The order in the court suddenly became a little chaotic. Someone shouted, "Aesop is in contempt of the court and the gods! Execute him, he must be executed! " The judge knocked on the table for a long time to get everyone to calm down. At this time, Antonio, the messenger of Delphi, said, "Your Honor, citizens of Miduli, just as the city of Yaren punished Socrates, since Aesop has chosen to do so, then grant him a cup of poisoned wine!"
Thales let out a sigh. The scene in the court seemed to be a repeat of history. Many years ago, a similar scene had happened in the city of Yaren. Aristotle's teacher was Plato, and Plato's teacher was the famous sage of Yaren, Socrates. Socrates was once accused in the court of the city of Yaren for the same crime as Aesop today — "preaching a new god, poisoning and corrupting the young."
Despite Socrates' defense, the court of the city of Yaren declared his crime: in the eyes of the gods, Socrates was an evildoer, a strange man who spied on the secrets of heaven and earth, but taught others without distinguishing between right and wrong.
The court found Socrates guilty, but he could ask the court for another punishment in lieu of imprisonment. As a result, Socrates proposed to pay a fine of 30 silver coins. Such a contemptuous attitude angered the court, and he was finally sentenced to death. At that time, many people, including his student Plato, were willing to vouch for Socrates, but Socrates had no intention of admitting his guilt and chose to be executed.
Socrates drank a cup of poisoned wine. Obviously, both Aesop and Antonio, the messenger of Delphi, knew this famous story. So when Aesop said this, Antonio shouted in court to grant him a cup of poisoned wine.
Aesop's cousin and three nephews wept bitterly. Raed Ackerman shouted to the judge, "No, don't do this, I am willing to pay the heaviest fine in the history of my cousin!"
The judge shook his head and said, "Such a request can only be made by Mr. Aesop Ackerman himself. Aesop Ackerman, do you still stand by what you said just now?"
Someone else shouted, "Execute him, execute him!"
Aesop nodded without changing his expression. "Yes, I insist."
The judge finally said, "In that case, the court of this city can only sentence you to death. Why did she make such a choice? You didn't have to die! "
Aesop replied, "Your Honor, may I tell another story …"
It was also the story of a wolf and a sheep. The wolf was chasing the sheep, and the sheep escaped into the temple. The wolf shouted from outside the temple: "Come out quickly, or you will be sacrificed to the gods by the priests." Inside the shrine, the sheep replied, "I'm not afraid of death. I'd rather sacrifice myself to the gods than be eaten by you."
This was the last story Aesop told. Then he was given a cup of poisoned wine.
This was also the fate of Socrates. Even the accusations were the same, but Aesop and Socrates' actions were different. Socrates only questioned the way the gods existed, but Aesop's crime of "promoting a new god, poisoning and corrupting the young" was confirmed.
Aesop was one of the wealthiest merchants in Medusa. Although he did not believe in the gods here, he had not offended anyone. Hermes himself and the high priest of the city had looked for him, but in the end, they could not do anything about it. However, his act of going to the Holy Land of Delphi to bring back gold angered the people of Medusa. It was not because they hated Aesop's character, but because they were afraid of the gods' punishment. When the messenger of the Holy Land of Delphi came here, he determined that Aesop was the sinner in the oracle.
Antonio's accusation took Aesop's life. When the messenger of the Holy Land executed him, he said, "In the name of the gods, I deprive Aesop of his life and take away this sinful soul. The oracle has given guidance. He is the one who blasphemed and offended the gods. Today, he is here to receive the punishment he deserves. "
People who came to the city-states of the Heaton Peninsula for the first time might wonder why a sage like Socrates was executed back then. Because the atmosphere of discussion here seemed quite open, people seemed to be able to talk about all kinds of topics at will in the temple square, appearing quite free. The plays in the theater also used various ways to arrange the gods.
But on the other hand, people regarded it as their freedom to arrange the gods. They had the right to decide how to view their gods, and they could not tolerate Aesop's behavior. Aesop's crime was not to arrange the Olympian gods, but to ignore their gods, deny the meaning of this belief, and promote another belief. This was not only what the Olympian gods did not want to see, but also what the so-called free and open city-state of Heaton could not accept.
It was the two oracles that pushed Aesop to a tragic fate, but it was the people here who sentenced and executed Aesop.
According to the elder's last words, his body was cremated, and the ashes were scattered into the sea. But Antonio did not leave Miduli immediately. As a messenger of the Holy Land, he gave the city-state of Miduli another opportunity to offer sacrifices to the gods. The merchants offered the gold that Aesop brought back and entrusted the messenger of the Holy Land to offer it to the temples of Delphi. But Aesop's cousin and three nephews took back Aesop's share of the gold and did not offer it to the Olympian gods.
