I was a priest in the city-state era

Even in the Roman Empire more than a thousand years later, the method of making salt by sun-drying seawater had become completely popular, and the value of salt was still so valuable that one hundred kilograms of salt could buy a slave weighing one hundred kilograms.

Thirty-six hundred years ago now, salt was even more rare and expensive.

Looking at the white salt grains in Roy's hand, Eteo said solemnly.

"This white salt is as beautiful as snowflakes. I think one pound of salt is worth seventy pounds of grain."

After hearing Eteo's offer, Roy said with a joking smile.

"My salt is purer, more beautiful, and safer than the salt picked up on the beach. It will not cause any harm to the body after eating. Eteo! If you are taking a huge risk to sail to Athens to buy my salt, I I can sell it to you at the price of one pound of salt for fifty pounds of grain, but I take a huge risk to bring the salt to the city of Knossos to sell it. If you don’t buy it for one pound of salt for one hundred pounds of grain, I will. Just sell the salt to other merchants.”

One pound of salt is exchanged for one hundred pounds of grain——

Hearing the price stated by Roy, not only Procne, but also Pandora showed a surprised expression.

Even if one pound of salt is exchanged for one hundred pounds of grain to buy Roy's salt, as long as Roy's salt is resold to an area where grain is harvested twice a year or even three times a year, the transaction with Roy can be guaranteed to be profitable. No compensation.

So Eteo asked after only a moment of hesitation.

"Honored Prince, how many kilograms of salt do you have to sell me?"

"Two thousand pounds!"

Two thousand pounds of salt——

According to the price of one pound of salt for one hundred pounds of grain, two thousand pounds of salt is equivalent to two hundred thousand pounds of grain.

Roy was able to produce wealth equivalent to 200,000 kilograms of grain in one fell swoop.

Seeing Procne looking at Roy with wide eyes, Pandora immediately understood that Procne, as Roy's fiancée, had no idea that Roy had such amazing wealth.

Eteo obviously didn't expect that Roy would have such a large amount of salt.

"My noble prince, is it possible that a salt mine was dug in your territory?"

"This is not something you should be concerned about."

Roy said coldly with an expressionless face.

"Do you want to buy my salt?"

Eteo said with a sneer.

"If you want to exchange two thousand kilograms of salt for two hundred thousand kilograms of grain, I will definitely not be able to come up with so much grain at once. If you want to exchange two thousand kilograms of salt for two hundred bronze war spears, I am willing to fight with you. Trade. Because the merchant just wanted to sell me a batch of bronze war spears."

Roy nodded with satisfaction and said.

"Then it's settled. I'll ask my subordinates to deliver 10,000 jins of olive oil and 2,000 jins of salt."

"No, no, no -"

Eteo waved his hand and said.

"To express my respect for you, Prince, please ask my servants to deliver forty thousand kilograms of grain and two hundred and ten bronze war spears to your ship."

Although he felt that Eteo looked a little malicious, Roy couldn't think of anything wrong, so he nodded and said.

"Then please work hard for your servant! In return for you, you only need to give me 40,000 kilograms of grain and two hundred bronze war spears."

Half an hour later.

Dozens of Eteo's male servants carried 40,000 kilograms of grain and two hundred bronze war spears on carts or on shoulders to the dock where Roy's twenty large ships were moored.

Eteo's manservant began to load the goods onto the ship, and the soldiers on the ship also moved olive oil and salt to the dock under Roy's order.

At this moment, a group of Knossos soldiers rushed in, preparing to collect commercial taxes.

Eteo spoke to the tax collecting soldier before he could speak.

"Don't you have eyes? These are the guests invited by the great King Minos to participate in the Spring Plowing Ceremony. There is no tax on the goods they bring."

During the Spring Plowing Festival, invited guests were not required to pay taxes on goods brought by them—a rule that the soldiers were certainly aware of.

Knowing that Roy and others were guests invited by King Minos, the tax collecting soldiers hurriedly bowed their heads and saluted, then turned and left as if running away.

After the transaction between Roy and Eteo was completed, Eteo confirmed the two thousand kilograms of salt, and then smiled at Roy.

"This white salt is as precious as gold. Do you have more salt to trade?"

This is obviously a question that must be answered carefully.

If Roy only had two thousand pounds of salt, maybe Eteo would think that Roy had made a fortune.

If Roy says he still has more salt -

Great wealth will inevitably lead to great disasters.

So Roy shook his head and said.

"Although I still have several hundred kilograms of salt, I keep it for myself. The only salt I can sell is what I'm selling to you now."

"Then...how did you get these salts?"

"How else could I get it? Of course I picked it up on the beach. My territory is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has a long coastline. Coupled with the gift of the ocean goddess, I was lucky enough to pick up so much high-quality salt."

Seeing that Eteo didn't believe it, Roy leaned into Eteo's ear and whispered.

"Our patron saint of Athens is a great ocean goddess. These salts are definitely the reward for my pious sacrifice to the goddess. As long as I continue to piously sacrifice to the goddess, the goddess will definitely let me pick up a lot of white salt again. , I will also sell you white salt when the time comes.”

"Is this really a gift from the ocean goddess?"

Eteo accepted Roy's reason dubiously, and left with the servants.

Roy came to Aries and ordered to the extremely excited Aries.

"Aries! You can arm yourself with the bronze spears you just bought now, and you must protect the ships and cargo."

"Don't worry, priest. As long as I am alive, I will not let others take away our ships and cargo."

After patting Aries on the shoulder as encouragement, Roy took Procne and Pandora to return to the palace.

Leaving the port and returning to the streets in the city, Procne suddenly pointed at a four or five-year-old child on the street and said.

"Brother Roy, that child looks so pitiful. Let's go and give him some food!"

The child Procne was talking about was obviously a ragged and malnourished little beggar.

And there are at least a dozen little beggars like this on the street.

Seeing that Procne wanted to pull him to rescue the little beggar like a virgin, Roy reached out and hugged Procne in his arms and said.

"Procne, I will not rescue that child, and I will not allow you to rescue that child."

"Hey——"

Procne said with eyes wide open in disbelief.

"Brother Roy, seeing such a pitiful child, how could you say such cruel words?"

"Silly girl, take a good look at the whole street."

Roy explained helplessly.

"There are more than one or two little beggars on this street. You saved the little beggar you saw, but do you want to save the remaining dozen little beggars? If you only save one and not the others, it is not called kindness but hypocrisy. The most important thing is, what can you use to save these little beggars? Now the only property that belongs to you is your clothes and accessories, which means that you are kind-hearted, but I am the one who has to take out food."

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