I put out his fire

Nero's close relationship with the current emperor made him more dependent on the favor and support of the people.

He must take a so-called "people-friendly" route to make up for the disadvantage of not being justifiable.

Regarding the lack of money to build the baths, Nero adopted Rhodes' suggestion and sent requests to the nobles to build aqueducts.

Sure enough, he received many responses.

In the end he chose a nobleman with the most donations.The nobleman bid 15 Ore.

On the day the public bath was completed, Nero took his personal guards to inspect the site.

The bathing place is built of marble, and the whole building is supported by pillars. The nude statue of the goddess stands beside the square bathing pool, and the stone lion at the corner of the pool is spitting hot water, which is very magnificent.The water in the bath is very clear, and the mosaic painting at the bottom of the pool is clearly revealed.

The two stood by the hot pool, the bathing place was very quiet, and they could hear the tick-tock sound of the condensed water droplets falling from the vault.

Rhodes squatted down to test the water temperature, and said after thinking, "The hot pool is hotter than the hot springs on the mountain."

Nero explained: "Because it is necessary to accommodate more than 1000 people to bathe at the same time, the temperature of the mountain spring is not enough."

He pointed to the bottom of the pool, "Under the bottom of the pool is the newly built boiler room."

Through the misty water vapor, Rhodes' sharp lips condensed a soft light.There were drops of water on his eyelashes, which were very shiny.

"Good." He affirmed.

Nero got his compliment, and his cheeks felt hot instinctively.He quietly took a step closer, his forehead hair half covering his eyes made him a little shy.

"This is all thanks to you, otherwise I wouldn't have the money to build these." He whispered, "The hot springs save a lot of coal and boiler costs."

There are large and small rooms beside the bath, including massage rooms, olive oil rubbing rooms, and sweating rooms, etc., and colorful tiles are laid on the facade.The Romans who wanted to enjoy themselves smeared olive oil all over their bodies, and then scraped it off with a wooden scraper. The oil penetrated into the skin to protect the skin.They soaked in the baths from afternoon to night, drinking the wine provided by the baths, and swimming in the cold pool.

Rhodes sat on the stone lion's head spitting water and looked around.

A cobblestone path is laid beside the hot pool, leading directly to a carved arch.

He fixed his eyes along the cobblestone road, pointed to the archway and asked, "What's behind that?"

Nero looked over, and through the archway he saw open lawns and planted flowers.

He explained with some excitement: "There are sports grounds and libraries, as well as lecture halls and gardens. Those who come to take a bath can wrestle and throw discus to their heart's content, and then take a comfortable hot bath. speech."

Rhodes glanced at him, "It's your innovation to change the bathing area into an entertainment area."

Nero rubbed his head, blushed slightly and said, "I need their favor and support, you know..."

He was a little helpless, "I even lowered the bathing fees for women. Before that, their bathing fees were twice that of men's."

Rhodes heard the sound and jumped off the stone lion's head, nimbly like a black feather falling to the ground.

"You're smart," he acknowledged softly.

Nero couldn't help jumping for joy.

Rhodes walked to the door of the steaming room and stroked the relief on the door. The freshly completed sculpture still had a light mud smell.

A small box was nailed to the door frame, in which some pure white table salt was stored.People who have sweated from steaming will pinch a pinch of salt and put it in their mouths when they go out of the room.

Rhodes stared at the salt, twisting a little salt crystal on his fingertips.Thoughtful, his expression gradually became serious.

"How's the investigation on the private salt case going?" he asked.

"There is almost no progress. Those private salt dealers are so cunning that they can't be found. They are as difficult to catch as crabs on the beach." Nero shook his head and said, "There are still illegal salt circulating in the market, and there are still some people who don't know the truth. Poor people buy this stuff like poison."

Rhodes patted off the salt grains, gradually restrained his wanton posture, and stood stiffly on his legs and feet.

He lowered his head in a muffled voice, and after standing for a long time, strands of black hair slowly slipped to his front shoulders, making his face unclear, and the depressive aura he exuded would almost strangle the throats of others.

"Salt sellers will be nailed to the cross and bleed to death..." Rhodes said in a deep voice, his pupils were filled with thick dark colors like a dark surge.

His tone contained some inescapable, gray depression, "Just like my father..."

Nero was stunned for a moment, then walked up to him silently, aiming at him carefully.

Rhodes' eyes hidden in the black hair were a little dim, shimmering like silver needles.His fragility is like a point of light condensed by the tip of a needle, which is parallel to the sharpness but itself is very easy to break.

That bleak gleam fell into the bottom of his eyes, like molten iron burning to the bottom of his heart little by little, and Nero felt a dull pain in his heart.

