The order in the courtroom was suddenly a little chaotic, and someone was shouting: "Aesop is despising the court and the gods! Execute him, he must be executed!" The judge knocked on the table for a long time before everyone was silent, and then Antonio, the messenger of Delphi, said: "Your Excellency, the citizens of Miduri, just like the city-state of Aaron punished Socrates, since Aesop chose so, then give him a cup of poisoned wine!"

Thales let out a sigh, and the courtroom scene seemed to repeat itself, as had happened in the city of Aaron many years ago. Aristotle's teacher was Plato, and Plato's teacher was the famous sage Socrates of Aaron, who was once accused in the court of the city-state of Aaron for the same crime as Aesop today - "preaching new gods, poisoning and corrupting young people." ”

Despite Socrates' plea, the court of the city-state of Aaron convicted him of his guilt: before the gods, Socrates was an evildoer, a strange man, who spied into the secrets of heaven and earth, but taught others without distinguishing between right and wrong.

The court found Socrates guilty, but he could present another punishment to the court in lieu of imprisonment. As a result, Socrates proposed a fine of thirty silver coins, and such contempt angered the court, and he was finally sentenced to death. At that time, many people, including his student Plato, were willing to vouch for Socrates, but Socrates had no intention of admitting his guilt and gave in, and chose the fate of being executed.

Socrates drank a cup of poisoned wine, and it was clear that Aesop and Delphi's messenger Antonio knew this famous allusion, so when Aesop's words came out, Antonio shouted in court to give him a cup of poisoned wine.

Aesop's cousin and three nephews wept bitterly, and Red Ackerman shouted to the judge, "No, don't do that, I'm willing to pay the heaviest fine my cousin has ever paid in the city-state!"

The judge shook his head and said, "Such a request can only be made by Mr. Aesop Ackerman himself, Aesop Ackerman, do you insist on what you just said?"

Someone else was shouting, "Kill him, kill him!"

Aesop nodded without changing her face and said, "Yes, I insist." ”

The judge finally said, "In that case, the court of this city-state can only sentence you to death." Why did you choose that? You didn't have to die!"

Isolt replied, "Your Excellency, may I tell you another story......

It's also a story of a wolf and a sheep, the wolf is chasing the sheep, and the sheep flees into the temple. Outside the temple, the wolf shouted, "Come out quickly, or you will be sacrificed to the gods by the priests." In the temple, the sheep replied, "It is not death that I fear, but I would rather sacrifice to the gods than be devoured by you." ”

This was the last story Isolt told, and he was subsequently given a cup of poisoned wine.

This is also the fate of Socrates, even the accusations are the same, but Aesop and Socrates behave differently. Socrates was only questioning the way in which the gods existed, while Aesop's accusation of "preaching new gods and poisoning and corrupting young people" was confirmed.

Aesop was one of the richest merchants in Miduri, and although he did not believe in the gods here, he did not offend anyone. The patron god Hermes himself and the high priest of the city-state approached him, but in the end there was nothing to be done. But his mission to the Holy Land of Delphi to bring back gold angered the Miduris. It was not because they hated Aesop as a human being, but because they feared that the gods would condemn him, and the messengers of the Holy Land of Delphi came here and decided that Aesop was the sinner of the oracle.

Antonio's accusations cost Aesop's life, and the Holy Land messenger said at the time of his execution: "In the name of the gods, I deprive Aesop of her life and take away this sinful soul." The oracle has made the way, and he is the one who blasphemed and offended the gods, and is here today to receive the punishment he deserves. ”

First-time visitors to the city-states of Heaton may wonder why a sage like Socrates was put to death, for the atmosphere of discussion seems to be quite open, the people in the temple square seem to be free to talk about all kinds of topics, and the theater repertoire is arranged in various ways.

On the other hand, people saw the arrangement of gods as their freedom, and they had the right to decide what to do with their gods, but they could not tolerate Aesop's behavior. Aesop's sin was not to orchestrate the Olympian gods, but to ignore their gods, deny the meaning of this belief, and preach another faith. This was not only unacceptable to the gods of Olympus, but also unacceptable to the so-called free and open city-state of Heaton.

It was the two oracles that drove Aesop to a tragic fate, but it was the people here who sentenced and executed Aesop.

According to the elder's last words, his body was cremated and the ashes were scattered into the sea. However, Antonio did not leave Miduri immediately, and as a messenger of the Holy Land, he gave the city-state of Miduri another opportunity to sacrifice to the gods. The merchants gave Aesop the gold they had brought back and entrusted the Holy Land Emissaries with dedication to the temples of Delphi. However, Aesop's cousins and three nephews took back Aesop's share of the gold and did not offer it to the Olympian gods.

