Soon, on the second day, Caesarea welcomed a group of emissaries.

Not the elves, of course—according to Maltheus, it would take at least three months for this race, which has no sense of time, to react immediately and arrange the matter. However, there are exceptions to special circumstances such as war.

So they were messengers from some of the smaller lords around.

Around Caesarea, Haringos, and Talboa, there are dozens of large and small territories, and the larger one is a small town, and the more pitiful one may be a farm, with a population ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 or 4,000, all of which are genuine village chiefs.

It was a small number, but it was a lot, and according to Herodotus, their total population was almost 300,000 -- more than 50!

At first, it was very surprising, but Theodore quickly figured it out, to put it simply, this magical way of dividing the seal is a mutated version of the Tui En Order!

Obviously, Helena's ancestors were extremely uneasy about these vassals, and understood that this kind of feudalism would lead to a loss of power, and over time, the people under their rule would only know that there were lords but not emperors, so it was really painstaking to restrict them.

Limit the number of troops, maintain a high tax rate, and try to make their territories as small as possible, and you have me, I have you, and the size is as consistent as possible, even the four major dukes only have a population of 100,000 or 200,000, and there will be no dominance of one family, and at the same time, it is necessary to ensure that each region has a relatively strong lord (mostly held by earls or grand dukes), which forms a deterrent to these small lords and prevents possible rebellion.

And now, the empire has been substantially destroyed, the old order of the past has completely collapsed, and the chaos brought about is almost inevitable.

And the ownership of Haringos, coupled with the allegiance of the lord of Talboa, made them lose the "best choice" for a while, limited by geographical conditions, many people's territories were within the range of Roman Shili, and after Theodore controlled the two lands, it was only a matter of time to deal with them.

Now while Theodore has not yet fully controlled his own territory, he will come to the door uninvited first, so that it is better to talk about the conditions more or less than to wait for a period of time to make people swords and I am fish and meat, then there is no capital to talk about, what people say is what they say.

As an aborigine, I was somewhat wary of a foreign people like Rome - even to the point where I had to pray to the other person to live.

In the forecourt of the castle, a tall four-wheeled carriage drove into the clean and neat stone pavement, although it looked a little rough, but it had a delicate canopy, which made people wonder what kind of identity the person sitting in it was.

Although they already had plans to take refuge in Rome, they did not seem to have any intention of making it public, as if they wanted to inquire first.

So apart from a carriage and a few brightly dressed retinues, the group had little else to carry.

The loyal and the knights of the guard stood in two groups by the stone pillars on the left and right, neatly dressed and vigilant of the movements of the group.

"This is the great Caesar, the first citizen of Rome, the great Theodore Julian, beloved by the gods!"

Virgil stood in the center, respectfully introducing the young man who was smiling at them, and the knights on both sides bowed their heads in salute, their purple robes and golden swords already indicating their status.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" a chubby, smiling man approached, bowing at a very exaggerated ninety degrees, and his back molars could be seen in his mouth.

"My name is Ballero, and I eat by selling spices. The dwarf's smile was full of spring breeze, and his face was shiny, proving that his worth was by no means as simple as the so-called "eating with a mouth".

"It is a great honor for Bayero to be entrusted as an emissary by all of you. Of course, it is an honor to be able to look up to your dignity!" "The smooth tongue makes people really can't raise any temper, and with a fat face, he is indeed a very capable person.

"So, as their messenger, what do you want from me?" said Theodore, smiling and looking down at the Humpty Dumpty man in front of him, maintaining a moderate reserve.

"Oh, how dare I, a lowly businessman, make any request from you?!" the fat man looked exaggerated with sincere fear: "But, those old men, order me to bring you a word, a trivial little condition. ”

"On what terms?"

"They want your friendship!" the fat man rubbed his hands together and put a flattering smile on his face: "For this they can pay you tribute - wine, grain, spices, florin (gold coins), they will give you whatever you want, only for your friendship and protection!"

"Of course, please do not be stingy with your kindness, so that the ordinary households in their lands can have enough to eat. ”

"In order to show my sincerity, you gentlemen have entrusted me to bring you a precious gift, I hope to be able to get your appreciation!"

"This includes twenty pounds of pepper and cloves (a type of spice), and of course a noble person like you would not be happy with such a small thing, so there is a special 'little gift'!"

"Oh?" Theodore raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth raised, "I'm looking forward to what kind of 'little gift' it will be!"

Ballero waved his hand at the retinue behind him, and the two men immediately walked to the carriage, pulled back the curtain on the canopy, and then bowed their heads and stood respectfully to the side.

"Please, come with me to the car!" the fat man, with his head down, with a mysterious smile, and with a faint expectation, led Theodore to the carriage, and respectfully let the boy into the car.

