Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 107: Thurii Celebrates

In the marketplace, Cheiristoya's restaurant was still packed every day. Preparatory citizens and freemen of Daonia, along with merchants and sailors from all over, gathered here to savor delicacies, drink fine wine, and discuss current events—and of course, to trade gossip. For instance, there were rumors about Davos's mother dreaming of sleeping with Hades and conceiving him, or the endlessly debated topic of whether Patrol Captain Olivus of Thurii and his Persian wife preferred Greek positions or Persian positions when making love... and so on.

But the most discussed topic these days was undoubtedly the Bruttian War. The preparatory citizens and freemen, having all undergone military training and witnessed the might of the Daonia Army Corps soldiers, firmly believed Daonia would win. Many foreign sailors and merchants, however, questioned the lack of progress after more than ten days of fighting. In the end, these discussions often turned into arguments or brawls, making the restaurant one of the most frequented spots for the market patrols.

Dickpolis and Theos sat in a corner, eating lamb hotpot and drinking beer, listening to the loud debates at the next table about the ongoing war.

Dickpolis sighed. "There's one bad thing about the Daonia Alliance—too many wars. This is already the third war this year, and my business has been affected."

Theos tried to console him. "Where in the world isn't there war these days? Even in Corinth, with tensions with Sparta growing deeper, the people are all worried about when a war will break out with Sparta. Daonia is not bad—at least so far it hasn't lost a single battle, and it's always the one attacking other city-states..." Theos's face showed envy.

"You're running a weapons workshop now, buying and selling arms—of course you want as many wars as possible! I heard the Daonia magistrate visited your workshop not long ago." Dickpolis returned the envy.

"That's right." Theos felt quite proud. He leaned in and whispered, "You're my good friend, so I don't mind telling you: Daonia is improving its weapons and equipment. Their citizen soldiers are numerous, but their own weapon workshops produce too little. Even if they worked for five years, they couldn't equip every soldier with new weapons and armor. My weapon workshop is the only large one in Daonia, so of course it caught the eye of that war-loving magistrate!"

"That must be... tens of thousands of sets of weapons and armor! You're going to make a fortune!" Dickpolis said with deep envy.

"It doesn't earn much," Theos shook his head. "Don't underestimate Magistrate Davos just because he's young—he's sharp. He proposed exchanging old weapons and armor for new ones, paying only a little for the labor."

"Old weapons? You mean rusty ones?"

"No. Daonia's citizen soldiers no longer use the traditional Greek Corinthian helmets, bronze shields, and greaves. Instead, they've designed a leather helmet lined with iron plates and with a jaw guard; the shield is oxhide over wood, half a man's height and curved—making it tricky to craft. I don't know why they designed it that way..." Theos voiced his confusion and complaints.

"Magistrate Davos is a famous general in Magna Graecia; he has his reasons for such designs. Just do as he says, and don't overthink it. Besides, from what you're saying, you can resell the traditional Greek weapons and armor to other city-states. That's still profit," Dickpolis reminded him.

"But you haven't factored in transport costs, taxes for trading in other city-states, and the time spent..." Theos took a sip of beer, his face showing puzzlement. "Actually, I don't care too much about all that—I've made a bit of money and built a good relationship with the magistrate, which is a rare opportunity! But before Davos left the workshop, he said something that's been keeping me up at night..."

"What did he say?" Dickpolis asked curiously.

"He said, 'It's a shame you're not a Daonia citizen, or we could have further cooperation.'"

Dickpolis was stunned for a moment, mulling over the words, then his eyes lit up. "He means for you to become a Daonia citizen."

"That's what I think too," Theos sighed. "But according to Daonia's laws, becoming a Daonia citizen means I'd no longer be a Corinthian citizen, and the waiting period to become a full Daonia citizen is too long."

"What's so good about being a Corinthian citizen? Does it get you land?"

"I have no land in Corinth."

"From what you just said, Corinth might go to war with Sparta. Can Corinth defeat Sparta?"

"No."

