Aesop took the initiative to explain to his relatives: "They don't know if I have an heir, and I can't prove my identity, and my origin is also very suspicious. But the house and the farm are real property, and they 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!"
Mei Danzuo asked: "You are rich enough, in fact, it is not difficult to buy the house and farm. If you do this, I think they will be willing to recognize your relative status."
Aesop asked back: "Medanzo, we live in this world, have you considered a question - who am I? You are Medanzo, but why are you Medanzo?... If I do that, I will lose In order to find the meaning of the homeland. In fact, I don’t mind giving them a lot of money, but what is it for? Let’s start by proving your identity, I am Aesop, and act as Aesop.”
Mei Danzuo asked again: "How do you feel when you meet such relatives? Are you a little disappointed?"
Aesop said frankly: "Actually, I am not surprised at all, and I will not be disappointed. They are all small people in the crowd. They may seem philistine, selfish, suspicious, and seem ridiculous, but their thoughts and practices are very common in the world. , is also a very normal person, even those playwrights in Yalun City often describe the gods like this.
Since all living beings are like this, anyone's relatives may be such a small person, why can't my relatives of Aesop? Their reaction is understandable, in fact, I do not resent at all, on the contrary, I am even very grateful, grateful to the gods and to them. When I return to my hometown, I can still see relatives of the Ackerman family. The old house where I grew up and my father’s farm are still there. "
Amon, who was driving, couldn't help sighing: "Aesop, you may be the person closest to a god in this city-state."
…
Old Ackerman's son Aesop is back, after sixty years of disappearance! This incident caused quite a commotion in Midori City, and became a topic of conversation in people's spare time. Some people say that Aesop made a fortune outside, but he still wants to take back the farm and house that his ancestors should inherit. Some people also said that the foreigner was not Aesop, but just heard about the old Ackerman's family, and pretended to be Aesop who had returned from a fortune in an attempt to deceive.
Aesop lives in the inn with a groom and a guard. Anyone who is old enough to see him will say that he really looks like a member of the Ackerman family. Maybe it is really Aesop-A Kerman. Some people began to discuss again, since Aesop came back with a fortune, why bother to take back the assets that his cousin's family has been operating for 60 years
Red Ackerman is very promising, so he can keep the property. After so many years and there are still wars, if it is another family, the house and farm are likely to be gone long ago. Who can I ask for? Those sages who like to preach on the temple square also talked about this matter. According to their point of view, if Aesop is Aesop, then the house and farm are his. 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 decided by the city-state citizens' meeting, which is a request submitted by Aesop himself, and the arbitrators are fifty permanent representatives in the city-state's citizens' meeting. This is different from submitting to a court for trial by a judge, because the court can only accept the property dispute complaint brought by Aesop, or the fraud allegations brought by Reid Ackerman against Aesop, but the premise of all this is to determine the Soo's identity.
Red 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 city-state citizens ran to watch the excitement, and the city-state meeting hall was crowded with people. The citizens' assembly appointed a representative to preside over the ruling, that is, Thales, the famous sage in Midori. After Thales accepted the commission, he first invited ten city-state elders over the age of 80 to be present. They were all people who had met Aesop Ackerman back then.
Longevity has always been regarded as a blessing from the gods. After going through the years of war, people who have lived in the same city-state and enjoyed such a long life, as long as they are not criminals, are respected elders. There are not many such people, and it is even more difficult to be sane and able to recall the events of sixty years ago. It was hard to invite ten of them.
It is indeed unrealistic to expect these elders to clearly recall a boy they met 60 years ago but did not pay special attention to. Several elders among them told Thales after seeing Aesop that his facial features were indeed very similar to the Aesop-Ackerman in his memory, but it has been too long, and the impression of that year has long been blurred, not to mention that Aesop is now An old man, unable to confirm!
Thales didn't expect these old men to be able to confirm. They could recall Aesop back then, which proved that this ruling was meaningful and not a farce. It is not possible for someone to come to the city-state and claim to be who he was decades ago, and the city-state citizens' meeting will make a ruling for him.
Next, Thales asked Aesop in front of everyone: "The old man who 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 Eju and Salem, but they can only prove my identity there, which is meaningless to this ruling. Only Midori The city-state’s citizen meeting can only sign it, which means that I can only own it after the ruling is over. And the document from that year is long gone, 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 citizens' meeting held an important ceremony. Under the proposal of most of the citizens' representatives, they asked the gods to send an oracle. If the oracle confirmed Aesop's identity, then there would be no need for a ruling. There is a statue of the patron saint of the city-state in the deliberation 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. Its god domain composition 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 Yalun is Yalena, the patron saint of the city-state of Kibata is Ares, the god of war and blacksmiths, and the patron saint of the city-state of Midori is Hermes, the messenger of the gods and the god of commerce.
