Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1031: The Authentic Thurian Way of Bathing

Funded and built by the Kingdom of Daunia, the Kingdom Guest House was exactly what its name suggested: an inn meant to host the kingdom's guests, such as visiting foreign envoys or dignitaries.

At the moment, however, the guest house was primarily accommodating the town councilors and tribunes arriving for the Kingdom Assembly. Their numbers were enormous. The original building alone couldn't possibly hold them all, so the Senate had previously issued an official notice to all towns, advising attendees with relatives or friends in Thurii to stay with them if possible.

Over the past few years, the Department of Construction had built three or four similar structures and several standalone villas just south of the original building. All of these were collectively referred to as the Kingdom Guest House, which finally met the housing demand.

Normally, with the assembly's opening drawing near, the guest house should have been packed, and any remaining rooms would be of poor quality. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had drawn up a guest list in advance based on replies from the various City Halls and handed it to the manager. Naturally, Publius and Tibullus had excellent rooms reserved for them. Publius, in particular, was an esteemed Senator representing the Romans who had just joined the kingdom, so he was assigned the best accommodation in the entire facility—a standalone villa.

The villa stood three stories tall. The ground floor contained a living room and kitchen, while the second and third floors were bedrooms. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had ordered the construction of these villas specifically to accommodate visiting dignitaries bringing their families for extended stays.

An attendant led Publius into the villa. After a brief tour to familiarize himself with the layout, Publius immediately invited his escort, Tibullus, to stay there with him.

Tibullus gladly agreed and quickly canceled his original room reservation.

January was still winter. Even though Thurii bordered the sea, the weather remained quite cold. Yet Publius stood barefoot on the smooth marble floor of the living room, a look of sheer novelty on his face. The floor was actually warm.

Tibullus didn't immediately answer his unspoken question. Instead, he pointed out the door. "My lord, do you see that large building next door with steam constantly rising from it? That is a bathhouse."

Though Tibullus had never stayed at the Kingdom Guest House before, he knew a large public bath had been built in its center. Drawing on common knowledge, he explained, "The reason this floor is warm is undoubtedly because they channel the hot air from the bathhouse underneath it, heating the floor."

"Channeled the hot air down here?" Publius tapped the floor with his foot, looking even more astonished.

"The ground underneath isn't completely solid. When building this house, the craftsmen left empty spaces beneath the floor to allow the hot air to flow through..." By now, the architecture of bathhouses was common knowledge in Thurii, and Tibullus explained it with practiced ease.

"Let's go to the bathhouse after dinner!" Publius urged eagerly after hearing the explanation.

"My lords, you don't need to visit the public bath. There is a private bathroom right here in the villa," said the attendant who had just delivered their dinner.

Thus, after finishing their meal, the two men entered the bathroom connected to the villa. Though small, it possessed all the facilities one would expect from a standard bathhouse. The attendant had already notified the central bathhouse beforehand, so the channels supplying hot water and steam to this private room had been opened. By the time the two stripped off their clothes in the changing room and slipped on wooden sandals, everything inside was ready.

They passed through the changing room and stepped into the first small chamber. It was pleasantly cool in here, designed to let bathers relax and slowly transition into the bathing process.

But Publius was clearly impatient. He didn't linger, pushing open the wooden door to enter the next room.

The temperature in this room was noticeably warm, and the one after that was even hotter. He passed through three small rooms in quick succession, each hotter than the last, until sweat began to bead on his skin.

Pushing open the next door, he found a circular pool inside. He walked down the stone steps to the edge, tested the water with his foot—it was pleasantly warm—and immediately jumped in.

Publius submerged himself entirely, letting the soothing, warm water envelop his body and wash away the deep chill he had suffered from trudging through the mountains over the past two days.

Only after a long moment did he break the surface. "Haa!" he let out a satisfied shout, feeling completely revitalized.

He then noticed Tibullus soaking in the pool, leaning back against the wall with his arms resting comfortably on the edge, looking the picture of contentment.

Publius rubbed his body with his hands and said, "This pool is certainly nice, but it isn't anything particularly special. It's really just larger than a standard bathtub at home."

Tibullus smiled. "Lord Publius, you've only experienced half of what the bathhouse has to offer. Don't be so quick to judge."

"There's more?" Publius asked in surprise.

Instead of answering, Tibullus pointed toward a wooden door off to the side.

