Chapter 421 This love-brained person is me.
On the way, Loen and his two companions, who concealed their identities with the divinity of memory, rushed to Sparta at lightning speed.
The brothers Pollux and Castor were quite surprised by the numerous towns and prosperous trade along the way.
First of all, in order to isolate hedonism and maintain the martial spirit, Sparta's urbanization was not high, and many places still had primitive village styles.
Secondly, in order to prevent internal polarization between the rich and the poor, pure-blooded Spartans were not allowed to engage in any other livelihood except military affairs, nor did they use gold and silver as currency, but only cheap copper coins, so commerce was not developed.
But everything before them was incompatible with the Sparta they remembered. If they had not been sure that they were not in the wrong place, they would have thought they had arrived in Athens.
As they got closer to the royal city, the two brothers almost dropped their jaws in shock as they looked at the newly-built villages outside the city, the young men and women coming in and out of the villages, and a large pit that had been filled in outside the village.
Seeing that the two brothers looked different, Luo En couldn't help but ask:
"What's wrong?"
"That's not right. Who has the guts to level the baby-abandoning ground?"
The two brothers murmured their answers, their faces filled with disbelief.
Through indirect questioning, Loen learned about another Spartan tradition from the two brothers.
In order to maintain the purity of their bloodline, the Spartans implemented a strict physical examination system, and only healthy newborns were allowed to be raised. So when a baby was born, it would be taken to the elders for examination. If the baby was weak or disabled, the newborn would be thrown into the abandoned baby field outside the city. Similarly, the mother would bathe the baby with strong liquor. If the baby had convulsions or lost consciousness, it proved that he was not strong and was allowed to die because he could not grow up to be a good warrior.
Then, boys are raised by their parents before they are 7 years old. Parents pay attention to cultivating their habits of not crying, not being picky about food, not being noisy, not being afraid of darkness, and not being afraid of loneliness. Boys after the age of 7 are organized into teams to live a collective military life. They are required to obey the leader absolutely, and to strengthen their courage, physical strength and cruelty. They practice running, discus throwing, boxing, fencing and fighting. Young men and women also learn to read, write, dance, etc. In order to train children's obedience and patience, they are whipped once a year during festivals to worship gods. They kneel in front of the temple, and the hot whips fall like raindrops, but they are not allowed to beg for mercy, shout, or even make a sound.
It was not until they were about 20 years old that they were considered to have completed their training and become qualified Spartan warriors.
During this process, if a child is eliminated, or becomes disabled or drops out because he or she cannot endure the hardships of training, he or she will also be deprived of his or her citizenship and rights, driven out of the city, and left to fend for themselves.
Although this method of selection and training was cruel, it also ensured that every Spartan warrior was capable of fighting one against a hundred.
But now, some people actually dared to violate this iron rule that the Spartans tacitly abided by and filled up the baby abandonment field outside the city.
Luo En glanced at the villages outside the royal city and pointed thoughtfully at the young men and women in the village:
"Those abandoned babies and discarded people you mentioned should be them. If you want to know who did these things, why not go and ask them."
The Spartan twins nodded, pretending to be newcomers, and after chatting with several villagers for a while, they returned to Lorne with a heavy heart and reported:
"It's Helen..."
"She built towns, developed trade, abolished foundling farms, all of which she did after taking over the government."
Lorne nodded calmly, apparently not surprised by the result.
Be it suffering, prohibition of trade, or abandonment of infants, these often only affect the lower classes.
As the biggest beneficiaries of these regulations, the Spartan divine-blood nobles would naturally not be so kind as to abolish the old customs. It seems that only Helen, who had received systematic education at the Academy of Athens and had a kind heart, would be willing to do such a thankless task.
But doing so will inevitably lead to dissatisfaction among the upper class.
"This is too reckless. The elders and supervisors will definitely not let this go..."
The Spartan twins who were looking at each other obviously realized this and couldn't help but frown and mutter.
Sparta was a military city-state ruled by aristocrats. Its main power institutions consisted of the king, the Council of Elders, and the censors. There were two kings, one inherited from each family. In peacetime, they presided over national sacrifices and handled cases involving family law. In wartime, one king led the troops to fight outside, while the other stayed in the city-state, and the two kings checked and balanced each other.
The Council of Elders is the highest authority, with 30 members. Except for the two kings, the other 28 are selected from the prestigious older blood warriors. They serve for life, and if there is a vacancy, they must be filled from the original bloodline. These elders from various blood families not only have the right to propose proposals, but also jointly form the highest judicial body, which hears all civil, criminal and state cases.
In addition, there are five censors, who are elected by all Spartans. Any adult Spartan citizen who has made meritorious service can be elected. Their duties are to supervise the king, judge the king's illegal behavior, and supervise the lives of citizens.
In the checks and balances between each other, even the genuine Spartan king had to weigh the consequences when making these decisions, not to mention that Helen was just a princess who temporarily took over the royal power, and she actually broke so many iron rules during her reign.
As older brothers and the original heirs to the throne, the brothers simply could not imagine how their sister Helen, who had been protected by them, had stabilized the domestic situation and overcome numerous obstacles to lead Sparta towards reform during the two hundred years since they were away and their parents passed away.
