Volume 4: The League of Dionia, Chapter 15: An Unexpected Visitor from the West

The prosperity of the harbor had the senators of the Senate extremely busy.

Kynogoratas, the City Administrator of Thurii, spent his days dealing with all sorts of disputes and lawsuits, while also selecting patrol members and firefighters to maintain order in the booming harbor district, prevent fires, and attend to the new management issues caused by the increasing number of preparatory citizens within Thurii itself.

Cornelius, the City Administrator of Amendolara, faced similar problems due to the influx of outsiders into the warehouse-residential area at the foot of the city and the newly built market.

Antonios, the ephor, kept a close watch on changes in the moral climate of the two cities' populations—whether the people interacted amicably, whether there was abuse of the elderly, women, or children, and whether freedmen or slaves were mistreated.

Philistos, the Military Affairs Officer, was troubled by how to rationally incorporate the vast number of preparatory citizens into the army and train them into qualified soldiers in the shortest possible time.

Raphias, the Registrar, was as busy as one could imagine; he had repeatedly petitioned the Senate to increase the number of scribes and archivists.

Mesis, the Treasurer, was busy collecting land taxes from citizens on one hand and commercial taxes on the other. Though he had slimmed down a bit, the fat man grew happier the busier he became.

Mariji, the commercial officer, faced great pressure. He had to ensure quality services in the market and harbor while maintaining order in these two most crowded areas, especially in the harbor district thronged with foreigners. At the same time, he had to consider the sustainable development of Thua Alliance trade. As the reconstruction of Thurii gradually neared completion, the citizens' demand for certain goods would naturally decline significantly. How to prevent a sharp drop in foreign trade? He was constantly thinking of ways. Davos's advice to him was: before the Thua Alliance developed new, unique, high-quality goods, they could attract wealthy foreigners to spend in the city through novel athletic competitions and entertainment…

Bourkos, the overseer of agriculture, though formerly a merchant, was also a large landowner who grew grapes, olives, and wheat, so he was equally familiar with farming. He was responsible not only for measuring land, distributing it, leasing it, and resolving disputes between neighboring landowners, but also for providing good advice to the people based on the actual conditions of the farmland so they could achieve higher yields and profits.

Alexis, the Overseer of Construction, was undoubtedly one of the busiest senior officials. Although the reconstruction of Thurii was under the overall responsibility of the Reconstruction Committee, with Heracleides in charge, the actual implementation was his job. He had to not only purchase various building materials in a timely manner but also organize manpower and maintain order. At the same time, he oversaw the road and bridge construction managed by Little Heracleides, and the construction of the new market at the foot of Amendolara also fell under his jurisdiction. Hence, he worked from dawn to dusk every day, exhausted like a dog. Whenever he saw Davos, he would yell about resigning, yet the next morning he would throw himself back into his busy work with renewed energy.

Apart from the senators serving in public office who were run ragged, the other senators were not idle either. At Davos's initiative, they formed several committees to assist in alliance governance.

The important ones included the Alliance Mediation Committee, composed of three members. When a major dispute arose within the city that the law could not immediately resolve, it was handed over to them to mediate and settle.

The Official Investigation Committee, consisting of five members, was responsible for monitoring the performance of mid- and low-level public officials and establishing files for reference in future promotions. At the same time, if citizens reported any misconduct by officials, they needed to investigate whether it was true and respond accordingly.

There was also the Coinage Committee, composed of three members. Most Greek city-states minted their own coins—first, to facilitate trade and earn profits; second, to commemorate major events and honor the gods; and third, to proclaim their existence to other city-states. The Thua Alliance was no exception; they were just waiting for the reconstruction of Thurii to be completed before issuing their first batch of coins…

In addition, there were some temporary committees, such as the Temple Construction Committee, headed by Pleisinas. The senators serving on these committees had terms similar to those of public officials—most lasted two years, rotating upon expiration.

Although October was not the election day for the Thua Alliance, it was a good time for various departments to widely recruit public officials after the promulgation of the *Alliance Public Office Law*. Applicants flocked in droves. While testing the candidates, the responsible officials also screened those who passed based on their citizenship status: those who had served in multiple military campaigns, paid taxes on time, abided by the law, and had performed meritorious service in battle or been honorably wounded were given priority. The first two conditions were mandatory. Those who did not serve in the army or pay taxes were ineligible for public office. For disabled citizens, it was also considered whether the disability would affect their work.

Just as the senators of the Senate were spinning in chaos and the citizens were bustling with excitement over assuming public office, Davos received a special guest at his residence in Thurii.

