Boris stood frozen, his mind racing on how to cover those gaps. He teamed up with Holiness and Martini to take over the Temple of Hermes. However, he never anticipated that this move would push him into a perilous situation.
At that moment, various counterarguments flashed through his mind. Martini had already gained plenty from it, and Boris had made many powerful connections through Holiness, so he would not give up easily. However, these reasons seemed so feeble against the pull of greed.
Despite having numerous reasons to stay loyal to Hermes, Boris ultimately gave in to greed. Similarly, Martini had countless reasons not to harm Boris, but would he actually do it? If Martini really made a move, could Boris's connections, powerful friends, or even his guards really keep him safe?
Maybe Martini had made enough money and would let Boris go, but what about the next governor of Crete? The new governor might still be hungry, seeing Boris as easy prey in the eyes of a hungry wolf.
"Business is business..." Boris forced out a sentence, "I don't have a choice."
"You don't have any other options now either. Hand over all the money, especially Martini's," Linley said coldly.
"What if Martini comes back?" Boris asked.
"He's dead," Linley responded coldly. "I killed him along with the bishop and priests of Holiness on Crete."
Boris opened his mouth, then lowered his head in defeat, "I get it. I'll hand over his money. Just spare my life and leave me enough to get by."
"Don't worry about it," Linley said.
Boris took them to a room, opened a hidden door, revealing a stash of gold coins, gold bars, and gems, along with various valuable items, luxurious crafts, and weapons. Among them was a transparent dagger, which Linley couldn't help but pick up to examine. It was a crystal dagger, faintly exuding a strange power.
"What is this?" Linley asked.
"I don't know," Boris replied. "It was found in the Temple of Apollo."
Apollo is the sun god, though he doesn't have many worshippers because although the sun is important, it is too stable, rising and setting on time every day, and no one can change it. Officially, Apollo is usually worshipped along with other main gods during sacrifices.
"Put it away for now, it might come in handy," Linley said, continuing to search. He suddenly noticed a system inscription on a gem: "Sweet Fruit."
"What is this?" he wondered, but decided to put it away for now.
However, Linley was not satisfied with this. He ordered his followers to gather all the servants of the house in the hall and offered them the same conditions as the Roman soldiers. Everyone had to loot property; those who collected less than a thousand gold coins would be executed, those who collected more than a thousand could live. But the ten who collected the least would have their arms cut off, while the five who collected the most could keep half of what they looted.
Upon hearing this, the servants' eyes lit up, and they immediately rushed into action. In just twenty or thirty minutes, the entire mansion was emptied, and all valuable items were found, whether on the walls, in safes, in secret rooms, or hidden behind curtains.
Especially Boris's wife, who owned a complete set of gemstone jewelry, particularly a necklace made of twelve flawless emeralds, each one worth a fortune.
Boris's wife shrieked, "This is mine! Mine!"
Linley calmly responded, "Stop yelling. If you keep these things, who do you think will let you live?"
Boris nodded with a bitter smile, "You're right, but you can't take it all, can you?"
"Relax, I won't take everything," Linley reassured.
Boris's home was clearly wealthier than the Governor's mansion, with several times more valuable items found. In the end, the servant who took Boris's wife's jewelry ended up with the most loot, and Linley personally gave him half of the gems. The servant was ecstatic and quickly ran off with the gems.
Boris watched the servant, his face twisted in pain, and his eyes burning with undisguised rage. His wife fainted from the shock. The other four winners grabbed their money and bolted. They were locals and, unlike the Roman soldiers, did not need to stay, so they could choose to flee.
For the ten losers, Linley gave them a choice: either lose a hand or convert to follow the god of wine and come back with him to his island. In the end, eight servants chose to convert, while the other two opted for losing a hand. Linley had to oblige them.
The mansion's backyard had dozens of donkeys for pulling carts. Linley ordered his men to load all the valuables onto the donkey carts and head to the dock.
"Lord! You promised to leave me something," Boris said urgently.
"Of course," Linley pulled out a piece of parchment and signed an IOU for one hundred thousand gold coins. "Here, take it. I'll pay you back later."
"An IOU?" Boris said bitterly. "What's the point of this? What if someone finds it?"
"If you don't want it, burn it," Linley said. "If you do, just find a good place to hide it."
Boris was speechless. As he watched Linley walk away, he grabbed the parchment and tore it, making a big rip.
"What are you doing!" his wife exclaimed, snatching the parchment from him.
"What's the point of keeping this thing!" Boris said angrily.
"What if the Dionysus succeeds," his wife retorted.
"Impossible, Holiness is so powerful," Boris dismissed.
"Who says it's impossible? Back then, Holiness was just a small sect with a dozen people in the Middle East," his wife countered.
"That's not the same," Boris insisted.
"I don't see any difference," his wife retorted.
Boris looked at the parchment and sighed, "Maybe. Even if the Dionysus doesn't succeed, I hope he can stir things up for a few years. Then we can sell this IOU to someone else. If he causes enough trouble, it might fetch a good price."
"That's only ten thousand gold coins. What's that worth? It won't even cover a few days' meals," his wife questioned.
"My dear, at a time like this, are you still thinking about hosting banquets? We need to tighten our belts..."
Before Boris could finish, his wife pulled out a large ruby from her clothes.
"Huh? You hid that?" Boris asked in surprise.
"Of course. As soon as I heard someone break in, I immediately hid the most valuable gems. There's a lot more," his wife said triumphantly.