He wanted to find out the answer.
But know the answer.
We have to wait until Hilde comes in person to find out.
It would take another half a month for Socrates to meet Hilde. When Socrates was thinking about this matter, he might as well find a time to meet Hilde after she came to see what she has become. Then he could go back to the Byzantine Kingdom with Hilde to see what the powerful kingdom that Hilde built in two years looks like now... After all, Socrates had heard a lot of rumors, and many people who had personally been to the Byzantine Kingdom said that the Byzantine Kingdom was a very powerful and beautiful country. And the city of Byzantium might be more beautiful and magnificent than Athens.
But Hilde had only been in Byzantium for more than two years. Why had the Byzantine Kingdom undergone such a dramatic change in these two years? And what Socrates was most concerned about was that Socrates' good friend Herodotus had never returned since he went to Byzantium with Aspasia last time.
If there hadn't been correspondence between the two of them.
Socrates thought that Herodotus was dead.
Therefore, these reasons prompted Socrates to care about Hilde very much, and he wanted to find out what Hilde's current situation was like and what means she used to build the Byzantine Kingdom into what it is now.
Socrates was a man with a strong desire for knowledge, and now there was a situation before him that could make the country very, very good. Everyone was praising the Byzantine Kingdom as a very good country, so Socrates wanted to see for himself why the Byzantine Kingdom was so good?
And all this will have to wait until Hilde arrives.
Socrates kept this in mind.
Half a month passed quickly.
It's a sunny day today.
Hilde stood on the deck of the ship and looked at the scenery in the distance. After dozens of days of sailing, Xierer could finally see more and more sailboats gathering together. Obviously, the sea area where Hilde was heading now was an important route. The reason why there were so many ships here and the trade route was very busy was that the end point of this route was the Port of Piraeus in Athens.
The Port of Piraeus in Athens is the largest port in the entire Greek world. Almost half of the merchant ships in Greece have the Port of Piraeus as their final destination. They ship goods to the Port of Piraeus, but they do not necessarily sell them to Athens. Instead, they have to change ships at the Port of Piraeus or trade directly at the port and sell them to other ships for shipment to other places.
Strictly speaking, this place is a transit point for marine trade and an important window for Athens to connect with overseas. So when Hilde saw so many ships, she knew that they were very close to the port of Pyvith. If the ships continued to sail like this, they would soon reach their destination.
While on the road.
Hilde also saw many familiar scenes.
Especially when traveling this way.
Hilde saw Cape Sounion.
The Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion was where Hilde passed once when she was exiled to Byzantium. Hilde had been in Athens for so long that she had never been to Cape Sounion. Now she had passed by this place twice and saw the Temple of Poseidon where Rhodes, the Oracle of Poseidon, was born.
Hilde had some feelings.
Things have really changed.
Now Hilde is back.
And he returned as the king of the Byzantine Empire.
Hilde was also very curious about what Pericles was thinking after her envoy went to Athens and told Pericles what he was going to do. So Pericles' attitude was not what Hilde cared about most, but she was still a little curious and wanted to know Pericles' real thoughts.
However, Hilde was sure of one thing, that Pericles would have no reaction to his arrival, and he would never have thought that he would come back. So his visit this time would definitely cause Pericles a lot of trouble, but now 15 days have passed, so Pericles should have been prepared.
Fifth key, fifth verse. I look down on Athens.
Hilde thought so.
And this time.
Sophia walked over to Hilde.
"Xixi, this place looks familiar to you?"
"That's for sure... Didn't I leave from this place when I was exiled two years ago? I still remember that there were ships everywhere on the road, all of them were merchant ships. Even though Athens was in crisis at the time, the number of merchant ships did not decrease." Hilde sighed helplessly, and then said, "But this time I'm back again. Pericles, who exiled me, must be very surprised now."
"After all, no one would have thought that you could build such a powerful kingdom and become the king of this kingdom. Moreover, you are the oracle of Lady Athena. I am afraid that after the people of Athens know about this, no one will not be surprised. They may even force you to stay in Athens. After all, the guardian of Athens is Lady Athena."
Sophia said with emotion.
Hilde understands this very well.
Indeed...
If the whole Athens knew that she was the oracle of Athena, then the Athenians would definitely want Hilde to stay here. After all, Athena was the patron saint of Athens. But Hilde couldn't stay here... So this time, Hilde wanted to be relatively low-key and not let everyone know that there were people everywhere who wanted to see Hilde.
But what Hilde didn't know was that she didn't want everyone to know about it. But after the Citizens' Assembly knew about it, the male citizens who attended the Citizens' Assembly told their wives and children about it and got it from their closest friends. As a result, the news spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. It didn't take a few days for the news to spread throughout Athens. Now everyone in Athens knew that Hilde, the daughter of Pericles, was coming back.
If Hilde knew this was the case.
I guess he has fainted a long time ago.
"At this speed, how long will it take to reach the port of Piraeus?"
