The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 158: Syracuse’s War Preparations and Tula Alliance’s Trade Recovery

Speaking louder, Solikos said, "Just like now, with Chief Executive Juleios taking the lead and the other Senate elders assisting him, the Alliance’s efficiency has greatly improved. Every citizen has land, their livelihood is secure, they don’t have to worry about enemy invasions, and they can freely take public office and earn a salary. Isn’t this much better than before? So even if the Tula Alliance were to become a monarchy, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. As long as future kings are like Lord Juleios, I think the Alliance’s citizens would support them!"

After hearing this, Teos fell into deep thought. Greeks have always loved politics. From the Archaic period to now, every city-state’s citizens have been searching for a perfect system to make their city-state more prosperous and their citizens freer. Decades ago, Athens became the model city-state for others to emulate, but the failure of the Peloponnesian War exposed the flaws of Athenian democracy. Some aristocrats, including philosophers, began advocating for Sparta’s semi-monarchic, semi-democratic system, which also followed ancient Greek traditions. However, Sparta’s tyranny, especially toward neighboring city-states in the Peloponnesian Peninsula, made them unpopular. The system of the Tula Alliance seems somewhat interesting... Teos thought to himself.

The carriage continued to gallop, crossing a wooden bridge, which caught Teos’s attention for some time. There were quite a few pedestrians and vehicles on the avenue, but everything was orderly, and no one interfered with one another. Teos noticed something peculiar. "It seems everyone on this road keeps to the right?" he asked loudly, uncertain.

"That’s correct, you’re observant!" Solikos shouted cheerfully. "That’s been the rule since the avenue was completed. Lord Juleios erected stone markers at the crossings in Amendolara, Turii, and Heraclea suggesting that pedestrians keep to the right. It started as a suggestion, but after several accidents that caused injuries and roadblocks, everyone began following it. Juleios didn’t use heavy-handed methods to enforce compliance but instead focused on persuading people, which is one reason we aren’t worried about him being the sole lifetime executive officer!"

"The Tula Alliance certainly has an excellent chief executive!" Teos marveled. "And I noticed that every so often along the road, there are stone markers indicating the distance to Amendolara or Heraclea. If they’re this attentive to managing a road, I imagine their governance of the city-states is even more considerate of the people’s needs."

"That’s right! That’s right!" Solikos said proudly, straightening his back.

"How much do you earn daily driving this carriage?" Teos asked.

A delighted Solikos candidly replied, "At first, I only made about ten obols a day, most of which were from curious Tula Alliance citizens. Now, working from morning to night with barely any rest, I can make up to forty-six obols daily. At this rate, after deducting the cost of feed and care for the horses, I can earn about six hundred obols a month—nearly one hundred drachmas. In four months, I’ll be able to pay off my loan and its interest!"

The two chatted happily. Due to the light traffic on the avenue, the journey was smooth, and they arrived at the storage and lodging area outside Amendolara in less than two hours. While it wasn’t as quiet as the market manager had described, it was less noisy, with plenty of people coming and going.

After Teos got off the carriage, Solikos suggested, "I recommend you try the restaurant opened by Cristoia. Her lamb offal soup and beef tripe are incredibly delicious and reasonably priced. I go there every few days to eat."

"Is it really that good?" Teos asked, skeptical.

"Just try it, and you’ll see," Solikos replied before another customer got onto his carriage. Waving goodbye, he said, "May Hermes bless you and help you achieve your goals soon!"

"May Hermes bless you too!" Teos responded with a blessing.

As he watched Solikos drive off, his stomach, already hungry, started growling louder after hearing about the restaurant. He decided to visit the recommended spot.

Compared to Amendolara, Turii far exceeded it in terms of land, population, and administrative affairs. As a result, the Senate’s office location was relocated to Turii, although the council chamber was not yet complete. Since most of the elders’ homes were in Amendolara, the reconstruction committee in Turii allocated them new residences in Turii for more convenient and efficient meetings.

Due to Juleios’s busy schedule, frequently hosting visiting elders and officials at home for discussions, he was assigned a new residence in Turii twice as large as his home in Amendolara. Initially, Juleios wanted to refuse, but Cristoia, who loved the house, convinced him to accept it. The house was located on a hill overlooking the rivers Crathis and Cosinis. To the north, on another hill, stood the old site of the Apollo Temple (now being rebuilt as the Temple of Hades) and the acropolis, making it a prime location.

