Chapter 14, The cocoon boy in BC
It is conceivable that when the huge airship suddenly landed on Crete, the islanders of the Kingdom of Minoa were naturally in commotion.
——The Kingdom of Minoa at this time ruled many islands in the Aegean Sea. The island of Crete, where its capital Knossos is located, covers an area of approximately 8,300 square kilometers, which is approximately equivalent to a quarter of Hainan Island. Olive Oil and wine are the main specialties of this island, but more importantly it is famous for its industrial, commercial and maritime trade. It often exports exquisite painted pottery and gold and silver vessels to foreign countries in exchange for daily necessities and raw materials such as food.
Geographically, this island is the transportation hub of the Eastern Mediterranean and is known as the "Crown of the Aegean". It can connect with Asia Minor and Syria to the east, and maintains trade relations with Egypt to the south, so it became the first place in Europe to be illuminated by the light of civilization.
As for the European continent to the north of these Aegean Sea islands...well, except for the Mycenaean city-state at the southernmost tip of the Greek peninsula, the entire European continent is still sleeping in barbarism and ignorance. The so-called "Europeans", in this The era almost means "barbarians"...
Also due to geographical reasons, unlike those traditional continental civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia, the ancient civilization of Crete was the first maritime civilization in human history, and the islanders of Crete were also the first marine civilization in human history. The mountains on Crete, the first seafaring nation in the world, are covered with dense forests, providing the islanders with wood for building ships; the climate in the Eastern Mediterranean is always calm, and it is densely populated with islands that can serve as navigation landmarks. , allowing ancient people to use simple boats to navigate the waves. These oldest professional navigators in human history relied on the unique natural conditions of their homeland to sail dhows loaded with grain, ivory and glass from Egypt, horses and timber from Syria, and marble from the Aegean Islands. , silver from Asia Minor, copper mines from Cyprus, furs and goats from the European continent, as well as olive oil and painted pottery produced in Crete, travel to and from various ports in the Mediterranean year after year, creating a vibrant openness A civilized country.
In short, through the powerful fleet that dominates the Mediterranean and the prosperous maritime trade, the residents of Crete are almost the most extensive and knowledgeable group of people in the current Middle Eastern civilization circle... But no matter how much they see Although they have a wide range of knowledge, they are still frightened to death when faced with something like an airship that transcends all concepts and common sense, and even have a nervous breakdown.
As a result, when General Juta and his soldiers set foot on the land of the motherland again at dusk, they found that there was an atmosphere of being faced with an enemy everywhere, and some people even lit beacon fires and sounded the alarm. , and even shot javelins and arrows at them... After struggling in a mess until midnight, poor General Jutta finally contacted the Queen Mother of Minoa who was in power, told the whole story of the matter, and calmed down the commotion. .
But it was obviously too late at this moment to disturb the sick little king's rest. So, everyone rested for the night at General Jutta's suburban manor, and found a hilltop to tie the airship to. They waited until the next morning before entering the palace to meet the sick little king and the ruling queen mother.
Unlike those ancient cities on the Eurasian continent where wars were frequent, which were tightly protected by city walls, trenches and fortresses, because the islanders were confident that they could win a decisive victory with their unparalleled fleet, all the cities in Crete were unprotected. Even the most prosperous capital city of Knossos was fortified. There is no clear dividing line between the urban area and the suburbs of the capital, which is similar to modern cities.
"...Dear daughter of the Nile! And all distinguished guests from heaven, welcome to our country of Minoa!"
The crowd gathered around Princess Caroll. As soon as they reached the "suburban junction" of Knossos, they saw a distinguished young woman wearing a conch-shaped hat and purple clothes, who came forward with excitement on her face. The ministers following her also saluted, and then they whispered and looked at Carol and his party with curious eyes, especially the blond Daughter of the Nile and the weird-looking cat-shaped robot Doraemon... According to the few words Wang Qiu overheard, they seemed to be discussing whether this was a strange pet kept by Nile's daughter...
"...The Queen Mother is so polite." Carol, who had dazzling blond hair, nodded her head elegantly, and replied in a princess-like manner, "...We have come all the way on behalf of Egypt to bring the king of your country to you. My sincerest greetings..."
As for the travelers who were not familiar with ancient etiquette, they also followed Carol's example, bowed slightly, and then acted solemnly from the side - in this situation where they didn't know what to do, they could only pretend to be Only by showing a superior attitude will you not lose others and lose the battle.
"... Just... where is the king now?" After scanning around, he didn't see a young man who clearly looked like King Minoa. Carol asked with some confusion, but asked the Queen Mother of Minoa. Zi became nervous.
"...I also ask for your forgiveness, distinguished guests. It's not that we are being negligent. It's just that my son Minos's body is too weak. Recently, his condition has become more and more serious. It's impossible to even get out of bed...I will take you with me right now." Go to the palace to see him.”
When she said this, her tone was extremely humble, without a hint of arrogance at all - there was no way, facing a group of "gods" who could soar into the clouds and soar into the blue sky, how could even an emperor and empress be so arrogant? stand up?
