Chapter 25 Freedom

Maximus didn't refute or resist, and let Gaius grab him, but Gaius' fist didn't go down because the slaves around him hugged him.

This small riot caused by the square made the officials of the slave management office who had not left looked very bad, and the head of the slaves, Icarus, was even more angry, and immediately asked the soldiers to go to arrest him.

When Gaius had his hands cut back and pressed to the ground, he was still scolding, and the foreman gave him a blow in the mouth, causing his teeth to fall out, blood to flow, and half of his face was swollen. ” The words could not be clearly expressed, but his eyes were still fiercely staring at Maximus.

Maximus never dared to make eye contact with him, standing still, even though Gaius was escorted away, he did not raise his head.

The slaves were soon led by the foreman to the mine, and he was the only one left in the huge square.

At this time, Icarus, the head of the slave camp, walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly: "You are doing the right thing! Those stupid people can't see the situation at all, the kingdom is so powerful, their little How small conspiracies can work, it's just a joke!  …”

However, Maximus felt that his words were a bit harsh. He raised his head and asked: "Lord Icarus, I am free now, can I leave here now?"

"Of course, you are now a free man. However, you have been in the slave camp for so many years, and you have no understanding of the outside world. If you suddenly leave here and live in the kingdom's town, I am afraid you will be very uncomfortable. If you are not careful, you may violate the laws of the kingdom and affect your future development. It is better to stay in the camp and work as a hired hand here. After all, you are very familiar with this place, and you are well educated. You can also write Dio Lia script, you can become a manager here, which is also more beneficial for you to become a citizen of Dionia earlier. During the work for the camp, you will gradually become familiar with the city of Turii and our kingdom. …”

The reason why Icarus said this and wanted to keep Maximus was because after receiving the order from the slave management office, he specially sent someone to understand the amnesty Roman slave and learned that he was very capable. Only then did he have the idea of ​​cherishing his talents, and wanted to add a capable subordinate to his camp.

"Thank you, Lord Ikarus, for your attention, I will consider it carefully." Although Maximus admitted that Ikarus was right, but he didn't want to stay in this place for a moment, so he said it a bit perfunctory. .

Icarus also saw it, he still smiled, patted Maximus on the shoulder, and said: "Go back and think about it, even if you don't have this plan now, what I said will be valid within a year. By the way. , you can go to the management room of the camp to register now and receive your bronze medal for free from slavery."

Since this amnesty about him was very loud, he quickly completed the formalities, and even some rent he had not paid, the office staff waived him, and said: "This is the slave management office. Special notice, thank the merciful King Davos!"

Maximus finally got the bronze medal that all slaves dreamed of: this bronze medal is rectangular, only the size of an index finger, with the word "Freedom" engraved in the center, and a number on the top.

The bronze medal is very simple to make, and it seems easy to imitate it, but in fact this bronze medal is just a proof of identity, which is usually seen by the inspection team members. The real important thing is that his name is sold at the kingdom slave management office. You must know that whether it is public or private, as long as you buy and add a slave, you must register at the Kingdom Slave Management Office, record the appearance of the slave, give him a fixed number, and brand it on the slave. 's buttocks.

On the one hand, the Slave Management Office will regularly check the survival of the slaves every year according to the roster. If it is found that they may be abused and destroyed, the court personnel may come to the door; on the other hand, once the slave escapes, the Slave Management Office will The information about the fugitive slave was provided to the inspectors in various cities and towns, and they were arrested. Once caught, not only would they end up miserably, but they would never have the chance to be free.

And when Maximus' name was removed from the slave roll, he was already a free man.

Maximus carefully placed the bronze medal on his chest and strode back to his home.

When his two children happily came out to meet him, the heavy guilt in his heart suddenly disappeared: I did nothing wrong, my children should not be trapped in this cage, they should be like other people's children, happy in Studying at Dionia's school...

"Maxims, you...you sneaked back from the mine! What can I do?! Go back! Go and confess to them..." But his wife Falvia was very panicked. There was a misunderstanding about the husband's presence at home at this time.

"Falvia, we are free!" Maximus said to her excitedly, holding the child.

