Chapter 97 Pride and Prejudice

In the Pine Forest Arena, the audience was already full of people, and the excited people were eagerly looking forward to the start of the preliminaries. Players from various city-states are entering the arena one after another, in exchange for cheers from the audience on the sidelines.

However, the start of the game was delayed because the referee was still arguing with some people at the entrance. The audience began to shout in dissatisfaction, and the Corinthian official responsible for maintaining the order of the game rushed to the entrance and asked the referee: "What happened? Why not start the game immediately?!"

"Look, this guy says he's in this group of runners and has got his numbers. But he's not a Greek!"

The Corinthian official looked in the direction of the referee's finger: the athlete had tan, shawl-length hair, deep concave eye sockets, a high nose bridge, thick lips, a slender figure, strong muscles, although his naked body was covered in olive oil , but you can still see his fair skin... The appearance is obviously not an orthodox Greek.

The official was stunned: "How could the priests of the temple approve him to participate?!"

"I think it should be the officials of his city-state who registered his name for him. The priests don't know that he is a foreigner." The referee replied.

The official said angrily: "Which city-state is the player? Don't you know the registration rules for the Isthmus Games?!"

"Dionia! We are from Dionia!" Adriankes squeezed in and loudly defended: "Although Lizaru is a Lucanian, he is a citizen of Dionia, according to the Isthmus Games. According to the regulations, as long as citizens of the Greek city-state can participate, we meet the requirements!"

Dionia? ! The official thought the name was a bit impressive, but he couldn't remember where it was, and it was not a big or powerful country, so he taught a serious face: "Only the Greeks can participate in the games, which is a well-known thing, because there is no A Greek city-state will grant citizenship to an alien! Stop blocking here, delaying the game! Get out now, or I'll send someone out!"

Adriankes was speechless. He was born poor, grew up working as a mercenary, never participated in a Greek Games, and did not understand the rules. This time, the Dionysian Senate decided to send a team to participate in the competition. It is hoped that the elders of the Senate should be the team leader to show the importance they attach to the Isthmus Games. The reason why Adriankes actively signed up is because he likes sports, and in addition to this On the one hand, he, a senator who only knows how to fight and does not know one big character, has too few places to show his talents in the Senate, so after serving as the head of the Dionysian delegation, he went to Crotone many times. Consulted with experienced athletes, and specially led the team to set off with the Crotone delegation to Corinth. But now it seems that the Crotones are obviously hiding, and their purpose is probably to see the Dionysians make a fool of themselves.

When Adrianx was remorseful, Lizaru shouted: "Our alliance's consul, Lord Davos said,

'Regardless of race, as long as they are Union citizens, they should have the same rights! ’ So in Dionia, Greeks, Lucanians, Thracians can play rugby together! "

The Corinthian official was stunned by his strange Greek pronunciation, and then laughed angrily. He raised his head and said loudly to the auditorium above the arena: "Audience, is this alien right?!"

The audience had been waiting impatiently for a long time, and rushed to the lowest floor of the auditorium, shouting and cursing: "What a ridiculous absurdity! Those who can say these words can only be the leader of your barbarians!"

"Get out of the arena, savages! Go back to the city-state that gives you citizenship and lets you compete! I think it must be a filthy, horrible place!"

"Go out, savages! Do not defile the sacred place of our Greeks!"

...

The jeers and curses attacked Lizaru and Adrianx like swords.

Adriankes was pale.

Lizaru was furious. He was a man who liked to compete and never gave in to defeat. Since he became a citizen of Dionia and heard about the four major games, he has been eager to compete with players from all over Greece, because he believes that no one can run faster than him in running! When the news that Dionia was going to send players to participate in the Isthmus Games reached his ears, it was already a little late. He signed up in a hurry. He finally got here, but he was not allowed to participate!

He looked at the lively arena unwillingly, suddenly shouted, and rushed out.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" the referee exclaimed.

"Catch him! Catch him!!" the Corinthian officer yelled anxiously.

Lizaru vigorously spread his legs, waved his arms vigorously, roaring like a wolf, barefoot on the soft soil, as light as a free mountain wind whistling in the field, he flew with all his strength, The Corinthian officers and men who wanted to capture him were far behind.

