Rome Must Perish

Siris was one of the more emotionally controlled among the people, but even he couldn't help but shout excitedly at the moment: "I'm here!"

The subordinates from the Agricultural Department glanced at him and then looked towards the village chief Pro.

Pro nodded in confirmation: "He is Siris."

The subordinates from the Agricultural Department looked at the land allocation list for the villagers of No. 21 Village in their hand, then picked up the land distribution map of No. 21 Village from a colleague next to them. After studying it carefully for a while, they waved and said, "Please follow me."

He led the way eastwards for a short distance, then stopped in front of a wooden sign with a number carved on it.

"The 50 acres of land starting from here is allocated to you," said the subordinate from the Agricultural Department. After speaking, the two teenagers following him crossed the signboard, walked into the field, and waved to Siris, signaling him to follow.

With an excited heart, Siris stepped onto the land that was about to belong to him.

After walking dozens of meters following the two teenagers, he saw a row of wooden poles planted ahead.

One of the teenagers said, "This is 10 acres."

When the Agricultural Department previously measured the land here, they used 10 acres as the basic measurement unit.

Siris carefully observed the surroundings along the direction indicated by the teenager, silently assessing the distances of the wooden poles placed in the other three directions of the land. Although he hadn't specifically studied arithmetic, after seriously farming for more than a decade, his judgment of land area was unlikely to be off.

"That's right, it's roughly 10 acres," he nodded in response.

"What do you mean roughly, it is just 10 acres! We measured it several times before, if you don't believe it, you can measure it yourself later," the other teenager said discontentedly.

Realizing he misspoke, Siris quickly corrected, "Yes, it's 10 acres."

The teenager grunted, raised his head, and continued walking forward, stopping four times over almost 200 meters, pulling out more than twenty wooden poles, even leaving Siris carrying a large handful.

Finally, standing at the edge of his farmland, Siris turned to look back, seeing that the wooden sign at the starting point had become a bit blurred in his vision: 50 acres, this was much larger than his previous 20 acres! If he could increase it to 100 acres in the future, it would be such a large piece of land! No wonder the Nix advocate the three-field rotation system, relying on himself and his family alone to farm might really wear them out!

If it weren't for the reminder from the two teenagers, Siris might have lingered on this newly allocated land for most of the day.

The subordinates from the Agricultural Department took out two pieces of paper, which they called "land contracts of the Nixes", and handed them to Siris.

Siris couldn't read the writing on the papers at all and could only follow the subordinates' prompts to place his handprint on both papers, then take one home to treasure it carefully, as the subordinates said: This is the decree proof of his ownership of the land, as long as this land contract is there, no one in the Nix Tribe can seize his land.

At the same time, Siris also secretly resolved: He must send his son to the Nix School to learn these mysterious writings, and would not let his son end up not knowing what was written on such a precious land contract, just like him.

Siris was not the only one overwhelmed with joy. The Nixes fulfilled their previous promise, and every family among the Segestica citizens received 50 acres of land. At this moment, everyone felt: The sky is very blue! The land is great! Joining the Nix was indeed a good choice!

The Segestica citizens and the newly assimilated Scodisqi slaves again spent a peaceful day together.

Many people could hardly sleep well that night due to the excitement of receiving land.

Early the next day, the villagers woke up, hurriedly had breakfast, then went to find the village chief Pro with the original intention to ask: How to begin tending their newly allocated land.

Instead, they received Pro's notice: Villagers gather in the square, there is an important announcement!

Ever since the Nixes came to this village, the Segestica citizens have attended several gatherings in just a few days, which was rare in the past decade or more, because major tribal affairs were discussed and decided by the leader and clan leaders, who then gave orders to their subordinates to execute. The only tribal events the public could attend together were religious ceremonies or when the leader and clan leaders resolved tribal disputes and crimes, but they could only watch.

The way the Nixes called a gathering for major matters and even allowed everyone to ask questions and discuss felt novel and participatory to the people, making them sometimes forget that the Nixes were their enemies and themselves the victims forcibly assimilated into this tribe, which had destroyed their homeland.

This time, the village chief Pro told them: The Danu Temple of the tribe has been built, and they would immediately go to worship the temple and also swear an oath to the Danu Goddess.

