Chapter 39 Decimal System
"Then you're welcome to join us."
Click, click, click, the quick rhythmic sound of slippers rang out in the corridor.
The Pardos made their way down the corridor, vines slicing across their shoulders, finally stopping at the lounge door.
Several small row houses of chalk stone formed the scholars' lounge. They had two floors and a low ceiling. People as tall as Pados had to bend down to enter the door, but Melia could fit in taller.
"Don't be so excited... Ouch." She fell dizzy on the couch, looking up to see piles of books. The sheepskin exuded a strong scent of ink and a strong smell of insect repellent.
The interior was surrounded by bookshelves on three sides built with stone and oiled wood. The bookshelves were densely packed with books, each carefully wrapped in calfskin: wood chips, parchment scrolls, reed paper, stone slabs, everything you could think of.
Some of the books were brand new and clean, but many of them had broken corners and needed to be stored properly.
Pardos ignored him. He rubbed his fingers against the bookshelf for a moment, then pulled out a slate. Then he picked up the stone knife on the table, adjusted the angle, and tapped the slate. "Rewrite the numerical symbols on the parchment. I need to record them."
"good?"
Confused, Melia found a quill and wrote the Arabic numerals from 1 to 10 on the blank parchment. To make it easier to read, she also marked the corresponding Roman numerals and addition and subtraction symbols.
Only "0" is written before 1. There is no corresponding Roman numeral or standard symbol. So I had to write "originally represents zero, but after other numbers represents 10" below.
In this era, monotheism did not exist. There should be no believers who shouted "0" and denied the Lord God! And then burned her to death, right?
Padus raised his hammer to assist the stone knife, clanging out ten Arabic numerals. He then skimmed off the stone dust and wrote the Roman numerals underneath. He dipped his finger in dye, staining the Arabic numerals black and the Roman numerals red to distinguish them.
He glanced at the "0" and thought: "Continue, what about the other numbers?"
Melia immediately wrote down 11 to 20. When she got to 21, Pardos yelled, "Stop!"
He put down the stone knife with some trembling, grabbed the quill in Melia's hand, and wrote [100] crookedly: "Is there such a number that represents 10 tens?"
"Yes, 100 is written like this. Any problem?"
The Egyptian decimal system... no, the decimal system represented by this symbol will change the world - Pardos suffocated in front of the stone slab, and after a long time he gasped for breath, holding his pulse and breathing deeply.
"Teacher, are you okay?" Melia was startled and walked around the house for a long time but couldn't find any hot water. Fortunately, Pados was in good health and slowly stood up by holding on to the wall.
"I'm fine. Who taught you these symbols and knowledge?" He stood up with the help of a chair, his eyes still looking at the stone slab used for recording.
A teacher from another world thousands of years later?
Melia rolled up the parchment awkwardly: "This is the parchment collected by my father..."
"Give it to me." Two hands reached out simultaneously, and Pardos's eyes finally focused on her face. "There must be more, right? This is just the most basic numerical symbols. There must be more - like the knowledge that the circular constant is approximately 3.14."
Melia was stunned for a moment, then waved her hands awkwardly. "Yes, I do, but my father just passed away, and I can't find it right away. Maybe Muro has taken it away... If you really want to see it, can I recite a few formulas I remember first?"
"Okay, go ahead."
Pardos picked up the stone knife again and pointed it at the stone slab: "Hurry up, don't waste time."
"Uh, okay."
For some reason, this lack of formality and courtesy gradually relaxed her. Perhaps the mathematics that every student today learns held special value thousands of years ago.
She brought a small stool, sat next to Pados, and started with the initial formula: "Teacher, first is the matching multiplication formula, 1x1=1..."
…
Alas, the quality of this guard is too poor.
艾蕾娜顺着石柱跃到二楼，贴到墙壁上把玩小刀：刚刚一不小心把奥菲利亚的走狗和小情人揍太狠了，这下还是别去广场上晃悠地好。
Ophelia appears gentle and generous on the surface, but she's actually quite a bit of a shrewd person. If the poison hadn't been so ineffective against her, she'd probably have to hunt for her own food.
He had previously obtained the identity of a God-favored One and had shown favor in front of his father, but his father's preferred successor was still Marcus. There was no reason for him to engage in a head-on confrontation with these scheming guys.
She took a deep breath and lay down in the shade behind the stone pillar, ready to take a good nap. Not long after she lay down, she suddenly heard whispers from downstairs.
noisy.
Elena tilted her head, and her name suddenly flashed through her voice.
"Elena... deal with it first..."
What do you mean? Who wants to deal with me? She opened her eyes suddenly and focused her attention on her ears.
"Isn't this move a bit risky, Lord Sura?"
"What kind of risk is that? Hey, after such a huge mistake, if we don't bet the hole, are we really expecting Melia to send us the money?"
Why was Melia even mentioned? As for the omission, was it probably about the temple being robbed? But what did Sulla have to do with the theft? Even if he was in the temple at the time, his status wouldn't have irritated the high priest enough.
