"Hey!" Jessica blinks her beautiful eyes, "How can salt be turned into silver?"
She hesitates a sec, and then takes out a sugarcane and hands over it to Frank: "Well, here you go, share with you."
Is she bribing me ...
Grant and Claudio have left already, Frank withdraws his look on Jessica, thinks about the answer, and then replies, "I used to view an alchemy tome regarding how to turn salt into silver."
Jessica is quite curious: "What tome? Where is it? Who is the author?"
It's called “High School Chemistry", as for the author... um, can not remember the publisher, New York Education?
"The tome has been lost long time ago, but I still remember some contents."
Jessica takes a quick breath: "Tell me about it, right now."
Frank sighs: "Sorry mam, I am still a criminal, really not in the mood."
Jessica eyes at him uncomfortably, and says unhappily:
"Slick boy, we R.S.T do not participate in state’s affairs. It’s Princeps that decides your sentence. No help to bargain with me here."
"Well just let me in, I assume it is not a big deal for your teacher to ask a prisoner from Senate, right?." Frank says.
He has to add an insurance for himself, just in case the tax is unable to get back.
Jessica looks at him up and down with her bright eyes: "You are obviously a warrior, is it your disguise to cover the identity of alchemist?"
I hope I am ... unfortunately, most adepts start to focus on their profession since childhood just for a concrete fundamental, it is definitely too late for me to learn to be alchemist ...
"It doesn't matter mam, honestly the main reason of my request is my unstoppable admiration to your master; may I have the honor to meet with him or her?" Frank says with a genuine cadence and an expected face.
"Um ... you gotta tell me the content of the alchemy tome." Jessica seems to take it into consideration, the girl's blue pupils are clearly shining in her almond eyes.
Frank had only seen such purely beautiful eyes on a child in his last incarnation.
"Well it is a bit difficult to understand by oral expression, I'm afraid you can't get it. It needs to be taught in a comprehensive style." Frank tries to tantalize her.
Jessica Mason is not convinced: "Humph! No body dares to claim No.1 on alchemy if R.S.T is No.2"
"Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine, Neon, ..." Frank starts to recite periodic table of elements.
"???"
What is he talking about? Jessica is confused for a moment, and her micro blade eyebrows stand upright: "You dare play with me. You know what? Only virgin is eligible to be disciple of R.S.T."
Then she snatches the sugar cane back from Frank's hand, and steps away with a light tread and pleats floated.
Well, I assume I am still virgin ... Frank wants to open his mouth, but then he understands instantly - what R.S.T needs is not just a virgin, but also a child who they could train at an early age.
Alright, dead end on the way.
......
Two days pass by, during which Frank stays in prison cell with anxiety and fear.
He is concerned that the tax could not be retaken before his exile sentence, then his effort is just in vain; Plus, God knows if the commissioner would ignore him in order to take all the credits for his own promotion, which he assume is quite possible in such a cruel age.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
But there is no other way, this is all he can do as a prisoner now, which makes Frank memorizes his tedious but stable life in New York once again.
"Let God decide my fate ..." Frank sighs helplessly.
“Bang!”
The iron door at the end of the corridor has opened, and a jailer comes in with a torch, takes out the key and unlocks the cell door: "Frank, you can leave now!"
Frank is ecstatic and clenches his fists: "Has the tax been found already?"
"Just follow me to sign some paperwork, then you can leave." The jailer looks at him: "You lucky dog."
"What about my uncle?" Frank asks eagerly.
"Stop your bullshit, just move." The jailer is quite grumpy, and kicks Frank's butt to drive him out of the cell.
Then he signs the release agreement and follows an officer in prison to leave from the back door.
At the same time, another cell.
......
Bang!
Marcus is awakened by the opening sound of the cell door. He opens his eyes full of bloodshot.
It is a shining morning, Marcus looks at his vague face on the window, which was not washed since he was imprisoned. The face is somewhat similar to Frank instead of his own son, Alexander, whose visage is overly delicate and completely different from him and Frank.
In another cell across the corridor, Liviana Sun, Marcus’s wife still in a drowsiness with a haggard face, is awakened as well, then her face is fraught with extreme dread.
The couple look at each other across the corridor, and Liviana’s hopeless words come out, "Marcus! Marcus ... I won’t go to Euphoria Room ... I won’t be a prostitute, I wanna die ... Oh God please ..."
She is 35 years old, a glamorous woman with excellent skincare and body build. Even imprisoned in last five days with anxiety and fear, the amorousness in her charming face still remains.
Where is Euphoria Room?
It is a purgatory for women.
Now Marcus’s body is full of scar and blood, he opens his mouth, but speechless, and eventually speaks out with shedding tears: "Livia, I'm really sorry ... Let us go see God together, and I am willing to do anything for you in heaven ... Just feel guilty for our kids, and my nephew ... they are still so young ... they deserve better future ..."
It is the 5th day since he was imprisoned, and he will be beheaded soon; other female members would be sent to brothel. In addition to Liviana, there are other two girls, the elder daughter of Marcus and Livia is 16 years old and the younger is just five.
