Two days passed quickly.
The clone sailor was dragged by two mercenaries and removed from the cage holding the elderly and weak slaves.
The cage for the elderly and weak slaves contained educated Greek slaves and experienced craftsmen who had fallen into poverty for various reasons and had been forced by circumstances to sell themselves into slavery.
The difference between being locked in a cage with slaves who possessed special skills and ordinary slaves was enormous.
The atmosphere inside the wagons that served as cages differed greatly once night fell.
The atmosphere in the cage of the elderly and weak slaves was calmer, and most of the slaves maintained a pessimistic attitude toward life and avoided speaking with other slaves.
In contrast, the cages of the ordinary slaves were complete chaos when night arrived.
Inside the cages were people from all walks of life.
Criminals, prisoners of war, impoverished people, randomly captured individuals, vagrants, and so on.
The clone sailor had witnessed rapes and discreet fights in the middle of the night inside the cages of the ordinary slaves.
The mercenaries standing guard had little interest in interfering in minor disputes among the slaves.
As long as no one died and the slaves were transported to the market without obvious injuries on their bodies, the leader of the caravan would not blame any mercenary.
The mercenaries' task was to keep the slaves alive, and they had no interest in the minor physical or sexual assaults that might arise among the slaves themselves.
The clone sailor was thrown into a cage of ordinary slaves.
The leader of the slave caravan was not a benevolent person, and the reason for treating the new slave found near the sea was to earn more money from the sale of a new slave.
After the clone sailor had almost completely recovered in the cage of the weak slaves, the mercenaries threw him into a cage with ordinary slaves.
The leader of the caravan also knew about the practices among the slaves, and leaving the weakened clone sailor in a common cage would have meant death.
On the other hand, the clone sailor's stay in the cage of weak slaves could guarantee a safe recovery.
After recovering, the clone sailor was thrown into a common, foul-smelling cage containing ordinary slaves.
The clone sailor observed the nine men inside the cage, who watched him with wary and cautious expressions.
The foul odor of sweat, human waste, and dampness mixed together inside the cage.
The leader of the slave caravan was a businessman who understood the value of clean and healthy slaves, but the problem lay in the lack of water along the journey and the possibility of escape during the cleaning process.
Slaves were generally washed in groups like livestock within the slave market before being sold.
The clone sailor briefly analyzed the nine ragged men inside the cage and remained calm as he sat in a corner.
The nine men were not fools, and the calm displayed by the newcomer meant that he was a warrior or an experienced soldier.
Slaves experienced in combat were not easy prey, and confronting them almost always brought direct consequences.
Inside the cage, a group of three men observed the clone sailor with mild curiosity.
Time passed minute by minute, and the cage became quiet.
The caravan moved forward slowly, and the scenery also changed gradually.
The clone sailor was able to confirm that he was in Africa.
The few villages along the road provided many clues.
The scorching sun, the features of the people, and their clothing demonstrated that the slave caravan was wandering through the lands of Africa.
Night arrived quickly, and the slaves inside the cage remained quiet without attempting to test the newcomer.
The almost unfamiliar environment and the strange languages created a slight tension in the clone sailor, keeping him constantly alert.
Two days passed quickly.
Inside the cage, in the darkness, three men gathered in a corner of the cell and whispered.
"The mute is asleep. Boss, should we test him?" said a ragged man with a greasy face and an unpleasant expression.
"He looks like a warrior," said another man while showing doubts.
"It doesn't matter. He's unarmed, and we can subdue him easily," the greasy-faced man insisted again.
"He's a warrior. If we act, he's likely to resist and attract the guards," said the third man, who had remained silent until then.
The two men who had been arguing fell silent and nodded.
The purpose of subduing and violating the newcomer was entertainment and the release of stress caused by their uncertain future as slaves.
On the other hand, warriors were bolder and tended to be more vengeful after suffering a great humiliation.
The three slaves lived in the same cage as the clone sailor, and the chances of facing revenge would be very high.
After a brief analysis, the three men decided not to provoke the clone sailor.
The morning sun rose slowly, and another new day of travel began.
The caravan moved slowly across uneven dirt roads and difficult terrain.
Unlike Italy, in Africa the cities and villages were farther apart, and the distance between settlements was also considerable for a modern person accustomed to easily finding signs of human presence in most forests or places relatively far from large urban centers.
After nearly a week of travel, the caravan finally reached its destination.
A small city with a population of between 10,000 and 20,000 inhabitants could be seen in the distance.
The disorder and filth characteristic of large urban settlements of the era did not change regardless of the city's population.
Even the Greek region, with its greater social and cultural development, could be considered a region with little urban planning in its major cities.
In the entire world, the region of Campania and the major cities of China could be considered regions showing signs of urban planning.
The slave caravan entered the filthy city with ease, and a sea of people and different languages blended into the clone sailor's perception.
The slaves inside the wagons were quickly transported to a slave market.
The various smells and the noisy bustle of the slave market contrasted with the monotonous silence of the long journey over the past days.
The doors of the wagons serving as cages were opened, and the mercenaries dragged the slaves out amid shouting and blows.
In the middle of the bustling market, the slaves were gathered together like livestock.
Six large tubs of water and a dozen fierce mercenaries positioned themselves beside the slaves.
Amid the mercenaries' incomprehensible shouts and the crack of whips,
six slaves were chosen at random and stripped naked.
The mercenaries, armed with large brushes and buckets of water, began scrubbing the six slaves vigorously.
After ten minutes, the six slaves were dragged away and tied with ropes, and the process was repeated once again.
The naked slaves, with ropes around their bodies, went through another simple cleaning process.
The mercenaries dragged the slaves to a small, disorderly square.
The clone sailor remained calm throughout the entire cleaning process, and his attention was focused on observing every detail of the city.
The sale of slaves began, and amid bargaining and the shouting of a group of merchants and upper-class individuals, the slaves were sold in batches.
Because of his strong physique and warrior-like appearance, the clone sailor fetched a good price and was sold to a plump man adorned with gold ornaments.
The slaves purchased by the plump man were chained with stronger iron chains while a dozen guards watched over them.
From the appearance of the guards and the ornaments worn by the plump nobleman, the clone sailor concluded that he was in Egypt.
Egypt concentrated the vast majority of its population near the Nile River, leaving a vast expanse of land untouched by human interference.
The clone sailor was dragged away along with seven strong slaves.
The group of slaves left the city and advanced at a jog while following a group of guards mounted on horses.
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Colleagues, thank you for your understanding.
Last week, I started working, and over the past few days I have been very stressed.
I have three people under my supervision, and the person who previously held my position was very disorganized. I had to adapt quickly.
I wanted to write three chapters today, but unforeseen circumstances arose. I will be posting two chapters today or tomorrow.
I will try to maintain a writing pace of one chapter per day and repay the missed chapters from last week on Saturdays and Sundays.