I warmed his cold blood

Chapter 13 Special Slaves

Within a few days, the two set off.They sailed to Sicily.

The two-masted sail was bulging like a big hand, and the lion god with a copper ring in his mouth was inlaid on the side of the ship. The dark red wooden boat floated in the blue sea, leaving a blue and white wrinkled fold.

Helen woke up in the cabin, washed his face with cold water, and shuffled to the deck.The oars swung in unison, slaves and crew shuttled, and the ship was very busy.

He saw Lucas sitting not far away, surrounded by a small circle of people, laughing.He knew they were playing craps, a way to pass the time.

The crowd dispersed quickly, and Lucas walked towards him with a plate.

Herron stared at the red food on the plate, "What's it this time?" He asked.

"Sashimi." Lucas said with a smile, "The fish that was caught just now is very fresh. It was given to me by the crew, and the unsophisticated boat passengers can't eat this."

Helen picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, "It tastes good, but it's greasy, like chewing another tongue."

"Because you're not used to it." Lucas stuffed the plate into his hand.

Helen glanced at him indifferently, "You are very good at making friends with others, and you can always cheat some food and drink."

"It's not for myself." Lucas spread his hands, as a matter of course.

The fish fillets were quickly wiped out, and Lucas looked at Heron with a smile, but didn't take any of them.

"Aren't you going to get off the boat soon?" Helen handed him the empty plate.

"Well, the little black dot in front is the port." Lucas pointed forward, "I heard that today is the Dionysus Festival, which is even more fun than the Flora Festival."

The boat arrived at the port in the afternoon and the sun was shining.Lucas put on a robe for Herron, and they grabbed the rope chains to get out of the boat and walk to the beach.

The waves, like molten blue crystal, erode the sands like life.

They took off their shoes and stood by the sea, with crab legs and broken shells in the quicksand at their feet.The sky and the sea are spliced ​​at the end, and the clouds drift as a whole for a while, and are blown apart for a while.

The sky is light blue, and the sea is deep blue. Heron seems to be surrounded by blue and his body and mind are clear.Here, the yellow sand and green trees are just blue embellishments.

And all the blue in the world seems to be here.

Herron turned to look at Lucas.He was surprised to find that Lucas' eyes had never been so blue.Probably the blue of Sicily was projected into his eyes, deepening the color of his eyes.

"Lucas," he couldn't help saying, "your eyes are so blue, like turquoise."

The carefree slave was a little shy and lowered his head almost in embarrassment.

Instead of riding in a carriage, they walked into the street on foot.

Because of Dionysus, the narrow streets are decorated with lights.People came in like waves, wearing garlands of flowers and anointing wine-filled skins.Girls danced in the streets, people drank and spilled wine, drunkenly sang songs about Bacchus, the god of wine, and prayed for coins to roll, mixed with vulgar and obscene words.Vulgar, indulgent, rowdy, everything is unscrupulous.

The two of them were drenched in the rain of wine, and the swollen wine bags were forcibly stuffed in their hands.

The beautiful woman was scantily clad, passionate and unrestrained, with her plump waist bent into an arc, pulling Lucas who was passing by to the stage.Perhaps it was his gladiatorial demeanor that attracted them.

Herron smiled gloatingly, he wanted to see his bewildered embarrassment.

The female partner hugged him and fiddled with his limbs, which was a bit erotic.She spun around quickly, her skirt raised like an umbrella.Finally, she turned into his arms and just lay there.Lucas held her waist, and she closed her eyes charmingly.

The crowd of onlookers roared.

Lucas stood stiffly.Suddenly, he looked at Herron again.

His master was full of smiles, and his black eyes were bent into small boats, which seemed to be a bit of a joke.

Lucas' heart ached like a burn.

He closed his eyes and placed a light kiss on her forehead covered in powder.

When he walked off the stage, he had a wreath around his neck.Helen tugged at his wreath, and said with a smirk, "Your reaction is quite quick, it seems that having a woman is different!"

Lucas forced a smile, gave him a smile, and looked down again.

"Lucas, I allow you to marry a wife. I'm not a harsh master!" Herron poked him on the shoulder.

"I don't want to marry a wife yet. There is nothing more perfect than being able to play with you, feed the pigeons every day, and occasionally go to the theater to fight."

……

Before sunset, the two came to the importer's house.

With Gattuso's recommendation, the head of the family, Horace, hosted a banquet for Heron.

Horace is a shrewd and slippery businessman.He was an old man, with gray hair sticking up stubbornly, and sunken eyes with sunken eyes that made him catch the smell of money like a hawk.

"I swear to the gods!" Horace made a toast to Heron with a crisp voice.

"This batch of silk is made in China, and it is very high-end!"

"Hope its quality is worth its price," Herron said calmly.

He tore off a large piece of bacon and put it on a plate, but he never ate it.

