Joseph asked urgently, "Bishop Robert is dead, what about the other priests?"
Goliath replied, "All of them were killed."
The scene was chaotic. After Linley killed the angel summoned by Bishop Robert, the other priests' morale instantly collapsed. Some went mad, some ran away, and ultimately none survived. Some were killed by the merchants, and some died at the hands of Linley's men.
Joseph breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately realized his reaction was inappropriate, and quickly corrected himself, "It's truly a tragedy."
They shared a knowing smile. The complete annihilation of the priests meant no one would stand up against their actions, any rumors would not be officially accepted, and wouldn't reach the Senate, meaning no one would speak out.
The commander of the guards couldn't help but interject, "But thirty thousand, isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
Joseph responded with displeasure, "Is that something you should be saying?!"
Goliath, however, showed understanding, "No, no, his concern is justified."
Thirty thousand men is equivalent to six full Roman legions, such a force is enough to change the direction of a strategic situation. The Eastern Mediterranean had enjoyed a century of peace. Suddenly, an army of thirty thousand appears, especially with half of them being Germanic barbarians, it is indeed hard to believe. If it is true, wouldn't all the Roman legions stationed in Germany be in rebellion?
The followers of Dionysus are widespread, even surpassing the influence of the Olympian gods. People have a fondness for wine, and Greek wine is especially popular, so Dionysus's followers are scattered throughout the known world, including Germany. However, tens of thousands of followers seem excessive. The Roman Empire has always been wary of Germanic tribes, but would never allow a large number of barbarians to cross imperial territory and reach the Mediterranean.
Joseph suggested, "Then let's cut it in half, fifteen thousand men, with three thousand Germanic barbarians."
Goliath, however, opposed, "No, no, no, double it, sixty thousand men, with thirty thousand Germanic barbarians."
Joseph asked in confusion, "Why double it?"
Goliath explained, "The higher the number we report, the less likely they are to believe us. In the end, we can compromise at thirty thousand. If they still don't believe us, we can reduce it to fifteen thousand when they send people to investigate, and that's how we can achieve our goal. If we say fifteen thousand from the start, they won't believe us, and when they send people to investigate, we'll have to say a few thousand, and then we'll be held responsible for the defeat."
The total population of Andros Island was only twenty to thirty thousand. If they were attacked by tens of thousands of barbarians, a defeat would be understandable, and even repelling them would be considered a merit. However, if there were only one or two thousand, Joseph and Goliath would not be able to escape responsibility. The quinqueremes, the plundering of Andros Island, and the deaths of the Holiness bishop and priests on the island, all of these would require accountability.
Joseph finally agreed, "Alright, let's do it your way!"
He didn't have any connections in high places, and Goliath's words seemed logical, so he decided to report it this way. After all, the higher the number, the lighter the punishment he would receive.
Reaching a consensus, they quickly went to the governor's mansion and collaborated on the report. Using the same data, the report seamlessly connected and could be cross-verified, leaving no loopholes. Joseph was genuinely impressed.
After completing the report, they each made ten copies and sealed them in envelopes with wax seals. They then placed the envelopes in cylinders. Their subordinates found twenty hawks, tied the cylinders to their wings, and released them.
The hawks spread their wings and soared, reaching speeds of over one hundred kilometers per hour, flying westward. Hours later, the first hawk arrived in Rome and landed in the falconry. The falconer took the cylinder, opened it, and was astonished. He immediately sent the cylinder to the palace.
The Roman magistrates, tribunes, chief senators, Nero, Augustus, Caesar, the Emperor, and Germanicus received the report, and after reading it, they erupted in laughter.
Pope Peter rolled his eyes but didn't ask Nero why he was laughing.
"Your men were killed," Nero said to Peter after he finished laughing. "The Robert from Spain that you valued so much, along with his eleven priests, were killed on Andros Island."
"What!" Peter exclaimed, "How is that possible? Wasn't it safe there? Who did it? Even if they over-exploited the place and sparked a rebellion, they shouldn't have killed Robert. He could summon angels."
"It was Dionysus," Nero replied.
"Dionysus Linley… Dionysus died, and passed the position of Dionysus to Linley? That name sounds like a barbarian. And mortals can't handle the power of a god, not even the false gods on Mount Olympus." Peter questioned.
"I don't know about that, I'll have someone check later," Nero said. "The ridiculous part of this report isn't that, it says Dionysus Linley attacked Andros Island with an army of sixty thousand, half of whom were Germanic barbarians. The governor of the island freed the slaves and fought a battle against Dionysus. With the help of the navy, they eventually drove Dionysus and his sixty thousand army back into the sea."
"Six, sixty thousand?" Peter asked.
"This is no joke," said Nero. "Even all of Greece couldn't muster sixty thousand qualified soldiers. How did this army suddenly appear from the sea? Where did they get their ships, supplies, and weapons? And half of them are Germanic barbarians. So many Germanic barbarians went to the Mediterranean. Unless the city guards and merchant caravans along the way are all dead."
"No, it is possible," said Peter. "You forgot the divine power."
"Divine power? You mean Dionysus? What can his power do?" Nero asked.
"The belief of Dionysus is everywhere, even in Germania. These barbarians are simple-minded, and once they believe in a certain god, they easily become devout believers, and after death, they enter the divine kingdom," Peter said.
"But it's not so easy to transfer the believers from the divine kingdom to the mortal world, right?" said Nero.
"It is not easy at ordinary times. Transferring believers to the mortal world would likely harm the divine kingdom, shake the foundation of the divine kingdom, and even lead to the collapse of the divine kingdom. But Dionysus is unlikely to care about that now," said Peter.