Chapter 604 Ancient Roman High-end Club
Lorne looked around and asked curiously:
"What day is it today? Why is it so lively?"
"It seems that Lupasala is coming soon."
Cassandra on the side answered casually with a subtle look in her eyes.
Lupasala? The name sounds a bit strange. What exactly does it celebrate?
While Luo En was thinking, the little guys behind him saw the people coming and going and couldn't help but want to try:
"Teacher, let's go join in the fun."
"Come back here, everyone!"
Lorne frowned and pulled the four little guys back to his side.
If I remember correctly, there are 365 days in a year, and Rome has more than 175 recorded festivals, which means there were festivals for more than half a year.
There are holidays every two or three days throughout the year, and there are more festivals than working days. How can we live without joining in the fun every time?
As Loen complained in his heart, he thought of his miserable life with few holidays, and his heart was filled with malice.
Reform! We must reform!
We must put an end to this evil trend of loving laziness and hating work!
Faced with the teacher's iron-fisted suppression, the four little guys could only extinguish the spark of joining in the fun in their hearts, shrank back into the team angrily, and followed the teacher to the public bathhouse.
As soon as I arrived at the square, several women and children carrying bamboo baskets swarmed over me, vying to sell their wares:
"Sir, your female companion is so beautiful. Buy some flowers. They are all newly arrived today. They are absolutely fresh. Venus will bless you."
"You guys are going to the bathhouse to take a bath, right? I have some excellent rose essential oil here. It's reasonably priced and has a long-lasting fragrance. You will definitely get what you pay for."
"I have bath salts here. They are definitely better than the junk in the bathhouse. Would you like to try some? I'll give you a 20% discount!"
As they were talking, bamboo baskets of different sizes were held up in front of the six people.
Carefully trimmed roses are placed on top of the basket, with crystal dewdrops on the stamens, giving off a sweet fragrance and looking delicate and tempting; the empty bottom of the basket is filled with bottles and jars of bath salts and essential oils, which emit a faint aroma.
Loen didn't want to pay any attention to it, but when he saw that most of these women and children were in rags, and some didn't even have shoes on, he couldn't help but feel some sympathy. He immediately took out some money and bought six bottles of bath salts, essential oils and roses.
As the crowd dispersed, he handed the things to Cassandra and the other four:
"I'm giving it to you. Make do with it."
Seeing the little girls happily taking the roses, Cassandra couldn't help but whispered:
"My Lord, I'm afraid this is inappropriate?"
"What's wrong?"
"Lupasala is coming soon..."
Hearing Cassandra's retelling of the past, Lorne recalled what he had seen and heard along the way. He could not help but feel moved. He had some guesses about the meaning of this festival and could not help but ask:
"What day is today?"
“February 14.”
Cassandra replied quietly.
Luo En slapped his forehead and suddenly realized.
He remembered what Lupasala was all about.
This is an important bathing festival in ancient Rome, celebrated on February 15th every year, mainly to commemorate the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. During the festival, people will hold rituals including bathing, dancing and sacrifices to pray for health and fertility. People believe that bathing can purify the body and soul and drive away evil and disease.
Usually on February 14, the day before the official festival, there is a festival to show respect to Jonah.
Juno was the queen of the Roman gods. The Romans also worshipped her as the goddess of women and marriage. From the root, she probably corresponded to the Greek goddess Hera. The following February 15th was called "Lupasala", a festival used to show respect to the other gods under Juno's rule.
Since it is a festival related to the god of marriage, the content is naturally related to her ministry.
In ancient Rome, the lives of young men and girls needed to be separated. However, during the Lupasala Festival, young men could choose the name of a girl they loved and engrave it on a vase. In this way, during the festival, the young man could dance with the girl he chose, celebrate the festival, and give gifts. If the selected girl also liked the young man, they could always be paired, and eventually they would fall in love and get married together.
