Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 49: The Eve of the Celebration

“Henipolis is still young! He has just taken power and is a little carried away, not understanding the actual situation in Laüs, always wanting to do things his own way…” Antistanos spoke in a gentle tone, defending his student.

“Daonia needs a stable Laüs. No matter what Heni thinks, his first priority now should be to stabilize order in Laüs and slowly build his own prestige. Lord Antistanos, when you go, tell him not to be too hasty in governing Laüs. With Daonia’s support, his wishes will surely be fulfilled in the future!” After venting his anger, Davos’s mood improved slightly, and he made a solemn promise. “Also, you must admonish him to listen more to the opinions of the ministers who served under his father, to show them more respect—especially his uncle Achradamas. He should consult with him frequently…”

“I understand, Lord Davos. I will do my best to persuade Heni.” Antistanos replied earnestly.

“By the way, how is the progress on the Hymn to Hades that Lysias is composing for the festival? The celebration begins in two days.” Davos asked with concern.

“It’s almost finished. Although he complained about some of the restrictions you imposed, saying they limited his creativity, this is still a great honor after all. It will be recited before tens of thousands of Daonian citizens—he’s more than happy for the chance.” Antistanos said teasingly.

Davos smiled as well. “I certainly hope that through this new hymn, he will prove to me and the Senate that my special application for him to become a full Daonian citizen was worthwhile!”

…

“Lord Davos, it looks like this year’s wheat harvest will be another bountiful one. But if we buy in more wheat, we won’t have anywhere to store it.” Bagiripi said. Since Bourkos had resigned in shame, and because the shocking storm that had shaken Daonia had not yet subsided and the position was sensitive, Davos had ultimately proposed, and the Senators had elected the Bruttian senator Bagiripi to fill this post.

Everyone had assumed he was just a transitional figure, but after taking office, he acted with swift and decisive force. First, he flatly refused to allow Prosecutor Sestas to continue investigating the Agricultural Affairs Department over the Polyxides case. Sestas naturally disagreed, and the dispute was brought before Davos. In the end, persuaded by Bagiripi, Davos stopped the case from expanding further—which earned Bagiripi the gratitude of the public officials under him.

Then he conducted a detailed investigation of the Agricultural Affairs Department and, after consulting several times with the former Agricultural Affairs Officer Bourkos, issued a new set of departmental regulations. These strengthened oversight while improving administrative efficiency and reducing the burden on his staff. For example, when Bourkos was in office, he often personally went down to the villages to inspect the fields and required his subordinates to do the same. Bagiripi considered this approach unsound. He delegated this responsibility to village chiefs; the public officials under the Agricultural Affairs Department only needed to conduct periodic inspections and receive reports.

After that, he proposed to the Senate that the salaries of Agricultural Affairs Department officials be raised. His reasoning was that the department’s personnel worked extremely hard, often traveling all over the alliance and even assisting with field planting, leaving them no time to tend to their own farms. This proposal naturally failed, since if only the Agricultural Affairs Department got a raise, what would the staff in other departments think?

Nevertheless, Bagiripi won the loyalty of all public officials in the Agricultural Affairs Department.

“Are you suggesting we build more granaries?” Davos thought for a moment and asked.

“Lord, I believe the number of granaries in Thurii, Cosentia, and Grumentum is already sufficient,” Bagiripi replied seriously. The establishment of granaries for strategic grain reserves was a proposal Davos had carefully considered after the Bruttian War. The slogan “Prepare for war, prepare for famine” had moved the other Senators, and the plan was approved. Granaries were built around the central cities of Thurii, Cosentia, and Grumentum, each guarded by a garrison. This had been in place for two years.

“I have carefully inspected the conditions in all three granaries. The wheat stored two years ago has begun to mold. If left any longer, it will all go bad—what a waste. It would be better to sell it off, free up space, and buy in new grain…” Bagiripi advised earnestly.

Davos nodded. “If that’s the case, then proceed as Lord Bagiripi suggests.”

After seeing Bagiripi off, Davos noticed Aristelas waiting outside the sitting room. “What is it?”

“Lord, intelligence just arrived—” Aristelas said in a low voice.

Davos took the small papyrus scroll and unrolled it. His expression instantly turned icy. “Have you verified this?”

“Yes, Lord. Tlatos went specifically to Crimissa to check and only returned on horseback today. His bronze token was fake. While he was away, we had someone quietly open his room and found a poisoned dagger…” Aristelas spoke slowly, word by word, without any emotion.

