"Don't worry, we will definitely have a chance to meet again in the future."
Hilde patted Rod on the back and stuck out her tongue at Sophia beside her.
Sophia sighed helplessly.
She felt that she would have to get used to this kind of thing in the future...
After hugging her for a while, Rhode finally let go. Tears were hanging from the corners of her eyes, but she seemed to be trying hard not to cry. At this time, Rhode seemed to remember something and took out a bracelet from his small leather bag and handed it to Hilde. Seeing this, Hilde asked, "What is this..."
"I made this myself, made of pearls, it's my gift."
"Ah, thanks."
Hilde took the pearl bracelet.
In fact, this bracelet is not a good thing. The pearls are dull in color and uneven in size. What's worse, many of the pearls are not spherical. Generally speaking, in Athens, pearls of this level are unwanted by others and may be ground into powder for use. However, Hilde could probably guess that these pearls must be the pearl shells that Rhode found and collected from the shallows when he was still living by the sea.
"I will cherish it."
"Then, then I'm leaving."
Rhodes looked at Hilde reluctantly, then turned around and jumped directly into the sea.
At this time, the rising waves gently lifted up Rhodes, and Rhodes stood on the waves, looking at Hilde on the deck, and said, "I have delayed you for a while! Sorry, next, please let me use my power to send you off!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Rhode raised the golden trident in his hand high, and then everyone could feel that the ocean had changed. An undercurrent appeared under all the ships, and began to push them in their intended direction. Since Hilde's fleet had already stopped at this place, it was quite troublesome to set sail again and return to the previous sailing speed. With Rhode's help, the speed of the fleet was rapidly increased.
Rhode didn't just push the fleet up, she just floated beside the fleet, leading the undercurrent, pushing Hilde's fleet forward more than 50 kilometers. In this way, the time Hilde wasted at Cape Sounion was completely made up. Hilde looked at Rhode in the distance, and she felt a little emotional. Rhode was really a good person. It would be great if all the oracles in the world were like her.
Finally, as the sky gradually darkened, Hilde's fleet left the dangerous waters around Cape Sounion and entered the calm Aegean Sea. When they arrived here, Rhode stopped, stood on the waves, and waved to Hilde.
"goodbye!!!"
And Hilde responded with a smile and a wave of his hand.
In this way, Hilde set out on the journey back to the Byzantine Kingdom. Rhodes watched Hilde's fleet disappear from sight before reluctantly turning back. She did not stop, but returned to Athens as quickly as possible. It was not until the next morning that Rhodes arrived in Athens.
At this moment, Pericles was in a state of panic at home. He had arranged many people to look for Rhodes. However, after searching everywhere for such a long time, there was no news. Rhodes seemed to have evaporated into thin air. The latest news proved that Rhodes might have gone to Cape Sounion. So Pericles immediately sent people to Cape Sounion to look for Rhodes, but at this time he was on the verge of despair.
Especially Pericles's rivals, such as Cleon, after learning that Rhodes suddenly disappeared, immediately brought people to Pericles' doorstep to provoke him, saying that Pericles had angered the oracle of Lord Poseidon and wanted the Areopagus Council and the Citizens' Assembly to sentence Pericles to death, because Cleon felt that Pericles was blaspheming God. Pericles was no longer in the mood to care about a clown like Cleon. He simply closed the door of his house and waited inside.
He even thought that it was possible that Hilde had taken Rod away.
Does Hilde really have such strong abilities?
Can he easily control another oracle?
Although Rhodes rarely kills people and is not a person who likes fighting, her abilities are actually very powerful, especially on the ship. She can control the ocean at will and it is impossible for her to be trapped in the ship by Hilde. Therefore, unless Rhodes is willing to follow Hilde, there is no way that Rhodes will be taken away.
After waiting for two or three days, Pericles felt that he could no longer hold on. This obedient and sensible child seemed to have suddenly disappeared from this world without any news, and it happened just during the time when Hilde left. Cleon's provocation did have a certain effect, and people began to pay attention to why Rhodes disappeared, and whether Pericles really pissed Rhodes off and left.
"Pericles!!!"
Outside Pericles' palace.
Creon was standing on a platform.
Chapter 1, Section 4: Let's Protect Athens Together
He shouted to Pericles inside: "Don't hide in there like a coward. This will only make the whole of Athens laugh at your cowardice. You should stand up and take the initiative to admit your mistakes, take your responsibilities, and tell us clearly what you have done to blaspheme the gods and anger the great oracle, Lord Rhodes!!!"
Cleon's voice sounded very harsh.
The Athenian citizens who followed Cleon were also very excited, and some even picked up stones and threw them at Pericles' house. Since the slaves in Pericles' house had been bought by Hilde, even if there was some garbage and stones thrown, no one came to clean it up, and the whole house now looked like it was abandoned.
"Coward! Pericles!!!"
Cleon's voice almost turned into a roar.
