Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 56: The Completion Ceremony of the Temple of Hades (Part 2)

The Greek soldiers on the field seemed to hear the call as well. They immediately donned their helmets, picked up their round shields, fastened their red cloaks, and formed a tight phalanx to resist the enemy's assault…

But the "Persians" were too numerous, swarming in and surrounding the warriors. Cavalry galloped back and forth on the flanks, archers continuously shot arrows high into the air (all with their arrowheads removed), and the infantry let out strange, unrestrained laughter…

The spectators could only see patches of dazzling red and hear the warriors' roars through the gaps in the "Persian" encirclement.

The drumbeats grew faster and louder…

Under the "Persians'" attack, the Greek phalanx was steadily retreating, seemingly about to be pushed to the edge of the square…

The ordinary people were completely captivated by the tense scene on the field. Someone shouted anxiously, "Fight! Greeks!"

It struck a chord with the entire audience.

"Fight!!! Greeks!!!…" The spectators also began to shout loudly.

At that moment, the soaring song rang out again. "Hades" had somehow already stepped to the front of the platform, slowly waving his Bident…

The surrounded Greek soldiers suddenly let out a neat and powerful cry: "Ho! Ho!! Hades!!! Ho!…" More than a dozen war trumpets sounded at the right moment.

The "Persians" began to retreat, then broke apart…

The red phalanx of the Greek mercenaries was fully revealed to the audience. To the rhythmic, powerful drumbeats, they marched forward in perfect unison and strong steps, charging like an iron wall…

The onlookers' blood boiled. Those citizens and honored guests who had never seen Daonian military training or participated in it were also captivated by the strength and beauty displayed by the soldiers on the field, cheering and applauding loudly.

The "Persian general" fell behind and was pulled off his horse by "Davos," who was charging at the front. Davos planted one foot on the "Persian general," raised his spear high, and with an exaggerated yet deeply moving motion, stabbed it through the "enemy's" chest.

"Davos! Davos!! Davos!!!…" The people erupted in thunderous cheers involuntarily.

"Earlier, the Chief Magistrate said he would show us a completely different temple celebration, and he really did!" exclaimed Mariji, standing at the back of the platform, scanning his various Senate colleagues.

"Yes, indeed a very different celebration! Lord Davos is afraid the people might forget his past heroic deeds, and at such a sacred occasion, he doesn't miss the chance to promote himself!" Polyxides said sarcastically.

Kynogoratas and Cornelius exchanged glances but said nothing, though unease stirred within them.

"He really did it! Haven't you noticed? This will become a new kind of drama—not one performed by one or two actors, but a performance by hundreds of people to recreate spectacular historical scenes!" Antistanos was so excited he was gesticulating wildly, almost incoherent. Davos had inspired him.

The beautiful chorus, the musical accompaniment, the near-real combat and performance of hundreds of people… indeed, it greatly shocked the spectators on the sidelines, even the senators of the Senate.

"I really look forward to the next performance!" Mesis exclaimed in genuine admiration, which reminded him of the difficult years in Persia. His words echoed the shared feelings of the former mercenaries.

Only Amyntas curled his lip and muttered quietly, "The combat scene was too fake!"

"Didn't you hear Antistanos? This is a play, not a real battle. Look at the excited people—Davos is using this performance to tell them about our heroic deeds!" Antonios whispered back, criticizing Amyntas.

"The one playing Davos must be Olivus, right? He did a really good job! Laedes as the Persian general was terrible, like a block of wood!…" Epithenis's lively commentary drew the other former mercenary senators into the discussion.

Next, "Hades" led the mercenaries to Magna Graecia. The Lucanians invaded Thurii, and the mercenaries defeated the Lucanian coalition…

Vespa, Hemon, and the other Lucanian leaders watched the square nervously.

Clearly, Davos had considered their feelings. He only briefly touched on the harm the Lucanians had caused the Thurians, instead focusing on the final scene: Amid cheerful, lively songs and drum and music accompaniment, "Hades" made "Davos" lead the Greeks to reconcile with the Lucanians. They wrestled, held ram fights, drank together, embraced joyfully, and finally formed a large circle hand in hand, with "Hades" standing at the center. Everyone sang the Hymn to Hades loudly, swinging arms and kicking legs, constantly expanding and shrinking the circle. The atmosphere was so lively that it drew the people outside the square to join in, and the Hymn to Hades echoed throughout the entire city…

As the lord of the underworld, Hades was rumored to be dark, cruel, and fearsome, and thus was far less popular among Greeks than the major gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Apollo. Canios's feelings toward Hades were the same as other Greeks'. So when he heard that Daonia was making Hades the patron god of the city-state alliance, he was greatly astonished. But now, having initially been distracted, he was captivated by the splendid performance in the square. He actually developed a liking for Hades and couldn't help joining the crowd in singing Hades' praises.

