"Don't worry, it's impossible. Unless Rhode realizes that Athens is not worthy of her protection, she will stay here and protect this place diligently. But I believe that many things cannot be hidden. One day, Rhode will notice the virtues of the Athenians. One day, the Athenians will pay the price for their arrogance and they will break Rhode's heart. What I did was to plant this seed in Rhode's heart so that after encountering this incident, she will know what to do next instead of staying here and wasting time."
Hilde shook her head helplessly.
She also felt sad for Rod's fate.
The only person in Athens who really cared about Rhode was Pericles. Although Hilde disliked Pericles, judging from her attitude and feelings towards Rhode, she was probably someone who really cared about him, and was fundamentally different from those ungrateful Athenians. Although Pericles was also using Rhode, there was still a difference. It was unknown how long Pericles' kindness would last.
"We can't help."
"Just live your own life and don't worry about Rhodes's matter for now."
In Hilde's heart.
Even if Rhode's matter was put to an end, no matter what the outcome would be, there was no need for him to think about it anymore. When the matter changed, it would not be too late to think about it at that time. What was supposed to happen would always happen.
After the meeting with Rhodes, Hilde's trip to Athens was over. Some related agreements had basically been signed, and Hilde had no reason to stay in Athens. What she cared about most now was to return to the Byzantine Kingdom as soon as possible to prepare for the next trip to Ionia.
After all, we have to complete the mission of the Queen of Persia first.
Chapter 5 of Tone 9: Socrates' Recommendation
Actually, thinking about it now, Hilde felt that what Xerxes said was right.
Indeed... I should take Ionia first. Ionia is the most important place. Taking it will be very helpful to improve the national strength of the Byzantine Kingdom. If the Byzantine Kingdom turns to the north, it will consume a lot of manpower and money in the tug-of-war with the Scythians. In this case, the Byzantine Kingdom is likely to miss the golden opportunity for development. Therefore, Xerxes asked Hilde to attack Ionia. I am afraid that it was a judgment made by Xerxes as the Persian emperor.
Hilde has to admit this.
I am indeed not as broad-minded as Xerxes thought.
But this raises another question.
What exactly was Xerxes' purpose?
Hilde's confusion had troubled her for a long time. She had never known Xerxes' true purpose. It happened that she was about to return from Athens this time. When she met Xerxes, Hilde had to find a chance to ask him, although she could not guarantee that Xerxes would answer her question truthfully. According to Xerxes's character, he would tell her half and hide the other half quietly without telling Hilde.
So it's really troublesome.
After meeting Rod today, Hilde's next day's affairs were relatively simple.
That is to go and see an old friend of mine.
The first to be affected was Socrates.
As the pioneer and leader of the local wise men in Athens, Socrates still has a very high reputation in Athens. Many people trust Socrates very much. Therefore, Hilde also feels that it is necessary for her to meet this old friend who has always been very good to her. So Hilde sent someone to invite Socrates. Socrates also decisively agreed and went to the mansion where Hilde was.
Seeing Socrates' unchanging expression, Hilde couldn't help but laugh.
"You're still the same."
"Your Majesty, you are as beautiful as ever."
Facing this king from a distant country, Socrates' mentality is really complicated. On the one hand, this is Hilde who often discusses philosophical issues with him. On the other hand, she has now become the king of the Byzantine Kingdom that the whole of Athens fears. At the same time, she is also the oracle of Lady Athena, a great figure far beyond ordinary people. Although Socrates never cares about those very famous people, she only cares about learning and knowledge.
But facing Hilde.
She was still a little nervous.
"You actually say something like this. This is not like your style."
"It's just a matter of speaking to the people you meet."
Socrates' words are also quite profound.
Hilde pretended not to hear anything.
"I invited you here today not to say useless things. We were friends before and often discussed problems together. Now, let's just get along as we did before."
"Of course."
Socrates smiled and nodded.
She was quite worried at first.
But now it seems that Hilde is still quite normal, not too far away, and still the Hilde she was familiar with before. At this time, Hilde seemed to remember something, her eyes slightly widened, and then she asked Socrates: "Speaking of which, where is Phidias? I remember I also invited her, why didn't she come?"
"Phidias is currently busy completing a great work. Not to mention your invitation code, even if Pericles wants someone to find her now, she won't show up." Socrates said helplessly with a faint apology on his face, "People like her who are accompanied by art will always inevitably ignore the feelings of others. I hope you can forgive me for this."
"That will certainly be no problem."
Hilde didn't care.
Anyway, Phidias has always been a man who does his own thing.
The reason why Hilde and Phidias had such a good relationship was that Phidias thought Hilde was very beautiful and a very suitable material for sculpture, so he got to know Hilde. Hilde didn't care about this utilitarian idea, so she became good friends with Phidias.
However, at this time Hilde noticed something was wrong.
"what happened to you?"