"You forced Athena's oracle to leave, causing Athena to abandon Athens and putting the entire Athens in crisis. However, Poseidon was magnanimous and sent Rhodes to save Athens. But now you want to repeat the same mistake and stage this tragedy once again, Pericles! Are you still a human being? Do you still have the face to continue to be the archon?"
"Yeah yeah!!!"
"Pericles! Get out!!!"
The people around were also making a fuss.
But at this moment, Cleon suddenly felt someone patting his shoulder. He was still a little puzzled, so he turned around, but suddenly met a pair of almond eyes with annoyance.
Rhodes suddenly appeared behind Cleon, silently, holding the trident in his hand, and it seemed that he would use the trident at any time to stab Cleon directly. Cleon was so scared that he sat on the ground, looking at Rhodes in horror, and the people around him also noticed Rhodes' presence. They also suddenly became afraid, after all, they all knew in their hearts that Rhodes stood with Pericles, and he was an oracle.
Isn't it easy for the Oracle to kill mortals like them?
"What are you doing?"
Rhodes frowned and looked at Cleon in front of him.
"Rhodes, Lord Rhodes... why are you back?"
"I just went out to do some things, and I didn't tell Lord Pericles in advance, which led to some misunderstandings. But what are you doing now?" Rhodes looked at the miserable house, and his hand holding the trident became tighter. "I think you must have misunderstood something, but you destroyed my home and bullied Lord Pericles while I was away."
"Misunderstandings are all misunderstandings!"
Cleon said quickly.
"Don't be angry! Don't be angry!"
"Go pack all these things up for me!"
Rhode was rarely angry, but after seeing this scene today, she couldn't help herself. The scene in front of her became a mess, and everything seemed to have changed. What Rhode couldn't accept the most was that these people took advantage of her absence to start making trouble. She now completely understood why Aspasia said those words to her, and why Aspasia told her that Pericles needed her help and protection.
Just because he went out without saying hello, these people took this opportunity to try to kill Pericles. If he really disappeared, Pericles would probably be pushed to the execution ground by these people in less than a month, and then executed. Or the people instigated by Cleon would use ostracism to exile Pericles.
"OK……"
Cleon didn't dare talk back.
Faced with such absolute strength.
Or to survive, which is the best choice for Cleon.
So Cleon hurriedly took people to pick up the garbage and stones in front of Pericles' house, while Rhodes rushed into the house and came into the room. At this time, Pericles didn't know what happened outside, nor did he know that Rhodes was back. When he heard someone pushing the door open, he thought it was Cleon bringing people in. Pericles hurriedly stood up and tried to pick up the dagger next to him, but when he looked up, he didn't expect it to be Rhodes holding the trident.
"Rhode?"
"Lord Pericles, I'm sorry!"
Rhodes walked quickly to Pericles and said, "I came back late this time, which led to this. I am really sorry, Lord Pericles, I did something wrong..."
"…It's okay, I'm glad you can come back."
When he saw Rhodes appear in front of him and apologized very sincerely, the resentment in Pericles' heart had now disappeared. He sighed helplessly and said to Rhodes, "I know what you are doing, but next time you are going to do something, remember to tell me. I don't know anything and can only try to find you. In this way, others will think that I lost you. But... I'm glad you can come back."
"I just saw Cleon and his men at the door. They have been bullying you. It's really too much, so I just asked them to clean up all the stones and garbage thrown into the house. Don't worry, as long as I am here, I will definitely protect you and help you defend Athens."
Hearing what Rhodes said.
Pericles was also quite surprised.
Because he knew that Rhodes was someone who would never say such things.
"Have you talked to Aspasia?"
"How do you know?"
"These words... sound like what Aspasia would say to you. Well, well, I feel relieved now. It seems that Aspasia still understands me. Child, I understand what you said. From now on, let's work together for Athens."
"OK!!!"
Rhodes looked at Pericles and breathed a sigh of relief.
She was also very happy in her heart.
It seems that I really helped Pericles.
What Hilde and Aspasia said made Rhode realize what kind of person Pericles was to Athens and to herself, and also made her clearly understand what she should do in the future. However, to a certain extent, what Hilde said did take root in Rhode's heart, because Hilde knew very well that the thing that would really affect Rhode in the future might not be Pericles, but Athens.
Hilde knew Athens too well, and Athens knew the Athenians too well. She knew very well that in the future, this seemingly prosperous and tolerant city-state would inevitably reveal its ugly face and stretch out its claws toward Rhodes.
The first tune and the fifth section return to Byzantium
It was for this reason that Hilde hoped that when Rhodes was treated unfairly in the future, he would be able to think clearly about what he should do, instead of being held hostage by Pericles's favor or Athens's favor.
Of course, this is a long time in the future.
Now Rod and Hilde naturally don't have to worry about this problem.
