"What's going on?" Empton sensed something was off and quickly glanced out the window but saw nothing.
With his extraordinary vision, Linley had already noticed the movements of the Roman soldiers. No matter how well they hid, they couldn't escape his eyes. He keenly tracked their movements, leaving nothing hidden.
"We're surrounded, around a hundred of them," Linley said calmly.
Bavaria gave a slight smile and drew his greatsword.
This time, Linley had brought twenty ships, each carrying thirty to forty people, totaling around eight hundred. However, most of them remained on the ships, ready to set sail at any time. At this point, many supplies had already been loaded onto the ships, which also needed guarding.
Linley had only fifty or sixty men with him, but they were fearless. Having experienced countless bloody battles and significant events, they didn't take these hundred or so enemies seriously.
"Could Bell have betrayed us?" Bavaria asked.
"I don't know," Empton shook his head. "He's always been reliable; it seems unlikely."
"Just because he was reliable before doesn't mean he is now," Linley retorted.
Just then, Bell walked in and said, "I visited a few places, but no one was willing to take the goods. The sun is about to set, so we can only look for people tomorrow."
In these times, people generally worked from sunrise to sunset. Working at night required candles, which were a luxury. Nobles would light up their mansions, but ordinary people couldn't afford that. Most people wouldn't work at night and had to wait until the next day.
"By the way, aren't there a lot of minotaurs on Crete? Why haven't I seen any?" Linley asked.
"They're a different race and not allowed to worship Holiness. They've all been taken to farms to work," Bell explained. "In fact, minotaurs aren't really scary. Their intelligence is lower than humans, they are usually herbivores, strong, and have gentle temperaments. Only during the spring mating season do bulls become aggressive, but they mostly compete with each other."
"Don't they fight back?" Linley asked.
"Of course they fight back. Recently, many of our people died because of it," Bell said. "Some minotaurs refused to go to the farms and were attacked and killed."
By now, the Roman soldiers outside had set up a perimeter and were slowly advancing.
Linley asked again, "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"I don't know. You must be from out of town. Although you have black hair like the Romans, you look very different," Bell said. "Your tall stature shows you had good nutrition growing up. Your teeth are not worn, suggesting high-quality food. You are likely not a barbarian but from a civilization unknown to me."
Linley restrained his divine power, appearing as he did when he first crossed over. Bell could analyze so much information just from his physique. These analyses seemed simple but combined could lead to nearly accurate conclusions.
In retrospect, the reason Linley wasn't captured and enslaved, besides that half-box of beer, was largely due to his appearance. Although his pre-crossing life was not satisfactory, it provided him with ample nutrition, far above the average level of this era.
Therefore, everyone who saw Linley thought he had an impressive background, which led them to mistake him for an apostle of the god of wine, giving him plenty of time to learn Greek.
Linley nodded in acknowledgment, then asked, "In that case, can you guess why I am traveling with Epton Bach?"
Bell looked a bit confused and replied, "I can't guess, perhaps you are engaged in some kind of business cooperation?"
Linley casually glanced toward the door, seemingly unwilling to reveal more. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Bell asked.
"It's me," answered the voice outside.
Bell walked to the door and opened it. Standing outside were three Roman soldiers and one of his servants. Linley vaguely remembered this servant, thinking he acted suspiciously, as if preoccupied, but Linley had not paid much attention since the servant had never shown any particular interest in him.
However, it now seemed that Linley might have misunderstood. These people were not targeting him but Bell. Bell, having lived in peace for a long time, had lost his vigilance.
"What do you want?" Bell asked in surprise when he saw the servant.
The Roman soldier said coldly, "Your servant reported you as a follower of Dionysus."
Bell's jaw dropped in shock, "A follower of Dionysus? Sir, you must be mistaken. I used to be a follower of Hermes, but then I realized that Holiness is the true god, so I converted. Look, I'm even wearing a cross! I don't believe in Dionysus, nor do I drink."
As he spoke, Bell pulled out a necklace from his neck, with a delicate cross hanging at the bottom.
"Get out of the way!" The Roman soldier pushed Bell aside with disdain, striding into the room with the servant following, opening a small cabinet in the corner, rummaging through the clutter and pulling out a small statue of Dionysus.
The statue was crudely made, fashioned from cheap scrap wood, with no sign of craftsmanship or blessing. It looked like something bought on the street for a couple of copper coins. If it weren't for the distinctive grapes and wine cup, it wouldn't be recognizable as Dionysus.
The Roman soldier sneered, "Anything else to say?"
Bell protested in horror, "This is fake! I never..." Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized, glaring angrily at the servant, "It was you! You secretly planted this in the cabinet! You want to seize my property!"
Reporting a follower of Dionysus could get you half of their property, and such temptation led to many false accusations. This Roman decree showed their hatred for Linley.
The Roman soldier could hardly contain his laughter, "Enough, stop arguing. I'm arresting you now. If you have anything to say, tell it to the judge."
Confiscating Bell's property would benefit these officials too, who could then extort the servant's family, profiting from both sides.
"Hagrid!" Bell cried out in despair.
Hagrid, Bell's bodyguard, was strong and rumored to have been on the battlefield. However, at this moment, although nearby, Hagrid didn't respond and instead stepped back, distancing himself from Bell.
Bell shouted angrily, "I've taken care of you for ten years!"
Hagrid coldly replied, "Boss, with all your wealth, do you really think only three people would come to arrest you?"