Volume 3: The First Croton War, Chapter 23: The Architect Heracleides

When Asiastes found Izam, both Izam and his wife were covered in dust. Of course, Izam knew Asiastes—he was well aware that he served as a sort of secretary to the "Wondrous Magistrate" Davos, often relaying Davos's orders to the ranks. Many men were familiar with him, so the moment Asiastes called out from the field ridge, Izam dropped his tools and ran over.

Asiastes couldn't help but chuckle at this eccentric Dukeyan. "Tell me, Izam, why are you working the fields so hard? And dragging your wife into it too?!"

"In two days, the city-state's first military training session begins. I hear it's going to be extremely strict, and after the training, the Magistrate is going to teach everyone a fun game! I need to finish my farm work quickly so I can devote myself fully to the training." Izam wiped his sweat with his damp tunic as he spoke.

Half in jest, half seriously, Asiastes said, "Not bad, you're already looking quite the seasoned farmer—more Greek than us Greeks!"

Izam chuckled, taking Asiastes's words as praise. "Working the land is easy enough, but fetching water is a real hassle. I have to waste one of my slaves just to haul water!" he complained.

"I heard that Lord Davos has told Alexis to gather the carpenters to discuss building something called a 'water wheel.' Once it's finished and placed by the river, it will let water from the Sinni River flow directly into fields like yours, which are on higher ground." Asiastes lowered his voice slightly, showing off a bit.

"Oh, something so miraculous! What does this 'water wheel' look like?!" Izam asked curiously.

"From what Lord Davos said, it's roughly like a wheel. For specifics, you can ask Lord Davos himself." Asiastes shrugged, indicating he wasn't entirely sure either.

"How dare I go bother the Magistrate!" Izam said with awe. When he first served as a guide for the mercenaries, he often saw Davos. Back then, he was curious about a man so young who could become a mercenary leader. But as Davos led the mercenaries to victory after victory, his stature in Izam's mind grew. Coupled with the constant rumors in the army about him being a "God-Touched One," some even saying "Davos is Hades's blood left on earth," the more superstitious and god-fearing Dukeyan Izam came to regard the young leader with reverence. When they were in Byzantium and Davos called for the mercenaries to follow him to Magna Graecia, even though it meant being thousands of miles from home, Izam did not hesitate to join. He firmly believed that following the "Son of God" would never lead to loss.

"Now you have your chance. Lord Davos wants to see you." Asiastes smiled.

"Really?!" Izam asked in surprise and delight.

"Of course it's true! Do you think I'd dare joke about Lord Davos's name?" No sooner had Asiastes finished than Izam let out a cheer. Without wiping his face or brushing off the dust, he shouted something in the Lucanian language to his wife and then sprinted toward the city of Amendolara.

...

"Izam, we meet again! I heard the Senate also allocated you a house and farmland, and you've even married a wife. How are things going? Are you getting used to it? Do you ever cry from missing home?"

Upon meeting, Davos greeted Izam with warm concern, which helped ease the anxious man's nerves. Excitedly, Izam recounted his experiences over the past period. Davos listened carefully, then finally said, "You see, Greeks, Dukeyans, and Lucanians can live together in harmony, like one big family, right?"

"Yes, Magistrate!" Izam, emboldened, added, "From what I know, quite a few of my comrades who married Lucanian women say they found good wives. Even though the women don't speak much Greek yet, and don't know how to weave cloth, make bread, or direct slaves... they are all working hard to learn, and they even take the initiative to help their husbands with heavy labor. And the way they express affection is very passionate—at night they dare to try all sorts of things with their husbands..."

Izam's words grew a bit crude toward the end, but Davos burst out laughing. "Right, our Greek women are too traditional and conservative. The two sides should really learn from and exchange with each other!"

Seeing Davos so easygoing, Izam grew bolder and continued, "It's just... these Lucanian women miss their relatives very much and hope they can be freed soon."

Davos's cheerful expression didn't change. In fact, he was quite pleased to see this situation emerging. "Don't worry, the city-state hasn't mistreated their relatives. On the contrary, they are well taken care of. As long as they abide by the agreement and reach the deadline we set, they will gain their freedom. And if they behave well, the deadline may even be shortened. You can go back and tell your wife, and have her pass it on to the other Lucanian women: soon the city-state will arrange for them to meet their relatives!"

