Rome Must Perish
Chapter 120 - 94 Market Fun_2

Chapter 120: Chapter 94 Market Fun_2

"This is such a rare chance to own these treasures! When I came to the market today, I saw merchant ships arriving at the port. I heard from the overseers that foreign merchants are also here to make purchases. If you’re too late in securing them, you might never see these exquisite pieces of pottery again!"

Soricles remained silent, his eyes fixated on the pottery in the shop as if he wanted to devour them. Yet, apprehension lingered in his heart. He was all too aware of the rebel army’s hatred for the wealthy—after all, they had wiped out the entire affluent district and seized their amassed riches. These days, he lived in a constant state of fear, and stepping outside was a calculated risk. He had only brought enough money to buy a single bag of wheat. If he were to recklessly purchase multiple pieces of pottery, it might alert those rebels to his wealth and provoke malicious intentions. That would be disastrous...

Xie Pangbo noticed Soricles’ hesitation and turned to retrieve something from the shelf behind him. Placing it in front of Soricles, he said, "Take a look at this."

Soricles fixed his gaze and his eyes widened immediately. "This... Is this not from the Kadesos estate—?"

"Precisely! It’s a prized possession from the Kadesos estate—the slender-necked amphora crafted by the renowned Athenian potter Nierqiao and painted by the artist Panphiles himself. This is a treasure of Sarabia City! Previously, most people didn’t even get the chance to lay eyes on it. But now, you have the opportunity to take it home as part of your family’s collection!"

Soricles couldn’t help but reach out, gently caressing the smooth, delicate surface of the pottery. Despite the dimming of the red-painted imagery due to its age, the piece was remarkably well-preserved—a flawless body, unmarred by any defects, depicting the vivid story of Athena’s birth. Touching it felt like a connection to Athens’ golden age.

Suddenly, Soricles’ gaze focused on the mouth of the amphora, and he questioned sharply, "Why is there a chip here?!"

"The crude rebels don’t understand the value of such artifacts. When they took it from the Kadesos estate, it got nicked," Xie Pangbo explained in a hushed tone.

"Such barbaric waste!" Soricles clenched his chest in anguish, denouncing their actions.

"For an expert like you, it should be easy to repair this. And because of this small imperfection, the price is only ten Ore."

"Ten Ore?! That’s 250 Dinars! Oh, that’s outrageous!" Soricles exclaimed loudly.

"Only ten Ore to bring home this treasure of Sarabia City! Everyone in Sarabia would envy you!"

Temptation laced Xie Pangbo’s words as Soricles’ face twitched involuntarily, though he still hesitated.

Seeing this, Xie Pangbo decided to stoke the flames further: "You are a well-known figure in Sarabia; everyone here recognizes you. These rebels also surely know that you are wealthy. Although they’ve stated ’no killing randomly,’ if you buy this pottery, it’s as if you’re giving them your money. Doesn’t that make you even safer?

And once the rebels leave and Sarabia returns to normal, the value of these pieces will certainly skyrocket. You could resell them later, not just recouping your original expense but earning quite a bit more..."

Soricles was moved. The constant anxiety these past days had driven him nearly insane. Gritting his teeth, he declared, "Keep these exquisite pottery pieces for me. Don’t sell them—I’ll go home and bring the money!"

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Pigeris studied the man before him with interest: a lanky frame, fair complexion, wavy short hair, a high and narrow nose, and quick-moving gray-brown eyes that betrayed an untrustworthy nature.

"You must be Xie Pangbo, the man credited with selling half the pottery shop’s inventory in just a single afternoon?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"You’re Greek?"

"I-I’m Illyrian, sir. To be precise, my father was Illyrian." That afternoon, Alakonia had dragged Xie Pangbo to the port’s administrative office without explanation, leaving him visibly nervous.

That meets the leader’s standards for new recruits... Pigeris thought to himself, then asked, "I’ve heard that Soricles, who bought the pottery, has significant wealth, most likely earned by exploiting unfortunate slaves. For such a man, what do you think our treatment should be?"

Pigeris spoke in a calm tone, yet Xie Pangbo felt his chest tighten. Gathering his courage, he stammered, "S-sir, Soricles was wealthy in the past, but he handed over the money earned from selling pottery to... to us in Free Italy. Since we’ve stated that ’as long as they adhere to our laws in Sarabia City, they won’t face punishment,’ I think... I think—"

"You’ve told Soricles these words, haven’t you?" Pigeris interrupted.

In that moment, Xie Pangbo felt his heart skip a beat. He opened his mouth but couldn’t form words.

Instead, Pigeris smiled. "I’ve heard that Soricles is a miser, someone who even hesitates over buying a single fish. You managed to persuade him to part with his entire life’s savings to buy pottery. This speaks volumes about your abilities. Leaving you to sell goods in the market would be a waste. Would you be willing to work for me?"

I don’t want to be too involved with them... Xie Pangbo thought inwardly. But somehow, his mouth betrayed his thoughts, asking, "What would I need to do?"

"You’ll serve as my assistant, representing our army in negotiations with foreign merchants at the port. Your goal will be to strike trade deals—selling our goods at the highest possible price and acquiring the resources we need at the lowest price," Pigeris explained earnestly.

After the last military meeting, through Volenus, he had finally selected five subordinates who were proficient in writing and calculations. However, while working with them, he found they lacked the charisma or tact needed to excel in merchant negotiations. This prompted him to look toward those new additions selling goods in the market.

"If you perform well, I’ll petition Leader Maximus to officially integrate you into my team, where you’ll exclusively manage matters related to trade and commerce."

Xie Pangbo left the office feeling dispirited. Faced with Pigeris, a Free Italy leader, his ingrained habit of obeying superiors had prevented him from refusing outright, but unease still lingered in his heart.

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"Master, we’ve arrived at Sarabia Port!"

"Sail straight in!" Tegcharles, standing at the bow, decisively commanded the captain without hesitation.

Thus, their merchant ship surged forward, bypassing several others lingering outside the port. Tegcharles cast a quick glance at them, sneering inwardly: You’ve made it here and yet you’re still hesitating!

The merchant ship passed through the wide-open water gate and entered the port.

Sarabia Port was spacious but sparsely populated, with few docked vessels. The pier appeared somewhat desolate.

Upon seeing this, Tegcharles felt a thrill of excitement.

Just then, a swift boat approached, its single mast flying a flag depicting a "man beating a wolf with a stick."

Tegcharles’ confidence grew. After exchanging words with the crew aboard the approaching boat, he followed its lead and docked at an empty pier.