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Davos gently stroked the smooth, but not yet swollen stomach of Cheiristoya, and said, “Until our child is born smoothly. Do you understand!”

Despite Davos’ domineering tone, Cheiristoya still enjoyed his stern attitude. She then put her head on his chest and softly replied, “I understand…”

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Davos then gently moved the sleeping Cheiristoya away, then got out of the bed carefully, and crept to the wing room. Then he fumbled to light the oil lamp in front of the niche beside the window. The flashing light illuminated the bronze statue of Hera, who was twisting her garment and smiling.

For the very first time, Davos knelt down and prayed devoutly with tears in his eyes. However, what he said was not a prayer to Hera, “Dear Mom and Dad, do you know? Your son has finally has a child of his own in this world. I hope that you can bless him to come to this world smoothly, grow up healthily, continue my bloodline and inherit my position…”

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

In the palace on the island of Ortygia, Dionysius was discussing important matters with Philistus and Leptines. Then, his chief intelligence officer, Hipparinus, came up to him and handed him a copy of the intelligence.

Dionysius then looked at it, but he couldn’t believe what he had read, “Is this real?!”

“When did the intelligence that I have confirmed ever be wrong!” Said Hipparinus coldly.

Dionysius didn’t care about the attitude of Hipparinus. After all, Hipparinus was his father-in-law and one of his colleagues who had firmly supported him in the process of gaining power over Syracuse. Dionysius then exclaimed, “It’s unbelievable that the young mercenary leader has manage to win again! And this time, he defeated Crotone, who had given the Locri headaches!”

“It’s just a sneak attack.” After reading the information from his brother, Leptines obviously didn’t appreciate the way Davos won.

“Brother, you have to understand, whether it is a sneak attack or a frontal clash, as long as you win, it is praiseworthy! And he was able to win against enemy with more number than his, twice in a row. It seems that this man is indeed a powerful strategos!” Said Dionysius seriously, and he suddenly sighed, “Davos…Davos…what a pity…unfortunately…”

“Milord, do you still want to recruit him?” Asked Philistus.

Dionysius shook his head, “He is obviously not satisfied with just being a mercenary leader. He had already manage to successfully become an Archon for life of Amendolara before, and now, after defeating Crotone, I am afraid that he is thinking about how to bring Thurii under his control…this young man is not simple, and I had previously underestimated him. It seems that we should pay more attention to him in the future!” Said Dionysius seriously.

“Got it.” Replied Hipparinus.

Dionysius sighed in his heart when he saw Leptines with a look of disapproval. His brother is loyal and diligent, but his scheming is not good. However, because of this, he could entrust important mission to him, not to those who have different intentions. The lesson of his father-in-law, Hermocrates*, must be kept in his mind! (Note: Hermocrates is the former father-in-law of Dionysius, the leader of Syracuse, and the hero who had defeated the invasion of Athens. The democrats of Syracuse were worried about his dictatorship and so, they incited the people to expel him. After he was expelled, he led the Sicilian people to resist the attack of Carthage. Finally, the democrats of Syracuse were extremely afraid of his brilliance and schemed him to return to Syracuse and killed him.)

“By the way, how is Heloris now?” Dionysius thought of the man who he had set aside.

“He has been quiet for the past few months.” Said Hipparinus.

And so, Dionysius then said to Philistus, “Heloris has been resting long enough. Phili, go and get him back and have him help you to prepare for this war.”

“Roger!” Philistus looked joyful.

Dionysius looked at Philistus and Hipparinus, and thought of Heloris, who was currently far away in Egypt. It was these people who had firmly supported himself in his most difficult times! Heloris should still be loyal to himself. This time, it was just a small warning to him, so that he would watch out what he says in the future.

After telling Philistus about what he should do, Dionysius was much more relaxed. He then turned his attention to his main concern, “How is the migration of the people of Leontinoi to Syracuse going on?”

“They have been resettled, and are busy adapting to the new environment, and their conduct is currently stable.” Answered Philistus.

“That’s good.” Dionysius then turned to Leptines and said, “How is the work of the craftsmen going?”

“They are done!” Leptines was waiting for his brother to ask about it, then he said excitedly, “It’s power is so great! It’s the weapon of the god of war! It can shoot 6 kilo-grams of stones a hundred meters away, and an average city wall that is hit by it for more than ten times, will certainly collapse!”

