CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 333: FAMILY MEMBERS

Nexia said seriously, "Do you know that the road in the dense forest is very uneven? It’s easy to fall off a horse if you’re not good at riding, and even riding in a carriage can shake your bones loose..."

"Alright then..." Geniandafra reluctantly agreed, and could not help but added, "I’m used to sleeping alone; sleeping with everyone else, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep and it will affect tomorrow’s travel."

"You’ve walked for most of the day and are already very tired. Once I finish massaging your legs, you’ll definitely fall asleep as soon as you hit the bed," Nexia said confidently.

"Alright, thank you...thank you..." Geniandafra decided not to be stubborn and chose to listen, though she seemed a bit awkward when expressing her gratitude.

Since that time when she was punished by Nexia and got her butt spanked, and her maid who came with her was also driven out of the main house, she has become much more obedient.

Afterwards, she represented Maximus at her grandfather’s funeral and her uncle’s inauguration ceremony, and she clearly felt the respect the Aldean leaders had for her, including her usually arrogant uncle. Her grandfather and father repeatedly reminded her not to be willful and to be a good wife to Maximus...

This visit back to her parents’ house finally made her realize that she did not marry down to the Nix but rather that the Aldeans relied on the Nix for survival, which made her appear noble among her kind.

Therefore, in recent days she began to try to integrate into this new family, but her spoiled temper would occasionally flare up, like today when she argued with Nexia to show her uniqueness.

After dinner, Nexia decided to take a walk around the camp to see how the other tribesmen families were doing in terms of resting and dining, and try to help them solve some problems, as she felt this was her duty as the leader’s wife, just as Maximus led the rebel army during their campaign.

Nexia left the main tent, followed by a few guards.

She first took a stroll in the camp and found that Manas was not only directing his own subordinates but also enlisted the help of a few hundred Fourth Legion soldiers from the nearby Todledo Village, helping him arrange for the incoming Nix and Aldean tribesmen to settle in the camp and maintain order. They also employed foreign auxiliaries in the village to continuously boil hot water and cook meat soup, and even prepared enough straw and some linen for the tribesmen to use for bedding, provided small pieces of bread for those insufficiently provisioned, and some goat milk for babies...

Even though the entire scene was still a bit chaotic, given that the whole migration group lacked organization, what he had achieved was already quite thorough, and of course, it would not have been possible without the full cooperation of the Fourth Legion Commander Oluus and the Foreign Auxiliary Civilian Management Bureau’s Todledo Division.

Seeing Manas bustling back and forth in the distance, shouting all the time, Lexia felt gratified and did not bother him, and proceeded to visit the tribesmen families who had already settled in the camp.

First were the families of the main officers of each department, people with whom Nexia was familiar and had regular contact.

The wives of Volenus, Capito, and Horace were all nurses from the Medical Camp who had come all the way from Italy, and were friends with Nexia who had shared life-and-death experiences. However, for a while, Nexia avoided meeting them because after getting married, they had all become pregnant one after another (it seemed those three chiefs, though aged, had maintained their health quite well). It was not until Nexia figured things out and had Maximus marry Florist Luscia that she resumed relations with her three friends. This time Volenus and the others were too busy with affairs to accompany their wives during the relocation, so Maximus sent specific instructions to Nexia to "look after their wives and children." Nexia arranged for Acronis to assign a subordinate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to assist each one on the journey.

This was not only limited to the three of them but was also extended to several other department chiefs’ wives in the same manner.

The wives of Pigeris, Gaius, and Kefisofon were all Segestica nobles, and were considered quite attractive.

According to Pigeris, he married a Segestica noblewoman to better learn Illyrian and Celtic languages. As the Chief Officer of the Commerce Department, he often hosted envoys from other tribes, so his wife’s appearance was a representation of the Nix Tribe. Most tribesmen thought he made the right decision.

Kefisofon married a Segestica noblewoman because he wanted to delve deeper into the cultures and languages of Illyria and the Celts, intending to integrate them into the Nix Tribe’s cultural rituals, and perhaps even to create a unique script for the Nix in the future (an idea suggested by Maximus, which had enthused him greatly). His wife had once studied under a Druid Priest for a time, and although she never became a priest herself, she had some rare knowledge in the region and understood some Latin. Kefisofon marrying her was more like finding a colleague who could offer a lot of help. Her background and looks were not really his priority...