Similarly, Loen sighed heartfeltly as he looked at the villages standing on the abandoned baby fields and the men and women living in them:
"Helen, she is amazing..."
Leaving aside the gains and losses of urbanization and commerce, the mere abolition of foundling houses has saved the lives of countless children, giving them a way to survive after being abandoned.
This kind act was enough to make Loen look at the little girl who used to follow him around with a new respect.
The two brothers smiled bitterly upon hearing this.
"Although we think so, I'm afraid the God-Blood nobles in the city don't think so."
"I guessed it..."
Loen nodded and looked at the Sparta city ahead with a sneer.
"Otherwise, how would the Mycenaean regular army know the whereabouts of Gorgor and the group of messengers? And how could King Agamemnon, who obviously came with ill intentions, be invited into the city?"
The two brothers were stunned when they heard this, and then they realized that along the way, Sparta did not feel the tension of the enemy knocking on the door.
Moreover, King Agamemnon and the God's Blood Guard he led were not outside the city and seemed to have been led into the city.
Luo En's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke out the essence of this crisis:
"It seems that the Council of Elders and the Inspector have been quite dissatisfied with your sister over the years."
"So what? It was just for the public good! In comparison, these old guys who colluded with foreign enemies for their own personal gain deserve to die more!"
The two brothers snorted grimly and stood up for their sister without hesitation.
Seeing this, Loen nodded with satisfaction.
To be fair, the measures implemented by Helen during her administration were all good. He did not want to see the two brothers sacrifice their own family for the so-called "tradition" and "iron law".
At this time, the two brothers who were worried about their sister directly drew out their daggers and acted aggressively.
"Let's go into the city!"
"Don't be impatient. There are too many people around during the day. It's better to wait until night to act."
Loen calmed the two indignant brothers in a calm voice, and they hid outside the city together, waiting for the night to come.
The sun sets and the bright moon rises in the east.
Three figures blending into the night silently crossed the high walls of Sparta and jumped into a secluded alley.
Not long after, dozens of nimble figures jumped in.
Two ten-man teams responsible for night patrol and guard passed by the crime scene several times, and did not notice any signs of intrusion by outsiders.
Meanwhile, the three men, who had easily sneaked into the inner city, were finding their way in the shadows.
Castor, the more irritable of the twins, looked at the empty streets and the patrol teams that were everywhere in the blind spots, and couldn't help cursing:
"What are the city defense officers for? The patrol routes and the visible and hidden sentry posts are full of loopholes. If I were in power, I would definitely kill them all!"
"Okay, I'll ask Helen to make room for you later and see if you dare to do it."
Pollux teased his brother with laughter and scolding, but his hands clenched and unclenched on the hilt of the sword from time to time, revealing the unrest in his heart.
They returned to their homeland after two hundred years. Their parents had passed away and their hometown had changed beyond all recognition. No matter how strong their nerves were, it was impossible for them to remain calm.
As the person who personally led them out to sea, Luo En felt a little guilty and was the first to speak to break the silence:
"Where is the Moon Temple? Let's go there first to make sure Helen is safe!"
"southeast!"
According to his past memories, Pollux raised his hand and pointed to the ancient and majestic outline in the southeast corner of the inner city.
As if to confirm his statement, the temple-like building absorbed the moonlight from the sky, and the runes engraved on the gate and the outer wall flickered rhythmically. The layers of blurred light radiated and diffused to the surroundings at regular intervals, serving as a warning and patrol.
After confirming the target's location, Luo En nodded, and before leaving, he reminded the two brothers again and again:
"Remember, it's hard to tell friend from foe in the city right now. Don't reveal your identity easily without my permission."
"good!"
The two brothers agreed readily, and then rushed out of the shadows impatiently and headed straight for the Moon Temple in the southeast corner.
Lorne shook his head helplessly and quickly followed.
After dozens of breaths, the three of them easily avoided the magic inspection and came to the outside of the temple.
In the dim temple, a tiny wisp of holy fire seemed to sense an unusual aura and swayed violently. The graceful figure who was kneeling in front of the altar suddenly shrank her pupils, stood up suddenly, and looked out the door vigilantly, as if facing a great enemy:
"who?"
"It's... it's us..."
A slightly trembling voice came from the shadows. Castor and Pollux looked at the face in their memory that had not changed at all, and walked into the hall at the same time.
It's as good as not saying anything...
Seeing this, Loen grumbled inwardly, then opened the barrier to create a safe environment for the reunion of the three siblings.
The two Spartan brothers showed gratitude, then opened their arms and excitedly looked at their sister who was running towards them:
"Helen, let's come back..."
"Bang"
The graceful figure passed through the two of them like the wind, and was like a young swallow returning to its nest, bumping into a warm chest, burying its head and murmuring with tears of joy.
"Lord Luo En, it really is you...it turns out I'm not dreaming!"
The two Spartan brothers stood there hugging each other, their facial muscles twitching slightly, and then they turned their heads and looked at their sister who wanted a lover rather than a brother with a complicated and resentful look.
Well, this love-brained person is definitely me.
(End of this chapter)
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