It rained in the afternoon.

Cynthia stood quietly by the window, looking out at the river where boats were coming and going, and watching the ants-like people bustling in the light rain.

She didn't wear a veil, her cheeks and brows were painted with gold powder, her long eyelashes drooped slightly and quivered slightly.

The beautiful princess Menis's face was so beautiful that the moon would change color for it.

The black-skinned slave maid stood beside her.

Footsteps approached Cynthia's back and stopped.

An old man's voice asked, "Has he left?"

"Yes," Cynthia said, "Lucius just left, father."

The visitor was none other than the ruler of Niniwei, Ulkes. Ulkes was nearly forty years old, handsome in appearance, with a pair of bright black eyes. His skin was yellowish, the wrinkles on his forehead and the laughter lines on both sides of his nose were deeply marked like a knife cut. There was some silver in his black hair, even his temples and sideburns were neatly trimmed, only his beard and temples were almost silver.

"Weird," Uerkash thought, "I thought he would stay, that greedy, shameless thief, he actually broke away?"

Cynthia said, "It shows that he's smart and decisive."

"Of course he's smart and decisive."

Uerkash sneered.

"That dog in heat who could smell a woman's urine from ten miles away! He kept his eyes on the temple, watching the daughters of the Menes family, who were about to turn thirteen and perform the temple ceremony, and took his silver with him. He secretly followed her entourage, finding out which of the temple's ceremonial rooms she was in. Then he found a few assassins, killed two men on the rope bridge, just so he could go find her alone, put silver in her palm in the name of Nalat!

"After that, he spent a lot of money, bribing her maids and their families, sweet-talking that young girl who had never seen a man every day, repeatedly planting the idea in her that he would marry her. He controlled her thoughts, mastered her tastes, and caught her like a bird in his hand!

"As long as they are in love and have enough dowry, even their parents can't object to their marriage. He's about to become the son-in-law of the mighty house of heaven! Isn't this what he did to you, to my foolish daughter?"

Cynthia said softly, "At least he's not afraid of my 'unclean blood.'"

The Shin people believed that the blood of defloration was unclean. So, before a woman got married, her family would deflower her. The Shin people in the south and north had different practices.

In Southern regions such as Babylon, the custom of "sitting in the temple" involves offering a young girl's virginity to the gods. Before getting married, a 13-year-old girl must spend a day at the temple to purify herself and sit in the sacred area. A stranger man is allowed to choose her and break her maidenhead in the name of the gods, putting a silver coin in her palm. She is not allowed to refuse this request for intimacy. After being deflowered, the girl becomes a woman and qualifies for marriage and doesn't have to go to the temple anymore. Some women choose not to get married and continue to receive money as temple prostitutes.

In Northern regions like Nippur, near the upper reaches of the Tigris River, the responsibility is often carried out by a brother or family elder. On the girl's 13th birthday, her family holds a grand purification ceremony, and then her brother or uncle takes the lead in allowing the girl to release impurities and raise her from a confused child to a woman.

Princess Menis, however, doesn't have a brother or father, so she has to go to the temple like the people in the South and let a stranger break her maidenhead. That stranger is Lucius.

Cynthia said, "So you went to find someone to deceive and trick him into investing, stole the betrothal gift he was preparing, and made him use his land as collateral, leaving him with a large debt?"

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"That's what he deserves. No one can fool Menis without paying the price."

Ualkishen despised coldly: "And you think he's a good person? That little cheat never told the truth from start to finish!

"Do you remember who was sitting in the third room on the left during your visit to the Temple of Rite? Lucius had already engaged with that woman, she was the Princess of the Bell family, the elder sister of Eirelitha. On the same day, breaking the two families' princesses, this sexually aroused dog is really not afraid of seeing blood with a gun!

"He bet on both sides, marrying you two with the same method. He knew that the Menis family's dowry was huge, so he first made a betrothal gift to the Bell family, to make sure that he could at least marry into a famous family. Then he tried to make money. Once he gathered enough of your dowry, he would turn back and divorce the Bell family!

"Do you think he suddenly robbed the temple to save himself because the Bell family was destroyed? No, that was the second plan for him to gather the betrothal gift! That's why he was so familiar with the way, looting all the property of the temple before setting it on fire. For this huge sum of money, he even burned all the hundreds of prostitutes living in the temple to death inside the temple!

