Chapter 89 Thebes

◎The young apprentice held a basin of water and poured it out onto the street, letting it flow down the canal.◎

As the busiest city-state after Athens and Sparta, Thebes is rarely quiet, even in the early morning.

The sounds of the market were heard one after another, and the slaves always got up early and squatted outside to wash the family's clothes.

Crash!

The young apprentice held a basin of water and poured it out onto the street, letting it flow down the canal.

"Shidong." His master came over from behind the house, holding up his trousers, and patted him on the shoulder: "I'm going to treat the members of the Holy Team. You take care of the house. Don't let any patients in casually. I won't be responsible if they get beaten."

After saying this, he touched Shi Dong's face and hurried to the right. Behind him followed two slaves carrying loads. These slaves could not be redeemed, and they did not need to undergo several years of probation before they could follow the doctors.

Shi Dong stood blankly by the roadside, and only when he could no longer see his master did he dare to wipe his cheeks vigorously: this is the only way a young apprentice with no money can do, to let an elder teach him how to become an outstanding adult.

The skills mastered by the master are in-demand medical skills, a blessing that no one can ask for. He was only able to get in with the help of a good face and his mother's pleading.

He walked back with the empty basin, and when he looked up he could see a two-story building facing the street.

It's said that the young master who lived in this building loved to keep up with the latest trends and insisted on going to school in Rome. As the name suggests, a Roman school is supposed to be a place where knowledge is taught.

Even in his daydreams, he didn't dare imagine that they would teach medicine. It would probably be like a noble tutor, teaching some math, Latin, and rhetoric.

"Oh." There was no one around, and Shi Dong sighed towards the wall.

"This is not the place for them!"

“Hah! Who’s talking?!” Shi Dong was so frightened that he dropped the basin with a thud.

Fortunately, he looked up and found that it was the doctor from the next yard: these doctors all lived on the same street. After all, they treated different diseases, so as to avoid having patients running around the city.

His master, for example, was a skilled concocter of medicated medicines, capable of healing wounds of metal and iron. And the old man next door, who looked at people through his nose, was a witch doctor who worshipped the gods of the wilderness and healed the sick through prayer.

Who could make an old man who always acted so reserved so angry? He leaned halfway out of his body curiously, then his eyes widened.

A bright young woman stood in the morning light, her long, raven-black hair draped over her shoulders, her dark brown eyes striking with a lively presence. Her golden robe, draped over her, didn't overshadow her; instead, it resembled the broad petals of a lotus, rippling layers of golden water.

Shi Dong wiped his eyes and then noticed the crowd behind the girl: Wow, she brought so many people with her.

At least dozens of Hun slaves followed behind, with half of their arms bare, revealing the wounds on them, and parading through the streets.

Not whiplash.

Shi Dong immediately thought of the patients he had seen before. Their wounds were probably caused by falls, and there were also some blood spots that looked like they were caused by bites from blood-sucking mosquitoes.

Are there blood-sucking mosquitoes in winter? He couldn't help but doubt his medical skills.

"Doctor~" The girl's voice was lazy and helpless. "We came here so early in the morning. Can you at least give us some medicine? I heard this is a clinic that specializes in treating external injuries."

The old man snorted, walked into the yard, and closed the door. Hiding behind the door, he shouted, "Get your slaves out! Are these wild-dog Hun slaves worthy of being treated here?! The gods won't bless them!"

Perhaps because it was Greek, the Hungarians didn't seem to understand and just smiled foolishly.

Shi Dong saw the girl raise her fist angrily and slam the door hard: "You are the wild dog! You are... covered in dog skin!"

"you,"

"What do you mean? I came to your house to seek medical treatment, and you refused to treat me. Be careful or I'll hire 17 or 18 people to surround your house and throw stones at it every day!"

The old man wanted to rush out and slap the girl: he often did this to his wife, slaves and apprentices.

But thinking of the group of Huns behind the girl and the jeweled slippers on her feet... Bang! He smashed a vase hard and there was no movement.

"Forget it, let's go. This guy has no medical ethics...who knows if he will add something to the medicine."

The girl waved her hand angrily, and the Huns followed her one after another, clattering out of the alley.

Shi Dong didn't know what had taken possession of him that he dared to show up at this time.

