Pei Zi Yun watched as Demophon left. His expression became calm as he pondered.
"Theseus was the usurper in the eyes of the Athenians. Many people were unhappy with him and he used force to suppress them. However, due to the opposition, both covert and overt, his efforts failed. Theseus decided to give up this uncontrollable city. He had already sent his sons Acamas and Demophon to Euboea to seek refuge with King Elefonoa."
"Aren't Acamas and Demophon in Euboea? Why are they back? But that seems possible. "
"If they don't return for a long time, how can Demophon seize the throne of Athens?"
"Theseus and his family must have some hidden power in Athens!"
He turned to Gesne and said, "This is Athens. When you buy a bull, you have to choose carefully. Don't be anxious and don't be afraid of spending money. You have to compare and choose the best bull. As long as I can make it in time for the ceremony tomorrow morning, it will be fine."
Gesne looked at Prince Paris's expression and stopped smiling. He said seriously, "Prince Paris, I understand. Don't worry!"
Gesne understood what he meant. This was a reasonable opportunity to look for the bards. Because the bards were the most familiar with the situation, there was nothing wrong with looking for them. Moreover, this was also the reason that had been used in previous city-states.
It was proven to be very effective and flawless.
Gesne paused and said, "The monster is said to be a huge bearman. This problem has not been solved yet. The king is still discussing it."
Pei Zi Yun nodded. Although he already had some guesses in his heart, he still said, "Ask him again and give me a detailed report tomorrow morning."
"Yes!" Gesne bowed and replied.
The next day, morning
The sun shone down on Athens. Pei Zi Yun woke up and saw Gesne. It was obvious that he had not slept all night. His eyes were bloodshot and there was a bull in the courtyard.
"Prince Paris, the bull has been brought over. This is not an ordinary bull that carries a yoke and pulls a heavy cart. This is a bull that is specially used for sacrifices. What do you think?"
Pei Zi Yun looked at it. Indeed, the bull was plump and strong. Its horns were shiny and its fur was smooth. It was indeed a good bull.
He nodded his head in satisfaction.
Seeing that Prince Paris was satisfied, Gesne stepped forward and said in a low voice, "I have done what you asked me to do. As for what you wanted to know, I have also investigated it."
"Theseus died, and before leaving Athens he sent his sons Acamas and Demophon to Euboea, where they belonged to Elephanoi, the king of Athens, and sailed to Skylus, where the king kept the large fortune left to him by Theseus' father."
"But King Lycomedes was afraid of this hero, or perhaps he had a secret agreement with Menastius. He took Theseus to a cliff on the island, and lied that he wanted to show Theseus his father's property. Then, when Theseus was unprepared, King Lycomedes pushed him off the cliff. Theseus fell into the sea and died."
"Now that Theseus is dead, the danger level has dropped. King Menastheus is less vigilant, but he still won't allow Acamas and Demophon to return."
"It's just that a Bearman appeared in Athens, and captured the herdsmen who entered the mountains and ate them. The king has failed a few times in his crusade against the Bearman. He is also old, and cannot kill the Bearman himself."
"Acamas and Demophon contacted King Menastheus, saying that as long as King Menastheus allows them to return, and returns a portion of Theseus's property, they are willing to kill the Bearman."
"However, King Menastheus only allowed them to return a portion of Theseus's personal property, and was not willing to accept them as citizens. He only allowed them to come to Athens occasionally as foreigners."
"Now, this is the impasse."
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he was enlightened. So it was the Bearman's fault. He muttered, "In the original myths, there was no mention of a monster wave before the crusade against Troy!"
"Is it because there was no record of it, or is it because of me?"
Just as he was thinking about this, he heard Gesne continue, "Also, the meeting with the merchants and bards in Athens was very successful, because everyone was very willing to get close to the noble and pious prince."
"Mm, very good. You did well, Gesne." Pei Zi Yun praised, "Go and rest!"
"Yes, Prince Paris." Gesne left.
"Bring the bull here, let's go to the Parthenon Temple!" Pei Zi Yun ordered the servants to bring the bull and the guards along as they walked along the street.
On a tall hill stood a majestic building. This was the Parthenon Temple, which stood at the highest point of the city.
