The tavern owner almost fell to the ground and muttered: "Impossible."
However, the soldier had already rushed in front of the man. He grabbed the man's shoulders, looked at each other for a long time, and said with tears: "Consul, he is really a consul. I can't be wrong. I have seen him." Him! Archon, our Archon, you are finally back!"
The other soldiers in the tavern stood up one after another, and they all looked at the man in unison. A few who had met the consul compared them in their memories. Although the eyes and nose looked messy and slovenly, they were really consistent with the impression in their memories. So consistent.
"Yes, definitely the Archon!"
"The Archon, he is our Archon!"
"The nameless Archon!"
The soldiers confirmed each other, and then rushed to the table like crazy. They were embarrassed to get too close to the man, and almost all of them crowded around Armin. They surrounded the man, the man they looked forward to.
When the tavern owner heard what they said, he stood tremblingly on the counter and looked for any trace of lying on the soldiers' faces with wide eyes, but there was no trace. The owner was completely flustered in depression.
Lord, who would have thought that this slovenly man was a consul, who would have associated this tramp-like person with a consul.
"He's really back, our consul!" The soldier added an emphasis on "our". The man in his prime shed tears unseemly.
Armin, who was talking to the man, was stunned on the spot. He opened his mouth wide and felt incredible. Their consul was back and sitting in front of him, it was like a dream.
"Consul...is it really you?" Armin looked at the man and murmured.
"I escaped from that battle. I fled into the desert, and now I'm back." Compared to the shock of everyone present, the man calmly picked up the torn clothes on his body to prove that everything he said was true. Authentic and trustworthy.
"Consul, how much suffering you have suffered!" A soldier said excitedly, "You have been tortured like this!"
"No," the man said in a trembling voice, "You have experienced far more than I have."
Upon hearing this, the boss stared at him intently.
This tavern was originally lifeless, and even the newly added tables and chairs smelled of decay. These soldiers who wanted to get drunk here, gathered here, and everyone was more excited than ever before. They were suddenly aroused.
"This is a difficult time," the man said.
After the soldiers heard this, they immediately thought of the city-state assembly and the fact that they were about to accept surrender. They lowered their heads slightly.
"Consul, some people say that we have actually surrendered." A young soldier said slightly pessimistically.
"As long as we surrender, many people will be made nobles, and even if they can't, they will be exempted from tax... That's what the sages said." Another soldier said.
"They call on us to surrender every day, saying that losing the Vanguard Legion means we lose everything." Armin said.
"Armin, what are you talking about! We still have two legions, more than four thousand people, my youngest son, and me!"
Suddenly, the boss said excitedly, and he slapped the wooden counter vigorously, making a squeaking sound.
The men listened to their uneasy or firm words.
"Then I want to ask you two questions, only two." The man paused, looked around at the recently depressed soldiers, and said calmly: "Okay, first question, how much strength do we still have to resist?"
"We still have more than ten castles and an unknown amount of farmland." A soldier said.
"There is also Commander Kassel, Commander Keck, Deputy Commander Colvin, and we also have a group of officers." Another soldier said.
The man's eyes swept over everyone, and they all told their answers.
"There are two more legions, more than four thousand people!" When his eyes fell on the tavern owner, the latter rushed to say.
Then, the boss knocked on the table, looked into the man's eyes, and said excitedly: "No, everyone else too!"
Listening to the different answers, the man nodded and asked calmly: "If each of you is made a noble, will you accept surrender?"
The tavern fell into silence.
The soldiers held their breath. This was almost a kind of torture. They looked at each other for a moment, as if confirming each other's eyes.
"No, it won't!" The boss slapped the table and said first.
"Why?"
"Because my two sons don't want their friends to be enslaved." The boss said carefully and with all his strength, "And I don't want anyone else's son to be enslaved again."
"I will not accept surrender!" Another soldier shouted: "I used to be a slave, but now I am a citizen!"
"I don't accept it either!" said Armin, who was sitting directly in front of the man. "Our conscience doesn't allow it, our justice doesn't allow it, and our Lord doesn't allow it!"
"I do not accept!"
"Don't accept it! It will be no different than before."
.........
The man listened to different answers, but they all pointed to the same answer.
He stood up slowly.
The eyes of everyone present followed the consul closely, looking at the man who had returned after suffering many hardships.
As the man stood up, they couldn't help but lean forward.
"Then come with me, let's go find Kassel," the man said slowly, "Let's go to the city-state conference."
The expressions of the soldiers were moved, and they leaned towards the man, surrounding the consul of all people. They held their breath and looked at the man with more than twenty expectant eyes.
"I'm going to tell those who are planning to surrender, those who are planning to compromise, I hear your cry."
The man looked around at the people present. The faces were either young or old, thin or strong, young and vigorous, or mature and prudent. All of these faces, without exception, had firm expressions. They were also looking at him.
"I heard the cry of the people!"
"I heard,"
"Let them hear that the entire nation is calling for liberation!"
The powerful words fell on everyone's heart, like thunder exploding in everyone's ears, and echoed for a long time!
Everyone present was so excited that even their heels were trembling with excitement. They were so angry that they shouted with trembling voices,
"Let them hear it!"
"Let all who surrender hear!"
"Let the statues and the kings, let our enemies hear! Let the old world hear!"
.........
These people surrounded the man and walked out of the tavern.
The crowd was excited and excited, shouting out their frustration and anger over the past few days.
The boss shouted together and followed him out for a while. He suddenly remembered that he had a tavern, and ran to lock the door in a panic. He then rushed to catch up with the crowd.
These more than twenty citizens, regardless of the guards' obstruction, took the consul with them and poured into the streets. As they walked towards the castle, they shouted the slogans they heard before the war.
They almost spoke in unison, shouting at the top of their lungs at everyone.
"Long live war!"
"Long live the citizens!"
"Long live liberation!"
"Long live our Archon!"
"Long live everything except surrender!"
The news of the consul's return, amidst shouts and shouts, spread all over the streets in an instant.
People in the whole town were in disbelief at first, but then they saw the man they supported. After confirming each other and comparing their memories, they joined the huge crowd. These people shouted together, and their voices shook the heaven and the earth.
An anecdote occurred.
A woman mustered up the courage to push her way through the crowd to find the consul and ask a question that she felt she shouldn't ask.
"The Archon...is he really the Archon?"
"It's me." The man nodded, "What's the matter?"
"I want to give my one-month-old son the same name as you."
The woman looked a little flustered and excited.
"Archon, do you really have no name?"
"no name."
After saying that, the man thought of his mother who warned him to always be kind, of old Figg who died for him, of Cassel who had always been firm, of Rebecca who taught him how to read, of crazy Roman, He thought of comrades such as Keck, Colvin and Abdul, and thought of countless names. He thought of everyone who suffered.
"Every name."