The Socrates in front of Hilde always gave people the feeling that he wanted to say something, but it seemed that this thing was difficult to talk about and not easy to say out loud.
So Hilde saw through this and asked.
"Is there anything you want to say?"
At this time, Socrates lowered his head very embarrassedly. It seemed that he really wanted to say something that he was embarrassed to say. This was really rare. After all, Socrates usually didn't ask others for help. So it was still a bit surprising to see him suddenly show this attitude.
"It's like this. I have a favorite student. She's still quite young, but she's very knowledgeable and capable. I'm very proud of this student of mine. She's old enough now, so I hope to introduce her to you. If possible, I'd like her to go to the Byzantine Kingdom for a few years to hone her abilities."
"...I suppose you must be talking about Alcibiades."
"Do you know her?"
Socrates was a little surprised.
And Hilde couldn't help laughing.
"Of course I know. Alcibiades is quite famous. It is said that her talent in philosophy is no less than yours. She is also handsome and well-spoken. She is well-liked by the Athenians and is also a leader among the young people. I naturally know her great reputation, but I didn't expect that someone like you would recommend your students. I thought you would never do such a thing."
It is true that Socrates has always been relatively conservative. She would not recommend her students to others, or use her fame to cash in. She is a very introverted person who cherishes her reputation. So when Socrates really recommends someone to her, it means that this person is really outstanding, and the Alcibiades she is talking about is such a person.
Hilde had met this man once before.
Say something.
This guy is really handsome.
Alcibiades is now in his teens, about the same age as Hilde.
Chapter 6 of the Ninth Tune: Talents from Athens
In Athens, teenagers had no future, because in Athens, after the age of 20, they had to undergo the temple's coming-of-age ceremony, take up arms and serve in the army for two years before they could be accepted by Athenian society as citizens with civil rights.
Hilde didn't know whether Alcibiades had joined the army, but she knew that his family was a very famous noble family in Athens and was also very rich, so she estimated that Alcibiades must have joined the army to gain some experience.
"This student of mine is really excellent. He also participated in the war against the Spartans as a cavalryman. He is an excellent young man who combines wisdom and courage. However, he is still too young. Now in Athens, he can't do anything. Time is passing slowly for no reason. I am worried that Alcibiades will lose his goal due to his extravagant life."
"I understand your idea."
"So Your Majesty..."
"Then you didn't bring anyone here."
"…I'm so sorry. I thought you might not agree to this, so I didn't bring him back first. If possible, I'll let him come to see you in person in the evening today. What do you think?"
"Okay, let's leave it at that for now. Come in first and let's talk about something else."
Alcibiades.
Hilde knew this man, not entirely because he was famous now.
Anyone who knows some ancient Greek history knows the fame of this man. He was the main leader of Athens in the late Peloponnesian War. During the Battle of Sicily, he was attacked from behind by his colleagues and chose to join the Spartans, helping the Spartans to force the Athenians into a desperate situation on the battlefield, which eventually led to a tyrannical coup in Athens and the establishment of the Thirty Tyrants. After that, the Athenians surrendered and recalled Alcibiades. After that, Alcibiades led the almost crippled Athens to defeat the Spartans in several wars, and finally forced the Spartans to form an alliance with the Persians. Finally, in the Battle of the Aries, the Athenian navy was annihilated and the final victory was won.
His own history could fill a novel.
Very legendary.
But that was when he was nearly 50 years old.
Now, Alcibiades is less than 20 years old, and is in the prime of his life. Socrates has recommended him now, which means that Alcibiades must have considered the Byzantine Kingdom. This is equivalent to giving Hilde a chance. After all, this guy is very talented. If he can be brought to the Byzantine Kingdom, it will be a good thing for the entire Byzantine Kingdom.
Although Alcibiades is very egoistic, and because of this, he is often not welcomed by various forces. But now he is still young, there are plenty of opportunities to train him, and we can slowly find time to train him properly.
And it can be seen from Socrates' reaction that he really values Alcibiades. This time when Hilde invited Socrates to her place, Socrates did not even discuss any philosophical issues with Hilde, but was talking about how good Alcibiades was, for fear that Hilde would go back on her word and be unwilling to meet Alcibiades.
Of course Hilde wants to see him.
It is definitely necessary to meet.
So Hilde is still very much looking forward to the next meeting with Alcibiades.
After finishing his talk with Socrates, Alcibiades appeared directly at the door of Hilde's mansion in the evening. This handsome young man, wearing a decent red robe and with very neat hair, would attract the attention of some women around him just by standing at the door of Hilde's mansion. Obviously, such a handsome young man would be very popular no matter which country he went to.
He was very well behaved, standing at the door, and his every move was impeccable. Hilde only needed to glance through the door to know that this man named Alcibiades must be no ordinary person. So Hilde walked out of the mansion with great interest and walked towards Alcibiades.
"Are you Alcibiades?"
"Yes, your beautiful majesty."