Hearing this, the time-travelers who had read the comics and understood the plot were naturally indifferent. Only Carol himself felt a little unexpected - although he had long heard that the King of Minoa was young and frail, he did not expect it. It would really be so weak! Could it be that he really suffered from some terminal illness?
Although she was thinking about this in her mind, she still nodded calmly, "...Then, Queen Mother Lao will lead the way."
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From the perspective of ancient Western civilization, the palace of Knossos is quite uniquely designed. Compared with the solemn, majestic, rough and proud megalithic buildings in Mesopotamia and Egypt, it is more like Beverly Hills in modern Los Angeles, USA. Those beautiful courtyards - the entire palace is built against the mountain. It is large in scale. From a long distance away, you can see countless small flat-roofed buildings standing next to each other, some with three or four floors, and some even reaching four or five floors. Doors, windows and corridors are arranged at random, and the palace rooms are connected by stairs. It mainly uses stones and gravel to build the foundation, and then uses mud bricks to build it. However, it does not have the cold and hard feeling of the building. Instead, it is cleverly integrated into the beautiful mountains and forests. It seems to be natural, giving people a harmonious life. breath.
In general, every building in the Knossos Palace is surrounded by vibrant flower beds, lawns and shrubs. Under the careful cultivation of gardeners, all kinds of flowers bloom together, blooming with the fragrance of different colors. It's really stunning, and the grass blades are also lush and green, with occasional residual dewdrops shining in the sun. Butterflies can be seen flying among the flowers, and there are chirping parrots on the branches. The refreshing air is filled with waves of light floral fragrance, which is refreshing. Between each flowerbed is a pavement paved with stone slabs, engraved with patterns painted by craftsmen. In addition to the linear spirals, triangles, curves, crosses and herringbone patterns commonly seen on Cretan painted pottery, there are also patterns of flowers, plants and animals.
However, following the footsteps of the Queen Mother and the ministers, the further they walked into the depths of this comfortable palace, especially after entering the door of the King of Minoa's palace, it began to become darker and darker, and the more disturbing it became. I feel short of breath - the young king's bedroom is actually semi-underground!
This is really unbelievable. The poor people who "drifted north" in later generations really had no money to live in basements. Hitler got into the bunker because he had no other way to avoid bombings - today's Minoa Kingdom is rich all over the world, and there are no enemy bombings these days. , why did you dig a bomb shelter and come out when you have nothing to do?
"...Why is it so dark here? The sunlight can't shine in at all." After walking for a while, Carol couldn't help but asked the maid next to her in confusion.
"...Because King Minos hates the sun very much." The maid replied respectfully, not thinking there was anything wrong with this at all... So Ma Tong gave Carol a look that said, "You see." ——How can a person who can’t even get out of the sun have a healthy body?
"...So King Minos rarely goes out, right?" Wang Qiu interjected, pretending to be casual.
"...Yes, because His Majesty is in frail health and cannot be exposed to wind according to the doctor's instructions, we usually try to avoid letting him go out."
The maid replied, "...Besides, there is everything in the palace, so since he got sick, His Majesty usually stays in there and doesn't come out."
Wang Qiu exchanged a clear look with Ma Tong: Sure enough, this King of Minos is a young man from the Cocoon tribe in BC!
——The so-called cocooning tribe is another concept of "emerging groups" invented by Japanese society in the 21st century after the NEETs and otakus. Mainly refers to some teenagers who are self-isolated and indifferent to social interactions. They are withdrawn, lack friends, and are afraid of contact with the outside world. They are often like silkworm chrysalis in a cocoon. They often like to lock themselves in their rooms and do not come out for a long, long time...
Of course, there is obviously a difference between King Minos, who is unable to go out due to illness, and those Japanese cocooners in the 21st century who take the initiative to stay home. But in terms of actual physical and psychological effects, it seems to be just as bad.
Several time-travelers were walking slowly behind the Queen Mother and the palace maids, while discussing the condition of the young king of the cocoon tribe whom they had not yet met. After a while, a huge dolphin was playing in the water in the palace corridor. The mural finally reached the end, and a dark but spacious semi-underground hall appeared. The hall is surrounded by thick high walls with no windows. Only a row of ventilation holes are opened at the top near the ceiling. Together with the oil lamps that are lit all day long in the corner, they bring a faint light to the room...
In order to cater to King Minos who was unwilling to step out of his room, this luxurious underground palace had almost everything. Not only was it furnished with many dazzling handicrafts, but it was also stacked with scrolls and clay tablets for recording text. Indoor flower gardens were built with a variety of flowers, and even artificial streams, rockeries, and fish ponds were built. However, none of these could make up for the effects of sunlight and natural wind, nor could they keep the air moist enough. Dry and fresh - buildings from the 14th century BC did not have the ventilation and dehumidification technology of modern houses.