He opened his arms to block the road, his voice trembling: "Miss, my master is the best trauma doctor here, do you want to..."

Do you want to come in and wait?

But the master also hates treating slaves. Last time, he kicked out a slave who came to the door begging for help. Well, but this lady will definitely pay. For the sake of money, the master won't do that, right?

"Thank you~ I was in the wrong place, I'm so lucky~"

Melia stepped into the courtyard and asked the most seriously injured to follow in first. The house was too small and they couldn't all squeeze in.

Although they were the most seriously injured, they weren't that bad. The blood trap had been lingering on Brida and Sunny that day, and the horses were badly injured, while the injuries on the humans were mostly from falls.

The Huns lived almost entirely on horseback, and this type of injury was very familiar to them.

Shi Dong followed in nervously, fearing that the lady would ask questions that he couldn't answer.

Fortunately, she just stared at the bookshelf for a while: "These books - are they from Rome? I saw the notebook."

In addition to the rolls of sheepskin, the most eye-catching thing on the bookshelf is a row of metal-bound notebooks, with all four corners carefully wrapped with leather.

“Ah… yes!”

Shi Dong breathed a sigh of relief: "Master likes the paper notebooks from Rome very much. A set is 1 gold coin, which is very affordable. Parchment can only write a few words, but a notebook can record a lot, and it is easy to preserve."

Uh, thinking about the cost, Melia blushed a little: "How much are the wound medicines here? I want to buy more."

"If I meet a wealthy out-of-town guest and ask for one gold coin, it's a sure thing. My medicine is excellent, and they rarely pass through Thebes. It's a win-win situation!"

Shi Dong trembled his lips and lowered his head: "1, 1 gold coin for three." In fact, he sold it to the neighbors for 1 gold coin and five. He wanted to keep some of the money and slowly save up enough to buy the notebook.

Melia readily took out a small bag of gold coins and said, "Give me a box. If it's useless, I'll come back to you."

"It works, it definitely works! Team Saint uses my master's medicine!" Shi Dong hurriedly ran to the back and brought a whole box of medicine powder.

Melia opened the box and a new idea came to her mind: there seemed to be no plasters these days. If she could make a plaster that could be applied directly to the legs, there would definitely be a market for it.

If the medicine is effective, you can send someone to purchase the prescription authorization. There is no need for a buyout or exclusive authorization. You only need to purchase a few more good prescriptions to keep the business running for a long time.

"Okay, this medicine is for external application, right? Apply it once a day?"

"Master said... just change it every day when you take a shower. It's convenient."

She took the key points to heart, and suddenly remembered the words she had just heard: "What is the Holy Team?"

"It's the Theban Holy Team, our strongest warriors!"

Hearing about the Holy Team, Shi Dongyu proudly puffed out his chest: "They all believe in the Moon God. Men team up with men, women team up with women, and fight the enemy with love and glory! They are invincible!"

Especially the Spartans who were vying for the leadership position. Oh, it would be great if Greece could become a whole country.

Fighting with love and honor? Magic warriors?

Melia smiled politely, then took out a gold coin and placed it in Shi Dong's palm: "Where is the slave market in Thebes? I want to go and see it."

Since I was going to pretend to be a slave trader, I had to act like one. It would be best if I could work with the local slave traders to conceal my identity.

Although they are reluctant to admit it, the slave traders of this era were legitimate merchants. As long as they did not capture slaves maliciously, they would not break the law, and it would be easier for them to pass through the checkpoints on the Greek side.

"You're looking for a slave trader?"

Shi Dong sighed, "It would have been fine if they had come some time ago, when the big market was still open. Now they are all heading to Athens with their slaves."

“…Why Athens?”

"Huh?" Shi Dong scratched his head in confusion. "Because Athens needs a lot of slaves. It is said that many slaves in Rome cannot be sold. Apart from Athens, there is no other place to sell them."

No, no, no, no, that can't be the reason.

The countless premonitions of approaching death made Melia tremble instantly: it must not be a coincidence.

"Where's the nearest hotel?" She ran outside. "I just need a clean bed!"

…

Whoosh! A little white cat jumped out from the bushes.

Let me see where Elena is, ouch! The claws slammed against the stone, rolled a long way, and fell into a pile of weeds.

