Douluo: The Adventures of King Skin

“How many people once admired your appearance when you were young/Who knows who is willing to endure the ruthless changes of time?”

--"lifetime with you"

Everyone looked in shock and saw a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl standing behind Old Joseph and Manetho.

This girl has light brown eyes, slightly brown skin, soft eyebrows, a slightly hooked nose, fluffy flaxen curly hair tied with white ribbons, and wears the same plain robe as Old Joseph.

At this time, she looked at Ptolemy angrily.The girl next to her who was smaller than her timidly pulled the hem of her clothes to stop her from continuing.

Old Joseph was shocked and turned pale, and he hurriedly asked for mercy for his beloved daughter. Unfortunately, his Greek was so poor that he could only say "little daughter" or "little daughter" when he was anxious.

Ptolemy was open-minded. He smiled to appease old Joseph and asked him to sit down first. He then asked the girl:

"Are you the daughter of Duke Joseph? What is your name?"

"My concubine's name is Maria," the girl's Greek is much better than her old father's, and she answered neither condescendingly nor condescendingly.Then she continued despite her best friend’s obstruction:

"Dear Pharaoh, do you know how many kings in this world are ignorant and incompetent? And how many scholars are impoverished?

“A king without knowledge and skills will be unable to do anything about politics; a scholar who is poor will have no way to study seriously.

"Thanks to the Lord's great blessing, you are able to be both a Pharaoh and a scholar. How lucky is this? Why are you not satisfied?

"Compared with you, Pyrrhus of Epirus is nothing more than an exiled barbarian chief who lost his throne in terms of status, and in terms of intelligence, he is nothing more than a laggard child.

"However, in terms of governance, he can defeat Cassander and save the Thessalians, and in terms of academics, he can refute the sages and clarify the truth, which is far better than you!"

"Well said!" If Ptolemy hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he really couldn't believe that a little girl had such knowledge and was so eloquent. These words were well-founded and convincing, and he couldn't help but pat his hands in praise.

Seeing the serious look on the girl's face, he couldn't help but laugh again:

"I heard that Pyrrhus is famous in Greece for his beauty. Although he seems to be only 14 years old, Maria, you praise him so well. Do you want me to help you propose marriage to him?"

The girl was startled when she heard this, then immediately blushed and said loudly: "I don't want to marry a brat!"

Everyone in the hall burst out laughing.

"You are Pharaoh, why are you joking!" Maria said in embarrassment.

When everyone's laughter subsided, she still stubbornly continued the topic with Ptolemy:

"As a king, what can be closer to eternity than good laws and good governance? As a scholar, what can be closer to eternity than literary fame and art?

"The Philosopher's Stone is just a wild fantasy. Please don't let your fate live up to your fate and pursue eternity on the right path!"

"Maria, you said it very well, thank you for your frankness!" Ptolemy confirmed the girl's suggestion, and then fell silent.

He thought for a moment, then raised his head and looked at everyone in the hall with a smile:

"My friends! You can be said to be the wisest people in the world today. I sincerely ask you to help me and tell me - what kind of good governance and skills can match eternity?"

There was silence in the hall for a moment, and then the eyes of these wise men looking at each other gradually became hostile, because they all realized:

It's hard to cheat...ah no...this is a good opportunity to get academic funds!

Then the happy atmosphere was swept away, and the air became tense.Everyone began to rush to speak——

Some propose to restore the Pharaoh Canal, some propose to build a giant lighthouse, some propose to explore Africa...

There are all kinds of strange proposals, but coincidentally they all have one thing in common - they are extremely expensive.

Ptolemy listened with a smile on his throne, noncommittal.

At this time, Demetrius of Phalerum, who was sitting next to him, also whispered something to Ptolemy, and Ptolemy nodded after listening.

He clapped his hands to signal everyone to quiet down, and then said:

"Friends, your suggestions are all valuable, but although Egypt is rich, her wealth is not unlimited. These great ideas are very precious, and I hope you can still carefully improve them and write them into scrolls after you go back.

"I am old, but even if these great achievements cannot be accomplished by my hands, my descendants will certainly be able to accomplish them.

"But today, what I like most is a proposal that Dmitri told me - not because this method is better than yours, but because this proposal is good for all of us!

"I have decided to complete it in my lifetime..."

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Under the same sky, Pyrrhus was breaking out of a woman's arms with a flushed face, rubbing his forehead fiercely with his palms:

"I'm already 15 years old!"

After saying that, he looked back with a guilty conscience. Fortunately, the marching queue was far away from here, so he shouldn't be able to see this side.

The young woman in front of him looked at Pyrrhus lovingly, smiled and said, "Even if you are 50 years old, aren't you still my child?"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and pulled Pyrrhus's shoulders, turning him over and over. Pyrrhus had no choice but to let it be manipulated.

While watching, Fotiya asked him: "I heard that you were fighting in Philais. A few days ago, Ellis was assassinated. Was he not injured?"

Mom still feels sorry for me!

Pyrrhus felt warm in his heart and responded confidently: "Don't worry, mother, ordinary people can't hurt me."

"Then be careful!" Fotiya checked again with her eyes carefully, "But you have grown up and must have understood the truth. You must always remember the lessons of your ancestors - Achilles thought he was immortal. Where is your body..."

"Yes, yes, you are right..." He said, 'You have grown up and understand the truth,' but I still have to remind him again.Pyrrhus helplessly looked up at the sky and said, "I can't believe that Achilles would be bitten by a poisonous puffer fish. It's really dangerous to go into the water with bare feet..."

Fotiya was so angry that she hit him on the head.

"I was wrong, I was wrong," Pyrrhus apologized quickly and said some nice words for free: "Oh mother, I haven't seen you for such a long time. Are you looking better than before? I think you have become more beautiful. Already?"

"Have it?"

"Of course!" Pyrrhus vowed, "Do you think your skin is smoother than before? It must be the water from Pharsalus..."

The flattery made my mother smile, but her eyes became red when she smiled:

"You have really grown up and can make me happy.

"When you were just a little bit old, something like that happened to you, and our family couldn't be reunited for many years... Later, your father also died in the war, and now I see you embarking on this road again..."

Pyrrhus watched the atmosphere take a sad turn, and then changed the subject, "By the way, mother, where are Deidamia and Troas?"

Dedamia's engagement was annulled by Dmitri, and she doesn't know what's going on now.

"You were still marching, so I didn't let them follow you." Mother wiped away her tears and said:

"Don't worry, we no longer live in the manor. Only Hippias and the others know where we are now - you must also be careful of these Thessalians. Just because they support you now does not mean they will support you forever. You must remember Lamy Lessons from the Asian War..."

Pyrrhus also thought about this problem, but he did not expect that his mother, who was a Thessalian, would say this.

"Okay, you still have business to do, I won't delay you anymore." Fotiya had already returned to her queenly demeanor, and she added:

"You don't have to worry about Dedamia's affairs. I have already written a letter to Dmitri's mother Stratonis. There must be an explanation for breaking off the engagement!"

After speaking, he patted Pyrrhus on the face as a farewell.

Fotiya returned to the maid and retainer behind her, got on her horse gracefully, and left without looking back.

Pyrrhus stood there, watching his mother and the others disappear into the distance.

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After that, the news spread like wildfire that Pyrrhus liked women older than him.