ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 1079 Street Tavern
In fact, in the traditional concept of the Greeks, it is not Hades's priesthood to be in charge of rivers and springs. However, since he performed miracles in Tuli Spring and brought him back to life, the Dionians gradually believed that Hades He was the real protector of springs and drinking water, and Poseidon became a supporter.

At this time, there were several women carrying multiple earthen jars by the pool, chatting and drinking water.The children were chasing and playing around the pool and the surrounding stone pillars.

Asimus's two children were eager to join in, but Fulvia stopped them.

Although Maximus was surprised and confused as to how the water in the pool came out, he did not ask. Instead, he followed the slave, climbed the stairs to the third floor, and walked along the somewhat dark corridor to the fortress. Rooms for rent.

I met several tenants along the way, and they all greeted the servant humbly. Apparently, the landlord usually asked this servant to take care of the entire rental building.

Although the room was simple, with only a bed, a table, and a few chairs, it was clean, spacious, and had good lighting. It was much better than the house he lived in in the slave camp, so Maxim immediately decided to rent it.

After putting the package in the room, he followed the servant to the tax office and signed the rental agreement.

Finally, the rental matter was settled. It was already dusk. Maximus and his wife felt a little hungry, and the two children lost the energy to play, so Maximus decided to take the whole family to eat something. ,Fill the stomach.

There were many restaurants near the place where they rented, among which Christoya's Restaurant was the most famous. It was fully booked early and there were people lining up outside the door.

But considering the price issue, Maximus finally chose to eat at a cheaper street pub.

This kind of street-facing pub usually only has a circular counter. There are multiple circular pits in the stone counter. Open wine cans, beer cans and clay pots are embedded in these pits. They are also inlaid on the stone wall at the end of the counter. There is a shrine, but usually it is not Hades, but Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

When the Maximus family walked into the street tavern, there were already some diners inside, making the small store seem a bit crowded.

The cook in the middle of the counter saw them, and immediately smiled and asked, "What do you want to eat and drink?"

"Is there anything to fill your stomach?" Maximus asked, looking at the bottles and cans on the counter.

"Bread, cheese, vegetables, nuts and olives... can be provided to you right away. Of course, if you need some hot soup, we can also cook haggis soup and beef soup, wheat porridge and Bean porridge, but this will take some time." The cook looked at the Maximus family, estimated their needs, and said fluently: "Of course, the most important thing here is that we can provide you with all kinds of products produced in the kingdom. Wine and beer, and relatively cheap.”

"Bring me four pieces of bread, four slices of cheese, two bowls of wheat porridge, and a large bowl of haggis soup." Maximus thought for a while and said.

"Don't you drink some wine?" The cook tried her best to persuade: "It seems that you have walked a long way. You must be tired and thirsty. Why not drink a glass of beer to moisten your throat and relieve your fatigue."

Maximus was not someone who could be easily persuaded, but when he saw the diners holding wine glasses and talking loudly at the counter, he suddenly changed his mind: "Give me a beer."

"Which kind of beer do you want to drink?" The cook pointed to a round pit on the counter in front of her and said enthusiastically: "I recommend Kristoya beer to you, this is the brewery run by Princess Kristoia. It is they who invented Dionia's beer, so their beer is the most authentic, the best, and very refreshing, and it is very popular with the people of the kingdom. Because of the high demand, most of the output is sold. Those damn rich businessmen and officials bought and stored them for banquets, but not many were sold on the market. Our tavern got some because of our special relationship. Although the price is a little expensive, it is very rare."

Although Maximus was a little moved by what she said, he still suppressed his desire to speak and said, "Just give me a glass of ordinary beer."

Although the cook's persuasion failed, she did not show any frustration and said to him with a smile: "Okay. Then one loaf of bread is 5 opors, four loaves is 20 opos... a total of 67 opos. Well, it’s converted into nine drachmas and three opors. You pay the money first, and I’ll prepare food for you right away.”

Yes, the price of this dinner is close to one month’s rent!In the past, Maximus wouldn't have cared about this small amount of money, but more than three years of slave life made him deeply aware of the hardships of life. He took a breath, counted 10 drachmas from the money bag, and retrieved 4 opoles.

