He actually meant to urge Linley to fulfill the agreement and deliver the promised horses to them. Horses are far more efficient than humans in labor, and with horses, the demand for slaves would be greatly reduced.
One horse's labor is equivalent to that of four slaves. Although horses cannot handle tasks like washing clothes, washing dishes, or keeping company, their contribution in tasks such as farming and pulling carts is undoubtedly enormous, freeing up more manpower for wealth creation.
In fact, horses are more expensive than four slaves. If horses were cheap, people would have already used them to replace slaves. It is precisely because slaves are both cheap and durable that they are widely used.
If Linley really fulfills his promise and delivers thirty horses to Julian, then Julian can use the horses to work while simultaneously looking for opportunities to sell them, then use the money earned to buy slaves again, making a considerable profit.
He is even willing to sell the horses to the Roman legions to help them form a cavalry force, as the Romans are willing to pay the highest prices.
"I see you have all been robbed by Holiness and suffered heavy losses, right?" Linley said.
"Yes, yes!" Julian quickly agreed.
Other wealthy merchants also expressed their agreement. As wealthy merchants, they had all donated money to various temples. Except for those merchants who secretly supported Holiness, all others were placed on Holiness's list of those under strict surveillance.
As soon as Holiness landed on the island, he led Roman soldiers directly to their homes, intimidating and persuading them to convert, destroying statues and portraits of the Olympic gods, and forcing them to provide slaves to serve the church.
The accompanying Roman soldiers naturally did not hesitate to extort and molest women, and the wealthy families suffered heavy losses as a result. Therefore, when Linley arrived, they were so cooperative, and not a single person stood up to defend the Roman Empire.
"The goods they plundered should be in the church. Let's go get them back..." Julian suggested.
"No." Linley flatly refused.
Holiness had already packed up the plundered goods, and Linley naturally wanted to take them himself, especially the gems, which might be used as bullets, just like the red gem on Poseidon.
"These goods have been taken by Holiness. If you take them back, you will be directly confronting Holiness. When the Roman fleet returns, they will probably arrest you, and even behead you as an example to others," Linley warned.
Hearing this, the wealthy families immediately dared not speak. Their losses were severe, but not to the point of risking their lives. Even if they wanted to fight, they didn't know how to do it.
"The world is about to enter a period of chaos, and the future will be filled with wars. If you don't want to die and want to protect your homes, you must have weapons. From today onwards, you must forge weapons, learn from teachers, and train your family's young men. Only then will you be able to resist any future robbery attempts," Linley said.
"Yes, yes, Lord Dionysus is right." Julian nodded repeatedly.
Others actually had the same idea. In the past, peaceful times allowed them to focus on making money. But in the future, they would probably experience war. It was essential to have their own armed forces. Whether they supported Holiness, the Olympic gods, or remained neutral, they needed armed support.
Therefore, Linley's words were unanimously accepted. They felt that Lord Dionysus made sense. Although he was an outsider, he had liberated their slaves with just a few pieces of paper, which was not annoying, and they actually felt that he was insightful and could be a good person to get along with in the future.
Linley looked at everyone and said firmly, "Although you have suffered losses, I will do my best to compensate you." He pointed to the port, "There are many ships docked there, loaded with a lot of goods. I will take these ships and goods—the goods will be used to compensate you, and the ships will belong to me. Those who are willing to follow me can leave on these ships."
This statement stunned everyone present. There were indeed many ships docked at the port of Andros Island, but if these ships were forcibly requisitioned, it would probably affect the island's reputation, and in the future there might be no more ships docking, and income would also be significantly reduced.
However, soon everyone realized that this worry was superfluous in the current turbulent times. The previous taxes were not their concern. As for the issue of reputation, that was something to consider in times of peace, and seemed unimportant in this tumultuous period.
Moreover, with Linley as the leader, any problem would seem insignificant.
"Let's go together!" Linley called out.
A large group of people left the church and went straight to the commercial port. Many fishing boats and merchant ships were docked at the port. The fishing boats belonged to the locals, had a small carrying capacity, and the goods were not worth much. Everyone ignored them and went straight to the merchant ships.
The previous fire and chaos in the city caused some clever ships to escape, but some ships were unable to set sail because repairs were incomplete or because they were slow to react. Seeing a large number of people rushing towards them, the ship owners felt uneasy, but they had nowhere to escape.
Seasoned sailors are tough guys, and immediately drew their swords and short spears. Linley waved his hand, and his followers piled the heads of the dead Roman soldiers on the dock.
Seeing this, the ship owners lowered their heads helplessly and gave way.
"Don't worry everyone, I'm not here to rob you." Linley reassured them.
The captains cursed inwardly, isn't this robbery?
Linley took out a promissory note and handed it to the captains, "I am Dionysus Linley, your ships and goods have been requisitioned by me, and I will pay according to the market price. This is signed and guaranteed by the Governor of Andros, you can rest assured."
Goliath immediately stepped forward and added, "Yes, I guarantee this debt!"
Although the ship captains were suspicious, facing so many fierce enemies, and with dozens of Roman soldiers' heads piled up on the dock, they had no choice but to accept the promissory note.
"When can this promissory note be redeemed?" One captain was still worried and wanted to ask for clarification.
"Soon, although we can't give a specific time now, as long as you support the Olympian gods, no matter how long it takes, you will eventually get this money back." Linley replied.
The ships were loaded with many valuables, including grain from the Nile Valley, iron from Anatolia, silk from the East, amber from the North, and ivory from Africa. Linley did not hesitate to distribute these goods.
Food and iron, etc., were distributed to the slaves, silk and amber, etc., were distributed to the local bigwigs, and ivory and rhino horn, etc., were given to Goliath and the surrendered Roman soldiers.
For himself, he claimed only the ships. He directed people to move the valuables in the church onto the ships, arranged personnel to guard them, and prepared to set sail at any time.