"Permitting the trade of sea slaves really needs to be kept secret from Elena. Don't think you can mess with her easily until she ascends the throne. If she knew the Senate had passed this, she would definitely make a scene."
"Yes, at least the news cannot be leaked before the stockpiled goods are sold out."
Selling slaves from the Sea Kingdom?!
Elena clenched the hilt of her knife. Many years ago, the Sea Kingdom had annexed Rome as a price to maintain several of its existing laws. For example, it was forbidden to sell its citizens abroad.
The Sea Kingdom left a profound mark in the legends of the Age of Gods. They once coexisted with dragons, sea dwellers, and fairies. Their people inherited a rich tapestry of hair and eye colors, fair skin, and were skilled in fishing, singing, and dancing.
If blood purity is not a consideration, the people of the Sea Area can proudly claim that they have inherited a variety of rare bloodlines.
Before the laws of the Sea Kingdom came into effect, once citizens became slaves, they were often resold to faraway places by buyers. Even the savages from the border areas would exchange gems for Sea Kingdom women to reproduce offspring, trying to give birth to babies with signs of atavism.
Sulla actually pushed the Senate to use the higher-level Roman law to erase the provisions in the maritime law?
Before that, he would definitely purchase a large number of sea slaves in the country, and at the same time force and deceive the sea people with rare bloodlines to sell themselves with favorable conditions.
This is very common in Rome. The fastest way for outsiders to make a living in Rome is to sell themselves.
The master's house provides food and accommodation, and a respectable master will always allow slaves like these who sell themselves to redeem themselves, and even provide them with shelter.
These seafarers must not have known that in just a few months they would be sold as precious goods to Greece, Persia and even further afield.
As long as the seller is willing to pay a high enough price...
The taste of blood spread to the tip of her tongue. Elena wanted to jump out and kill the two men, then rush to Sura's house and chop Sura to death.
But such behavior is meaningless and difficult to achieve.
Is this the retribution for keeping a low profile? Hiding in the shadows, watching the older princes and princesses fight each other, not even daring to openly cultivate pawns in order to avoid Caesar's fear and the others' attention.
So now she can only watch?
[“Elena, just do what you like. Go see the beautiful scenery in this world and…”]
Her mother's singing echoed in her ears, but her heart tightened little by little: at that time, she kept reminding herself to become a strong person who could protect her mother and more people, and not become a worm that could only run away with its tail between its legs.
What have I accomplished over the years?
For some reason, amidst the intense dizziness, she vaguely missed the soft touch of a kitten. It was terrible, she was already so old, and still expected the comfort of weakness.
Can I meet her tonight?
…
"Okay, okay, there's really nothing more... How could I remember so much?" After pondering over the mathematical formulas for an hour, Melia begged for mercy.
Pardos finally stopped carving. "No wonder you're willing to fund a school. Anyone who sees the sages' manuscripts will be moved."
Not really. It is common sense that no matter how poor a country is, it must not be poor in education. If we want to break the slavery system, we must introduce more advanced systems and provide soil for the growth of new systems.
Besides, the money was not hers; all expenses were paid for by the church's gold coins.
Melia coughed lightly and said, "I guess so. Do you know any scholars who would like to teach at the school?"
Pardos put away the slate and nodded. "There are people willing to come to Rome everywhere, but the more outstanding the talent, the higher the requirements. This is a school dedicated to teaching common people. How are the scholars treated?"
Melia scratched her fingers. "The salary will be on par with the instructors at the Gladiator Academy. The school has a cafeteria with all meals provided, and the streets behind serve as dormitories, with free accommodation. Some students who are still slaves will come to attend classes. They can clean the place and do whatever work they can with the poor students who can't afford the tuition..."
"Slaves? You're going to teach slaves?"
Melia looked at Pados. Although he had questions in his mouth, his expression was calm.
So she responded firmly: "Of course, knowledge is valuable, and the more people who share it, the better."
"I agree." Pardos nodded slightly. "However, many scholars do not like to teach slaves. They would consider it beneath their dignity."
"Well, it's okay. The school has a dedicated library and research lab. I'll transfer all of my father's academic collection there. We'll also equip it with a high-rise building for stargazing and surveying equipment. It's their loss if people like that don't come."
"I see."
Pardos put away his quill and opened the door for her. "I will write immediately to my best friend and his tutor. They will surely be happy to come to Rome."
A good teacher is always a good thing. A famous scholar is definitely more suitable than someone hired by the church. Melia thanked him happily, "Great! Thank you, teacher!"
She walked out the door with her hands behind her back, but heard the last sentence.
"They will take over my work in the palace."
Pardos leaned against the door frame, his arms folded. "As for me, I happened to have trained sixteen slaves who could assist me a few years ago. If they are taught well, they can be redeemed as freemen at any time."
Melia turned around in the afternoon sun, palms facing up. "Then~ welcome aboard."
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Shiqi, Luomu Xiaoxiaoxia, and Qi Shengxiao for the Lei Lei~
Thanks to Inoue Hei, Bo Yan, and Yi Ye for their support~
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