Warhammer: My Biological Father Emperor and My Demigod Brother

"I am a follower of Poseidon. Although I am not popular in Athens, we defeated the team representing Athena at the last Games. If you are willing to join us, I believe we can achieve an even more legendary victory."

Aaron listened to these words and became eager to try. A month later, it would be the transition from summer to autumn, when the sports competition would not be too hot, nor too cold to affect performance.

Unfortunately, Hayes's gaze remained fixed on Anda, who was not wearing a mask today, and he didn't even pay attention to Marum, who was obviously stronger.

Anda accepted everything offered, eating whatever was on the plate first and worrying about the rest later.

"Okay, but I'm not good at sports. I heard that the last time you beat Athena was in a debate."

He actually knew a lot about this information, even though the Olympic Games were dedicated to his own sporting competition.

However, because of the authority of the goddess of wisdom, Athens would also hold debates and puzzle competitions to highlight the name of Athens.

Poseidon's followers were quite something; in order to avenge their master, they could only try to win against Athens in a war of words, without having their own city-state or military strength.

Aaron had been wary ever since he learned that Hayes was a follower of Uncle Poseidon, until he found out that Hayes had a happy family and two children, and he was relieved.

While Hayes was attending to other guests, Anda noticed her son's change in mood and burst into laughter:

"Haha~ Aaron, don't worry, the majority of people in this world are still normal. Poseidon's followers don't necessarily have to fall in love with other creatures; that's just a divine act and doesn't involve the followers."

"Just as my followers may not necessarily listen to me, they construct a more perfect version of themselves in their minds and then begin to worship that version."

Aaron, however, was particularly interested in the debate competition that shouldn't have been included in the Olympics, and asked:

“Father, the Athenian team are believers in the god of wisdom, and they also have a tradition of public speaking. They shouldn’t have lost.”

As Anda sipped his drink, he casually remarked:

"Debate isn't necessarily about intelligence; more often it's about leaving your opponent helpless. If you stick to your principles and your opponent doesn't have the ability to deliver a decisive blow, then you're the winner. Although the process may be a bit agonizing, the reward for ultimate victory is definitely worth it."

Aaron tilted his head, selecting suitable fruits and vegetables, pondering which one tasted better, before asking:

"Among my brothers, who is good at debating? I think Luo Jia is good, but Xiao Pei is out of the question. I'm worried that he'll find himself unable to win the argument."

Marum looked at Aaron with eager eyes, hoping that the emperor's first son would give his opinion on his father.

"As for Guilliman, he's fine, but he's obviously too busy to participate in debates. Chagatai is out of the question; he should be quite eloquent, but if given a choice, he'd crush his opponent immediately. Ryan is too young, so we won't consider him."

"Finally, there's Magnus. He might not want to attend the match because he's very concerned about his hairstyle right now. It's all your father's fault for stealing his son's hair."

Marum breathed a sigh of relief; finally, his father's evaluation was quite positive. The Emperor's First Son's eloquence in praising the Primarchs was well-suited for recording in the "Daily Records of the Emperor."

That is, it was compiled from the sayings of His Majesty and his sons and grandsons.

Adachi pondered for a long time, quickly reviewing his clear memories of his future sons, and concluded:

"Let's go with Dorn. After all, the outcome of a debate is about persuading the other side. If you can't be persuaded, then you're the strongest."

Marum thoughtfully added Aaron's full name: "Rog Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fist Legion, one of the most revered Primarchs."

Anda waved his hand and said, "Come on, which Primarch isn't one of the most respected Primarchs? When they were on Terra, who dared to disrespect them?"

"Alright, let's just spend the night at the tavern. Aaron, whatever you do, don't dream about Dorn! I'd rather listen to Guilliman's long-winded speech than hear Dorn utter a word."

Chapter 158 The Emperor's Rare Family Education (3K)

"However, I think I can go and be an audience member; I've never seen philosophers debate before."

Aaron was very interested in these things he had never seen before.

Athens is a place where I lived for a period of my life, but unfortunately I didn't have the chance to see these interesting competitions when I was young.

Asking him to personally go on stage to debate might be a bit of a stretch. But if he could take the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games and participate in some sports, he could see what the differences are between himself and his peers.

Anda chuckled, took the wine that Aaron and Marum hadn't finished, and gulped it down in one go:

"Alright, I don't really care about the debate. But if I can stay in Athens a little longer, I can go to Macedonia to see your mother later."

"However, if you participate in the Olympics, I'll join in the fun too."

Aaron tried to taste the beer his father didn't like, saying:

"Why? If you go up there and show your face, it will cause a commotion."

Anda laughed heartily:

"Because I feel that my good son also wants to participate in the Olympics, so I want to go up and stop you. Whatever event you participate in, I will do too."

Aaron wasn't really aiming to win any prizes; he was just quite exasperated by his father's almost childlike temper.

"Do as you please, as long as the best person in Athens doesn't end up chasing you the whole way."

Tonight they'll have to spend the night in a tavern. The tavern owner who invited them seems to be a playboy, saying the same thing to anyone who still has the leisure to go out for a drink every night.

So much so that when they left the next morning, Aaron thought the boss would come out and try to persuade them to stay, reiterating what happened the night before.

“Come on, son, don’t think that enthusiastic people are unique to you. They might be like the sun, shining on everyone. But when you want to follow them, you have to realize that you can’t possibly have the sun all to yourself.”

Anda was educating her son, who had little experience with human relationships and social customs since childhood, so she had to teach him these things.

