Chapter 1079
Maximus and his family were on their way to Turií. Apart from Maximus himself, who had been sent by the slave camp to work in the city's private workshops several times, Fulvia and the two children had never visited the largest city in the western Mediterranean, even though they had been living in the slave camp not far from Turií for several years.
Just the road leading to the city under their feet made them happy. It was flat and wide, and there were deep drains on both sides of the road, as well as neatly arranged trees further away from the drains. There was also a row of white stone tablets under the trees.
The two children who had walked out of the cage were curious about all this. They shouted and chased each other on the sidewalk. When they were tired, they would sit on a wooden bench by the side of the road to rest for a while. Then, they would curiously touch the white stone tablet engraved with the three-headed dog statue at the top.
Every time this happened, Maximus would rush over and warn them to stay away from the stone tablet, because it was the tombstone of the Turií citizens of Diónia who had died in the war. No one was allowed to desecrate it. When Maximus first entered the city, he heard that the names of the soldiers of Diónia who had died in the war would be enshrined in the temple for people to pay homage to. Their tombstones were erected on both sides of the road out of the wishes of their families and citizens. They hoped that passers-by could understand their heroic deeds and feel that today's life was not easy to come by. At the same time, they could also deter outsiders who had ill intentions …
It was said that this practice originated from Turií and had now been imitated by all the towns in the kingdom. Maximus could not help but sigh: Diónia had given the citizens who had died in the war such a noble treatment, how could they not let the citizens who were still alive continue to fight without fear of death? Therefore, it was not a fluke that Diónia was able to destroy Rome!
When the children were excited and playing, it was easy for them to forget. When the two of them were tired and sat on the stone tablet, they were caught by the patrol. Not only did they reprimand them, but they were also fined 10 opol and had to verify Maximus' identity.
After learning that Maximus was a freed slave, the patrol specially told him some of the laws that should be followed in the city of Turií and warned him not to violate them.
The two children were obviously frightened, and from then on, they followed their parents closely.
As they got closer to the city of Turií, there were more and more pedestrians on the road. The fields on both sides of the road were gradually replaced by more and more houses …
Standing in the bustling stream of people, not only his wife and children, but also Maxim himself became a bit scared. Looking at the numerous people and houses in front of him, he couldn't even see the shadow of the inner city wall. He couldn't help but wonder, "What a huge city this is! Can I really stand firm here?"
Maximus, who had imagined how he would live in Tuliyi City countless times, felt his own insignificance when he stood in front of this giant city. However, he became strong again as he leaned close to his wife and son. Like other people who entered the city, he moved forward with the crowd with the expectation of a better life.
Half an hour later, they stood in front of the statue of Hermes. Maximus wiped his sweat and said, "The outskirts of Tuliyi are right in front."
Fulvia's eyes widened. "We've been walking for so long, but we still haven't entered the city of Turií?!"
Fulvia grew up in Rome. She felt that Rome, with a population of more than 100,000, was already a huge city, but it was nothing compared to the city in front of her. Although she was also born into a noble family in Rome, she was also a traditional woman in Rome. Usually, she raised her children, took care of the house, and other things were decided by her husband. At this moment, she had no idea what to do. She asked in a panic, "Maximus … Where are we going?"
Maximus had asked the freedmen and citizens about this many times when he was in the slave camp. He already had a set of plans after he obtained his freedom. Compared to the reality that some of his compatriots were still unwilling to admit, he had a clear understanding through various channels: Diónia had already ruled most of the Italian peninsula. If his family still wanted to survive in this familiar land, they could only live in the territory of the Kingdom of Diónia. If they wanted a better life, of course, they had to become citizens of Diónia as soon as possible.
Therefore, to him, the first thing he had to do after becoming a freed slave was to apply for and register as a citizen of Diónia.
Therefore, Maximus gathered his courage and asked a patrol team that was patrolling.
The patrol team was more enthusiastic and told him the location of the nearest patrol station.
After entering the outer city, the first feeling that Maximus and his family had was that they could walk more freely. Pedestrians could walk on the main road in the middle. As long as they did not deliberately block the traffic, the patrol team would not bother them.
