Amon replied frankly, "It doesn't matter if I'm an oracle or a priest, I'm here to accuse Antonio. Let's go to court first."
Medanzo added, "The gods of Olympus may come directly to the human world and appear in the Delphi Priestly Court."
Amon sneered coldly. "It would be strange if they didn't come! They've done so much to force me to turn against them, haven't they? But there's a god who can't come! "
The god that Amon was referring to was naturally Apollo. He had an agreement with Apollo that no matter where he went, Apollo must stay away. But the funny thing was that this year's Delphi Oracle was issued by the Temple of Apollo, and the Delphi Priestly Court was held in the hall of the Temple of Apollo.
Delphi was a holy land formed by various shrines. Their court was different from that of ordinary city-state courts. It was composed of the chief priests of each shrine and mainly adjudicated major matters of divine authority. Usually, they did not pay attention to the civil disputes of the city-state. But the accusation made by Amon concerned the authenticity of the Delphi Oracle, and the civil city-state courts could not adjudicate it, so they came here.
The terrain of Delphi was dangerous, but since ancient times, people who offered sacrifices to the gods had built a road in the mountains that could accommodate two carriages. The scenery was extremely beautiful, and there was an indescribable sense of sacredness in the beautiful scenery. It really deserved to be called the holy land of the Heaton Peninsula. Amon saw the scattered shrines halfway up the mountain from afar. When they entered the territory of Delphi, a group of priests were already waiting at the intersection.
Someone came up and asked, "Are you Amon and Medanzo?"
Amon did not bow like the people who came from all over the Heaton Peninsula. He just sat in the carriage and nodded. "Yes, we are Amon and Medanzo. May I ask if the Delphi Priestly Court is ready?"
A priest holding a scepter said, "It's ready for court. According to Delphi's etiquette, non-temple priests are not allowed to ride in carriages. From here on, you'll have to walk."
Amon jumped out of the carriage and waved at Medanzo. "Dismount, let's go!"
…
In the hall of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, a courtroom composed of priests from various temples had been prepared. There were no seats in the courtroom, and the jurors stood on both sides. The presiding judge in the middle was a priestess from the Temple of Themis. She was the one who had accepted Aesop's gold sacrifice.
But today, the Priestess had covered her eyes with a piece of black cloth. She held a small scale in her hand and a sharp sword was placed at her feet. Amon recognized her as soon as he saw her. She was Themis, the Goddess of Justice and Justice of the Olympian pantheon, but she appeared as the priestess.
In this trial, Amon was nominally accusing Delphi's messenger, Antonio, but in fact, he was targeting Apollo and the other Olympian gods. Apart from this goddess, there was probably no one more suitable to be the judge. Amon noticed that the scale in Themis's hand was once made by him!
This object was first created by Osiris, the god of the underworld of the Ennead, and it was the center of Osiris's underworld. Later, Amon took Artemis to capture Osiris's underworld. Osiris left, and this object was reforged by Amon and named the Scale of Judgment. The Scale of Judgment was taken away by Artemis as a "trophy", saying that she was going to give it to a goddess related to Amon among the Olympian gods. It turned out that she had given it to Themis.
It was not until Amon saw Themis, the Goddess of Justice and Justice, in Macedonia that he realized what kind of relationship this goddess once had with him. According to the explanation of the immortal Goumang, Themis had re-entered the cycle of reincarnation in her true form and came to the human world to become the Flower of Montefiore. Later, she became the lover of his disciple, John, and was also Amon's disciple. Unfortunately, the couple were both killed on the battlefield.
At this moment, not only did Themis close her eyes, but she also deliberately covered them with a black cloth, indicating her attitude that she would not care about the identity of the prosecutor and the defender. Since Themis was here, the other gods of the Olympian pantheon might be watching from the sidelines in the court, and Amon ignored them.
As Amon and Medanzo walked into the hall, the presiding judge said, "My name is Portia, and I am the presiding judge of the Delphi Special Court."
Portia was the name of the priestess in the temple of Delphi. In fact, the way she covered her eyes and held the Scales of Judgment in her hand already showed that she was the Goddess of Justice and Justice, but since she appeared here as Portia, she called herself Portia and not a goddess. Just like what Amon did in the court of the city of Miduli, everyone guessed that he was Amun, but Amon did not claim to be a god.
