Chapter 6

Milo of Croton. A legendary figure of ancient Greece, born in the second half of the 6th century BC, he was a wrestling champion who was renowned in the ancient Olympic Games.

Milo won his first Olympic gold medal at the tender age of 12, a feat that not only demonstrated his precocious talent but also foreshadowed his brilliant career. In the following decades, he won six consecutive Olympic titles, dominated the wrestling event for more than two decades, and became one of the greatest athletes in the ancient world.

It is said that he would carry a newborn calf on his shoulders every day, and as the calf grew, his strength increased, and he could eventually carry a full-grown bull with ease.

Milo was not only an athlete, but also a hero of the city-state of Croton, and was said to have performed well in military conflicts and defended his city-state. However, it is said that in his later years, he was walking in the woods and saw a half-cut wooden stake by a woodcutter. He tried to break the stake with his bare hands, but was stuck. His cry for help did not call for help, but attracted wild animals, and he was eventually eaten alive by wild animals, ending his legendary life.

It was already dusk, and Sophia observed in the bushes for a while.

Yesterday she found burnt wheat, chickens and snakes in the field, and found eggs in the chicken coop. Today she was going to enter the house to search, which was dangerous, but she was eager for bread and drinkable water.

She held a dagger in her hand. She was not big enough to fight others, and she had no choice but to run away when she found danger.

She came to a villa and squeezed in through the half-open door. The stench in the front yard was unbearable, and several corpses fell to the ground. After she came in, she startled the flies that were eating the corpses. They flew up and fell back on the corpses.

She went into the kitchen in the front yard to search, and found some wheat and salt. She walked to the entrance of the middle courtyard and looked inside. There was a swollen male corpse floating in the pool. The water was no longer drinkable. There should be no living people, she judged. She quietly sneaked into the restaurant, hoping to find bread and wine.

“You came at the right time.” A woman’s voice suddenly came from behind.

Sophia was so scared that she almost fainted on the spot. She crouched down, pointed a dagger at the woman, and said, “I’m just looking for food.”

The afterglow before sunset showed the terrible appearance of this woman. She was naked, with marks of branding all over her body, and huge blisters on her burned skin. Her face was very red, and her body was shaking, as if she was feverish.

“There is another bread in that pottery jar.” The woman pointed with her hand. “If you eat my food, you must help me, otherwise my undead will follow you.”

“I don’t have the ability to avenge you. I haven’t avenged myself yet.” Sophia retreated while touching the pottery jar, and sure enough, she touched a bread.

“What I want you to do is easy, easier than breaking into my home. Help me bury my husband in the family tomb.” The woman turned and left.

Sophia held the bread in her mouth, holding the dagger in both hands and walked out slowly.

“Here.” The woman said at the door of the backyard.

Sophia moved slowly over, and there was indeed a man’s body, stones and volcanic ash on the ground.

“I have buried my son. My husband is too heavy. I can’t move it alone. Hurry up, or it will be too late.” The woman urged.

Sophia worked together with the woman to move the swollen male corpse into an open tomb. The woman began to stack stones, and Sophia mixed the volcanic ash with water.

“More, I will build it up later.”

Sophia knew she was telling the truth. She was obviously alive. This woman was so tough.

After the woman built her husband’s tomb, she trembled and crawled into the tomb next to her husband.

Sophia was very uncomfortable with this heavy burden. She didn’t know what to say. She silently buried the living woman in the grave. The woman’s family was together, and she couldn’t even collect the bodies of her family.

Another barrel of wine, a piece of cheese, and a house snake were found. It was completely dark when Sophia walked out of the villa. She crouched and walked into the olive grove. The olive trees were not easy to burn. She climbed up the tree to pick olives to eat.

Suddenly she heard a rustling sound. She quickly took out her dagger and stood on the tree motionless, identifying the direction.

A piglet walked out of the bushes. This was a big meal!

She jumped down from the tree. The piglet sensed the vibration and suddenly accelerated to escape. She slapped it with her palm. When it stood up and ran again, she caught it with both hands.

