spartan ancestor

The plains of Sparta remained as quiet as ever.

Few people knew that a god had just fallen, and no one knew that a certain unspeakable being was racing nervously with the horse.

Only the group of great nobles who were thrown on the altar by the God of the West Wind stood up holding their necks and coughing dryly. Before they could recover from the lingering aftermath of suffocation and dying, they were shocked to find that everything that was destroyed by the hurricane just now disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was back to normal, only the statue of the West Wind God suddenly cracked, starting from the top of the head, all the way to the base, and then shattered into powder with a bang.

"..." The nobles fell silent for a moment.

They really wanted to understand that it was West Wind God's success, and that it was blowing up a god statue to celebrate, but it was obvious that they were deceiving themselves and others.

The five or six people present got up and looked at the pile of dust hesitantly for a while, watching helplessly as the wind blew, and the remaining ashes scattered with the wind, as if someone had blown ashes away.

The anxiety that he realized that he was seeking the skin of the tiger suddenly turned into another layer of panic—the God of West Wind personally attempted to assassinate Yacinthos and failed!

Is it okay to lift up the idols?Hyacinthos must have secretly worshiped a more powerful god!

At this moment, they thought a lot, from the Temple of Apollo, where miracles have been reported repeatedly since this summer, to Apollo, who personally appeared to protect Heilos during festivals...

"Actually," someone said, with a reluctance in his tone that he had to pinch his nose to admit it, and comforted himself, "Looking back, it's not bad now. After the implementation of the new decree, Helotes and the border residents really No more turmoil, and the problem of civil strife has been resolved. Looking at the big picture, it is beneficial to the development of Sparta, not to mention that Hyacinthus seems to be favored by the sun god, and a king favored by the god will definitely lead Sparta prospers."

Sparta is prosperous, and their purses can also bulge, and now according to the new decree, the Spartans can also engage in commerce and handicrafts during non-wartime...

"……Ugh."

"It's gone. It's gone."

"We have to think about what we will say in the conference hall tomorrow. A sudden change of attitude is too obvious. What if Yacintos sees that we have problems and encourages the sun god behind us to mess with us?"

Everyone began to give up on themselves, and one of them muttered: "Give him a favor. Didn't he want Os to sit on another throne? Sit, let him be the tyrant of Sparta alone and let them be two brothers How much difference can succession make together? It’s not a day or two that the two brothers have a bad relationship. If I really want to say it, I still think that if Oss sits on another throne, maybe it can contain Yacinthos. , and I don’t know what Yacintos thinks, making such a proposal.”

He was immediately sighed by everyone: "How long have you stayed at home and haven't gone out? I don't know that the relationship between Oss and Hyacinthus is so good now? I suspect that this is also a play played by the Yagiade family. .”

"Oh, does it have a big influence?" He asked numbly, "Whether Os succeeds to the throne is completely in the hands of the Yagiade family? Thinking about it better, people sitting in high positions will always change. What if the two brothers bite each other one day?"

People always have a little hope in their lives.

"...It makes sense."

"I'll think it over."

"It's not impossible to operate..."

·

Before the start of the succession ceremony, it was extremely rare for heavy snow to fall in the Aegean Sea.

This was supposed to be a disaster, and even the spies lurking in Athens sent news that Athens was suffering huge losses caused by the snowstorm, but in Sparta, there was no atmosphere of disaster at all.

The Spartan Acropolis was full of festive and carnival atmosphere, and people from outside the city kept pouring into the Acropolis.

In addition to the natives who have made a lot of money because of the tax reduction, there are also many Hilo people who came across the Tigertes Mountains. The market was full of people, and one of the small squares was full of people. The young man in warm clothes was speaking loudly: "...you may not be able to guess that I used to be a Hilo from the way I am dressed."

Some new passers-by didn't understand, so: "Excuse me, what is this doing?"

"Oh, this young man is telling the story of his family," the audience squeezed in the encirclement took the time to reply, and said enthusiastically, "It seems to be related to His Royal Highness Hyacinthus."

