August 31, 2023 | Author: Chen Rui

“Is that so?!” Davos sneered and said loudly, “I’m afraid your former colleagues in Thurii wouldn’t agree with your reasoning. Thurii city was destroyed because the citizens’ hearts were occupied by the deaths of their relatives and fear of the enemy. Driven by certain people with ulterior motives, they drove away truly capable leaders! The generals they elected in panic were helpless against the difficulties. To make matters worse, ordinary citizens, driven by self-interest, were unwilling to fulfill their promises and grant citizenship to freedmen, leading to the series of tragedies that followed! All of this shows—the main culprit for the destruction of old Thurii city was the citizens of Thurii and the Citizen Assembly they formed!!”

Kunogelata sighed softly. The face of his tragically deceased daughter suddenly floated into his mind, filling him with grief.

Polyexis was momentarily speechless and managed to say, “That… that was just a special case—”

Davos interrupted his explanation loudly: “Theonian citizens want the right to participate in politics? Of course they can; haven’t we always done this! The Theonian Law already stipulates, ‘Regardless of high or low status, as long as one is a Theonian citizen, one can hold public office in the Theonian League without restriction.’ And we will enact more bills to allow them to further participate in Theonia’s administrative decision-making. But—”

Davos suddenly raised his volume and shouted sternly, “The Theonian Senate will never indulge the populace, allowing them unlimited freedom to wantonly destroy Theonia’s order and overall interests for personal gain, or even be used by certain people with ulterior motives to destroy the Theonian League we worked so hard to build! Anyone attempting to destroy the good life of the Theonian League today will surely be severely punished by the Senate! No leniency!!”

Davos’s decisive words exploded like thunder in Polyexis’s heart, making him tremble with fear. He muttered in a low voice, “…According to you, most city-states in Greece would be destroyed because—”

With a loud bang, the door of the assembly hall was pushed open violently. Polyexis looked back subconsciously and saw Matonis, the patrol captain of Thurii, hurriedly walking toward the podium at the front of the hall.

What happened?! This was not only Polyexis’s question but also that of some senators in the hall.

Davos narrowed his eyes, looked at the podium, tapped his fingers lightly on the back of the chair, and thought: It’s finally here…

Cornelius listened to Matonis’s whisper, the look of astonishment on his face growing stronger. His gaze glanced at Polyexis from time to time, making him start to feel restless.

After Matonis finished reporting, Cornelius, having never encountered such a thing before, didn’t know how to proceed for a moment. He had to ask for help from below the stage: “Lord Davos, please come here for a moment.”

Davos walked up unhurriedly.

Seeing Davos and Cornelius whispering on the podium, the senators became even more curious and doubtful. They all craned their necks and pricked up their ears, wanting to know what they were saying. They could only faintly hear Davos saying firmly, “…No! Everything will be executed according to Theonian law!…”

At this time, Cornelius was heard shouting again, “Senior Judge Lord Tritodemus, please come to the stage.”

The senators stirred, guessing among themselves: What exactly happened?

The three conversed on the podium, occasionally asking Matonis, who stood aside, about the situation.

Finally, Davos returned to his seat, while Tritodemus remained by the podium. Cornelius considered how to start. He cleared his throat and carefully organized his words: “Um… um… Lords, just now—”

“Cornelius, please speak quickly! I’m dying of anxiety!” Scombras shouted loudly. The senators roared with laughter, dispersing some of the tense atmosphere in the hall.

But Cornelius maintained a serious expression. “Gentlemen, something happened in Thurii city just now. A freedman was chased and ran to the Temple of Hades for help…”

The senators instantly stirred. Although the Theonian League had been established not long ago, it wasn’t free of violent crimes. But this was the first time a “victim ran to a deity for help.” After all, disturbing Hades meant handling this matter required even more caution.

Hearing the term “freedman,” a strong sense of unease rose in Polyexis’s heart. He shifted his buttocks back and forth as if there were nails on the wooden chair.

“Led by Lord Matonis, the city patrol quickly rushed to the temple. Identified by the freedman, they rushed to the scene of the crime and arrested several men who attempted to resist. After emergency interrogation, the suspects’ confession was basically consistent with what the freedman said…” Tritodemus had taken over from Cornelius, his eyes shooting two cold beams straight at the center of the hall: “Lord Polyexis is the mastermind behind this!”

