Chapter 95
Pleika, who was returning from the port court, seemed a little preoccupied. If he followed his usual habits, he would definitely stop at the port market he was passing by, because at dusk the market was always filled with a carnival atmosphere, acrobatics, Dances, jugglers, funny performances... All kinds of entertainment programs attract tourists to stop and watch, while the small vendors put on all kinds of exquisite handicrafts, or all kinds of fragrant food, shouting to each other to attract customers ...The port market from dusk to evening is a world of street performers and small vendors, and it is also a good place for the people of Turii to stroll after dinner.
In the past, Preka would stop here to listen to the singing of the minstrels, taste the sea fish fried in olive oil, and buy some herb porridge with mint or thyme flavor... But today, He kept his footsteps and managed to squeeze out of the market.
In front of him are a magnificent group of temples, from the original Temple of Hera, to the Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Apollo, and even the snow-capped goddess Amala of Bruti, and Lucania's The protector of Asinu... This area is called the "Land of the Gods" by the people of Turii. Even in the daytime, the temple fire is always bright and there are many believers (of course it cannot be compared with the Temple of Hades), At dusk, most of the believers dispersed, and the majesty and emptiness of the temple appeared again.
The chants of the priests of the gods in the main hall leaked from the thick stone walls and the towering pillars, and lingered in Pleika's ears, making him feel a little calmer, but he did not slow down. It was only when he passed the temple of Hera that he stopped because he saw the pure white carriage parked in front of the temple and the fully-armed palace guards, he knew that this was Princess Dionia, the god Hera. The priest of the temple - Agnes is about to go home.
In order to show respect, he stayed where he was, and many people followed him, watching the beautiful and kind princess smiling and waving to them, then got into the car and left.
Going further north, you enter the outer city of Turii. A foreign businessman who came to Turiyi for business once said this: "The inner city and outer city of Turii are like nobles and commoners, one embodies elegance and order, the other shows liveliness and vitality, The two are so harmonious, and there is no conflict or contradiction..."
What the foreign businessman didn't understand was that the formation of the inner city and outer city of Turii was not caused by the difference in status, but was caused by the time when the people of the inner city and the inner city joined the kingdom.
The residents of the inner city all joined the Dionysian Alliance before the establishment of the kingdom, and the residents of the outer city mainly joined after the establishment of the kingdom. Because the residents of the inner city joined in the initial period of the alliance, they have more opportunities to participate in governance. Alliances, gaining military exploits, and winning rewards, so most of the citizens of the inner city are either elders, officials of the kingdom, or officers of the army. Of course, they have also made great sacrifices for the survival and development of Dionia. So far, 1/ 6 of inner city citizens were killed or disabled.
There are also many elders among the citizens of the outer city, most of whom joined after the establishment of the kingdom.
They come from southern Greece, eastern Sicily, and Apulia. There are also many citizens who have become senior officials and senior officers of the kingdom through their own struggles. Pleika is one of them, which makes many people who have just settled in the outer city. Citizens, Prospective Citizens, and Freedmen of the People's Republic of China do not envy the great men, but wish to become them through their own efforts.
In fact, the outer city is not chaotic. With the constraints of Dionysian law and the strict management of the inspection department, people who want to develop in the kingdom generally do not break the law and create obstacles to their future. Therefore, the outer city is The order of the city is also better than that of many Greek city-states, but there are too many residents in the outer city, and the members are complicated. In addition to the citizens of the kingdom, free people, Greeks from other city-states, and other races from various places, it is more difficult to manage. It is inevitable that some contradictions and conflicts will arise, which is also a headache for Turui as a judge. The affairs are too complicated and trivial.
In normal times, Pleika walks on the streets of the outer city. He likes to observe the people chatting together on both sides of the road to judge which are Dionia citizens and which are foreigners, what occupations they are in, where they come from, and their personalities. How... this may be due to the professional disease of the judge.
In the long-term observation, he has summed up some experience of knowing people, but when the Dionysian people and the Gentiles are together, they can distinguish at a glance without thinking about it.
