Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 39: Isocrates's Discovery

The carriage passed through the checkpoint and headed directly north, skirting the eastern side of the harbor market. The rows of shops and the crowded flow of people did not particularly catch the eyes of Isocrates and Lysias. Having already observed the bustle of Thurii's port, they had formed a rough estimate of the market's conditions, but no matter how prosperous it was, how could it compare to the famous Agora of Athens, known throughout the Mediterranean?

It was the direction of the carriage that drew Lysias's attention. "Hey, Thurii is to the west. You're heading north."

"Don't worry," Sperion explained. "If we went straight west, we'd have to pass through an even more crowded and longer stretch of market, and further west there's also the Temple of Hera and, not far from it, the Thurii Arena. (With rugby and football matches growing increasingly popular, the arena inside Thurii was no longer sufficient. Two years ago, the citizens of Thurii collectively funded the construction of a new arena outside the city. Since the inner arena served as the venue for the Daonia Alliance's championship finals, it was named the Daonia Grand Arena, while this outer one is called the Thurii Arena.) Now it's already May, and rugby season is at its fiercest, because the new Thurii champion team is about to be selected to compete in the final championship. So every day, large crowds go to watch, the roads become very congested, and there might even be disturbances. We'd rather take a longer route to reach Thurii than go straight west—it'll be much faster."

"I see." Lysias nodded. He had long heard about the unique ball games popular in Daonia, but after all his hardships and constant preoccupation with making a living, and given his advancing age, he had little interest in what was said to be a very violent sport.

But Isocrates' eyes lit up. "Could you tell us a bit about this Daonia rugby competition?"

Lysias shot a surprised glance at Isocrates, feeling this was not in line with his usual interests. There must be some deeper intention.

His question hit Sperion right where it pleased him. He immediately launched into a detailed account, starting from the origin and rules of rugby all the way to the establishment of the Daonia Rugby Championship Finals.

Isocrates observed the wagon as it turned onto a new road—the Thua Avenue—and then headed west. Apart from being slightly narrower, the road's facilities were not much different from the Harbor Avenue. Meanwhile, he listened to Sperion narrate the history of rugby's development within the Daonia Alliance.

In the short time from when the passenger ship docked at the Thurii wharf to when they left the port, he had already noticed a characteristic of the Daonia people. To put it negatively, it was restraint and dullness; to put it positively, it was a tendency to follow order. The harbor is the most chaotic place in any city-state, and the Thurii port was fairly bustling, yet there was very little shouting, fighting, or brawling, and loud voices or noisy scenes were rare. This would be inconceivable in Athens, where people were always passionate, unrestrained, proud, fond of debate, and eager to boast about their city-state's history.

And hearing from this porter that the entire populace adored such a savage and rough sport made him realize that beneath the seemingly reserved nature of the Daonians, there might lurk a certain ferocity.

"This is our first time in Thurii. Are there any interesting places worth visiting?" he suddenly interjected.

Lysias shot him another glance.

"Worth visiting?" Sperion was taken aback, then laughed. "I tell you, two guests, when you come to Thurii, you shouldn't say you've come to visit or tour—you should say you've come to enjoy yourselves. There's so much for you to do here.

First, you absolutely must go to Christhoya's Restaurant! They serve the best food in all of Greece, even the whole Mediterranean.

Second, the hot spring baths by the Telo River in the western part of the city. Take a good soak and let you Greeks who hate bathing experience the benefits of a bath.

Also, like I said, go to the Thurii Arena to watch rugby and football matches. But whether you can still get tickets this season is hard to say.

You could also visit the Thurii Hospital and get a checkup to uncover any hidden ailments. You know, the doctors in Thurii are extremely skilled—they've been taught by the Lord of the Underworld himself.

Oh, and I almost forgot—you absolutely must go to the Temple of Hades inside the city to pray! That is the only earthly residence of Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, in all of Greece, and it's truly miraculous! Every time I go there to worship and talk with the priests, I come back feeling completely relaxed, as if I've taken a hot spring bath..."

Isocrates and Lysias listened to Sperion's endless introduction of Thurii, occasionally exchanging glances.

Just then, the wagon arrived near the North Gate of Thurii, and a tall white marble arch stood before them.