"?" The footsteps of these passers-by couldn't help but stop.

Young man: "In order to escape the fate of being captured and enslaved in the Acropolis, our family once hid in the mountains of our hometown, Messenia, and never took a step. Stealing life, the only thought may be the little sister Tana in the Acropolis."

"The little girl was abducted into the city by a bastard that we didn't want to admit to being a relative. Every year, every festival, our whole family would sincerely pray that the bastard's head would bloom. Until a few years ago, we suddenly received a letter from Tana , Said that he was taken in by His Highness Crown Prince Jacintos, and now he is doing some odd jobs in His Highness’s courtyard, earning some rewards, and specially asked someone to send a letter to share with his family.”

The young man shook his head: "Listen, a Heiroshi was taken in by a crown prince, and the crown prince paid her back? Are you kidding me? Tana is so young, what heavy work can she do? It is no exaggeration to say After getting the silver coins in the letter, my mother almost fainted. After recovering, she cried and cursed that Tana must be ignorant. She was cheated by the crown prince and counted the money for others when she suffered a loss. I also Think so."

The audience around suddenly became commotion, some yelled, some booed, and some of them laughed out loud, so that the passers-by Monk Zhang Er couldn't figure it out, and looked a little scared at the patrolling soldiers nearby , and couldn't help joining the crusade of the crowd angrily: "Hey! You are talking nonsense! Your Highness is not that kind of person! How dare you say such slanderous words on the day of the succession celebration?!"

The young man deliberately paused for a while, allowing the audience to yell and vent their emotions, until he felt that it was almost done, and then raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "—until half a year ago."

What, there is a turning point?

The passers-by looked at the young man warily, temporarily suppressing the curses on their lips.

Young man: "I think everyone knows that half a year ago, the crown prince issued a series of new decrees, such as 'All Hilo people are free citizens, just like border people, as a The people of Sparta, all rights are protected by law'."

"Many young people like our family who hid in the mountains boldly walked out of the steep and unsuitable mountainous areas for farming and animal husbandry. Soon we got a message saying that they had indeed successfully opened up wasteland and settled on the plains, and a large part of their investment What about the 'opening of a new business line', joining a branch of the chamber of commerce established by the former Heroes called 'Aka'."

"I still can't believe that a Spartan nobleman, or the crown prince, can be so kind? Can he really think about us Hilo people? Thinking about my little sister, I left the mountain the night I received the letter. "

"After successfully joining the branch of the chamber of commerce by virtue of hard work, I took advantage of a certain cargo handover opportunity to enter the Acropolis. I inquired about Tana's current residence and made all preparations to rescue her from the quagmire. In the settlement of the Kiade family, we met His Highness Jacintos."

"The first time I saw him, I realized—"

"How wrong I was."

"Huh?" Passers-by widened their eyes.

The young man nodded seriously: "My sister was standing next to His Royal Highness, and the first thought that popped into my mind was: 'If my sister is really involved with His Royal Highness, it is impossible to say that she will be stuck in a quagmire and need to be rescued. It's actually His Royal Highness the Crown Prince'."

"Huh? Haha!" Passers-by began to be dumbfounded.

Is it my brother?So my sister is ugly.

And it's an exaggeration, although they haven't seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself, but the Spartans, no matter how good-looking they are, how good-looking can they be?Definitely a muscular burly man.

"Don't laugh!" The young man said seriously, "That's why I decided to come to this small square to tell everyone this story, to prepare everyone mentally, and to see His Highness's face during the succession ceremony. Don't lose your composure and interfere with the ceremony. You must also remember to remind yourself, remember to show respect to the other protagonist of the succession ceremony, His Royal Highness Oss..."

"Ha!" The passers-by didn't take it seriously, and shook their heads when they heard this, and scattered, "It's a waste of time, it's actually a person who only flatters His Highness Jacintos. What he said, he stepped on His Highness Oss His appearance, but who doesn't know how attractive General Oss is to women? And even if his face is not mentioned? The record alone is enough to be proud of."

