After passing through the checkpoint, the wagon drove directly north and passed through the east side of the port market, lined with stored and is crowded. However, it did not attract the attention of Isocrates and Lysias too much. Since learning about the bustling port of Thurii, they already have a preliminary idea of the situation of the market. But even if it is prosperous, it can never be compared with the famous Agora market in Athens.
Rather, it was the direction of the wagon that attract Lysias’ attention. “Hey, the city of Thurii is in the west. Why are you heading north?”
“No need to worry.” Sperian then explained, “Because if we were to head west directly, not only will we have to pass through the busier and longer road but also the Temple of Hera and the Thurii Arena*. And since it is currently May, the rugby matches are heated because a new Thurii champion team will be chosen to compete in the final. Therefore, many people will attend there to watch every day, causing the road to not only be crowded but there might even be trouble. That is why we had instead taken a detour to reach the city of Thurii, which is much faster than going straight west.” (With the increasing popularity of Rugby and Football games, the arena in the city of Thurii is no longer enough. Thus the year before last, the citizens of Thurii collectively raised funds and built another arena outside the city. As the venue for the finals of each team in Theonia, the arena inside the city was called Theonia Arena. On the other hand, the arena outside the city is called the Thurii Arena.)
“So it is like that.” Lysias nodded. He had long heard about Theonia’s unique ball game, but due to him experiencing ups and down and was too busy making a living. In addition to him being too old, he wasn’t too interested in this supposedly violent sport.
On the other hand, Isocrates’ eyes lit up, and he asked, “Can you tell us something about this rugby game?”
Lysias gave Isocrates a surprised look, thinking that this was not quite in line with Isocrates’ hobby, so he must have been thinking of something more profound.
These words of Isocrates had tickled the itch of Sperian. Thus he immediately told the two men the origin and rules of the rugby all the way to the establishment of the Theonian Rugby Competition.
As he listens to Sperian explanation of the history of the development of Rugby in Theonia Union, Isocrates observed the wagon driving onto a new road (the Thua Road); he then turned his gaze towards the west. The road facilities did not differ much from the Port Road except it has a slightly narrower road surface.
In the short time from the time the passenger ship docked at Thurii to the time they stepped out of the port, he had discovered a characteristic of the Theonian population. That is, you can call it restrained and bland at worst; obedience to order at best. The port is the most chaotic place in a city-state, so it is surprising that there are very few noises, fighting, brawls and the sight of loud talking and noises even though the port of Thurii is also relatively prosperous. On the other hand, that is impossible for Athens, as the Athenians are always passionate, spirited, proud, and loved to debate and boast about their city-state’s history.
But after hearing the porter said that the whole population loves such a kind of savage and rough sports, it made him realise that the Theonians might hide some savagery in their seemingly introverted temperament.
“This is our first Thurii, so is there any interesting place here worth visiting?” Isocrates cut in suddenly.
Lysias once more glanced at him.
“Worth visiting?” Sperian was surprised and then laughed, “You two should not say that you are here to visit and sightsee when arriving in Thurii, but instead, it is to enjoy the entertainment as there are too many things for you to enjoy here.
First of all, Cheristoya’s Restaurant is a must-go place! As it has the best food in all of Greece and even the Mediterranean.
Secondly, you can take a wonderful bath in the hot spring by the Tiro river in the west of the city, so that you, Greeks, who don’t like bathing can feel its benefits.
What’s more, the thing I had just said, you can go to the Thurii Arena to watch the rugby and football games. However, it’s hard to know whether you can buy tickets this season.
Furthermore, you can go to Thurii’s hospital to see a physician and discover the diseases hidden in your body. You should know that the skills of the physicians of Thurii are excellent, as the gods had taught them.
Oh, I almost forgot. You should also go to the Temple of Hades in the city to pray! It is the only place of Hades on earth in Greece, and it is extraordinary! So much so that every time I go there to pray and talk to the priests, I felt so relaxed after coming back, just like when I soak in the hot spring…”
Isocrates and Lysias exchanged glances with each other from time to time while listening to Sperian’s endless recommendation.
By now, the wagon had arrived near the north of Thurii. In front of it stood a tall arch made of white marble.
Lysias then recalled some information he had heard about the new city of Thurii and said with uncertainty, “The Arc De Triomphe?”