"That guy is a greedy vulture, living by eating the bodies of other animals! If it wasn't for the impending big event and not wanting to create waves, I would cut him into pieces and feed the lions, starting from his feet!"

"The room fell into a silence.

"Don't think about that Frejya evil guy anymore," Urikash said. "Marry Ashure instead. He may have shortcomings, likes to fool around with women, but he is good at fighting and is the heir of 31 legions of the Enlil family... Although they are both famous, the Enlil family originated from the city of Ashure and are Assyrians among the Assyrians. Our Menes family, on the other hand, is Hurrian, native to Niniwe, and only allowed to control six legions, less than a quarter of the Enlil. "

"But father, have you ever thought of one thing," Xinshia sighed.

"The reason I am inviolable is because I am a Menes. If I marry Ashure, won't the Enlil family swallow the Menes family?"

Urikash smiled bitterly.

"That is only a matter of time. Since the city of Ashure expanded to Niniwe, we Hurrians have had to bow down to them and follow them to become Assyrians. We have money, pottery and bronze wares unmatched in the world, and can tame horses and cattle, but they have the ability to collect iron from fallen stars...

"The Akkadians, the Urians, the Babylonians, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, who does not submit to the sharp iron and chariots of the Assyrians? From the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, the eastern Xiclosians, the southern Kaimians, the western Hetians and Cretans, the northern Black Sea nomads and the plains people, even the northernmost Serretians and the giants living in the Black Forest and caves, who has not trembled under the banner of the Enlil family?"

Uriel Kash shook his daughter's black hair, spoke softly: "I have only one daughter like you, I don't seek family prosperity and heritage, I just hope you can be safe and happy."

He added in his heart:

So I will never let that villain leave Niniwe alive.

Rain wet Lucus's hair, water flowed down his cheeks.

He sat in the position of the oxcart driver, cursed the gods in his heart while awkwardly whipping the oxen.

This was because when Lucus and Anada, carrying Iliya, returned to the entrance of the Menis courtyard, they found that the one-eyed old driver was impatiently waiting and had already returned alone by car.

Lucius had no choice but to ask the warriors of Memnis to escort him and his group back to Niniwe, but was refused. Even when he offered to pay a high fee, no one paid attention.

Not only that, they even intended to trouble him by asking if he was willing to exchange his good war horse for a cart.

Since the situation was stronger than he was, Lucius agreed.

So when Lucius drove the cart into the northern gate of Niniwe, he had already cursed the gods, Seth, Gatanoos, and Nayalater in his heart, and had a deep exchange with the mothers of the gods.

In front was the ruins of the temple of the Bel family, and he was almost home.

In the wind and rain, a lonely cart slowly passed by the ruins of the temple.

The rain washed away the ashes on the broken stone columns and reliefs, revealing the pale stone color.

Underfoot was black mud formed after the scorched earth was wetted.

Lucius looked back.

Both female slaves were huddled in blankets in the cart and shivering.

Irelia is unconscious and Anada looks pale due to excessive blood loss. She has her eyes closed, and her silver gray hair is wet and sticks to the right side of her face.

Lucius then realizes that he forgot to put shackles and collars on them.

Is there a slave master worse than himself? Not only did he forget to lock up his own slaves, but he also has to drive the cart and take care of them carefully...

Lucius sighed, but when he looked at Anada's profile and the tattoos on her scalp, the depression dissipated somewhat.

Maybe gently stroking her silver-gray hair could make him feel a little better?

He was thinking when she suddenly opened her eyes, and her lion-like golden eyes showed a vigilant expression.

Lucius was almost scared.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

She listened. The mournful wind through the ruins grew louder, mixed with other noises.

Lucius heard it too.

That was the chaotic footsteps and the sound of fragmented metal colliding with each other. At least twenty people were surrounding them.

Lucius drew his sword tightly, tension evident in his grip.

"Who's there?" he shouted, "Step forward!"

There was only an echoing silence.

After a moment, a familiar voice called out from the storm, it was the slave trader Anandiebub, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Is that Lucius sir? I told you to take care of yourself, didn't I? And look at us, we meet so soon."