Pro also solemnly reminded the villagers: Everyone must bring their land contracts, since they have to worship and make their vows at the temple. Only after the validation from the Priest will their land contracts become truly effective, marking their official integration into the Nix Tribe as Reserve Tribe Members. Otherwise, they would become Foreign Auxiliary, lose everything they have now, and be sent to the camp near the Main Camp!

The villagers felt nervous upon hearing this. They had just relieved their fear of the Nixes, shedding their guilt about joining the Nix Tribe, and were starting to integrate into this new tribe. They had just gained the land they dreamed of yesterday — how could they let all their efforts go to waste!

Therefore, everyone hurried home, grabbed their land contracts, and rushed to the square to gather, fearing they might miss out.

In the morning, Pro led more than 800 villagers of the entire tribe on the road heading west.

Maiangtias did not lead his subordinates to follow because the villagers of No. 21 Village had behaved well these past few days. He didn't think they would do anything foolish at such a crucial moment, plus soldiers in full armor weren't allowed at the temple.

Today was another fine day, clear blue skies, warm sunshine, and a gentle breeze, but not too cold.

Many villagers in the procession hadn't been far from home these days and felt a bit excited, chatting and laughing along the way. Some villagers even proactively asked Pro: What does the temple look like? And what does the statue of the Danu Goddess look like?

Pro himself hadn't seen the temple, so he couldn't answer, only vaguely replying: Don't worry, you'll know when you see it.

This road connecting Segestica Main Camp and Lin Kou Village wasn't exclusive to No. 21 Village; villagers from other villages could be seen joining the route in groups, forming a long dragon that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Some villagers from No. 21 Village ran to chat with acquaintances in the preceding or following groups, and Siris had to move back and forth, reminding these villagers not to leave the procession for too long.

As they were about to reach Lin Kou Village, the procession veered southwest, revealing that the new road underfoot had been constructed recently and extended to the edge of the forest.

A large clearing had been opened here, with several thatched cottages built. Near the cottages stood seven or eight young men in linen robes, holding oak staves and wearing grass crowns on their heads, directing villagers from various villages to stand properly in the clearing.

Siris recognized their attire immediately — they were Druids, whom he frequently saw in Savatoir during his youth. However, after the Segestica rose to power, he hadn't seen anyone dressed like this again; they had even changed their name to "Priests".

While Siris was feeling nostalgic, a Druid came over and asked, "Which village are you from?"

"No. 21 Village," Pro replied.

No. 21 Village... The Druid thought for a bit and then pointed nearby, saying, "Your spot is over there, please follow me." After speaking, he gracefully led everyone in that direction.

"Are we there yet? Where is the temple?"

"When will we get to the temple for worship?"

…

Someone couldn't help but ask loudly.

"Hush!" The Druid immediately turned around, made a silencing gesture, and solemnly said, "No talking or noise before the temple, please remain quiet! Calm your mind and pray, and as long as you are sincere, the Danu Goddess will sense your presence and give us guidance. That will be your time to approach Her!"

The Druid's warm voice carried an inexplicable authority, causing everyone to instinctively stop talking and even breathe as lightly as possible; many even closed their eyes and began to silently recite something.

Although Siris also held his breath, he continued to quietly glance around. He quickly noticed a procession of hundreds emerging from the mountains behind the thatched cottages. Each person had a downcast look and seemed absent-minded. Occasionally, they glanced back at the mountain forest with faces full of strong reluctance...

"No. 21 Village, please follow me to the temple!" The Druid's voice awakened the villagers still meditating. Everyone followed his steps, crossing the clearing, bypassing the cottages, and stepping onto a path leading deep into the forest.

At first, the path was lined with small trees, short with sparse leaves. The further they went, the sturdier and taller the trees became, with hard, ridged bark, egg-sized tree fruits, and dense oval yellow-red leaves that shaded the path...

These are oak trees! This is an oak forest?!... As Siris realized this, "Ding! Ding!" The clear, pleasant sound resonated above his head.

Siris looked up to see a bowl-shaped copper vessel hanging from a high branch, with a movable iron marble in its center.

He moved his gaze forward and discovered the same small objects were suspended high in the treetops at intervals, and when the wind blew through, shifting with varying intensity, they produced different sounds. Sometimes gentle and melodious, like the deep silence of a forest, calming one's mind and inviting contemplation; at other times bright and cheerful, like birds frolicking in the mountains, bringing joy and delight…