Chapter 706
Alcibidus had long since noticed the food on his table. Meat soup, grilled fish, bread, a small jar of wine … The food was actually quite plentiful, but it was lacking compared to the hospitality he had received in the past. He remembered that the merchants in Liguim, including himself, still held banquets from time to time even during the drought, and the food was much more plentiful. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's already very good! I think your meals have been simpler than this since the drought! "
"We're already eating better than most of the people in Diónia! I know that many families can only eat two meals a day, and their main food is oatmeal … "Aegnis said with a sigh. As the priestess of the Temple of Hera, she had learned a lot from the people who came to the temple to worship.
Alcibidus was silent. In fact, he knew very well that with the Devers' supreme status and wealth in Diónia, even during the drought, they could let their entire family live a life of debauchery. However, his brother-in-law was as strict with his family as before, and set an example for the people of Diónia. This habit and practice had deeply affected his family. Perhaps only someone like him could become a king!
Alcibidus pretended to not care and drank a big mouthful of meat soup, then praised, "Your chef is still the best! No matter how little food there is, the food he makes is still so delicious! "
"You must be tired after rushing all the way from Liguim! Since it's delicious, eat more and replenish your strength. " Cristoya said with concern, then said with a sigh, "Thanks to the blessing of Hades, this terrible drought is finally over!"
She looked at Alcibidus and asked with concern, "I heard that the people of Liguim rioted because they couldn't afford to buy food, and many nobles and merchants were injured. Your shop wasn't damaged, was it?"
"Thanks to His Majesty's prestige, the angry people completely avoided my shop and workshop!" Alcibidus said gratefully. This was indeed the truth. The rioting people of Liguim prayed to the Kingdom of Diónia, and naturally would not attack Alcibidus who was related to the King of Devers by marriage.
"Your Lijim Council has gone too far. You don't care about the lives of the people at all. You deserve to be attacked by the people!" That was her hometown, after all. How could she not be worried when she heard that the people of her hometown were starving? "If you had allowed my sister's bank to enter Lijim back then, the people there would have been able to get loans from the bank to buy food!"
Aegnis' words were obviously a little naive. The riots in Lijim were not a matter of whether the people had money or not, but rather the uncontrollable madness of the merchant class. But when Liguim became a free city of the Kingdom of Diónia, one of the conditions made by the people of Liguim was that the Bank of Cristoya should not be allowed to establish itself in Liguim, because Liguim was a prosperous city, and usury was an important means of making money for the merchants of Liguim. If the Bank of Cristoya was established in the city, with its interest rate far lower than that of usury, the whole business of usury in Liguim would soon collapse.
Alcibidus awkwardly wiped his face with his hand and suddenly said, "Maybe it won't be long before Christonia Bank enters Ligir."
Christonia's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, and she asked in surprise, "Why?"
Alcibidus knew that he had said something indiscreet, so he coughed dryly and said apologetically, "I'll have to wait until I see His Majesty the Devers and get his confirmation before I can say anything."
Christonia was deep in thought. She took a sip of wine and was about to speak. Briantes, who was eating at the side, was already shouting with dissatisfaction, "You adults always say things we don't understand, it's so boring! Uncle, you went to Egypt before. Did you see a fish in the Nile River? It can not only swim in the river, but it can also climb on land. It's very fierce, and not only does it eat people, even lions can't beat it. Is that true? "
"Brother, you're talking about crocodiles, right?" Apox immediately corrected.
Alcibidus laughed, "I'm not too sure if crocodiles can defeat lions. But crocodiles do eat people, and according to the rumors of the Egyptians, crocodiles even ate a great pharaoh. "
Apox was immediately interested and said, "Uncle, tell us the story."
Under the urging of the children, Alcibidus did not refuse in order to avoid Christoya's question. He carefully thought about it and said, "You should all know that the center of Egypt is in Memphis."
The children nodded together. At school, the teachers had taught them the basic knowledge in this area.
"Then do you know that the Egyptian pharaoh is also known as the King of Upper and Lower Egypt?"