“Gulili~” The piglet made a huge cry and struggled violently.

Sophia quickly stuffed the olive hidden in her arms into its mouth, and the piglet stopped squealing and started chewing the olives.

She nervously looked around to see if anyone was attracted, but fortunately no one was. She picked some more olives, stuffed them into her arms, fed the piglet, and then left quickly and returned to the cave in the sea.

June 9th Vesta Goddess Festival

The sacrificial activity of Vesta Goddess Festival is to clean the stove. Today, not only the Vesta Temple cleans the ash and stove, but also the bakery and restaurant have to clean the stove, so those who did not prepare food yesterday will go hungry today.

Above the Vesta Temple, two slaves are cleaning the flue with long poles on the top of the temple. Inside the temple, chaste women who have only been married once hold long poles to scrub the walls inside. After a year of continuous burning, you can imagine how gray the walls of the temple are.

It was almost evening when the cleaning was completed, and there was a long queue in front of the temple. Bakeries, restaurants and some wealthy families came to welcome the new fire home.

June 10th

Today, the people resumed marriages that had been suspended for more than a month. The streets were bustling with weddings with torches and music. It was very festive.

The Vestal Virgin Mania retired today. People will call her a priestess in the future because she doesn’t need to keep her chastity. Mania and Aquilia took a carriage to the Circus Maximus. This was her last time riding a pillarum carriage.

The Vestal Virgins have the right to sit in the first row when watching any game or performance. They entered the first floor of the arena through a passage that is not open to the public.

“Brother!” Aquilia saw his brother, Aquilius, sitting in the middle ivory seat, and she jumped on him happily.

Mania grabbed Aquileia’s arm and said, “For your own safety and the career of the Consul, please be restrained in public.”

“Consul.” Mania saluted Aquilius.

“Priest Mania, you taught very well. Thank you for teaching Aquiliia all these years.” Aquilius stood up and said to Mania.

“Brother, don’t just say thank you. Give the teacher a strongest Cimbri slave.” Aquiliia said to his brother.

“Of course, the priest can take away any slave he likes.”

A soldier came in and whispered to Aquilius, who nodded.

“Sit down and enjoy the show. It’s about to start.”

Mania and Aquiliia greeted the most powerful people in Rome, such as the high priest and the magistrate, who had already taken their seats, and sat down to watch.

Aquilius walked to the stands and raised his hands high. The people in the arena gradually quieted down, and he said loudly: “My compatriots, at this moment in this glorious arena, blood and passion coexist! I am Aquilius, your consul, your general, a fighter who swore to defend Rome to the death. Today, I am not here to make a request, but to awaken the lion in your heart! The northern beasts, the Cimbri, threaten our land and our home!”

“We want to say to the Cimbri, come, come to our land, come to our home, as a slave. We will use our penis to penetrate the asshole of every Cimbri, whether male or female.”

Laughter and booing sounded, Aquilius drank a sip of wine to moisten his throat, raised his hands, and the audience gradually quieted down again.

He continued, “Listen to me, Rome not only needs audiences, but also warriors! We are no longer limited to the previous way of recruiting soldiers. Today’s Rome welcomes everyone who is willing to sweat and contribute to her. No matter where you come from, no matter whether you hold a hoe or a hammer, as long as the heart of Rome beats in your chest, you are a member of our legion! We will issue weapons and equipment and train you. After the war, weapons, slaves, glory, everything belongs to you, just because you are willing to wield the sword for Rome!”

“Do you want your own land, do you want your own slaves, do you want to hold your son on your knees and tell your heroic story? Join us, join the army, and you will get it all!”

Applause, shouting and stomping of feet sounded, and Aquilius enjoyed the cheers for a while. With a wave of his hand, he announced the start of the performance.

Four horses pulled a large wooden stake into the venue, and six soldiers escorted a blond German into the venue. It should be the prisoner of the Cimbri.