I put out his fire

Rhodes is very familiar with this sea area.The ship reached Cyprus on the third day.

It was noon.

Nero staggered out of the boat holding on to the chain.

Life on board the ship for ten consecutive days made him bewildered.The moment the soles of his feet touched the ground, he had a feeling of falling leaves returning to their roots.

The blue paint splashed by the walruses in Cyprus is a pool, while the sky is like a sharp piece of blue glass cut straight down, and the slender white clouds are like cracks in the glass.

Nero was barefoot, with a few grains of sand on the delicate insteps.Small crabs burrowed into the sand, and broken shells littered the feet.

The blue shadow of the sea stirred in his golden eyes.

"It's so beautiful..." Nero sighed.His eyelashes trembled with shock, and the sea water wet his toes.

"I thought you would hate the sea so much!" Rhodes fastened the ship's rope, and salt grains had already precipitated on his black clothes.

He put on a fluffy smile, "Because you have suffered so much here!"

Nero froze for a moment, "Really..." He said to himself, his voice was as weak and fragile as cotton thread.

He recalled carefully, as if he was indeed suffering from hunger and cold.But as soon as he saw the sea, the moon and the smoke of peppermint incense automatically appeared in his mind.

And the moment when Rhodes caught the fish.

These were all so beautiful that he couldn't even remember the thrills he had encountered.

The two hired a carriage, came to Moros Street, and found the Indian olive merchant.

The olive merchant has a big twisted beard and a colorful silk cap.

He didn't speak Latin very well, so it was naturally very difficult to communicate with the Romans.As if he was acting, his eyes widened exaggeratedly, he danced and gestured, and muttered incomprehensible Hindi.

Under the reluctant translation of a slave, Nero and Rhodes roughly understood what he meant.

"The olives are high-quality Indian products with plump grains," said the slave. "The price is half the price of local olives."

"Is it in stock?" Nero asked, showing the golden seal ring between his fingers, "I can sign the contract now."

The olive merchant shook his head wildly, slurring words from his dry lips.

"All the olives were purchased the day before yesterday, and there was not a single one left." The slave explained, "A Roman nobleman fatter than a hippopotamus bought it."

Nero fell silent.A shadow like a black mist covered his brows.

Not surprisingly, Quentin bought all the low-priced high-quality olives.

The two had no choice but to leave, wandering around Cyprus, inquiring about other reliable olive merchants.

They wandered around all afternoon and visited many olive groves, but they couldn't agree on the price.

It was getting late, greasy peddlers rolled out their food trucks, and there was a greasy sound on the street.The smell of bread and wheat penetrates into the nostrils like silk threads, the food vendor brushes the grilled fish fillets with saffron powder, and the fried eggs are poured with a sauce made from oysters.

Pedestrians wandered around one after another, and the streets became more and more crowded.

Nero was hungry, and was immediately attracted by these assorted snacks.

He bought a plate of fried banana cubes and two grilled lampreys sprinkled with peppercorns.

"This lamprey, which is worth a gold coin, is not as delicious as your grilled sea fish!" Nero said while eating.He looked disgusted, and his voice was mixed with some tender nasal sounds.

Rhodes took a bite of the fish and said casually, "That's because you were so hungry!"

"I'm also very hungry now." Nero said seriously, "but it just doesn't taste good."

He ate the food gracefully, and took a peek at Rhodes.

Rhodes lowered his eyes halfway, chewing the fish leisurely.The setting sun was slanting in the sky, his eyebrows and eyes were stained with a layer of tired twilight, and the hand holding the hilt of the sword also had a tendency to be heavy.

"Just buy the goods from the local dealer just now, and we'll leave after buying." Nero paused, his voice as gentle as a cloud, "Find a coachman who knows the way, and take a carriage."

Rhode squinted his eyes, waved away the leftover fish bones, and said in disapproval: "The price he offered is more than twice that of the Indian businessman! You will be slandered by the ignorant elders!"

His voice was hoarse from exertion.

"Just him! Don't go shopping anymore." Nero said firmly.

His complexion was serious, his slender eyelashes were curled up, and his childish eyes were shining brightly at this moment, showing a kind of dominating will.

"Because you are tired, Rhodes." He said irrefutably.

……

Horse-drawn carriages were expensive, but Nero insisted on overland.

Fortunately, traveling by car is much faster than taking a boat.They reached Rome in only three days.

As soon as the dusty couple entered the house, an anxious slave ran up and knelt down in front of Rhodes.

Rhodes learned from him that Mars had been in a coma for three whole days due to his serious illness, and just woke up yesterday.

"The master sent me a message," said the slave. "He wishes you to visit him now. He has something important to entrust to you..."

Rhodes looked dignified, standing tense, his eyes were frozen like frost in an instant.

He turned his face towards Nero, intending to ask him for leave: "I..."

"You go." He only said one word, and Nero agreed very understandingly.

He turned his face, and the light and shadow of the blue banyan tree blurred his face, making his three-dimensional facial features more youthful.

"I will protect myself." He said in a soft tone.

……

After Rhodes left, Nero put on a clean red robe, brought the purchased olives back to the palace, and reported the expenses to Claudius.

