Chapter 116: The prison is big, the snake is going to die
For more than ten days, every morning from a certain house in Knossos, there were faint screams.
The residents around who heard the news began to panic, worrying that some evil spirit had sneaked into the city.
Even a few families living near the source raised money to invite the priestess from the temple to exorcise the evil spirits.
Fortunately, the effect seemed to be very obvious. The screams during the day disappeared, but there were some inexplicable vibrations faintly felt at night.
Finally, as the Dionysian Festival drew closer, even this little anomaly gradually disappeared.
Instead, there is a festive and lively atmosphere.
At the call of the temple, wines from various city-states on the island of Crete were transported to the city of Knossos to participate in a quality competition to see if they could be selected as the next year's fine wine for worshiping the gods.
Due to the developed shipping and convenient transportation here, travelers and businessmen from inside and outside the island have come here to participate in this event, either to simply enjoy the celebration or to look for business opportunities.
Therefore, ships shuttle back and forth between various ports every day, pedestrians are shoulder to shoulder on the streets, and both stalls and hotels are packed every day.
For a time, the pressure on the city defense forces doubled, and even the precious Divine Blood Guards were forced to take on some defense and patrol tasks.
The temple in charge of overall planning was working non-stop all day long. In just a few days, the high priest Ariadne lost several pounds.
There is no way, as King Minos is old and was badly injured in the last battle. Now he can only lie in bed and rest, hanging on for his last breath.
It was not easy for the princes to take care of their own affairs under the pressure of the old king.
The only secretary who is familiar with all government affairs and can take on the important responsibility is in seclusion for cultivation.
In desperation, the high priest who could not bear the pressure could only go to the goddess of wisdom whom he believed in for help.
It was also because of this that Loen got a chance to breathe from the daily beatings and luckily escaped from the clutches of Athena.
The victim, who had rested for two days before getting out of bed, was finally able to sit at the table and enjoy dinner normally after half a month.
When he stuffed the hot meal into his mouth, Lorne looked at the empty seat beside him, and was almost moved to tears, and expressed his heartfelt emotion.
"King Minos and his family are good people!"
Hestia and Medusa, who were sitting at the table, nodded in agreement with this view.
However, Stheno and Euryale, who were trying hard to reduce their presence in the corner, were not in such a good mood after seeing someone who had just finished his meal skillfully display a whip. They let out silent cries towards the empty chairs.
Lao Da! Please come back soon, help, the snake is dying!
~~
In the early morning, as the accumulated pressure was perfectly released, Loen left the two beautiful snakes hugging each other and crying on the bed, walked out of the room happily, and greeted the rising sun of the Dionysian Festival.
The streets were crowded with people, and figures of different clothes and faces were coming and going, making it very lively.
They gather in groups of three or five, drinking and chatting; or wander around the downtown area, buying spices, wine, minerals and other specialties that are abundant in Crete; or stop to admire and taste the joy and food along the street...
As soon as dawn broke, the entire city of Knossos was immersed in a sea of joy.
Looking at the neighbors who had set up their stalls early in the morning and were surrounded by crowds of people, so busy that they had no time to rest, Lorne in front of the window couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips and threw several pages of parchment filled with words on the table into the trash can with satisfaction.
Festivals are not just empty rituals of worship or carnivals for self-entertainment. They can also attract more guests and attention, inject fresh blood and vitality into the city, and thus achieve prosperity in commerce, population, economy, and even political and cultural influence.
Therefore, any city-state that has the ability to host large-scale celebrations will often leave a significant mark in world history.
For example, Athens, Delphi, Rome, etc.
Although Loen had not been troubled by Athena during this period, considering that this was his own ceremony of ascension to the gods, he spared no effort to make plans behind the scenes, hoping to make this celebration a success while allowing the entire island of Crete to benefit from it as much as possible.
A win-win situation is a healthy and long-term cooperative relationship.
The sun rises and the mist dissipates.
The long-awaited opening ceremony of the celebration also proceeded in an orderly manner.
In the sacrificial field surrounded by spectators, priestesses in white robes gathered in front of the altar and chanted the sacrificial text. The high priest Ariadne walked to the altar with torches woven from fennel branches, olive branches and grape vines, and lit the sacred fire.
As the blazing flames shot up into the sky, the statue of Athena standing in the center seemed to come alive. The Spear of Victory in her right hand struck the Aegis in her left hand, producing a joyful melody.
Suddenly, circles of golden ripples spread out in all directions with the statue as the core, and in a moment they spread to the entire city.
In an instant, specks of golden light fell from the sky, like a light rain, sprinkling to every corner of the city of Knossos.
People who were showered by the light dust felt refreshed, their fatigue disappeared, and some of their hidden ailments were alleviated or eliminated accordingly.
Feeling substantial changes in their bodies and receiving God's grace, people cheered with excitement and worshipped together the merciful Great Mother Goddess.
The statue nodded slightly in response, then disappeared from its abnormality, lost its halo, and turned into an ordinary sculpture again, leaving the celebration to mortals.
As the ceremony of worshiping the gods came to an end, the carnival for mortals officially began.
Minstrels played harps, opera groups sang softly to the sound of reed flutes, and people wore ivy crowns, animal skins, and sacrificial staffs, carrying huge wine jars in a procession. Jars of fine wine from various city-states such as Knossos, Athens, and Samos were distributed free of charge to cheering passers-by along the way for them to drink and taste.
The crazy Dionysus women, dressed in animal skins and with wild makeup, shouted the name of the wine spirit "Dionysus", thanking this beautiful thing that nourishes the body and mind, and thanking for the joy bestowed by God.
With the help of fine wine, pedestrians on the road were also infected by the cheerful wave. They raised their glasses to celebrate and praised the name loudly.
As the alcohol got stronger, spontaneous performances such as speeches, debates, dances, duels, magic, etc. appeared in the streets and alleys, drawing rounds of applause.
People's beautiful dreams are immersed in the light bubbles of wine, which are slightly different but similar.
Their blood is thicker than water, they are connected by blood.
With the help of fine wine, tens of thousands of golden dots emerged from people's joyful emotions, turning into rushing divine rivers, converging to somewhere in the dark.
At the same time, as the carrier, Loen also officially faced the test of becoming a god.
(End of this chapter)
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