"Then rather than have your family destroyed and your home lost, it's better to prepare now. You're not too old; waiting a few years in Daonia isn't a big deal. And becoming a Daonia citizen means you can own land and take your business further—such good fortune is a blessing from the goddess of luck. What are you hesitating for?"

Dickpolis's words woke Theos from his daze. After a moment of thought, he made up his mind. "My dear friend, thank you for the reminder! You're right—I should decide now!"

Dickpolis smiled. "Honestly, I've also been thinking about becoming a Daonia citizen. The longer I live in Daonia, the less I want to go back to cramped, barren, boring Crete. Here, I can watch exciting rugby and football matches, enjoy delicious food, get treated by skilled doctors when I'm sick... and go hunting in the mountains or fishing at Lake Sennise in my spare time. The political situation is stable—Daonia is a vibrant alliance of city-states, already powerful and growing stronger. No other city-state dares attack it; it's the one that bullies others!"

After hearing Dickpolis's heartfelt words, Theos raised his cup and said, "How about we both go to the Registrar in Thurii and register?"

Dickpolis was startled, then burst out laughing. "Alright, let's go together!"

They both drained their cups, washing away their inner burdens, and chatted and laughed with even lighter hearts.

Meanwhile, the guests at the next table got into an argument. Dickpolis listened carefully—it was about the Isthmian Games. He joked, "Theos, you'd better be careful. Don't mention you're from Corinth here."

Speaking of that, Theos cursed in frustration. "Those idiots in the Corinthian Council! Most of them probably heard the name Daonia for the first time, so they look down on this rising city-state alliance. But they have no idea that this new alliance is several times stronger than Corinth. Offending it does Corinth no good!"

Dickpolis agreed. "Not just Corinth—citizens of many city-states in mainland Greece look down on the western Mediterranean city-states, treating them as colonies and people from the backwoods. Actually, they have no idea that besides Syracuse, Daonia's strength matches even Sparta and Athens. Tarentum and Croton—these Magna Graecia city-states are among the largest even by mainland Greek standards."

"Yes, provoking a Daonia that's still growing stronger might cause Corinth trouble in the future..." Theos said worriedly.

"Why fret about that? You've already decided to become a Daonia citizen."

"But I still have many relatives and friends in Corinth!"

As they spoke, a huge roar of cheers erupted from the market, deafening.

The people in the restaurant didn't know what was happening and were asking each other curiously. A patrolman walked in and announced excitedly, "Rejoice, people of Daonia! Our brave soldiers, under the leadership of our great magistrate Davos, have captured the Bruttian city of Besidia!"

"Excellent! We've won again!"

"Besidia is that small town right next to Thurii, south of the Crati River! No Greek has ever been there before—I heard the terrain was very treacherous, and we actually took it?! And it's only been a few days since the war started!"

"March on, brave soldiers! Keep advancing, and take Cosentia soon!"

...

The restaurant erupted in cheers.

Just then, the restaurant's waiter came out and announced, "To celebrate this victory, my master has decided that all food and drinks for everyone here today are free!"

"Hail! Generous Lady Magistrate, beautiful Cheiristoya!" cried the guests, waving their arms and shouting with joy.

"That's wonderful! Give me a drink too!" the patrolman said happily.

"Wine or beer?" the waiter asked.

"Look at me all sweaty—beer to quench my thirst." When a full cup of beer was handed to him, the patrolman raised it high and shouted, "Everyone, a toast to our all-powerful Magistrate Davos! And to our brave citizen soldiers who fought!"

Everyone in the restaurant, including Dickpolis and Theos, raised their cups. The guests at the next table came over specially to clink glasses with them and said, "Congratulations on joining the ranks of Daonia citizens! It's undoubtedly the right decision!"

Dickpolis looked at him in surprise. "You heard all that?"

The man winked. "Otherwise, why do you think I was cursing the Corinthians?"

Theos smiled with relief. "We made our decision, and then came such good news. It's the work of fate!"

"Exactly," Dickpolis nodded in agreement.

"Cheers!" Several wooden cups clinked together, spilling wine.