Chapter 818
"Camillus is finally here!" Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After breakfast, another guard came to report, "Priest Caldis requests to see you."
"Caldis … Let him in," the Devers said while rubbing his chin. Dyvers touched his chin and said. He was very interested in the priest of Hades who came to Rome with the army recommended by Plesinus because his experience was quite legendary.
According to the Greek tradition, the identity of the priest of the temple was usually innate. They were either born into a priest's family, or they were appointed by the dying priest. Other people should not expect to take on this sacred profession at all. Of course, the situation was different in the Kingdom of Diónia. As the Devers wanted to promote the development of the Temple of Hades in their territory, they selected many servants from the ordinary people who were willing to serve the temple. However, in the end, they had to become priests through a sacred ceremony personally presided over by the Devers. This was not only because the Devers were also the high priests of the kingdom, but also because he was the descendant of Hades. Naturally, the priests of Hades had the spirituality to communicate with God.
Caldis was a Siliterian, but he was not born in a traditional Greek family of priests. He was an ordinary citizen, but because of the kindness he received from the Temple of Hades, he decided to come to Turií as a temple servant. After that, the massacre of the Siliterian city by the people of Syracuse made him study in the temple. After a few years, because he was proficient in the holy scriptures and good at communication, he gained the trust of the believers and was finally promoted to a priest.
After that, he took the initiative to apply to Katanai to preside over the Temple of Hades. During his tenure, Katanai's believers of Hades increased greatly. He even spread the faith of Hades to Syracuse. Of course, he was also accused of using the money donated by the believers to buy slaves from Siliteria in the city of Syracuse and give them freedom. So a few years later, he was transferred back to Turií, but because of his outstanding performance, he was promoted to the chief priest.
This time, before the army set off, Plesinas chose the priests of Hades who would come to Latin to build a temple. Although there was a risk, there were many applicants, because those who could be promoted to the position of chief priest were all believers who had firm faith and wanted to preach for the temple. The reason why Caldis was selected was that more than a year ago, when the Devers presided over the annual assembly of the priests of Hades as the high priest, they mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that the Latin region in central Italy and Rome might be the next expansion target of the Kingdom of Diónia. After that, Caldis went through all the trouble to buy a Latin slave. The main job given to the slave was to teach him Latin, so he became the only one among the priests of Hades who was proficient in Latin and was finally selected. After all, relying on a translator to develop the believers of Hades among the foreigners would undoubtedly increase the difficulty.
After Caldis came to Rome, he did not listen to the dissuasion of others and insisted on going deep into the people of Rome to communicate. The Devers had been worried about his safety, but they did not expect him to find them so soon.
The Devers immediately stood up and strode out of the hall, unlike how they treated the officials and generals the day before.
Caldis, who was nearly 50 years old, had already hurried into the Senate of Rome. He bowed and raised his hands, palms up, and respectfully saluted the Devers. "Good morning, high priest! (Since the establishment of the kingdom, when the priests of the Temple of Hades addressed the Devers, they did not use the administrative title of 'His Majesty'. Instead, they used the highest position in the kingdom's religion, high priest. At first, it was only a strict rule of the Temple of Hades, but later, other temples in the kingdom began to implement this practice.)
"Good morning, Priest Caldis." The Devers solemnly returned the priestly salute and said with a smile, "You came to see me so early. Did you find something?"
"High priest, I'm here to give you a suggestion," Caldis said directly.
"What is it?" The Devers asked curiously.
"Yesterday, you gave a speech in the square about wanting the people of Rome to become citizens of Diónia. But when I talked to them yesterday, I found that they were worried that we might destroy their temples and sacrifices."
"Oh?!" Caldis reminded the Devers that he had only announced some benefits for the people of Rome after they became citizens of Diónia. He had planned to tell them about the religious tolerance of the Kingdom of Diónia after they became citizens. Because it was done during the conquest of the Mesapi, Puchetti, and Doni in the Apulia region, the practice continued in Rome. But obviously, the situation in Rome was much more tense and dangerous than in Apulia, which increased the anxiety of the people of Rome.