Because the citizens of Dionysus were strong, they walked with gusto, because they often ate meat, and had been in military training for many years. On the one hand, they obeyed the doctor's admonition to prevent unnecessary injuries and colds (many Greek city-states were barefooted); An important asset that others respect and show off. In addition, they speak loudly, laugh brightly, and are optimistic by nature. It seems that no difficulty can stum them. This may be the bearing of a citizen of a big country. Of course, their Greek language, which integrates multiple ethnic cultures in the country, also makes it a bit difficult for tourists from other Greek city-states to understand...
Pleika's home is next to the Persephone Arena. It's almost March, the rugby games in the kingdom's cities have started, and the fans' carnival festival is here, but the people who live near the arena will inevitably experience noise during the day. , so residential land near the arena is not favored and the price is low, but for Pleika, who has not been a citizen of Dionia for a long time, he has no more options.
When he came to the neighborhood of his home, he had to stop again and again to greet the neighbors who took the initiative to greet him. It was only at this point that he put aside his worries and savored the respect his neighbors gave him: Yes, although he came from a very low background and was a family slave, he struggled from the bottom through his own efforts and has already Becoming a probationary judge of the kingdom, in the Dionysian Kingdom ruled by law, a judge is undoubtedly one of the kingdom's public offices respected by ordinary people.
As he passed the alley, he heard several neighbors who had been incorporated into the army reserve team happily talking about "the army is about to go north to attack Ladham", and even quickened the pace of returning home.
"You're back!" The wife greeted her and took Pleika's satchel.
Pleika said "um" and walked into the courtyard.
"Master!" Two slaves, a man and a woman, greeted him respectfully.
Pleika nodded solemnly and walked to the main house. The reason why the place where he lived was not built into a two-storey building was because he didn't have enough money when he got married. Later, he finally saved some money and planned to renovate it, but he met his wife pregnant again, and he was busy with business. I bought a female slave to take care of it, and then I saved up money to buy a male slave early last year. I originally wanted him to take care of his own land, but I didn’t expect the drought to delay for more than half a year, and it was hardly useful.
"Where's the child?" Pleika asked with concern as she walked.
"Amela took him out to play for an afternoon, and she was sleepy when she came back. She drank some rice porridge and is now sleeping soundly." The wife said, and asked again: "Oh, dinner is ready, now Eat while it's hot?"
Plaka nodded.
His wife Kusnia was busy directing the slave girls to bring dinner to the table.
Pleika looked down and saw that the dinner was pumpkin and pea oatmeal, and she boiled a large pot, and her brows suddenly wrinkled. It's not that he is picky, but that he has been eating this thing for a month, and he is really tired of eating it.
Seeing that her husband was a little dissatisfied, Kusnia hurriedly said, "There is still some goat's milk and cheese at home, should I go and serve it?"
Preka knew that the goat milk and cheese were reserved for the children, and he waved his hand.
"Why don't I go to the market tomorrow to buy some wheat, grind it into flour, and make bread?" Kusniak said again.
"There's going to be another war soon. Now the price of wheat in the market is not cheap. There is no need to spend that money. There are still so many beans and pumpkins in the cellar. If you don't eat them quickly, they will all be broken." As he said that, he sighed in his heart: the drought for the past six months has almost consumed his savings. If it weren't for the vegetables he harvested after replanting his own fields, I'm afraid he would have to go to the bank to take out a loan to buy food. Now that there is something to eat, it is already very good...
Thinking of this, he scooped up a large spoon of sticky porridge and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Tell you the good news, we have planted all the wheat in the field today!" Kusnia said loudly to make her husband happy.
As a citizen of Dionia, Pleika owns five acres of land. Compared with many old citizens, he has too little land, but it is by no means easy to take care of these acres of land. Obviously the male slave he bought played a big role, which further strengthened the decision in his heart.
"Kusnia, I have something to tell you." Pleika looked up at his wife and said solemnly, "I have decided to follow the army led by His Majesty to Latam!"
"You're just a reserve soldier, you didn't even enter the legion reserve, will they let you go?!" Kusnia thought her husband wanted to go to the battle, but she was not panicked, just a little puzzled.
"I didn't go to fight against aliens, but His Majesty called us public officials who were idle to voluntarily follow the army to Latam to participate in the governance of the occupied areas. I decided to sign up."