Aesop took the initiative to explain to his relatives: "They don't know if I have any heirs. Besides, I can't prove my identity and my origin is very suspicious. The house and farm are real property and already belong to them. Whether they are smart or stupid, only the gods know.¡±
Amon, who was driving the car, shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know, I'm just a driver!"
Medanzo asked: "If you are rich enough, it is not difficult to buy the house and the farm. If you do, I think they will be happy to admit your identity as a relative."
Aesop asked: "Medanzo, we are living in the world, have you ever considered a question - who am I? You are Metanzo, but why are you Metanzo? If I do that, Then the meaning of finding my homeland is lost. In fact, I don¡¯t mind giving them a large sum of money, but why? Let¡¯s start by proving my identity. I am Aesop, and I will act as Aesop.¡±
Medanzo asked again: "How do you feel when you meet such a relative? Are you a little disappointed?"
Aesop said calmly: "Actually, I am not surprised at all, let alone disappointed. They are all small people among all living beings. They may appear to be philistine, selfish, suspicious, and ridiculous, but their thoughts and actions are very important in the world. It is common and very normal for people. Even the playwrights in the city of Arron often describe gods like this.
Since all living beings are like this, any relative may be such a small person, why can¡¯t my Aesop¡¯s relatives be the same? Their reaction is understandable. In fact, I am not resentful at all. On the contrary, I am even grateful, grateful to the gods and grateful to them. I can still see relatives of the Ackerman family when I return to my hometown. The old house where I grew up and my father¡¯s farm are still there. "
Amon, who was driving the car, couldn't help but sigh: "Aesop, you may be the person closest to the gods in this city-state."
¡¡
Old Ackerman¡¯s son Aesop is back, after being missing for sixty years! This incident caused a moderate uproar in the city of Miduli and became a topic of conversation in people's spare time. Some people say that Aesop made a fortune outside, but still wanted to get back the farm and house that his ancestors should inherit. Some people also said that the stranger was not Aesop, but that he had heard about the old Ackerman family, and that Aesop, who had come back pretending to be rich, was trying to deceive.
Aesop lived in an inn with a groom and a guard. Everyone who saw him said that he looked like a member of the Ackerman family. Maybe he was really Aesop. Kerman. Some people started to talk again, since Aesop came back with a fortune, why bother to get back the assets that his cousin's family has been running for sixty years?
Reid Ackerman must be very promising to keep his property. After so many years, there were wars. If it were another family, the house and farm would probably be gone long ago. Even if Aesop comes back, will he be able to keep it? Who should I ask for? Those sages who like to preach in Temple Square also talked about this matter. According to their point of view, if Aesop is Aesop, then the house and farm belong to him. Whether Aesop is generous or stingy, it cannot change this fact. .
Even if Aesop is willing to give the house and farm to his cousin, he must first prove that it is his before he can talk about generosity and gift.
Aesop's identity will be adjudicated by the city-state citizens' assembly, which is a request submitted by Aesop himself. The adjudicator is the fifty permanent representatives of the city-state citizens' assembly. This is different from submitting it to the court for trial by a judge, because the court can only try the property dispute complaint filed by Aesop, or the fraud accusation filed by Red Ackerman against Aesop, but the premise of all this still needs to be determined. Suo's identity.
Reid Ackerman did not file a complaint with the city-state court, he just claimed that he could not determine the identity of the old man.
On the day when the citizens¡¯ meeting was held, many interested people from the city-state came to watch the excitement, and the city-state meeting hall was packed with people. The citizens' assembly appointed a representative to preside over the ruling, the famous sage Thales from the city of Meduli. After Thales accepted this commission, he first invited more than ten elders over eighty years old from the city-state to the scene. They were all people who had met Aesop Ackerman back then.
Longevity has always been regarded as a blessing from the gods. After the war years, those who have lived in the same city-state and enjoyed such a long life are all respected elders as long as they are not criminals. There were not many such people, and it was even more difficult to be sane and able to recall things sixty years ago. It was with great difficulty that we invited ten of them.
It is indeed unrealistic to expect these elders to clearly recall a young man they knew sixty years ago but did not pay special attention to. Several of the elders told Thales after seeing Aesop that his facial features were indeed very similar to the Aesop Ackerman in his memory, but it had been so long that their impressions had been blurred, not to mention that Aesop was now ??Old man, cannot confirm!
Thales didn¡¯t expect these old men to confirm it. Only by recalling Aesop¡¯s memory did Thales prove that the ruling was meaningful and not a farce. You can't just come to the city-state and claim to be who you were decades ago. The city-state meeting will make a decision for him.
Next, Thales asked Aesop in front of everyone: "Old man who has returned from a foreign country, you insist that you are Aesop Ackerman. Do you have any documents to prove your identity?"
Aesop replied: "I have documents that can prove my identity in the cities of Ecu and Salem, but they can only prove my identity there, which is meaningless for this ruling. Such documents can only be found in Miduli It can only be signed by the citizens' assembly of the city-state, which means that I can only own it after this ruling is over. The document from that year is no longer there, and even if it is still in my hands, it is difficult to prove that I am the person in the document."