“So it’s aimed at me! A Syracusan tetradrachm… Hmph, Dionysius!” Davos gave two cold laughs, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. Suppressing his impulse toward violence, he paced back and forth in the corridor.

Finally, he stopped. His cold face gained a hint of resolve, and he said in a deep voice, “Since he still refuses to give up, let him come. Make a big commotion out of it!”

Aristelas understood and hurried off to make arrangements.

Then Davos sent for Bagiripi, who was still on his way, and almost completely overturned his earlier decision. He made a firm new order: not only were they not to sell the old stored grain, but Bagiripi was to purchase large quantities of newly harvested wheat, and to do so as quickly as possible. Davos also said he would have Mesis provide gold and silver from the state treasury to fully support the purchase.

Bagiripi felt that Davos’s sudden change of attitude was suspicious, but wisely he did not ask questions and simply agreed.

For the past two days, Megaris had been spending all his time in taverns, enjoying good food and nearly exhausting all the money he had brought.

Late at night, he returned to his guest room, bolted the door, lit a candle, and pulled the dagger out from under the bed again. Remembering the promises made by the great man before his departure, he stared at the dagger in his hand, lost in thought.

The candlelight reflected off the blade onto his face—a deep, shadowy blue…

On the ninth day of September, the birthday of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, Daonia’s festival ceremony proceeded as usual. Tens of thousands of Daonian citizens packed Victory Square, leaving no space empty.

The music began. The female acolytes of the temple started singing the Hymn to Hades.

After years of gradual influence, the populace had grown somewhat familiar with this novel style of singing. Soon, from the stage and the crowd, from every corner of the square, voices rose together, resounding throughout the entire city—a magnificent sight.

Next came the large-scale open-air dramatic performance, one of the citizens’ favorite parts of the festival. But this time, it was neither the story of the Greek mercenaries guided by Hades to come to Magna Graecia, nor the grand epic of the founding of the Daonia Alliance under Hades’ protection, nor any other legend of Hades. Instead, a burly man walked onto the square, wearing a lion’s skin and carrying a huge club, trudging forward…

The citizens were deeply impressed by this image. Immediately someone shouted, “Heracles! Heracles!…”

Then, accompanied by heart-pounding drumbeats, an unusually tall figure entered the square—actually walking on stilts, with a longer cloth concealing the stilts. Though his appearance was a bit odd, the citizens were thrilled: it was a giant!

The main version of the story “Heracles and the Giant’s Battle” is set in Africa, but many people in southern Italy insist that the fight took place in their own region. Now it seemed the Daonia Alliance had fulfilled their hopes.

Onstage, “Heracles” and the “Giant” fought… and in the end the “Giant” was killed.

The citizens cheered.

Then a group of people dressed in Bruttian attire ran onto the stage, led by a woman in splendid clothing. They congratulated “Heracles.” Soon, “Heracles” and the woman joined hands…

Many citizens were puzzled, but the Bruttian-descended Daonian citizens understood the scene. They shouted excitedly, “Queen Valentia!”

“Heracles!”

“Brutus!”

Other citizens asked them what was going on.

Music from the Bruttian mountains filled the square. The Bruttians began to dance around “Heracles” and “Queen Valentia” in traditional Bruttian celebratory dances.

Outside the square, following the lead of the Bruttians, others also started to wave their arms and dance…

Lysias watched the grand, lively spectacle. As the head of the School of Literature of the Daonian Academy, he naturally viewed the show from a different perspective than ordinary citizens. “I’d bet that this performance was suggested by Magistrate Davos himself. His intentions run deep!” His words revealed admiration for Davos; it was exactly after meeting Davos that he had decided to settle in Thurii.

“In the Daonia Alliance, Lucanians and Bruttians make up a considerable portion of the population. ‘Racial harmony and integration’ is a phrase Magistrate Davos often mentions in the Senate, and he is continuously working toward it!” Antistanos sighed emotionally.

“Yes, it’s no easy feat, and it will take time!” Unlike Isocrates, Lysias was not an ‘Athens-first’ or ‘Greeks-first’ advocate. On the contrary, having spent many years in Athens, he was keenly aware of its xenophobia and conservatism. He felt he had found the main reason for Daonia’s rapid rise.

At this point, the grand open-air performance ended. Antistanos said with a smile, “Lysias, I can’t wait to hear the Hymn to Hades you have written!”

Lysias said confidently, “I believe it won’t disappoint you!”