"Haha, yes! But this flattery should also be patted on the horse's leg, they are Spartans—" the speaker paused, then couldn't help laughing, and changed his words, "It's us Spartans. We Spartans have always valued strength rather than useless looks, so maybe His Royal Highness Jacintos won’t like it when he brags so hard?”

Others should also sum up:

"Yes, yes. It's as if His Royal Highness Jacintos is able to show his appearance, not his political achievements. Obviously, our Highness is worthy of praise in terms of practical ability! It's like this year's heavy snow. Before the New Deal, I don’t know how many people would die. But after the New Deal is implemented, not only is it not difficult, but we still have the heart to bring gifts to the succession ceremony, and enjoy the snow scene with excitement!”

"That's because the new trade route still has the return of land and tax relief, right? Everyone's money bags are full."

"That's right, any materials that are in short supply can still be traded through the new trade route. My brother is in the chamber of commerce. He said that some of the firewood supplied to Sparta this winter came from Mount Tigertes, and some It was brought by a new trade route."

"Ha! I heard that the gifts brought by the people who came to the succession ceremony had already filled up the temple of Apollo, and the soldiers had to make a space in the meeting hall to pile up the congratulatory gifts that couldn't be accommodated."

"I think it is more worth mentioning the temporary houses built in and around the Acropolis? It is said that the trainees who are undergoing training were dispatched together, and it took only 47 hours to build these temporary houses for us to stay in during the ceremony. Time of day!"

"Then this is also due to the new decree of our Highness Yacintos? Allowing those young people who have been trained because they have no rights or financial conditions to participate in training, providing sufficient manpower for the construction of temporary residences."

The hustle and bustle of these markets could not reach the ears of Hyacinthos or Os who were far away in the meeting hall.

But the meeting hall is located at the highest point of the Spartan Acropolis. Even though the brothers rarely have the opportunity to leave the meeting hall in order to prepare for the succession celebration, they can still occasionally stand by the meeting hall and look down at the Spartan Acropolis.

They could see that the trained young people strictly obeyed the command of the officers, built houses in the city with great efficiency, patrolled in shifts, and supervised the Acropolis that attracted a large number of population movements in an orderly manner.

It can be seen that the people who came to the succession ceremony were properly placed into warm and dry huts as soon as they entered the city. The comfortable environment obviously improved people's happiness. Looking at the children running around, you can also feel the joy in the crowded streets and alleys.

The only one with a straight face might be Aka.

Last night, when I had another "candle night talk" with Yacintos, the two of them inadvertently mentioned the fruits sent by the caravan, and suddenly they slapped their heads and remembered the fruit seeds they had planted in the back yard of the old courtyard, and ran away in the dark When I dug up the snow, there were only a few messy pits, and a few complete wolf paw prints could be seen vaguely.

This is obviously a pit dug by the wolves brought in during the civil war, so it can only be said that there are gains and losses.

The continuous snow did not know when it stopped, and it was already noon.

Eighteen musicians played thick and deep instruments, and the sacred and solemn succession ceremony finally officially began.

Except for the soldiers in charge of guarding, almost everyone in the acropolis gathered outside the temple, watching the gate of the temple slowly open expectantly.

The priests of the temple knelt on the ground, reciting praises in a low voice. The two young Spartan kings stood up side by side holding willow branches in the circle formed by the priests.

But almost the eyes of the vast majority of people are attracted by one of them like a demon.

The clouds moved slowly, and the sun poked out a corner from behind the hanging clouds. When the first ray of sunlight fell on the earth, the young Spartan Lord slowly raised his head.

The sun poured down on his thick curls that seemed to be woven of gold, seeming to crown him.

"—"

The few passers-by in the market before slowly opened their mouths wide, their eyes staring straight.