Not only him—those Lucanian chiefs who previously worshipped only the Asinu Mountain God asked others in their awkward, stiff Greek about the meaning of the lyrics, and some even hummed along. Compared to the Daonian populace's wholehearted immersion, the invited honored guests from the South Italy Alliance had mixed feelings, and some even hoped Daonia would make a fool of itself in the celebration—the Crotonians, for instance.

But at this moment, Lysias, the chief general of Croton, also shaken by this unprecedented Greek temple festival, sighed and said, "It seems the faith in Hades will truly take root among these Daonians."

"We Western Mediterranean Greeks revere Hera and Apollo most. Worshipping the dark Hades is something only barbaric outsiders like Daonia would do!" Ascamas said indignantly. His friend Myron had been exiled after losing to Daonia, so he carried a grudge. Moreover, Croton had the most magnificent Temple of Apollo in Magna Graecia, often visited by Greeks from other city-states. Though the performance in the square amazed him, he still complained confidently: "Look, it's almost noon, and it's so hot. When will we get to see the Temple of Hades?!"

"Yes, my legs are numb from standing!" another Crotonian general said jokingly, causing a stir among the guests.

"Clang!!!…" A deep, resonant bell rang out suddenly, startling the people who were lost in the aftermath of the performance.

"Look, the Temple of Hades!" Voices of surprise rose from the crowd.

To the northwest of Victory Square, on the hill behind the Great Council Chamber, the building that had been partially hidden by numerous scaffolds and large pieces of linen in the early morning, while the people were focused on the square performance, had now fully revealed its true appearance: a towering, grand white structure gleaming brilliantly under the scorching sun.

Pleisinas led the way, followed by fifty white-robed maidens. Then came the Senate senators, honored guests from various city-states, the people on the north side of the square, the people on the south side… Under the orderly guidance of the soldiers, the crowd slowly advanced toward the Temple of Hades…

The bronze bell continued to ring at a steady pace, each peal clearer and deeper than the last, calming the people's tense hearts.

The Temple of Hades drew nearer, becoming clearer in the people's eyes: it was a very unique temple. Its height was no different from other temples, but its length was double that of the largest Temple of Apollo in all Magna Graecia, the one in Croton. More importantly, as the site of the city's patron temple, according to tradition, it was also the center of the city-state, requiring a surrounding wall for protection to become the acropolis of Thurii, just like the former Temple of Apollo in Thurii. But on the slope ahead, there was no wall at all. Instead, stone steps had been built from the east, west, south, and north sides, providing easy access straight to the temple.

Antaoris, who had only recently joined the Senate, asked Cornelius, with whom he had been getting along well lately, "Why doesn't this new temple have a wall?"

Cornelius answered seriously, "It was Lord Davos's proposal. He believes that not building a wall allows the people to come freely to the temple to offer sacrifices and pray, thus showing Hades' universal love for the Daonian people!"

Davos was the God-Touched One of Hades and the high priest of the temple. Proposals regarding the Temple of Hades were generally not opposed. Antaoris looked at the temple ahead, still troubled by centuries of tradition: "But if so, Thurii will have no acropolis!"

Cornelius sighed, his expression turning somewhat strange, and said, "Lord Davos insisted on not building an acropolis within Thurii. He once said this—" At this point, the usually mild-mannered magistrate of Amendolara added a touch of firmness to his tone: "'The cities of the Daonia Alliance themselves are the alliance's walls. Thurii itself is the alliance's acropolis. Daonia does not need an extra acropolis!'"

Antaoris was stunned by these words: Using cities as walls?! Treating the entire region as a city?!… A surge of pride welled up within him. The image of that young Chief Magistrate appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help being filled with admiration: What a breadth of vision and spirit! No wonder he could build such a powerful city-state alliance!

The people ascended the steps. About thirty meters from the temple, the citizen soldiers formed a circular cordon. The people stood outside the line, and the entire hill was packed with heads. Except for the white tip at the top, it had almost become a "human mountain."