According to another legend, the Roman Emperor Claudius II, out of consideration for war, announced in the capital Rome that all marriage commitments would be abandoned so that more men without worries could go to the battlefield. At that time, a Christian named Valentine did not follow this will and continued to hold weddings for young people in love. After the incident was reported, Valentine was sent to the gallows and hanged on February 14, 1649. Later, in order to commemorate the priest who sacrificed himself for his lover, people called February 14 the Saint Valentine's Day.
Yes, this is the famous Valentine's Day in later generations.
Regardless of which of the two sources is true, the meaning of February 14 is the same - it is a day for courtship and love.
Roses have long symbolized beauty and love. The ancient Greeks and Romans used this flower to symbolize their respective gods of love.
At this moment, on this day, it was obviously inappropriate for Loen to give these roses to a few little girls, and he could easily be regarded as a pervert by passers-by.
Grateful for Cassandra's reminder, Lorne got excited and snatched the rose from the four children's hands and stuffed it all at once to the priestess:
"Well, I'll give it to you."
Looking at the colorful roses in her arms, Cassandra's face couldn't help but flush unnaturally.
Everything has been explained so clearly, why did this gentleman still give him so many roses?
After all, I bought it with my own money, so I can’t waste it…
Luo En muttered to himself and could only choose to make the best of it.
However, this annoyed the little girls standing by.
They did not understand the meaning and taboos of the Lupasala Festival, but how could they accept that the gifts they had just received were snatched away in front of them before they could even warm up?
"No! We want it too!"
"That's right, why can she take flowers but we can't?"
“It’s not fair!”
"Bad intentions!"
A group of little girls surrounded the two adults and criticized them angrily.
Then, while Nero was firing in the front to attract attention, the three sons of fate secretly activated the power of space from behind and transferred the rose in Cassandra's arms to their own hands.
Cassandra was stunned:
"you……"
"If we get it, it's ours. Want it? No! Lululu."
The four little girls quickly divided the spoils, each holding a bunch of bright red roses, and ran to the bathing area in front.
The two adults looked at each other, helpless, and could only quickly catch up.
The setting sun shines down, the dome of the bathhouse is coated with a layer of golden light, and the towering marble arches are filled with steam. The water from the bronze lion-head fountain falls into the bottom of the unique mosaic pool, and the ding-dong sound blends with the debates of philosophers under the corridor into a unique rhythm. The steam flows over the purple curtains hanging between the columns like a veil, soaking the relief of the god of war Mars carved on the columns and making it shine.
——Hero Baths?
Loen read the line of gold-plated letters on the plaque and couldn't help but wonder what the name meant.
"It's relatively quiet here. Only descendants of gods and decorated warriors are eligible to enter."
Cassandra on the side explained softly, and took out a bronze elephant emblem with a mother wolf nursing a baby from her arms and handed it to her own god.
Got it, a high-end private club.
Lorne suddenly realized what was going on and put the receipt on the table when he entered.
"Quirinus?"
The receptionist behind the desk wiped his eyes, somewhat incredulous.
Soon, a fat man came rushing over like a rolling ball.
After carefully examining the elephant emblem, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and an almost flattering smile appeared on his greasy face:
"So it's the descendants of the God Ancestor who have come to visit us. If you need anything, just let us know. We are happy to serve you!"
"Prepare a few VIP rooms for us to use."
"Now, there are two vacancies. My Lord, you know, tomorrow is Lupasala, and the seats are a bit tight."
"That's perfect. I have one room and the five of them have one room."
Loen took back the elephant emblem and answered casually.
The boss nodded in agreement as quickly as a chick pecking at rice.
Facing such a distinguished guest, he had already offended him once, so he naturally did not dare to neglect him any more and quickly asked the waiter to prepare.
Lorne, led by his servant, walked towards the private bathroom.
Passing by a men's public bath along the way, he couldn't help but look inside out of curiosity.