The anxious shouts of the Corinthian officials also reminded the athletes who were still waiting on the starting line, and they began to chase the unruly alien.

Lizaru was not only not afraid, but even more excited.

The spectators off the field were surprised to see: Facing the players' siege and interception, the alien was as agile as a civet cat, and his pace was as fast as a cheetah, flashing them one by one...

The race turned into a chase and capture, and instead of complaining, most viewers felt thrilled. Some of them actually stood up to cheer for the "lone hero" on the field.

As one of the best running backs in Dionysian football, Lizaru used his skills and dodged while maintaining his forward speed, one lap...two laps...three laps...

The cheers grew louder and louder, until Collins officials called in more people, blocking the space in the arena, before hugging him.

The panting Collins officer didn't say a word, and came up and punched Lizaru.

Lizaru struggled to break free, but there were too many people pressing on him, so he could only glared at the Corinthian officials.

"Stop it! Stop it!..." Adrianx hurried over and grabbed the Corinthian official's raised fist again: "Let go of our civet cat citizens, or I will protest to the Corinthian parliament!"

"Protest?!" The Corinthian officer looked at him and sneered: "Arrest him too! Destruction of the sacred Isthmus Games is a serious crime! Lock it up first, and let your weird city-state alliance pay compensation, and then take it back. people!"

A group of people escorted Lizaru and Adriankes to the sidelines.

At this time, Lizaru struggled and roared loudly: "I, the citizen of Dionia, Lizaru, is the champion of the Isthmus Games!!!"

……………………

The arena was restored to order, and the game resumed, but the audience on the sidelines continued to talk about the farce just now.

"The man just now ran very fast, but unfortunately he was a barbarian, otherwise he might have won the championship!"

"Which race is he? He actually said he was a citizen of a Greek city-state, which city-state actually gave citizenship to a barbarian?!"

"He seems to be talking about Dionia, is Dionia a Greek city-state? Why haven't I heard of it."

...

The audience of the Isthmus Games came from all over the world. Of course, there were Greeks from the Western Mediterranean, and there were still a lot of them. They naturally became the answerers of these questions.

"Dionia is a city-state alliance established only last year. It is located in the north-central part of Greater Greece, and the central city is Turii. The alien just now should be a Lucanian, and the Dionias occupied a lot of them. Lucanian lands, and the Lucanians who live in the territory are given citizenship.”

"That is to say, this Dionian alliance not only grants one barbarian citizenship, but many?!"

"Yes, not only Lucanians, they also gave Thracians, Egyptians... As long as they are willing to become Dionysian citizens, after their assessment, if they meet the conditions, they can become official Dionysians in a few years. Citizens of Onia, and also get 'land'!"

"Oh, wise Athena, am I dizzy and misheard?! Barbarians can not only become citizens, but also get 'land'! It's just...this is...Dionia really is An alliance of Greek city-states?!"

"Iavones, you Peloponnesians, are indifferent to what is going on in the Western Mediterranean. As soon as you reach the Gulf of Taranto by boat, the word that rings in your ear the most is - Dionysus Ah, there are not only thousands of free folks flocking to Dionia to become citizens of that union, but the councils of the great Greek city-states are paying attention to Dionia's movements..."

"I can understand that the freedmen want to become citizens and get 'land'. But why even the top leaders of the great Greek city-states-"

"Because Dionia is already the most powerful city-state alliance in southern Italy!"

"What?! Are you kidding me?! I remember that the great powers of Great Greece are not Crotone and Tarantum?!"

"Hehe, Crotone lost to Dionia twice in battles not long ago, and it has long lost its former glory. And Tarantum... When I came to Corinth, I heard that it was forced to invite Dio. Dionia helped them drive away the barbarians who invaded the territory, and Dionia has promised to send reinforcements... You don't know how big Dionia's territory is! It now governs Turii, Amendolara, Kerry Misa and a large area of ​​Lucania, with Laos and Castellon as subordinates, which are allied with Tarantum. In addition, Crotone, Trina, Cilitin, and Columbine Aya also formed a South Italian alliance with Dionia... You tell me if it is the most powerful force in Greater Greece!"