"Your Majesty, there are still two hours left."
"It's longer than I thought. It seems I underestimated the size of Athens."
Hilde's fleet sailed towards Athens in the middle of the merchant ships. This time, including the merchant ships, Hilde's fleet numbered about 50 ships. This size of fleet was to ensure that no one would attack on the road, and also because Hilde might purchase some things in Athens and then use these ships to transport them back.
Hilde's fleet obviously attracted a lot of attention. After all, many people have never seen a country with a double-headed eagle printed on its sails. When Hilde established the Byzantine Kingdom, she used the eagle as the totem of the Byzantine Kingdom. She also used the double-headed eagle specifically. This was actually a joke Hilde was playing, but no one in this era knew what this joke meant.
So when many people saw the red double-headed eagle, they all felt very strange, but some people were able to recognize that it was a ship from the Byzantine Empire. Looking at the magnificent fleet, other merchant ships were trying to avoid it and make way for Hilde's fleet.
Another two hours of sailing passed.
When the time arrived in the afternoon.
At this time, the fleet was finally able to see the port of Piraeus in the distance.
Hilde had originally planned to have lunch in Athens, but the speed was slower than Hilde expected, so she had to eat lunch on the boat. There was no need to think too much about lunch, which was dried fish, dried meat, bread, goat cheese and red wine. Hilde ate these things for a long time and felt like she was going to vomit.
We are about to arrive in Athens.
In the end, I still have to eat these things.
Hilde seemed a little desperate.
And Hilde actually doesn't need to eat this kind of thing. Hilde can meet her daily needs just by sucking blood. But this time Aspasia is also with her. If Hilde doesn't eat, Aspasia will definitely criticize Hilde again.
In order to prevent her mother from criticizing her for this matter, Hilde would eat something when everyone else was eating. Anyway, Hilde had not lost her sense of taste, and she could still taste the food. She didn't feel anything at first, but after eating for such a long time, Hilde was really a little bloated.
No matter how good something is, you can’t eat it every day.
Fortunately, the most painful days.
It has ended.
After arriving at the Port of Piraeus, the fleet slowly began to dock. The Athenians knew that such a large fleet would arrive, and prepared a port for the Byzantine ships to dock in advance. So under the command of the Athenians, these ships of the Byzantine Kingdom stopped at several docks on the left side of the Port of Piraeus. When the ships stopped steadily here, they were considered to have completely arrived in Athens.
Now Hilde can breathe a sigh of relief.
“Athens is still the same.”
Standing on the deck, Hilde could easily see the entire Piraeus Port. The current Piraeus Port was indeed no different from when Hilde left. It was still so busy, still so crowded, full of all kinds of goods and all kinds of stench. After all, this was a big market, and it was inevitable that all kinds of food would be sold in the market, as well as slaves. For example, live goats would have goat dung, horses would have horse dung, cows would have cow dung, and slaves would have human dung. So this led to the sanitary environment of the Piraeus Port, which was really not worth mentioning.
"Can't Pericles find time to tidy up the port of Piraeus?"
Aspasia couldn't help but say.
It seems that after living in the clean and tidy Byzantine city for a period of time.
Aspasia also couldn't stand the dirtiness and mess in Athens.
"He can't see this place anyway. The big men in Athens all live in the noble city. How could they be willing to come to places like Piraeus, which are inhabited by foreigners and merchants?" Hilde complained helplessly. "Besides Piraeus, there are also slums in Athens. The living environment in those slums is very bad. Pericles has never thought about governing the slums. This is why the Commoners can become bigger and bigger and oppose Pericles' rule."
"Well, I have told Pericles all this."
Aspasia shook her head helplessly.
Chapter 6 of the Fifth Tune: The Scam of the Deep Love between Father and Daughter
"But he told me that this matter is very troublesome to resolve and it is definitely not something that can be effectively resolved in a few words. He also knows about these situations, but Athens has limited energy and can only focus on competing with Sparta and some things in the city for the time being."
"They're all excuses."
Hilde could actually understand Pericles' difficulties.
Even if Hilde came to govern Athens.
It is not necessarily better than the governance of Pericles.
But Hilde just wants to be a keyboard warrior.
Because she just doesn't like Pericles. Even though she knows Pericles has his own difficulties, she still says that Pericles is just a piece of trash and can't even do this. To put it bluntly, Hilde wants to disgust Pericles through such things. Anyway, Hilde is not only qualified to talk nonsense, but also likes it.
"I will be able to see Pericles today. I wonder what Pericles has become after not seeing him for such a long time." Aspasia said with a little emotion, "Although I have left him, we lived together for such a long time after all. Thinking of his goodness in the past, I still have an indescribable nostalgia in my heart."
"I suddenly feel that bringing you here was a wrong choice."
Hilde sighed helplessly.
"Please don't rekindle your old relationship with Pericles at this time. It will be very embarrassing for me."