Next, the city-state meeting conducted an important ceremony. At the suggestion of most citizen representatives, they requested the gods to send an oracle. If the oracle confirmed Aesop's identity, there would be no need for a ruling. There is a statue of the patron saint of the city-state in the parliament hall. Under the auspices of two city-state priests, Thales prayed to the gods on behalf of the people of the city-state and prayed for the coming of the oracle.
The situation of the Olympus pantheon is very interesting. The composition of its divine domain is similar to that of the United Kingdom of Heaton. Zeus is not the main god of every city-state. Almost every city-state believes in its own patron saint as the main god of the city-state. For example, the patron saint of the city-state of Arlen is Arenna, the patron saint of the city-state of Quibad is Ares, the god of war and blacksmiths, and the patron saint of the city-state of Miduli is Hermes, the messenger of the gods and the god of trade.
Amon and Metanzo were also standing in the crowd of spectators. Metanzo's voice quietly sounded in Aesop's soul: "Old man, you don't have to worry. If those two priests are bribed by others, they deliberately lie and pretend to be gods." Yu, I will make them unable to speak for the rest of their lives!"
Aesop was not worried about this, he just watched silently. Ordinary priests would not lie on such occasions. If they really believed in the gods, what would be the price for them to betray the gods in public? But Amon is very interested in this. Will Hermes send an oracle to confirm Aesop's identity?
Sure enough, an oracle came. It was really the oracle made by Hermes on the altar. Amon sensed it clearly. The priest did not play any tricks, and Thales, who presided over the ceremony, truthfully declared the content of the oracle. ¡ª¡ª
"People of Miduli, the old man in front of you has returned from a foreign land, where he has not received the light of the gods. The gods will not prove his identity, and he needs to prove himself."
Amon was slightly startled. That Hermes should be able to confirm Aesop's identity. For example, Amon could use retroactive magic to confirm - the Aesop of today is the Aesop Ackerman of that year. However, Hermes refused to provide a conclusion, but asked Aesop to prove himself, and handed over the decision-making power to the city-state citizens' assembly.
But Hermes did not lie, the god told the truth, and he did not deny Aesop's identity. Thales seemed not surprised by this result. After reading the oracle, he said to Aesop: "The gods have given a message to you to prove your identity."
Aesop replied: "I can prove myself. My standing here is a kind of proof, but what kind of evidence do I need to provide before the Citizens' Assembly will make a decision?"
Thales thought for a while and said: "This is a difficult problem. In fact, you are who you are, and there is no need to prove it. But according to the city-state's laws, the basis for the ruling must be provided. There should be three types of such basis: the mark left by the previous identity, The memories awakened by past experiences, the traces of your homeland that you retain.¡±
Aesop nodded and said: "It should be so, then I will do it one by one. First, please look at the mark carefully." He stretched out an arm to roll up his sleeve, and there was a mark on the inside of his upper arm near the elbow socket. There was a light brown blur, which looked like a scar left a long time ago.
Aesop explained: "I was very naughty when I was a child. I heard that gold cannot burn or deteriorate in the fire, so I used something to hold my father's ring and bake it on the fire. As a result, it accidentally fell on my arm. I was burned. The ring was engraved with the emblem of the Ackermann family. I was only eight years old at the time, and the scar was exactly like half of the emblem. The scar became larger as I grew up, but I can still see the outline of the emblem. .¡±
Thales called Red Ackerman to him, took off his ring and inspected the family emblem. The mark on Aesop's arm was indeed the vague outline of half the emblem, which was obviously not left recently. Thales asked other representatives of the citizens' meeting present to take a look at it in turn. Although the scars were very blurry, they were still identifiable.
Medanzo, who was in the crowd, grinned in joy, secretly thinking that Aesop, this old guy, was really stupid, and he still hid such a skill, and waited until such an occasion to pull up his sleeves.
After examining the scars,??Aesop put down his sleeves and said: "How can I have no memory of past experiences? Otherwise, how could I find my way back here? Mr. Thales, I need you to ask Red Ackerman something. Although my old house is It has been renovated, but the steps in front of the gate have remained intact for seventy years, isn¡¯t that right?¡±
Taylors turned to ask Red, who nodded in the affirmative. Aesop added: "There are five stone steps in front of the gate of the house. They are made of whole stone slabs one by one. Take apart the four upper stone slabs and turn over the largest and heaviest stone slab at the bottom. I still remember the carved patterns and can draw them in public.¡±
Thales asked: "How do you know?"
Aesop replied: "That step was built when I was six years old. I saw it with my own eyes."
Thales ordered people to bring paper and pen to Aesop. Aesop drew a scepter on the parchment with two pythons wrapped around the top. This is the common appearance of Hermes' scepter. It was engraved on the steps. The bottom of the stone slab is used to protect the house. Many buildings in Miduli had this custom when they were built, leaving a symbol of the city-state's patron saint in an invisible location. As for where to stay, it is a secret for each family. It is said that if this secret is revealed and the devil learns, the protection of the patron saint will be lost.
