Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 308 Visitors
The route in the eastern Mediterranean was already very mature, and apart from that somewhat dramatic pirate attack, they did not encounter any other problems. The group eventually arrived in Ephesus from Egypt smoothly as planned.

The two of them had plans for the next few days. Cleopatra would first visit some local celebrities and dignitaries. The Ptolemy family had always had some kind of connection with these big figures in the Greek world. She wanted to win some support from these people and then get some sponsorship.

She also planned to give a speech in the local area to win over some people. Orville was pessimistic about the effectiveness of these actions, but Cleopatra herself regarded these actions as part of "royal duties", so there was nothing much to say and it was understandable.

Orville conducted a surprise inspection of his own industry in Ephesus - the feedback was good, the accounts were clear, the personnel composition was not unclear, and there were definitely some minor problems with the funds, but they were still acceptable. Orville let these people off this time.

His industries in the Pan-Hellenic region were managed by his former comrade-in-arms Capua Valerianus. Since he had some kind of worshipful feeling towards Orville, Valerian naturally chose to accept the recruitment later. Working with Orville at this time, his loyalty was somewhat guaranteed.

As a descendant of a merchant family, he was impeccable in his work and could do well with a little guidance and familiarity. The industries in the Pan-Hellenic region had been expanding steadily and slowly under his leadership and had now reached a certain scale.

Of course, Orville did not put all his hopes on self-awareness. He imitated the model of some countries or companies in later generations and established a prosecutorial team directly under his own command, which was highly mobile and random, to monitor and eliminate various hidden dangers and pests in his own industry.

This can also be considered as accumulating experience for future preparation. He should try his hand at experimenting with commercial organizations first, so that he can do similar things in politics in the future. He needs to know the scale and specific methods.

Domitian, who is still in her formative years, would have done something similar in history, establishing a prosecutorial agency and promoting the culture of informing in order to control the Senate.

But it was obvious that he went too far, and this kind of investigation and denunciation was mainly based on the public, which inevitably led to chaos and loss of control. More importantly, this close surveillance seriously infringed the interests of the senators, so he was very unpopular in the Senate.

After his death, he was sentenced to memory erasure. These intellectual leaders denigrated Domitian as a licentious and cruel tyrant, and most of his achievements were erased. In fact, the current view is that Domitian was not guilty of such a crime. He was a monarch with some ability, and even if he was not as good as his father and brother, he should be above the same level.

We can learn about gains and losses by learning from others. Orwell took Domitian's experience as a lesson and certainly should not make the same mistake. We should be more confident, smart and meticulous in doing things. Since we don't know how to do it, we should slowly accumulate experience through trial and error.

After completing the inspection work, he also planned to discuss trade issues with local wealthy businessmen and politicians. After the iron and paper here are produced, there must be buyers. Although there is no shortage of buyers for such strategic resources, it is safer to find them in advance. What's more, he also needs materials and has to exchange them with other regions.
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While Auvers was busy handling various business matters, a carriage stopped at the gate of a seaside villa outside Ephesus, and Cleopatra got off the carriage, led by a servant. At the gate of the villa, Cleopatra's sister Arsinoe stood there, wearing a casual silk dress, looking at her sister with a smile on her face.

She said in a detached tone: "I thought we sisters would never meet again in this life, but I didn't expect that there is still some kinship left between us."

Cleopatra looked at her helplessly: "I have always regarded you as a sister, and it is difficult for me to say what you think of me. As for the meeting, I don't really want to see you now. It may be better to give us some time to calm down.

It was Orville's wish to come to see you, so from this point of view, maybe you still have a chance. Maybe he will suddenly start to have the common problem of men, and start to be self-important and start to be a hero and cherish women, and then maybe he will show mercy and take you back to his hometown in Egypt."

Arsinoe said firmly, "That's impossible, sister. You have been with that man for much longer than I have. How can you not know what kind of character he is? I have only been with him for an hour or two and I can tell that if we compare him with other celebrities, he is definitely not a figure like Hercules or Jason. If we have to say, he has the character of a Persian, cautious and careful, not fond of heroic but reckless actions, and prefers to use those strange techniques to solve problems."

Cleopatra was noncommittal: "Maybe that's the case. My main purpose is to come to visit you. How are you doing here? Is there any problem that I or Orville can help you solve?"

Arsinoe waved his hand and refused generously: "Very good, His Royal Highness has given me enough freedom and provided me with a good amount of pocket money. I can be a rich man here peacefully, which is not bad."

As they talked, they entered the villa. Arsinoe showed Cleopatra various things with great interest, including silk fabrics and wool carpets she bought from Parthia, mosaics she bought from Rome, and elephant ivory statues she bought from Africa.
It seemed that she had developed many new hobbies after being placed under house arrest, which made Cleopatra feel vaguely comfortable - after all, they were sisters with blood thicker than water. She was not influenced by too many family customs, and did not have the habit of killing her brothers, sisters and children. It was always reassuring to see her relatives living better.

Although Arsinoe was a loser in the political struggle, she did not seem to be resentful. Instead, she was quite happy about the arrival of her sister. She prepared a sumptuous welcoming banquet for Cleopatra. It was not a zoo of rare species. It was obvious that Arsinoe had put a lot of thought into the taste combination.

Sitting casually on the chair, Arsinoe said to his sister, "Don't worry about me poisoning you. I never wanted to kill you from the beginning. I treated this place as my own palace. Killing you will not do me any good. I'm afraid that with the character of His Royal Highness, he will not let it go. I am not indispensable."

(End of this chapter)