This was what Maximus privately discussed with Nexia, who believed it without a doubt. In her view, this Chief Officer of the Cultivation Department, apart from his regular work, liked to wander around with pencil and paper during his free time, jotting down notes or deep in thought, much like the famous scholars of ancient Greece. It seemed he wasn’t much interested in bedroom matters because to this day his wife hadn’t become pregnant.

The marriage of Gaius was the subject of constant gossip among the tribesmen. It was said that his wife had initially seduced him, and he married her. Within six months after the marriage, his wife gave birth to a child, and the tribesmen all understood that the child was not his, often teasing him as the "father by convenience."

For this, Maximus even publicly praised Gaius, saying, "His marriage has made its contribution to better integrating the Segestica Tribe into the Nix Tribe," and rewarded him with some material gifts. A decree was even introduced through the Political Affairs Hall: if the tribe’s official members marry Segestica or Skodisqi widows and raise their children, the tribe would offer a reward.

Nexia felt that Gaius’s wife, among the department chiefs’ wives, was the one most adept at playing the game, always flattering in every meeting, sweet-talking, and knowing how to read situations. Yet, Nexia always felt a sense of repulsion in her heart and was unwilling to spend much time with her.

Conversely, she preferred being with Sidonius’ wife, even though she was once a humble Skodisqi female slave, now of considerable age, not particularly good-looking, and not fond of speaking. It’s said that when the two were together, their home was as quiet as if no one were present. Nevertheless, she was diligent, took excellent care of Sidonius, had a kind heart, and was willing to help others.

Acronis once considered recruiting her into the Ministry of Internal Affairs but was opposed by Maximus, who even joked that "if Sidonius’ wife is occupied with internal affairs, reducing her attention to Sidonius such that he doesn’t have enough to eat or sleep well, causing legal matters of the tribe to stall, it would be Acronis’ fault."

The three chiefs of the Military Department were Maximus’s strong supporters, but their families had less interaction with Nexia, and there were reasons for that.

Quintus hadn’t remarried.

Flanitnus married Karina. It was said that Karina, due to her busy schedule, didn’t want children yet, and for this, she even specifically sought out Emmerich to learn methods of contraception, which somewhat displeased Nexia, who couldn’t conceive. Flanitnus couldn’t do anything about it and had to first adopt a Segestica orphan who lost parents in the war.

Lebilus’ wife was a Latin. At that time, the Civilian Faction’s army, to which Lebilus belonged, was defeated by Sula, and he was imprisoned as a public slave. His wife never remarried, and when Florist led Lebilus and his unit of army slaves to join Maximus’ army, she somehow got word of this, bringing their 12-year-old child to Campania, where she found Lebilus in Pompey and eventually joined the rebel army, which became a well-talked story at that time.

Later, however, everyone discovered that Lebilus’s wife had a volatile temper and was somewhat arrogant, and thus, most were reluctant to associate with her. Although it was heard that her temper had improved after the Nix Tribe was established, lasting impressions were hard to change.

For Nexia’s visit, Lebilus’s wife was surprised and repeatedly grateful, finally making Nexia realize she really had changed a lot.

After comforting the wives of the department chiefs, Nexia went on to visit other tribe members’ families.

After covering over a dozen tents, she felt her body weary, and her legs heavy. Remembering that she still needed to massage Florist Luscia and Geniandafra later, she had to cease her rounds.

On her way back to the main tent, Nexia couldn’t help but marvel: just a small attempt tonight made her feel it was hard to persist. Yet, last year, when the leader led the army northward in Italy, every night at camp, he made rounds to visit the soldiers’ tents without fail. How did he manage to keep it up!

....................................

The sun set, and darkness fell.

The roads on the south bank of the Kupa River, and the camps beside Todledo Village, were devoid of movement. Whether it was the Nix or the migrating Aldean tribal members, they had all settled in and were resting, with everything around quiet.

Only a tent at the entrance of the camp still shimmered with light.

Inside the tent were three people. The Commerce Department clerk, camp supervisor Manas, along with Secretary Department Intelligence Section Chief Casius and Secretary Document Section Chief Naisuya, sat around a small fire pit. The wood burning in the pit brought warmth into the tent.

Having been separated from his partners for several months, Manas was enthusiastically recounting his experiences in the Commerce Department during this period, while Casius and Naisuya listened intently, munching on the beans in their bowls, chewing with a crunching sound.