Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

Crotokatax immediately realised something after hearing that, so he hurriedly asked for advice in an open-minded manner, “Father, what should I do to control my temper?”

“The crucial thing is that you must be confident! Confidence in your ability and strength. You can acquire ability through continuous learning and practice; I believe you can deal with any problems that arise by then. Strength, on the other hand-” Davos turned around, pointed to the royal palace and said, “Behind me stands the mighty Theonian legion and a vast population of millions who love me. Thus those insults of those few statesmen are like dogs facing a lion; they wouldn't be able to hurt me in the slightest. So why should I bother about them? Instead, we should take the opportunity to show my kindness and generosity…”

Davos taught his children without reservation. Crotokatax began pondering deeply.

After walking for a while, Davos suddenly sighed, “Time flew fast; now you are all grown up, and Cynthia is married in a blink of an eye!… When I was your age, I was still herding livestock in Thessaly. At that time, there was a girl several years older than me who took care of me very much. I…I like her a lot…”

“What happened afterwards?” Crotokatax asked hurriedly.

“About what?” Davos purposely played the fool.

“That girl!”

“Afterwards…” Davos pretended to remember as he said, “She married my employer's son while I married your two mothers… Now that I think about it, I was still too young when I came into contact with that young girl, so liking her was nothing more than a youthful impulse and gratitude. In fact, she never liked me. And the true destiny given to me by Eros didn't come until I met your mother…”

After Davos finished narrating the story he made up with feigned emotion, Crotokatax fell silent.

Then the father and son continued walking up the hill quietly. But instead of entering his residence, Davos turned around and watched the city of Thurii below the hill. Crotokatax also stop.

As it is already late at night, it isn't easy to see the lights in the city. The moon emitting silvery light in the night sky appears more brightly without the clouds covering it. Under the shroud of the moonlight, the high and low, large and small houses extend into the distance. Occasionally, you can hear several barks echoing in the quiet and serene night sky.

“What a magnificent city!” Davos said emotionally. He then asked, “Croto, do you know where your name came from?”

“I know! While I was about to be born, the Crotonian army came, but father led the army to defeat them and forced them to sign a treaty. That's where I got that name!” Crotokatax replied with words full of pride.

“The people elected me, the king, wanting me to lead them in defending our wonderful home! One day, this position will be yours to inherit when I am old! Protecting the kingdom's safety, safeguarding the people's interests and making all cities in the kingdom as peaceful as Thurii tonight…those will all be your responsibilities!” Davos left hand pointed to the city below the hill, while his right hand pressed on Crotokatax's shoulder as he said in a severe tone, “This responsibility will be heavy! It would concern the lives and happiness of the millions of people in the kingdom of Theonia! My son, you won't have much free time, so you must always be ready for this!…”

Davos' words made Crotokatax feel the heavy burden as he looked at the quiet city below the hill…

After some time, his somewhat confused eyes gradually became more resolute…

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

In the April of Thurii, after the lively Hera Marriage Celebration and Princess Cynthia's marriage, the people became more excited as the All-Greek Academic Symposium would soon begin.

Although most of the hardworking and busy ordinary people of Theonia didn't care much about this, it was undoubtedly an unprecedented academic event for scholars, teachers, students, and even the knowledge-long Greek people throughout the kingdom and Greece. They began pouring into Thurii from all parts of the kingdom, even from all parts of the Mediterranean, making the whole Thurii region lively again. Not only were the various inns in the city and port full, but many of the people of Thurii also began accepting lodging for outsiders in their homes, thus making a small fortune.

With the growth of consumption and booming of business taxes, Thurii enjoys the benefits of being the central city of the kingdom.

Oropes, a merchant from Agrigento, often comes to Thurii to buy large quantities of wine and then sell it to the southern coast of Sicily. Thus, he was pretty familiar with the port of Thurii. But when he got to the port today, he found that the situation was different from the usual.

On the road going out of the port to the west, there were many youths in white chiton looking towards the port, holding up a wooden sign which reads ‘Theonian Akademia’, and they were all surrounded by numerous people, almost blocking the west side of the entrance and exit of the port. Furthermore, the guards next to them did not stop them. Instead, they directed the labourers transporting goods to go around the east side road of the port.

