Volume 4: The League of Dionia, Chapter 48: The Dionia Four Cities Football Tournament (Part 2)

The drumming ceased, followed by the long, deep, powerful sound of ox horns.

The Blue Team players also began to dance passionately in a loose formation, their movements strange and wild. In their excitement, they let out “Ah! Ah!” screams, full of a primitive wildness that made one’s blood race...

When the horn call stopped, the two teams lined up and earnestly saluted the surrounding spectators. The cheers in the arena rang out endlessly...

Theos was completely captivated by this novel, unprecedented opening ceremony, so much so that he barely heard Dickopolis’s voice.

“Theos, which team do you want to win?”

“The Blue Team!” Theos answered without hesitation. The Blue Team’s fiercely wild war dance had caught his eye.

“You actually want the Lucanians to win!” Dickopolis was a bit surprised.

“The Blue Team is Nerulum’s team?!” Theos suddenly understood; no wonder their dance moves were so different.

“The match information is posted at the arena entrance. Didn’t you see it?” Dickopolis emphasized. “I’m supporting Amendolara! Many of its citizens come from Crete, including those few friends of mine (referring to the soldiers of the Seventh Battalion, First Corps).”

At that moment, the players from both sides turned and faced the VIP seats. Amid the deafening noise, Theos saw a man stand up from the VIP section.

“That is the one and only lifelong magistrate of the Daonia Alliance, Davos!” Dickopolis’s tone held both reverence and a hint of envy.

Theos felt the same. He had a strong urge to see this legendary God-Touched One in person.

Davos swung his right hand downward.

Sharp, rapid bronze trumpets sounded repeatedly. The match began.

…

“Lord Davos, there are even more people watching this afternoon’s matches than this morning. According to the guards at the entrance counting arrivals, quite a few are merchants from other states,” Mariji reported excitedly. “It seems your plan to attract wealthy men from neighboring city-states to spend money in Thurii through exciting athletic competitions is entirely feasible!”

Mesis was equally excited: “I just took a walk outside the arena. Beer, fruit drinks, and dried nuts are almost sold out. Even sun hats and linen seat cushions have sold quite a bit!”

“It’s mainly because the rugby match is so captivating!” Kynogoratas, as the chief magistrate of Thurii and one of the organizers of this exhibition match, had followed Davos’s instructions and participated in every aspect of planning—organization, publicity, security, and the games themselves. Seeing the planned rugby match develop into the roaring success it was now, he was filled with pleasant surprise. “Lord Davos, I think rugby matches could be held regularly in the future, and we could charge admission, just like for plays.”

“Would the ticket revenue go to the public treasury?” Mesis asked eagerly.

“Of course, it goes to the treasury. But we must pay the players wages and compensation for injuries, to encourage more citizens to participate enthusiastically in this sport. The remaining funds should be used to build more arenas—in Amendolara, in Nerulum... Kynogoratas, Cornelius, Mariji, Alexis, Mesis—you five shall form the Rugby Competition Committee. Discuss how to further promote rugby, attract more foreigners to come watch, draw up more detailed and comprehensive plans, and speed up implementation. Once this sport becomes popular in Magna Graecia, we can even host the Magna Graecia Rugby Tournament and invite city-states across the region to send teams!...”

Davos’s words inspired Kynogoratas and the others. In this era, there were four major athletic festivals of great influence in the Greek world: the Olympic Games hosted by Elis in the Peloponnese, the oldest and most sacred, dedicated mainly to Zeus, whose Temple of Zeus at Olympia was a holy site for all Greeks (one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world); the Isthmian Games hosted by Corinth, dedicated to Poseidon; the Pythian Games centered around the famed Delphic Oracle in Boeotia, celebrating Apollo; and the Nemean Games, organized by the Argives who claimed the noblest royal bloodline from the archaic age, likewise in honor of Zeus. In addition, the Panathenaic Games hosted by Athens, dedicated to Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, had enormous influence, featuring not only athletic contests but also competitions in music, poetry, and drama. Whenever these festivals were held, celebrities from all over Greece gathered, all eyes focused on the host city, bringing it great fame. If rugby developed well and large-scale pan-Magna Graecia rugby tournaments were held in honor of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, it would not only expand the influence of the Daonia Alliance but also allow Kynogoratas and the others to leave their names in history, blessed by the gods.