Publius climbed out of the pool and doubtfully pushed the wooden door open. Immediately, a wave of intense heat washed over his face. The room was shrouded in thick white mist, making it nearly impossible to see clearly.

While Publius hesitated to enter, Tibullus took the lead, stepping inside and taking a seat on a wooden bench. "This room is called the steam room," he explained. "It's the most important part of the entire bathhouse, and also the closest to the water-heating furnace. They sprinkle hot water onto the floor, where it vaporizes into mist from the heat, making this the hottest room here.

"According to the physicians in Thurii, moderately subjecting the body to intense heat exercises our internal organs, accelerates blood flow, and flushes out waste. It's incredibly beneficial for maintaining good health. I hear most of the elderly Senators love steaming themselves like this—"

Before Tibullus could even finish, Publius marched right in and planted himself on a wooden bench.

He quickly found the room stiflingly hot and humid, making it difficult to even draw a breath. Before long, he was sweating profusely. The sweat mixed with the thick mist, clinging tightly to his skin and making his body feel remarkably heavy.

Publius's first instinct was to stand up and leave the room immediately. But seeing Tibullus still sitting steadily opposite him, he recalled the man's words—the longer he persisted, the better it would be for his body. So he gritted his teeth and endured it, leaning back against the bench to make himself a bit more comfortable.

In the quiet room, surrounded by thick steam that obscured even Tibullus's face across from him, the intense heat made his mind swim. He felt drowsy, almost as if he were drunk, and an inexplicable urge to talk washed over him.

"Thurii truly is a massive city, far more prosperous than I ever imagined! It's vastly superior to Rome!" Publius sighed in admiration. "According to the Senate's mandate, I have to relocate to this city this year. But with so many residents in Thurii, I imagine securing a proper house won't be easy."

"That is very true. Thurii's population has been soaring in recent years. If I remember correctly, last year's census for the city and the entire Sybaris Plain—excluding the other towns in the Thurii Region—recorded around 49,000 households, totaling 238,600 people. And that doesn't even count the registered freemen, slaves, and transient population... With so many people, residential land is extremely tight. As you saw when we entered, the sheer size of the outer districts is the result of the city constantly expanding outward over the years.

"A lot of the farmland has now been built over with houses. The rent the citizens of Thurii collect from leasing out rooms is several times what they'd make from farming. Our Ministry of Agriculture has escalated this issue several times, but His Majesty said, 'As long as the kingdom's strength continues to grow, Thurii will inevitably develop at a rapid pace. This is perfectly in line with its status as the center of the kingdom. The citizens of Thurii have sacrificed a lot for the kingdom. Being able to make money by renting out houses is a form of welfare the kingdom returns to them. As long as they pay their taxes properly, there's no need to forcefully stop it. As for the food supply, the entire kingdom will feed Thurii, and the citizens aren't short on money, so we don't need to worry about them going without bread...'

"And His Majesty is absolutely right! The kingdom's territory is vast. We have the Plain of Catania, the Ophemian plain, the Capulia Region, Kroton, and now the newly acquired Campanian plains, the fertile lands of southern Sardinia, and—"

Tibullus paused for a moment. "...The Latium Plain... Furthermore, we can also import massive quantities of cheap grain from our ally, Egypt, so there really is no need to worry about food. The citizens of Thurii truly have given a lot over the years. In every major war, they form the core of the army, and consequently, they suffer the heaviest casualties. Even now, with this current war not yet over, the casualties among the Citizen Soldiers from the Thurii Region have already surpassed 10,000... They definitely deserve more."

Having worked in Thurii's Ministry of Agriculture for years, Tibullus could talk endlessly once the topic turned to the city's land and housing. "Because Thurii still forbids the buying and selling of land, owning a plot here is genuinely like holding onto a golden chicken that constantly lays golden eggs; you'll never have to worry about food or clothing again. However, the entirety of the Sybaris Plain... no, the entire Thurii Region had all its land fully distributed ten years ago. It's almost impossible for a new citizen to acquire land in Thurii now, unless he marries a Thurian widow who has lost her husband and has no children. And with this war, I'm sure there will be quite a few new widows... Sigh—"

Publius suddenly interrupted him. "I have a question. If a citizen of Thurii dies in battle and leaves behind no children, can't his land be inherited by his extended family or other relatives?"