"You can improve your abilities slowly, don't rush it."
Sophia also patted her long horns.
"Maybe, in the future, I will become stronger than Hera."
"You never know."
"So, Sissi, don't cry. I don't want to see you cry because of me." Sophia looked at Hilde's red eyes and said with a wry smile, "But I'm still very happy, so happy that I can't describe it. Really... The person I love the most will cry and collapse because of my disappearance. This feeling of being deeply remembered and treated as a treasure is really great."
Talking and talking.
Sophia couldn't help crying.
She clasped her hands together tightly and placed them over her chest.
With his head lowered and looking at the ground, tears dripped onto the floor.
“I’m so happy…”
"You shouldn't cry when you're happy."
"But……"
Originally Hilde was crying, but now it was Sophia's turn to cry uncontrollably, and Hilde could only hug Sophia gently and try to comfort her. However, the difference was that Sophia had never been afraid of death, and she did not regard herself as a very important person. If she died, as long as it did not cause trouble to Hilde, Sophia would not care. However, when she felt the care from Hilde's heart, and felt that Hilde regarded her as that treasure.
Sophia couldn't help it.
Intense joy, but also guilt.
Her tears burst out like a dam breaking.
The two grew up together and knew each other best. They were not just lovers, but more importantly, they were the indispensable relatives in each other's lives. After finally meeting again after life and death, the two did not have too many words or physical passion, but just hugged each other and felt the warmth from each other. This alone was enough to make up for the trauma in their hearts and bring the strongest sense of security.
It would be nice if it could always be like this.
Hilde couldn't help but wonder.
Later, the two went to take a bath together.
In the baths of the Parthenon, Hilde had already had hot water prepared. Sophia had come back from the divine realm, exhausted, and her clothes were almost worn out, so she had no time to change them. So Hilde had someone prepare a new robe, and she took Sophia into the bath to relax.
"Mmm... so comfortable."
Sophia stretched her body and smiled with satisfaction.
“I feel like my body is finally alive.”
"What's wrong? Don't you feel better when you're with me?"
"Being with Sissi is a relief for my spirit, but my body has been suffering during this period." Sophia pointed to the sky with a wry smile, "The divine realm is much worse than I imagined. It's very cold, not as warm as we imagined, just like an ice cellar."
The third chapter, the sixth chapter, the past events of Carthage
"Um……"
Hilde's mind couldn't help but reflect on the divine realm.
I haven't been to the divine realm myself.
Although he is the successor of Athena... he did not inherit Athena's memory, so there is no way to talk about the images and memories of the God's Domain in his mind. Originally, Hilde thought that the God's Domain was really like the legends or epics, a place where the gods live on the high fields, between the clouds, with birds singing and flowers blooming, and it is a place that cannot be compared with the human world. But now, this God's Domain seems to be nothing big, and it is filled with this kind of coldness that keeps strangers away.
So Hilde asked:
"Specifically, what does it look like?"
"There are many magnificent temples there. The scale of the temples is even larger than the Parthenon. No one knows who built them. The craftsmanship is very exquisite, but the style is completely different from the temples here. It may be a very ancient style, and there are also carvings that I can't understand. Other than that, it's very deserted inside. There is nothing left except the cold marble."
"I see."
Hilde nodded slightly.
These temples in the divine realm were most likely built by ancient humans.
A long time ago, when there was no barrier between the divine realm and the human world, humans could come to the divine realm under the guidance of the gods.
Moreover, after listening to Sophia's description, Su Yue also understood why gods like Apollo were so interested in the human world. This divine realm was simply a cold prison. For fun, the gods would definitely prefer to come down to earth and play in the colorful world of humans. If it weren't for the series of disasters caused by Athena and the Genesis Original Library, it is estimated that after the blockade of the divine realm was unlocked, many gods would come to the mortal world, and there would definitely not be only Apollo and Artemis.
"Sissi, are you interested?"
"No."
"Speaking of which, for Sissi, the Divine Realm is your home."
"…Look at what you said. Athena is Athena, and I am me. I will not live in that cold place."
Hilde smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"My home is where you are."
"...Sissi."
Their eyes met, and then they couldn't help but kiss each other.
Looking at Sophia's fiery red hair, Hilde couldn't help but think that now that he had become Basileus, it was time to contact the Carthaginians. After all, if they wanted to attack the Persians, the Egyptian region controlled by Persia bordered Carthage. If they could get support from the Carthaginians, they would be unable to mobilize the Persian army from Egypt to support Anatolia and Canaan. It was just right that Hilde could also learn about what happened to Sophia's family in Carthage.
This is how Sophia and her family became slaves.
So, Hilde held his chin and said nonchalantly:
"After dealing with the Peloponnesians, I had an idea."
"Huh? What?"
"To Carthage."
After Hilde said this, Sophia was stunned for a moment.
Her trembling look made Hilde burst out laughing.
"What's wrong? Are you surprised?"
"Why Carthage? The Carthaginians don't have much contact with us."
"It can't be said that there are not many. Carthaginian merchants have long been famous in Byzantium. They bring specialties from Africa and black slaves from Libya, and they are quite popular in the market. However, on the diplomatic level, we have not had any contact with the Carthaginians. I only know that Carthage is one of the overlords of Africa. I naturally have no intention of competing with them for hegemony. After all, we now have almost a common enemy, that is, the Persians."