Themis's opening remarks were simple and clear, without a word of superfluous nonsense. The trial began, and Antonio had already arrived, standing on either side of the hall with Amon. Amon bowed to the presiding judge and the judges, and Themis went straight to the point. "Amon, do you want to accuse Antonio of falsely claiming to be an oracle? But everyone here can prove that this year's Delphi oracle did contain such content, and Antonio did not lie. "
Amon nodded and said, "I have also heard the contents of the Delphi oracle. I just want to know, why is Antonio so sure that the person mentioned in the oracle is Aesop? If he does not have conclusive evidence, then it is murder! If the person mentioned in the oracle is Aesop, then I would like to ask the god who sent the oracle, why does he think so? "
Antonio replied, "I made such a judgment based on Aesop's behavior. All the messengers of the city offered their gifts to the major temples, and only Aesop brought the gold back to Miduli. I followed this clue to Miduli and happened to find him being scolded by people. I also investigated his previous behavior and found that he was indeed a blasphemer and an offender of the gods. "
Amon retorted: "I have also investigated Aesop's previous behavior, and even know what he has done in his life. He does not believe in the Olympian gods, nor has he taken the initiative to offer sacrifices to the temples of the city, this is a fact. But he did not deny the faith of the people of the city, and although he refused the coercion and temptation of the gods, this is definitely not blasphemy and offense, this is also a fact. "
Antonio asked in return: "Amon, the person mentioned in the Delphi oracle is an emissary of a city, who else do you think it could be other than Aesop? You think this is not blasphemy or offense, but the gods here may not think so. "
At this time, the judge of the court said: "I remind the prosecution and the defense that you are arguing about an issue that the court cannot decide. Who the person mentioned in this year's Delphi oracle is, only the god who issued the oracle himself knows. For a fairer ruling, I suggest that the plaintiff pray to the gods here and ask the oracle to answer. "
Today's court was very lively, and the judge was also a priest here, but as soon as he spoke, Amon recognized that this person was actually Artemis in disguise. Amon turned his head and asked the judge: "How should I pray to the gods?"
The official replied, "Like all the people who come to the shrine to pray for the oracle, you should bow to the statue of the god. Your hands, chest, and forehead should all be on the ground, and you should kiss the bricks of the shrine."
Amon asked the judge again: "Must I do this?"
The judge replied expressionlessly: "This must be done when asking for the oracle, this is the etiquette of Delphi."
Medanzo, who was behind Amon, raised his eyebrows and was about to get angry, but was stopped by Amon in his soul. The Lord of Heaven said: "Well, I will first ask the oracle for an explanation. If the gods cannot answer, then I will still have to ask the court to make a ruling. … Lord Judge, please step aside. "
The judge tactfully stepped aside, and Amon walked to the center of the hall and knelt before the statue of Apollo on the altar in the distance. As soon as his knees touched the ground, there was a crack, and the legs of the statue of Apollo cracked. Amon ignored this shocking change and still bowed to the ground, with his hands, forehead, and chest touching the ground, and kissing the bricks on the ground toward the statue of Apollo.
As Amon bowed, the statue on the altar also fell head-on and broke into pieces on the ground. It looked like the statue was bowing to Amon in return. Such a thing happening in the temple would have caused an uproar in normal times, but at this moment, it only caused a slight commotion, and then calmed down. Most of the priests in the temple were the oracles guided by the gods, and there were also gods among them, who stopped the panic in time.
Wherever Amon went, Apollo must retreat. This was the agreement between the two gods. Since Amon had come to the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, it was impossible for Apollo to issue an oracle. Amon bowed to the statue of Apollo, and although it was unexpected for mortals, the gods should understand what was going on.
Since the Delphi oracle had provoked Amon, Amon did not have to save Apollo's face. After bowing, he stood up, patted his robe, and calmly walked back to his original position, pointed to the statue of the fallen altar, and said: "Lord Inquisitor, it is clear that the deity who issued the Delphi Oracle has refused to answer. I'm afraid this Mr. Antonio will have to answer for himself. No matter what means he uses, he must provide evidence of Aesop's offense and blasphemy. "
Antonio's face was very ugly. He was the oracle guided by Apollo, and at this moment, the statue of Apollo had fallen in the temple. It could be said that the god had thrown him out to face Amon alone. He could only answer: "As the oracle of the city of Medulla, Aesop did not offer all the gold to the major temples, but brought it back."
Amon said: "Everyone knows that Aesop does not believe in the Olympian gods, and this is not a reason to execute him. Aesop came to Delphi because of the oracle of Hermes. Hermes asked him to offer the gold to the temples that were willing and worthy of offering. He stayed in Delphi for ten days and only saw one priest who was worthy of offering. He did not violate the oracle, nor did he violate his own beliefs. "
Antonio shouted: "But he angered all the priests of Delphi!"
Amon nodded with a gloomy face: "Yes, this is the truth, and the crux of the problem. You are the oracle of Delphi, and you deprived him of his life to vent your anger. And I, as the master of Aesop, am here to ask you to repay what I have lost. "
The presiding judge reminded: "Amon, you are just a foreigner, you have no right to change the ruling of the court of Medulla."