So, the Devers hurriedly asked, "What is your suggestion, Caldis?"
"High priest, from my contact with the people of Rome, I found that they believe in Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt, Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth, and the Gods of the Roman people, Caylez, Libel, and Libera."
"The people of Rome have their own gods?!" The Devers was a little surprised. It was the first time he heard about this.
"Yes. Although the people of Rome also believe in many gods, they believe in more gods than us in Greece. Also, the nobles and the people of Rome each have their own gods, and these gods are the ones they worship the most," Caldis said seriously. "Diana, Vesta, Caylez, Libel, and Libera, these five gods of Rome have temples on Mount Aventine in the city, especially the Temple of Diana. I heard that it is worshipped by the people of the entire Latin region …"
Aventine … That is the main residential area of Rome … The Devers fell into deep thought. In the past, he paid more attention to the collection of political, economic, military, and other information, and did not pay much attention to religion. This was also because there were too many and too many gods in Rome. Every river, every road, every forest, every crossroads, every gate, and every house had its own god. Even the priests of Rome could not figure out how many gods there were in Rome. Moreover, the people of Rome were far less devout in their worship of gods than the Greeks. They were more practical and more utilitarian, so he neglected to do in-depth research in this area. He did not even know that the people of Rome had their own gods!
But this seemed to be a good thing! As the ruler of the kingdom, the Devers immediately understood the importance of this matter. He asked, "Do you mean that I should worship these gods to show Diónia's respect for the faith of the people of Rome?"
"Yes, High Priest," Cardius replied affirmatively. As the chief priest of Hades, he actually wanted his own high priest to go and offer sacrifices to the gods of the other races. This seemed a little ridiculous.
But in fact, in the Kingdom of Diónia, the King of Devers was not only the high priest of Hades, but also the priest in charge of all the temples in the kingdom. And in the Law of Diónia, the Devers had established the dominant position of the Temple of Hades in the kingdom's religion, giving them the right to supervise the other temples in the kingdom. Every year, the main temple of Hades in Turií would hold an assembly of the kingdom's priests, presided over by the High Priest Devers, and attended by the scepter priests of all the temples in the kingdom. They would discuss and solve some problems together.
If Rome was conquered, these gods of Rome might be incorporated into the faith of the people of the kingdom. As the chief priest of Hades in the kingdom's religion, Caldias certainly had to understand them clearly. In the future, while developing the believers of Hades here, he also had to ensure that the supervision of these temples was harmonious.
"Then I will go to the Aventine Mountain to worship the few gods of Rome that the people of Rome worship. I will go there today!" The Devers made a decisive decision and asked, "Do you understand the sacrificial rituals of these temples?"
"I understand them clearly," Caldias replied.
That's quite well-prepared! The Devers looked at him approvingly, then turned his head and said, "Herney, immediately send someone to the Aventine Mountain to inform the priests of these temples. Also, arrange for someone to announce to the entire city that 'I am going to worship the gods of Rome.'"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Heniboris understood and stood up.
The Devers thought of something again and continued, "Also … get Amyrius here immediately."
The Devers suddenly realized that going deep into the city of Rome to worship might be a good opportunity to lure the snake out of its hole.
… …
The commoners of Rome who had just joined Diónia and become patrolmen held shields and spears. Under the lead of the legionnaires, they walked through the streets and alleys of Rome while shouting loudly.
On the gentle slope of Mount Sirio, in a residence that looked larger than the surrounding buildings and had more ornate decorations, a young man from Rome was lying in a bedroom in the main building. His young wife was changing the bandages on his wound. On his left thigh, there was a long scar that had just healed.
He could vaguely hear shouts outside. He listened attentively, but he couldn't hear it clearly. Hence, he said, "Cornia, go see what's happening outside."
His wife immediately left the bedroom and quickly returned with a strange expression on her face. She said, "The untouchables who have defected to the enemy say, 'That damned king of Diónia is going to worship their gods.'"
。 Library of Literature.
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