"Persia again..."
Sophia sighed.
"Always using Persia as an excuse."
"Anyway, I need to stay in touch with the Carthaginians."
"So, Xixi told me this for some purpose, right?"
"Indeed, I do not speak Phoenician."
"Well... I can, but..." Sophia was obviously hesitant, "My status in Carthage is a slave."
"But you are now the imperial concubine of the Greek Empire, the wife of Basilius of Greece. When you arrive in Carthage, they will not treat you as a slave as long as they do not want to die."
Hilde is well aware of this.
If she showed up at that time, went to Carthage, and treated Sophia as an effort, it would not be a simple insult, but a diplomatic incident. Moreover, although Hilde was asking for something from Carthage, it was fundamentally a mutual benefit. Carthage had been fighting with Syracuse in the western Mediterranean for a long time, and at this time, Rome had not yet pushed its power to the Greater Greece region, so the only people who could compete with Carthage were the Syracuse.
And Hield can have the best of both worlds.
To Syracuse, Hildes was the Greek Basileus, the successor of Athena.
Although the Syracusans may not buy it.
But this face must be given——
As for the Carthaginians in the west, Hilde was a potential enemy of Syracuse and could help them contain Syracuse. She was also a great enemy of Persia and could be of great help to the Carthaginians in defending against the invasion of the Persians. At the same time, the size of the two countries made the trade between the Greek Empire and the Kingdom of Carthage full of business opportunities. The Kingdom of Carthage, which was dominated by merchants, was destined not to easily let go of the possibility of making a fortune.
Hearing Hilde be so sure.
Sophia could only nod.
"Since Xixi has made up her mind, let's go back..."
"Come to think of it, I still don't know why you were sold into slavery."
Hilde thought about it carefully.
“Who did I offend?”
"Yes, they are from the Baka family."
Sophia lowered her head and said helplessly: "My father was in politics and offended the Baka family. As a result, he owed a lot of money and was forced to sell himself into slavery."
"The Baca family..."
"Yes, Sissi, you probably don't know that the Barca family is a very famous noble family in Carthage. In Phoenician, Barca means 'lightning'. They are from Tyre in Phoenicia. When Carthage was first established, they almost controlled the political arena of Carthage."
The ancestors of the Carthaginians were Phoenicians from the Canaan region. The Phoenicians traveled across mountains and rivers to settle in Carthage and established the Kingdom of Carthage. The Barca family was the first Phoenician nobles to come to Carthage. Hannibal Barca, a famous general in later generations, came from this family.
The sorrow of being a royal family
Hilde suddenly thought of a question.
"Sofia."
"what happened?"
"Do you still remember your original name?"
Faced with this question, Sophia hesitated.
But under Hilde's eager gaze, Sophia still said the name that had not been mentioned for a long time:
"Alyssa Margo."
"So this was your name before."
"This name has long been meaningless."
"so……"
Alyssa...
Hilde had not heard of this name in Greece. It seemed that it was indeed a name of a native Phoenician woman. The name Sophia was a very popular girl's name in Athens. When Sophia was bought by Pericles, she was given this name. Over time, Sophia herself never mentioned her original name again. However, seeing that Sophia still had some resistance to the previous name, Hilde did not say that she wanted to call Sophia by her original name.
After all, she could feel it.
For Sophia, that time in the past.
Maybe it is a period of torture and pain.
However, Hilde still asked curiously: "So, you have offended the Baka family, so what about your last name, Mago?"
"My last name... Margo?"
"correct."
"This surname has only brought shame to me and my family." Sophia's expression gradually turned colder, and that anger was something Hilde had almost never seen before. "The current king of Carthage is named Hannibal Mago."
"…You are a royal family!?"
"So what?"
Hilde really didn't expect this.
Sophia continued to explain: "In Carthage, people with the surname Mago are all members of the great Mago family. Since Mago I established the Mago Dynasty more than a hundred years ago, all the kings since then have been members of the Mago family. Naturally, those of us with the surname Mago have become the so-called royal family, or the nobility. However, although we are royal family, sometimes we are still too powerless. After my father, mother, and I offended the Baka family, our royal status did not protect us."
"Why?"
“It’s about the benefits.”
Sophia shook her head.
"For the sake of profit, there is no problem in sacrificing the side branch of the Mago family. My father had a trade conflict with the Baka family in business, which delayed their ability to make money. Moreover, other members of the Mago family were also happy to sacrifice our family in exchange for the loyalty and support of the Baka family. Therefore, we inexplicably took on debts and ended up like this."
"I see."
Hilde gently held Sophia's hand.
"No wonder you never mention anything about Carthage."
"I'm sorry, Sissi, I didn't mean to escape on purpose."
"It's okay. There's no need to talk about the unpleasant memories."
Hilde now understood what Sophia had experienced during her limited time in Carthage, as well as what her parents had experienced. Sophia was not just a slave, she was a member of the royal family of Carthage, involved in the political struggle and became a victim of politics. Therefore, she would definitely not have any good feelings towards her motherland, and her reaction to Hilde's request to go to Carthage was not very good.
