When Davos finished his speech, all the doctors in the venue stood up, bowed to him together, and then began to applaud—clapping desperately, the applause continuing endlessly.

Words like “wonderful” and “innovative” were inadequate to describe Davos’s lecture. He had pushed the medical theory of this era into a more profound and broader realm. If doctors before were groping their way forward in the dark, then every lecture by Davos created a beam of light, allowing them to follow this light forward.

Words could no longer describe the shock and gratitude in the doctors’ hearts; they could only express their emotions in this way. This included Nicostratus. Although he wasn’t very clear about human anatomy, he was finally certain that the true mystery of medicine lay here, in the Theonian Medical School, in Davos!

Davos bowed in return again and again.

The applause continued throughout…

***

The three-day medical exchange forum finally ended. Some foreign doctors left, while others applied to stay and continue visiting and studying, including Nicostratus and Stasippus.

For several days, they served as assistants in Thurii Hospital, learning how Theonian doctors diagnosed and treated patients, and occasionally observing them perform surgeries.

As for systematically studying medical theory, human anatomy, etc., the Theonian Medical School had strict requirements. Students had to be Theonian citizens, preparatory citizens, or freedmen who had separated from their mother city-states and applied for Theonian citizenship. At the same time, they had to pass strict exams by the Medical School before they could enter to study.

The intense Nicostratus had a characteristic: once he agreed with something, he would devote much more enthusiasm to it than ordinary people. Conquered by Theonian medicine, he had thoughts of staying here. However, for a Croton citizen to join Theonia, especially one with a family like him, was no easy task; he had to go back and discuss it.

Nicostratus’s attitude even influenced Stasippus, who also considered staying to study.

On this day, the two decided to visit the pharmacies in Thurii. After touring the pharmacies in the city, they heard there was a larger, more comprehensive, and more abundant medicinal herb market at the port, so they decided to take a look.

The current Thurii port was different from a few years ago. Although it lacked the excellence of Croton’s deep-water port, the natural storm protection of Tarentum’s port, or the superior geographical location of Rhegium’s port, it had become the largest port in Magna Graecia.

The reason was simple: The Theonian City-State League had indisputably become the hegemon of Southern Italy, with strength far exceeding other city-states. As the center of the League, Thurii had the powerful advantage of political status. How many freedmen wanted to flock to Thurii to become Theonian citizens; how many envoys and councilors from Magna Graecia city-states came to Thurii to visit, seek help, and consult with the Senate; how many merchants and tourists came here to experience the unique city-state style of Theonia, watch unique ball games, ceremonies, and even enjoy food and entertainment; not to mention the people within the Theonian League flowing to Thurii from dawn to dusk…

The massive flow of people naturally created huge demand, which Thurii itself could not fully resolve. Thus, merchants adept at capturing business opportunities flocked from all directions with merchant ships laden with goods.

Thurii’s port and market expanded again and again. Now, they had extended north from the original estuary of the Crati River to near the Temple of Hera.

Nicostratus and his group passed the Temple of Hera and entered the range of the port market, quickly feeling the difficulty of walking. Although Thurii had built several roads between the main city and the port market and stipulated separate paths for vehicles and pedestrians, the huge flow of people still caused traffic congestion. Walking in it, people rubbed shoulders. Although it was only a warm spring, Nicostratus and the other two were already sweating profusely.

At this moment, a patrol squad passed by.

The quick-witted Lycas hurriedly led the two to follow behind. With the patrol clearing the way ahead, they relaxed a bit.

Thurii port had actually developed into a large town divided into two parts: the port and the market, separated by a stone wall guarded by sentries. Cargo ships entered the harbor, docked at the pier, and after unloading, the goods were transported directly to the market, stored in warehouses, or placed in shops for sale.

The market was strictly planned by Theonian Commercial Officer Marigi into straight streets. Both sides of the streets were lined with rows of shops, warehouses, workshops… Moreover, similar goods or commodities were placed as much as possible within one or several streets for sale, facilitating management and public trading. Within the Thurii port market, there were several commercial streets or small markets (selling areas for the same commodity formed by several streets) famous in Magna Graecia and even the whole of Southern Italy.