Antonio completed his task, found and executed the sinner pointed out by the oracle, and accepted a large amount of gold as a tribute. He was proud and ready to leave Miduli. But on this day, two foreigners came to Miduli. One was a young man driving a carriage, and the other was a majestic knight. They entered Miduli and went straight to the city-state's court.
Many people recognized them. They were Amon and Medanzo, who escorted Aesop back to his hometown. At that time, the people here had not heard of Amon's name. Now that five years had passed, and Aesop had told so many stories about Amon, the name had almost become a legend among the young people of Miduli.
Amon came to file a complaint. According to the rules of the city-state, he asked a local citizen, the respected sage Thales, to write a complaint against Antonio, the messenger of the Holy Land of Delphi. This matter caused a great sensation in Miduli. As a foreigner, the Miduli court might not accept such a complaint, but the court gave Amon a chance to be questioned by the public to decide whether he could file a complaint.
Antonio, the messenger of Delphi, did not have to attend such an inquiry, but for the glory of the gods, he still went. He wanted to hear what Amon wanted to complain about in person. If the court ruled that Amon's complaint was unreasonable, the young man from Miduli would also be punished by the city-state.
In the court, the judge asked: "Young man from Miduli, we all know that you used to be Aesop's coachman and helped him manage the farm. Aesop treated you very well. Now that your former boss has passed away, it is understandable that you are grieving, but this is not a reason for you to file a complaint. You must prove that Lord Antonio has harmed your personal interests before you have the right to file a complaint. "
Amon replied: "Aesop owes me something and has not paid me back to this day. If it was this man's complaint that killed the innocent Aesop and made me unable to recover what belongs to me, do I have the right to sue him and ask him for compensation? "
The judge said in confusion: "All of Aesop's inheritance has been inherited by the Ackerman family. If he owes you anything, you should go to Raider-Ackerman Aesop for repayment, not to sue Lord Antonio."
Amon shook his head and said: "What Aesop owes me is not money, but the identity of a slave and a finger. I can't let others replace Aesop as my slave, and I can't let an innocent person cut off a finger to pay for Aesop. It was this man who deprived Aesop of his life in the name of the gods. If Aesop is innocent, then he should be responsible for this. "
The court suddenly became chaotic again. Was Aesop Amon's slave and owed the coachman a finger? The people couldn't believe it and asked the people around them in surprise. At this time, someone remembered the past that Aesop had told and whispered to the people around him. The news spread among the whispers. For this young man to say such words, it revealed his identity – the Supreme General of Ejypt, Amon!
Legend has it that Amon was a god who came to the world! How did he become Aesop's coachman and come to Miduli?! But Amon did not claim to be a god in court. He just came to accuse Antonio.
The judge also heard the people's discussion. His forehead was already sweating, but in order to maintain the dignity of the court, he couldn't say anything. He always felt uncomfortable sitting on the chair. He cleared his throat and said in a slightly hoarse and slightly trembling voice: "Foreigner, I want to remind you that if you can't provide evidence, you will be punished by the city of Miduli for your words and actions in court."
Amon took out a Terroculus from his bosom and said, "The evidence is here. Invite a priest who knows advanced message magic to demonstrate the information recorded in this Terroculus in front of everyone. Let everyone judge for themselves whether it is true or not. This parangon will be the legal fee that I will pay to the court of Miduli. "
Soon, a priest came and took the Terroculus. He used magic to show two scenes of light and shadow. It was a scene from many years ago. No one knew what method Amon used to record them in the Terroculus. The Aesop in the light and shadow was still very young. The first scene took place in a shop in the Cape States of Eygut. As a slave, Aesop accidentally touched the parangon with his hand and was punished by having one of his fingers cut off.
But the quick-witted Aesop told the story of Pythagoras to his master Sio, so Sio recorded the finger in the account, indicating that Aesop owed him a finger. The second scene took place in the city of Montefiore in Eygut. It was Amon who bought Aesop from Sio. Aesop became Amon's slave, so his "debt" became a debt to Amon.
The events in the light and shadow took place decades ago, and Amon was the young man standing in the court today. His face had hardly changed. When this information was shown, the court immediately fell silent. No one dared to breathe. Everyone already knew who Amon was. He was the king of Eygut, and he was standing in the court of Miduli!
Amon did not care about the reaction of the people. He asked lightly, "Your Honor, do I have the right to sue the person who caused this to happen for the death of Aesop?"
The judge swallowed and replied in a hoarse voice, "You have the right to file a complaint, but this does not mean that you can win. May I ask what do you want to accuse Lord Antonio of?"
Amon said, "It is written clearly in my complaint. I want to accuse him of forging the oracle and misusing the name of the gods to frame the innocent!"