“Yes, the Arc de Triomphe! This is the second Arc de Triomphe!” Sperian then said excitedly, “This is the Arc de Triomphe that was built the year before last. The victorious returning army will take this as the starting point, enter the city of Thurii and accept the cheering and evaluation of the Theonian citizens, which is the greatest honour in the life of every citizen participating in the war! After the conquest of Bruttii, I had once participated with my fellow conscripted light infantry (that is, the 2,000 freemen) while we followed the legion into the city…oh! At that time, all the people of Theonia were cheering for us, the beautiful girls kept on throwing flowers and our respected archon giving an exciting speech, which I will never forget in my life!…and after the Triumphant Return, I met my beautiful wife…”
Sperian’s expression was mesmerised, but after some time, he sighed, “Unfortunately, these past few years have been too calm that there has been no war. So naturally, there is also no Triumphant Return. Alas…”
“From listening to what you have said, you actually want a war?!” The sharp Isocrates immediately asked.
“Of course, without war, we wouldn’t be able to participate. And if I can’t participate in a war, I won’t be able to shorten my assessment period and won’t become an official citizen of Theonia as soon as possible. Thus I won’t be able to get a fertile allocated land.” Sperian blurted out without hesitation. Then he saw the two men’s expression changed. So he immediately explained, “However, we Theonians rarely takes the initiative to invade others, and only when others invade us would we fight back…”
Isocrates naturally did not believe the porter.
“But war will lead to death, in which there may be your friends…or relatives…”Lysias said in a berating tone.
“Of course I know that, and the priest of Hades even warned us that ‘all good things are not easy to get.’ But we are not afraid of death because this is the land blessed by the king of the underworld, Hades. And if I were to die fighting bravely, my wife and children will receive rich pension and care from the union, and my soul will return to Hades’ Hall of Valor and protect our union!…” Sperian’s face became slightly calm and firm, with a trace of looking forward to the future. However, there wasn’t even a hint of fear.
This gave Isocrates and Lysias a great shock.
“Arc de Triomphe, here I come!” Sperian drove right in front of the Arc de Triomphe and shouted with excitement as if he had returned victorious.
Isocrates frowned as he looked at the numerous reliefs on the arch and the statue of the legion flag on the top. He then heard Sperian’s voice, “The reliefs represent the important victorious moments of Theonia, such as lord Davos leading the legion to help Taranto in defeating the Messapi-Peuceti Alliance…next is the third legion defeating the Lucanian rebels and recapturing Pyxous (according to the Senate’s propaganda, the people believed that Pyxous was once a Greek city-state. Hence it is recaptured and not capture)…and lord Davos leading an army to conquer Brutii, which I have participated in. There is actually a funny story about this relief; according to others, the Bruttian statesmen had once protested against engraving the Bruttian War into the relief, believing that it was not good for unity. However, the Lucanian statesmen retorted, ‘Even though there are three reliefs of us Lucanians, we still did not say anything. So why are you Bruttians so concerned?’ Hehe, and just like that, the Bruttian’s protest ended…”
Listening to Sperian’s laughter and looking at the Arc de Triomphe, Isocrates couldn’t laugh at all.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Lysias, we haven’t seen each other since you received your brother’s letter and rushed to Athens 20 years ago, right?” Kunogelata looked at Lysias, who had become old and hard to recognised, and sighed emotionally.
“Yes. When my father died that year, I rushed back to Athens for his funeral. However, I got caught at my brother’s business and got into trouble, so I had to stay and help him. Then…Athens suffered a series of disastrous defeats in the war against Sparta. And when the thirty tyrants sat in power, my brother was persecuted, and they seized his properties…So much stuff had happened over the years than when our teacher died; I wasn’t able to come back and attend his funeral…” Lysias’ outwardly calm expression couldn’t hide the remorse and bewilderment contained in his low voice, as well as a bit of exhaustion.
“We are clear at what happened to you as well. But at that time, Thurii was also facing difficulties, so we could not offer you help. However, before he died, our teacher kept on saying your name and called you the disciple that he most proud of!” Said Kunogelata, but when he saw tears glistening in Lysias’ eyes, he changed the topic and joked, “Could it be that you have made a fortune in Athens recently that you can give away five such expensive Panathenaic amphorae?”
“I am not wealthy as I don’t have the talent to be a merchant. It is why my father handed over the weapon workshop to my brother.” Lysias laughed at himself.
