“It is possible that they…they are secretly cutting down the trees…or secretly reclaiming lands to farm, or violated the rules by hunting…” Gabrinus guessed.
The Theonian Law forbids citizens from cutting down trees unless they obtain permission from the local agricultural office. In addition, secretly reclaiming land in the kingdom's territory without approval from the Ministry of Agriculture isn't allowed. They are also not allowed to overhunt, especially young animals. Otherwise, they would get fined highly by the Ministry of Agriculture. Naturally, the Ministry of Agriculture doesn't have so many people to supervise these illegal things, so they had to rely more on the people's report, especially the tribunal officers who are the most eager to punish those who violate the law.
Kabanus didn't speak as he thought it was excessive for his colleague to make wild assumptions just to please their superior while offending Ladician's household in Naxos.
While Galademus pondered, he swept his gaze over the mountainside, just in ti to see Ladician's servants standing at the edge of the field, supervising the work of the hired labourers. When the housekeeper, who was quietly looking this way, t Galademus' gaze, he hurriedly looked away.
Feeling sothing amiss, Galademus ca over.
After bowing to Galademus, the man took the initiative to promise that he would pay the taxes at the tax office in ti after the harvest.
It seems that Ladician had warned them after the disturbance last year that they must be very respectful every ti they see Galademus.
Galademus didn't co to make a fuss but to ask politely, “Are the two slaves who just ca down from the top of the mountain yours?”
“Of course not. On the contrary, I was just about to call the labourers to catch those two slaves who ca out of nowhere and tried to break into the field. But I didn't expect you would chase them away, Milord. Thank you for your help!” The housekeeper said gratefully. He then continued, “Milord, you must be tired and hungry after working throughout the day in this hot weather. Thus on behalf of our young master, Phragres, I invite you and your n to join us for dinner at our ho to show our gratitude. Young master Phragres would also be delighted once he knows you are coming!”
After hurriedly expressing his thanks, Galademus politely declined. He then looked at the Sicels working in the field and the few Greeks he didn't know about and then thought these hired labourers wouldn't know anything about the two slaves. But despite his suspicions, he was, after all, only a taxation official and not a constable, and it wasn't his responsibility to track down law violators.
Galademus then went down the mountain. But after arriving at the foot of the mountain, he looked back at the golden wheat field as he vaguely felt that the housekeeper was still looking at him.
“That man should be Anteros.” Said Gabrinus with uncertainty.
“Yea, Anteros is the most trusted servant of Ladician, and even Phragres would listen to him.” Kabanus said affirmatively.
“I heard Phragres is a wicked person, so it's no wonder Ladician placed Anteros in charge of his ho in Naxos. Milord, is it true that Phragres even dared molest a statesman's daughter when he was in Thurii, resulting in him getting driven back to Naxos?” Gabrinus asked curiously.
“It's naturally just a rumour!” Galademus imdiately denied it as he has no interest in spreading rumours about others. Still, the conversation between his n made him secretly pay attention to the matter. Moreover, he didn't expect the smiling slave just now to be the sa Anteros that Stromboli ntioned, who had secretly exerted his connection during last year's trouble and made him struggle for so ti.
‘You really can't judge soone by his appearance!’ Galademus beca alert and decided to remind the agricultural officer to look into the matter once he returned to the office in the demos.
It was already 6 in the afternoon when they began their journey back. But since it was currently sumr, the sun was still hanging in the sky as Galademus' group headed east along the north bank of the Alcantara.
On their right side are the surging river and the swaying turquoise grasses. On the left side is a never-ending wheat field with the golden sunset shining on the golden wheat, the farrs returning from the fields, and the bustling town ahead…enveloping the people and all with the joy of harvest.
Speaking of it, the town of galos is even larger than the city of Sikuri and has a larger population. Ten years ago, the Naxosian exiles rebuilt the old city near the bay in Naxos, but so people who lived in galos didn't want to move because their fields were on the banks of the Alcantara. And if they were to move to the new city of Naxos, it would take them a lot of ti on the road just going to and fro from their work in the fields. As a result, the city of Naxos and the town of galos had split the population by half.
A year later, the Sikurians sent an envoy to Thurii requesting their integration into the kingdom of Theonia.