Amon and Medan Zuo also stood in the crowd of onlookers, and Medan Zuo's voice quietly sounded in Aesop's soul: "Old man, don't worry, if those two priests are bought by someone, they will tell lies and pretend to be gods." I will make them unable to speak for the rest of their lives!"
Aesop didn't worry about this, but just watched silently. Ordinary priests would not lie on such occasions. If they really believed in gods, how much would it cost to make them 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 an oracle made by Hermes on the altar. Amon could sense it clearly. The priest did not play any tricks, and Thales, who presided over the ceremony, truthfully announced the contents of the oracle. —
"People of Midori, the old man in front of you has returned from a foreign land, where he has not received the radiance of the gods. The gods will not prove his identity, and he needs to prove himself."
Amon was slightly taken aback, that Hermes should be able to confirm Aesop's identity, for example, Amon could also confirm it by using the retrospective magic - the current Aesop is the Aesop-Ackerman back then. But Hermes refused to provide a conclusion, but asked Aesop to prove himself, and handed over the decision to the city-state citizen assembly.
But Hermes didn't lie, the gods told the truth, and he didn't deny Aesop's identity. Thales didn't seem to be surprised by this result. After reading the oracle, he said to Aesop: "The gods have given an oracle to let you prove your identity."
Aesop replied: "I can prove myself, and I stand here as a proof, but what kind of evidence do I have to provide before the citizens' meeting will make a verdict?"
Thales thought for a while and said: "This is a difficult problem. In fact, you are you, 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 have preserved."
Aesop nodded and said: "It should be so. Then I will come one by one. First, please look at this mark carefully." He stretched out an arm and rolled up his sleeves. A light brown fuzzy mark, which looks like a scar from a long time ago.
Aesop explained: "I was very naughty when I was a child. I heard that gold will not burn or deteriorate in the fire, so I used something to hold my father's ring and roasted it on the fire. In the end, I accidentally fell on my arm and hurt myself." Burnt. The Ackerman family crest is engraved on the ring. I was only eight years old at the time, and the scar happened to be half of the crest. The scar grew bigger as I grew up, but the outline of the crest can still be seen. "
Thales called Red Ackerman to him, took off his ring and checked the family emblem, and the imprint on Aesop's arm was indeed the blurred outline of half of the emblem, obviously not left recently. Thales asked the other representatives of the citizens' assembly present to check it in turn. Although the scar was already blurred, it was still recognizable.
Mei Danzuo in the crowd grinned happily, thinking in his heart that this old fellow Aesop is quite a ghost, and he still hides such a trick, waiting until this kind of occasion to captive his sleeves.
After examining the scars, Aesop put down his sleeves and said, "How can I have no memory of past experiences? Otherwise, how would I find it here? Mr. Thales, I need you to ask Red Ackerman a word. My old man Although the house has been renovated, the steps in front of the gate have not been moved for seventy years, isn't that the case?"
Thales turned to ask Red, and Red nodded in the affirmative. Aesop said again: "There are five stone steps in front of the gate of the house. They are built with whole stone slabs pressed one by one. Disassemble the four upper stone slabs and turn over the largest and heaviest stone slab at the bottom. I still remember the pattern engraved on the back, and I can draw it in public."
Thales asked: "How do you know?"
Aesop replied: "I built the steps when I was six years old. I saw it with my own eyes."
Thales ordered people to bring paper and pen to Aesop, and Aesop drew a scepter on the parchment with two pythons wrapped around the top, which is the common appearance of Hermes' scepter, and the scepter carved on the steps The bottom of the stone slab is used to guard the house. Many buildings in Midori have this custom when they are built, leaving a symbol of the patron saint of the city-state in an invisible position. As for where to stay, it is the secret of each family. It is said that if the secret is revealed and the devil finds out, it will lose the protection of the patron saint.
The house was newly built after Aesop's father and Red's father separated. The symbol of the patron saint was left on the back of the stone slab on the first step in front of the door. This was a situation that even Red Ackerman didn't know about. But Aesop said it in public.
