Rome must fall.

Chapter 353 A Brand New Home
However, Selysis's wish for the captives to complete the oath in the temple as soon as possible was dashed, because the next morning, Chief Maximus had to give a speech to the soldiers who were about to go to the battle in the East Square, and then he had to go to the Temple of Nu to beg the goddess for their blessing...

During this period, all streets in Ophidilla were closed to traffic until the Nyx soldiers, looking excited and expectant, marched out of the city of Ophidilla in a dignified manner and headed north. The ban was then lifted.

Serisis hurriedly took the captives to the Temple of Danu in the east camp.

This Danu Temple is located next to the main house of the Nix tribe and was rebuilt from the sacred stones and sacred forests of the original Segestika tribe.

The captives walked solemnly through the corridor built with holy stones and came to a wide meadow covered with fragrant grass and white flowers. In the middle of the meadow stood an oak tree, with a thick and tall trunk and wrinkled bark full of traces of time, looking vicissitudes and strength. Its canopy was lush and broad, with dense and overlapping leaves, full of green. The whole tree was like a green umbrella, shading the statue under the tree.

This statue of the goddess Danu is not standing, but lying on her side, showing an elegant curve. Her arms are naturally bent, her right hand is holding a handful of soil and gently sprinkling it, and her left hand is resting on her side, hugging a child who is lying on her. The child is carved to be lively and cute, but why does his eyebrows look so much like the high priest Maximus standing next to him?

Her facial features are clear and soft, with a high nose bridge and tightly closed lips, which make her look solemn and sacred; her long hair flows like a waterfall, scattering on her side, adding a bit of softness and charm; her eyes are slightly closed, as if she is meditating or praying, giving people a sense of tranquility and mystery; and there is a hint of smile in the corners of her eyes, which is a deep love and care for life...

Since the statue of the goddess did not stand high up for people to look up at, but was closer to the believers when they were looking at eye level, it gave the captives a greater visual impact.

Moreover, the sunlight shines through the gaps between the leaves, forming mottled light and shadows, creating a mysterious and tranquil atmosphere, which makes the captives involuntarily immersed in it, feeling the warmth and care from the bottom of their hearts, which is unforgettable for a long time.

Under the guidance of Maximus, the captives reverently swore an oath to the goddess and walked out of the temple reluctantly.

"Selisis." Maximus called out to the leader of the team.

"Chief." Senesis bowed respectfully. During this period, he brought captives to the temple many times and met Maximus many times, but he had never been called to talk alone like today.

"How many of your compatriots have returned from the Ardei tribe on the other side of the Kupa River?" Maximus asked in a kind tone.

"There are still four hundred and fifty-seven." Celisses answered without hesitation.

"The road along the Kupa River should be completed soon, right?" Maximus asked again.

“There are still four sections that have not been completed, and it may take about ten days.”

Maximus smiled and said, "You have done a great job in the Foreign Auxiliary Civilian Administration Department, especially running back and forth between Ophidilla and Kupa River recently. You haven't made any mistakes yet. You have worked so hard!"

"This is my duty. Besides, I am very happy to bring them back here safely and teach them how to live an honest life in the tribe in the future." Celis said frankly.

Maximus nodded and said nothing more.

Celisius tactfully bowed to Maximus and left quickly.

After leaving the temple, he waved his fist excitedly.

The captives rushed over and vied with each other to ask him about the Goddess Danu and Chief Nyx. You know, they were afraid of Chief Nyx before and didn't want to talk about it, but now they all looked excited.

As Celis led them out of the temple, he briefly told them some things he knew about the Temple of Danu: for example, Chief Maximus was the offspring of the goddess Danu, and therefore the goddess loved the Nyx tribe. She not only protected the Nyx army on the battlefield, but also blessed the territory of the Nyx tribe, making it prosperous... However, the goddess Danu did not hate other races, because she was the source of all things and the mother of mankind. She hoped that other races could join the Nyx tribe, abandon past hatreds, live in harmony, and share a beautiful life under her protection...

Seris also incorporated the goddess's teachings that were preached by the priests when he usually went to the temple to worship into his speech. The captives listened attentively and no one raised any objection.

Before they knew it, they arrived at the residence of the Ministry of Agriculture. The captives handed in the registration form with the divine seal on it. From then on, they became the reserve members of the Nix tribe and received numbered wooden tags to prove their identity. Naturally, the next thing was taken over by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The new Knicks reserve members surrounded Celisses, and one by one came forward to hug him tightly and express their gratitude to him.