This was a robust middle-aged man. Although dressed in Greek attire, he could not conceal his rugged mountain savagery. Indeed, under the watchful eyes of the guards, he spoke in a strange Greek accent: "Respected Magistrate of the Thua Alliance, Avinogis of Laüs sends his greetings through me. I am his brother, Achradamas."

Davos's heart gave a jolt, but his expression remained unchanged as he slowly said: "Laüs? The Laüs of Lucania?"

"Yes." Achradamas stared intently at Davos and said bluntly: "Although Laüs now belongs to Lucania, my brother and I are both Greeks!"

Davos knew this very well, but he still kept his expression steady and turned to glance at Asiastes beside him.

Asiastes understood immediately and stepped forward to ask: "As far as we know, Avinogis is an important leader of Laüs. Before the war between Lucania and Thurii, he strongly supported the Lucanian League in going to war against Thurii and is one of the main enemies of our Thua Alliance. Whether he is a Greek or not is unimportant!"

Achradamas hadn't expected the other party to know so much about him; playing the kinship card was useless. He grew a little flustered: "We truly are Greeks! Laüs was a colony founded by Sybaris. A hundred years ago, when the Lucanians moved south, Sybaris had already been destroyed by Croton, and no city-state sent troops to rescue Laüs. We Laüsians had no choice. To preserve our people, we could only submit to Lucania. But we have never forgotten that the blood of noble Greeks flows in our veins. At home, we speak Greek, worship the great Apollo and Hera, and long for the day we can return to Greece! Precisely because of this, the Lucanians are wary of us, suppressing us, humiliating us, treating us as aliens. To avoid suspicion and destruction, we have had to act against our own wishes at times!"

Achradamas spoke passionately, his gaze fixed on Davos with respect: "Ever since we heard that you, Magistrate, defeated the Lucanian tribal coalition with a smaller force, my brother and I have been greatly inspired! Not long after, you once again led your army to defeat the powerful Croton and became the master of Amendolara and Thurii, thus bordering Lucania's territory! My brother admires your great military achievements and sincerely hopes to receive your help, so that we, the suffering descendants of Sybaris and the city of Laüs, can return to the embrace of Greece!"

Davos was not moved by Achradamas's praise. He nodded calmly and said: "What help do you need from the Thua Alliance?"

"My brother hopes to form an alliance with the Thua Alliance and, after retaking Laüs, fight together against the Lucanians!" Achradamas said excitedly.

Just as I thought! Davos said to himself, his expression still calm: "What kind of alliance?"

"The same kind as the one the Thua Alliance signed with Castron—" Achradamas recalled the words Avinogis had taught him: "Form an alliance. The Thua Alliance will not interfere in the ally's internal affairs, but will control… diplomacy and the leadership of… war…"

Clearly, Avinogis had conducted a detailed investigation of the Thua Alliance and came prepared. This showed how much they valued this visit! Having grasped the situation, Davos still appeared indifferent and said: "I understand. Go back to your inn and rest. I can only give you an answer after I discuss it with the senators of the Senate."

"I hope you, Magistrate, can give me an answer as soon as possible!" Achradamas said urgently.

"Why?" Davos pretended not to understand.

Achradamas was momentarily speechless.

Asiastes laughed beside him: "Is it because Nerulum has already elected a new leader and is pressing Avinogis to move all his people to Nerulum?"

Achradamas was dumbfounded: Did the Thua Alliance know everything!

"Alright, I will give you an answer as soon as possible." Only then did Davos say firmly.

After Achradamas left uneasily, Davos asked: "Asiastes, what do you think of the Laüsians' request?"

"Sir, as we analyzed earlier, Avinogis is forced to rebel. Given his current situation, he would agree to any further demands we make. Offering him an alliance similar to Castron's is far too generous!" Asiastes said reluctantly.

Davos shook his head and said: "Although after Avinogis rebels against Lucania, he can only rely on us, if our demands are too harsh, he will harbor resentment. If something unexpected happens, he might rebel again! West of the mountains, we have no foothold; we must rely on Laüs for full support. Moreover, once Laüs joins our alliance, we will have a port on the west coast of the Apennine Peninsula, greatly boosting our alliance's trade! Therefore, we must take a long-term view and not haggle over petty gains!"

Davos's words made Asiastes feel ashamed, and he nodded repeatedly. Then he heard Davos continue: "Of course, I am not making no demands. My demand is—Nerulum!"