Antonio shouted from the side, "Shameless lies! Those who have participated in the Delphic Oracle Ceremony know the content of the oracle. An emissary of the city blasphemed and offended the gods. I came to Miduli just to find and punish this person. "
Amon asked coldly, "Antonio, did the oracle say the name of Aesop? You are the one who accused Aesop in court, and you are also the one who found that Aesop blasphemed and offended the gods. I would like to ask Your Honor, if he had not used the Delphic Oracle to accuse Aesop, would Aesop have been executed? The death of Aesop has caused me irreparable damage. Shouldn't I ask him for compensation? "
The judge wiped his sweat and said, "The court of Miduli cannot adjudicate such a complaint. Only the gods can be witnesses, and this court is not qualified to ask the gods to testify. "
Amon said, "Your Honor, may I ask where the ruling can be made?"
Although the judge was still sitting in his chair, he looked like he was about to kneel down and beg Amon. He said hoarsely, "You are accusing the emissary of the Delphic Temple of Holy Land, accusing him of forging the oracle and killing the innocent. This can only be adjudicated by the temple that issued the Delphic Oracle."
Amon turned around, looked at Antonio calmly, and said, "I heard that you are going back to Delphic tomorrow? That's good. Do you dare to go to the Delphic Temple with me and let the Delphic Priest Court accept my accusations and adjudicate? "
Under Amon's gaze, Antonio also felt his chest and back drenched in sweat, but he could not say no, because the purpose of the gods' plot against Aesop was to lure Amon out. Antonio was not only a priest, but he also had another identity — a level-nine emissary guided by Apollo.
Antonio was also very surprised. Not only did Amon have the guts to come to Miduli, but he also dared to go to Delphic! What kind of place was Delphic? It was the holy land of the Olympian gods and a place guarded by the emissaries of the gods! If Amon went there to file a complaint, wouldn't it be like a sheep walking into a pack of wolves?
Antonio bit the bullet and answered in public, "If you have the guts to come to Delphic, be prepared to face the consequences of your choice. I am willing to meet you in the Delphic court!"
As he spoke, he was also thinking that Amon had once again come to the realm of Olympus and publicly accused him in the city's court. However, Hermes, the god who guarded the city, did not say a word, nor did he show his face. Aesop's death was caused by Hermes' oracle in the first place.
Unfortunately, Antonio did not know that it was not that Hermes did not want to show his face, but that he did not dare to show his face. Amon seemed calm, but in fact, he was extremely angry. If Hermes really dared to show his face, Amon would have the guts to kill him. Without the support of Olympus and the gods, Hermes would not dare to cause such trouble alone.
Watching Amon walk out of the court with Medanzo, the judge breathed a sigh of relief, and his body almost collapsed into the chair. Although Amon did not claim that he was a god from a foreign land, the judge was so nervous that he almost lost his voice. It was not easy to send this god away, and he hoped that the gods in Delphic would not cause trouble again.
When Amon walked out of the court, Medanzo, who was behind him, suddenly turned around and said, "People of Miduli, do you feel lucky? Because the gods did not punish you. Are you really suing Aesop with Antonio because he blasphemed the gods and violated your interests, or are you afraid of the gods' punishment? I don't know how many things you have done to offend the gods, but why do you feel afraid? "
What Medanzo said before he left scared many people, and a lot of them fell ill that night. Early the next morning, the people of Miduli rushed to the city's temple and prayed to the gods for protection and to "get rid of" Amon in Delphic, so that he would not cause trouble for them again.
Amon was driving the carriage like an ordinary passerby, while Metatro was riding on a horse like the carriage's guard. However, the carriage was empty. There was no one riding on it, nor was there any goods being transported. They followed behind Antonio's convoy of gold all the way to Delphic, the holy land of the Olympians.
On the way, Medanzo whispered, "My god, are you going to Delphic to settle the score with the Olympian gods?"
Amon asked back, "Shouldn't I?"
Medanzo said, "When Aesop was in trouble, I went out with the Macedonian army. Unfortunately, I could not save him."
Amon shook his head. "He had the chance to save himself, but he still chose to be executed."
Medanzo reminded again, "If you really do it in Delphic, I'm afraid that the two of us will be too weak. Should we call the angels?"
Amon shook his head again. "If I do that, I will start a direct war between two gods and involve too many people who should not be involved. Don't forget why we are here, so let's solve this. It was you and I who sent Aesop back to his hometown, and it was I who made an agreement with Zeus to cooperate. Let the two of us handle it. "
At the foot of the mountain where the holy land of Delphic was, Amon deliberately stopped the carriage to rest and let Antonio go back first. When Antonio went up the mountain, he heard Amon's voice in his soul. "Go back to Delphic and get everything ready. I will give you one day. I will see you at the Delphic Priest Court at noon the day after tomorrow."
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