Chapter 172
Amidst the uproar, a voice exclaimed, "Dyla's husband?! Uraza, you have no chance! "
For the first time, the guests chuckled at his words.
"I thought all of you died in the Grumentum …" Uraza said bitterly, "So, I already have a wife.
Back then, we weren't even sure if we could live to this day! " Bagoule's words resonated with the guests. He continued, "So, let's not talk about anything else tonight, just drink! To celebrate that we're still alive today! "
"That's right!" Césima hugged the amphora filled with wine and took a sip. He praised loudly, "Good wine! This is the first time I've drunk such good wine! I must drink all of Bagoule's good wine tonight! "
Everyone laughed.
Bagoule was secretly grateful to Césima for helping him out. He raised his glass and shouted, "Come, let us thank God Asenu for his blessings!"
Bagoule took the lead. After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere of the banquet became lively. Everyone toasted and toasted. Amidst the noise, Bagoule stood up and said to Asistes, "Come, brother-in-law, let me introduce you to my guests!"
Asistes held a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other.
"This is Césima, my childhood friend. He's also a wrestling opponent, but he can't beat me!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense!"
"If you don't believe me, let's fight again another day!"
"Not another day, let's fight after the banquet. Do you dare?!"
"Let's compete! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!" Bagul readily agreed.
Hearing that there would be wrestling later, the other guests also cheered excitedly.
Asistes bowed to Césima according to the Lucanian etiquette, clinked his glass, and downed the wine.
"Okay!" Someone shouted. Clearly, Asistes was using the Lucanian etiquette and straightforwardness as a Greek to attract the guests' attention.
"This is Uraza, my good friend and once Tina's admirer!"
"Nice to meet you!" Asistes clinked glasses and said, "Don't worry, Tina is living a good life. I will always treat her well!"
Uraza glared at the Asistes and spat out, "I want to wrestle with you later. Do you dare?"
"Sure!" Asistes answered straightforwardly. He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.
"Alright!!" The guests cried out at the sight of something to see, and began to find the Greek very agreeable.
"This is Uncle Hemont. He used to bring us fishing when we were young. His fishing skills are the best in all of Lucaria! … "
… …
After walking around and finishing a can of wine, Asistes felt like he was floating. However, the guests were no longer looking at him with caution.
"Brother-in-law, you have to know …" Bagoule, who returned to his seat, said to the Asistes in a serious tone, "In the past, we were small tribes living in the forest between the upper reaches of the Ra River and the upper reaches of the Agri River. We often interacted with each other, and we often joined forces to fight against foreign enemies. However, after the Grumentum and Neutum formed an alliance, we were powerless to fight against their powerful strength. Some were forced to join the Grumentum, some like Césima and Uraza were forced to join Neutum, and some escaped from the deep mountains like us … I didn't expect that we would be able to meet again …" Bagoule said emotionally, "If my father knew, he would not be able to sleep at night!"
Bagoule's words touched the memories of the guests, and most of them sighed.
At this time, Bagoule patted the Asistes on the shoulder and said loudly, "My brother-in-law has another identity. He is the personal attendant of the Archon Devers of the Tua Alliance. This time, he was sent by Lord Devers to help govern Neutum!"
As soon as this was said, the guests gasped.
"Devers? You mean the Greek who used only a few thousand to annihilate more than ten thousand of Acepirus' men?! "
"Asistes, I heard that this Devers later used a few thousand to defeat ten thousand of Crotone's men. Is it true?"
"I heard that he is the son of a Greek god?!"
…
No wonder the guests were so surprised. Although Neutum and Turií had been cut off because of the war, Laos had a port. As long as there was foreign trade, news from the outside could quickly spread to Neutum. While the Lucanians were surprised by the defeat of the powerful Lucanian coalition, the name of the Devers reached their ears for the first time. As long as they paid attention, they would hear more rumors about the Devers from the foreign merchant ships at Laos port …
For the Lucanians, who were more superstitious and worshiped the strong, this powerful and mysterious Greek who had achieved so many things made them feel awe. Therefore, when Bagoule learned about this from the captives, he immediately realized that he could use this to his advantage. Therefore, he did not mention Asistes's position but said that he was the confidant of the Devers, immediately putting a halo on Asistes.
