Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1237: A Guest

"The Theonian Rugby Games are starting soon," the shop manager said excitedly, "and they say the scale this year is massive. Every region in the country and all the kingdom's allied states have been invited. Lately, every restaurant and inn in Thurii—along with the officials and ordinary citizens—has been buying up pottery in bulk to prepare for the flood of guests. I was actually planning to send someone on a ship to Athens to tell you to hurry and produce more pottery to sell here in Thurii..."

"You don't need to worry. I already received word from Lord Sostratus and made the arrangements. More pottery will be arriving from Athens very soon." Hesklaus put on a confident front and offered some encouragement. "If our sales surge over these next two months, I'll double your pay."

Although Hesklaus was the boss and the manager merely his employee, he spoke without a hint of arrogance, his tone even bordering on flattery. He had no choice; the manager was a true native of Thurii, whereas Peleus had only been incorporated into the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia a few years prior. Hesklaus had spent a hefty sum to hire the man, but he had been instrumental in helping the pottery shop gain a foothold in the Thurii market.

The manager immediately expressed his gratitude and offered a reminder. "Lord Sostratus has sent people over several times to ask if their batch of goods has arrived. Should we send someone to notify them right away?"

Hesklaus slapped his forehead. "I was so caught up in the good news that I almost forgot!"

It was entirely due to Sostratus's support that Hesklaus had achieved his current success. He still planned to rely on that support to climb into the upper echelons of the Daonian commercial sphere, so he didn't dare slack off. "Yes! Yes! Send someone immediately!" he urged.

With that said, he ignored his fatigue and personally led the staff in unpacking the premium pottery meant for Sostratus from their wooden crates, arranging the pieces in the shop's courtyard so the buyer's men could inspect them.

However, noon passed without any sign of Sostratus's men. Hesklaus didn't dare leave, which completely ruined his plan to take his son to the nearby Christoya Restaurant for a fine meal. He had to settle for a clerk buying a few loaves of bread to tide them over. Lyrias threw a crying tantrum while clutching his duck, earning a harsh scolding from his father.

In the afternoon, Sostratus's subordinates finally arrived. They brought good news with them: Hesklaus was invited to attend a banquet hosted by Sostratus that evening.

Before the banquet, of course, both parties had to complete the formal procedures for the transaction. The seller listed the price of the goods, the buyer paid, and then the seller produced a payment receipt obtained from the pottery market administration office. Though it was called "obtaining" a receipt, it still cost a small fee—it was inexpensive because it was made of paper, a material that, across the entire Mediterranean Sea, only the Christoya Chamber of Commerce in the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia could manufacture. Hesklaus filled in the type, quantity, and sale price of the goods. Both parties signed two copies; the buyer took one copy to the market administration office to claim a certain tax rebate, while the payment receipt left at the office served as a voucher for tax collection at the end of the month.

By employing this method, the Daonian Ministry of Commerce ensured that citizens would actively demand payment receipts from merchants and submit them to the market administration office to earn some extra money. In reality, this tax rebate had already been factored into the price of the goods and would ultimately find its way back to the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom when taxes were collected.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Commerce stipulated that citizens could report merchants who refused to issue payment receipts. The administration office would impose heavy fines on such merchants and reward a portion of the penalty to the reporting citizen. Additionally, if buyers and sellers bypassed the formal procedures to conduct under-the-table transactions, citizens could report that as well; once verified, the informant would also receive a reward.

Because of these strict measures from the Ministry of Commerce, the vast majority of merchants in Daionia complied with the regulations. After all, risking the confiscation of their property—or worse, being permanently stripped of their right to do business in Daionia and exiled from the kingdom—for a little extra profit was simply not worth it.

Therefore, even though Sostratus held shares in Hesklaus's Athens pottery workshop, Hesklaus still followed the formal transaction procedures to avoid being reported by an uninformed bystander and suffering a humiliating loss of face.

However, compared to the traditional Greek tax collection methods led by Athens, the system implemented by the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia was far more beneficial to merchants and better promoted healthy commercial growth. Consequently, once trade between Daionia and the Greek Mainland fully opened up, many Greek merchants preferred to settle and do business in Daionia. Some Greek city-states had tried to adopt this superior tax collection method, but due to their limited national strength, those efforts eventually amounted to nothing.

Even though Hesklaus had been operating his shop in Thurii for over two years with Sostratus's support, this was his first time being invited to the man's home as a guest. To be prudent, he decided to prepare early and arrive ahead of time as a sign of respect.

