Chapter 366

“This… what should be done about this?” Leptines began to worry.

Philistus was about to speak when he saw the slave returning with the letters. He hurriedly opened two of them and placed them alongside the one Anxitanos had provided. “Lord Anxitanos, please see if the handwriting is the same.”

Henipolis leaned in beside his teacher, picking up the letters to compare them.

“Indeed, the handwriting is vastly different.” Anxitanos nodded in admission. Henipolis had nothing to say.

Philistus then passed the letters around for the others to see.

“This is obviously not written by Lord Philistus. I know he likes to finish the letter ‘i’ in his signature with a curved hook, while this person wrote it as a straight stick!” Masias announced loudly.

Herolis gave Philistus a deep look and simply uttered one word: “No.”

He then handed the letters to Philoxenus beside him.

Philoxenus examined them carefully, then held up the letter and said directly to Anxitanos, “This is absolutely not Philistus’s handwriting!”

“Well then, the matter finally has some clarity.” Philistus rubbed his hands together, showing a look of relief, before his expression turned serious again. “It seems someone deliberately impersonated me to contact Polyexis and the others mentioned by Lord Anxitanos. Seemingly to disrupt the order of the Theonian League, but in reality, to sow discord between Syracuse and Theonia, attempting to incite a war.

“As for the matter of Hermes, this concerns the security of Syracuse even more deeply, and we must investigate it in detail! But regardless, the source of Theonia’s trouble comes from Syracuse. As the Administrator of Syracuse, I bear an inescapable responsibility for this oversight! Here, I offer my sincerest apologies to Lord Anxitanos and the Theonian League!”

Saying this, he stood up and bowed deeply to Anxitanos.

Anxitanos remained seated and accepted the bow.

“Furthermore, regarding the losses caused to Theonia, Syracuse is willing to offer compensation to demonstrate our desire for closeness and friendship with Theonia!” Philistus continued, expressing his expectations.

“This touches upon another important mission entrusted to me by the Senate for this visit to Syracuse,” Anxitanos said with a solemn expression. “The Theonian League wishes to sign an alliance treaty with Syracuse. Not only for friendly diplomatic exchanges and mutual prosperity in trade, but also for military security.

“In the mountains north of Theonia, fierce barbarians frequently threaten our borders. And while Syracuse’s strong enemy, Carthage, has suffered repeated defeats, its home city in Africa still possesses vast territory and immense wealth; they could stage a comeback at any time. Therefore, Theonia wishes to join hands with Syracuse militarily to jointly safeguard the security of the Greek city-states in the Western Mediterranean! …”

As soon as Anxitanos said this, the banquet suddenly fell silent.

Anyone with a bit of political sense could hear the hidden meaning in Anxitanos’s words: First, he was subtly reminding everyone that Carthage remained a formidable enemy to Syracuse, so they should not make an enemy of Theonia. Second, Theonia wanted to interact with Syracuse on equal footing—a bold claim, given that Syracuse was currently the leader of the Western Mediterranean Greek city-states.

“Our powerful Syracuse fears no enemy now! What is Carthage? If they dare come once, we will defeat them once!” Masias loudly expressed his disdain for Carthage.

Philistus, however, clapped his hands and said, “An excellent proposal! Lord Anxitanos, rest assured, I will report this matter to Lord Dionysius and let him make the decision.”

“Thank you very much!” Anxitanos expressed his gratitude.

“Alright! Alright! Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let us continue to drink and talk freely!” Leptines shouted, raising his wine cup.

“Lord Leptines is right; we should cast aside those annoying political matters. I had originally intended to discuss with Lord Anxitanos tonight how to write history books.” Philistus took up the conversation, speaking with emotion. “Lord Anxitanos, I too have had the idea of writing a book about the history of Sicily. But due to busy political affairs, I simply cannot find the time. I truly envy that you have the time and energy to do what you wish.”

“Actually, I didn’t dare to start writing for a long time. It was thanks to Lord Davos’s encouragement and help…” When discussing history writing, Anxitanos became much more enthusiastic. “However, although I have written a portion, I have decided to discard it and rewrite it from scratch.”

“Why is that?” Philistus asked curiously.

“Do you know of a man named Thucydides?” Anxitanos asked.

The group shook their heads, indicating ignorance.