The back of the temple faced the east, which was very different from the layout of the Great Xu Dynasty, which faced the north and the south. The temple stood on three levels of marble steps, and was surrounded by 46 marble pillars with grooves. At the door, there was a priest who looked middle-aged, with a beard. He bowed slightly and said, "Prince Paris, the King has ordered me to wait for you here. Please come in."
Pei Zi Yun nodded and took the reins of the bull from the servants. He led the bull up the three levels of marble steps and followed the priest into the temple.
The ceiling of the temple was covered with reliefs, and the four walls were also covered with reliefs.
The corridors were made of marble, and after passing through the corridors, they saw a huge altar in front of them.
In the middle of the altar was the statue of Athena, which Pei Zi Yun had seen before. The statue was much taller than a real person.
Pei Zi Yun immediately brought the bull over and handed it to the priest.
The two assistants looked at it and were satisfied. They put a garland on it and placed it on the altar. The priest took out a jar of water and sprinkled it on the altar and the bull, praying.
The bull panicked, but the two assistants tied it up and could not move. The priest used a knife to stab it. The bull screamed, and blood spurted out like a fountain on the altar.
The priest skillfully sliced off the bull's head, removed its organs and bones, and separated the meat before praying.
"Pu!" The best piece of beef had disappeared. He remembered that when he went to the temple to offer sacrifices to Athena, she would not reject his offerings. However, this time was different.
The priest saw it and smiled, "Prince Paris, the Goddess is satisfied with your offerings."
At this point, a bright light flashed, and the priest's expression changed, "The Goddess has sent a message. Prince Paris, the Goddess says that you will meet with misfortune in the future."
The priest looked at Pei Zi Yun with a complicated expression. To him, the Goddess had already sent a message that Prince Paris would meet with misfortune in the future. There was no doubt about this.
"Meet with misfortune in the future?" Pei Zi Yun had no doubt about this. Paris had already died a violent death, and Troy had already been destroyed.
Pei Zi Yun's expression changed as he put on a fearful expression. He tore his clothes and said, "Please have mercy on me, the great and wise Athena. I am willing to offer gold."
As he said this, he ordered a servant, "Bring the gold from the carriage here."
Before long, a gold brick was presented. It weighed 200 grams.
Don't be fooled by the fact that in ancient Greece, it was worth 25.5 kilograms. When Alexander ascended the throne, the treasury of Macedonia only had 70 Talent of silver. At that time, the ratio of silver to gold was 1: 11. In other words, there was only 6 Talent of gold.
Even when the Kingdom of Macedonia was not expanding, its population and area were a hundred times that of all the other cities. If he could not even produce 10 Talent of gold, then what about Troy?
The priest sucked in a breath of cold air. He suddenly had a deeper understanding of the wealth of Troy, so he continued to pray. Then, the gold disappeared, and a new message was sent.
"Prince Paris, the Goddess says that your wife will save you." As he said this, the priest smiled again.
"Your wife will save you." Pei Zi Yun's heart skipped a beat. This phrase was a little subtle. In the original script, the oracle said, "Only the abandoned wife, Onone, can save Paris from death."
After Paris was poisoned, he had no choice but to be carried by a servant to Mount Ida, where his ex-wife still lived. However, Onone had waited bitterly on the mountain for ten years. When they met in an instant, resentment prevailed. She said angrily, "I am the one who was abandoned by you. Go, find the young and beautiful Helen and beg her to save you. Your tears and whining will never be able to exchange for my sympathy! "
As she said this, she chased Paris out of the door, and he died.
But now, there was a subtle change in the oracle.
"Your wife will save you."
This was not only the result of Pei Zi Yun's kindness to Onone, but also the fact that there was no determination to kill her, even if she was an enemy of Athena. Otherwise, the oracle would not have said this.
"The gods do not have the will to kill me?" What kind of person was Pei Zi Yun? He could immediately sense this. His situation seemed to be better than what he had initially thought.
As he thought about this, he ordered the carriage to return to his residence. The moment he returned, before he had time to think, Ke Sailia came in to report to Pei Zi Yun.
"Prince Paris, you have given me a document to record the goods and expenses. I have made a detailed record, please take a look." As she said this, she took out the document and handed it to Pei Zi Yun.
