City of Athens
In one of the taverns in the city, Gesne was drinking with a few minstrels.
The table was filled with figs, snacks and good wine. Some of the minstrels had received the blessings of Apollo and had become guests of honor to the nobles and the King.
However, some of them were poor and had to perform on the streets. Gesne had received instructions from Prince Paris and did not need to look for those who were famous. Hence, these few minstrels were very poor. Everyone was eating the food on the table and drinking the good wine in their hands.
A minstrel with a goatee said, "Gesne, thank you very much for your hospitality. I did not expect you to be so generous after following Prince Paris."
An old man hiccupped and said drunkenly, "Gesne, when I first met you, you were just like me. I did not expect you to stop writing poems and become so rich. It is better to follow Prince Paris."
Gesne looked at the bards in front of him and sighed with emotion. At the same time, he felt a sense of pride. However, one of the bards, who had a slightly thin face and hadn't spoken all this time, said disapprovingly, "Gesne, it's good that you've climbed on Prince Paris's good side, but we're bound to be bound together for good or ill. If one day Prince Paris loses his power, you'll be in a much worse state than us."
When Gesne heard this, his face changed. The two around him were embarrassed as well. In order to prevent Gesne from getting angry, they hurriedly allowed Gesne to continue talking about the Prince.
At this point, a commotion could be heard from afar. Someone shouted, "Bearman, Bearman."
The few minstrels thought that the Bearman had entered the city and jumped in fright. They looked carefully and realized that it was not the Bearman who had entered the city. They heaved a sigh of relief.
Pei Zi Yun was standing on a chariot that was covered in flower garlands. He smiled and waved to the crowd around him. The people in the city were cheering and celebrating the arrival of the Bearman's head.
"Paris."
"Paris."
The crowd cheered. Everyone was in awe of Prince Paris for being able to kill the Bearman.
"How did Prince Paris kill the Bearman? Didn't he just enter the mountains yesterday?" A few of the minstrels widened their eyes, as if they could not believe that Prince Paris had returned so quickly.
"Looks like I'm right. Look, even the king is here to welcome Prince Paris."
King Menastos welcomed them on the street with his guards behind him. He said to Paris happily, "Prince Paris, you are truly brave. You have returned with the head of the Bearman in triumph so quickly."
"It was all thanks to the blessings of the Gods that I was able to complete this mission so quickly." Pei Zi Yun said.
King Menastheus gave Pei Zi Yun a hug. Under the curious gazes of the crowd, he did not return to the palace. Instead, he turned towards the Temple of Zeus.
Temple of Zeus
The Divine Temple was located southeast of the Acropolis of Athens, in the middle of a vast plain beside the Irisos River. The entire Divine Temple was surrounded by verdant valleys and clear streams, creating an elegant scenery. Not far away, there was a dense forest that was lush with greenery. The paths in the forest were filled with flowers and trees that vied for beauty.
Under the guidance of King Menastoth, Pei Zi Yun arrived at the Temple of Zeus in a chariot.
The temple was rectangular, 108 meters long and 41 meters wide. The entire building was built on a complete foundation. The Divine Temple was supported by 104 marble pillars, each of which was an astonishing 18 meters tall.
The priest of the Divine Temple was already waiting at the entrance, leading King Menastheus and Pei Zi Yun into the Divine Temple.
The Divine Temple had four huge arches, each of which was 15 meters tall and 8 meters wide.
As they walked through the arches, they looked up to see a rectangular dome. The dome was filled with colorful murals related to the Gods. The four walls of the Divine Temple were engraved with lifelike carvings, displaying the elegance of the Gods.
The priest was silent the entire way, as if he had no intention of introducing the Divine Temple to the Divine Temple. A servant led two bulls and carried the Bearman's head and gold as he followed behind.
After passing through the corridors of the Divine Temple, an altar that was several times larger than any of the other altars appeared before the three of them. In the middle of the altar was a statue of Zeus, which was 12 meters tall.
As the three of them stood in front of the statue, Pei Zi Yun felt someone staring at him.
'It's Zeus.' Pei Zi Yun thought to himself.
The servant brought two bulls and handed them over to the priest.
The few assistants looked at them and were satisfied. They placed garlands on the bulls and brought them to the altar. The priest sprinkled water on the altar and the bulls and prayed. With the hard work of the assistants, the bulls were slaughtered in no time. The priest skillfully cut off the bull's head and separated the meat.
Following this, Pei Zi Yun personally took the Bearman's head and a gold brick that weighed 200 grams and placed them on the altar. He raised his hand and prayed, "Oh great and wise King of the Gods, with your blessings, I was able to kill the Bearman. All the glory belongs to you. May you accept my sacrifice."
This time, the gold and the Bearman's head had disappeared. It was obvious that the Gods had used them. However, only a little bit of the beef was missing.
The priest smiled and said to Pei Zi Yun, "Prince Paris, the Gods are very satisfied with your Bearman's head and gold."