This kind of thing is not a joke. If it is verified, then according to the custom, this house will have to be rebuilt before it can be lived in, because the hidden location of the patron saint has been exposed. Thales hurriedly asked a priest to lead a team of strong warriors to the house, and removed the steps and opened the stone slabs for inspection.
After a while, the inspector came back, and the priest reported the results to the representatives of the citizens' assembly. The steps in front of the house had no signs of being tampered with, and the information provided by Aesop was accurate. The voice in the hall suddenly became very noisy, and people were whispering, so far no one doubted Aesop's identity anymore.
Thales waved his hand to ask everyone to be quiet, and let Aesop continue to speak. Aesop was about to speak when Red Ackerman stepped forward and saluted Thales: "My lords, respected representatives of the citizens' meeting, don't ask any more questions, this old man is my cousin Aesop-A Kerman, I'm sure!"
Red Ackerman is a nobleman and one of the representatives of the city-state's citizens' meeting. He knew the result after hearing everyone's discussion. Regardless of whether he recognizes Aesop's cousin or not, everyone has already identified Aesop's identity. If he waits until after the ruling to make a statement, he and his three sons will be despised and ridiculed in the future. Although Reid is a philistine, he also understands the truth, so he took the initiative to stand up at this time.
Thales smiled, looked at Red and said: "The topic discussed in the citizens' meeting now is to confirm whether the old man in front of me is Aesop Ackerman from sixty years ago. On this occasion, do you agree? Acknowledgment is not final. Mr. Aesop, Mr. Reid, shall we continue to ask, or submit to a vote now?"
Aesop smiled and said: "Then please vote now. If the representatives of the city-state citizens' meeting think that I need to continue to prove it, I will continue to prove it."
The voting began, and the fifty representatives who participated in the voting unanimously believed that Aesop did not need to do more proofs, and confirmed that he was Aesop-Ackerman. There were cheers and applause in the hall, and Red Ackerman called the three sons over and asked them to salute and greet Uncle Aesop. The eldest son Blake flushed with shame, the second son Hunter was embarrassed, and the third son Weir looked very happy.
Aesop opened his arms and gave his cousin a warm hug, then hugged the three nephews one by one, then reached out and took out three flame spirits, handed one to each of the three nephews and said: "Dear nephews, I return alone Back home, this is the gift I prepared for you. Since you have confirmed my uncle, please accept it, this is the blessing of returning from afar."
Many people in the hall were stunned, looking at the flame spirit in the hands of the three brothers with various eyes. They never expected that Aesop would be so generous and give such expensive gifts to the three nephews in public. In fact, as early as when Aesop met his relatives for the first time, he planned to give them to them. Otherwise, Mei Danzuo would not have taken it out. This was a gift that had been prepared long ago.
Reid Ackerman was sweating on his forehead, and the three sons knelt down to express their thanks. They took a step forward and grabbed Aesop's arm, their lips trembling with excitement: "My cousin, you are too generous! How can you send Giving such a precious thing to a child? Please forgive my…”
Aesop interrupted him, and said with a smile: "I never blamed you, I heard that you are going to buy merchant ships to do business, and I have no other use for keeping the money. If I were your cousin, it would be a good idea to subsidize them." Of course... In fact, I am very grateful to you. After so many years, when I return to my hometown, I can still see the old house and the farm when I was young. It is you and your family who have preserved them. This is too precious to me!"
This scene is very emotional. Thales cleared his throat and said: "Today's meeting, the first issue voted on has ended. I would also like to congratulate the Ackerman family on their recognition. Next, we will vote on the first issue." The second issue was 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 for today?"
Thales replied with some helplessness: "Yes, this second issue is also related to you. The city-state citizens' meeting unanimously ruled that you are Aesop Ackerman, the son of Saines Ackerman, and Saines Ackerman The house and estate left by Mr. Ackerman belong to you, and this was determined at the same time as the judgment. Your nephew, Hunter Ackerman, raised another issue in advance, asking for another decision based on this ruling. The verdict..."
Before Thales finished speaking, Hunter Altman stood up with his face flushed, opened his arms and said loudly: "Representatives of the Citizens' Assembly, please forgive my rudeness, I take back my proposal!"
Red Ackerman also said: "God, please forgive this stupid kid! I also ask him to take back the proposal."
Thales asked with a half-smile: "Mr. Hunter Ackerman, do you really want to give up your request?"
Hunter nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I give up!"
Thales simply waved his hand: "Then this meeting is over."