Claudius looked at his bill and rubbed his shriveled cheeks.With a hooked back, he looks like a mouse stroking his face and shaving his head.

He looked faintly dissatisfied.

——Nero spent four times as much money on this trip as Quentin.

Nero ignored his ugly face and left after paying the bill.

Cactus from the Egyptian provinces was introduced into the garden of the palace, which is a plant that is very popular among nobles.

Nero was drawn to those long spikes.He squatted down｜body, touched the cactus thorns with his fingertips, and felt a little pain from his fingertips.

He half-closed his eyes, his pale golden pupils were half exposed, like the sleepy eyes of a lion.

"Ah!" a shrill cry pierced his ear like an arrow.

Nero was startled, a drop of blood oozed from his immature fingertip.

He wiped the blood away expressionlessly.As soon as he looked up, he ran into Messalina and Quentin.

Nero corrected his posture.The originally indifferent eyebrows and eyes were deliberately tempered by him to be gentle.

"Hi there," he said with a smile.

Messalina covered her mouth, terrified as if she saw a ghost.Her face was blue, and her shoulders were shaking like a spasm.

And Quentin tugged at her sleeve, shaking like a fat pig shaking its head, the fat on his cheeks kept moving.

Nero put on a gentle demeanor, walked over step by step, staring at him like a sinister ghost.

"It's disappointing." He raised his eyebrows, and his eyelids were full of dark colors, giving him a sinister aura.

Quentin's thick double chin was shaking violently.He stared at him for a long time, cursing falteringly: "...You bastard who is neither human nor ghost..."

He shivered in panic, and flowed away like a pile of fat.

Nero stepped lightly, came to Messalina, and asked her softly in an erratic voice: "Do I look like a ghost?"

"You...you..." Messalina stammered.Her face paled, beads of sweat had already appeared on her forehead, and the crown on her red hair slipped ridiculously aside.

"It's really nice to meet you." Nero teased and stretched out his hand to her, "Although you don't seem to want to see me very much."

Messalina was stunned for a long time, and her eyes began to evade, "How is it possible...you have been gone for so long...I am very worried about you..."

She slowly regained her composure, and passed her sweaty hand over to Nero's, waiting for his kiss.

"Thank you for your concern." Nero said with his head down.Under his fluffy forehead, there is a dark shadow of prey.

Just when his lips touched the back of her hand, Messalina suddenly felt a sharp pain in her palm.

With a cry of surprise, she withdrew her hand like a loach.She turned over her palm and found a cactus thorn pierced into the palm.

Her lips were cursed and livid.

Messalina helped her crooked hair ornament and fled like a fox with its tail between its legs.

Agrippina stood in the shadow of the garden.She saw it all with her snake-like eyes.

She coughed twice, and floated out like an undead.

When Nero saw his mother, his peaceful and gentle expression began to crack.

Agrippina walked over slowly, smoothing her robes seemingly casually, maintaining a dignified demeanor.

The whites of her eyes were slightly red.This undoubtedly revealed her inner impatience: "What a harmonious and beautiful picture!"

Nero glanced at her, said nothing, and was about to leave.

Agrippina became furious, the veins on her forehead swelled, her eyes became redder still.Her exquisitely drawn eyebrows jumped violently, and she looked like she was about to cry: "You have never kissed the back of my hand! You know, I am your mother!"

"Yes." Nero stopped, turned his head and said to her, "Because you are my mother and she is not!"

Agrippina was stunned for a short moment, and soon returned to her usual indifferent face.

She crossed her arms and pulled a defiant, saw-like smile from the corner of her mouth.This makes her look very strong: "This sentence... Can I understand that you still care a little about my mother?"

"Understand whatever you want." Nero snorted.

Agrippina sneered, and said proudly: "I just inquired, your cost is four times that of Quentin!"

Nero said with a sullen face: "Your eyes that only look at fame and fortune will never see the truth behind it."

Agrippina expressed her concern for her son with a sneer, "Just wait... In a few days, rumors of your corruption will spread... You will become a bad luck with a stigmatized name, and the throne will also leave. You go away!"

"Then let it go away." Nero said absently.

Agrippina was a little annoyed.Her tone was so sharp that Lide could almost pierce everyone's heart: "I am so unfortunate that I gave birth to such a son as you, who is holding back the family!"

Nero's face was flat, and his eyes were fragile for a moment.He was silent.

Agrippina cleared her face and said, "Okay. Now let's talk about business!"

Nero looked over gloomyly, "Say."

Agrippina raised her chin high, and said arrogantly like a queen: "In a few days, it will be the funeral of Caligula, your uncle. He died too hastily, without even a funeral." .I beg Claudius to rebury him..."

Nero frowned and said, "Are you going to dig up his body and show it?"

"You can say that." Agrippina's eyes were sharp, like a sharp awl about to poke out, "You want to take this good opportunity to deliver a funeral speech in front of all Romans, understand what I mean?"

Nero gave her a sideways look, moved his slender ankle, turned and left.

His red robe brushed against the spikes of the cactus like a streak of blood.