"Although Thermopylae is easy to defend and difficult to attack, whether Sparta will actually send an army remains uncertain."
The Athenian naval commissioner blinked several times and said, "General, what do you mean?"
"The Persians are approaching with their army. How could they not send troops?"
When Pericles heard the words of the Athenian naval commissioner, he just shook his head slightly.
"Currently, only Holy Egypt knows about the Persians approaching Greece, and they provided the information."
"If the Spartans had already sent out their army, they would have sent someone to inform us."
"But now, Sparta hasn't sent anyone to Athens to seek support, which is very strange in itself."
"This means that even the Spartans haven't noticed yet, or their parliament hasn't agreed to send out the army yet."
"I don't need to explain this in detail. You should understand that this is because the Spartan system is different from ours."
The Athenian naval commissioner nodded, obviously understanding Pericles' words.
Pericles then continued speaking.
"This information was brought by merchants from Corinth. Their caravans often travel in the Mediterranean."
"But they couldn't have done this without a purpose, they couldn't have spread this news without a purpose."
When the Athenian naval commissioner heard this, his eyes lit up slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Is this Saint Egypt's intention to have these Corinthian merchants come to Athens to spread the word?"
"But why would they do that?"
"We have invaded their territory in the past, not to mention the Spartans. They even summoned the god of war, Ares, to fight against Holy Egypt."
"Holy Egypt's attitude towards us should be hostile."
"Even if the information is true, I'm afraid Saint Egypt has other intentions?"
Pericles' gaze at this time slowly moved from Thermopylae to the direction of Holy Egypt.
Holy Egypt was another strange and unknown civilization to them.
"I also spoke with several council members today about Holy Egypt."
"We all believe that Holy Egypt has great economic and geopolitical value."
"As long as we maintain good relations with Holy Egypt, the kingdoms and civilizations in its direction will no longer pose any threat to us."
"We can then turn our attention back to Persia and Sparta."
When Pericles said this, he began to draw tracks on the Mediterranean Sea with his fingers, simulating the path of Saint Egypt to Thermopylae.
"But why would the Holy Pharaoh do this?"
Pericles repeated this sentence two or three times, and after about a few minutes, he narrowed his eyes.
"Could it be..."
The Athenian naval commissioner swallowed hard. After all, he didn't know what Pericles was thinking.
He just wanted to know what he should do now, and whether Athens should send troops to Thermopylae first.
After all, if they wait until they have fully verified the information, it may be too late to take any action.
As long as the Persians were allowed to pass through Thermopylae, their army would have no problem reaching the city-state of Sparta.
"General, what should we do now?"
"If it's a lie, it won't have much impact on us, but if it's true, then..."
At this moment, Pericles raised his head and looked at the Athenian naval commissioner.
"So what do you think?"
The Athenian naval commissioner sighed, he just spoke frankly.
"I think this information deserves attention. Although it does sound unbelievable, considering the recent rapid expansion of the Holy Egyptians' reputation and their victory over the Hebrew Empire, I don't think we can risk ignoring it."
"If this is true, then Holy Egypt, Holy Egypt..."
The Athenian naval commissioner pursed his lips again when he said this.
"Holy Egypt has been indebted to Athens and Sparta, and even to all of Greece."
"But the Holy Pharaoh must have had some ulterior motive. After all, the Greeks once set foot on their territory."
"In my opinion, the Saint Pharaoh's bargaining chips will probably only be clearly seen after this incident."
"Therefore, I think it would be best for us to send some troops and divine messengers directly to Thermopylae and send an envoy today to inquire about this matter with Sparta."
"These things should be done in parallel. If this is true, it will be very helpful for both Greece and the world conference."
Pericles thought for a moment and finally made a decision.
"Okay, now, you immediately send a messenger to Sparta to verify the situation."
"At the same time, inform Athens that the navy needs to be put on combat readiness. You must immediately convene the naval councilors. We are numerous and can ensure that the vote is passed."
"Once the vote is passed, we will immediately summon our navy and divine messengers."
"If the Persians are indeed moving, we must be prepared to respond."
"I will not allow Athens to be threatened in any way."
The Athenian Naval Commissioner nodded heavily. He finally got the answer he wanted.
Now, he can start taking action.
"General, what about the World Conference?"
Pericles then continued, "For now, we will proceed as planned, but we must be prepared for both scenarios."
“On the one hand, we actively participate in the meeting and show the unity and civility of our Greek Federation.”
"On the other hand, we are always prepared to respond to potential military threats."
The Athenian Naval Commissioner's pupils trembled slightly when he heard the word "unity".
After all, the very presence of Athens and Sparta at today's world conference underscores the irreconcilable divisions in Greece today.
"As you command, General."
The naval commissioner simply saluted and then turned around to leave to carry out the order.
"etc."
Pericles then called him.
"There is a more important mission. I need you to go to Corinth in person, find that merchant, and learn more about the Holy Egyptian Fleet."
"If they do have that kind of capability, Athens needs to reassess our maritime defense strategy."
“Before we make peace with Holy Egypt, we must also be wary of emerging powers like Holy Egypt.”
The Athenian naval commissioner nodded in agreement and then hurried away.
His figure quickly disappeared into the night.
Pericles stood in front of the window, looking at the direction where the naval commissioner left for a long time, frowning slightly.
His eyes, usually filled with wisdom and calmness, now revealed a rare worry.
"Holy Egypt... Thermopylae..."
"It seems that there will be many surprising things at this world conference."
"Hehehe."
He turned back to his desk and looked at the map again.
Pericles's gaze just kept moving back and forth between Greece and Holy Egypt.
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