Antonio completed his mission, found and executed the sinner named in the oracle, accepted a large amount of gold, and was ready to leave Miduri with great satisfaction. But on this day, two strangers came to the city of Miduri, a young man in a carriage and another imposing knight, and they entered Miduri and went straight to the court of the city.

Many people recognized them as Amon and Medanzo, who had escorted Aesop back to their hometown. At first, the people here had never heard of Amun's name, but now five years later, Aesop has told so much about Amun's past, and the name has become almost legendary among the young people of Miduri.

Amon had come to file a complaint, and according to the rules of the city-state, he had Thales, a local citizen and respected sage, write a complaint against Antonio, a messenger sent by the Holy Land of Delphi. This caused a great stir in the city of Miduri, and as a foreigner, such an accusation might not have been accepted by the court, but the court gave Amon an opportunity to be questioned by the crowd to decide whether he could file a complaint.

Antonio, the messenger of Delphi, was not required to attend such an inquiry, but for the glory of the gods he went anyway to hear what Amun was trying to accuse him of in person, and if the court ruled that Amon's accusation was unreasonable, the young man from a foreign country would also be punished by the city-state of Miduri.

In the courtroom, the judge asked, "Young man from a foreign country, we all know that you used to be Aesop's coachman and helped him manage the farm, and Aesop treated you very kindly. Now that your former boss has died, you can understandably feel grief, but that doesn't justify your complaint. You must prove that Master Antonio has harmed your own interests in order for you to be eligible to file a complaint. ”

Amon replied, "Aesop owes me something that I have not yet repaid. If this man's accusation killed innocent Aesop and prevented me from recovering what was rightfully mine, do I have the right to sue him and demand compensation from him?"

The judge was puzzled and said, "Aesop's entire estate has been inherited by the Ackerman family, if he owes you anything, you should go to Red Ackerman Aesop to pay it back, instead of suing Lord Antonio." ”

Amon shook his head and said, "What Aesop owes me is not money, but the status of a slave and a finger. I can't have someone else become my slave in Aesop's place, or I can't have an innocent person cut off a finger to pay for Aesop. It was this man who deprived Aesop of his life in the name of the gods, and if Aesop was innocent, then he should be held responsible. ”

The court was in chaos again, could it be that Aesop was Amun's slave and owed the coachman a finger? At this time, someone remembered what Aesop had told and whispered to the people around her, and the news spread in whispers. This young man actually said such a thing, then he showed his identity - the great general of Eju back then, Amon!

Legend has it that Amon was a god who came to earth! How could he become Aesop's charioteer and come to Miduri again! But Amon did not claim to be a god in court, he only came to accuse Antonio.

The judge also heard the people's discussions, and his forehead was already sweating, but in order to maintain the majesty of the courtroom, he could not say anything, and he always felt how uncomfortable it was to sit on this chair under his buttocks. He cleared his throat and said in a somewhat hoarse and slightly trembling voice, "Stranger, I would like to warn you that if you fail to provide evidence, you will be punished by the city-state of Miduri for your words and deeds in court. ”

Amon took out an Earth Pupil from his bosom and said, "The evidence is here, you invite a priest who understands the mid-level information magic to come and demonstrate the information recorded in it in public, so that everyone can judge for themselves." This sacred stone is to be used as the legal fee I paid to the court of the city-state of Miduri. ”

Soon a priest came, took the pupil of the earth, and performed magic to demonstrate two light and shadow messages, which were many years ago, and I don't know what method Amon used to record them in the pupil of the earth to reproduce. Aesop is still very young in the light, and the first scene takes place in a shop in the city-state of Cape Eju, where Aesop, a slave, accidentally touches the sacred stone with his hand and is punished for cutting off a finger.

But the quick-witted Aesop told the story of Pythagoras to the old man Theo, and Theo wrote down the finger in his account, indicating that Aesop owed him a finger. The second scene takes place in the city of Ejumontith, where Amon buys Aesop from Theo, and Aesop becomes Amon's slave, so his former "debt" becomes owed to Amon.

The events in the light and shadow happened decades ago, and Amon is the young man standing in the courtroom today, his face barely changing. When this information was demonstrated, the court was immediately silent, and people did not even dare to breathe, and everyone already knew who Amun was - he was the main god from Eju, and he was standing in the court of Miduri!

Amon didn't pay attention to the reaction of the crowd, and he asked lightly, "Your Excellency, do I have the right to sue the person who caused this to happen for the sake of Aesop's death?"

The judge swallowed and replied in a hoarse voice, "You have the right to file a complaint, but that doesn't mean you can win the case, what do you want to accuse Master Antonio?"

Amon: "My complaint is clearly written, I will accuse him of forging oracles and abusing the name of the gods to frame innocents!"