Why was Sikuri, who had just joined the Theonia Alliance, so eager to beco a part of Theonia's territory? It is relatively simple: In Sikuri’s north, there is Naxos, and in the south, there is Catania, both Dionysian cities. With Sikuri sandwiched between the two cities on the coastal passage (there is Mount Etna in the west), Sikuri’s territory is rather small. Furthermore, the Naxosian had also taken back the town of galos they occupied, which resulted in more than half of the Sikurian citizens becoming landless. So how could they not beco envious watching the people of the two cities in the north and south each have a share of land and live a prosperous life?! As a consequence, the Sikurians held an ecclesia and unanimously demanded to beco citizens of Theonia.
Afterwards, many Sikurians who beca citizens of Theonia went to Catania and received a portion of the land. On the other hand, so Sikurians ca to the familiar galos and made the town even more populous than not only Sikuri but also the new city of Naxos.
Following that, a statesman proposed to simply upgrade galos into a city and dispatch a praetor to manage it.
However, the statesn from Naxos strongly opposed it for a simple reason, ‘galos was in Naxos' territory.’
And Antonios, who was the praetor of Naxos at the ti, also objected. After all, if they separate galos, the annual tax inco Naxos could receive would be drastically reduced. (The kingdom of Theonia had a tax-sharing system where the central governnt and the cities shared the tax 50-50.)
These disputes only beca fewer when the continuous influx of new citizens from Theonia had managed to make the new city of Naxos catch up with the population. However, the people of Theonia still dubbed them “The Twin Cities of Naxos”.
So to better manage galos, every praetor of Naxos would send their vice praetor to take charge of galos and manage this town that isn't a city but is better than a town.
The city's vice praetor is a new official position in the kingdom of Theonia. Depending on the size of the city, a city's praetor would have 1-3 vice praetors who would assist the praetor in managing the city's governnt affairs. And once the praetor was away on an important business or too sick to manage the city, the vice praetor would then assu the heavy responsibility. What’s more, galos also beca a place for the Theonian senate to train the administrative ability of statesn with insufficient administrative experience by making them serve as the vice praetor of Naxos and the head of galos. There was also another “Twin Cities” in the kingdom of Theonia; it was Krimisa and a town smaller than galos that was built on the marshy area in Krimisa.
Although the new city of Naxos' population grew, Sikuri didn't increase. Thus so statesn suggested that since Sikuri was a small city with few people, it is better to downgrade it to a town from a city, just like Tauronium, which would also save a lot of administrative costs. (Davos classified Tauronium as a military fortress in Sicily and a military camp to train the eight legions because of its dangerous and barren land.)
Naturally, such a proposal was vehently opposed by the statesn from Sikuri as no one wanted to see their motherland downgraded. Hence this matter was left alone.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Galademus walked into the town while thinking about these happenings in galos. His office is in the governnt hall in the centre of the town. Rather than working in their own demos, the civil servants of the five demoi that covered the entire middle and lower reaches of the Alcantara river are working here, which was considered another administrative feature of Naxos within the kingdom of Theonia.
Ten years ago, the first legion stood its ground on the square around galos' city hall. After a hard struggle, they finally defeated the Syracusan allied troops and laid the foundation for Theonia to own the Catanian plain finally. Thus to commorate this outstanding achievent, Theonia erected a morial obelisk in the centre of the square next to the city's hall. On the obelisk’s top was a statue of a legionary soldier holding the first legion's flag and marching forward.
Not far from the governnt office are two small temples, one is the Temple of Hades, and the other is the Temple of Deter. Although there are already temples of these two gods in the city of Naxos, the people living in galos proposed to build two more in galos due to the temple being too far away and not convenient to go there to pray. However, the praetor and the local council rejected the proposal. As a result, the people of galos collectively raised money to build two small temples, which beca another characteristic of Naxos.
Although it is now dusk, many people are still going in and out of the two temples, most of whom are farrs who had just returned from the fields and are praying for the upcoming harvest.
When Galademus entered the governnt hall, most of the civil servants had already finished their day's work and were leaving the building. After looking around, Galademus couldn't find the agricultural officer, so he instead said goodbye to his two n and prepared to return to his house.
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