So as not to be hurt by someone in the future.

Marum had no opinion on His Majesty's words; everyone in the future Astartes understood this principle.

He simply had to persuade the old man, who wanted to lie back down on the donkey cart, to get down:

“Sir, the fifth brother was out alone last night with no one to take care of him. We paid for it, but the tavern staff clearly didn’t care. The fifth brother is very tired; his legs are trembling.”

Anda shifted his position, walked over to Aaron, and glared at the donkey:

“Son, you see, never be fooled by appearances! That tavern owner was so enthusiastic last night, but his waiters don’t even have the most basic professional ethics!”

Taking advantage of the moment, Marum hurriedly picked up the fifth prince and placed him on the donkey cart after His Majesty's sacred backside had moved away.

Your Majesty's property is sacred and inviolable, not even if Your Majesty himself comes.

Finally able to get a good night's sleep, the fifth son let out a satisfied hum, and so a scene appeared on the streets of Athens: a strong man pulling a donkey cart with a donkey on it.

Many people pointed fingers at it, especially the scholars who had gathered in Athens to participate in the debate.

They felt this was a very good topic, perhaps one that could become a philosophical debate that lasts for thousands of years.

Anda, unable to bear the strange looks, pulled Aaron, whose eyes were curiously scanning the surroundings, and walked a little further away.

"Aaron, let's keep our distance. We can't get too close, or people will doubt our intelligence."

Athens was larger than Thebes or even Detu. Only Junu, which I had seen in Egypt, could barely compete with Athens in size.

However, in terms of architectural quality and even the division of urban functions, Athens was the most powerful city-state in the Mediterranean region.

After all, the buildings in this urban area are all painted with uniform colored paint and have some standard urban planning boundary markers.

This already illustrates that city designers don't need to consider production needs at all, but rather the functional division of the city, which is detached from the needs occupied by food and labor in this era.

Taverns and permanent shops were everywhere, along with patrolling Athenian guards.

Low-rise, single-story buildings are even rarer. Looking into the distance, the Temple of Athena, perched atop a high cliff, features steps and fountains built straight down, not in the city center.

Instead, people in the central functional area can see the temples protecting Athens as soon as they look up.

Religious significance was perfectly integrated with the political, economic, and cultural functions of the city-state itself, and divine authority did not completely interfere with political power.

It also provides cultural support and is considered a spectacular building.

Strangely enough, the theocracy in Athenian culture was not synchronized with that of Egypt, where the rulers were concentrated.

This means that Egypt was a country, while the areas surrounding Athens were city-states or small kingdoms.

However, Athens was indeed more advanced than Egypt, and was even called the cradle of Western democracy by later generations.

The inconsistencies in these histories certainly pique the curiosity of later generations, who wonder what caused them to be so.

Anda would only say, "Damn it, first give those Renaissance scholars who look for 'ancestral laws' for their own doctrines and then start making up nonsense about ancient Greek culture a good slap in the face."

Then kick the people who later compile history books a couple of times.

I saw it all clearly; I was a firsthand witness. It was those guys who liked to fabricate unofficial histories who messed things up.

"Aaron, have you found a place to stay? It's almost noon, but we've been wandering around the city all morning."

The elderly father, clutching his stomach, finally asked a question.

Aaron looked at Anda with a surprised expression:

“Father, I thought you were looking for a place. I was wondering what was wrong with you today, that you actually agreed to go shopping with me.”

The father and son stared at each other, each cursing inwardly that they had miscalculated.

Anda clutched his stomach, unable to bear the hunger any longer:

"Now that things have come to this, let's eat first, Aaron. You have to understand me and do something for this family."

“You used to do all these things, so why do you think I’ll suddenly start worrying about them?”

Anda showed no shame as he instructed his son.

They arrived at a market. Athens had a pretty good food culture, with many buildings that could be called restaurants, though selling food inside was just a side business.

It was mainly a place for young scholars to publicly present their theories. After satisfying their appetites, these people, with the status of being famous teachers and students, could also marry and have children in Athens.

My only goal in life from now on is to become famous!

Scholars have found that many philosophical topics are too profound for ordinary people to understand, so they can only start to devise fables, use mythological imagery, or common encounters in people's lives as the beginning of their speeches.

The audience below didn't care whether they listened or not; they just treated it as a way to pass the time when they were bored, since it was free anyway.

Those young people on stage who try to instill life philosophies in us by talking about chickens and ducks should thank us for supporting them.

Aaron and Anda took their seats. Marum stayed by the fifth brother's side this time to prevent him from suffering any torment, which could be considered a friendship between a horse and a donkey.

The father and son started eating to fill their stomachs before they had time to listen to the speech from above.

"Once upon a time, there was a man who carried a torch into a deep cave. He would first see the shadow cast by the torch's light, and the darkness ahead and the battle between the flames would inspire fear."

Even with a torch in hand, one cannot help but worry about whether one can reach the end of the cave, and whether there are dangerous monsters in the places where the firelight cannot reach.

"But when that person reached the end of the cave with the torch, and looked back, although the way he came was still pitch black, he no longer felt fear!"

"Fellow countrymen, this story tells us—"

Anda whispered to Aaron:

"Tell the guy who went to explore a natural cave with a torch that he was an idiot. Don't think there's any courage to conquer nature or overcome darkness in there."

"You know Aesop's Fables, right? Wait, this collection of stories is exactly what we're compiling over the next few years."