The house was newly built by Aesop's father and Red's father after they separated. The symbol of the patron saint was left under the stone slab on the first step of the front steps. Even Red Ackerman didn't know this. However, Aesop said it in public.
"This kind of thing is nothing to joke about. If it is really verified, then according to custom, this house will have to be renovated before you can live in it, because the hidden location of the patron saint has been exposed. Thales quickly asked a priest to lead a group of strong warriors to the house, dismantle the steps and lift up the stone slabs to examine.
After a while, the person who checked came back, and the priest reported the results to the representatives of the citizens' meeting. There were no traces of tampering on the steps in front of the house, and the information provided by Aesop was accurate. The sound in the hall suddenly became very noisy, people were whispering, and no one doubted Aesop's identity anymore.
Thales waved his hand and asked everyone to be silent, allowing Aesop to continue speaking. Just as Aesop was about to speak, Red Ackerman stepped forward and saluted Thales: "My lords, distinguished representatives of the Citizen's Assembly, there is no need to ask anymore, this old man is my cousin Aesop. Kerman, I¡¯m sure of it!¡±
Reid Ackerman is a nobleman and one of the representatives of the city-state's citizens' assembly. He knew the result clearly after hearing everyone's discussion. Regardless of whether he recognizes Aesop as his cousin or not, Aesop's identity has been recognized in everyone's minds. If he waits until after the ruling to express his position, he and his three sons will be despised and ridiculed in the future. Although Red is a philistine, he also understands the truth and took the initiative to stand up at this time.
Thales smiled, looked at Reid and said: "The topic currently being discussed at the citizens' meeting is to confirm whether the old man in front of me is the Aesop Ackerman sixty years ago. On this occasion, do you agree? Recognition does not represent the final result. Mr. Aesop, Mr. Reid, should we continue to ask, or should we submit it to a vote now?"
Aesop smiled and said: "Then please vote now. If the representatives of the city-state citizens' assembly think it is necessary for me to continue to prove, I will continue to prove."
The voting began, and the fifty representatives who participated in the voting concluded that Aesop did not need to provide any more proof and confirmed that he was Aesop Ackerman. Cheers and applause rang out in the hall, and Red Ackerman called his three sons over and asked them to salute their uncle Aesop. The eldest son, Blake, blushed and looked ashamed, the second son, Hunter, looked embarrassed, and the third son, Weir, looked very happy.
Aesop opened his arms and gave his cousin a warm hug, and then hugged the three nephews in turn. Then he reached out and took out three flame elves, gave one to each of the three nephews and said: "Dear nephews, I am going back alone. When you get home, this is the gift I prepared for you. Now that you have identified me as your uncle, please accept it. This is a blessing for returning from afar."
Many people in the hall were stunned and looked at the flame elves in the hands of the three brothers with various eyes. They never expected that Aesop would be so generous and give such an expensive gift to the three nephews in public. In fact, when Aesop met his relatives for the first time, he had planned to give it to them, otherwise Metanzo would not have taken it out. This was a gift that had been prepared for a long time.
Reid Ackerman's forehead was sweating, and his three sons knelt down to thank him. He stepped forward and grabbed Aesop's arm, his lips trembling with passion: "My cousin, you are so generous! How can you give this to me?" Give your child such a valuable thing? Please forgive me"
Aesop interrupted him and said with a smile: "I have never blamed you. I heard that you are going to buy a merchant ship to do business. I have no other use for keeping the money. If I were your cousin, I would also support them. Of course??Actually, I am very grateful to you. After so many years, when I return to my hometown, I can still see my old house and the farm where I was a boy. It was you and your family who preserved them. This is so precious to me! "
This scene was very emotional. Thales cleared his throat and said: "Today's meeting, the first issue to be voted on has ended. I would also like to congratulate the Ackerman family for recognizing each other. Next, we will vote on the second issue. The two issues were proposed by Hunter Ackerman of the Ackerman family, and the second proposal will not take effect until the ruling on the first issue is made."
Aesop turned around calmly and asked: "Oh, dear sir, is there a second topic today?"
Thales replied helplessly: "Yes, this second issue is also related to you. The city-state citizens' meeting unanimously ruled that you are Aesop Ackerman, the son of Saiins Ackerman. It was determined at the time of the ruling that the house and farm left by Mr. Ackerman should belong to you. Your nephew Hunter Ackerman raised another issue in advance and requested that another decision be made based on this ruling. ruling¡¡"
Before Thales finished speaking, Hunter Altman stood up with a blushing face, opened his arms and loudly said: "Delegates to the Citizen's Assembly, please forgive my rudeness, I withdraw my proposal!"
Reid Ackerman also said: "God, please forgive this stupid kid! I also ask him to withdraw his proposal."
Thales asked with a half-smile: "Mr. Hunter Ackerman, do you really want to give up your request?"
Hunter nodded repeatedly and said: "Yes, I will take it back!"
Thales waved his hand simply: "Then this meeting ends."