"Meimei?"

Elena jumped down from the tree, picked up the little white cat by the scruff of its neck and patted it gently.

"No bodies buried today?" Melia breathed a sigh of relief and climbed up her arm to her shoulder. Looking down the hillside, she could see Antonio and a large group of soldiers.

There were three or four times as many soldiers as when we set out, which showed how turbulent the journey was.

Elena touched her back, her heartbeat gradually slowing down. "No, Antonio and I are planning to take a detour. There's no need to wade into muddy waters. Let's get to Athens first."

Caesar did not allow any lords under his command to act independently, but the aristocratic parliament's rule over the entire Greece was questionable.

The Greek "Federation" was very strange. Sparta, Thebes and Athens fought from time to time for the archon position, and Persia and Macedonia were also eyeing them covetously.

The previous sacrifice was so horrific, but she couldn't report it to any city-state: the local lord was already dead, and even if the neighboring lord was not a fairy believer, he couldn't do anything about it. She could only run to Athens, hoping that the aristocratic parliament could be of some use.

"Don't bother. If Sparta were to suffer, my old man would simply die drunk on wine." Antonio had said sarcastically yesterday. "Once we rush to Athens, the aristocratic council will immediately hold a meeting and vote on a referendum. If reinforcements can be dispatched within two weeks, it would be considered fast."

There was no need to tell Meimei about these terrible things. After all, when she became emperor, she would never allow these inefficient insects to appear in Rome.

"Don't worry, I've brought along everyone who's willing to follow me. Even the murderer might have to think twice before attacking us."

Elena patted the cat's head. She didn't say her premonition: she always felt that the real trap was set in Athens, and it would be safer before they arrived.

"Uh... there's really no atmosphere today."

The cat in her arms suddenly sighed in a human-like manner, making her want to laugh: "Really? I think the atmosphere is very good?"

"Hey~ Then - let's talk about children!"

The white cat pressed against her neck, one of its paws gently pressing against her cheek: "Do you like children?"

"dislike."

Elena replied expressionlessly, "Children who are too young cannot communicate, and those who are slightly older are not as sensible as adults. Many children simply don't know how to follow instructions."

Nonsense! You're measuring a child by the demands of a soldier? What a Roman emperor!

Melia shook the cat's fur and said patiently, "Oh, that's not what I meant. I mean, if you have a child——"

"……sorry."

“???”

Elena frowned in pain. "I really can't stand such a horrible topic. I understand my father's feelings a little bit."

If she had several young and strong biological children, she would also be worried.

"Wait a minute?" This time, Kitty was unwilling to give in. "Don't overthink it. Don't think about the throne. Just imagine it. For example, you and Melia's child."

"Oh~"

Elena's expression instantly relaxed. "That's right. I wonder what kind of children she wants to adopt. Even a hundred would be fine, just enough to form a hundred-man team. I'll take good care of them."

No, what do you think?

Maomao was stunned, her voice trembling for a long time: "What if, what if she is pregnant?"

"What?"

Elena's smiling eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce look, and she stopped smiling: "I believe she won't do that. If it's true... I will kill that man first, and then have a good talk with her."

Thump, thump, boom.

The cat's eyes widened to twice their original size, and then—

"Meow! You big bastard!!"

With an angry hiss, the little white cat disappeared from the spot, leaving only a shallow paw print.

Huh~

Elena covered her cheeks and took a deep breath. Forget it, at least now she felt - whatever assassins, whatever fairies, whatever traps, bring them on.

Is there anything scarier than your own little ghost?

She mounted her horse and rushed down the hillside: "Let's go!"

So the frightened remnants and the spirited Roman army stood up together and followed their leader to continue forward.

After several days of training, they were able to form simple square formations.

Elena rode her horse diagonally ahead, nodding inwardly with satisfaction: Very good, next time I'll train them to use a diagonal formation, and then attack the enemy's weak flanks...

[“Your and Melia’s child~”]

Although she was thinking about tactical issues, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind.

Melia held the blurry baby in her arms, tenderness filling the corners of her lips.

The child Melia and I have...will definitely be adorable.

Although it won't exist.

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Thanks to Quanxue, Huantianxinglinglei, and Peach Milk Cake for their support~