When Alcibiades saw Hilde, his eyes widened. It was obvious that Hilde's beauty shocked him. You should know that when Hilde left Athens, Alcibiades was not very old. In fact, for a long time before that, Alcibiades had not seen Hilde much. He just often heard from others that they praised Hilde's beauty, or stigmatized Hilde with her excessive beauty, thinking that she was the offspring of the devil.
So for a long time, Alcibiades had only heard of her name but never seen her. Now that he had seen Hilde with his own eyes and felt her breathtaking beauty so closely, Alcibiades didn't know what to say for a moment. After a while, he woke up as if from a dream, and quickly bowed his head and said, "I'm so sorry, you are so beautiful, I really can't find enough adjectives to describe your beauty, and I couldn't help but be stunned for a moment."
"I don't hate your compliments."
Hilde smiled and nodded.
"Would you like to have dinner together?"
"This is……"
Alcibiades was somewhat surprised.
Hilde explained, "Today, when Socrates recommended you to me, he kept telling me your strengths and your merits for several hours. My ears are almost callused, but he didn't stop. So I thought that since Socrates values someone so much, he must be an outstanding talent. Therefore, such a talent deserves my highest reception."
"Teacher, you are too kind. I am not as great as he said. I am just a young man."
“I am a young man too.”
Hilde said this and smiled at him.
"Since we are all young people, let's not say these polite words. I remember Socrates told me that you are a very outgoing and confident person. Why do you become so cautious in front of me?"
The 9th tune, the 7th section, gives up the identity of Athens
(The "he 1" and "she 1" that appeared in the previous text were all marks I made when I was revising the novel. Sometimes I wrote too quickly and forgot to pay attention to the pronouns. When I went back to revise, I would mark 1 next to the places where the pronouns were incorrect, so that I would make unified revisions. As a result, I went to eat after marking 1, and forgot to revise it later. I have already contacted the editor to fix it. Alas...)
"This...it must be because you are too good. I have lost all my confidence. Compared with ordinary Athenians, I am indeed very powerful, but compared with you who founded the Byzantine Empire, I am nothing." Alcibiades was very honest. He did not skimp on his words on such a key issue. After hearing this, Hilde smiled and nodded.
"Don't stand outside. Come in with me now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Hilde and Alcibiades walked into the mansion.
Hilde had already informed everyone about today's event, so no one was surprised when Hilde suddenly entered with a young man. Hilde had already prepared the juice for the chat in the hall, waiting for Alcibiades to arrive.
After sitting down, Hilde looked at the handsome boy in front of her with a smile. Although Hilde was a man in her previous life, people always have a yearning for beautiful things. Seeing Alcibiades' angular and heroic appearance, as well as her young but very strong body, Hilde felt a little envious. If she were a man, she would have such a face and figure. How great it would be.
"Socrates came to me today and told me your details. I heard from Socrates that you wanted to go to the Byzantine Kingdom to hone your abilities, right?"
"Yes."
"I admire your courage, but there are some things I must say in advance. You must be mentally prepared. First of all, I want to tell you that there is a rule in Athens and in our Byzantine Kingdom that only local residents can serve as public officials. I know you are an excellent talent, and I would like you to do something that can bring out your talents, but unfortunately, these jobs are all for public officials in our kingdom. If you want to become a public official in our country, the first thing you have to do is to become a citizen of the Byzantine Kingdom."
“I can do that.”
Unexpectedly, Alcibiades was not ambiguous at all about this matter.
"I had prepared myself mentally before coming here. I knew that no matter what kind of country or city-state it was, it would be impossible for an Athenian to participate in politics in their country. This was against the rules. So, I voluntarily gave up my Athenian identity and joined the Byzantine Kingdom."
"What's the reason?"
Hilde sat up straighter, the smile on his face gradually disappearing.
"Do you know what you mean by saying this?"
"Of course I know."
"The identity of an Athenian is a status that many people dream of. Only those whose parents were born in Athens can become Athenian citizens. Many people have lived in Athens all their lives and have no way to obtain the identity of Athenian citizens. They are all very eager to become Athenian citizens, but now you want to give up this citizenship and go to the Byzantine Kingdom, which is so far away, to become a citizen of the Byzantine Kingdom. Do you think so? Does Socrates know? Do your family members know?"
"I understand what you mean, but I have thought about this for a long time. When I told my teacher about this, she couldn't understand it at first. But my reason is that a talented person, no matter where she is from or where she is now, should do something that can shine. I will let people in this world remember my name in the future, not because I am an Athenian or from somewhere else. In Athens now, it is too difficult for me to display my talents. I need to wait until I am at least in my twenties before I can get involved in politics. In my opinion, the political environment in Athens makes it difficult for me to display my talents. Moreover, the Byzantine Kingdom is also a member of the Delian League. Going to the Byzantine Kingdom to help Your Majesty is also helping Athens."
