Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1257: Entrance Ceremony

Meanwhile, Christod's younger brother, Chremides, gripped the railing with both hands and shouted excitedly.

His lively second aunt, Eunice, pumped her fist and kept yelling, “Way to go, Chris! You're a brave boy!...”

Christod smiled, and this time it came from the bottom of his heart. The smile swept away his tension. Head held high, he raised the Wooden Placard, led the referee delegation on a full lap around the arena, and finally came to a halt in the center of the field.

The spectators had been wondering why a wooden cart was being pushed at the rear of the referee procession. It carried a bronze basin, half the height of a man and supported by a golden-yellow copper pillar. Now they had their answer: the priests wheeled the cart to the very center of the arena, quickly dismantled it, and reassembled it into a small wooden platform. Placed atop the stage, the bronze basin formed a makeshift altar.

At that moment, a red flag was raised on the announcer's platform, and the spectator stands gradually quieted down.

“Next, please welcome the athletic delegations from the various regions of the kingdom and the participating Greek city-states as they enter the arena!!!”

At the announcer's impassioned shout, the band immediately struck up the “March of Victory.” The cheerful, jubilant melody echoed across the arena, lifting the audience's spirits as they craned their necks toward the entrance.

Outside the Main Arena, the athletes who had been waiting for so long finally marched in sequentially under the direction of the Daionia soldiers.

Having watched the band and the referee delegation enter, the audience was already growing accustomed to the novel opening ceremony of the Theonian Rugby Games. They excitedly guessed which delegation would enter first, with some even placing bets. For many, the obvious answer was the Thurii Region of the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia; as the center of this powerful kingdom in the western Mediterranean and the host of the games, it undoubtedly deserved to lead the pack.

Only a few VIPs seated near the royal box could barely make out the announcer's voice over the roar of the crowd: “...In order to demonstrate the principle of ‘equality and justice’ championed by the great god Hades, His Majesty, the wise Davos, proposed to the organizing committee that the entrance order for each athletic delegation be arranged alphabetically according to the Greek names of the participating regions and city-states...”

The representatives of the Greek city-states suddenly understood. Daionia had genuinely fulfilled the promise made in their invitation letters—that “all participating city-states, regardless of size, shall be treated equally.” This realization left them somewhat moved.

Lycomedes, who had been speaking in low tones with Pelopidas, leaped to his feet upon realizing the Arcadian League delegation was entering. Completely disregarding his dignified status within the league, he acted just like any other Arcadian spectator, waving his arms incessantly and shouting loudly to cheer the athletes on.

The various city-states of the Arcadian League lacked large populations and formidable strength, but they were historically significant. Furthermore, they were located very close to the traditional host sites of the four major Panhellenic games. Influenced by this proximity, their caliber in traditional athletics had always been strong. Coupled with the close relationship between Mantineia and Daionia, and under Lycomedes's forceful promotion, the Arcadian League had dispatched over fifty athletes to compete in all events except swimming, horse racing, chariot racing, and archery.

The moment the Arcadian League athletes stepped onto the field, they were engulfed by deafening cheers that truly gave them a start. These competitors had all participated in at least one sporting event before, but they had never seen such a massive audience or such a magnificent arena. The roar of the crowd was like muffled thunder, rolling and echoing within the circular space, leaving them awe-struck while simultaneously igniting their fighting spirit.

The frustration of waiting so long outside the arena was swiftly forgotten. They enthusiastically waved back at the audience, sparking a lively exchange between the field and the stands that drove the atmosphere to even greater heights.

As the Arcadian athletic delegation approached the exclusive royal box, Davos and his family still had not returned to their seats. Instead, an additional person had joined them by the railing: Aedi, the wife of the late Adoris. They smiled and waved at the youth holding the Wooden Placard, calling out loud words of encouragement.

The youth kept his pace, marching ever forward, but his eyes grew slightly moist. This boy, who looked about two years older than Christod, was Aenon, the only son of Adoris. Following Adoris's death in battle, both Crotokatax and Davos had felt a deep sense of guilt, and as a result, they took exceptional care of Aedi and her son.

After the Arcadian delegation passed the royal box, the second delegation entered the arena. The word “Argos” was clearly carved into their Wooden Placard, thoroughly convincing the allied VIPs of the announcer's claim: Daionia truly was arranging the entrance of the delegations fairly by alphabetical order, without any favoritism.

