Rhodes looked at him anxiously.
"Cleon...he has been hiding like this. This shows that he doesn't care about Athens at all! Now, the morale of the Athenian soldiers is shaken, and there are Spartans surrounding them. If this continues, Athens will perish."
Hearing Rod say this.
Pericles shook his head weakly.
"This can't be helped."
"But……"
"If Athens is to perish, it is only the will of the gods..."
Pericles seemed to have accepted his fate.
Pericles, who never gave up and had extraordinary endurance, could even endure Cleon's crazy slander, but he chose to give up in the face of the plague in Athens and the war that took a sharp turn for the worse. There was no other way. Pericles himself had been knocked down by the disease, and Pericles also knew that he didn't have much time left. Instead of worrying about the future of Athens, it would be better to think more positively. Anyway, the prophecy also said that Athens would be destroyed.
Just ...
The object of the prophecy was wrong.
It's not Hilde, it's Cleon.
Seeing Pericles's weak appearance, Rhode couldn't help crying again. He had been crying these days because he really couldn't do anything. In front of the disease, he was just an ordinary person and couldn't do anything. Those terrifying divine powers and the identity of Poseidon's Oracle were all meaningless garbage now, because it made Rhode unable to save the people he wanted to save.
She could only watch Pericles.
It's like this.
Become weak.
Then, step by step, we move towards the end of life.
Human life is too fragile...
At this time, Demosthenes came over.
"Lord Rhodes, we have a visitor."
"How can you meet guests at this time?" Rhodes got angry when he heard this. "It must be Cleon's lackey! Why at this time!"
"Sir... No, it's the Byzantine Kingdom's special envoy, sent by His Majesty Hilde himself."
Hear Demosthenes' explanation.
Rhodes also coughed twice awkwardly.
"Lord Pericles is seriously ill and cannot meet with guests."
"Don't say that." At this time, a blond man gently pushed Demosthenes away, then walked in with a smile, "Her Majesty Hilde is very worried about the situation here. She already knows that Cleon has become an oracle, but she didn't know that a plague had broken out in Athens, and the current situation is so serious... Therefore, as Her Majesty Hilde's special envoy, Alcibiades, I hope to be able to help Athens in this matter."
"But……"
Rhodes looked down at Pericles.
"Lord Pericles has fallen asleep."
"Is that so? Then..."
"If there's anything, you can tell me!"
At this time, Rhodes took the initiative to stand up.
"Now, I can take charge of things here."
"Really? I'm really happy to see Lord Rhodes like this." Alcibiades looked at Pericles and said helplessly, "In fact, the purpose of my coming here this time is very simple. Your Majesty Hilde already knows that something big is bound to happen in Athens, so I'm here to explain that the Byzantine Kingdom will be your safe haven for Athens. Once Athens encounters a big problem, if you want to leave here, you can take the Byzantine Kingdom's ships and leave at any time."
"…Did Sister Sissi say that?"
Rhodes was a little surprised.
Athens is now in its most critical period.
Hilde actually thought about Athens.
It was obvious that Athens and Pericles had broken Hilde's heart.
Alcibiades smiled and said, "Of course, Her Majesty Hilde has always been thinking about it. After all, Athens is where Her Majesty grew up. There are many friends here that she loves or who love her, such as my teacher Socrates, Lord Rhodes, and Phidias... And now in Athens, it is obvious that there is no way to protect their lives. Since Your Majesty cannot come here in person, you can only do your part in this way."
"Thank you so much, Sister Sissi!"
Rhodes was also deeply moved.
In this most dangerous situation, Hilde's statement made Rod almost ecstatic.
She suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure that had kept her tense for several days had exhausted Rhode. Now, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He said to the unconscious Pericles, "Lord Pericles... It's okay. Sister Sissi is still with us. Don't worry."
"Let Lord Pericles have a good rest first."
Alcibiades frowned and said:
"Now, I hope Miss Rhodes can do us a favor."
"Please say!"
"We must first convey His Majesty Hilde's intentions to other people, such as my teacher Socrates. The situation in Athens is still unclear, but once something happens, it will be too late to notify them. Therefore, we must hurry up and inform them of this matter. If something bad happens, we must immediately retreat on our ships!"
"……it is good."
Rhodes nodded.
She had no doubts about Hilde's motives.
"Demosthenes, I leave Lord Pericles to you."
"Yes, Lord Rhodes."
"Be careful not to get infected."
Rhodes looked at Pericles with some melancholy, then immediately followed Alcibiades and the others out of the room.
“How many people do we need to notify?”
"Socrates, Phidias, Protagoras, Aristophanes, Sophocles... There are about three hundred people on Her Majesty Hilde's list. Her Majesty Hilde believes that these people are either kind-hearted or have made outstanding contributions to human civilization. Even if the city of Athens is destroyed, as long as these people are still alive, the spirit of Athens will always exist. This is also one of the main reasons why Her Majesty Hilde asked me to come..."
"OK, all right."
Rhodes immediately called the officer.
"Mobilize 200 heavy infantry immediately!"
"Yes! Lord Rhodes!"
Rhodes is now like that.
The fisherman's daughter, who was timid at first, now became as serious as a mighty general. At this time, Alcibiades also saw a lot of interesting things. As Hilde said, time really makes people grow up. Whether it is for himself or the girl named Rhodes in front of him.
Chapter 7, Chapter 8: Creon comes to you
Soon, at the call of the officer.
Two hundred Athenian heavy infantrymen assembled in front of Rhodes.
Rhode gave instructions to all the people he wanted to notify, and asked them to tell everyone on the list the news, and the heavy infantry quickly went to do their job. After solving the problem, Rhode said with some worry, "Is this all right?"