Asistes took the opportunity to say, "Master Devers once said, 'In Lucaria, the big tribes bully the small tribes, annex their tribes, plunder their cattle and sheep. In the end, the leader of the big tribes becomes as rich as the king, and the people from the small tribes are not slaves but better than slaves.'"
"Yes, that's right!"
"That's right!"
Asistes's words resonated with the guests.
"And our Tua Alliance will never bully you!" Asistes said with unusual certainty, "Before I came, Master Devers repeatedly told me to 'treat the Lucanians like our own people!' He said, 'Under the rule of the Tua Alliance, the Greeks, Lucanians, Egyptians, and other races will all be the same. No matter their status, no matter their status, they will all enjoy the same rights and responsibilities!' "
"That's indeed the case!" Bagoule immediately took over and proved, "The chief commercial officer of the Tua Alliance, Senate elder Marigi, is an Egyptian, but he is also a citizen of the Tua Alliance! And I'm a Lucanian, now the captain of the fourth brigade of the First Legion of the Tua Alliance, as well as a Senate elder! My father, Vespa, is also a Senate elder! "
The guests gasped in disbelief. The Lucaria region was surrounded by Greek city-states. After a long period of contact and interaction, they roughly knew the system of the Greek city-states. The Senate elder was equivalent to the leader of a large tribal alliance in Lucania. He could participate in discussions and decisions of the tribal alliance. If there was a powerful leader, he could even influence the big leader's decision.
"How do I become a citizen of the Tua Alliance?!" Many people were envious and could not help but ask loudly.
"As long as you're willing to join the Tua Alliance, you can now become a probationary citizen of the Tua Alliance. As long as you abide by the laws of the Alliance and perform well, you can become an official citizen after five years. (The Tua Alliance Senate considered the special circumstances of the Lucanians, so as long as they're willing to submit, they can become probationary citizens. But to be fair, just like the Greeks, they can only become official citizens after five years, "Asistes explained.
"What's the difference between probationary citizens and official citizens?" Some of the more observant people noticed the difference between the two terms.
"Probationary citizens don't enjoy some of the rights of official citizens, such as the allocation of land by the Alliance, being able to hold public office, and so on. However, probationary citizens enjoy the protection of the Alliance and can receive assistance from the Alliance. For example, after you become a probationary citizen, if you're willing to farm, the Alliance will rent land in Niutum for you to farm. The tax rate is only five percent (this is a new policy to encourage probationary citizens to move to Niutum). If you're willing to graze, the Alliance will rent cattle and sheep for you to graze. The tax rate is also five percent. You should know that it's not easy for many Greek freedmen in Turií to become probationary citizens of the Alliance. After they apply, they have to go through at least two years of examination before they can become probationary citizens. "
"That's true. The Tua Alliance Senate considered the Lucanians' wariness toward the Greeks. To show the sincerity of the Alliance, they purposely relaxed the conditions for Lucanians to become probationary citizens of the Alliance. This was criticized by many citizens!" Bagoule endorsed the Alliance again.
In reality, the two of them were overthinking things. Most of the guests did not care about this. Compared to the leaders of these small tribes who had to pay half of their income to Niutum every year and could only go out to fight and barely survive by capturing livestock, the tax rate given by the Tua Alliance could not be any better! The guests communicated with each other anxiously.
"Aren't you afraid that we'll take your cattle and sheep and run away?" someone joked.
"We're not afraid!" The Asistes said confidently. "We've identified someone who's not suitable to become a citizen of the Alliance with just a few cattle and sheep. And where can the people who steal the cattle and sheep go? Run to another Lucanian tribe, have their cattle and sheep taken away, and continue to be bullied by a strange leader? Or go to another Greek city-state and become a slave? Or wander alone in the wild until they freeze to death, die of illness, or starve to death? Instead of that, it's better to stay in a friendly and peaceful Alliance. Isn't it better to live a stable life? The Alliance respects the culture and customs of the Lucanians, and allows you to have your own temple, worship freely, and have your own customs and festivals, as long as you don't violate the Alliance's laws and disturb public order … "
After hearing this, every guest fell into deep thought.
At this moment, someone shouted, "How can one become an elder of the Tua Alliance Senate?!"
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