The current situation in Argos was somewhat unfavorable.

In the past, it had constantly striven to bring the entire fertile triangular Plain of Argos in the Northeastern Peloponnese under its control to counter the mighty Sparta. However, several city-states within this region, such as Mycenae and Tiryns, had always clashed with its interests due to the covert support of Sparta. Even Cleonae, the host city of the Nemean Games, which was under its control, occasionally sought independence.

Following the Greek War, Argos—owing to its timely surrender and its contributions during the siege of Athens—had, after multiple requests, finally obtained Daionia's backing. It had largely completed the consolidation of the Plain of Argos, externally proclaiming the “Argos Plain Alliance.” However, Argos was an oligarchic regime, somewhat similar to Sparta, and severely lacked outstanding political leaders like Pelopidas and Lycomedes. The crude and heavy-handed methods it had used over the past few years to integrate the plain had sparked discontent and outright conflict among the other city-states. Thus, Argos's enthusiastic response to Daionia's invitation—sending a team of over forty athletes—was driven by the hope of once again securing Daionia's support during the upcoming Greek League conference, when the conflicts on the Plain of Argos would be discussed.

Although there were very few Argos spectators inside the arena, the passionate Daionia audience still gave the Argos Plain Alliance competitors the same friendly cheers they had given the Arcadian delegation.

Yet, the formation of the Argos delegation looked rather peculiar. The more numerous Argos athletes clustered together at the front, while the smaller number of athletes from their allied states huddled together and lagged behind. There was a considerable gap between the two groups, and any observant spectator knew exactly what it meant.

Plato, who understood the underlying situation, asked directly, “How does Daionia intend to handle the conflicts on the Plain of Argos?”

“It will be a major topic at the Greek League conference early next month. At that time, we will summon the leading statesmen from all the city-states on the Plain of Argos for discussions. We must not only listen to the opinions of Argos but also earnestly consider the reasonable demands of the other city-states...” Davos wore a solemn expression, speaking with diplomatic reserve. “We will strive to produce a resolution acceptable to all parties and settle this dispute peacefully.”

“The people of Argos are somewhat akin to the Spartans—conservative and stubborn. Moreover, their desire for total dominance over the Plain of Argos is long-standing and deeply ingrained. I'm afraid they will not compromise easily,” Plato reminded him.

“Originally, Argos lacked sufficient strength. Though they had occasional minor skirmishes with the other city-states on the Plain of Argos in the past, they could largely maintain the peace. Now that Argos has received the vigorous support of Daionia, it has intensified the conflicts in the region and led to the current tension. Daionia ought to bear a great deal of the responsibility for this!” Xenophon criticized without holding back.

“Only a few clashes have occurred; war hasn't broken out. The situation is far better than in the past, when battles would erupt at the drop of a hat. How can you say the conflicts have been intensified?” Plato argued, defending Daionia.

“That is merely because the Greek League has a decree stating that any city-state instigating a war will be severely punished, so they are all exercising restraint—” Xenophon retorted.

“And is that not to Daionia's credit? It is precisely because Daionia established and leads the Greek League that the Greek Mainland has enjoyed a prolonged period of peace—”

“I am not denying the achievements Daionia has made in this regard. I simply feel that Daionia has been somewhat inappropriate in its handling of the issue between Argos and the other city-states on the Plain of Argos—”

“You must understand that during the process of Daionia pacifying the Greek Mainland, Argos did indeed provide some assistance. Since Daionia can help Mantineia and Thebes consolidate their respective regions, supporting Argos is perfectly justifiable. After all, city-states like Mycenae provided Daionia with no aid whatsoever throughout the entire Greek War.”

“But facts have proven that the choice Daionia made back then was a mistake!”

“You cannot use a poor outcome to deny the rationality of the initial decision! Moreover, making a mistake is not necessarily a bad thing; Daionia can use it as a basis for improvement. However, under the current circumstances, I do believe that with Argos still employing the same oligarchic regime as the old Sparta, it will be almost impossible for them to properly lead the other city-states on the Plain of Argos—”

“The former Sparta was not an oligarchy at all. On the contrary, it was a mixed regime of monarchy and democracy that possessed more classical traditional virtues than the other city-states on the Greek Mainland—”

“This is the first time I've ever heard such a claim, and I do not agree with it. First, let us take a look: was Sparta a monarchy?—”