Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1755 1727. Unprecedented Female Athlete

"Leonidaon."

Cassandra looked at the building in front of her. The crowd attracted by the riot was gradually dispersing, but her eyes did not move away.

Leonidas is a square two-story building with a central courtyard, red tiles and white walls, and marble statues of athletes are placed on both sides of the main entrance.

The six or seven meter tall white statue depicts the strength and beauty of male muscles.

Looking in from the main entrance, you can see a beautiful large pool in the central courtyard.

Although Cassandra said that she didn't care about championships or the Olympics, as a native Greek, she was a Spartan who attached great importance to honor and power.

She would be fooling herself if she didn't have aspirations for Olympic glory.

Now, if things really go as Lan and Triss said, then she will be the first female athlete in Olympic history!

She will also be qualified to live in this Leonidas!

There is nothing noteworthy about the building itself; it is all about the glory it represents for the Olympic athletes.

"Stop looking and come back to your senses!" Lan En tugged at the falconer's shoulder jokingly, "It's not settled yet. You'll have to work hard if you want to live in there."

"What an honor to live in Leonidaon!" Barnabas's performance was not much worse than that of the person concerned. "Cassandra! If you really have the opportunity to live there! Can you take me with you? I can be your personal servant!"

Herodotus, as always, used his rational and soothing voice to calm the two people down.

"Let's be realistic." The historian lifted his hood and said with emotion, "Although the title of the first female Olympic participant in history is enough to be passed down through the ages, shouldn't we rent a house first?"

"The rent in Olympia is usually expensive, but it's still okay. But right now, it's the Olympics, and the rent is the highest in the area. Even so, most of the people who come to watch the games may have to sit outdoors."

A few people began walking on the streets of Olympia amid the dispersing crowd.

The beautiful marble road is sprinkled with flower petals, including pink peach blossoms, orange marigolds and dahlias, which are colorful and unrestrained.

There is at least one flower bed or fountain on every street.

As Herodotus said, among the people pouring in from all over Greece, only a few could afford short-term rentals and could find housing.

Many people used branches to prop up a piece of cloth as a shelter, and then spread a layer of linen underneath. They lay on it in groups of three or five and began to leisurely talk, laugh, debate, or observe passers-by.

There is no doubt that they also sleep here after dark.

The comfortable Mediterranean climate has given the surrounding residents a very relaxed attitude and living habits.

"There's nothing wrong with sitting outdoors." Alcibiades said tactfully, with a hint of anticipation, "In fact, I'll be looking for a small shed like this these days to chat and sleep with people. It's a good way to make new friends."

"It would be best if you just slept with your new friend." Lan En laughed and complained, "But please forgive me, we still want to sleep in the bed and the house."

Triss and Cassandra laughed at the same time.

"That's easy!" The handsome Athenian man patted his bare chest, "The courtyard I rented is not small. If you like, I think it's big enough for you to live in."

"You were able to rent a house?" Cassandra asked curiously. "How many drachmas did it cost?"

"Don't even think about renting a house now. You're here too late." Alcibiades shrugged. "I decided to participate in the Olympics a year ago, and I sent someone here to find a house and sign a long-term lease. The contract is still in the Temple of Hera."

"So, now you really want to know how many drachmas I spent?"

Facing the other party's joking question, Cassandra shook her head decisively: "No, you'd better not say it. Let's go, everyone, we've found a place to live!"

The group took their luggage and horses to the courtyard that Alcibiades had rented for a long time in Olympia.

In fact, he was unable to rent a house in this beautiful complex of buildings. He only rented a courtyard on the outskirts of the city.

By the time they were settled, it was almost dark. Alcibiades took charge of the arrangements and hosted a small dinner.

Lan En also called the fluffy ball and it came in directly. It sat on the stool, waving its little paws and waiting for dinner.

Athens' pottery has already occupied an absolute advantage in the Aegean market. The pottery plates and cups on the table are all produced in Athens.

The main course was several grilled octopuses, which were beaten to soften the meat and then grilled over charcoal, coated with olive oil, lemon juice and herb leaves.

Other side dishes include grilled sea bass, roasted lamprey, etc.

The staple food was bread and a large pot of wine. "This is my own secret recipe. Pericles's method of drinking 50 glasses of wine mixed with a glass of sea water is too boring."

