Plaika, who was returning to the city from the port court, seemed a little preoccupied. According to his usual habits, he would stop for a while at the port market he passed by, because the market at dusk was always filled with a carnival atmosphere. Acrobatics, dancing, magic tricks, funny performances … All kinds of entertainment attracted tourists to stop and watch, while the small vendors displayed all kinds of exquisite and strange handicrafts, or all kinds of fragrant food, shouting at each other to attract customers … From dusk to dusk, the port market was the world of street performers and small vendors, and it was also a good place for the Turís to stroll after dinner.
In the past, Plaika would stop here to listen to the singing of bards, taste the sea fish fried in olive oil, and buy some vanilla porridge that smelled of mint or thyme … But today, his footsteps did not stop, and he finally squeezed out of the market with great difficulty.
In front of him was a group of magnificent temples, from the original Temple of Hera to the Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Apollo, and even the Bruti Snow Mountain Goddess Amala, and the Lucanian Protector Asenu … This area was called the 'Land of the Gods' by the Turís people. Even during the day, the temple was always lit, and there were many believers (of course, it could not compare to the Temple of Hades). At dusk, most of the believers had dispersed, and the temple once again appeared majestic and empty.
The chanting of the priests of the gods in the main hall penetrated through the thick stone walls and towering pillars, lingering in Plaika's ears, calming him down a little, but he did not slow down. Only when he passed by the Temple of Hera did he stop, because he saw the pure white carriage and the fully armed palace guards parked in front of the temple. He knew that this was the Princess of Diónia, the Priestess of the Temple of Hera, Aegnis, who was about to return home.
In order to show respect, he stayed where he was, and many people did the same, watching the beautiful and kind Princess smile and wave at them before getting on the carriage and leaving.
Further north, he entered the outer city of Turís. There was once a foreign merchant who came to Turís to do business who said, "The inner city and outer city of Turís are like nobles and commoners. One embodies elegance and order, while the other shows liveliness and vitality. Both are so harmonious, and there is no conflict or contradiction …"
What this foreign merchant did not understand was that the formation of the inner city and outer city of Turís was not due to the difference in status, but due to the different time when the people of the inner city joined the kingdom.
The people of the inner city joined the Alliance of Diónia before the kingdom was founded, while the people of the outer city mainly joined after the kingdom was founded. Because the people of the inner city joined during the fledgling period of the alliance, they had more opportunities to participate in governing the alliance, obtain military achievements and win rewards. Therefore, most of the people in the inner city were either elders, officials of the kingdom or officers of the army. Of course, they also made great sacrifices for the survival and development of Diónia, and until now, a sixth of the people in the inner city had died in battle or were disabled.
There were also many elders among the citizens of the outer city, and most of them joined after the kingdom was founded. They came from southern Greece, eastern Sicily, and the region of Apulia. There were also many citizens who became high-ranking officials and high-ranking officers of the kingdom through their own efforts, and Plaika was one of them. This made many citizens, preparatory citizens, and free people who had just settled in the outer city did not envy those big shots. Instead, they hoped to become them through their own efforts.
In fact, the outer city was not chaotic. With the restraint of the laws of Diónia and the strict management of the department of inspection, the people who wanted to develop in the kingdom would generally not break the law and create obstacles for their own future. Therefore, the order in the outer city was better than many Greek city-states. However, there were too many people in the outer city, and their members were complicated. Other than the citizens of the kingdom, free people, Greeks from other city-states, there were also other races from various places. Therefore, it was more difficult to manage, and some conflicts and conflicts were inevitable. This was also the headache of being a judge in Turís. The affairs were too complicated and trivial.
Usually, when Plaika walked on the streets of the outer city, he liked to observe the people who gathered and chatted on both sides of the road to determine who were the citizens of Diónia and who were the foreigners, their respective professions, where they came from, and what their characteristics were … Perhaps it was the occupational disease of a judge.
After a long period of observation, he had summed up some experience in recognizing people, but when the people of Diónia were together with the foreigners, he could tell at a glance without thinking too much.
