Chapter 113
"You don't have to worry about that. There's a lot of Talent Silver left by Menon in the supply camp. On the way back to Greece, we obtained a lot of supplies through battles and robberies. After distributing to the soldiers and others, there's still nearly a Talent Silver left. In addition, Marigi and Merses made a lot of money in the market they built before. Logically speaking, all of this should belong to the mercenary leader. I'll talk to Merses and ask him to give you all the money. "The Devers told her about his savings for the past six months.
"Banks are hated for lending money. Very few bankers can do what Lucion did. As the Consul of Amendolara, I'm afraid that it will cause criticism and even opposition! " Kristoya was not surprised by the Devers's wealth. Instead, she reminded him with concern.
The Devers smiled in relief. "If you can think that way, it seems that I made the right decision in letting you open a bank!" He hugged Kristoya's delicate body and said softly, "Why would lending money be hated? That's because the interest rate demanded by the Greek city-states is generally too high! I heard that 20% interest is considered low. Once the borrower can't pay back the money, the land will be taken away to pay the debt, and the family will be ruined. Of course, that's not what I want. As the lifelong Consul of Amendolara, I hope that every citizen of Amendolara can live a good life, so that our city-state can become rich and powerful. The bank itself can promote the development of the city-state's trade, but the greedy practices of the bankers have tarnished its reputation. The bank I want you to open — "The Devers said in a deep voice," The interest rate cannot exceed 5%! "
"Only 5%!" Kristoya exclaimed in shock.
"Only with such a low interest rate can the citizens who have the ability to do business feel at ease with loans and realize their dreams. Only then can the citizens who are in urgent need of money be saved from the terrible usury and restore hope in life. I believe that the bank you're going to build will accelerate the recovery of Amendolara's economy after the war and promote the development of Amendolara's trade! "The Devers said confidently.
… …
The next day, these new citizens, who were usually busy with the war and did not pay much attention to their appearance, with messy hair, dirty beards, and shabby clothes, had already cleaned up the tents on the square and tried to make themselves as clean as possible. They changed into Doria-style Khitons made of light linen, so that they all looked tall and straight.
They waited in the square expectantly. When the entire square was bathed in sunlight, the women of Amendolara appeared. Led by the old woman, they came to the square in twos and threes. Their shy faces were filled with curiosity. In spite of the extreme simplicity of the Greek women's dress, they took great pains to adorn themselves, adjusting the draping folds of the Heaton to make their gowns flowing and graceful, and adding to their attractiveness with fine metal ornaments and clasps where the cloth met at the shoulders and cuffs. They also combed their hair according to their own conditions and applied light or dark makeup on their faces to make themselves look younger and more attractive.
When the new citizens saw them, they were like bees seeing flowers. They no longer cared about maintaining their poise and rushed forward, using all their skills to strike up a conversation with the woman they fancied in order to attract her attention.
The Devers at the side asked a few old citizens who were proficient in music to play the harp and the piccolo, adding to the romantic atmosphere of Amendolara's "large-scale matchmaking event".
In fact, the situation in the square soon became less romantic and more fiery. After all, beautiful women would always attract many suitors and even conflict. At this time, the Devers would appear with the patrol team in time to warn the two parties of the conflict with his prestige, and then ask the female protagonist of the conflict for her opinion.
When the groups of men and women fancied each other, some would leave the venue and walk along the mountain path to continue their conversation to improve their understanding. Some would go directly to the registrar, Raphaelas, who was waiting at the side of the square, and both parties had to show their willingness to marry. Raphaelas would then register both parties' names and allow the woman to bring the man home. (In fact, according to Greek tradition, the couple could only consummate their marriage after the ceremony. However, the Devers convinced Kornellus and the others, and they received official confirmation and registration from Amendolara. The man and woman were now husband and wife, and only owed a wedding, which would be made up for later.)
Men were not the only ones who took the initiative to pursue women. Some women who were slightly older or less good-looking would also take the initiative to talk to men they fancied when few people were interested in them. They would show off their advantages, such as being good at weaving, brewing, producing olive oil, or showing off that they came from a noble family with a lot of wealth and land.