He subconsciously took Rhode's hand.Just the touching of the flesh of his fingers gave him a feeling of rubbing his ears and temples.

"You still can't forget your father?" he asked softly.

Rhodes was holding hands by him, pressing his eyebrows, and there was some inseparable affection between his eyebrows.

"It's a self-deceiving thing to forget your parents with the heart they gave you." He said in a low voice.

He hung the sideburns that blocked his face behind his ears, and pushed back all the broken hair on his forehead.As a result, his menacing handsome face was fully revealed, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

"Especially... I look a lot like him again." Rhodes nodded with his fingertips.

Nero stared at him blankly for a while, feeling astonished by a glimpse.

He regained his composure and asked, "Do you still remember his appearance?"

"Very vague, I only remember that he has black hair and black eyes." Rhodes recalled, "But when my adoptive father was seriously ill and lost his mind, he used to call his name in my face countless times."

Nero thought for a moment, a trace of doubt appeared on his shy face, "You and your father look so much alike..."

Rhodes moved his eyes slowly, and asked calmly, "You don't believe it?"

"Oh, of course not!" Nero quickly explained, trying his best to be tactful, "It's just... Generally speaking, boys are more like their mothers. This is an obvious fact..."

Rhodes thought for a while, and his indifferent expression revealed a little puzzlement.He was silent for a long time, falling into deep thought in silence.

"Forget it." He said flatly, "To me, they are all just unrelated blood."

Nero, whose family is unhappy, feels the same way.

His fingers moved subtly, inserted into Rhodes' fingers, and then squeezed in cunningly; Rhodes fingers moved lightly, and clasped his back silently.The two clasped their fingers tightly.

Rhodes' body temperature was passed on like this.Every inch of skin contact between the two of them can make Nero feel a scorching itch, and his heart trembles like a drum.His love is similar to religious belief, and Rhodes' slightest response can make him deliver all the joys and sorrows of his life just like a believer greets a god.

Nero was a little drunk.He leaned against Rhodes softly, as if sleepy, with a smirk on his blushing face.

"Can you promise me something?" He asked in a daze.

"Say." Rhode clasped his hands tightly.

As if encouraged, Nero said nervously, "From now on...can you stop using honorifics for me?"

Rod paused, and a smirk came to the corner of his lips.He leaned over quietly, and the hot breath he exhaled wrapped around the back of Nero's head like a silk thread.

"Of course..." he said in a low voice, "Nero..."

"Oh..." Nero was so ashamed that his neck turned red.He held his chest in his mouth as if he couldn't stand upright, and there was some hazy water vapor in his eyes.Rhodes could feel his palms sweating.

"Actually... I wasn't originally called Nero." His voice trembled, "My original name was Lucius. After my father passed away, my mother changed my name to Nero."

"Lucius..." Rhodes chewed on the name.

With a sly smile, he buried his face into Nero's neck, and his hot breath hit his quivering Adam's apple.He leaned against Nero's arms stickily, rubbed his Adam's apple with the tip of his nose, and lightly brushed his flesh with his trembling eyelashes.

Nero trembled violently, his body was as stiff as a piece of cement.

"Lucius..." Rhodes whispered boldly in his ear, deliberately teasing him, "Dear Lucius..."

His sticky words struck.While Nero felt pain in his lower abdomen, he felt extremely happy.

Those simple physical desires are put aside for the time being, and he who falls in love obtains a kind of satisfaction from the soul and human nature.

At this moment, Nero, who had always been weary of the world, actually began to appreciate life.

He put his arms around Rhode's waist, wrapped him in his arms, and pressed his lips to his soft black hair.

Rhodes didn't continue to tease, and leaned meekly against Nero's chest, where the heartbeat was violent and powerful.

He touched Nero's heart, felt the bones of his chest carefully, touched his shoulder blades all the way back, and then hugged his back shoulders tightly.Every part of Nero's body is worth his aftertaste.

He whispered: "Lucius... Nero..."

Nero trembled as if he had fallen into a quagmire, and Rhodes' murmur made him so excited that a mist appeared in front of his eyes, and he felt extremely satisfied in his heart.

"I like these two names." Rhodes' soft voice came from the neck.

Nero stroked his back and clasped his waist tighter.

Their bodies are embracing tightly, and so are their souls.

……

A month passed quickly, and Rhodes officially took office as chief fire officer.

He who is used to being unrestrained now also has a regular job.

Rhodes, who was a pirate leader in his previous life, had faced ship fires many times and had extensive experience in firefighting.

He made a fire extinguishing agent from a substance containing vinegar, and equipped each of his firefighters with pumps, buckets and shovels.Nero used some means to help him win a trebuchet that would only be used in sieges to demolish burning houses.