After spending more than two days together, they knew clearly that everything Selisis did and said was for their own good. This was also the first ray of warm sunshine they felt after leaving the hellish days of the Aldei tribe. Many people's eyes were red because of this...

All good things must come to an end. Celisses had to rush back to the Management Department to continue his work, and the 217 new prospective tribesmen were first taken to the Ministry of Personnel to register. Then, because each tribesman was going back to a different village, they were divided into several teams and led home by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Village No. 21 was not too far from Ophidillia, and soon Tiresias saw the familiar outline of the village in the distance, which looked particularly peaceful and warm under the setting sun.

Tirisis was suddenly filled with an indescribable excitement, and his eyes became a little moist. He kept speeding up his pace and soon left the agricultural officials behind. But when he approached the village, he suddenly stopped: a woman in front of him was wearing a straw hat and holding a long pole, patrolling around the ridge of the field, sometimes swinging the pole to drive away the birds that wanted to land and peck at them, and sometimes bending down to pull out the weeds that were quietly growing in the field. Sweat soaked her clothes...

Tilissis's eyes were fixed on this familiar figure, and all his emotions turned into an affectionate call: "Lulena!"

The woman turned suddenly and saw Tirisis. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by deep joy and tears.

She threw away the wooden pole in her hand, ran over quickly, and hugged Tirisis tightly.

"You're finally back!" Her voice trembled.

Tirisis hugged his wife tightly, tears welling up in his eyes. At this moment he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

The official from the Ministry of Agriculture brought Tirisis to the main house of the village, and after handing him over to the village chief Pro, he left quickly.

"Tirisis, although I have never seen you, I am very familiar with you because your wife talks about you every day. People in our village are almost tired of hearing about you." Pro joked with a smile.

"Village chief, you're talking nonsense. I don't talk about it every day." Luliana retorted with a little shyness.

"Of course not. Last month, she came to question me, 'Why didn't the tribe keep their word? They said they would release my husband last year, but it's been more than half a year, and there's still no sign of him.'"

Pro first said a few words in Lulena's tone, and then asked kindly: "Are you relieved now?"

"I am relieved, but it took too long." Luliana was happy in her heart, but still a little dissatisfied.

"It's not easy to get people back from the Aldi tribe. It will take some time for them to recover after they return..."

Pro explained a few words for the tribe, and then encouraged: "No matter what, it is a great joy that Tirisis can return safely and the family can be reunited! From now on, your family will have a backbone, and you won't be anxious about anything. Take good care of your parents, raise your children, grow crops well, and live a prosperous life. How wonderful!"

After Pro finished speaking, he walked to the yard, took down a long string of salted fish that were drying in the sun, and said, "Tilissis's return is also a happy event for the village. As the village chief, I should congratulate him well, but I don't have anything good here, so I can only use these fish as a gift."

Luliana quickly waved her hand to refuse: "No, no, village chief, I have this salted fish at home-"

"Just take it if I tell you to!" Pro stuffed the hemp rope that held the fish into Luliana's hand without allowing her to refuse, and said solemnly, "Your family is already large, and now that Tiresias is back, the food supply at home should be a little tight. I have more food here. Tomorrow I will bring some wheat to your family, and when the autumn harvest comes, life will be better."

"Village leader, no..." Before Luliana could finish her refusal, she was interrupted by Puro again: "We agreed that I'm lending this to you. You have to return it after the autumn harvest."

Luliana no longer refused, and tightened the hemp rope in her hand, saying gratefully: "Thank you, Village Chief!"

Pro looked at Tirisis and asked, "Tirisis, do you know football?"

"…I saw others play it when I was in Snowtia."

"Do you know about the rugby tournament that will be held during the tribe's summer festival?"

"I've heard it from others."

Pro smiled and said, "Our village will also send a team to participate in the competition. According to the regulations, one-third of the players are from the old tribe, the Pannoni tribe, and the Skodischi tribe. There are relatively few young Pannoni people in our village, so we were planning to send older ones to take over. Now that you are back, you can join the team and represent our village in the competition!"

"I'm sorry, I can't participate in this kind of competition." Tirisis raised his left hand with a wooden expression, and then quickly put it behind his back.

"That's nothing." Pro had already noticed the abnormality of Tirisis's left hand, and said disapprovingly: "I heard that you used to be a famous warrior in our village. Can you still run now?"

(End of this chapter)