Novels online

Chapter 78

"Shut up, Persia! I never mistreated your wife and children when they were in the supply camp! "Mercies said angrily.

"Mercies, did you really just let these b * tches … receive guests …?" Cristoya asked seriously, blushing.

Mercies knew that he could not hide this from them. He had to say, "There are also some women. The soldiers who robbed them died in battle, so they lost their pillar of support. They are not willing to do dirty and tiring work. Influenced by those b * tches, they think this is easy money. After all, our food is distributed to the soldiers first. They are also trying to survive …"

"Then why don't you let them go?" Cristoya asked.

"If I let them go, where can they go? They are already hundreds, thousands of miles away from their hometown! They can't go back. Instead of being captured by the cities and tribes along the way and becoming slaves, it is better for them to stay in our camp. At least they can live a better life … "Mercies said, pretending to be compassionate.

"This is the sin of the soldiers!" Dyvers let out a long sigh and put his arm around the sad Cristoya. "Mersis, you don't have to force them … How about this, we provide them with free food, and when we find a place to settle in Greece, we will marry them to the soldiers … Our soldiers will not plunder anymore, because we will no longer be mercenaries!" Dyvers sighed and hugged the sad Cristoya in his arms.

"Leader, you are so kind!" Mercies hurriedly praised and quickly left. He did not want to face Cristoya's reproachful gaze again.

… …

As time passed, the news from the west became more and more worrying. The Lucanian camp in the mountain pass to the west grew larger day by day, and the Turií working on the Sybari Plain north of the Krati River became fewer and fewer … Until ten days later, when Lucanian spies appeared on the outskirts of Turií, causing panic among the people in the city. The generals in the city hall knew that the Lucanians were about to attack, and they had to be prepared.

Burcos, then, with a mission in mind, took a boat to the rudimentary quay at the mouth of the Krati (the Greeks had the bad habit of never walking where they could go by boat).

Once ashore, Burcos found that this place was obviously more populated than other places on the Sybari Plain. People were walking in twos and threes on a wide, compacted dirt road that led to a large enclosure.

"What is that?" Burcos asked Morath.

"It's the market built by the mercenaries that I told you about last time."

When Moras first told him about it, he didn't think much of it. At this moment, his interest was piqued. Since he had to pass through this market to get to the mercenary camp, it wouldn't take him much time to go in and take a look.

Before he even reached the entrance of the market, he could already hear the clamor of the people inside. Two beautiful women in gorgeous clothes stood at the door. They were slim and graceful, and it was obvious that they were not Greeks. However, their Greek was pleasant to the ears. "Honorable guests, welcome! Is this your first time here? "

Moras couldn't help but nod.

"If you're here to sell something, there's a wooden house behind the door. It's our market management office. You can ask the person in charge to choose a stall for you, but there's a small fee."

"How much is the fee?" Burcos asked anxiously.

"One opol a day."

The price was very cheap, but these mercenaries were actually using the land of Turín to make money! Burcos was a little angry.

"But the stalls are all full now. You can only come back tomorrow."

This shabby place was actually so popular! Burcos was shocked. He asked tentatively, "If I pay more, can you squeeze out a stall for me?"

"Honorable guests, we don't charge you to make money. We do it to maintain the order of this market. The help we've provided you has already far exceeded the value of one opol. We only hope that the stall owners can make good use of their stalls and earn far more than one opol every day!"

If a modern person heard this, they would find it very familiar, but Burcos and Moras were completely dumbfounded.

The woman continued, "If you're here to buy something, there's a wooden sign hanging on the door of the market management office. On it is written the small requirements that we have for every customer in the market. We hope you can comply with them. If you encounter fraud or any disputes while buying or selling, you can seek help from the market management office. They will enthusiastically help you solve them … "

Burcos and Moras were well-traveled and knowledgeable, but at this moment, they were a little confused by the woman's words. In the Greek city-states they had been to, they had never heard of a market that was so considerate of merchants and customers. With a strong sense of curiosity, they went to the market management office.

It was a simple wooden house. There was a large window facing the direction of the market. A few people were sitting by the window, politely answering the questions of the customers who came to inquire.

"Hello! Is there any problem that you need us to solve? " A dark-skinned, thin Egyptian politely asked Moras, who was looking into the room through the window.

Moras was about to reply perfunctorily, but someone in the room shouted, "Lord Burcos, welcome!" A middle-aged man with brown hair, a long beard, and a golden hooked nose opened the door and warmly welcomed Moras.

"You are?" Burcos looked at him and felt that he was a little familiar.

"A commercial officer under the leader of the Devers. My name is Marigi." Marigi was not modest at all as he gave himself the official position that the Devers had promised him.

Burcos didn't pay attention to what he said. He first corrected him, "No! Please don't call me Lord! I'm just an ordinary citizen of Turií. "Then, he asked curiously," Are you from Persia? "

"Yes." Marigi not only didn't hide it, but also seemed a little proud.

"You have people of all races here!" Burcos said with a sigh. He then pointed at the things placed on the "window" and asked curiously, "What are these weighing devices for?"

"If a customer feels that the quantity of the things he bought is not enough, such as olive oil, sea fish, and so on, he can bring them here to be weighed. Once it is found to be true, the management will find the buyer and punish him. If it is serious, his stall will be cancelled and he will not be allowed to enter the market again."

"Hmm, not bad. That's a good idea. Has such a thing happened before? "Burcos said calmly. Although he felt that mercenaries had no right to punish anyone in Turií land, he felt that it was better to talk to their leader about such matters.

"Only once. After the punishment, nothing similar happened again." Marigi looked at him and said carefully.

"Why do you write on this board that 'Spitting and littering are not allowed, and buyers must keep their stalls clean and tidy'? Why do you emphasize these?! All the markets I've been to don't have such a requirement, including Agora in Athens! "This was what Burcos was most interested in.

"This rule was suggested by the leader of the Devers. He said, 'The market is a place with a lot of people, but it's also a place where trash and dirty water run rampant. Too much trash will not only stink, but it will also attract a lot of flies and mosquitoes, which will affect the mood of people buying and selling things. Most importantly, it will lead to epidemics!' "Marigi said cautiously.

"It's that serious?!" Burcos was a little shocked.

"The leader is the Blessed of Hades. Of course, his words can't be ignored! Not only do we remind our customers, but we also have ten slaves who clean the whole market continuously. I can say that although our market is simple, it's cleaner than any market in any city! I've put in so much sweat and effort, that's why I'm charging such a small fee, "Marigi explained calmly.