A beam of light shone from the skylight in the dome, illuminating the golden statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, inlaid at the bottom of the bath. The sound of the lyre came from the mist, mixed with the frankincense of burning spices, turning this imperial monument made of 80,000 pieces of travertine into a temple on earth shared by gods and mortals.
The alabaster benches in the locker room were piled with purple-edged togas of senators and leather wrist guards of gladiators, and slaves shuttled between mica screens with jars of scented oil. The circular bath in the center of the hot water hall was boiling like lava, and veterans soaked in the sulfur springs to stretch their scarred backs and talk about old expeditions; young men gathered under the Corinthian columns beside the cold water pool, and water drops slid down their olive oil-coated skin, forming a tiny galaxy on the ground.
This spectacular scene gave Lorne a deeper understanding of Rome’s unique bathing culture.
In human history, the ancient Romans were probably the people who loved bathing the most. They bathed, ate, chatted, even held meetings and read books in the bathhouse, and they never felt bored. It is said that when a foreigner asked the Roman emperor why he bathed once a day, the Roman emperor replied, "Because I don't have time to bathe twice a day."
Baths were very important in ancient Roman culture because these public baths were the most important places for people from different classes and backgrounds to socialize. Politicians used the baths to spread their reputation, businessmen used them to build relationships, and civilians used them to find opportunities. No matter their class or social status, they could all enjoy the public baths. No one had the right to forbid others from bathing.
Therefore, if you want to understand ancient Roman history, the best way is to start with the ancient Roman baths.
However, public baths were not invented by the ancient Romans. The history of Western baths can actually be traced back to ancient Greece. Around 2000 BC, baths appeared in the palace complex of Knossos on the island of Crete. Although the Roman baths were more magnificent and more stylish than those in Greece, there is no doubt that the inspiration for the construction of Roman baths came from Greece.
So, this is learning from Crete, right?
But when I was in power in Knossos, I was so busy that I never enjoyed this treatment at all.
It's a rare day off today, so I must relax and experience the Roman bathing culture.
At the end of the road, entering the bathroom, the interior decoration exudes luxury everywhere.
The blue crystals inlaid in the dome filter the midday sunlight into liquid amber, which flows over the thirty-seven porphyry columns and weaves a flowing veil in the steaming frankincense mist.
The peacock blue glazed pottery dome supported by three-tiered arcades pierces the evening mist, the bronze hanging from the eaves jingles in the wind, the ivory statue of the goddess of victory holds a gilded olive branch, but its wings have been transformed into aqueduct diverters, and the twelve bronze eagle-headed nozzles spew out clear water and warm steam day and night, making people feel very comfortable.
Just as Loen was about to take off his clothes and step into the pool, he unexpectedly saw several gorgeous female slaves walking barefoot on the Cyprus sand floor, holding bronze pitchers and pouring water into the bathroom. They were dressed coolly, and the serpentine marble heat pipes and the heat in the air left vermilion checkered patterns on their backs, like warrior armor touched by the fingers of Venus.
Even after adding the water, the female slaves still showed no intention of leaving.
Some of them stood by the pool, holding silver basins filled with rose salt and Numidian meteorite powder; some stood behind malachite screens with scrapers and bathrobes; and two of them had already torn off the veils on their bodies and stepped into the warm water of the pool, attacking Loen from the left and right.
Seeing two pairs of trembling thunders creating ripples in the water and pressing towards him, Loen quickly suppressed his thoughts and shouted:
"Stop, all of you get out, I can do it myself!"
"If you are not satisfied with us, you can change a batch."
"Need not."
"If you like male slaves, we have them here too."
"I told you no, I'm not used to being served by strangers."
Hearing the distinguished guest's repeated refusals, the female slaves had no choice but to put on their clothes and walked out of the bathroom angrily.
After confirming that those annoying goblins had finally left, Lorne looked at Unit 2 with its head held high and chest puffed out, and smiled bitterly.
