Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1252: Athletes' Treatment in Thurii

Although Megakides was young, he was strong-willed and not easily persuaded, yet at this moment, he felt a bit hesitant.

Just then, a shout came from behind him: "Megakides, it's time to head back!"

The man calling out was an official of the Cretan Delegation and the leader of their archery team. Interestingly, at previous games held on the Greek Mainland, competitors had generally traveled to the venues on their own; city-states rarely formed dedicated groups. But when Daionia issued its invitations this time, the letters explicitly demanded that participating city-states and regions send officials to lead their athletes as a single delegation, making them easier to manage.

Daionia also announced they would tally the awards won by each regional and city-state delegation to compile a dedicated Medal Board. Posted at the entrances of every competition venue, this board would be updated daily. When the games concluded, Daionia would grant generous rewards to the top three regions and city-states in the overall medal count.

This was not just a matter of money; it concerned the honor of their city-states and regions, which heavily motivated the officials from Crete. These Cretan nobles, who were usually indifferent to Greek Mainland affairs, eagerly signed up to join the delegations heading to Thurii. Because there were far too many applicants, they actually had to hold a special footrace to select the team leaders. The man who proposed this idea had a solid justification: as role models for the athletes, the Cretan officials traveling to Thurii naturally needed strong, athletic physiques themselves.

At first, these newly selected officials failed to properly fulfill their duties. They cared only for themselves and neglected the athletes' daily meals and lodging. Upon arriving at the training grounds, they even joined the practice sessions, sometimes clashing with the competitors... However, competitors and officials from other regions were everywhere, meaning competition was omnipresent. Under this pressure, the Cretan officials gradually adapted to their roles and began pouring their hearts into serving the athletes.

After all, the team leader currently calling out to him was from Megakides's home city. Born into the nobility, he had initially paid little attention to the plebeian-born Megakides. Yet now, he was offering care and assistance to him and the other Cretan archers on the training grounds—a massive shift in attitude. Megakides naturally was not ungrateful. Feeling somewhat reluctant, he returned the Bows and Arrows to the target scorer.

According to the rules of the games, to ensure fairness, the competition would uniformly provide the Bows and Arrows for the events. These were the exact same sets they had been using in training. Their quality was noticeably superior to Megakides's own equipment. He found them increasingly comfortable to use and wished he could take a set home. But he knew that such exquisitely crafted, high-quality Bows and Arrows would be incredibly expensive—far beyond what he could afford—unless he managed to win the championship and claim that generous reward.

"May Hades bless you and grant you a high rank in the competition!" the target scorer said with a warm smile.

By the time he rejoined the Cretan competitors, team leader Phylacus was already speaking with some impatience. "We need to hurry back to the lodging! I just heard from the managers here that to ensure the games proceed smoothly tomorrow, Thurii City Hall is imposing a curfew across the entire urban area starting this evening. To avoid any trouble, we have to get back quickly!"

Urged on by him, the Cretan competitors quickly packed their belongings, exited the archery grounds, and hurried eastward.

Although the archery ground was a new venue built specifically to host the archery events for these games, it had not consumed as much money and time as the swimming pool or the hippodrome. Since archery was an open-air sport, it only required a perimeter wall around the field and tiered wooden benches behind the competitors for the spectators. It was built on the western side of Thurii, right next to the Thurii Military Camp. Logically, it should have been somewhat remote from the main urban district, yet the nearby roads were bustling with carriages and horses every day. The area was extremely lively, with many people frequently entering the grounds to watch the training sessions.

But as the Cretan archery team embarked on their return journey, they distinctly noticed fewer pedestrians on the roads. Moreover, after entering the outer district, they frequently encountered the Patrol Unit, which delayed them considerably. By the time they reached the athletes' lodging, the sky had darkened, and candles had already been lit in the lobby.

Megakides and the others, already drenched in sweat, did not immediately go to eat. Instead, they went to the lodging's baths. This athletes' lodging in the West Outer District was built next to the Lamala-Sevoni Arena. It consisted of four large, six-story buildings arranged in a hollow square, with the baths situated right in the center courtyard.

When they first moved in and went for a soak, they had been completely at a loss, bewildered by the complicated bathing procedures. Now, however, they had fully adapted and thoroughly enjoyed the process.

