After they leave the Roman port, the group headed by ship to the east, towards the Greek city of Athens.
As the ship closed in, the group could already see the pristine, white buildings of the city looming before them. Sure enough, it was as beautiful in person as it was in the stories they had heard. Despite this, though, Julian turned anxiously to Klea as the distance between them and Athens began to close.
"Klea," he started, the anxiety apparent in his voice. "Why don't we just head straight to Egypt and east to seek this place that Emery is looking for?"
Upon hearing this, she huffed. "Huh! The nerve of all you people! Can't you see we are taking a special guest from Briton here?"
The others shuffled uncomfortably. Klea simply rolled her eyes and continued. "Just be a good host, okay? Besides, you are on my ship, which means I decide our route."
"I just thought if you would like to go sightseeing, avoid a Roman-occupied city, please," Julian muttered.
It appeared the Roman was still concerned about his Thracian friend's condition. This whole time, Thrax had been spending most of his time sulking by himself, having decided to stay behind on the ship instead. Overhearing their conversation, though, he made his way to approach the bow of the ship, bowing his head slightly.
In an uncharacteristically quiet voice, he said, "Actually… I think I would like to see the place where they worship our gods."
Klea nodded enthusiastically in agreement, beaming once again. "Good choice! To the Acropolis it is, then."
As they descended from the ship to the port of Athens.
The first thing they saw was the beautiful beach with its glistening ocean stretching far across the horizon. The wide expanse of sand and water situated so closely to the bustling city was a breathtaking sight. They could tell the buildings were old, it was as if the entire city had been yellowed by time. As they walked through the sandy streets, they covered their faces from the briny ocean wind.
Klea insisted all four of them donned long, hooded cloaks in order to disguise themselves. It was a countermeasure so their pleasant trip wouldn't be bothered. After all, four individuals from different nationalities walking together would bring unwanted questions in this city.
They walked through the scenic city, nearly in a daze; everywhere they turned, great buildings with intricately designed pillars and columns towered overhead. They continued on like this for a while, until finally, they reached a particular spot within the city where the ground had risen up towards the sky, like a mountain.
They had finally arrived: the famed Acropolis, its name meaning "the city of the sky". In actuality, it was more like a compilation of multiple buildings. These buildings acted as various temples to worship each of the Greek gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Hermes and Hestia.
Thrax was born worshipping Ares. The Thracians even considered themselves to be the descendants of the god of war himself. When they arrived, he immediately made a beeline towards the temple of Ares and sought out the sculptures that the locals had created to worship the god.
Upon seeing the amount of fuss that was made over these 12 Greek gods and the hordes of people filling the temples to worship them, Emery actually began to ponder: were these gods ever real in the first place? If they were, who exactly were they?"
Thrax was born knowing them as the only true gods, as the patrons and patronesses that dictated his future; as for Julian, the Romans actually worshipped the same gods as the Greeks did, only with different names.
Believing them to be gods meant they were not human and therefore to think of these figures as flawed human beings was forbidden. Despite all the things they had learnt and seen as a result of the Magus Academy, even meeting figures that could be considered gods themselves, it was only after Emery expressed his thoughts to his friends that they began to question their beliefs.
These thoughts made them ask questions about their own histories and, because of this, they headed to their next location with an extra objective.
The group stayed there for one day, in order to enjoy the local cuisine and culture. In Emery's case, he visited the various market stalls that lined the streets and checked on the local goods. Each time he picked up a product that intrigued him, he casted [Analyze] to see the specific properties of each item. He bought some to keep in his personal storage. Before they all finally left the Greek city.
After a few days of travel across the sea, the ship finally arrived at the port of Alexandria in Egypt.
"Welcome to my city!" Klea said in her usual cheery tone of voice. She was practically leaping for joy when their ship began to pull into the harbor.
Of course, the ship was quickly recognized. The group received the royal welcome from the Egyptian subjects. Even the current king and queen of Egypt, Klea's sister and brother, came to welcome them.
It was definitely an impressive display: the girl had the entire Egyptian civilization wrapped around her finger, all while she was travelling and gallivanting around the sea for fun.
Seeing how effectively the king and queen managed to rule their subjects made Julian dumbfounded. He realized a monarchy really did have its benefits compared to a republic. All 5 classes of citizens, from the royals, priests and down to the slaves, were all working efficiently to run the kingdom.
Their arrival quickly became the event of the century for Egypt. A bountiful feast was prepared, with hundreds of dancers and lively music accompanying the meal. For a whole day, the group managed to forget about all of their problems.
No war or senates, no rebels or gladiators. No Seven Kingdoms or certain girls that were left behind. All of them were simply enjoying the ceremony that was held in their honor. The feast continued on for more than a day. There were enough preparations that could last them a week of celebration, if they were so pleased. But on the third day, the group decided to continue to pursue their objectives.
It was time for them to visit Klea's favorite place in the entire world. The Library of Alexandria. Where it was said all of the Earth's information was kept in store.
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v..e.l,