Such changes also made Hilde a little more relaxed about the situation in Ionia. After all, the people in these places were all Greeks, so as long as the Persians existed, everyone's demands would be the same. It was precisely because of this that their identity could change rapidly in a short period of time.
Wait until later.
Ionia could then be transformed into a part of the Byzantine Empire without bloodshed.
Hilde followed the road to Ephesus, passed through the city gate, and entered the city.
There were also many people in the city, lining the streets to welcome him. From time to time, people presented flowers, and the soldiers were treated with high standards. Under such circumstances, Hilder's pace was slowed down a lot. By the time Hilder arrived at the final destination, a full hour had passed.
Sophia was waiting anxiously inside. She wanted to go out to greet him, but the special condition of the sofa cover prevented her from going out casually. Otherwise, if there was any problem with the hood and others saw her horns, it would probably cause a very bad impact. After waiting for a while, Sophia heard the sound of Hilde coming back, so she ran out of the mansion quickly.
"Sissi!"
At this time, Hilde was at the door of the mansion.
Get off the horse.
Sophia rushed over and hugged Hilde's waist.
"Ah, Sophia."
Hilde turned around and saw Sophia.
"Sorry for the waitting."
"Sissi, I, I..."
Sophia looked a little excited, and now she was a little incoherent. Hilde looked at Sophia with a smile. Through the hood, Hilde could see that Sophia wanted to cry but was holding back. So Hilde reached out and gently stroked Sophia's cheek, smiling and saying, "Don't worry, I'm back now, don't worry too much."
"OK, all right."
Sophia turned her head and hugged Dioni again.
"I miss you too."
"Sister Sophia, how are you doing?"
"I feel miserable when you're not around."
Seeing Dione and Sophia being so intimate, Hilde could only smile bitterly and said to Golgopas: "I've shown you something you shouldn't have seen."
"Sorry, I'll step away now."
"is not what it means."
Seeing Golgopas was about to leave, Hilde smiled and said:
"Don't leave, there's still a carnival today."
"Of course, I remember this matter, and I will do it."
Hearing this, Sophia looked up and noticed Golgopas here.
"Who is this?"
"This is Golgopas, the oracle of Lord Dionysus, from Abydos. We were enemies before, but after a fight, he has now joined us." After Hilde made a brief introduction, he thought for a moment, "Speaking of which, this carnival..."
Hilde hadn't finished speaking yet.
Sophia couldn't help but say:
“I was the one who suggested it!”
"You? That's really rare..."
"Of course, because everyone is very excited after knowing that you won. Isn't this the most suitable day to hold a party?"
"You're right. I really didn't expect what you said. A carnival will not only clear away the gloom in Ephesus, but also let other Ionian city-states know one thing, that is, the power of the Byzantine Kingdom and its other advantages." Hilde nodded with satisfaction and said, "This carnival should be held for three days to let all the surrounding city-states know how happy life is in Ephesus ruled by the Byzantine Kingdom!"
"what……"
Sophia was also stunned.
She didn't actually think that much.
"what happened?"
"No, it's okay!"
Sophia quickly shook her head and said with a smile:
"Since this person is Lord Dionysus's oracle, does that mean Lord Golgopas will be in charge of this carnival?"
"That's a bad word."
Golgopas smiled bitterly and said:
"I really can't take responsibility. I should be a participant in this carnival. You know, according to legend, Lord Dionysus' favorite thing to do is to enjoy happiness with the carnival people, rather than to be the organizer of happiness. So, I hope you can allow me to be your companion and participate in the carnival in the next few days."
"No problem at all."
Hilde gently took Sophia's hand.
"Then, will we be together?"
“Ah? But…but…”
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Hilde knew that Sophia must be too worried about her situation. After all, the horns on her head made Sophia have to be careful no matter what she did. But Hilde didn't think that Sophia's horns had to be hidden for the rest of her life. If there was no way to get rid of them, Hilde even decided that when the time was right, she would reveal her horns and make them public together with Sophia.
Anyway, in the ancient Greek era, horns were not actually a symbol of the devil. They were a Christian thing. Although they were associated with some monsters, many of the monsters in ancient Greek mythology were even objects of worship and descendants of gods. In this case, rather than causing people to be disgusted, some people might brag that their king and princess were descendants of gods, so they had horns or something.
All of these things could happen.
But these are all things for later.
Hilde doesn't plan to think about it that much.
The current revelry in Ephesus has become Hilde's greatest concern.
Hilde was still looking forward to how the carnival would be. After all, with Golgopas here, Hilde was not worried at all.
Ephesus in Carnival
After Hilde came back, she stayed with Sophia for a while.
As for the carnival, Pyrrhus is basically in charge now, so Hilde can rest assured to leave all the matters to Pyrrhus. As for Golgopas, he is now looking forward to the carnival in the evening. It can be seen that Golgopas has let go of some things in his heart and can accept his current situation calmly. Therefore, Hilde can also put her mind at ease for the time being, at least the current situation is still very stable.
Soon, it was night time.
When it gets dark.
Ephesus would have fallen into silence.
But now it has become very lively.
Torches were lit on both sides of the road, and the flames illuminated the entire Ephesus.