This was because there were many shops on both sides of the road: furniture shops, ironware shops, cloth shops, pottery shops, cookware shops, medicine shops, butcher shops, fruit stalls, vegetable stalls, bakeries … There were also some shops that did not exist in Rome or even other city-states.
For example, the underwear shop (which belonged to the Cristoya Chamber of Commerce) had guards at the door. Only women were allowed to enter, and most of them were women in gorgeous clothes.
The learning tool shop was a shop that specialized in selling school equipment. Maximus also took a closer look. The dazzling variety of learning tools were not only exquisitely made, but the price was also considered cheap. If it weren't for the fact that he had not yet decided on a place to live, he would have bought some for his children.
It was a sports equipment store. Most of the products were football equipment.
The two children curiously looked at the football player statues made of various materials placed on the shelves.
The shop assistant took the opportunity to promote to Maximus, "If you want to buy it, I recommend you to buy this. This is the statue of our great king's third son, Prince Briantes. Don't be fooled by the fact that he's only 16 years old. He's already played three times in our Tuliyi rugby matches and scored a touchdown. He's very popular among the kids!"
The king's son also participated in football matches! Although Maximus was curious, he did not have the urge to buy it.
The medical equipment shop sold more professional items. There were surgical instruments for doctors, tools for treating bone fractures, tools for treating external injuries, and so on. It was very complete. Maximus could not help but exclaim, "No wonder the doctor in the clinic in the slave camp once proudly declared that 'the medical skills of Diónia are the best in the entire Mediterranean Sea!'"
The bathing equipment shop sold all kinds of wooden bathtubs, stone bathtubs, bath herbs, spices, shavers, bath towels, lubricants, algae mud masks, and so on. There was a dazzling array of everything. It was enough to show the love of the people of Diónia for bathing.
There was even a flower shop here. Some of the flowers that could be seen everywhere in the mountains of Rome like weeds were placed in clay pots and placed on the shelves. Although the prices were very low, there were many people who came to buy them. This surprised Fulvia.
The habit of the people of Turín to plant flowers and plants originated from the inner city. When the city of Turín was rebuilt, in order to make the entire city beautiful and pleasing to the eye, the Devers had suggested that every family plant flowers and plants in their own courtyards. They had even asked Helpes to lead the doctors to spread the word that planting flowers and plants could make the air fresh and beneficial to one's health.
After the expansion of the city, the concept of planting flowers and plants had been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. However, many people in the outer city did not have spacious houses like the people in the inner city. Some people even lived in very narrow houses. However, they would plant flowers and plants in special pots and place them on the balcony or indoors to please themselves and others. Later on, many people were too busy to pick flowers and plants in the wild, so the flower shop came into being.
Although Maximus had been to the city of Turín a few times, he had always been in a hurry under the supervision of his employer. He did not have time to stroll around slowly. Today, he had just regained his freedom. Although he still had something on his mind, he was still attracted by the rows of shops on both sides of the street.
When he turned around, he realized that his wife and son were not by his side. He was shocked and hurriedly looked for them. Soon, he saw the two children jumping on a row of small stones in the middle of the road in front of him. His wife was trying her best to persuade them to come back.
Maximus had to rush over to stop the two naughty children from playing.
"Dad, these small stones are fun!" The five-year-old son was pulled by Maximus. He was excited and wanted to jump on them again.
"Dad, why did the people of Diónia put so many stone blocks on the road? Won't they trip people easily?" The seven-year-old son asked curiously.
Maximus looked at the small square stone blocks that were arranged from one side of the road to the other. They were firmly welded to the road by cement. The stone blocks were half a meter apart. He could not help but feel a little emotional. He explained to the children patiently, "This is called a speed limit stone. Look, because there are many shops on the side of the road, many people are buying things, so some people have to walk on this road. However, look, there are many carriages and pack animals on this road. If they run too fast, they will easily knock people down, right? "
The two children nodded.
"Then how can we stop them from knocking people down?" Maximus asked patiently.
"Don't let the carriages into the city," the five-year-old son answered.
"Those scary uncles (referring to the patrol team) don't allow the carriages to speed up." This was the eldest son's answer.
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