Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 953: An Acquaintance

As the turmoil within the city intensified, the High Priest of the Temple of Apollo grew deeply concerned. He had only held his position for a few years and lacked his predecessor's immense influence over Syracuse—the former high priest had successfully mediated between the factions, facilitated the current political structure, and restored peace to the city, earning tremendous prestige in the process. Nevertheless, the current high priest resolved to follow that example, determined to do everything in his power to restore order and stability.

To this end, he took the initiative to seek out Theagenes and Phalecus. He earnestly urged them to stop attacking one another, warning that their infighting would only give their enemies to the north an opening to strike.

In truth, both Theagenes and Phalecus were already fearful of the chaos spreading through the city. An army of tens of thousands of Daionians was poised to strike from the north; if internal strife tore Syracuse apart now, the danger would be catastrophic.

With the high priest stepping in to mediate, both men seized the excuse to back down. They each declared that, for the sake of Syracuse, they were willing to reconcile.

...

Early on the third morning, the members of the Council entered the venue with solemn expressions. Before the meeting could even begin, sudden news arrived: a Daionian army of over fifty thousand men had marched out of Katane and was heading south.

The council members instantly grew tense. Were the Daionians about to attack them?!

Just as panic began to set in, Theagenes stood up. Taking the initiative to show goodwill toward Phalecus, he delivered an impassioned speech reminding the assembly not to fall for Daionian tricks. They needed to unite and focus all their strength on defending against the impending invasion.

Phalecus and the other council members of the Neutral Faction responded positively, and they eagerly began discussing strategies to counter the approaching war.

However, the fact that politically astute generals could reach a compromise and restore order to the Council during a crisis did not mean the ordinary citizens could do the same. The populace remained completely unaware of the shifted climate within the Council. Although City Hall had dispatched additional patrols, street clashes continued breaking out across the city, eventually culminating in a tragedy.

Several young men who supported Theagenes got into a dispute with a group of Neutral Faction supporters. The argument quickly escalated into a brawl. Outnumbered, the young men were surrounded and beaten.

By the time a patrol arrived and dispersed the crowd, they made a grisly discovery: one of the young men was lying in a pool of blood, his chest pierced by a dagger. In the chaos, no one had seen who stabbed him.

For a moment, the patrol was at a loss for how to handle the situation. Supporters of the Democratic Faction, however, had already begun flocking to the scene. Seeing the grisly sight, the crowd was thrown into a frenzy, furiously demanding that the murderer be brought to justice.

When the news reached the Council, the bustling hall fell dead silent. Both the Democratic Faction and the Neutral Faction immediately began holding urgent internal discussions. They needed a solution that would satisfy their respective supporters without plunging Syracuse into further turmoil during this critical crisis.

Right at that moment, scouts sent back another report: the Daionian army had passed the Ruins of Palagonia and was continuing south. Their vanguard cavalry had likely already approached Gela.

The council members were stunned. Then, relief blossomed on their faces, and some even erupted into cheers. "So the Daionian army isn't coming to wage war on Syracuse! They're going to attack the Carthaginians!"

With the dark clouds of war lifted, the atmosphere in the hall instantly relaxed.

At that moment, Theagenes stood up and sternly declared, "Since there is no way to know who the real killer is, every Neutral Faction supporter involved in that brawl shares the blame! They must all be arrested and put on trial!"

Phalecus and his allies naturally voiced their staunch opposition, and arguments once again echoed through the hall.

Before long, a speech by Sebenus reignited the temporarily pacified conflict between the Democratic Faction and the Neutral Faction. "Although the Daionians have launched an attack on the Carthaginians," he declared, "our Syracuse remains in a state of hostility with Daionia. To ensure no accidents occur, and to allow the Daionians to focus all their efforts on attacking the Carthaginians without worry, we must temporarily restore friendly relations with them. Therefore, I believe we must fulfill the conditions laid out by the Daionians!"

The conditions laid out by the Daionians demanded that the Council punish Phalecus and his allies! Immediately, the uproar in the hall grew even more turbulent.

Although Hicetas did not participate in the dispute, the accusations flying between the Democratic and Neutral Factions revealed secrets that filled him with grief and indignation. He finally understood the things that had baffled him before: Why had certain Council members from the Harbor Commoner Faction suddenly broken their promises and supported resolutions detrimental to the harbor commoners? Why had the Harbor Commoner Faction gradually lost its unity and splintered?

At dusk, an exhausted Hicetas returned to his residence by the harbor, only to be informed by his household that a commoner claiming to have urgent business was waiting for him in the hall.