Seeing that the men were dazed, breathing rapidly, Davos vaguely guessed what they were thinking, and his own mind wandered. In his previous life’s history, Roman gladiatorial contests were famous throughout the Mediterranean. His Daonia Alliance didn’t need such bloody, cruel, inhumane, and barbaric spectacles; they could still entertain the masses and inspire the martial spirit of the citizens—and do it better! Besides rugby, they could hold basketball in the future... Basketball might not work; the ball requirements were too high. Could the current craftsmanship achieve it?... Soccer was perhaps possible. He’d have the leatherworker Toricas try to make one when he got back...

“Score! A try! Teginos is amazing!” Amyntas and Matonis, who were intently watching the game, shouted excitedly. They clinked cups in celebration.

“Get me another jug of beer,” Amyntas ordered his slave attendant.

“Master, the beer outside is sold out. There’s none left.”

“None?!” Amyntas immediately turned around and called out discontentedly, “Lord Davos, your beer is good, no doubt, but the production is too small!”

Davos smiled wryly. He’d have to expand the brewery again. That thought reminded him of something else.

“Everyone!” he said loudly. “You should all know by now that my wife recently purchased the Hot Spring Swamp land north of Thurii.”

Bourkos was the first to nod. As the Agricultural Affairs Officer, he had personally handled the land sale procedures. At the time, he had advised Cheiristoya: that place was swarming with mosquitoes, had only a few hot springs, could not be farmed or built on, and was a waste of money to buy.

“I plan to build a large thermal bathhouse there, to attract merchants from Magna Graecia and citizens of Daonia to bathe and relax. But draining and filling the swamp, storing the hot spring water, diverting the Tino River, and constructing the pools... it requires a considerable investment. Are any of you willing to partner with me in investing in this thermal bathhouse?” Davos sincerely invited the senators.

Bathing?! The Greeks of this era did not share the ancient Romans’ fond habit of bathing. They lived simply and did not bathe often. If they were too dirty, they would smear olive oil all over, scrape it off with a special tool, and rinse with water. So many senators were hesitant about this novelty.

Mariji, who had experienced the luxurious life of Persia, shouted first: “Me! I want to invest!” Mariji often discussed trade development of the alliance with Davos and knew full well the young magistrate’s business acumen. Not to mention Cheiristoya’s bank, the tavern, and the brewery—all thriving with Davos’s significant contributions.

“Me too! And me!” Mesis was also familiar with Davos’s business skills.

“I’ll put in some money as well,” Kynogoratas and Cornelius said in turn. As the two chief magistrates who often discussed state management with Davos, they naturally had some understanding of his abilities.

“We’ll join too,” said Heilos, Matonis, Amyntas, Antonios, Alexis, and other former mercenary leaders, trusting him blindly.

Besides Bourkos, Antistanos, and a few other Thurii senators who were willing to invest a small amount to show support, others like Polyxides, Eanilus, and other Thurii senators explicitly stated they did not think the thermal bathhouse would be profitable.

Scombrus, Strombopoli, and other Amendolara senators, who also didn’t believe in the bathhouse’s profitability, instead sided with Davos, whom they regarded as an Amendolaran, precisely because the Thurians disapproved.

Vespa didn’t understand any of this, but he knew that as the absolute minority in the Senate, he had no choice but to follow Davos closely.

What started as Davos simply raising funds from the senators for business purposes while binding their interests together to promote harmony in the Senate, turned into a display of each senator’s attitude toward him.

Theos fixed his eyes on the field. The match was indeed spectacular, beyond his imagination.

He had initially thought this ball game might be similar to a Spartan stone-throwing game, but now he saw they were utterly incomparable.

Dickopolis supported the Amendolara team, yet Theos, for some reason, wished from the bottom of his heart that Nerulum would win. But the score was now 3–0, with Nerulum trailing.

Theos grew anxious, silently cheering for Nerulum.

Now it was Nerulum’s Blue Team on offense. The Amendolara Red Team clearly cooperated better and knew how to use tactics. They cut off the passing lanes of the Blue Team’s ball carrier and forced him toward the sideline. Two Red Team players charged straight at him. The Blue Team ball carrier had no room to dodge, so he struggled to pass the ball backward between his legs before being tackled. The Blue Team quarterback reacted quickly, rushed forward, and caught the ball. Two more Red Team players immediately closed in on him...

Just as Theos cried out “No good!”, the Blue Team quarterback took a quick step, using his powerful body to shove aside the Red Team player who had rushed forward and hadn’t yet stabilized his footing, then hurled the rugby ball forward with all his might.