"I will, Magistrate." Izam nodded.

"The reason I called you here today is to ask if you are willing to take on a mission." Davos finally got to the point. He fixed his gaze on Izam and said in a deep voice, "We need to understand the situation in Lucania, but right now we know nothing about what's happening there. I need someone to go in and gather information. Asiastes recommended you."

"I'm willing to go!" Izam answered without hesitation.

Davos hadn't expected such a quick agreement and reminded him, "This is a highly dangerous task, even life-threatening. Don't you want to think it over?"

"I'm sure!" Izam yearned for the excitement of the outside world, but the strict rules in the army often made him feel restless. He loved the feeling of running freely through the mountains and forests, the thrill of silently approaching prey. Now a good opportunity was right in front of him. "However, Magistrate, please give me some time to prepare."

"No rush. You can prepare carefully. Once you return successfully from Lucania, I will establish a mountain scout squad, and you will be its captain. Also, after you leave, I will have Cheiristoya keep an eye on your household and solve any problems that arise."

Davos's promises and consideration filled Izam with both gratitude and excitement. He declared loudly, "Magistrate, rest assured! I will successfully gather intelligence on Lucania and return safely! Please save the scout squad captain position for me!"

"Good!" Davos appreciated confident subordinates. Establishing a scout squad had been on his mind these past few days. After all, the Apennine Peninsula was mostly mountainous, which greatly limited the use of scout cavalry. A mountain scout squad that could easily traverse hills and lie in observation would be a great help to the Amendolara army.

Bacule was leading his people in building warehouses and inns for Amendolara. They were divided into several groups: one group felling trees, one polishing stone, and one tamping the foundations.

A dozen or so city-state craftsmen were on site—some instructing Lucanian slaves on laying foundations, others taking measurements.

Alexis and Heracleides were supervising the progress while examining the plans.

Heracleides had once been an apprentice of Hippodamus, the famous Greek engineering master. In his youth, he had followed his teacher in the design and construction of the city of Thurii. His greatest regret was not remaining in Thurii back then, for he would have become one of its original citizens. But he returned to Athens with his teacher. Later, during the construction of the Parthenon, Pericles's political opponents accused his mistress Aspasia of taking bribes. Hippodamus was inexplicably implicated, his teacher imprisoned, and Heracleides himself was exiled from Athens. Disheartened, he returned to his hometown. Then the Peloponnesian War broke out, his hometown fell into chaos, and life became hard...

Twenty years later, he fled his homeland—now occupied by Sparta—with his wife and children, arriving in the relatively peaceful Magna Graecia after the turmoil of mainland Greece, specifically at Thurii, the city he had once helped build. But by then, Thurii was no longer the city that had welcomed immigrants and talents during its founding. The city council refused to accept him as a citizen. Penniless, Heracleides settled in the harbor district, and there he remained for over twenty years. During those decades, he supported his family by building houses and repairing city walls for others, gradually earning some reputation and saving a bit of money. Yet he was still only a freeman living under someone else's roof, dwelling in a cramped, damp shack, with no land or status. Now old, his wife having died of illness a few years earlier, he had few demands left in life. His only regret was for his son, Little Heracleides, who was still young and had fully inherited his skills—he deserved a brighter future...

Just as he was fretting day and night over his child's future, a stranger walked into the simple wooden shack he shared with others. It hadn't been many days, so the memory of their conversation was still fresh.

"Who is Heracleides?"

"That would be me. And you are?"

"I heard you were once an apprentice of Hippodamus and helped build the city of Thurii?"

"Yes, that's true. I never lie."

"Then would you be willing to accept a commission from Amendolara to oversee some construction projects? The pay is fifty silver drachmas a month."

"What kind of projects?"

"I'm not sure about the details. Once you get there, Alexis, the overseer of Amendolara, will inform you. He also told me to say, 'If you do well and truly have architectural talent, he will recommend you to Magistrate Davos and make you a citizen of Amendolara.'"

Immediately, he heard the envious murmurs of those behind him.

Note: Hippodamus of Miletus, a close friend of Pericles, was the most famous architectural planner of ancient Greece. The Piraeus port, the commercial heart of Athens, was his work.