King Menastheus accompanied Pei Zi Yun to observe the entire process. The beef was not missing. This was not surprising. Perhaps it was because the great Zeus had transformed into a bull before.
However, the disappearance of the Bearman's head and gold indicated that the Gods were still satisfied with Prince Paris. This way, he could still maintain his friendship with Prince Paris.
The two of them left the temple. Pei Zi Yun bid farewell to King Menastheus. The King said regretfully, "Prince Paris, you will gain my friendship."
As he spoke, he called for the remaining eighteen bulls to be brought out.
Pei Zi Yun watched as King Menastheus left. He thought about the sacrificial ceremony and what had happened in the Temple of Zeus. He was bewildered.
The servants drove the eighteen bulls through the streets and alleys of the Temple of Zeus. A bull was worth a lot in ancient Greece, and eighteen bulls were worth a fortune.
As the bulls passed through the city, the people discussed them.
"Look, these are the bulls that King Menastheus gave to Prince Paris."
"These bulls were given to Prince Paris by the King as a reward for his efforts in killing the Bearman."
"Prince Paris is really brave and good at fighting. He also respects the Gods."
The citizens of the city rushed over to see the eighteen bulls, as though they had earned them. The bulls followed the road to the harbor, and with the help of the servants, they managed to catch up to the ship.
At this point, a carriage approached the harbor slowly. From the carriage, someone delivered a small box.
Pei Zi Yun instructed the servant to bring the box to the cabin. When he opened it, he realized that it was filled with bronze and gold. There were 500 grams of gold, which was a huge sum.
Pei Zi Yun looked at it and smiled, "Akamas is very tactful. This way, I will be able to pay for the two sacrificial ceremonies."
This matter was settled. As long as Akamas did not cause trouble for him, he would not go looking for trouble either.
"Gesne, how are the bards in the city doing?" Pei Zi Yun asked Gesne.
"Prince Paris, I have been in contact with all the bards in the city. Some of them are even my old friends. Other than a few stubborn ones, the others are all willing to get close to the noble Prince Paris." Gesne said.
"Mm mm, you have done well. Next, we will be heading to our next destination. You have to hurry up. Also, our ship has to be filled with goods." Pei Zi Yun said. Travelling was like doing business. If not, even if he had the gold from the national treasury, he would not be able to support himself.
"Understood, Prince Paris." Gesne bowed.
"Ke Sailia, how is your matter?" Pei Zi Yun asked.
"Prince Paris, I've made detailed records of all the goods and expenses. I've placed them on your desk. I've also made a list of all the Wandering Bards that Lord Gneas contacted. The list is also on your desk," said Keselia.
"Mm, you have done well too." Pei Zi Yun praised. He then called the captain over and instructed, "We will set sail in a while. We will head to Tyros and Cyprus immediately."
"While the bulls are still fat, let us hurry. It would be bad if they lose weight."
"Understood, Prince Paris." The captain replied.
In just a moment, shouts, sails, and oars could be heard. Someone looked at the warships carefully. These warships had long bronze horns and were long and narrow, with three levels.
The guards were busy. Everything was in order. After a while, the warships slowly set sail.
Seeing the fleet leave, Acamas was furious. Demofon tried to persuade him, "Brother, this time, Prince Paris has shown mercy. Because you were the one who tried to assassinate him, he could have kept you alive. If he had handed you and the other corpses to King Menastheus, the king would not have let go of this opportunity to attack us. Furthermore, the king would have given us a higher reward."
"And the gods above, these soldiers …" Demofon pointed at the warships in the distance. "I counted just now. Each ship has fifty soldiers. Seven ships means three hundred and fifty soldiers."
"If an ordinary city-state mobilized, it would only amount to this number!" Demofon said solemnly. "Brother, you should not go against Prince Paris in the future. You are not his match."
Demofon patiently persuaded him.
"Paris doesn't even dare to fight face to face. He even scattered sand on the battlefield. Also, if it wasn't for the coward who didn't participate, if you could have helped us, I wouldn't have lost so badly." Acamas was furious. "Paris doesn't even dare to fight face to face.
With that, he turned and left.
Demofon shook his head and thought for a long time. "Prince Paris, I cannot see through you!"
Arriving in Athens was not their first stop. Along the way, there were many rumors. Although some were belittling, they were generally positive. He was passionate, good at music, and good at fighting.
He also knew the rules. Which prince did not have all his followers? But when Prince Paris entered the city, he left all the soldiers at the port and even gave them money to buy food and water. He only brought ten slaves into the city.
This was why the kings along the way were willing to welcome them warmly.
"Prince Paris should be our friend, not our enemy. This way, we have a higher chance of taking back Athens. Unfortunately, the reckless Acamas ruined it." At this time, Demofon still did not know about the upcoming Battle of Troy. Perhaps some people had heard the news, but only the higher-ups of the humans.
The sons of Theseus, who had lost the throne, did not know about this and only felt that it was a pity.
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