"The situation in Athens is still unclear, but as long as we are notified, it shouldn't be a big problem..."
"Ah That's good."
Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, Rhodes is not optimistic about the situation in Athens.
In Rhodes' opinion, if Athens had any serious problems, it would be a good idea to let Socrates and his men escape the bad luck. Therefore, Rhodes actively helped Alcibiades for this reason. However, the list involved a wide range of people, so it would naturally spread in Athens. Cleon, the actual leader of Athens, also learned the news soon.
After listening to the informant's report.
Cleon, who was sitting at the table, couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh? It seems that the Byzantine Kingdom also wants to get involved."
"Lord Cleon, now..."
"Don't worry. Although Hilde of the Byzantine Kingdom is Pericles' daughter, the relationship between the two has long been severed, so there is no need to worry too much about this issue. Rather, if we can get Hilde to stand on our side, it will be a real blow to Pericles, and that is what we want." Cleon couldn't help laughing when he said this, "But Pericles, this guy, won't live for many days!"
"Yes, my lord."
A man said in front of Creon:
"I heard that Pericles is seriously ill. I'm afraid he won't have much time left."
"That's normal. People who get this disease won't survive for ten days. Even Pericles couldn't survive these ten days."
Cleon patted the table, looking determined to win the future situation.
"Now, please help me contact the 'guest' from the Byzantine Kingdom and convey my friendly invitation to him. I hope to meet with him to discuss the many future cooperation matters between us and the Byzantine Kingdom."
"Yes, my lord!"
Cleon had already made a wishful plan in his mind.
At present, Athens' food and grass are supplied from overseas, one third of which comes from the Byzantine Kingdom. It is precisely because of this that the Athenians' favorability towards the Byzantine Kingdom is also increasing day by day. Now, Pericles is almost dead, and his successor will obviously not be Hilde, but Rhodes, the oracle of Lord Poseidon. But in Cleon's heart, Rhodes is just a simple little girl. Although she has grown up a lot, she has not gotten rid of the immaturity of a little girl.
So, when Pericles dies.
Creon probably has no enemies left.
In Athens, Creon will walk sideways!
Cleon never imagined that it was not himself who defeated Pericles in the end, but the disease, the plague that swept across Athens. Athens was now sick, and Pericles also contracted the disease because of visiting the people. Under such circumstances, Cleon had already won a great victory, because his only opponent was a man whose life span was expected to be no more than ten days, and now, five or six days had passed.
Therefore, as the ruler of Athens, how to get along with the Byzantine Kingdom became a problem that Cleon had to consider. After defeating Pericles, Cleon also had to consider the situation of the Spartans. If Athens lost the war with the Spartans, then Cleon would not have a good ending. Therefore, Hilde, who was also a descendant of Athens, became particularly important. After all, she was now also anti-Sparta and was also part of the Delian League.
Therefore.
If Hilde is willing to continue to help Athens.
Then Creon's pressure will be reduced a lot.
However, although many people have always thought that Creon is a madman, he is not crazy. He knows very well what he wants to do. Therefore, even if it is the daughter of the enemy, as long as he can use her for his own benefit, Creon does not care. This is Creon's attitude towards these things. Therefore, he waited patiently in the temple. After waiting for a while, Alcibiades walked quickly into the temple and came to Creon.
"Lord Cleon."
Alcibiades smiled and bowed.
"Long time no see."
"Ah, it's Alcibiades! You are getting more and more handsome!"
After seeing Alcibiades, Cleon immediately showed a very excited look, and walked over to give Alcibiades a big hug. However, Alcibiades smiled bitterly and reached out to hug him, then took a step back with a calm smile on his face: "Excuse me, sir, you asked me to come here, is there anything?"
"Of course, of course! Of course there is something going on!"
Cleon said quickly:
"You, the Byzantine Kingdom, sent a special envoy without even informing us in advance."
"I'm sorry to have worried you. Actually, I'm not an official envoy. I'm just here as Her Majesty Hilde's personal messenger. Therefore, there has been no official notification to the Citizens' Assembly. This is just a private matter." Alcibiades was also blunt. "Moreover, Her Majesty Hilde sent me here to convey a message to her father, Lord Pericles. She hasn't told me what she needs to inform Lord Cleon about."
Alcibiades said this.
In fact, it is just teasing Creon for being shameless.
After hearing this, Cleon's expression changed a little.
"I see, I see. Then why did you notify..."
"You're talking about this matter. It's very simple. The people that Her Majesty Hilde asked me to contact are almost all her personal friends. Now, the plague in Athens is serious, and Her Majesty Hilde has provided these old friends with some new options. For example, when there is a crisis in Athens that threatens their personal safety, we in Byzantium are willing to provide these friends with a safe haven and let them come here to hide for a while. This is out of Her Majesty Hilde's kindness and friendship."
"Your Majesty Hilde is truly kind."
Cleon smiled meaningfully.
"I really hope that His Majesty Hilde can give me this opportunity."
"I'm afraid Lord Cleon won't leave Athens."
Chapter 7, Section 9, Disgusting Words
Alcibiades also said it bluntly.
"Even if I ask you to go to the Byzantine Empire, you wouldn't be willing. After all, Athens still needs you very much."
"Indeed, Athens needs me and a lot of other people at the same time. If those people flee to the Byzantine Kingdom, who will be able to protect Athens?" Cleon said this with a malicious smile on his face. "And His Majesty Hilde is not so kind. As far as I know, those who were notified to seek refuge in the Byzantine Kingdom are all talented people who have made great achievements in Athens. I'm afraid that His Majesty Hilde is planning to take advantage of Athens's current predicament and suck its blood. After all, the Ionian matter has not been settled yet."