The facilities inside the carriage are very complete, the thick linen cushions can also play a part of the role of shock absorption, wine jugs, small drawers, tables and chairs, but quite exquisite.

Theodore stepped into the carriage, turned around, and looked intently.

Amazing!

It was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years of age, wearing a long dress and a long-sleeved blouse that was somewhat familiar to Theodore, her pale blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, and her eyes closed as if she were asleep.

There was no doubt that she was a pretty girl, but unlike anyone else Theodore had ever met, including Helena. There is no such angular feeling, the face is slightly flattened, and both the chin and the tip of the nose reveal a very "oriental" roundness, small and exquisite.

The girl's wrists and ankles were cuffed with iron cables, nailed to the sides of the carriage, limiting her range of motion to a small area.

Obviously, this is probably the so-called "little gift".

The girl's hair was tied back at the back of her head, revealing two pointed ears that were completely different from ordinary people, which made Theodore blurt out:

"Elves?!"

This exclamation woke the sleeping girl, and she opened her sleepy eyes, looked at Theodore with shining eyes, and said "hum" disdainfully, and her lips moved lightly:

"Barbarian!"

After saying that, he closed his eyes again.

“............”

Theodore was looked down upon for the first time, especially at the level of civilization, and the self-esteem of the time-traveler who had always been "I am a civilized person and I am proud" was severely hit, and he was still a little angry for a while.

"Theodore Julian, this is my name, Caesar of the Romans. Theodore coughed lightly: "As an elf, after the other party has shown friendship, should he also tell his identity?"

"Or, as a Nodo?"

"How do you know?!"

The girl's screams of astonishment came out of the carriage, but the soundproofing effect was so loud that the people outside couldn't hear what was being said, only Bayero and Virgil couldn't help but look at each other, and then looked at each other and smiled, as if everyone understood.

Sometimes, if the sound insulation is not too tight, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing............

Especially Bayero, it looks like this, the old men who picked the door before were only willing to take out a small part of the money as a meeting gift, or they made up their minds and took out this treasure. Thinking of this, this Humpty Dumpty couldn't help but laugh "hehe~".

Inside the carriage, Theodore, who didn't know what evil thoughts the people outside had, finally smiled for himself, curled the corners of his mouth, and softly said a name:

"Malcius. ”

Obviously, the girl knew this man, as she should have been, and glanced at Theodore slightly.

"Unexpectedly, you still know this venerable prophet. ”

The girl straightened her posture and looked at Theodore with a natural expression: "Then, you are qualified to know my name, Sibea, remember this name." ”

"Are you a nobleman?" asked Theodore curiously.

"Only you stupid barbarians would deliberately separate your identity!" Sibea sneered, straightened her chest haughtily, and raised her rounded chin: "I am a ranger, the real Noldor ranger!"

"Forget it, you won't know it, it's a Noldor custom. "Sibea" snorted—"Listen, in the Forest of Silence, the land of the Nodons, only those who are proficient in bows and swordsmanship, and who have managed to survive alone in the Great Forest for three months, can earn this title, just like your knights!"

"If it weren't for the cause, how could I have been caught by a bunch of idiots?!"

"But the truth is, you've been caught in a trap by a bunch of ordinary people!" Diodore interrupted her expressionlessly, leaving Sibea furious.

"We Romans are not discouraged by our defeat, nor are we discouraged by it, because it is of little use and only adds to our troubles. Theodore smiled and looked at the girl who was puffing up in front of him, and tapped his finger at the position of his temple: "Think clearly, will you fail?" Then you have a new experience, and understand the reasons and reasons, and next time you can replace it to catch someone else!"

"Anyway, the person who is caught now is me and not you, of course you can make irresponsible remarks about me. The girl was angry and turned her head away from him.

"I am delighted by the debate with you, xiexie. Theodore bowed his head leisurely in farewell, left the carriage in the corner of the girl's sight, and closed the curtain.

As soon as he got out of the car, Bayero, who was smiling very happily, came over and kept rubbing his hands: "So, ...... adults"

"Well, I like this gift very much!" Theodore smiled and nodded, and motioned to Virgil next to him: "Go and call the servant of the castle and take her to the bathroom!"

"Understood. Virgil nodded in response, and turned to walk towards the castle.

"Your name is Valero, isn't it?" asked Theodore, and after receiving an affirmative reply, he continued, "Go and reply to those who have entrusted you, and say that I am very pleased with their gifts, and accept their friendship!"

"It won't be long before they receive my invitation, and when the time comes, I'll prepare a great banquet to welcome them, and I'm sure they'll feel the warmth and prosperity of Rome!"

"I'm Caesar, so I do what I say!"