The cook looked at the crowd, and then shouted loudly: "Hey! There are children who want to eat, please take the initiative to give up your seat!"

When she shouted in a high-pitched voice, someone really stood up from the bench against the wall, and Fulvia hurriedly led the children to squeeze past, thanked the diners, and then sat down.

Maximus stood at the counter.

After a while, the cook put the bread and cheese he ordered into a small wooden basket and handed it over.

Maximus felt that the bread was still warm, and couldn't help but secretly nod at the tavern's attentiveness.

The cook opened a wooden lid, reached into the clay pot in the stone pit with a slender wooden spoon, scooped up the beer, poured a full glass, and handed it to Maximus. As for the wheat porridge and mutton soup, there were still some. It takes time to cook.

Maximus took the beer and took a sip first, feeling that his dry throat was moisturized immediately.In fact, there was no beer in Rome before. Maximus started to like drinking this cheap and soothing drink in the slave camp.

The family sat in a corner and began to eat, while Maximus chewed the bread, but listened carefully to the conversation of the diners.

"Hey, have you guys heard? It is said that the 'Kingdom is going to send troops to build fortress defenses on the borders of southern Iberia and northern Etrunia' may be cancelled!"

"You are wrong. It is impossible to cancel. If the kingdom does not send troops to the border for defense, then the plundering of the barbarians in the mountains will not be stopped, and they will only become stronger and stronger. It is becoming more and more aggressive, and may even launch an attack on the kingdom’s border territories.”

"Wouldn't that just allow the kingdom to launch a war and eliminate these barbarians? Maybe we can also get some military exploits and become citizens as soon as possible."

"I heard that the kingdom is not preparing to launch a major war in the past few years, because the last war only happened a few years ago, and the consumption was too great, and it has not recovered yet."

"You are right. But it is not just for this reason. It is said that both northern Etruria and southern Iberia are full of rolling mountains, and the terrain is dangerous. Most of the indigenous tribes live in the mountains. , once they cannot defeat the kingdom's army, they are likely to hide in the mountains. It will be very difficult for the kingdom to completely eliminate and conquer them, so it is necessary to send troops to defend the border first and severely attack the invading barbarians. , but I heard that because of the strong opposition from the people, the decision to send legions for defense may be canceled and instead, free people will be hired to form a border defense army."

There was a chorus of exclamations from the diners: “Is this true?!”

Maximus's heart moved and he took a closer look: Most of the diners were wearing simple linen shirts and looked shabby. They were obviously of lower status. Only a few were more well-dressed. This person who seemed to know a lot of inside information was one of them. one.

He took a sip of beer and said proudly: Of course this is true. When did I, Gorgeon, deceive you?Let me tell you, this matter has been discussed above, and the reason why it has never been decided is because it costs a lot of money to hire an army, and the kingdom cannot afford more money to support an army dedicated to guarding the border. mercenary army.

But I heard from a good friend who is a palace guard that His Majesty King Davos once said very firmly in a meeting that the kingdom's border troops must be established as soon as possible!Because the territory of the kingdom is constantly expanding, it now takes ten days or half a month to lead an army from Thurii to the border. It may take two, three months or even half a year in the future.Once a foreign enemy invades and mobilizes the army to meet the enemy, I am afraid that the enemy has captured the border area and killed countless people in the kingdom. Therefore, a border defense army must be formed to guard the security of the kingdom's border. If there is really no money to form a mercenary army , then he will send troops to guard the border for a long time regardless of the opposition of the people! "

"His Majesty the great King Davos is sincerely thinking about the kingdom, but those Dionia citizens seem too selfish!" Another diner sighed: "If I had become an official citizen, I would definitely do my best. I support His Majesty’s decision and will guard the border as a legionnaire without hesitation!”

"Tch!" Another diner said disdainfully: "As a registered free citizen, if the kingdom decides to establish a mercenary army composed of free people, I will definitely join without hesitation, and I don't want an Obo. As long as I become an official citizen of Dionia immediately with your salary."

Several diners also responded.

"If you become a formal citizen and get a land allotment, you will definitely regret it." Someone said suddenly, which immediately caused a burst of laughter.

"The Kingdom of Dionia has a vast territory and a large population. Why does it have no money to support a small mercenary army?" Another diner asked in confusion.

(End of this chapter)