Fortunately, like them, more than one or two were fooled by the appearance of Hyacinthus. Almost all the guests from outside the Acropolis became a group of giant sculptures, even the pure-blooded Spartans. Some people forgot to breathe, and it took a long time for someone to murmur: "Why didn't you notice it before? Your Highness looks so... hiss, how do you describe this?"

The person who was hit was stunned more than the questioner, and he subconsciously said: "Apollo..."

Even those who had heard the admonition at the market before had forgotten what the young man had reminded, "Remember to show respect to His Royal Highness Oss."

In the temple, Osborn's mood was also extremely complicated.

It's not that he's unhappy that everyone's eyes aren't on him, he's actually quite relieved about it.After all, Oss already felt that it was nonsense to be one of the successor kings. Every morning he would doubt his life for a long time when he woke up.

Now everyone is looking at Hyacinthus with straight eyes. He feels that this reality is very real, but at the same time, he also feels a strong sense of displeasure. No one can see it.

Yacintos was standing beside Oss, and he could clearly feel the displeasure coming from his brother. He glanced from the corner of his eyes and couldn't help laughing.

Oss's expression was as vigilant as a hen's, and his stern eyes swept out of the hall, as if there were malicious eagles standing outside the door, trying to steal his chicks at any time.

Fortunately, before the sacrifice, they have already conducted many trainings on the process. Even if Oss maintains the state of "I want to be an enemy of the world", it does not prevent them from completing most of the process, leaving only the last step—as King, swear to your subjects and to the Governor.

On the issue of the candidates for the governor, the Senate quarreled for a long time, trying to argue that Hyacinthus' request to "select one person from the right-age people from Helotes and Frontiersmen" did not conform to the "elimination of differences" he advocated.

Until one day Oss was so annoyed that he rebuked them: "Yes, don't choose from Helots and border people. The pure-blooded Spartans know the Messenia where Helots and border people live. , where the mountains will slide when it rains, where the rivers will dry up in summer, where the people need help, how can we help?"

Even so, this issue has been debated for a long time, but to this day, there are still two governors who were born as black laborers and border residents successfully stood here and exchanged oaths with the two kings.

When they swear in unison that they will supervise the king's exercise of power and everything is for the glory of Sparta, the eyes of the governor who was born in Helos glistened with tears.

This is not only a great honor for him, but also an authority that he never thought of before, and it means something—

From now on, there will never be a war against Helots every time the Governor takes office; there will never be an annual festival, and his compatriots will be dragged into the square without dignity, stripped naked, whipped, and drunk .

right.

From now on, there will never be Heroes talking about it again.

In this new land, there are only free and equal citizens of Sparta.

Hyacinthus listened to the governor and his brother solemnly swear the oath in turn, but his eyes were drawn to the great nobles standing behind the senators.

These old foxes who have become fine have a serious look on their faces, but Yacintos clearly knows that the implementation of the New Deal will affect the interests of these great nobles. Belly cursing.

But that's okay.

Hyacinthus followed his brother's ending, smiled at the group of great nobles, and then turned his gaze to all the people present: "I swear, as the king of Sparta, I will respect everything on the king's land." The people are responsible, and history will give me the fairest judgment."

The musicians blow their instruments again, symbolizing the end of the ceremony.

But the carnival had just begun. After a moment of silence, thunderous cheers erupted in front of the temple. The celebratory singing and dancing formed a huge parade, starting from the temple and advancing along the road.

at the same time.

on Mount Olympus.

Apollo listened attentively to the prayers of the people in the Temple of Apollo, and when he heard the news of Hyacinthus' succession, he jumped off the bed excitedly and anxiously, and ran wildly in the bedroom.

After finally calming down, Apollo rushed to the barrier set by his sister, banging and hammering the air wall: "Al! Al! Artemis! I know you are in the temple today, come here!"

Outside the door of the apse, a healthy and well-proportioned figure walked in.

Contrary to the soft-sounding Luna priesthood, Artemis looks more like a female war goddess.

