Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 65 Auction
Orville knew nothing about jewelry or luxury goods of this era. He could definitely see that the workmanship was exquisite and the materials were solid, but it was really difficult for him to guess the specific value.

But it was not the case with Domitia. Although she did not receive a formal royal education, as a member of the upper class, she still had the most basic vision.

Anyone who cares a little about these things can see that this pearl is large in diameter, round and shiny, with a delicate and smooth surface without any flaws. Overall, it is very suitable as an earring, and the craftsmanship is also in line with the value of the pearl, and is very fine and delicate.

There are not too many embellishments of gems and precious metals, and the overall processing is natural. It does not look too vulgar and can bring out the noble temperament of the owner.

Domitia was amazed at the sight: "I don't know how much it is worth, but it should be enough to buy a very large mansion in the wealthy area of ​​Rome other than the Palatine Hill. It is a very, very precious thing, definitely."

Orville looked surprised and somewhat unbelievable.

Seeing his expression, Domitia suddenly had a strange thought: "Where did you get this thing?? I know you are not short of money, but it doesn't look like you can afford something like this."

"A friend gave it to me. It's absolutely true."

Orville quickly explained to the other party that he didn't want to be considered a thief or a robber. It would be troublesome if he was misunderstood.

"Female friend?"

"Yeah." Otherwise, Orville felt it was unrealistic for a man to give another man these pearl earrings.

"Your family must be very powerful, otherwise they can't afford something like this."

"Yeah." This is nonsense. I can't afford it if I don't have the money.

"is it beautiful?"

“Yeah.” Orville felt something was wrong, but he still spoke.

"Then wait for me a moment."

Domitia trotted straight out of the room and came back with Tia not long after.

As soon as she entered the room, Tia also began to frown: "Orvel, do you live in the utility room? Why is it so messy?"

Domitia waved her hand: "It doesn't matter, sister. I found a very serious problem. Orville secretly hid a very precious gift from a beautiful female friend. I think there is an affair, so I reported it to you immediately!"

Tia perked up when she heard that, and immediately forgot about the room, and asked nervously, "What?!"

"I didn't lie to you! We caught the criminal red-handed!"

Domitia was eager to watch the fun and quickly pointed at the pearl box that Orville had placed on the desk, which caught Tia's attention.

Orville looked at Domitia helplessly, and then Tia, who became unusually sharp, looked at Orville suspiciously in return.
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In fact, Orville and Cleopatra had only met once, so there was nothing to judge. Tia was a very reasonable person, and there was no problem if she explained it clearly.

Of course, Tia was somewhat puzzled. After all, this could not explain why the Egyptian princess had nothing better to do than send gifts to Orwell. At that time, Orwell was a nobody, a captain of the auxiliary army. He probably managed fewer people than the slaves who did odd jobs for the other party. The status of the two parties was not at the same level at all. Carefully analyzing the whole thing, it was indeed a bit strange, but things cannot be understood only with reason.

Even so, she would not blame Orville for anything, but attributed the matter to the fact that the Egyptian princess did not have a correct concept of money. In her eyes, this thing was worthless.

In fact, it is almost true. The Ptolemy royal family is the richest family in the Mediterranean, and Cleopatra is a super rich woman in every sense of the word. At her age now, she might still be a rich loli.

Egypt was originally rich and productive, producing grain, gold mines and various metals and stones. Alexandria was the trade center of the Mediterranean. The political situation in Egypt was different from that in Rome. The country's wealth was largely concentrated in the royal family.

They owned a large amount of land, merchant ships, state-owned banks and various resources. Rome took on most of the defense work, and Egypt only needed a security force to meet the needs. Under such circumstances, Ptolemaic Egypt's taxes were still very high, which led to the royal family being very extravagant and wasteful.

Perhaps for Cleopatra, this gift was indeed just a "casual gift".

"Anyway, I understand what happened. It's actually no big deal. Domitia, you're a little too suspicious," Tia ruffled her long, smooth hair, "Be more careful next time. You made me nervous."

Domitia nodded a little aggrievedly. Although she just wanted to watch the fun, she was also thinking about her sister.

After saying that, Tia looked up at Orville again: "Although I feel a little uncomfortable with your collection of this thing, it is an important gift after all, so I can understand it. Compared to this, can you make this place more spacious? How can you sleep when it is full of things and so depressing?"

Orville complained in his heart that the two were indeed sisters, but he remained calm on the surface: “I will try to change it to make this place look more spacious.”

He felt that this was just a way of expressing dissatisfaction and finding fault, but it would be better to just go along with the other person to avoid getting into trouble.

After Tia led Domitia out of Orville's room, Tia immediately patted Domitia's head affectionately and said, "Actually, you did a good job. Keep it up. What reward do you want this time?"

Domitia's eyes narrowed into crescents: "Come with me to the theater in ten days. There is a play I have always wanted to see."

"No problem. I'll go."
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After the two of them went out, Orville breathed a sigh of relief, and he finally managed to deal with it.

Looking at the pearl earrings lying safely on the table, Orville thought for a moment and put them away in the locker. In fact, he didn't particularly want to sell them, and he was even more so after knowing the value of this thing.

He still has the thinking of a modern person. In his eyes, all these historical figures have a halo around them. The pearl earrings given by Cleopatra are different from the pearl earrings given by the Egyptian queen. The former has humanistic value, while the latter is just an ordinary luxury item and is dispensable.

He also had a small treasury. When he went from Palphi to Rome, he brought a lot of carefully selected spoils of war. After selling these things, most of the holes were filled, and the rest could be filled by any way he could think of. It was difficult for him to become rich enough to rival a country, but it was easy for him to make some money.

After confirming his goal, Orville began his next plan.

A few days later, an auction was held as scheduled. Unlike the various simple auctions that had been held in Rome, this auction was promoted as a charity auction.

The organizers claimed that 30% of the profits from the auction would be donated to vulnerable groups such as veterans, families of fallen soldiers, war orphans, etc., and then began to vigorously promote the benefits and necessity of charity activities, calling on the rich and celebrities to actively participate, and the Flavius ​​royal family would also participate.

(End of this chapter)