"I know, I know, the citizens of the Colo district. But you must also know that you are the only district left, and you still refuse to accept the gift of kindness, and insist on embarrassing the former consul, the great general Lucuras, just because you support Pompey that bastard? After Kelly finished speaking, he held up a money bag in his left hand, "Here are five hundred dinars, Calabis!" "Here is another five hundred dinars, double portion, all yours, listen to me, give up going to the sheepfold, don't interfere with the normal voting process, and obediently go back to sleep with your women in your arms—that's what your district tribune is doing right now." Kelly said triumphantly.

"Hateful and despicable slaves, you actually bought off the tribune!" The man in the lead shouted angrily with his fist, and the citizens of the Kolo district behind him also clamoured, "Don't taint our politics!" Get out of the way! With that, the group of people held torches and crowded up with shouts and screams.

"Poof!" The cloak on Calabis's body was splattered with blood, and he fixed his eyes on the dagger in Kelly's hand passing through the throat of the leading citizen man, "Let me tell you what Roman politics is!" Kelly grabbed the man by the hair and slammed him against the alley wall on his right, then drew his broadsword from behind his waist and, with a bang, cut off the man's head and threw it into the crowd opposite, and several of them sat down on the ground in horror, watching the bloody head roll around like a ball between their feet.

The rest of the people who followed Kelly drew their broadswords, "Hey, Calabis! Kelly tilted his head sideways, and reminded him disapprovingly, and Calabis drew his sword as well, "Now, who else wants to talk to me about politics?" Kelly threatened.

The citizens on the opposite side were stunned, some were holding on to the wall in panic and were about to run, some were looking at the people behind them uneasily, and the crowd was still hesitating to move on, "Damn, do it!" Kelly ordered in a low voice, and at this moment Calabis suddenly snatched Kelly's money bag, along with his own money bag, and smashed it into the crowd with a whirl, causing a lot of exclamations, "Didn't you hear! Get back to me, and sleep with your women and children in your arms, you don't want them anymore? Go back! ”

In the end, the group of citizens still took the two money bags and ran away in a swarm, "Bastard Calabis, I have already killed a guy, but you threw all the money out, which is equivalent to giving an extra one." Kai grumbled as he wiped the blood from his dagger with his cloak.

Then, back in front of the newly opened tavern, Kelly threw Calabis a set of silk clothes, "Put him on and make it decent." ”

"What is this?" Calabis asked.

Two men who came with them, holding chalk and volcanic ash, painted the walls of the tavern with the words "Lucius. Licinius. Lucuras sincerely greetings all the citizens of Rome", and as soon as she had finished painting, the proprietress ran out screaming, crossed her waist and shouted to everyone: "This vici patron saint will punish you, you sheepfold professional scoundrels, rascals who graffiti everywhere, you wait, I will immediately accuse you of the bald and charming mayor, and punish you to three months of hard labor in the temple of fire!" ”

"Get dressed, and take this money bag with you." Ignoring the proprietress 's anger, Kelly gave Calabis a heavier purse, "You sit down in the tavern at once, and when you see someone come and sit across from you, just give him ten dinars, and don't ask anything more." The rest will be your reward. Also, this is for you, it's a letter of recommendation from Publici, it's over, take it to the city administration of Rome, someone will arrange a job for you. Kelisse gave Calabis a small bronze tube, patted him on the chest, and walked away with the crowd.

Calabis, who had changed into a silk robe, wiped his hair, walked to the proprietress who pointed at the backs of Kelly and the others and scolded her, and took out ten drachmas, one by one, and bounced into the proprietress of the spring mountain valley, "This is the loss fee for graffiti, and my seat is prepared for me." When the proprietress saw the well-dressed Calabis, her anger was half gone, but her mouth was not forgiving, and she made a gesture of annoyance at Calabis, and shouted: "Don't think that ten Greek silver coins will be gone, I will use this money to buy salt and fig leaves, to appease the wrath of the patron god and the god of doors!" Come in and sit down. ”

Panting, Calabis sat down in the seat by the street tiredly, put the cloak and sword that Lucuras had given him with blood on the seat next to him, and then threw the blood-stained money bag on the table, and then the proprietress brought him salt mixed with cabbage, and a plate of clams poured with vinegar and spices, "This is for calming the spirit, you have been in Rome for a long time, you are used to this kind of thing, little brother." ”

The sun poured in through the window, and Calabis lay down on the table, munching heavily, and after a while the door was pushed open, and several men with dishes on their faces walked in, and they wanted to say something but looked embarrassed, and the proprietress who was leaning against the counter touched the back of her neck with her hand, and glanced in their direction towards Calabis. The other party understood and leaned closer to Calabis.

Calabis looked up at the men, and then remembered Kelly's words, and discharged from his purse a full number of bloody dinars, and the men, with a slightly embarrassed expression, took them one after another, and one of them bowed his head at Calabis, "Tell your patron that the citizens of Rome welcome him and welcome him at the triumphal ceremony in the city." ”

Then, as people kept coming in, Calabis bit clams and handed out silver coins, "Who are you?" Suddenly, Calabis pressed his hand on the money bag and asked a ragged fellow.

"A citizen of Subura, descended from the thirty oldest clans of ancient Rome. Is there a problem? The crooked-mouthed, filthy fellow said unashamedly.

"Are you a citizen? But I remember you, when I crossed Mount Captopil in the early morning, I saw you begging in front of the temple of the goddess Isis. You think Freedmen are easy to deceive, huh? Calabis then raised his sword, "Don't let my brother see you again, get out of the way." ”

"Little brother, he is indeed a citizen, give him the money and send him away." Over there, the proprietress came over and threw the fellow a piece of wheat cake, and Calabis was suspicious, so she only gave him six silver coins, and the beggar didn't say anything, but took the wheat cake and the silver coin, and asked the proprietress if there was a better quality slave girl to live happily, and the proprietress stretched out her hand, and the beggar gave her a dinar in the palm of her hand, "By the way, don't forget to bring in some olive oil and wine." With that, he happily went into the backyard.

Just as Calabis was about to ask the proprietress something, the bell rang in the sheepfold opposite, and groups of citizens sat down according to the different seats of the hundred-man regiment, and a man dressed in a short shirt and wearing a laurel crown ascended to the podium, a podium made of bronze bows captured in foreign wars, raised his left hand, and shouted like a bell: "Today's bill is a question of accusation against Lucuras, the former governor of Silesia and commander of the war in the East, and Luculas to qualify for a triumphal vote. ”