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar.

Polyexis jumped up like a cat with its tail on fire, shouting, “This is a frame-up! This is a frame-up!…”

“Whether it is a frame-up or not can only be known after a more detailed investigation.” Tritodemus looked calm, but his words were sharp as knives. “Because the situation they revealed involves even more serious crimes. They said, ‘You, Lord Polyexis, frequently grant freedom to slaves not out of kindness, but to control them. You used your authority to deceive the Ministry of Agriculture, renting fertile land for them to farm, and then taking most of the income from the land for yourself…’ If the situation is true, this is a serious violation of several laws in the Theonian Law, such as ‘Illegal possession of land is prohibited!’ and ‘Restricting the freedom of others is prohibited!’“

Polyexis’s heart pounded wildly, but he protested in panic, “It’s not like that! That’s not the truth! I… I didn’t coerce any slave, no! They were all voluntary! Yes! Voluntary! They… voluntarily gave part of their income back to me to thank me for giving them freedom! If you don’t believe me, go check; some of the slaves I released have already become formal citizens!…”

“We will investigate what you said. We will never let a noble senator of the Senate be wronged! However, Theonian law is the same for everyone, even if you are a senator! Since this case has implicated you, we will temporarily restrict your freedom until the matter is finally resolved.” Tritodemus finished expressionlessly. Several patrol members had already entered the hall. Led by Matonis, they prepared to step forward and seize Polyexis.

Polyexis struggled desperately. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Davos watching him coldly. He suddenly realized everything and immediately made a desperate struggle to the surrounding senators: “Lords, this is a conspiracy! Davos’s conspiracy! Seeing my efforts threatening his dictatorship, he used such despicable means to frame me! Gentlemen, save me! Please save me! Otherwise, if I fall today, the next one might be you! You…”

The patrol members forcibly “escorted” him out, his words still echoing in the hall.

Polyexis, who had been triumphant just moments ago, was knocked into the dust in the blink of an eye. This sudden reversal was too stimulating; the senators looked at Davos with complex expressions.

Davos didn’t care about what Polyexis said at all. He leaned back in his wooden chair with a leisurely expression.

And next, Tritodemus’s words made senators like Enanilous, Orphiris, and Masisacus tremble with fear: “Considering the personnel involved in this case are too extensive, after consulting with the Lord Archon, it is decided to impose martial law on the whole city. Going out is prohibited until the matter is concluded!”

The Senate meeting ended in shock. While everyone was still panicked and discussing animatedly, Davos had already strode out through the side door of the hall.

“Lord Davos, please wait for me! Please listen to me…” Enanilous, usually steady in speech, shouted in a tone close to pleading and chased after him. Following closely behind were Orphiris, Masisacus, and others.

Seeing this scene, Kunogelata revealed a faint sneer. He turned to walk out the main door but saw Burkos sitting dazedly behind him, muttering, “How could Polyexis do such a thing?…”

In this Senate, Burkos and Anxitanos were among the few senators who didn’t kick Kunogelata when he was down. So Kunogelata said a sentence: “Those who were once wealthy find it hard to endure current poverty.”

Burkos looked up in astonishment, but Kunogelata had already walked briskly out of the hall.

***

On this day, the people in Thurii city were shocked to see patrol teams striking out everywhere, searching Polyexis’s residence. Subsequently, they restricted the freedom of senators like Enanilous, Orphiris, and Masisacus one after another.

By the afternoon, urgent news came from Crimisa that “a freedman sought help at the Temple of Hades.” Without waiting for the Senate’s decision, Protesilaus, the Administrator of Crimisa who had received secret orders from Davos in advance, had already ordered the patrol to arrest a few former Crimisa nobles. The feedback led to the downfall of Orikepos and Plaedes.

In fact, the secret organization led by Aristelas under Davos had long grasped everything. They just needed a high-sounding reason to throw it out.

The news that “nearly ten senators of the Senate were detained” was like a major political earthquake in Thurii, causing widespread discussion and rumors among the people.

How could Hermis in the inn not feel this violent tremor in Thurii city? He immediately realized the situation was bad, quickly packed his things, and prepared to take a ship back to Sicily immediately.