Antonio shouted, "Shameless lie!" Those who have attended the Delphi oracle are well aware of the contents of the oracle, and I have come to Miduri only to find and punish this man because a messenger of the city-state has blasphemed and offended the gods. ”

Amon asked coldly, "Antonio, did the oracle say Aesop's name?" You were the one who accused Aesop in court, and you were the one who found Aesop blaspheming and offending the gods. I would like to ask the Judge, if Aesop had not used the Oracle of Delphi against Aesop, would Aesop be put to death?

The judge wiped his sweat and said, "Such an accusation cannot be decided by the court of the city-state of Miduri. Only gods can be witnesses, and this court has no standing to ask gods to testify. ”

Amun: "Honorable Judge, where can I decide?"

Although the judge was still sitting in his chair, he almost wanted to kneel down and beg Amun, and said in a dumb voice: "You are accusing the messenger of the Temple of Delphi in the Holy Land, and the accusation is that he forged an oracle to kill innocents, and this can only be decided by the temple that issued the oracle of Delphi. ”

Amon turned around, looked at Antonio calmly, and said, "I heard that you are going back to Delphi tomorrow?

Under Amon's gaze, Antonio also felt that his front heart and back were sweaty, but he couldn't say no, because the purpose of the gods calculating Aesop was to lure Amon out. Antonio was not only a priest, he also had another identity - a ninth-level oracle guided by Apollo.

Antonio was also very surprised, Amon had the courage to come to Miduri, and even dared to go to Delphi! What is Delphi? It is the holy place of the god Olympus on earth, and it is also the place where the gods protect it! Wouldn't Amon go there to complain about the wolves?

Antonio replied in public: "As long as you have the courage to come to Delphi, be prepared to face the consequences of your choice, I am willing to meet you in the Delphi court!"

As he spoke, he muttered to himself that Amon had once again come to the Olympian realm and accused him in public in the city-state court. But Hermes, the god who guarded the city-state, did not say a word or show his face, and Aesop's incident was first caused by Hermes's oracle.

It's a pity that Antonio knows where Hermes doesn't want to show up but doesn't dare to show up, Amon seems calm but is actually angry. If Hermes dared to show his head, Amon would have slaughtered him. Without the support of Olympus and the gods, Hermes alone would not dare to cause such trouble.

Seeing Amon walk out of the courtroom with Medanzo, the judge let out a sigh of relief, his body almost slumped to the chair, although Amon never claimed to be a god from a foreign land, but the judge was so nervous that he almost lost his voice, and finally sent this god away, I hope he will not come to trouble again, and I hope that the Temple of Delphi can solve this matter.

Amon walked out of the courtroom, and Medanzo, who was following him, suddenly turned around and said, "Do you rejoice, people of Miduri, because the gods have not condemned you?" Are you accusing Aesop with Antonio, is it really because he has blasphemed the gods and violated your interests, or are you afraid of the gods' retribution? I don't know how many things you have done to offend the gods, why do you feel fear?"

Medanzo's words before leaving frightened many people, and when they returned home that night, they fell ill. Early the next morning, the people of Miduri flocked to the temple of the city-state to pray for the protection of the gods, and to pray that the gods would "solve" Amun at Delphi and not come to trouble them again.

Amon drove the carriage like an ordinary passer-by, and Medanzo rode like a guard for the carriage, but the carriage was empty, and no one was riding in the carriage or carrying any goods. They followed the Antonio gold convoy and traveled all the way to Delphi, the holy place of Olympus.

On the way, Medanzo whispered: "My god, are you going to Delphi to settle accounts with the gods of Olympus?"

Amon asked rhetorically, "Shouldn't it?"

Medanzo: "When Aesop had an accident, I was on a mission with the Macedonian army, and unfortunately I couldn't save him. ”

Amon shook his head: "He had a chance to save himself, but he still chose to be executed." ”

Medanzo reminded again: "If you really do it in Delphi, I'm afraid that the two of us are a little alone, do you want to call all the angels?"

Amon shook his head again and said, "If I do this, it will be a direct war between the two god systems, involving too many people who should not be involved. Don't forget what we're here for, so fix it. It was you and I who sent Aesop back to our hometown, and it was me and Zeus who made an agreement to cooperate, so let's take care of it. ”

Arriving at the foot of the mountain where the holy land of Delphi was located, Amontei stopped the carriage to rest and let Antonio go back first. As Antonio went up the mountain, he heard Amon's voice in his soul: "You go back to Delphi and prepare everything, I will give you a day, and the day after tomorrow at noon, I will see you in the Delphi Sacrifice Court." ”

Amun's arrival caused a stir in the Temple of the Delphi Gods, and as he ascended the mountain, Medanzo reminded from behind: "My gods, the people here are watching us with hostile eyes, and among these priests are dozens of oracles, whom I have seen. ”

**

(To be continued)