It’s really a high-end club that even provides this kind of service.
Moreover, those female slaves seemed to be of superior appearance, and their figures were better than each other.
If I hadn't been used to seeing more beautiful flowers on the mountain, I might not have been able to control myself.
However, what Loen didn't know was that the Hero Bathhouse was, after all, a bathhouse, and these first-rate female slaves were additional items, only open to special customers.
If it weren't for the Quirinus emblem in his hand, he would naturally not have enjoyed such treatment.
His refusal made the fat boss in the hall very worried.
Could it be that the noble man has something against me because his position is not spacious enough?
The fat boss wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and became more and more scared the more he thought about it.
"What's wrong?"
Cassandra in the corridor came running over upon hearing the noise.
Since Nero's four little ones treated the four bouquets of roses as treasures, they always suspected that she, the bad adult, had bad intentions towards those flowers.
But they couldn't take the flowers with them when bathing.
Therefore, in order to ensure that everything went smoothly, the four little guys unanimously kicked her out and refused to take a bath with her.
At this moment, seeing Cassandra coming, the boss quickly complained:
"What else can we do? The nobleman is not satisfied with our service."
After hearing the content of the service, Cassandra couldn't help but laugh.
It's amazing what these people came up with, to let a group of female slaves serve a god.
The boss asked cautiously: "How about you ask us for a favor and ask us if there is anything we haven't done well, so we can fix it."
They cannot afford to offend the descendants of Romulus, the ancestor of God.
Cassandra smiled and comforted him:
"Let them go next door to accompany those children and leave their things behind. I will serve the adult."
The boss looked Cassandra up and down, and suddenly realized:
"Are you the slave girl brought by that master?"
With such a beautiful and elegant female slave by his side, it's no wonder that he looks down on those vulgar women.
Cassandra was slightly stunned, but instead of getting angry, she smiled and nodded in agreement.
Slaves? That's right.
Ever since the Trojan War, when that lord pulled the Trojans out of the pit of destruction and bestowed new land and a glorious destiny upon her and her people, she decided to serve that lord wholeheartedly for the rest of her life.
And according to the agreement made previously, he has fulfilled his promise and became the savior of the Trojans.
Correspondingly, it seems that I can indeed be called that adult's "slave" and become his private property.
Hearing that the girl in front of him was willing to save the situation, the boss felt as if he had been pardoned, and quickly asked the servants to take her to the bathroom.
"Wait a minute, we bought some essential oils for bathing on the way, put them in later, don't waste them."
Cassandra pulled two bottles of rose essential oil from her inner pocket and handed them over.
The boss nodded hurriedly.
But as he watched Cassandra walk away, he picked up the essential oil and looked at it, and a hint of contempt suddenly appeared in his eyes.
Why is it this kind of cheap stuff?
How could using such inferior essential oils be worthy of the noble status of the Divine Ancestor lineage? Moreover, if it were to be told to others, the reputation of the Hero Bathhouse would be tarnished.
"Go, bring my collection of premium essential oils and the latest incense, and give them all to this gentleman!"
The boss gritted his teeth and gave orders to his waiter.
It's rare to meet such a distinguished person. Even if it costs a lot, I have to serve him well and never leave any bad impression on him.
Otherwise, if these big shots gave him a word, he might fall over and over again, and finally die silently in a stinky ditch.
However, he has confidence.
As long as this adult has enjoyed his collection of incense and essential oils, he will definitely not take the previous minor offense to heart, and may even develop a liking for his understanding and thoughtfulness.
After all, it was a good thing he bought from the Temple of Love at a high price.
It not only makes people feel relaxed and comfortable physically and mentally, but also brings unparalleled enjoyment. Even an ordinary old man in his seventies or eighties can regain his vigor and have sex seven times a night.
Watching the beautiful slave girl walk in, the boss felt that everything was safe and couldn't help but feel proud of his foresight.
(End of this chapter)
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