Because the citizens of Diónia were physically strong and walked like a tiger, this was because they often ate meat and went through military training all year round. Also, they always dressed neatly when they went out, always wearing leather sandals on their feet. On the one hand, they listened to the doctor's advice to prevent unnecessary injuries and colds (many citizens of Greek city-states went barefoot); on the other hand, the Bordon they wore could be decorated with various medals, which became an important capital for them to gain respect and show off. In addition, they spoke loudly, laughed heartily, and were optimistic in nature as if no difficulties could baffle them. This might be the bearing of a citizen of a big country. Of course, their Greek language, which was a blend of many ethnic cultures in the country, also made it a little difficult for tourists from other Greek city-states to understand …
Plaika's home was next to the Persephone Arena. It was almost March, and the football games in various cities of the kingdom had begun. The carnival of the fans had arrived, but the people who lived near the arena would inevitably be disturbed by the noise during the day, so the residential land near the arena was not favored, and the price was very low. But for Plaika, who had become a citizen of Diónia not long ago, he had no more choice.
When he walked near his home, he had to stop again and again and return greetings to the neighbors who took the initiative to greet him. Only then did he put aside the troubles in his heart and savored the respect that his neighbors gave him: Yes, although he was born in a low place and was a domestic slave, he had fought his way up from the bottom through his own efforts and had become a probationary judge of the kingdom. In the law-based kingdom of Diónia, a judge was undoubtedly one of the kingdom's public offices respected by the general public.
When he passed by the alley, he heard several neighbors who had been incorporated into the legion's reserve team talking excitedly about "the army was about to go north to attack Latin", so he sped up his pace to go home.
"You're back!" His wife greeted him and took Plaika's satchel.
Plaika hummed and walked into the courtyard.
"Master!" The two slaves, a man and a woman, greeted him respectfully.
Plaika nodded with a serious expression and walked to the main house. The reason why the place he lived in was not built into a two-story building was because he did not have enough money when he got married. Later, he managed to save some money and was ready to rebuild it, but his wife was pregnant. He was busy and had to buy a female slave to take care of her. Then, he saved money to buy a male slave at the beginning of last year, thinking that he would be responsible for taking care of his own land. He did not expect that the drought would delay him for more than half a year, and he was almost not used.
"Where's the child?" Plaika asked with concern as he walked.
"Amelia took him out to play for the whole afternoon, and he was sleepy when he came back. He drank some porridge and is sleeping soundly now." His wife said, then asked, "Oh, dinner is ready. Do you want to eat it while it's hot?"
Plaika nodded.
His wife, Kusnia, quickly directed the female slaves to bring dinner to the table.
Plaika looked down and saw that the dinner was pumpkin and pea oatmeal, and there was even a large pot of it. He immediately frowned. It was not that he was picky, but he had been eating this thing for a month, and he was a little tired of it.
Seeing that her husband was a little dissatisfied, Kusnia quickly said, "There is still some sheep's milk and cheese at home. Do you want me to bring it up?"
Plaika knew that the sheep's milk and cheese were reserved for the child, so he waved his hand.
"Do you want me to go to the market tomorrow and buy some wheat, grind it into flour, and make bread?" Kusnia said again.
"There's going to be a war soon, and the price of wheat on the market is not cheap now. There's no need to spend that money. There are still so many beans and pumpkins in the cellar that haven't been eaten. If we don't eat them quickly, they will go bad." Plaika said and sighed in his heart. The drought for more than half a year had almost used up his savings. If it weren't for the vegetables that were harvested after replanting in his field, I'm afraid he would have to go to the bank for a loan to buy food. It's already good enough that there's food now …
Thinking of this, he scooped up a big spoonful of sticky porridge and stuffed it into his mouth.
"I have good news for you. We have planted all the wheat in the field today!" Kusnia said loudly to make her husband happy.
As a citizen of Diónia, Plaika owned five acres of land. Compared to many old citizens, his land was too little, but it was not easy to take care of these few acres of land. Obviously, the male slave he bought played a great role, which strengthened the decision in his heart.
"Kusnia, I have something to tell you." Plaika looked up at his wife and said solemnly, "I've decided to follow the army led by His Majesty to Radym!"
"You're just a reserve soldier. You haven't even entered the legion's reserve team. Will they let you go?!" Kusnia thought that her husband wanted to join the battle. She did not panic, but was a little confused.
"I'm not going to fight with the aliens. His Majesty has called us idle public servants to volunteer to follow the army to Radym and participate in the governance of the occupied area. I've decided to sign up."
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