Lysias recalled some information he had heard about the new city of Thurii and said uncertainly, "The Triumphal Arch?"

"That's right, the Triumphal Arch! The second Triumphal Arch!" Sperion said excitedly. "This one was built only two years ago. The victorious army starts here as they enter Thurii, receiving the cheers and reviews of the Daonian citizens. That is the greatest honor in the life of every citizen who takes part in battle! I participated once—after the conquest of the Bruttii. As part of the temporarily conscripted light infantry (the two thousand freemen), some who performed well were selected to follow the army corps into the city... Oh! All the people of Daonia were cheering for us, beautiful girls tossing flowers at us endlessly, and our esteemed leader gave a stirring speech. I will never forget that scene for the rest of my life!... And it was after that triumph that I met my beautiful wife!..."

Sperion's face wore a look of rapture. After a moment, he sighed. "But these past few years have been too quiet. No wars, and naturally no triumphs held. Ah..."

"From the way you speak, you actually hope for war?" the sharp-eyed Isocrates immediately asked.

"Of course! Without war, we can't fight. Without fighting, I can't shorten my probation period and become a full Daonian citizen as soon as possible, and I can't get a fertile allotment of land," Sperion blurted out without hesitation. Then, seeing their strange expressions, he quickly added, "But we Daonians rarely take the initiative to attack others. It's always others who invade us first, which then brings about our counterattack..."

Isocrates clearly did not believe the porter's words.

"But war causes death. Among the fallen, there might be your friends... or family..." Lysias said in a cautionary tone.

"Of course I know that. The priests of Hades once told us, 'Nothing good is ever easily obtained.' We are not afraid of death, because this is land blessed by the Lord of the Underworld. If I die bravely in battle, my wife and children will receive generous compensation and care from the Alliance, and my soul will return to the Hall of Heroes of Hades to guard our Alliance!..." Sperion's face showed a trace of calm, some determination, and even a hint of longing, but no fear at all.

This gave Isocrates and Lysias a tremendous shock.

"Triumphal Arch, here I come!" Sperion drove the wagon right up to the front of the arch and shouted excitedly, as if he himself were returning victorious.

Isocrates frowned, looking up at the many reliefs on the arch and the statue of the army corps standard at the top. Sperion's voice rang in his ears: "That carving shows Lord Davos leading the army corps to help Tarentum defeat the Messapian-Peucetii Allied Forces... That one depicts the Third Army Corps crushing the Lucanian rebels and recapturing Pyxous (according to Senate propaganda, the people believed Pyxous had once been a Greek city, so it was 'recaptured,' not conquered)... And there is the scene of Lord Davos leading the great army to conquer the Bruttii—that's the one I took part in. There's a funny story about that relief. They say that the Bruttian senators in the Senate once protested the depiction of the Bruttian War on the relief, arguing it was not conducive to unity. But the senators from Lucania retorted, 'We Lucanians have already been carved three times and have said nothing. Why are you Bruttians so anxious?' Ha ha, and just like that, the Bruttians' protest faded away..."

Listening to Sperion's laughter and looking at the Triumphal Arch, Isocrates could not manage a smile at all.

...

"Lysias, since you received your brother's letter and rushed to Athens, it's been nearly twenty years since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" Kynogoratas looked at the Lysias before him, aged almost beyond recognition, and said with emotion.

"Yes, that year my father died, and I returned to Athens for the funeral. Then my brother's business ran into trouble, and I had to stay and help him. After that... Athens suffered successive disastrous defeats in the war against Sparta, the Thirty Tyrants came to power, my brother was persecuted, and his property was seized... So many things happened in those years that I couldn't even return for our teacher's funeral..." Lysias's seemingly calm face could not hide the regret and confusion in his low voice, along with a trace of weariness.

"We know what happened to you. At that time, Thurii was also facing difficulties and couldn't offer you help. But our teacher kept calling your name before he died—after all, you were his most outstanding disciple!" Kynogoratas said, and seeing tears glistening in Lysias's eyes, he changed the subject and joked, "So you've made a fortune in Athens recently? Sending four or five of these expensive Athenian black-figure amphorae?"

"I have no talent for business, and I certainly can't become rich. That's why my father left the weapons workshop to my brother to manage," Lysias said with a wry smile.