“I didn’t know him either. It was only through Lord Davos’s introduction that I learned of this man. Although he is still unknown in the Mediterranean, I believe that in a few years, his name will spread throughout all of Greece! I even feel he is greater than Herodotus!” Anxitanos said with a look of reverence.

“He wrote a history book?” Since Anxitanos was a scholar of some renown in Magna Graecia, his high praise naturally moved Philistus.

“Yes. Thucydides was an Athenian who served as a Strategos, participated in the Peloponnesian War, and was later exiled by the Assembly. He lived in seclusion in Thrace, spending over twenty years devoted to writing the history of the Peloponnesian War…

“After the war ended, he returned to Athens. When Lord Davos sent someone to visit him, he was already bedridden with serious illness, unable to hold a pen. Lord Davos spent a heavy sum to copy the original manuscript from his nephews and brought it back to Thurii, preparing to store it in the soon-to-be-completed Great Library.

“I have read this book earnestly. Although it is not fully completed, it is absolutely a great historical masterpiece! Thucydides discarded some of Herodotus’s methods; he did not include any rumors about oracles or prophecies in his book. Instead, he described every major event of the Peloponnesian War truthfully in chronological order.

“Just as he wrote in the very beginning: ‘Of the events of the war, I have not ventured to speak from any chance information, nor according to any general notion of my own; I have described nothing but what I either saw myself, or learned from others of whom I made the most careful and particular inquiry…’

“Moreover, although he was an Athenian, he did not favor Athens in his book. He recorded Athens, Sparta, and other city-states involved in the war with a completely neutral attitude. Although he said, ‘The absence of romance in my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest,’ whenever I think of this book, the scenes of the Peloponnesian War float in my mind with incomparable realism.

“I believe that even after decades or centuries have passed, people will still be willing to read it again and again to understand the truth of that war. And we scholars who wish to write history should all learn from him, using his historical work as a template to write new histories. That is the reason I must rewrite mine!”

Anxitanos finished speaking with extreme seriousness. Philistus could no longer sit still and asked urgently, “What is the name of this history book written by Thucydides? Has it been published?”

“History of the Peloponnesian War. I believe it has not yet been published, but it will be soon,” Anxitanos said. “If Lord Philistus is eager to read it, I can copy another volume after I return and send it to you.”

“That would be greatly appreciated!” Philistus thanked him repeatedly.

“It is nothing. I am happy to see another companion on the path of exploring historiography!” Anxitanos said sincerely.

“Well said. I also hope to seek advice from Lord Anxitanos in the future and exchange ideas on writing history. Come, let us drink this cup to our friendship!” With that, Philistus raised his cup to Anxitanos from afar.

The two drained their cups.

The others also raised their cups happily in agreement, and the atmosphere became lively.

Philistus put down his cup, wiped the foam from the corners of his mouth, and said with high spirits, “At this moment, how wonderful it would be if that scholar Thucydides you spoke of were also at this banquet!”

“I fear that is no longer possible,” Anxitanos said in a low voice. “The Athenian Thucydides… passed away not long ago…”

The smile froze on Philistus’s face. He cried out, “What?! He died?!”

“Yes, this is certain news from Athens. I had originally intended to find time to visit him in Athens, but…” Anxitanos looked full of regret and sorrow.

“What is there to be sad about! From what you said, this Athenian left behind a great work. Then, even if he has gone to the Underworld, he has no regrets!” Philoxenus, his eyes slightly glazed with intoxication, shouted loudly. “Bring me a lyre! I want to sing a song for him!”

“It is rare to hear Philoxenus sing!” Herolis also began to get excited.

At Philistus’s signal, a slave brought a seven-string lyre.

The somewhat drunken Philoxenus received it solemnly. He tested a few notes, then praised, “Good lyre!”

Saying this, he leaped lightly, sitting diagonally directly on the dining table, ignoring the grease staining his clothes.

The slave girl beside him hurriedly moved the food away. He began to pluck the strings. Melodious music flowed from his moving right hand. Immerse in the sound, he improvised and sang with his neck arched high:

“In the lonely horizon, Searching for that star brighter than the sun’s glare, What joy in this world can compare, To wandering the long river of history? To conversing with heroes, To singing with warriors, The Muses offer you a crown of olive, Apollo drives a chariot of golden fire, And upon it, you ride… …”

The crowd hummed along softly, offering their sincere silence and blessings to the Athenian they had never met.

That night, both host and guests enjoyed themselves to the fullest.