After dressing up carefully, donning brand-new clothes, and purchasing a gift, he set off with Lyrias—leaving the duck at the shop, of course.

Since the pottery market was quite far from Sostratus's residence, the streets were crowded, and the early June weather was sweltering, walking would likely leave him drenched in sweat and covered in dust by the time he arrived. Thus, Hesklaus took his manager's advice and hired a palanquin.

Sostratus's residence was located in the East Outer District, very close to the Inner District. Earlier, he had voluntarily returned the Inner District estate left behind by his father, Kunogorata, to the kingdom so that the state could properly settle the Haca brothers upon their arrival in Thurii. Davos was highly appreciative of this gesture and specifically instructed the Thurii city hall that "Kunogorata's son must not suffer a loss." Based on the difference in land prices between the inner and outer city at the time, Sostratus ultimately received a massive plot of land in the outer district in exchange.

He built over the entire plot, dividing it into two estates—one for himself and one for his younger brother. Each residence was twice the size of a standard Senator's mansion.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Hearing his servant's report, Sostratus personally came out to the gates to greet them.

"Lord Sostratus, since this is my first time attending a banquet at your esteemed residence, I was afraid I might get lost and be late. I hope you'll forgive me for arriving a bit early!" Hesklaus said respectfully.

In reality, Sostratus was merely the president of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Thurii city council. He held no official government post, so strictly speaking, the title of "Lord" was inappropriate for him. However, over the years, the citizens of Daionia had gradually begun applying this official honorific to highly respected social elites, secularizing the term.

"It's completely fine. Several guests arrived even earlier than you," Sostratus said, waving a hand dismissively. Spotting Lyrias hiding behind Hesklaus, he immediately bent down and asked with a genial smile, "Little one, what is your name?"

Lyrias shyly ducked further behind Hesklaus's back.

Hesklaus hurried to explain. "My lord, this is my son, Lyrias. He insisted on coming with me to Thurii this time, and I didn't dare leave him alone at—"

"It's no matter. I said from the start that you could bring your family," Sostratus interrupted nonchalantly. He lowered his head again to tease Lyrias. "Hey, little guy, if you call me Uncle, I'll give you something nice."

Hearing this, Lyrias gathered his courage and called out, "...Hello, Uncle!"

"Mhm, very good!" Sostratus nodded in satisfaction and quickly pulled an object from his robes. Having heard from his servant that Hesklaus had brought a child, he was already prepared. "Look, what's this?"

Lyrias's eyes widened as he stared at the item in Sostratus's hand. It was a palm-sized gilded figurine of a man. The figure had handsome features and a resolute expression; holding a rugby ball in one arm and pumping the other, he was posed mid-sprint. The entire statuette was finely detailed and incredibly lifelike, exuding the tense thrill of watching a live match.

It wasn't just Lyrias who instantly fell in love with it—even Hesklaus was captivated.

"It's a Rugby Star Statuette!" Lyrias blurted out.

After Thessaly was annexed into the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia, Daonian soldiers and immigrants had introduced the sport of rugby to the land. It quickly took the region by storm, and with the strong support of the Regional Administrator of the Thessaly Region, Hylos, they had already begun hosting rugby tournaments for the entire region.

"This isn't just an ordinary player statuette!" Sostratus twirled the figurine in his hand, showing it off like a child. "This is the most famous rugby star in the entire kingdom, the man who set the record for scoring touchdowns in five consecutive national rugby finals, the third son of the great King Davos—His Highness Antebris! He's also the most popular player among children! Moreover, the mold for this statuette was personally carved by the kingdom's greatest sculptor, Arexes, who also happens to be the son-in-law of King Davos. Because the production process is so complex, very few of these are made, and they are incredibly hard to buy on the open market."

After finishing his boast, Sostratus shoved the statuette into Lyrias's small hands. "Now, it belongs to you."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Lyrias's thanks came from the bottom of his heart as he eagerly began to play with it.

"This... this is far too precious," Hesklaus said, instinctively trying to refuse.

"It's just a little trinket." Sostratus waved it off with an utterly unbothered expression. He turned to his servant and instructed, "Go call for Sosicles."

He then led the father and son into the courtyard, saying as they walked, "The quality of the pottery you shipped this time is exceptionally high. The nobles in the Inner District will definitely love it! It's all thanks to you that my pottery shops in the Inner District have made quite a name for themselves. Many merchants are already asking about my supplier..."