"Don't worry. I know what to do about this kind of thing. I know what I should do and what I shouldn't do. So, there will be no possibility between Pericles and me. After all, he abandoned you without telling me... Just for this matter, I will never forgive him in my life."
Aspasia's attitude was very firm, as if to give Hilde confidence. After learning Aspasia's thoughts, Hilde also breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Hilde didn't want to go back to Athens and end up with her parents who had broken up getting back together. If this really happened, Hilde would be so embarrassed.
Really troublesome.
Trouble within trouble.
At this time, the city of Athens had sent people to welcome Hilde and others. Carriages were ready at the port, and there were soldiers specifically responsible for protecting the safety of Hilde and his people. However, Hilde brought his own guards. As a king, there was no problem in bringing his own guards when traveling to other countries.
The envoys sent by Hilde had already told the Athenians about this. After all, Hilde didn't bring many people with her, only 100 people, and these people were mainly for the sake of appearance. After all, these guards wearing exquisite armor were burly, and they were all people who had fought against the Thracians on the battlefield. There was no way to hide the murderous aura on them. Such a force escorted Hilde's safety. When Hilde walked on the streets of Athens, it would definitely make others think that Hilde, the king of the Byzantine Kingdom, was very powerful.
So this is about the dignity of the country.
Hilton will not compromise on this matter.
So when Hilde saw the Athenians coming to greet him, he knew that they must have agreed to this. If they didn't agree, they wouldn't have come to greet him. At this time, Hilde also saw Pericles on the deck.
It seems that this time Hilde really alarmed the whole of Athens. She knew that Pericles would definitely not want to come to greet her, but Pericles still came. Seeing Pericles's reluctant look, Hilde found it very interesting. Next, Hilde will take the time to disgust Pericles.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Hilde already had a plan in mind.
So when the ship came to a complete stop, a wooden board was placed on the platform of the port. The first to come out were the guards responsible for protecting Hilde. These soldiers were wearing gorgeous steel armor, and their spears were shining coldly. They were neatly lined up and had a strict attitude. Under the surprised eyes of the surrounding Athenians, they came out of the ship and stood on the port.
The guards were lined up in a row.
This momentum alone made others feel breathless.
There are only 100 people.
But it was like there were 1 people in front of me.
The situation of these Byzantine guards was different from that of the elite troops of Athens and Sparta. On the one hand, their food and nutrition level were better than those of Athens and Sparta. The Byzantine guards had meat in their meals every day, which was something that the armies of other countries could not match.
After a year or two of meat supplementation and high-intensity training, they have become very sturdy, with every muscle full of strength. There is also a height requirement for joining the Royal Guards. If you are short, you cannot join the Royal Guards. Even if you have strong fighting ability, if you are not tall, then even if you have outstanding fighting ability and are very loyal to the kingdom, unfortunately, you still cannot join the Royal Guards. Because the Royal Guards are not just a branch of the army to protect the monarch. If something really happens, Hilde, the oracle, will have to protect the Royal Guards instead.
In many cases, the main role of the Imperial Guard is to serve as a guard of honor. In normal times, when there is no fighting, all they need to do is look good.
Therefore, all these guards were composed of veterans who were over 1 meters tall, strong and experienced. Their combat quality was no worse than that of the Spartans. And most importantly, their equipment was far superior to that of the Greeks. At present, the steel that the Byzantine Kingdom could produce was only enough for the production of weapons, but it still produced a batch of expensive steel armor for these soldiers.
and so……
Extremely strong physical fitness plus extremely strong equipment.
This is why the Byzantine Empire's Guards looked so imposing.
After the guards came down, they split into two rows and made way for Hilde. Then, under the curious and surprised eyes of the other Athenians, Hilde, the king of the Byzantine Kingdom, gradually appeared in front of everyone.
Hilde was wearing a red robe at this time. The overall look gave people a very gorgeous feeling. At the same time, as a horse king, Hilde started her career through war, so Hilde did not forget that she was also a soldier. She did not hold some precious items that only the king could hold, but used a spear as her cane. Surrounded by the guards, she slowly came to the ground of Piraeus Port.
"Athens, I'm back."
Hilde lowered her voice and spoke to herself.
Then she looked up.
Look around.
At this time, Pericles also came over with a false smile. It was obvious that Pericles must have made sufficient mental preparations during this period of time, so that he could face his exiled daughter with such an expression. And Hilde was also stunned for a moment. At this time, some of the plans she had just thought of emerged in her mind, so Hilde walked over happily and hugged Pericles.
"Long time no see, father."
"what……"
"How is your health during this period?"
Facing Hilde's concern, Pericles obviously didn't expect Hilde to do this. This sudden concern made Pericles smell a hint of conspiracy. At this time, Hilde let go of Pericles, with a smile on his face that made it impossible to tell whether it was fake or genuine.
"I feel relieved to see that you are healthy. I have been worried about your health for the past two years."
