Eckriton wasn't surprised. According to the information he had gathered, the Etrurian Alliance had been suffering from the invasion of the Gauls from the north for the past few years and had no choice but to rely on the assistance of the Dionians. Last year, the Dionians had specially sent troops to the northern border of the Iberian Alliance to ensure the safety of their territory. For this reason, the Etrurians naturally had to do something, which was not surprising.
"What about the ships in front? Are they all Etrurian as well? " Oakton asked with interest as he looked at a large cargo ship in front of him. It had a taller side and a one-story building.
"When I was passing by those ships in the small boat just now, I observed them carefully. Although most of their sailors are … Phoenicians, it seems like …" The attendant hesitated with anger. "The people on the ships are dressed like Numibians and Mauritanians!"
Even with Oakton's self-restraint, it was difficult for him to remain calm at this moment because the Carthage people blamed half of the war on the Numibians' rebellion. After that, the Numibians, who were once like slaves, turned around and frequently attacked Carthage's land. So, be it in the past or present, the Numibians were a pain in the heart of the Carthage people.
Oakton quickly calmed down and asked in a deep voice, "Why did they come with so many ships?"
"It seems that many of the ships are carrying horses," the attendant replied.
Oakton understood. "That's all the Numibians have to offer."
"My lord." The attendant hesitated and whispered, "They are all giving gifts to Diónia, but we didn't take anything. Isn't this …"
Oakton raised his head. "The fact that Carthage can send an envoy to the celebration is the best gift we can give to the Hades of Diónia!"
Although Okridon said so, he knew in his heart that Carthage's status in the Western Mediterranean was no longer what it used to be, but many of the Carthage elders had not fully adapted to this new change, including Hanno. Therefore, the Carthage emissaries who had brought generous gifts to the other emissaries looked shabby in comparison. This undoubtedly made the negotiations with Diónia more difficult.
While Okridon was deep in thought, the Etruscan emissary delegation had finished unloading their goods and left the dock. Next, it was the turn of the Numibian emissary delegation and the Mauritanian emissary delegation to enter the inner city dock.
After a while, the sound of horses neighing and people shouting could be heard. The pier became unusually lively.
Suddenly, a deafening scream came from the shore, and it lasted for a long time. Even Okridun, who was outside the port, could hear it clearly. "Oh my God, what monster is this?! It's huge! "
"This might be … Perhaps it's the giant bull of Lucania …"
"Idiot! Does a cow have such a long nose? Moreover, the horns of a cow grow on its head, but its horns grow on its mouth. "
"Then, tell me, what is it?"
"I've never seen it before, how would I know? But we can ask these Mauritanians."
…
Hearing these screams, Okridon was surprised. Could it be that the Mauritanians had sent elephants that lived in the interior of Afrika to Turií?!
Although he had never seen it, he had heard that there were many elephants further south in the territory of the Numibians and Mauritanians. Most of the ivory traded in the Carthage city market came from there.
In fact, ivory was also very popular in Turií, especially when the Temple of Hades was rebuilt. But when the real owner of the ivory walked out of the cabin and came to the shore, it still shocked the onlookers. "There's such a giant beast in this world! Could it be a descendant of some ancient monster?! … "
Compared to the citizens who were shouting and letting their imaginations run wild, the officials of Tuliyi who came to greet the emissary delegation were shocked. They were more worried about how much damage these behemoths would cause to the city if they went berserk because it seemed difficult to control them. After all, the citizens of the inner city were either elders, ministers, or ordinary citizens. Their identities were not ordinary. If a large number of casualties were caused, these insignificant officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not be able to bear the responsibility.
Even though the Mauritanian emissary repeatedly explained to the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that although the animals looked huge, they were actually gentle and would not easily hurt people.
At the same time, he ordered the elephant handlers to command the elephants to kneel before the officials, using their long trunks to make all kinds of funny gestures such as waving and nodding. But it did not completely dispel the officials' doubts. Instead, it made the cheers of the onlookers even louder.
Fortunately, it did not take long for hundreds of palace guards to arrive. They were ordered by the King of Devers to bring the elephants to the elephant pen specially built for the elephants on the Hill of the Kings.