"What did you say?"

"I mean I have become a free man, and this is the bronze medal I got from slavery!" Maximus handed the bronze medal to his wife.

Falvia carefully read the bronze medal several times, she still couldn't believe it: "This is... true?!"

"Of course it's true, we can leave here! Leave now!" Maximus said with a firm expression.

Falvia didn't respond, clutching the bronze medal in one hand, covering her face with the other, hot tears streaming down her fingers...

"Mom, why are you crying?" The two children pulled Falvia's clothes with concern.

Maximus stepped forward, hugged his wife forcefully, and said in a deep voice: "Falvia, we will no longer be slaves from now on! Children will no longer be slaves! We will have A better life!"

"Hmm!...Hmm!..." Falvia nodded again and again, choked up.

In the past few years, Maximus has not accumulated any valuable belongings in the slave camp. The family quickly packed up and walked towards the camp gate.

Seeing the heavily armed guards standing guard at the gate of the camp, Falvia and the children subconsciously hid behind Maximus.

But instead of stopping them, the guards congratulated Maximus, and it seems that "he was pardoned" had spread throughout the camp and became a celebrity in the slave camp.

Walking out of the camp, Maximus took a deep breath of fresh air, and before he had time to think about it, he saw a person walking towards him, and his heart sank.

"Maxims, congratulations!" the man said loudly, with a smile on his face, completely different from the sinister look he had when he was questioned in the camp last time.

Maximus bravely stepped forward and said, "Thank you for your help!"

"It has nothing to do with me, this is entirely the mercy of Your Majesty!" The man said seriously, and then he asked again: "Now that you have become a free man, what are your plans?"

"Apply to the Tuliy household registration office to become a citizen of Dionia, and then find a job to earn money to support the family." Maximus didn't know what the other party's question meant, so he answered carefully.

"This is indeed the most common way of life for freed slaves, but now the situation has changed." The corner of the man's mouth was slightly raised, and he spat out a sentence.

Maximus moved in his heart and just wanted to ask, "What has changed?"

But I heard the man say: "Are you interested in coming to work with us? Our intelligence department is directly under His Majesty's jurisdiction. Not only is the salary not low, but it is also easy to make meritorious deeds. You will become a citizen of Dionia in a shorter time."

Maximus doesn't know much about Dionia's political system, but just from the literal meaning of "intelligence department" and the last personal experience, he can probably guess what they are doing, and he is very psychologically very Conflict, "being scolded as a traitor in front of his own countrymen", this time in his life is enough to pierce his heart, and he doesn't want to experience it a second time.

"I'm sorry, I just want to live the life of an ordinary person." Maximus said calmly.

The man seemed to expect that he would answer like this, and he didn't show any dissatisfaction. He shrugged and said, "Okay, I hope you all go well! This is our reward for you, and a little bit of my heart!"

The man took out a heavy purse and handed it over.

The word "reward" stung him, and he instinctively wanted to refuse.

"Take it, you will soon know that it is not easy to live in Turiyi, and it is impossible without money." The man looked at the two children behind him and said seriously.

This made Maximus hesitate, and then he felt his wife squeeze his arm: yes, for years, he spent his hard-earned wages on the Dionian language. During the study, there is not much savings...

He lowered his head, took the purse, and whispered in shame, "Thank you..."

"If one day you change your mind, you can come to the white house next to the inspection office in the outer city of Xicheng to find me. If someone stops you, it is said that Tratus asked you to come."

Maximus nodded, indicating that he heard it, but did not respond, holding his two children, his wife, and the package on his back, and walked towards the east.

"Boss, forget it if he doesn't want to, he's just a bait anyway, even if he doesn't cooperate, as long as we keep an eye on him, we can continue to arrest those who want to avenge him and the old Roman nobles of Servius. accomplice."

"The number of Roman citizens in Turii is increasing, and we now lack people who really understand them and can gain their trust, not to mention I have looked up Maximus' past, and his ability is also very good." Tratus Looking at the back of the Maximus family, a playful smile appeared on his face: "After he hits the wall, maybe we still have a chance."