Hilde's fleet set out from Cape Sounion and headed north to the port of the Byzantine Kingdom, the city of Byzantium. After drifting on the sea for nearly a month, Hilde's fleet finally arrived at its destination. At this time, the Byzantine Kingdom had entered autumn, and the climate itself was slightly colder than Athens. Many plants in the city of Byzantium had begun to shed their leaves, which was a scene that was almost never seen in Athens.
Hilde's fleet slowly docked at the large port of Byzantium. Everyone in Byzantium knew that their queen had returned today. When Hilde left, Amyntas, who was in charge of guarding Byzantium, came to the port with many officials to welcome Hilde's return.
When Hilde slowly walked to the port.
All the officers, officials and soldiers knelt down.
"Your Majesty! Welcome back!!!"
"Everyone, get up."
Hilde opened her arms and smiled.
Alcibiades, who was standing behind Hilde, was shocked. It was the first time he had seen such a scene. However, this kind of kneeling ceremony was not very popular in Athens, because Athens was a democratic city-state after all, and people were equal. However, kneeling ceremony was very popular in the East, especially in Persia. The Byzantine Empire absorbed a lot of Persian culture and also connected with Persia in terms of etiquette, so naturally there was the current scene of officials kneeling on the ground.
"His Majesty."
At this time, Amyntas walked over quickly.
Hilde also smiled and asked:
"How's the situation lately?"
"Your Majesty, everything is fine."
"What's the situation in the north?"
"The Scythians have been quiet for a while, but Sitalces and Damianos are steadily implementing some of the things you requested before. In the past three months, an effective defense system has been established in the north." Amyntas lowered his head, but his attention was shifted to Alcibiades behind Hilde. "Your Majesty, also, the task of building a new army group that you requested has now been completed."
"Please report these matters to me in detail after I return."
Hilde also noticed Amyntas's gaze.
So Hilde walked up to Alcibiades and said to Amyntas, "I know you are curious about this man. He is Socrates' proudest disciple. His name is Alcibiades. It is said that he is very capable. He is willing to give up his Athenian identity and join the Byzantine Kingdom in exchange for an opportunity to show his talents. So you will deal with each other frequently in the future, provided that he is really capable."
"Yes! Got it!"
When I heard that this man was from Athens.
Amyntas was actually somewhat happy in his heart.
After all, there were very few Athenians like Amyntas in the Byzantine Empire, and the core position of the kingdom was basically controlled by the Milesians and the Byzantines before them. Among the 40 Athenians brought by Hilde, only Amyntas had always been at the center of power, while the others were in the worst situation and were still ordinary soldiers. This also led to Amyntas being occasionally excluded by others even if he didn't want to.
At this time, Hilde turned around and said to Alcibiades with a smile: "You have now arrived in the Byzantine Kingdom. You will be able to see what the capital of the Byzantine Kingdom, Byzantium City, looks like, but there are some things I must say in advance."
"Your Majesty, please give your orders."
"I'm actually a pretty good person. Generally speaking, if you work for me, as long as you're hardworking and loyal, I'll give you a chance, no matter what your background is. But at the same time, I really hate people who brag. Socrates spent a whole day recommending you to me, and you came to me to recommend yourself, so I naturally think that you're a very capable person, someone who can take on big responsibilities. So, I hope you can meet my requirements for you, otherwise... do you see the ocean here?"
"Yes, I saw it!"
"If you lie to me, this ocean will be your burial place."
Hilde said this with a smile.
But after hearing this, Alcibiades shuddered all over. He knew that Hilde was definitely not joking. There was a murderous intent in Hilde's words that he could not understand, so Alcibiades stood up straight and said to Hilde: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will not let you down!"
"That's good."
Hilde simply told Alcibiades the consequences.
Not to mention him, even Amyntas who was standing by and listening shuddered with fear. After all, Amyntas's talent was not particularly high, and he had not achieved anything like Sitalces's achievements and merits. If Hilde really thought so... he would probably be the first one to be thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.
After meeting with these officials, Hilde brought everyone back to her palace. Of course, it was still the old house. The new palace was still under construction. When Hilde came back, she also took a look at the palace next to the Temple of Athena. It was estimated that it would only take two months for the palace to be completely completed.
As for Alcibiades, when he entered the city gate from the port and came to Byzantium, he was completely surprised. Although the scale of the Byzantine Kingdom was not as grand as Athens, everything he saw was a completely different architectural style. There was not much white marble here, only the stone pillars were still built with marble, but all the walls were paved with red bricks, red and white, but retaining the Greek style. These buildings are everywhere in the city.
In addition, these buildings not only retain the Greek style, but also are mixed with some architectural styles derived from some architectural changes made by the Greek colonies along the Black Sea coast in order to cope with the severe cold here.
The first tune, the sixth section, this is a heavy task
At the same time, the temple also has a hint of Persian flavor, simply because there were craftsmen and architects from Persia in the Byzantine Empire. They used some of the experience and style passed down from the construction of Persian Zoroastrian temples in the construction of these buildings in the Byzantine city.
These were things Alcibiades could not see in Athens.