"Absolutely genuine!" Horace said with a smile all over his face, "You are sure to make money! There are flowers embroidered on the silk, which is the first time in the city of Rome! I can guarantee that the ladies of the nobility will pay for it. It's bewitching!"

Herron did not bargain, and quickly agreed: "I trust Gattuso, and the importer he recommended to me is also trustworthy. I would like to order [-] livres first. If the sales volume is good, we can continue to cooperate."

"Of course, Lord Polio!" Horace poured wine for him graciously, "If it wasn't for Gattuso's recommendation, I wouldn't have the guts to do silk business with strangers! As you know, the Senate recently investigated very tight……"

"The limelight is so strict, your silk business is not easy to do." Helen said.

"We have a special code." Horace smiled slyly. "As long as it is a prohibited product, we call it 'red amber'. It is written in the contract and on the box."

"They're all called Red Amber?" Heron was puzzled, "Then how do you tell the difference?"

"Based on the price," he said, "like private salt, the price is 48 dinars; the price of silk is 110 dinars. If the contract price is 48, we will send private salt. Different types of red amber The price difference is huge, no one would doubt it."

Herron fell silent.He swung the wine glass slowly, rubbed his fingers on the side of the glass, and said after a long time: "I want to discuss something with you, and I hope you can agree."

"Please do as you command, my lord!"

"Can you send me the silk, but put a price of 48 on the contract? Of course, the money will still be paid according to the price of the silk." Heron shook his wine glass.

"It's so easy! Just change the price on paper."

"Don't send the wrong product." Heron reminded.

"Don't worry, I will personally check the packing of the goods." Horace promised, "There will be absolutely no mistakes."

After the two finished discussing business, Helen wrapped the untouched jerky on the plate in paper.

Horace wanted to warmly send him to the guest room, but he declined.

He walked to the low house in the backyard, and saw Lucas as soon as he opened the door.

Lucas and the slaves here live crowded together in the house.Horace is very stingy with his slaves, and doesn't even provide them with spacious housing.

The cabin was hot and smelled of sweat.The slaves surrounded Lucas, like the moon surrounded by stars.

He was holding a straw in his mouth, sitting casually with his legs crossed, fiddling with a dart in his hand, a bit rough and ruffian.On the opposite wall hung a tattered wooden board, crowded with many dart feathers.

He looked up to see Herron.In this filthy low house, he was like a pearl, lost where it shouldn't be.

Lucas restrained his flamboyant expression and showed obedience.He swayed and stood up straight, stammering: "...Master..."

"Have you eaten yet?" Helen asked, covering her nose.

"Not yet, Horace doesn't serve dinner to slaves."

"Go with it." Herron tossed the jerky to him.He opened the paper bag, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Your reward." Helen said with a smile, "We'll go back tomorrow."

The next day, the two embarked on a boat with five boxes of silk.

They were on a merchant ship, and the conditions were relatively dirty, and the bearded crew always had a sad face.There are no courteous slaves here, and rough bread and cabbages are eaten here.

Fortunately, the voyage was smooth and the speed of the boat was fast, and the two arrived in Rome soon.Lucas drove the carriage all the way, and finally arrived home before lunch.

The slaves carried the chest to the courtyard, and Harron ordered it to be opened.

The red silk embroidered with peonies is stacked in the box, bright and bright like a ball of fire.Heron traced the edges of the embroidery, the delicate silk threads were a bit cold, like melted cheese or clouds.The silk was very high-grade, and the patterns were rare and exquisite. Heron was very satisfied.

He sent the slave to deliver a message to Brutus, inviting him to come to his house and talk business.

There is also a piece of papyrus lying in the box, written in dense Latin.He took a quick glance and talked about the method of silk maintenance.

He threw the paper to Lucas, lay leisurely on the recliner, and asked him to read to himself.

Lucas pulled his hair embarrassingly, "I can't read..."

It was only then that Heron remembered that he had never read a book.

He took away the paper with two fingers, shook it and said, "Every slave under my command can read and write, this is the most basic quality."

Lucas blushed in embarrassment, annoyed at his own thin skin.

The willpower honed by the bloody wind was defeated by Heron with just one sentence.

Seeing his red face, Herron smiled faintly, "But... I can teach you how to read. If you are interested, I can also teach you Greek."

Lucas was flattered.He wanted to thank him by kneeling, and he should have done so.

All the words of thanks were stuck in my throat, but when they came out, they changed: "Why... why did you teach me?"

Helen shook the chair, but kept staring at him: "Because to me, you are a special slave."

Lucas froze as if hallucinating.

The author has something to say:

The ancient Romans liked Chinese silk very much, so they kept importing it, resulting in a large trade deficit. The Senate repeatedly ordered the ban on the import of silk.This chapter comes from this historical fact~~