She was tall and slender, wearing a hunting suit made of fur she had hunted herself, her two legs exposed outside the clothes were long and straight, and her healthy wheat-colored skin was rubbed with aromatic oil, reflecting a wild luster in the sun.

Artemis, who is the goddess of hunting in charge, glanced at her younger brother, biting a white strip of cloth between her teeth, tied it around her wrist, and adjusted the bow and arrow behind her: "What are you doing?"

Apollo quickly showed a flattering smile and rubbed his hands: "Look, you have locked me in the temple for several months, shouldn't it be time to let me out? That's right, I just heard a message from the temple. Pray, Yashin has succeeded to the throne! Such a big happy event, as a close friend, shouldn’t I be there to congratulate him out of emotion and reason?”

Artemis raised her brows and smiled angrily: "Okay, okay. You've been locked up in the temple for half a year, and you still can't forget the human crown prince. You're really out of your mind!"

Apollo smacked his lips: "Why do you still not believe me, Yashin and I are not the kind of relationship you think, we are really close friends!"

"That's even more dizzy!" Artemis was furious, "You are my younger brother, and I don't know you yet? Could it be that you have thought about him for making you act like this? But you But he said that he was just his best friend... Why, as the sun god, are you so humble in this relationship?!"

"..." Apollo said, "Why can't I develop a pure friendship with human beings?"

Artemis was so angry that he pointed his bow at Apollo and cursed: "Listen to what you say! Does it seem like you can say it? Enough! This Hyacinthus is favored by the gods, and he dares to fish like this! Looking at you, I heard a ridiculous rumor in the temple some time ago, saying that Apollo appeared in the temple of Sparta, and passed down an oracle saying that he prefers white marble statues to gold and silver, Ridiculous! Why didn’t I know when you liked stones more than gold and silver? Did he trick you into doing this again! I can’t let this human being continue to be presumptuous anymore!”

"Hey, hey!" Apollo quickly grabbed the air wall, "What are you doing?"

Artemis stopped and said coldly: "If you can't be hard-hearted, I will do it for you. In your name, I will come to the Temple of Delphi and convey the oracle: 'The gods hate Sparta. The young king, Hyacinthus is destined to destroy Sparta, and if he wants to glorify Sparta, only Hyacinthus himself will come to Delphi and sacrifice himself'."

Apollo stared round his eyes: "But—Sparta finally got better—and, even if I really like Yashin, then he doesn't like me, and I have no right to force him, and you have no right to punish him like this he!"

There is another sentence that Apollo didn't say: If you want to die, please don't take me with you.

"—?" Artemis' eyes were wider than Apollo's.

She didn't necessarily understand the truth of what Apollo said, but the words came out of her brother's mouth, which seemed particularly stinging.

Aggrieved, Artemis said angrily: "What are you talking about? I am not qualified? How many times have you quarreled with me because of him? I am your biological sister! You would rather be with me just because he is so fascinated. Turn back, I have to teach him a lesson!"

"..." Apollo looked at the angry Artemis with complicated emotions, just like looking at himself once.

The figure of his sister gradually overlapped with those Spartan whip soldiers that he had often seen in his nightmares. It was clear that those poor and weak Heilos had done nothing wrong, and they also said that they should teach some lessons so that Heilos Know your status.

Apollo and Artemis looked at each other for a while, then looked away: "You go."

Just now he was also concerned and confused, and he had forgotten how powerful Jacintos was.

In fact, it would be good to let Al find Hyacinthus. Last time he learned the lesson, it should be Al's turn this time, right?It is said that brothers and sisters love each other deeply, so he also wants to recommend his good memories to his dear sister to experience.

Apollo rubbed his nose and looked at the ceiling: "Actually, Yashin looks pretty when he cries. You can try."

"..." Artemis' angry expression faltered and he became suspicious.

...Is this some kind of counter-aggressive strategy?

Why did my younger brother, who was still deeply in love just now, suddenly become a scumbag?

The author has something to say: This chapter is two in one~