By the time Megakides emerged from the baths, he felt completely refreshed. His exhaustion was gone, and even the lingering soreness in his arms had vanished without a trace.

'If only there were a bathhouse like this in Heraklion!' The thought suddenly popped into Megakides's mind, but on second thought, he realized: 'If that were the case, huge crowds of people would definitely go to bathe, and the fees certainly wouldn't be cheap. It wouldn't be completely free like it is here! Ah, Theonians really are blessed!'

This sense of envy lingered in him right up until they entered the dining hall.

Along one side of the dining hall sat a neatly arranged row of tables. Atop each table rested a large, wide-mouthed clay pot filled with piping hot food: stewed chicken, steamed egg custard, braised beef, pan-fried fish, roasted leg of lamb, Sheep Offal Soup, honey bread, and sweet Wheat Porridge... There was even wine, beer, and fruit juice.

Every single day, the lodging's dinner was this rich and delicious. Furthermore, they were allowed to eat and drink as much as they pleased without restriction. Whenever a clay pot ran empty, the dining hall's attendants would promptly refill it.

Many plebeian competitors like Megakides had never enjoyed such exquisite food or treatment in their entire lives. The very first time they stepped into the dining hall and heard the attendants say they could eat and drink for free to their hearts' content, they thought they had misheard. It was not until they confirmed it was true that some individuals began to gorge themselves wildly. As a result, they ate until their stomachs bloated and cramped, forcing them to call for an emergency doctor and making quite a laughingstock of themselves.

Some competitors had even speculated: 'This must be a welcome banquet, which is why it's so special. They won't be this generous later.'

Who could have known that every subsequent breakfast and dinner would be exactly the same? (The athletes' dining hall did not provide lunch, but competitors were allowed to take some food from breakfast to eat during their midday training.) This left all the competitors astonished, making them almost suspect they had ascended to the Elysian Fields that the Theonians so frequently mentioned.

'Daionia truly is powerful and wealthy! To be a citizen of this kingdom must be such a blessing! We are so incredibly lucky to participate in these games...' After witnessing the prosperity of the massive city of Thurii and enjoying the various benefits provided to the competitors, the athletes recalled the hardships they had endured at other events, making them cherish the Theonian Rugby Games even more. This was especially true after they learned from the lodging's attendants that Thurii City Hall wasn't doing this just to curry favor with them. In fact, the athletes who came to Thurii every year for the Rugby championship and football finals enjoyed the exact same treatment. This further cemented their belief that Daionia was an athlete's paradise.

Competitors continued to stream into the dining hall. By the time Megakides held his wooden tray and filled it with all the food he wanted, the hall was nearly packed.

"Over here, Megakides!" someone waved at him.

Megakides quickly walked over. "Siritheos, you guys got back pretty early!"

Siritheos was also a young aristocrat from the city of Heraklion on Crete, and he had signed up for the footraces in these games. After spending more than twenty days together, the two young men from the same city-state had become friends.

"We didn't train much today. We just wore those... shorts they provided and tried running a few times. It felt alright. The starts, arm swings, strides, and sprints weren't affected at all," Siritheos said.

The moment he finished, another Cretan runner next to him immediately complained, "I felt incredibly affected! The fabric chafes against my thighs when I run. It's so uncomfortable! At past games, we always competed naked. Yet Daionia insists on breaking tradition and making everyone wear this thing. It's a blasphemy against the gods!"

Siritheos shot him a sideways glance. "Since you're so dissatisfied with these games, you could just withdraw and not compete."

The man muttered awkwardly, "The competition starts tomorrow. Withdrawing at this point... wouldn't look good."

"Give it a rest. If you ask me, you just can't bear to leave the free food and comfortable service here," Siritheos said, directly exposing the man's true thoughts. Then, half-joking and half-serious, he continued, "Daionia is now the hegemon of the entire Greek World, far stronger than Sparta was in its prime. Even Olympia and Delphi have no choice but to bow in submission to it. Let alone wearing shorts, even if they forced everyone to compete wrapped in cloaks, I doubt a single city-state would dare openly object!

"Besides, think about it: Daionia allows women to watch the games. Word has it that during tomorrow's stadium ceremony, Daionia's queen and princesses will be sitting in the audience. So, making us wear shorts for the events is completely understandable."