Oropes, who had been doing business in Thurii for many years, naturally knew that there are only two kinds of people who often wear clear white chiton in Thurii: One is the temple priests, and the other is the teachers and students of the school (the best young students of the Theonian Akademia will be asked to teach at the schools). And these people in the port wearing white chiton obviously don't have the solemn and calm temperament of the priests of Hades, so the most likely possibility is that they are teachers.

“Excuse me, is there something important happening in Thurii recently? How could there be so many teachers coming to the port?” Oropes asked a citizen by the roadside who was also watching the port. As a merchant, curiosity is essential for them to discover business opportunities from it.

“You are not a Theonian, are you? Who in the kingdom doesn't know that the Theonian Akademia in Thurii is about to hold the All-Greek Academic Symposium, which is a big event that will shock the whole of Greece!” said the Thurian man with pride, “In the past few days, many famous scholars from various city-states have been arriving in Thurii. And those people are here to welcome them. Yesterday, I saw Lord Ansitanos personally come to welcome Cebes of Thebes and Antisthenes of Athens. I wonder which famous scholar would arrive today?…”

As he said that, he suddenly became surprised, “Why were his esteemed Lord Herpus and Lord Steichicodas here?!”

At this moment, these two Theonian statesmen* who have saved countless lives and are highly respected and are both over 50 years old, are hurrying towards the port with a group of physicians. Not only were the bystanders become curious, but even the young teachers who were tasked with welcoming the scholars were amazed, ‘Who would be the scholars they would welcome that would make these two lords spend valuable time for medical treatment and research to come here?!’ (Steichicodas was also elected to the Senate some years ago at the suggestion of Davos)

Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked at the place that Herpus and the others had rushed to.

There, they saw a white-haired old man coming down from the newly docked passenger ship as he slowly moved towards the shore with the help of others.

Herpus was filled with emotion looking at the visitor: It was because of this old man that he was inspired to engage in medicine that he even planned to go to the Island of Kos to learn from him. But beyond his expectation, he met Davos, which made him who he is today.

But even after achieving great success, he is still full of respect for the old man.

Herpus quickly welcomed him and shouted excitedly, “Teacher Hippocrates!”

The old man opened his turbid eyes and looked at the group of people coming to him in a hurry, “You are?”

“I am Herpus, and this is Steichicodas; we are physicians of Theonia!” Herpus introduce themselves loudly.

Hippocrates put his right hand around his ear. After recognising that name, he smiled and said, “Oh, you are the author of the 《Human Anatomy》. You are amazing! Please don't call me a teacher. On the contrary, you are my teachers!”

“Teacher Hippocrates, don't say such things. In the tradition of Theonian Akademia's Medical School, any physician with extensive medical experience and a unique vision of medicine must be called a teacher. Moreover, you are the leader and pioneer who made us eliminate our ignorance and use careful thinking to explore the source of diseases. Furthermore, all our physicians remember the 《Medical Oath》 you wrote, so you are well-deserved to be a teacher!”

After the excited Herpus said that, the physicians behind him began reciting in unison, “…I will keep this vow and this contract!

To hold him who taught me this art equally dear to me as my parents.

For my students, I will impart my medical knowledge with great care.

I will use those dietary regimens which will benefit my patients according to my greatest ability and judgement, and I will do no harm or injustice to them.

I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan.

I will carry out my life and my art in purity and according to divine law. Into whatever homes I go, I will enter them for the benefit of the sick, not to do whatever I want, not to accept bribes, not to seduce the opposite sex, nor will I ever disclose the things I see or hear in their private life…”

The physicians' loud voices resounded at the port, reaching the ears of the bystander and making some of the teachers shout in excitement, “I know who he is! Hippocrates! He is Hippocrates!”

Among the students in Theonian Akademia currently doing the welcoming task today are mainly students from the School of Philosophy and the Institute of Mathematics. However, the Akademia does not restrict them from listening to the courses of other subjects and even allows them to change their learning direction even after studying for a while once they find the knowledge they are really interested in.