Herald of Steel

Alexander spotted most of the people in the pools were too busy washing themselves to notice his and his 'strange' group's arrival.

Rather the entire place gave a sense of busyness and business, as despite how everyone was completely naked, people rarely spent any time looking at others.

Alexander felt pleased that there were no wary gazes and breathed a sigh of relief at the much cooler temperatures.

This also gave him a rare opportunity to observe the people in the pools and the first thing he noticed was that there was much less talking or other noise here.

People did not really chat or linger but seemed much more concerned about getting their baths done as quickly as possible and then moving on to the next room.

And as they cleaned themselves, Alexander noticed that the people did not use any soap. but simply their hands, or a best a small cloth to scrub off the oil they had put on before bathing to pick out the dirt.

Now this effectively did the same thing, as soap was basically solidified fat with a few chemicals added in.

But still this peeved Alexander a bit because initially seeing the bathhouses he had thought he found a great new market for his soaps.

However the pasha soon understood his thinking was too wrong- without mechanization, soaps were really a luxury product, costing anywhere from two to even three days of a commoner's wages.

This was an impossible expense to afford in a regular basis, especially when the thing could be gone within a week given the frequency of baths the people took.

"My lord, as you can see this is the main place of the bathhouse- the place where people bathe. Unlike the sauna, people rarely like to stay here more than it's necessary! It's mostly because it gets crowded. But also, the pool ground gets scalding hot. Look! Everyone is wearing those same thick sandals I gave you. It's so that the feet never need to touch the ground. But still, most do not like to stand on what feels like burning coal. If anyone somehow falls down…."

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While Alexander was thinking about making more money, Claude suddenly chimed up behind to introduce the place like this, and suddenly painting a grimacing picture, before lighting the place with a frank chuckle,

"This is also where we use the most amount of water. Even I don't know how much we use. So we try to make the people move along to reduce wastage, hahaha."

At these mentions, Alexander eyes subconsciously moved to the floor and imagined the large number of red hot copper pipes right underneath it.

Combine that with noticing the thick sandals everyone wore, Alexander suddenly felt that despite how ingenious the heating system of the bathhouse was, there were still some safety concerns to solve.

"I see. It is indeed very impressive." But Alexander kept these thoughts to himself and outwardly coolly nodded to Claude, his tone laced with an impressed chime.

"How frequently how do clean the water and scrub the place?" He then asked.

"Everyday! We let the water drain into the rivers at dusk and start the furnaces right at the crack of dawn. It takes us till noon to get the new waters up to temperature. We clean and scrub the floor within that time. Lady Miranda has always urged us the importance of cleanliness you see my lord."

"Mmm… impressive." Alexander mechanically repeated.

Although he did not know much of the flattery was true, but if Claude really did what he said, then he could see running a bathhosue was really not as easy as it seemed.

The maintenance and manpower involved was quite a hassle.

'And yet with all this widespread cleanliness, you still had a plague. *Sigh*' Alexander then additionally mumbled, as he thought of the probability of the same thing happening to him as well.

The mantra of staying clean and tiny was no true cure for stopping a plague.

It was more like a speed bump, meant to only make it harder for the contagious disease to spread and increase the intermission between each flare up.

...

Alexander finished touring the hot, humid bathing pools after a while, feeling he had seen enough naked people after a while.

So he was finally escorted out through the back- where their last destination waited.

"My lord, this is the last of the rooms. We call it the cold room."

Claude generously introduced, although perhaps it was a bit moot as the cool air hitting Alexander on the face the instant he stepped inside gave it away. ＲΆ𐌽őＢĚⱾ

It was another huge complex, filled with various kinds of pools and baths, made and designed pretty much like the previous hot room. only here the water was entirely unheated, letting the air feel almost chilly.

There were also rows of washrooms for the people on the sides to refresh themselves, as Claude succinctly explained the purpose of this place,

"My lord, the people come here after their hot baths to cool off. There are no heating pipes underneath these floors, it is just raw river water. In fact, in the summers we sometimes use ice from the storehouse to keep it as cool as possible. After a good sweat, it is important for the body to cool down as soon as possible."

Alexander really did not need this explanation as he could see the workings of the place in real time.

The entire place was filled with people, talking and chatting with each other like soaking themselves in the cool water while attendants dressed in uniforms sold them stuff like nuts, juices, and wine in wooden bowls or cups.

But given the people here were bare, Alexander saw there was no money being paid. He guessed the people had to pay the tab when they attempted to leave the place.

This made the man quite impressed at those hawker's memory- to be able to so accurately remember both the face and balance of payment for so many different customers at once.

Alexander also understood why the people in the previous were so eager to get their baths done in the previous room- after the hot, humid temperatures of the past two room, the coolness here flet like the gentle waft of the heaven to Alexander's soaked back.

His only complaint about the place was a bit too cold,

'Going from such heat and sweat to such coolness so quickly… it surely puts quite a shock to the body. That's how most people catch a cold. The contrast should be a lot less and a lot slower!'

But naturally, he kept such thoughts to himself.

...….

The cold room was the last place people visited before drying themselves up, returning to the gymnasium to retrieve their clothes, and finally exiting the premises.

So with this Alexander's tour of the bathhouse appeared to come an end.

Or that was what it seemed, as upon exiting the cool room through the back, instead of bidding Alexander farewell, Claude mysteriously gestured with a grand smile,

"My lord, it is a pity you have not been able to enjoy the bathhouse with so many people. I feel very responsible for this. So I have arranged for a private room usually reserved for nobles. Please through here!"

Alexander was both surprised and a bit glad at the arrangement because he indeed felt like he was missing out on the experience.

He would have loved to know how the whole thing felt for himself.

Who knew when he would get to experience the thing ever again?

Thus he eagerly followed Claude through an inconspicous door located right beside the cold room, which soon opened up to a small, four to five man wooden sauna.

The bubbling, boiling water was in the form of a small puddle but that was not what caught Alexander's eyes the most.

It was the three naked women who were waiting for him there on the wooden bench!

Claude from the back very obviously chuckled, "My lord, this a small gift we have prepared for you as an apology. Please! Enjoy them to the full of your liking. We will wait."

And at the invite, Alexander could not help but subconsciously take a second look at these presumably working girls.

Then upon inspecting the goods, he found that he would have to give some credit to the large man- Claude had really taken into account all his potential preferences, as the three girls were not simply cookie cutter placements of each other- they had their own charms.

Each was in a different stage of maturity.

One looked like she was in her mid to late twenties, quite mature for the time period. She had a plump, round face, with large, mirthful eyes, thick red lips, and generous curves both on her chest and hips.

The second girl looked like a teenager, youthful and energetic, with a tanned face and an excited look in her eyes. Slender build, she had healthy limbs and modest breasts, with a thin waist.

As for the last one, well Alexander felt she was almost too scandalous to look at- she looked like she had barely crossed puberty.

Big, baby doll eyes that turned to look at Alexander fearfully, the entirely flat chested girl had long, black hair that made Alexander think she was strangely similar to his 'wife in name' Fabiyana.

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