It was late September, and while it was technically autumn, the southern Apennine Peninsula was still hot. Thankfully, occasional river breezes provided some coolness for Cristoia, who was resting at home during her pregnancy. The new residence featured a spacious rectangular courtyard. Recently, Cristoia had hired masons to build a wall in the middle, leaving a doorway to separate the front and rear yards. The front yard housed the slaves’ quarters and the reception hall, while the rear yard contained the master bedroom, the adopted daughter’s room, and accommodations for personal attendants.

Cristoia, dressed in light linen, spent most of her time in the quiet and private rear yard. At this moment, she was planting her favorite flowers and plants in the courtyard with her maid, Asuna. Her delicate dress swayed in the breeze, subtly revealing her fair chest, a sight that could easily evoke thoughts.

Andrea, granted permission by the gatekeeper, entered the rear yard and saw Cristoia put down a mattock and accept a sweat towel handed to her by Asuna. Andrea hurried over and reminded her, "Madam, didn’t the doctor say you should rest quietly during the early stages of pregnancy to ensure the fetus grows healthily? You shouldn’t be engaging in strenuous activities!"

"I’m not vomiting as much now. Juleios said, ’Moderate exercise is good for both my health and the baby’s,’" Cristoia said, gently stroking her barely visible belly, her delicate face radiating tenderness.

"For Lord Juleios to care so much about you and the child despite his busy schedule, Madam, Hera has truly blessed you with a wonderful husband!" Andrea said, offering a timely compliment that made Cristoia’s face light up with happiness. "Andrea, don’t just envy me. In another year, you’ll be with Bagul! You didn’t think it would happen so soon, did you?"

"That’s all thanks to the Chief Executive’s help. Bagul and his people are extremely grateful to him!" Andrea replied sincerely.

"When Bagul and the others finish their service, are they willing to stay and become citizens of the Tula Alliance?" Cristoia casually asked as she handed her sweat towel to Asuna.

"Bagul told me that most of his young tribesmen are willing to stay. Life here is tiring but happy and safe, and they don’t want to return to the mountains, where they live in constant fear. Only a few of the elders are hesitant, including his father..." Andrea trailed off, looking slightly worried. Of course, she wanted the Lucanians to stay so her marriage could proceed smoothly.

"Don’t worry, Juleios will find a way to make them all stay!" Cristoia reassured her. She picked up a ceramic jug from the nearby table, poured a cup of liquid, and handed it to Andrea. "You must be thirsty after rushing over from the market. Have some of this."

Andrea took the cup and quickly glanced inside. The cup contained a golden-yellow liquid with floating particles. When she swirled it slightly, white foam appeared. Without asking immediately, she took a small sip. It tasted bitter with a hint of sweetness and was slightly cold. Unable to resist, she took a big gulp. The frothy liquid smoothly flowed into her stomach, making her burp several times. She immediately felt refreshed, her overheated body cooling down significantly.

"What kind of brew is this?" she asked in surprise.

"Tastes good, doesn’t it? I soaked it in well water for a long time," Cristoia said with a satisfied smile. "As for what it is, I’ll let Asuna tell you."

Asuna, whose skin was slightly dark and features were beautiful, quickly explained, "It’s called beer, a type of brew we Egyptians love to drink. A few months ago, Lord Juleios was talking to the Madam, saying, ’I’m considering making the olive ball game an official competitive sport for the public to watch. It will surely be very popular. But there’s still a need for a good drink to quench thirst and boost enjoyment while people sit in the arena under the scorching sun...’ Then he mentioned, ’We should try the beer that Egyptians drink.’"

At this point, Cristoia laughed lightly and continued, "You should’ve seen Juleios’s expression then. He was so shocked as he looked at Asuna and repeatedly asked her, ’What is the name of this brew she mentioned?’ Later, he even cursed something like, ’Those damn Germans tricked us! So beer was originally invented by the Egyptians!’ Then he urged me to find someone to brew beer. He even went to the slave market and paid a high price to buy Egyptian slaves skilled in brewing beer to experiment with making it."

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