As a general of the Harbor Commoner Faction, Hicetas frequently received harbor commoners and even registered freemen at his home. He listened to their opinions and requests, doing his best to help them resolve their difficulties.

While his servants were preparing dinner, he decided to meet with the man.

Seeing Hicetas enter the living room, the commoner unhurriedly stood up and bowed.

Hicetas noted the man's ordinary appearance and had no recollection of him; they had likely never met before. Thus, he asked, "What is your name? What business do you have with me?"

A faint, mysterious smile suddenly appeared on the man's plain, impassive face. He said softly, "Lord Hicetas, Lord Antrapolis sends his regards!"

Those words churned up distant memories in Hicetas's mind. His heart jolted, and his cloudy eyes instantly sharpened as he stared directly at the man.

The man calmly met his gaze.

Hicetas quickly snapped back to his senses. He turned to his trusted servant and solemnly ordered, "Leave us. Tell the others that no one is allowed to enter without my orders!"

Once the servant had left, Hicetas finally asked, "Are you a Daionian?"

"Yes. My name is Artemis. I am a citizen of Daionia, from Catana," the man said frankly.

"You have a lot of nerve, Daionian!" Hicetas slammed his hand against the back of a chair and shouted fiercely. "Speak! How many of you are inside Syracuse?! Are you the ones responsible for the turmoil in the city?!"

Artemis was not frightened in the least. Instead, he offered a faint smile and spoke seriously. "The harbor commoners of Syracuse haven't had it easy these past two years, have they? Their allotted land is shrinking, and some have even been forcibly relocated. The number of commoners allowed to participate in the ecclesia has been restricted, your representation in the Council has been capped, and even the quota for electing generals has decreased... And rather than uniting to fight for their interests, the harbor commoners have splintered into factions. They fight amongst themselves over shipping, unloading, and fishing profits at the docks, giving the Council even more excuses to suppress you... Hicetas, if Lord Antrapolis knew of your current situation, he would be deeply heartbroken!"

Although Antrapolis had long since stepped down from his post in the Intelligence Agency of the Kingdom of Daunia, he was the one who had dispatched operatives years ago to help the Syracuse harbor commoners unite, ultimately succeeding in launching a riot. Even though Hicetas and his allies had never met Antrapolis in person, they were no strangers to the name. This was exactly why Artemis brought him up.

Listening to these words, Hicetas flushed with a deep sense of shame. The Harbor Commoner Faction's current predicament was, of course, tied to his own lack of ability and poor leadership.

But he quickly shook off the feeling: the man sitting in front of him was an enemy of Syracuse!

His face darkened immediately, and he prepared to issue a sharp rebuttal.

Artemis, however, suddenly reached into his robes and pulled out a Papyrus Scroll tied with a black cord. He said in a low voice, "Lord Antrapolis is far away in the north of the kingdom, so naturally, he is unaware of the terrible conditions the harbor commoners of Syracuse face today. But His Majesty, King Davos in Catana, has thoroughly and carefully inquired about the situation. He expressed exceptional concern for your plight and stated that he will do everything in his power to help you. He also wrote this letter and ordered me to deliver it to you!"

With that, he offered the scroll forward.

Hicetas unconsciously took a step back. His eyes remained locked on the scroll, his pupils shrinking rapidly. This was a letter written by the King of Daionia—the enemy most feared by the generals and council members of Syracuse! If he accepted it, he feared he might succumb to temptation, and if the matter ever leaked, it would become damning evidence of treason. But if he refused it, he worried he would miss a golden opportunity. The harbor commoners were indeed in a dire state, and today's meeting had been yet another blow to his faction...

Torn by profound inner conflict, Hicetas stood frozen in place. Artemis remained completely silent, keeping the scroll raised... The entire scene seemed to freeze in time.

After a long time, Hicetas let out a soft sigh. "I'm old..."

With the utmost care, he reached out with both hands and took the scroll—an object as light as a feather, yet as heavy as a mountain...

...

In truth, the Syracuse scouts had failed to notice that while the main Daionian army marched south, another Daionian force had left through Catana's west gate even earlier, marching northwest toward the mountains.

By afternoon, this army approached Agyrium, not far from the western foot of Mount Etna.

Clerus, who had received the news in advance and was waiting outside the city, came forward to meet them.

"Lord Clerus, sorry to keep you waiting!" Lizarus and Epithenes quickly dismounted and apologized. Although Clerus was over a decade younger than them, he was also a Senator. This time, he had been specially ordered to temporarily set aside his administrative duties to assist them, so the two generals did not dare treat him with the slightest disrespect.