In the afternoon, there were only a few women left in the square, but there were still a lot of men.
At this time, the Devers found that many new citizens had formed a large circle in a corner of the square. He quickly asked someone about the situation. It turned out that there was a young noblewoman in the circle who ignored all the men who came up to talk to her. She was beautiful, so the men were still very persistent in trying to win her heart. So far, no one had succeeded.
The Devers was curious, but because it was not a good idea to drag on like this, it could easily lead to conflict. So, he called Raphaelas and they squeezed into the crowd.
"Hey, girl, our leader of the Devers is here. If you still don't like him, I'm afraid you can only find a god to be your husband!" someone in the crowd joked.
When the woman heard this, she raised her head and opened her eyes.
The Devers saw that the woman had snow-white skin, a beautiful face, and a pair of big and bright eyes …
Raphaelas recognized her immediately and whispered to the Devers, "Her name is Andrea. Her husband followed the Turís army to attack Lucania last year and died in battle in Laos, leaving her alone with a three-year-old son. She seems to be only twenty years old …"
As the Devers listened, Andrea stepped forward and said, "Are you the Consul Devers?"
"That's me."
"I have something to tell you," Andrea said straightforwardly.
The Devers was stunned. "Go ahead."
Andrea looked around and asked, "I want to talk to you alone, can I?"
The Devers immediately felt that things were not simple. He hesitated for a moment, but when he saw the urgency in Andrea's eyes, he nodded and said, "Come with me."
Seeing that the Devers were going to take Andrea away, some of the new citizens said unwillingly, "Leader of the Devers, you already have the beautiful Cristoya. Don't fight with us anymore!"
The Devers smiled and said, "Don't worry, brothers. She just wants to talk to me alone. You all know that I already have Cristoya. If I mess around, Cristoya won't let me sleep with her tonight! "
The Devers's dirty words caused the crowd to laugh, so everyone made way for them.
The Devers took Andrea to a secluded part of the square, guarded by patrols.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" the Devers asked softly.
Andrea bit her lip and hesitated several times. Finally, she gathered her courage and asked in a low voice, "I want to know … Bagoule … He … How is he now?"
"Who's Bagoule?" the Devers asked, puzzled.
"He … he's a Lucanian …" Andrea's voice suddenly became as soft as a mosquito. "I saw you beat him down in the temple and then arrested him … How … is he now?"
Seeing Andrea's flushed cheeks and still not understand what was going on, he would have wasted more than 30 years in his previous life. "You fell in love with a Lucanian. Why?"
The Devers's calm tone made Andrea panic. "I … I just …"
"Don't be nervous, I'm not blaming you. Tell me the truth, and maybe I can help you." The Devers's heart stirred, and he immediately comforted her softly.
"Really?! You can really help me?! "Andrea shouted excitedly as if she had found a life-saving straw.
The Devers made a shushing gesture and said, "Tell me why you like him first."
Finally, Andrea shyly told her story.
It turned out that because of her beauty, Andrea was once called the "Rose of Amendarra" by busybodies, and she had many suitors. Later, her father arranged for her to marry a rich and handsome young Amendaran nobleman four years ago. Although they did not have any contact before the marriage, Andrea was still satisfied with the marriage. Who would have thought that after she married him, the two of them would spend a long time together. She found out that her husband was a jealous person and did not allow her to have any contact with any men. Because two male slaves had died here, Andrea, who was only sixteen years old and full of youthful vigor, could only be confined at home. Her husband had an even worse bad habit, which was alcohol. He often hosted banquets at home or attended other people's banquets, and usually got drunk. Then, he would come home and abuse her. Andrea, who had just become a young married woman, could not bear it and ran back to her parents' house. However, her father forced her back and warned her, "As a woman, you must treat your husband like a slave serving his master. I hope she will not come back, lest the family becomes a laughing stock." Andrea returned to her new home in fear and endured everything her husband did to her.
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