For example: The Stone Market. For the Theonian League, keen on building roads and temples while possessing several stone quarries within its territory, this industry was very prosperous. Not only did it have various qualities of marble, but there was also a large labor force engaged in this industry, and prices were relatively cheap.

Matching this was Sculpture Street. Temple statues, memorial columns in squares, stone steles on both sides of avenues… attracted and spawned a large group of sculptors engaged in this industry. However, since no sculpture capable of shocking all of Greece had appeared yet, no master sculptor had emerged, and mostly mid-to-low-end sculptures were produced.

The Weapon Market was equally famous. You must know, Theonians conquered Magna Graecia by force, so they naturally attached great importance to the production and sale of weapons. To gain merit, the people did not spare money investing in this area. This led to the port market gathering hundreds of weapon workshops and shops, large and small. Half came from other Greek city-states outside the League. The two most famous were the Legion Weapon Shop, managed by the Disabled Soldiers Committee under the Ministry of Military Affairs, and the Theos Weapon Workshop.

Another market was also very famous—the Livestock Market. Since the two mountain races mainly engaged in animal husbandry—Lucanians and Bruttians—joined the Theonian League, Theonia simultaneously possessed the plateaus and mountains of Lucania and Bruttium with rich pasture resources. Coupled with Crystoia’s Restaurants spread across various cities of the Theonian League, whose menus mostly featured cattle, sheep, and other livestock made into various delicacies, a huge demand for meat was stimulated among Theonians. While gradually changing their dietary structure, this also prompted large-scale raising of cattle, sheep, and other livestock in the Lucania and Bruttium regions.

Livestock from these two regions were not only numerous but also had delicious meat, deeply loved by Southern Italian Greeks who had tasted the food at Crystoia’s Restaurants. In fact, long ago, Lucanian cattle were famous in the Western Mediterranean for their docile temperament, great strength, and good endurance, becoming the first choice for pack cattle in this region.

Meanwhile, although Bruttian horses were not good at running, they were good at climbing mountains and enduring hardships, making them excellent pack horses with a considerable market in Magna Graecia. In recent years, under the policy guidance of the Senate, the Bruttian region began raising horses in large quantities. You must know, most horses used for Theonian carriages came from the livestock market at Thurii port…

There was also a street unique to Theonia and quite famous in Southern Italy—the Ball Games Merchandise Market. Rugby and football were initially played in Theonian military camps, later sweeping through the entire Theonian League and its allies, with inter-city competitions held annually. However, the people were no longer satisfied with only one competition per year.

Therefore, at Davos’s suggestion, the Senate introduced a new bill last year allowing citizens of each city (note: only citizens) to organize rugby or football teams themselves. After reporting to the Town Hall, the city administrator would organize inter-city rugby or football matches, roughly one match every ten days. In a single round-robin format, a win earned three points, a loss zero points, and a draw one point. The team with the highest points became the city champion and would be sent to Thurii to participate in the Southern Italy Grand Finals.

The Rugby Grand Finals were held annually after the Hades Festival ceremony on September 9th, while the Football Grand Finals were held on November 1st, the day celebrating the establishment of the League, ultimately determining the rugby or football champion of the year. Participating teams also included some from allied city-states, though some invited city-states never participated, such as Tarentum and Croton.

Thus, most Theonian citizens were both participants and spectators.

Every match in the arena was often packed with audiences. The people’s enthusiasm for such games surpassed watching plays, becoming their main form of entertainment.

Naturally, the participation of the whole people spawned a boom in this industry. From whistles in referees’ mouths to goals used in matches, any equipment or supplies related to rugby and football matches were sold on this street. It also included supplies for some other competitive sports. Most surprisingly, quite a few shops selling famous players’ merchandise appeared on this street.

The booming ball market naturally birthed some highly skilled players. Some shone in city matches, others dominated the Theonian Grand Finals. Naturally, people would pursue them and regard them as idols, so such shops emerged as the times required. Statues and dolls of famous players in various materials and sizes, as well as sportswear marked with their names and numbers, were all available… showing the prosperity of commerce on this street.

Another street unique to Thurii port market and famous throughout Southern Italy was the Medicinal Herb Market that Nicostratus and the other two were about to visit.