The people of Ephesus took to the streets, wearing their most gorgeous clothes, gathering in various places in the city, holding up their wine glasses, singing beautiful songs loudly, and sharing stories with each other. All the wine stored in Ephesus was taken out, and the generous Hilde paid for all the wine from the wine merchants and distributed it to everyone who participated in the carnival.
In front of the temple in Ephesus, cattle and sheep were slaughtered and grilled in front of the temple. This was an ancient sacrificial ritual, but these grilled cattle and sheep could be enjoyed by ordinary people. The mouth-watering smell of barbecue wafted around the city of Ephesus, making people hungry.
In addition, people playing lyres spread beautiful music in various parts of the city. Thanks to the strong religious atmosphere in Ephesus, the music here was mostly solemn and dignified, which was completely different from the carnival atmosphere. But everyone could still enjoy the beautiful music, shout the names of the gods, and drink wine from their glasses, which was very enjoyable.
Today's carnival.
As Hilde said.
It really washed away everyone's negative emotions during this period.
On the main road of Ephesus, countless women and girls gathered, shaking their bodies and laughing loudly to the rough but rhythmic beats. Some girls even exposed their breasts, facing the crowd in their most uninhibited manner, almost losing themselves in the revelry, immersed in happiness. The people around looked over here with enthusiastic eyes, but they were soon attracted by this happiness.
"A young man with eyes as bright as a virgin!"
Among the women.
Golgopas's voice sounded very loud.
He was among the crowd, beating his tambourine, making a very pleasant rhythm, and at the same time singing Anacreon's poems in the Ionian dialect.
Golgopas has a kind of magic. When his voice spreads around, people who hear it can feel the joy in their hearts, and the whole person will become happier and more ecstatic, and even forget everything about themselves, focusing only on their inner joy and freedom. And following the rhythm of Golgopas, everyone starts to dance to their heart's content, moving their bodies and making themselves more beautiful, regardless of their image.
"I'm chasing you, but you don't manage your finances!"
In such a state.
It is obviously a lyrical song, but it is in the shouting of Golgopas.
Become very radical.
This is the charm of Dionysus, and the carnival of Golgopa is the Dionysian hymn popular in the Greek world.
Unlike the Apollo hymn, the Dionysian hymn made people ignore their external image and talk to their inner self. This revelry without regard for any consequences was the ultimate purpose of the Dionysian hymn. Under the influence of Dionysus's power, all the people who participated in it seemed to have completely forgotten many things and became extremely fanatical and free.
"How can you know the reins of my soul?"
"You are in control!"
After the singing is finished.
Golgopas took the jar and poured the wine into his own mouth.
Under the stimulation of wine and happiness, Golgopas became a little dizzy, but he did make everyone fall into happiness, and everyone became very fast. Hilde pretended not to see such chaos.
"It's so lively."
"Yes……"
Sophia was a little drunk.
She and Hilde were both on the top of the Temple of Artemis, where they could see the grand carnival in Ephesus, and no one would disturb them. Sophia took off her hood, revealing her head with long horns, and then gently leaned on Hilde's legs. Hilde stroked Sophia's head and said, "I never thought we could go this far. I still feel a little emotional now."
"Will the Byzantine Empire become more and more powerful?"
"of course."
Hilde smiled and said:
"Let's end the matter of Ionia here. From now on, we can focus on the north."
"Scythians..."
Sophia closed her eyes and asked worriedly:
"Do we really have to fight the Scythians?"
"...Of course, otherwise, the North will never be stable. Don't worry, I know that Tomyris is in Scythia, and I also know that Tomyris is an oracle, but I have defeated several oracles, from the King of Thrace, Cleopatra, and Golgopas. Although Tomyris is a hero that Artemis was willing to come down to earth to teach, I am not afraid of her, and I am looking forward to fighting with her."
"Okay."
Sophia gave a trustworthy smile.
At this moment, Hilde felt that someone suddenly appeared behind him.
"Xiao Xuexue, you suddenly showed up without even saying hello?"
"You two are so affectionate, how dare I disturb this good time."
Hilde turned around with a smile, and standing behind her was none other than Xerxes II, the Emperor of the Persian Empire.
Xerxes walked over to Hilde and sat down. She gently rested her head on Hilde's shoulder, then looked at the bustling Ephesus in the distance and said with a smile, "You are worthy of it. The wonderful appearance of Ephesus now is all due to you. You are the well-deserved savior of Ionia."
"Don't say that."
Hilde smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"You know the truth."
"Ah, by the way, were you talking about Tomyris?" Xerxes suddenly changed the subject. "This guy is incredible. He actually has the same name as Queen Tomyris."
(I’ve finished my family work… I’m really sorry for the lack of updates during this period, but I haven’t stopped updating since May)
The third verse, the fear of carnival
"You mean Queen Tomyris of Scythia?"
"Yes, it's only been a hundred years."
Xerxes said helplessly:
"Back then, when Cyrus the Great was defeated in the war against Scythia, Queen Tomyris threw his head into human blood. Only a hundred years have passed, and I didn't expect that the successor to the Kingdom of Scythia would be another woman named Tomyris."
"Then you better not go to Scythia. What if history repeats itself?"