Thus, under the careful guidance of the elephantsmen, the three elephants — one male, one female, and one calf — moved with slow and heavy steps over the flat and sturdy streets, following the route the triumphant army would take, advancing towards the west of the city.
The people in the inner city who got the news came out of their houses, including some elders. They stood by the roadside, curiously watching the giant beasts that they had never seen before.
Under the efforts of the palace guards to maintain order, the excited people did not cause the elephants to panic. Instead, they enjoyed the rare honor of being a triumphant army, and the people were filled with anticipation for this year's celebration.
By the time the Carthage emissary arrived at the port, it was already afternoon. Okridon had been waiting on the ship for nearly four hours. So when he came ashore, he grumbled to the Diónia official who came to greet him, "Turií is such a big city, but it has such a small port. Any visiting foreign emissary would not be able to feel the grandeur of Diónia as the most powerful country in the western Mediterranean. Instead, it's a kind of cowardly pettiness!"
The Diónia official was not offended by Okridon's bluntness. Instead, he admitted frankly, "You're right. We've also realized that this is a big problem. This inner city river port was built before the kingdom was founded. At that time, it had sufficient capacity. However, in recent years, foreign emissaries have been visiting too frequently, and many of them did not come empty-handed —"
At this point, the official glanced at the lonely passenger ship behind Okridon. "So this river port is now insufficient. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported this problem to His Majesty. Although both sides of the inner city have been occupied by buildings and there is no extra space to build a new river port, His Majesty has held several executive meetings with ministers on this issue. I believe a solution will be found soon."
Okridon nodded in understanding. In fact, he just wanted to vent his anger. He did not care whether the problem of Turií's river port could be solved or not. He changed the topic and asked seriously, "I request to meet the King of Devers. I represent the Carthage Senate to discuss something important with him. Can the Ministry of Foreign Affairs convey my request to the King of Devers?"
The official looked at him and said seriously, "According to the administrative regulations of the kingdom, all foreign affairs are the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you have any request, you can write a letter first and submit it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our officer, Lord Ancitanos, will judge whether it is important or not, and then decide whether to let us discuss it or to pass it to His Majesty …
However, there have been many envoys visiting these days, and each of them has a request. I heard that the letters in Sir Ancetanos' office have piled up into a mountain. Besides, he has to attend classes in Dionysia Academy and is almost overwhelmed. Even if you submit the letter, I'm afraid it will take some time before he can give you a reply. "
Okridon was dumbfounded. In the past, he had negotiated with Diónia during the war. He had gone directly to the barracks to meet the King of Devers. He never thought that it would be so complicated and difficult to meet the King of Devers in Turií. He did not know how to respond for a while.
Seeing that he was silent, the official suddenly said, "In fact, there is another way to solve your problem."
"What is it?" Okridon asked immediately.
"During this time, His Majesty saw that there were many diplomatic affairs during the celebration and was worried that Lord Ancitanos would be too busy, so the day before yesterday, he specially arranged for a rotating president of the Senate to help him temporarily manage the diplomatic affairs. You can look for him directly. Maybe he will bring you to meet His Majesty."
"Look for him directly? Don't I need to submit a letter first and then get his consent? "Okridon was a little confused.
"Other emissaries may not be able to, but you might be able to, because you are Carthage's man," the official said with a meaningful smile.
Okridon's heart skipped a beat, and he asked with a trembling voice, "This … What is the name of the rotating president?"
"Hahaha."
As expected! Okridon smiled bitterly, and his heart felt like it had been overturned. He could not tell what he was feeling.
… …
Early in the morning, at the King of Devers's mansion, the Devers walked into the dining room after their morning exercise, only to find Cristoya and Aegnis there. "Where are the children?"
"They hurriedly finished their breakfast and went to see the elephants. Eunice and Briantes have always liked to join in on the fun, but this is the first time I've seen the usually calm Apox so eager, "Cristoya complained.
"As long as the children are happy, it means that my decision to bring these elephants up the mountain was the right one," the Devers said as they sat at the dining table.
Aegnis immediately served him a bowl of hot oatmeal and said with a smile, "Yesterday evening, Olivia dragged me to see the elephants. She was very excited when we came back, and insisted on sleeping with me. She even talked excitedly for a long time. This is the first time I've seen her talk so much."
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