Alcibiades held up a clay jug filled with wine and showed it to everyone.

"I added lemon slices and apple slices, plus a little lemongrass! Come and try it!"

Lan did not refuse. In ancient Greece, drinking pure wine was a barbaric and uncivilized act. People who had their own drinking recipes could show themselves off at banquets and be considered cultured and civilized.

"I heard it." The demon hunter took back the full ceramic cup while chewing the oily pickled olives in his mouth. "You feel like a fish in water now that you are away from Pericles' supervision."

"But I still want to remind you, Alcibiades. Without Pericles, you are of course free. But it also means that no one can protect you from the wind and rain. You have to face those dangerous or tempting things by yourself."

"Oh, come on." The handsome Athenian man looked impatient. "Don't become a boring preacher, Lan. Besides, I have already started to solve the difficulties, such as participating in the Olympics this time. Isn't it?"

"I will win the chariot race and return to Athens! The love of the people is power!"

"Everyone, eat and drink quickly! After we finish eating, we will briefly offer sacrifices to the great god of wine, Dionysus. Then we can enjoy the feast to our heart's content!"

Obviously, compared with the first stage of the banquet, it was the second stage that excited Alcibiades.

"But it's a pity." Lan En took a sip of the wine in the ceramic cup and showed a surprised smile, "Let's skip the banquet tonight. The athletes need to stay in shape during this period, and we all have serious things to do."

The wine, fermentation and storage technology of ancient Greece were certainly not as good as the signature wines of the Principality of Toussaint: East of the East, Ephrus, etc. Lan En had long been accustomed to this.

But Alcibiades' recipe seemed to be quite good, making the wine that didn't taste very good in Lan's mouth have a fruity flavor.

Ignoring the handsome Athenian man who was depressed because Lan refused to participate in the feasting phase of the party, the witcher began to talk about serious matters at the table.

"If we want Kassandra to represent Sparta in this Olympics, we should convince more than one person."

Lan raised his glass and gestured to the most knowledgeable local historian among the people present.

"Herodotus, if we really want to have a female athlete in the history of the Olympics, what procedures do we need to follow most?"

Herodotus was holding a grilled octopus tentacle in his hand and cutting it with a knife.

"Of course, the process..." Herodotus said, "Well, the Olympic Games have a long history and strict review procedures."

"In fact, every athlete who cheated in the past was fined a copper coin. These copper coins were melted down and cast into statues of Zeus. Now, these statues, called 'Cheating Zeus', have been placed ten by the side of the stadium."

"Each one is the size of a person, and the cheater's name is engraved on the base to make them remember the shame forever."

The historian's hands were performing mechanical cutting movements, but his eyes were not focused. He was obviously using his brain to think about how to solve the unprecedented problem of "female athletes".

"But as Lan said, if there are no Spartans participating in the Pankrasin, the audience will definitely be very dissatisfied, and the reputation of the Olympics will also be damaged... I think we should first find out from the judges and see how they react to this matter."

"If the opposition is not too strong, we can take the referees' opinions to the Temple of Zeus and the Temple of Hera to explain the situation to the priests and make suggestions."

As he spoke, Herodotus actually felt that since this was unprecedented, it should be quite optimistic to accomplish it.

"The temple priests?" Barnabas looked at them with a respectful look. "Give them advice? Those people have stone heads!"

It seems that his superstition is also very pragmatic.

"You don't understand this, my friend." Herodotus said calmly, "Now the entire Greek world is in chaos due to war. The attitudes of the two major city-states, Athens and Sparta, are crucial to the sacred truce tradition of the Olympics."

"If other city-states proposed such an outrageous suggestion as 'female athletes', they would probably forget about it. But if it is in the name of Sparta and approved by the referees... then there is room for maneuver and discussion!"

"So we will most likely have to overcome two difficulties now: convincing the prestigious and influential judges, and then convincing the priests of the temple."

Barnabas still didn't believe it: "What if it doesn't work? The Olympic Games are about to open..."

"No, it won't work."

"What?"

Barnabas, interrupted, turned around to look.

"I said," Triss repeated, "As long as I'm here, it won't be impossible."

The sorceress looked confident, as if what she said would happen as a matter of course.

(End of this chapter)