this matter!"
"Great, let's have a toast! I wish you all the best! "Diocassis raised the wine jar.
… …..
For the next seven days, Prospero was as calm as usual. The farmers carefully looked after the wheat fields that were about to ripen, waiting for the arrival of the harvest.
The city of Naxos, on the other hand, was much more lively. Strompoli attended the farewell banquets held by his colleagues and businessmen every day. The people in the city cheered for the eventual champion of the rugby tournament of Naxos and sincerely wished the team an excellent result in the finals of the Kingdom of Diónia after the ceremony of Hades on the 9th of September.
On the evening of the eighth day, three people were trudging through the mountains to the west of Mejaro. The man in the middle was Celisis. He was carrying a pickaxe on his shoulder. The slender man in front of him kept observing his surroundings. At the same time, he used the long stick in his hand to push away the weeds and branches that were almost covering the mountain path.
"Ugh, Afitis, we've been walking for so long. Why haven't we found it yet? Did you forget the place?! "The man in the back could not help but complain.
"Provence, let me tell you, my memory is very good. I can still clearly remember what happened ten years ago, let alone what happened just a year ago. Besides, the situation that day was so special, how could I possibly forget it!" Afitis retorted. "That's right, I have a very good memory.
"But what if you're looking at the wrong place? Look, the trees are so dense that they make me dizzy, "said Provence, unconvinced.
"I'm the best archer in the Light Infantry Brigade of the Eighth Legion. My eyesight is very good. I can see your face clearly from a mile away!" Afitis said confidently.
Provence snorted. He was about to say something when Celisis, who was in the middle, asked, "Afitis, how far are we from the place you mentioned?"
"We're almost there, Captain." Afitis pointed ahead with his stick. "After going around this ridge, we'll reach the mountain behind the Laodisian family's field."
Celisis looked ahead. The dense trees blocked his vision, and he could not see the path ahead at all. The rays of the setting sun shone through the gaps between the leaves, making the surroundings seem a little gloomy.
He asked worriedly, "By the time we get there, will the sun have already set?"
"No, it won't get dark until after nine o 'clock in this season. We can definitely make it in time!" Afitis said confidently.
After going over the ridge, Afitis gestured for the two to lower their bodies.
Standing at the top of the mountain, their vision immediately became extremely wide, and they could see the entire forest in front of them.
Aphetis pointed to the front and said in a low voice, "A year ago, I came to the mountains to hunt. It was here that I saw Paphogris and his slaves burying something in the valley opposite us …"
"Why didn't you dig it up then?" Provence could not help but ask.
"That's Paphogris we're talking about! His father is an elder of the kingdom's Senate, and his brother-in-law is also an elder of the Senate. He was even the conqueror of Catania. I'm not going to get involved in this kind of trouble! If it weren't for you, Captain, asking me so many times, I wouldn't have come today! "Afitis' eyes were somewhat fearful.
Celisis patted his shoulder to show encouragement.
Afitis observed for a while more and said, "There's no one on the mountain in front. Let's go down."
"We've been observing for a few days. We came here because we confirmed that there were no more Laodisian slaves in the mountains opposite us!" Provence retorted.
"When we go down later, try not to talk too much!" Celisis reminded.
The three of them walked down the narrow mountain path and finally arrived at the col.
"It's right in front." Afitis said a little excitedly. He walked forward with some difficulty with the weeds that were almost as tall as a person.
The trees in this area were even more luxuriant, so the light was even dimmer. One could hear the faint sound of flowing water. Upon closer inspection, one could see a tiny stream flowing into this mountain valley under the cover of rocks, withered leaves, and withered grass. In the black-red stream, there were densely packed red worms dancing non-stop. It was a creepy sight, and it also made one understand why the plants in this area grew so fast. The land was too fertile.
The three of them stepped on the soft soil, taking deep and shallow steps as they walked forward strenuously.
"Ah!" Provence cried out in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Celisis quickly turned around and asked.
"Something … Something climbed up my foot!" Provence's whole body was trembling.
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