Augustus Road

Many citizens and young people who followed Catiline (seemingly noble children) raised their fists and shouted, expressing their support for Catiline. Then the man raised the torch in his hand and said: "As long as I can board the board next year of the consulship, I promise to forgive you the heavy debts you have owed to those upstart knights, and to allocate each of you a field in the newly conquered North Africa, Asia Minor, and the Latin Confederation, as for the slaves who follow me at will, all Release it without looking at your master's face - I say it again, Rome needs me and more powerful people, and cannot place its hopes on those senators and nobles who only know how to talk nonsense all day long. In short, support! I, Catiline, support saving yourselves!”

These words set off the excitement of the entire speech. People no longer cared about Luculas's triumphal ceremony just now. They were obviously infected by Catiline's fanatical mood and generous conditions, and they started shouting and shouting, Calabis I thought to myself that it looked like this guy named Catiline was running an open election, but don’t worry about me, I’m just here to make soy sauce, and I didn’t have a citizen’s vote in my hand, so I was ready to go home - before the triumphal ceremony, Lucula Si also told all the free people to gather at his mansion in Rome tomorrow to distribute money and hold a banquet, and their whole family would like to express their gratitude to everyone.

Until Luculas turned around and left the square, he could still hear the faint roar of Catiline. He thought that this guy came to the square to give a speech at the time when the triumphal ceremony was at its most popular, and indeed he had some tricks up his sleeve. Forget it, forget it, these armchair fights are none of my business.

"Don't turn your back to me. Who gave you the courage? You humble freedmen and newly freed slaves from Asia have flooded into this city, causing citizens to lose their jobs and lose their jobs. After losing wealth, you still want your sons to obtain precious citizenship rights. This is simply unbearable!" Suddenly, a young nobleman next to Catiline raised his fist and shouted at Calabis, and then the citizens became excited. , they were suddenly filled with hatred for the black-haired Calabis, and suddenly, it was as if the hunger, cold, and poverty they suffered were all caused by Calabis. This kind of tactic of inciting hostility was not uncommon. Perhaps the purpose of the young noble's instigation was to get the citizens to sacrifice Calabis's blood immediately in the square to inspire them to become even more fanatical.

Pebbles flew like raindrops, but the hero Calabis did not suffer the immediate consequences. He used the strength he had developed during his service in Xiaoya and ran as fast as the wind. The pebbles were thrown behind him one after another, and a large group of people followed him. They were chasing after him, but Calabis only speeded up and ran a thousand Roman feet around the Jucola Avenue, and these people were thrown down panting. They had been living in the city for a long time, waiting to die, and selling tickets to survive. Children, eroding their resilience and strength as citizens.

Calabis, who was at ease with his skills, ran all the way to his apartment behind the Temple of the Goddess of War outside the city. At this time, he saw Poti comforting Paluma in the living room. Paluma was trembling with fear, and there were tears in the corners of her eyes. Got a bruise.

"What's wrong with the little pigeon?" Karabis asked after taking a sip of water from the dining table.

“The Roma kids from the block in front beat him and laughed at his disability,” Poti said with some shame.

Calabis's hand holding the cup was shaking a little, but he still suppressed the anger in his heart and said with relief: "Tomorrow we can get 500 drachmas from Luculas. Then we will move out of this apartment and enter a private home." Bigger and more beautiful, living with educated people." Then he felt that he couldn't let it go, so he said that tomorrow our whole family would go to Luculas' villa on the Paladin Hill.

Early the next morning, Karabis, covered with a cloak, pulled the limping little Paluma, followed by Poti, and slowly walked through the block in front, saw a clothing store, and walked in. Sure enough, several teenage children followed them, winking, and shouting all kinds of insults about Paluma's disability. The civilians around were laughing, as if they were doing something like this. You can especially have fun here.

"How much does the most expensive clothing here cost?" Calabis said with a sullen face, standing in front of the counter. The salesperson glanced at Calabis with contempt and said, "I suggest you choose the mid-range ones, that's it." Five dinars is enough for you to work for three months."

"What's going on with that look in your eyes? Aren't you a free citizen yourself?" Calabis said, staring at the nameplate around the salesman's neck.

"Freemen are also divided into different levels. I was assigned this small store in the master's inheritance. But looking at your legionary cloak, you must have worked as a camp slave before. What's the matter? You were just given an old piece of clothing by your master. Sorry, where are you going to work now, prison or execution ground?" the salesman said sarcastically with a smile on his face.

Calabis slowly discharged twenty drachmas and said word by word: "Bring me the best clothes, and you, kneel down and help my adopted son try them on." When the salesman saw a stack of owl silver coins, he said: His mouth was a little crooked, but he still said stubbornly: "Haha, where did you borrow these twenty silver coins from..."

"Shut up!" Calabis grabbed the opponent's collar fiercely, "You are a rat shack with a radius of only ten Roman feet. I can buy it for a hundred drachmas right now. His patron is the victorious general Luculas. I captured the crown of the king of barbarian kings on the battlefield. Now you kneel down and help my adopted son try on clothes. Isn’t this your duty? Please please you. guest!”

After saying that, Carapis dragged the guy out. The guy rolled and knelt in front of Paluma. A helper hurried forward, handed him clothes, and secretly advised: "Don't provoke such a person. Free people have to look after their master. A free man favored by Sulla spent 500 drachmas to buy the most luxurious villa in Rome. Who dares to go against Sulla?"

More and more people gathered around the store. The guy kneeling on the ground continued to twitch his mouth, rolling his eyes from time to time, looking at Carapis, and slowly helped Paluma put on a silk shirt. When Paluma was putting on the clothes, his legs and feet were not very flexible, and then he said awkwardly: "Carapis, Potti..." As a result, the naughty children who had been following behind held their stomachs, imitated Paluma's posture, and laughed wildly.

When they saw Carapis approaching and staring at them, they challenged him, "What? Are a free man and his son going to commit crimes against Roman citizens?"

Then there was a long scream of "Ahhhh". Carapis stepped on the foot of a naughty child and pinched his lower body, saying, "You are worthy of being called a citizen? You steal three or four asses from your parents' pockets every day. You insult a disabled child of a foreign race, and you can become a citizen!?" Then he pushed hard, and the naughty children rolled out of the store. On the mud, Carabis raised dust with his toes and kicked those naughty kids fiercely: "Your parents eat relief bread made of einkorn wheat brought by boats at the mouth of the Tiber River every day; you boys can't even afford a three-drachma pectoral; your family is so poor that even the stove is cracked, and you have to maintain your dignity by raising two deaf and dumb old slaves; you can only exchange three or five hundred sesterces for your votes every year when the army triumphs or the consuls are elected! Look down on me, look down on my adopted sons..."

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