They huddle together in the corner of the cell for warmth, and also wake up at this point.
The little girl rubs her eyes and murmurs "Mum", knowing nothing about her fate.
The 16 year old maid sits up, with her fluffy brown hair covering an elegant oblong face, lively cute eyes, a pair of ruddy lips on small mouth, and a tall nose with a straight bridge, which is uniquely different from the small nose of most women in the period.
Like a beauty model sitting there for sculpture or painting.
She move closer to her mother subconsciously with thick eyelashes trembling slightly due to dread.
two jailers stride forward, with sword tying around their waist.
Despair and determination spill out of Liviana's eyes.
Marcus grabs the fence with both hands with rattled joints and clenched teeth, he deserves death due to negligence, but he feels unfair that his innocent wife and children are involved.
Especially the little one, who is only five years old, and probably has to spend the rest of her life in brothel.
How heart-broken parents would be if they can do nothing but see this taking place.
"Marcus Sun, come out with us, and leave after signing on the reel." One jailer opens the cell door for Marcus without cuffing him, the other unlocks another cell for his wife and daughters, then they stand in the corridor and knock on the fence with the sword handle, indicating them to move out on their own.
"I am a purely patriotic equestrian dedicating all of my life with steadfast allegiance to Princeps and Rome Empire, today I gotta ... ? what did you just say?" Marcus assumes that he heard it wrong.
What is it going on?
"leave? You mean we can leave now?" Marcus couldn't believe it: "what happened? Aren’t you going to take me out for decapitation?"
"I don't know." The jailer answers impatiently, "Order from head. Go out to ask if you want, now leave."
Liviana steps behind Marcus and holds her two daughters, they just follow two jailers and walk towards the end of the corridor silently.
"Marcus ... what is it? Isn't he lying to us?" Liviana whispers.
"How dare they lie on this?" Marcus hobbles in front of her, he was tortured roughly in jail.
He is quite confused as well, with the joy of survival at the same time.
Liviana seems to get something: "it’s Alexander ... it must be him that ran outside to ask help from someone in Senate or inner circle of emperor in last couple of days ... Thank God ..."
The more deeply she thinks about it, the more she feels it is possible, and she says excitedly: "Marcus, do you still remember Felix Brutus? Alexander’s tutor! His cousin is Marcus Brutus, the Republican leader in Senate."
Currently, there are still almost one third of fervid apostles in Senate standing on the opposite end of the emperor and trying to recall the restoration of Rome Republic, which are called ‘Republican’. Marcus Brutus is unanimously elected as one of Republican leaders in private due to his assassination on the 1st Emperor, Julius Cesar.
Marcus could not get anyone else who is both able and willing to give them a hand at this point.
"Maybe ..."
"I told you that Alexander is the only hope of our family ... why you did not follow me to train him as a Pankration warrior! Why you insisted instructing that little brat on combat game!"
"Mum, I am starving ... can we go get dinner first?" The little girl raises her cute face and sucks her little finger, with small round eyes shining hunger.
"Just wanna eat u big eater ..." Liviana scolds subconsciously, looking at the little dirty face, then becomes soft immediately, "We are gonna have dinner soon, sweetie."
Marcus is too tired to explain that "your son has no talent on combat" again and again. Liviana would ignore what he says automatically anyway.
The son is always the best in the perspective of a mother.
Marcus moves out of prison, takes the quill from the staffer, his fingers trembles slightly. And he feels resurrected after signing his name and pressing the fingerprint on the release agreement.
A seed buried deep in the ground emerges in the sunshine as a seedling.
Sometimes the world has suddenly become so sound, even you do not get one more penny in pocket.
His wife and daughters do not need to sign anything, just leave their hand prints.
Out of curiosity, Marcus asks, "Sir, may I ask why we are released?"
Liviana immediately looks at the staffer.
"The case has been solved, and the tax has been regained," the staffer replies.
"The tax silver was retaken? Ha ha, Great! Damn monster, how dare you rob taxation of Rome Empire."
Marcus is quite excited, then he feels more confused after laughing.
His negligence irrefutably violates the Rome law although the tax is regained, which is not his contribution at all. Even it could be alleviated since tax is back, the best result for him would be exile. How come he gets the penalty exempted?
"Here you go, Mr. Sun, your official uniform." The staffer presents the white togas with slim purple stripe that has been deprived since his imprisonment.
He is even reinstated .... Marcus realizes that something is not right, and asks solemnly while taking the official toga: "Sir, I could not understand what happened, can you explain it for me?"
With the official uniform in hands, the equestrian chief recovers his confident tone.
"According to the law, meritorious deeds from offspring could offset violation or misconduct of elders in the family" says the staffer.
"It's Alexander for real, Marcus, he helps to retake the tax." Liviana cries with joy.
"Alexander ..." Marcus's eyes are moist as well: "My good son."
The staffer takes a glance at the excited couple and says, "It's your nephew Frank, he helps Police Commissioner solve the tax case, and he was already released a couple of hours ago."