"Well, put it on the table first," Pei Zi Yun said.
Ke Sailia put down the document and continued, "Also, I have recorded the list of merchants and poets that Lord Gesne is in contact with. As for the gifts, according to your instructions, we will not send them directly, but will give them indirect, reasonable reasons. This is the detailed list, please take a look."
Ke Sailia took out another piece of parchment and handed it to Pei Zi Yun.
Pei Zi Yun smiled bitterly. Ke Sailia was very efficient. He had just returned and had not even warmed his seat, and she had already brought a bunch of headaches. He was not in the mood to look at these things for now.
However, with such a capable subordinate, it saved him a lot of energy. Ke Sailia took care of things neatly, and this gave him more time.
"Ke Sailia, put the list on the table. You have worked hard, go and have a good rest." Pei Zi Yun said with a smile.
"Prince Paris, I will take my leave first!" Seeing that Prince Paris was not in a good mood, Ke Sailia hurriedly took her leave to prevent Paris from resenting her.
"Okay, you go."
After Ke Sailia left, the room became quiet. Pei Zi Yun sat alone, thinking.
"I remember that Paris wasn't originally on the kill list. There was still a chance of survival. It was just that Paris didn't grasp it and caused the royal family of Troy to be completely severed."
"Could it be that because he was the descendant of Zeus, the Trojan royal family still had a glimmer of hope?"
"No, no, I can't think of it that way. Even if the Trojan royal family still had a glimmer of hope, in the original script, Paris was actually just a fuse. When it came to battle, he was just a bystander."
"Zeus eliminated the strong heroes. This kind of weakling who could be killed but not killed naturally had a glimmer of hope."
"But I can level up, and I will become stronger and stronger. If that's the case, I'm afraid this glimmer of hope …" Pei Zi Yun thought of this and sighed heavily, his eyes dimming.
"But I can't not level up. If I place my hopes on a glimmer of hope, I should just follow the script and try my best to kill my way out of this situation."
Pei Zi Yun's thoughts returned to the original path, and he muttered, "Menastheus did not do much when he joined the allied army. But as I guessed, he was a weakling and managed to escape unscathed. However, when he returned, the throne was taken by Demophon, the son of Theseus."
"I can't alarm the gods like a storm, so the plan to attack the Greek mainland is not feasible."
"But it's not possible to build a plank road in the open, but it's possible to do it secretly. If, at the critical moment of the Battle of Troy, a letter suddenly came from Athens saying that Demophon, the son of Theseus, had rushed to Athens to contact the citizens, what would Menastus think at the frontline of Troy?"
"It's not just Athens, it's the same for the other cities. Since the commander-in-chief Agamemnon has not returned for a long time, Queen Clytemnestra colluded with Aegisthus and assassinated him when he returned."
"Odysseus has not returned for a long time, and there are many suitors who want to snatch his wife and usurp the throne."
"I don't believe that after fighting at the frontlines of Troy for so many years, no one in the Greek mainland would want to assassinate these heroes and usurp their foundations!"
"Maybe there are people who can't wait for some of the heroes at the frontlines to die quickly, so that they can seize the wealth and throne."
"I don't need to lie. This will be easily discovered by the gods, and they will find out that I'm the one behind it. But under normal circumstances, people who are far away from their hometown will also receive messages or letters from their hometown. I'm just making sure that the right information is delivered to the right place and to the right person."
"I can't even be considered a spy or a secret organization. Even if the gods happen to notice it, it's just a normal trade and communication."
"I've spent so much time and energy to gather information about the local people and goods, and to build a good relationship with the bards. Isn't it all for this small change at this critical moment?"
"The whole situation will be shaken because of this small change. The art of war is not just about the storm. Even the gods don't notice a drizzle or a breeze, so how can we guard against it?"
"The next step is almost at Sparta. Almighty gods, you've made your move, but now, it's time for me to return the favor."
Pei Zi Yun suppressed his emotions and laughed. If not for this move, why would he need to be so patient and try his best to visit the cities along the way?
In a world like this, there would be a light breeze and drizzle, which would then stack on top of each other until it became a huge wave.
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