Since it was difficult for the fire brigade to recruit personnel, Rhodes increased the benefits, stipulating that anyone who joins the fire brigade will receive full citizenship rights, and will receive a considerable bonus when they retire.And the government funds behind this were all applied for by Nero.

Facing the bronze mirror, Rhodes pinned a brand new long sword around his waist.He assumed an official position with great responsibilities, and his attire in black clothes and trousers was still cheap fine linen, except for a saber.

As chief, he will personally participate in the night patrol of the fire department once a week.

Nero was leaning against the bronze mirror, in pajamas, his silver hair fluffy like washed cotton.

He said with some concern: "This patrol will last all night, and we will have to manage nearly a hundred fire alarms at the same time..."

Rhodes tied up his military boots and said with a relaxed expression, "Only once a week."

Nero held the bronze mirror and instructed: "But you have to walk all night, and you have to go to the theater to check the fire left behind. You don't even have time to rest. Don't forget to bring some money to buy something to eat..."

Rhodes stroked his hair, and his bright black eyes moved slightly, hitting Nero's eyes, "Understood." He said.

What else did Nero want to ask.He blinked his eyes, hesitated to speak.

Rhodes walked to Nero's side, gently took his arm, and slowly approached his ear.

He rubbed his lips against Nero's reddish earlobe, and said in a deep tone: "Protect yourself, Lucius..."

Nero was startled, and a sweet emotion suddenly appeared in his heart.

……

Rhode led a fire squad of [-] people to patrol the streets where the fire might be left.

The fire brigade covered the remaining flames with water-soaked quilts, and distributed fire-fighting equipment to every household.They have to remember the location of every water source in the city, store mattresses and cushions in the cracks of houses, and help people jump from heights in the event of a fire.

They asked people living on the second floor to store clean water.If the residents are negligent and do not follow the fire brigade's reminder and cause a fire, they will be physically punished.

Rhodes walked all the way and drank two jugs of water.

He wiped off the dust on his clothes, re-tied the loose military boots and gloves, and checked the two bags of kindling that had been confiscated.

It was past half the night.

Handed a wet towel, Rhodes wiped the sweat off his face.His eyelashes and lips were wet and had a beautiful color.

"Where else haven't you gone?" He asked as he wrung out the towel.

His firemen wore red leather caps and held water pumps for extinguishing fires.When he saw the young and beautiful new chief executive for the first time, he was a little stunned by surprise.

"The only thing I haven't been to is the theater." He withdrew his offensive gaze and replied respectfully.

So Rhodes took his fire brigade to the theater non-stop.

The theater was still noisy at night, and the shouts rose from the ground like giant logs, almost breaking the marble walls.Games, animal fights and plays are often held at night, and actors perform on the blood-stained yellow sand.

Rhodes sent the fire brigade to the auditorium to check.He is going to negotiate with the saint of the theater to prevent the holy fire from causing a fire.

The saint with a white veil pours fat into the brazier from time to time to ensure that the holy fire will never go out.Being chaste all their lives, they enjoy the privilege of exclusively occupying a golden box, which is the best viewing position in the theater.

At this time, the drama of Pandora opening the magic box is being staged in the theater.

The actor in a gold wig wears an off-the-shoulder red dress and holds a gold-plated copper box in a flamboyant gesture.

The actor's voice itself is very thick, and it is deliberately fabricated into a female's high-pitched voice when reading the lines, which sounds quite weird:

"Sleeping heads must contain dreams, and silent boxes must contain secrets. I hold the golden box in my hand, it bursts my narrow vision, and the secret hides from my eyes! From the ugly curiosity of human nature. , always burns me like a raging fire! My heart is pecked by curiosity like a bird's beak, my limbs are corroded by doubts like quicksilver, and my thoughts are disturbed by confusion like an iron rod..."

Rhodes presented the brand new water pump and bucket to the saint, and inadvertently glanced into the theater.

His cold and loose gaze tightened in an instant.

Despite the feminine costumes and heavy makeup, Rhodes still recognized that it was Anthony in disguise.

The shock seemed to spread like a puddle of mucus, slowly gluing with the memory of the previous life.

Rhodes breath stagnated.He couldn't help thinking of the bearded woman in the oracle who would make Nero lose everything.

The author has something to say:

Sorry for the lateness.

Sort out the materials cited in this chapter:

1. "Research on Ancient Roman Bathing Culture" Qin Zhiguo

2. "Roman Bathing Culture and Social Life" Teng Jiaping

3. "On the Fire Army of the Roman Empire" Li Dawei

In addition, Nero's original name was Lucius (Lu Xiusi)