“Good! You go and reward those craftsmen for me, and let them make more of this thing, but you must pay attention to secrecy. If anyone divulges it, I will have his entire family killed!” Said Dionysius grimly, “Next year, I will surprise those Carthaginian!”

“Why don’t we attack now?” Said Leptines, then added, “We have conquered the Greek city-states in the eastern part of Sicily outside of Messana, and we have a huge number of troops and these powerful siege weapons. The cities of Carthage in the west of Sicily won’t be able to resist our attack.”

“We must be careful in dealing with Carthage, because they can bring thousands of soldiers from Africa at any time, and so, we must be very sure before we go to war!” Said Dionysius.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

During this period, Kunogelata had been very busy with the reconstruction of Thurii. He slept in the camp every night and seldom takes a trip back to Amendolara.

Just after dinner, his eldest son, Sostratus, heard the news about his return. He called out with a smile on his face, “Father, you are back!”

“Yea.” Kunogelata then snorted, “I heard that you have been wandering outside all this time, and have not participated in the reconstruction of Thurii. Are you still a citizen of Thua Union?!”

“It is already good that I didn’t cheered when Thurii was destroyed. It’s impossible for me to work with those murderers that have killed my brother and raped my sister!” Sostratus looked indignant, and at the same time he explained, “But I didn’t just wander around either, I have participated in the military training organized by Amendolara for four times. Let alone the fact that the military training of Amendolara is very complicated and arduous. After each training, I would feel like dying! It is no wonder that Amen…no, our soldiers are so capable. What is more, the game called rugby that was invented by the Archon is very interesting…”

Sostratus’ mention of his dead brother and sister is like lifting a scar in the heart of Kunogelata, which made his face darkened.

When Sostratus noticed it, he immediately changed the topic and excitedly said, “Except for the military training, I have been working with the commercial officer, Lord Marigi, for the rest of the time. Father, you might not know, but since the time we sent out the news that ‘the reconstruction of the city of Thurii needs a lot of materials’, a large number of merchant ships have come from all over. In addition, our market tax rate is low, the service is good and the management is strict, and so, the merchants in various city-states were full of praise. Now, those merchants have settled in our port and have occupied it. The current market is no longer enough and so, we need to expand it, but now, the manpower is all with you, so I guess that the day after tomorrow, Lord Marigi will come looking for you.”

“Is this true?!” Kunogelata had been staying in the city of Thurii all this time, and had no time to go to the port to check on it. He didn’t expect that just two months ago, that the port and market that Marigi and his people had roughly build in the area of the estuary in the location of the city of Sybaris, had become so prosperous in just a short time.

“Of course it is true! And I remember it very clearly, because I am helped Lord Marigi to keep tab on it. And almost every day, it would costs about ten tarants to buy the materials that is needed for the city’s reconstruction. At the same time, the taxes collected and the profits from the things that have been sold have reached eight tarants. Otherwise, where do you think the materials other than wood and stone have come from?!” Said Sostratus.

“Davos had managed gather such excellent people! I didn’t expect that Marigi, a Persian, was so capable in business!” Exclaimed Kunogelata.

He then looked at his son, and said faintly, “Tell me, what do you need from me?” Kunogelata knows his son well.

“Uhm…uhm…the warehouse and inns at the foot of the mountain of Amendolara were burned down by the Crotonians, but they are now about to be built by the Crotonian captives. I heard from Lord Marigi that he would auction these new warehouses and inns and rent them to the people of the Thua Union to make money…uhm…I want to participate, but I don’t have enough money, and so I want to find you father to…borrow some.”

“How much do you want?”

“Uhm…fiv..five tarants.” Said Sostratus, summoning up his courage. This was almost half of Kunogelata’s wealth.

“Are you going to rent them all?”

“Yes, father. At present, there are many merchant ships in Thurii, but our ports have not yet been built. A large number of merchants and sailors can not find a place to eat and lodge, and there is no place for them to store their goods. There are warehouses and inns in Amendolara, and the roads between the two city-states are under construction. I am thinking of taking these warehouses and inns to earn a lot of money for our family!” Said Sostratus confidently.

Kunogelata pondered for a moment, then looked at his son and said, “My son, since I was expelled from Thurii, I have reflected on my previous practices. And I felt that I have been too radical in my previous work, and frequently did not consider the feelings of the others, so that when that incident had happened, no one came to help us willingly…”

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