Augustus Road

In the evening, Carabis weighed the heavy purse, which contained nearly 200 silver coins, and then slowly wiped off the chalk mud on the wooden board, and then carefully checked the warehouse with a lamp, and was ready to exchange the key for the temple and go home after the work was completed. At this time, he suddenly remembered: "Hey, didn't that Milu say that he would let me see the plaster model of the tombstone of the dead veteran after a market day?"

Walking to the so-called veterans' home on Mount Avendini, Carabis found that this apartment was not much better than Hebrida's house. This kind of apartment has a special name in Rome, called "isolated island". In the eyes of the Senate or dignitaries, those who live here, whether citizens or freemen, belong to the "mob" who can riot at any time. Their houses are narrow and dark, without braziers, small windows, no drinking water pipes, and the walls are all temporarily made of mud, which are in danger of collapse and fire at any time. When Carabis walked into the ground floor of the apartment, he saw a small workshop. When he entered, several slaves were cutting stones with frame saws, while Milou and several others were sitting in the stone pile, hammering with flat chisels or flat hammers. Seeing Carabis coming, Milou was not talkative, but he seemed very enthusiastic. He wiped off the thick powder on his hands and took him to see the plaster tombstone model.

The plaster was made very finely, a tombstone with a small dome, and a laughing statue of Bacchus in front, which was lifelike, making Carabis full of praise, "Very good, very good, will the stone carving be so exquisite by then?"

"It will only be more exquisite than this. The power of piety and tranquility can only be reflected in stone!" A short and strong companion beside Milou said confidently.

Milu introduced: "This guy is also my comrade when I served in the legion. His name is Pop. He was the best craftsman and engineer in the legion at that time. Setoulis in Oscar City, Spain, was their masterpiece."

"This one is called Tagus, a Spaniard, and the best short swordsman in the legion." Milu introduced a scarred man next to him and said.

Carabis nodded in admiration and asked why you didn't stay in Spain and come to Rome since Setoulis was later killed by a traitor. You are now a rebel, with no retirement salary or resettlement land. You can only rely on old relationships to stay in this veteran's home. Why bother?

"Because the traitor Papinna who killed General One-eyed Dragon was later appointed as the Spanish finance official by Sulla, and he kept sending people to hunt us down. We can't stay in Spain." Milu wiped his face with his big hand and said angrily.

"Then are you going to take revenge on that Papinna?"

"Why not? That guy doesn't dare to come back to Rome now. He has a bunch of sword fighting slaves in Spain to protect him. I'm afraid I won't be able to kill him in my lifetime. I've sworn in front of the goddess of vengeance that I won't die in Rome without doing anything." Milu said loudly, and Pop and Tagus nodded in agreement.

But those men soon fell silent again. Yes, like them, staying in this small workshop, accumulating a few Sestières day by day, let alone going to Spain for revenge, it's hard to even maintain daily life. It's really a penny that can suffocate a hero.

At this time, Carapis suddenly had an idea and asked, "Can you dig tunnels?"

Milu thought it was very strange to ask this question from Carapis, but they quickly said, "No ordinary people can compare to our legion soldiers in building military roads and digging tunnels."

"Okay, okay, I'll come to you in three market days when the funeral monument is erected!" Carapis shouted excitedly and ran away.

During this period, although Luculus asked Kelly to tell the free people under his protection in Rome that they didn't have to come to his mansion every morning to pay their respects, Carapis insisted on getting up early every day, standing in the courtyard, waiting for Luculus or Marcus to come out and give lectures, and then go to the Temple of Vesta to work. This is also the bond between the free people and the patron saint. At first, Luculus just asked about Carapis' work with concern, whether he was used to it as the administrator of the Holy Treasury, "I am used to it." Carapis answered refreshingly.

"Well, listen, you can see not only knights there, but also senators, former consuls, and even chief priests... No matter what you see, keep silent outside at any time. This is also the reason why the temple is willing to hire foreign freemen." Luculas warned, then he looked at Marcus who was not very happy, and finally asked: "The contractors under Crassus and Caesar that Claudia found said that it is an impossible task to dig a tunnel to Prima Villa to bring in seawater. They all suggested that I build a marble stairway on the mountain and go over to the foot of the mountain and the seaside, and dig a marine fish farm there - but Marcus doesn't like this design at all."

"Yes, I don't want to see marine fish and crocodiles when I go over the mountain. I hope the pond is located in the courtyard." Marcus said distressedly.

"Carabis, ask around. As long as there is a contractor who can complete this task, I am willing to pay 100,000 drachmas for a tunnel project." Luculas said.

Carabis' throat made a loud gurgling sound of swallowing saliva.

"In addition, Tyranion and I have agreed that I will build a library made of pure white marble in the center of the new villa, with open structures on all sides. I will buy books from Greece and Alexandria at a high price to enrich it. I will spend my later years writing books in this study. As long as the tunnel project can be completed, I will also bundle the project of this library with the contractor, and the cost is also 100,000 drachmas." Luculas added.

Then, Carapis' throat made a loud gulping sound. Finally, he mustered up his confidence and said to the Lord: "If there is a chance, I am willing to try."

When these words came out, the whole scene fell silent. Whether it was Luculas, Marcus or Kelly, they all stopped and stared at Carapis. He felt uneasy, but finally made up his mind and shouted: "I am willing to try!"

Luculas consulted Marcus for advice. Marcus said that he was willing to let Carapis try, so the Lord nodded to Carapis: "Dear Carapis, I am willing to give you this opportunity. In fact, I don't like to let unfamiliar people handle my affairs now. After all, the lesson of Demetrius is ahead, but if you can make Marcus happy, that's fine. If possible, I can consider giving you two trust businesses in the future."

After hearing the Lord's words, Carapis felt that the ground under his feet was spinning. Yes, the opportunity has come, but it depends on whether you can grasp it.

Yes, you must seize the opportunity. In Rome, where you can instantly go back and forth between heaven and hell, you must create your own network and resources. Even if you are a freeman, you must be a first-class freeman.

;