Amon replied: "But I have the right to ask for the compensation I deserve. Antonio accused Aesop, but here he could not prove the reason for the accusation, and even the gods refused to answer. It was this Lord Antonio who declared in the court of Medulla, 'In the name of the gods, I deprive Aesop of his life and take away this sinful soul. The oracle has given the guidance, he is the one who blasphemed and offended the gods, and today he is here to receive the punishment he deserves. 'So now, he needs to pay for his words and actions. "
The judge asked: "Amon, what price do you want Antonio to pay? What you ask of him cannot go beyond your own loss. And everyone in the court knows very well that Antonio did not take away Aesop's soul. "
Amon added: "Aesop is my slave, and I released him, this is not only my kindness, but also the repayment he deserves. But Antonio took away his life, and I need him to compensate me in place of Aesop. "
At this time, another priest said: "This is not a problem, we have plenty of slaves here. You lost a slave, we can compensate you with two or even ten, you can choose any slave in the entire Holy Land of Delphi. "
Amon shook his head and said: "Thank you for your generosity, but the value of people in the world is not the same. After a slave like Aesop exerts his abilities, he can build a city-state on the Plains of Duc that has nothing. All the slaves in Delphi are not as good as him in my eyes, I don't need this kind of compensation."
Antonio asked: "Amon, what exactly do you want me to compensate you for?"
Amon: "Ten parangons and a finger. The ten parangons were the price I paid for Aesop from Sio, not what Aesop himself is worth, but I don't want to embarrass or blackmail you. As for that finger, it symbolizes Aesop's talent and creation, and it is also what he owes me. There are accounts to check, so you can't refuse this request. "
Antonio: "Whose finger are you going to cut off?"
Amon: "Your own finger, of course, not someone else who deprived Aesop of his life in the name of the gods, but you."
The judge said: "Amon, why don't you show your kindness? You can make a gentler request that will satisfy everyone. Perhaps you can ask for all the gold that Miduli has offered as compensation for you, and I think this court can agree with such a ruling. "
Amon shook his head and said: "The gold is useless to me, only to the priests of Delphi, so let them keep it. I only want ten parangons and one of Antonio's fingers! "
The judge reminded him again: "This court is well aware of your identity. You should also know that Aesop's life is coming to an end, and whether he will be executed by the Miduli court or not, he will not live until next year. "
Amon shook his head again and said: "This has nothing to do with whether he should be executed or not. Even if he drank the poisoned wine in the last second of his life, Antonio is still a murderer."
The judge: "This is not good for you."
Amon: "This lawsuit itself is not good for me either, I am not here for benefits."
The judge: "Why are you so cold? Isn't it better to accept more compensation than a useless finger? "
Amon asked back: "Was Antonio ever kind to Aesop in the Miduli court? Dear judge, are you willing to be bitten by a venomous snake twice? Have you heard the story of the farmer and the snake? This story was told by Aesop, and I don't mind forgiving those who should not be tolerated. "
The judge reminded him again: "You have no mercy for Antonio now, so how can you expect the gods to be merciful to you in the future?"
Amon replied: "Dear judge, this has nothing to do with you! Antonio has no mercy for Aesop, so how can he expect me to be merciful to him now? He is a scapegoat among the sheep, and he should have thought of this result long ago. Why don't you blame the shepherd? "
The judge suddenly said: "Amon, after crossing the main peak of the mountain where Delphi is located, there is a Pythagorean manor at the foot of another mountain. The owner of that place, Pythagoras, once said that souls can be reincarnated. Although the new life does not know its origin, it has the mark of reincarnation in the depths of its soul. Were you a ferocious wolf in your previous life, and you finally showed your fangs here? "
The judge also sighed: "What a cruel person, is there anything in the world that is harder than your heart? No matter what kind of divine weapon it is, it is not as sharp as your hatred. Could it be that no kind of plea can move you? "
Amon: "The story of the wolf was told by Aesop. In this court, no matter how sweet the words are, they can't move me. Presiding Judge, may I ask if you can make a ruling? I will offer ten parangons to this temple, but I must cut off that finger! "
The judge looked at Antonio and said: "The court will make a verdict, do you have anything to say?"
Antonio replied: "I believe that the court's verdict will be fair, and I ask for the gods' blessing."
There was more than one god standing in this hall. If they all secretly blessed Antonio, it would not be easy for Amon to cut off one of his fingers. The judge said expressionlessly: "I make a verdict that Antonio does not have evidence to prove that Aesop is the person mentioned in the oracle. His complaint against Aesop has caused Mr. Amon's loss, and he should compensate."
Medanzo praised loudly: "Themis! Dear Presiding Judge, you are Themis, the symbol of fairness and justice! "
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