Only Apox nodded, and the other children shook their heads.
Alcibidus explained patiently, "A long, long time ago, Egypt was not a unified country. It was divided into two countries, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt was located in the downstream area of the Nile River. At that time, because of the floods, swamps and beasts ran rampant, the population was relatively small. Later, the king of Upper Egypt started a war and finally unified Egypt.
After many, many years, through the efforts of generations, the Egyptians gradually turned the vast swamps and wetlands of the lower reaches of the Nile River into fertile plains. Among them, there was a pharaoh named Menes who played a very important role. He even built the city of Memphis on this fertile plain and moved his capital to Memphis … "
Except for Olivia, the other three children were gradually attracted by Alcibidus' story and listened very carefully.
"… Menes was a very successful pharaoh. Under his rule, the Kingdom of Egypt became more and more powerful and prosperous. One day, the weather was very hot, but he took his entourage to hunt. Not long after, they felt thirsty, so the group came to the Nile River. Pharaoh Menes asked his men to fetch water, and he sat by the river to rest. In the end, something that looked like a broken tree trunk was floating in the river not far from him. It was actually a crocodile in disguise. It suddenly pounced on Menes, who was not far from him, and bit him. Before his entourage could react, it dragged him into the river …
The Egyptians organized an army to search the Nile River, but in the end, they did not find his body. Not long after, the Amon Temple sent out an oracle. King Menes was brought to heaven by the crocodile god because of his great achievements … "
… … …
In the evening, the Devers who returned to the mansion received Alcibidus in the study.
"This time, you brought many gifts for Crystal, Aegnis, and the children. They are very happy. The children even prefer to see you, not me, their father!" the Devers said jokingly.
"Your Majesty, it's not easy for me to come here. Buying these gifts was something that I did in passing. It didn't cost much, and I'm very happy to make them happy," Alcibidus said hurriedly.
"To the children, you're a good uncle! To Crystal and Aegnis, you're a good relative! To me … "The Devers smiled slightly," You've done very well! Aegnis has told me about her wanting to go to Lijim to see your father. I've basically agreed, but not now. The situation in Lijim is very chaotic and not very safe. What measures does your council plan to take to stabilize the situation? "
At this point, the Devers finally got to the point.
Alcibidus blushed with shame, and said in a low voice, "The council has been debating whether to suppress the riots. Until now, they haven't come up with a concrete plan …"
"Are you going to ask the Senate of Diónia to send troops to suppress the people of Lijim?" A sneer flashed across Devers' lips. In fact, he knew the situation in Lijim like the back of his hand. This time, the riots in Lijim were partly due to the intelligence department under him.
According to the laws of Diónia, as a free city, Lijim could not have its own army (of course, as the main body of a city's army, most of the ordinary citizens had participated in the riots). Under normal circumstances, the kingdom could not interfere with the internal affairs of its city. Therefore, if Lijim wanted to use the army to quickly suppress the riots, it could only apply to the Kingdom of Diónia.
Alcibidus smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's very cruel to stab one's own people with a spear. It's not just me, some of the clear-headed people in Lijim don't agree with this. "
"Oh?" The Devers was slightly surprised and asked, "Then what are you going to do?"
"Your Majesty, I believe you know very well that the Lijim council's management of the city has been very chaotic for the past two years. Many people don't want to manage the city well, but want to use power to satisfy their own selfish desires. Therefore, after they are elected through various fraudulent means, they often make proposals that are beneficial to their interests and detrimental to the development of the city. Many public positions in the city are held by their relatives or people who have no ability but have bribed them … Lijim seems to be prosperous, but in fact, the people have been dissatisfied with it for a long time. The drought this time only made the people's anger explode …"
Alcibidus said with a pained expression. The Devers listened calmly. Of course, he knew the situation in Lijim very well. In fact, if it wasn't for Atili Cruz's illness, the political situation in Lijim would be better. After all, he had the ability and prestige to control the council. Now, none of the elected generals and councilors in Lijim could control the overall situation. As a result, the riots had been happening for a few days, yet the council could not come up with a decent measure.
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