Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

It can be said that Orville knew nothing about jewelry or luxury goods of this era. He could definitely tell that the workmanship was excellent and the materials were solid, but it was really difficult for him to guess the specific value.

But Domitia was not like that. Although she did not receive a serious royal education, as a member of the upper class, she still had the most basic vision.

Anyone who cares a little bit about these things can see that this pearl is large in diameter, round and shiny, and has a delicate, smooth and flawless skin. It is very suitable for earrings as a whole. The production process is also in line with the value of the pearl, and it is very sophisticated and meticulous.

There are not too many embellishments of precious stones and precious metals, and the overall processing is natural. It does not look too vulgar and can bring out the noble temperament of the owner.

Domicia was amazed when she saw it: "I don't know the exact value, but it should be no problem to buy a very large mansion in a wealthy area of ​​Rome except for the Palatine Hill. It is a very, very precious thing, absolutely. "

Orville looked surprised and a little unbelievable.

Seeing his expression, Domicia suddenly had a strange idea: "Where did you get this thing?? I know you are not short of money, but it doesn't seem like you can afford such a thing."

"A friend gave it to me. It's absolutely authentic."

Orville quickly explained to the other party that he did not want to be thought of as a thief or robber. If he was misunderstood, it would be troublesome.

"Female friend?"

"Yeah." Otherwise, Orville doesn't think it's realistic for a man to give this kind of pearl earrings to a man.

"My family must be very powerful, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford such a thing."

"Yeah." This is nonsense. I can't afford it if I don't have money.

"is it beautiful?"

"Yeah." Orville felt something was wrong, but he still spoke bravely.

"Then just wait for me."

Domitia trotted all the way out of the room and came with Tiya not long after.

As soon as she entered the room, Tiya also started to frown: "Does Orville live in the utility room? Why is it so messy?"

Domisia waved her hand: "It doesn't matter, sister, I discovered a very serious problem. Orville secretly hid a very precious gift from a beautiful female friend. I thought there was adultery in it, so I immediately Reported to you!"

When Tiya heard this, she immediately forgot about the room and said nervously: "What?!"

"I didn't lie to you! Everyone gets the stolen goods!"

Domicia saw the excitement and did not take it too seriously. She quickly pointed to the pearl box Orville placed on the desk, which attracted Tiya's attention.

Orville glanced at Domitia helplessly, and then Tia, who became unusually keen, looked at Orville suspiciously.

——

In fact, Orville and Cleopatra had only met once, and there was nothing to judge. Tia was a very reasonable person, and there was no problem in speaking clearly.

Of course, Tiya was actually a little bit murmuring in her heart. After all, this couldn’t explain why the Egyptian princess had nothing to do to give gifts to Orville. At that time, Orville was a nobody, a captain of the auxiliary army. I’m afraid he didn’t have as many people under his control as the other party’s people. There are many slaves working as handymen, and the status of the two parties is not on the same level at all.

If you analyze the whole thing carefully, it is indeed a bit strange, but things cannot be understood only rationally.

Even so, she would not blame Orville for anything, but attributed the matter to the fact that the Egyptian princess did not have a correct concept of money, and in her eyes this thing was not worth much.

In fact, it is almost the same. The Ptolemaic royal family are the top wealthy people in the Mediterranean. Cleopatra is a super rich woman in every sense. At her current age, she may still be a rich lolita.

Egypt was originally rich and productive, producing grain, gold mines, and various metals and stones. Alexandria was also the center of Mediterranean trade. However, the political situation in Egypt was different from that of Rome. A large amount of the country's wealth was concentrated in the royal family.

They owned a large amount of land, merchant ships, state-owned banks and various resources. Rome took on most of the defense work. Egypt only needed a security army to meet its needs. In this case, Ptolemaic Egypt's taxes were still very high, which meant As a result, the royal family has always been very extravagant and wasteful.

Perhaps for Cleopatra, this kind of gift was indeed "given casually".

"In short, I understand the matter. In fact, it's not a big deal. Domitia, you are a little too suspicious." Tia rubbed her long, silky hair. "Be careful next time. It makes me very nervous."

Domitia nodded a little aggrievedly. Although she just wanted to watch the fun, she was also thinking about her sister.

After talking about it, Tiya looked up at Orville again: "Although I feel a little uncomfortable that you collect this thing, it is an important gift after all, and I can understand it. Compared with this, can you make this place empty? Oh, how can you sleep when everything is so depressing?"

Orville complained in his heart that the two of them were indeed sisters, but his face remained calm: "I'll try my best to change them to make this place look empty."

He felt that this was just expressing his dissatisfaction and looking for trouble, but now it was better to just follow the other person's words and avoid getting into trouble.

After Tia led Domicia out of Orville's room, Tia immediately touched Domicia's head affectionately and said, "Actually, you did a good job. Keep up the good work. What reward do you want this time?"

Domitia's eyes narrowed into crescent moons: "Come with me to the theater in ten days. There is a play I have always wanted to see."

"No problem, I'll go."

——

After both of them left, Orville breathed a sigh of relief, and he had dealt with it.

Looking at the pearl earrings that were safely placed on the table, Orville thought about it, put them away and put them in the locker. In fact, he didn't particularly want to sell them, and he was even more so after knowing the value of this thing.

He still had modern thinking. In his eyes, these historical figures all had a kind of halo. The pearl earrings given by Cleopatra and the pearl earrings were different. The former had humanistic value, while the latter was just an ordinary luxury item, which was dispensable.

He also had a small treasury. When he went from Palfi to Rome, he also brought a lot of carefully selected spoils. Selling these things would fill most of the gaps, and the remaining ones could be filled by just thinking of a way. With his status, it was difficult to become rich enough to rival a country, but it was also easy to make some money.

After confirming his goal, Orville began his next plan.

A few days later, an auction was held as scheduled. Unlike the various simple auctions that Rome has always had, the promotion point of this auction was a charity auction.

The organizers claimed that 30% of the profits from the auction would be donated to vulnerable groups such as veterans, families of fallen soldiers, war orphans, etc., and then began to vigorously promote the benefits and necessity of charity activities, calling on the rich and celebrities to actively participate, and the Flavius ​​royal family would also participate.