Greece brings evildoers

For more than ten days in a row, faint screams could be heard every morning in a residential house in the city of Knossos.

The surrounding residents who heard the news gradually became panicked, worried that some evil spirit had sneaked into the city.

Several families close to the source even pooled their money to hire witches from the temple to exorcise the evil spirits.

Fortunately, the effect seems to be obvious. The screams during the day have disappeared, but there are some inexplicable shaking sensations faintly at night.

Finally, as the Dionysus festival drew closer, even this strangeness gradually disappeared.

Instead, there was a festive and lively atmosphere.

At the call of the temple, wine from various city-states in Crete was shipped to the city of Knossos to participate in a quality competition to see if it could be selected as the godly wine for the next year.

Due to the developed maritime transportation and convenient transportation here, travelers and businessmen from inside and outside the island came here one after another, either to simply enjoy the celebration or to look for business opportunities and participate in this grand event.

Therefore, ships from various ports shuttle back and forth every day, pedestrians on the streets are crowded together, and both stalls and hotels are full every day.

For a time, the pressure on the city defense army doubled, and even the precious divine blood guards were forced to take on some defense and patrol tasks.

The temple responsible for coordinating the work was running continuously all day long. In just a few days, Ariadne, the chief priest, lost several pounds.

There is no other way, because King Minos is old and his vitality was severely damaged in the last battle. Currently, he can only lie on the bed and rest, breathing a sigh of relief.

It is not easy for several princes to manage their respective affairs honestly under the pressure of the old king.

The only secretary who is familiar with all government affairs and can play a leading role is practicing in seclusion again.

In desperation, the chief priest who couldn't stand the pressure could only come to ask for help from the goddess of wisdom he believed in.

It is precisely because of this that Lorne got a chance to breathe from the daily beatings and luckily escaped from Athena's clutches.

The victim, who had rested for two days before getting out of bed, was finally able to sit at the dinner table and enjoy dinner normally after half a month.

When the hot meal was stuffed into his mouth, Lorne looked at the empty seats beside him, almost moved to tears, and let out a heartfelt sigh.

"King Minos and his family are such good people!"

Hestia and Medusa at the dinner table nodded, agreeing with this point of view.

However, Stheno and Euryale, who were trying to reduce their presence in the corner, were not in a happy mood after seeing someone skillfully showing off their whips after finishing their meal, and they made a silent noise towards the empty seats. wailing.

Lao Da! Come back quickly, help, the snake is dying!

~~

In the morning, as the accumulated pressure was perfectly released, Lorne left the two beautiful snakes hugging each other and crying on the bed, and walked out of the room in a happy mood to welcome the rising sun of the Dionysus Festival.

The streets were crowded with people, figures with different clothes and faces coming and going, making it very lively.

They may gather together in small groups, toast and drink, and chat; or they may wander around the busy city, purchasing some of the spices, wines, minerals and other specialties that are abundant in Crete; or they may be attracted by the commotion and delicious food along the street. Attract, stop to admire and taste...

As soon as dawn broke, the entire city of Knossos was immersed in a sea of ​​joy.

Seeing the neighbors who had gone out to sell their stalls early in the morning, they were surrounded by people and were so busy that their feet did not touch the floor. Lorne in front of the window couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips and satisfactorily put down a few pages of sheepskin on the table full of characters. The paper was thrown into the trash can.

Festivals are not just frivolous rituals to worship gods and carnivals for self-entertainment. They are used to divert traffic and attract more guests and attention. They can also inject fresh blood and vitality into the city, and thereby gain commerce, population, and economy. , and even the prosperity of political and cultural influence.

Therefore, as long as a city-state has the ability to host large-scale celebrations, it will often leave a mark in world history.

For example, Athens, Delphi, Rome, etc...

Although Lorne was not bothered by Athena during this period, considering that this was his ascension ceremony, he spared no effort to make suggestions behind the scenes, hoping to make this celebration a success and make the whole of Crete as happy as possible. The island also stands to benefit.

A win-win situation is a healthy and long-term cooperative relationship.

The sun rises and the mist clears.

The long-awaited opening ceremony of the celebration was also carried out in an orderly manner.

In the sacrificial field surrounded by spectators, priestesses in white robes gathered in front of the altar to sing sacrificial texts. Ariadne, the chief priest, walked to the altar holding a torch woven from fennel branches, olive branches, and grapevines. , light the sacred fire.

As the blazing flames soared into the sky, the statue of Athena standing in the center seemed to come to life. The gun of victory in the right hand struck the Aegis shield in the left hand, making an exciting sound.

Suddenly, circles of golden ripples swayed in all directions with the idol as the core, spreading to the entire city in a matter of seconds.

In an instant, dots of golden light dust fell from the sky, like a light rain, spreading to every corner of the city of Knossos.

People who are exposed to these light dusts feel refreshed, their fatigue disappears, and some underlying illnesses in their bodies are reduced or eliminated accordingly.

Feeling the substantial changes in their bodies and receiving divine grace, the people cheered excitedly and worshiped the benevolent Mother Goddess together.

The statue nodded slightly in response, then eliminated the abnormality, faded away its halo, and turned into an ordinary sculpture again, leaving this celebration to mortals.

And with the completion of the ritual of worshiping the gods, the carnival belonging to mortals also officially kicked off.

Troubadours strummed their harps, opera troupes sang softly to the sound of reed flutes, and people paraded wearing ivy crowns and animal skins, holding sacrificial staffs, and carrying huge wine urns. Jars of fine wine from Knossos, Athens, Samos and other city-states were distributed free of charge to cheering pedestrians along the way for them to drink and taste.

The Dionysian madwomen wearing animal skins and wild makeup chanted the name of the spirit "Dionysus" in the wine, thanking this beauty for nourishing the body and mind, and thanking the joy given by God. .

With the help of fine wine, pedestrians on the road were also infected by this cheerful heat wave. They toasted together and praised the name loudly.

With the drunkenness, speeches, debates, dances, competitions, magic and other random displays also appeared in the streets and alleys, attracting bursts of applause.

In the light bubbles of wine, people's dreams are intoxicated, with small differences but great similarities.

Their blood is thicker than water, and they are connected by blood.

Under the pouring of fine wine, tens of thousands of golden light points also emerged from people's joyful emotions, turning into surging divine rivers, converging towards somewhere in the dark.

At the same time, Lorne, as the carrier, also officially ushered in the test of becoming a god.