Obviously, lying in such a "semi-basement" without seeing the light all year round, I'm afraid even a healthy person will suffer from depression!
Anyone who knows a little bit about health care knows that a healthy and upbeat attitude is the basic foundation for getting better. Although I don’t know that this bad living habit of closing the door tightly and not leaving the house is different from King Minos’s. Between illnesses, who is the cause and who is the effect, but if you want to recover, you must make some changes - not only the correction of daily habits, but more importantly, the adjustment of personal psychology...< br>
The travelers couldn't help but sigh and looked at the luxurious bed hung with layers of curtains in the center of the hall. Surrounding the bed were a large group of fat and thin beautiful palace maids. Some were fanning, some were playing the harp, and some were taking a nap out of boredom... Suddenly I saw the Queen Mother coming in with a group of strangers, especially The golden-haired Carol and the chubby Doraemon were all startled and jumped up.
"...What's wrong? Is the Daughter of the Nile coming?"
As if sensing the noise outside, a young boy's hoarse voice came from the bed, which seemed to be filled with some kind of expectation.
"...Yes! My child! The Daughter of the Nile has come to see you from Egypt!" The Queen Mother sobbed slightly and replied with tears in her eyes.
Hearing that the long-awaited daughter of the Nile had arrived, the young king Minos on the bed was immediately excited. He immediately ordered someone to lift the curtain, and then with the help of the maid, he managed to stand up and show off to the visitors. His sickly figure was revealed: his pale, almost transparent skin, almost Blood vessels can be vaguely seen. Although the facial features on the face are as delicate and delicate as a beautiful girl, they have a sick look without any brilliance. The body is so thin that it seems like it can be swept away by the wind - just a person. The simple act of sitting up from the bed already made him breathless.
As soon as he saw Carol's brilliant blond hair, a strange light suddenly flashed through the dull and dull eyes of this sickly and beautiful young man, and then he made an action that shocked everyone - he ignored his own The thin and sick man actually struggled to hold on to the bedpost. With the help of the maid and the Queen Mother, he managed to get out of bed and stand up!
"...Are you...the daughter of the Nile God? You are indeed as dazzling as the sun with blond hair..."
With a faint blush on his face, the handsome young king staggered slowly towards Carol, his eyes as fanatical and focused as those of later generations of groupies. Carol was at a loss for a moment: "...His Majesty the King...I, I'm here to visit you." How could this young king's eyes be so penetrating! It made her skin crawl all over the place! Hey, hey, don’t look at my tender face, I’m already a married woman, okay?
"...You are finally here...I thank you from the bottom of my heart...Daughter of the Nile..."
After saying this, the sickly young king seemed to have exhausted all his strength and fell directly to the ground!
"...It feels so uncomfortable...Save me..." He whispered with difficulty, moaning in pain.
"...Oh!! No! My child! Someone come quickly! Someone come and save him!" The Queen Mother's face suddenly changed and she cried.
"...King Minos, please cheer up!" The helpless maids also hugged the young king and shouted in vain.
For a moment, the dark dormitory was filled with the noise of crying and shouting. More people heard the sound and hurried in from outside, shouting and yelling around the young king. The sky was dark and the earth was dark... But these guys besides pollution The turbid air in the room, which was not circulated enough in the first place, had almost no positive effect. Instead, it created more noise, making the poor young man feel even more uncomfortable.
——What the hell, let alone such a sick and weak boy who can fall down at the slightest blow, even a healthy person can't bear the service of you idiots!
"...Quiet! You all get out of the way! Let me see how he is doing!"
Carol, who couldn't stand it anymore, finally put her hands on her hips and shouted loudly, shocking the group of maids and servants who could only cry and yell. Then she pulled Wang Qiu, Doraemon and others together and squeezed away. These obstructive guys picked up the semi-conscious King Minos with their own hands and observed carefully The state of his illness attack - well, shortness of breath, pale complexion, spasms of limbs, dripping with sweat... Looking at Minos, whose consciousness is gradually blurring and his hands and feet have begun to twitch, and his pale sick face full of desire to survive, Carol's heart couldn't help but throb in pain.
"...Doraemon, how is his condition? Can he be rescued?" She turned around and asked Doraemon.
"...It looks like a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma..."
Doraemon made a simple diagnosis and sighed, "...Hey, even though this child's respiratory function has failed like this, we still have to lock him in an airtight basement with turbid air and not let him out. It's not ventilated, and there's even a fire burning inside all day long..." He looked up at the bright oil lamps in the corner and couldn't help but shake his head, "...Is this seeking death or seeking death? ?”
"...I also know that the environment here is very bad for the patient, but no matter what, we have to save him first!"
Looking at the increasingly painful expression of Minos in his arms, Carol said anxiously, "...Do you have any quick and effective treatment?"
"...I don't have any particularly good ideas. He can't get an injection or drink medicine in this condition, and the cause of the disease has not been found out..." Doraemon spread his hands and took out a jar and a mask from his dimensional pocket. , "...Anyway, let's give him some oxygen first!"