Ancient Rome: From Slaveholder to Supreme Emperor - Chapter 4

The most powerful slave warriors were gladiators specially trained by slaveholders and were exclusively used for fighting;

Ye Tian really wanted to buy some of those gladiator slaves.

They were not only powerful, but trained to be utterly loyal and never betray their master.

At this point in time, the Colosseum had not been built yet.

The Colosseum‘s construction began in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80. That was almost a century from now.

Despite there being no Colosseum, many slaveholders still trained slaves to be used in gladiator matches; however, the venues weren’t as large as the famous Colosseum.

Slaveholders would lock their gladiators in a large iron cage and order them to kill each other. Where only the survivors could leave.

These ‘battle cages’ might have been the inspiration for the Colosseum of the future.

These fights always attracted large amounts of spectators to the venues.

Ye Tian was not only played with the idea of having his own gladiators, but he was also planning to build the Colosseum!

Once he had enough money, he would build a Colosseum, albeit a small one. It would probably hold no more than 20,000 people, but it would be a Colosseum nonetheless. By doing so, his wealth would vastly increase; tickets alone would make him a fortune.

Since he would set the rules, he could use his Colosseum to make loads of money and collect powerful warriors.

Of course, this was just a dream at this point. He had nowhere near enough funds to even begin such a large-scale project.

[Beep. The system has detected your thoughts and has issued a new task! Your mission: Build a small Colosseum within five years; begin construction on a large one within ten years. Reward – unknown.]

As the system rang clearly in Ye Tian’s mind, he paused before smiling bitterly. Build a small colosseum in five years and start building a large one within ten….

What an extremely hard task. To complete this task; he would not only require huge financial resources but a lot of influence, as well.

All of a sudden, the weight of his task hit him….

Ye Tian suddenly noticed that silence fell in the surrounding hustle and bustle. A noble woman escorted by a group of soldiers had arrived at the slave market.

The woman looked to be in her early 30’s, at the height of her beauty. Her demeanor was graceful and mature.

Her blonde hair was arranged in a high bun, displaying her swan-like neck. As a high-born Roman woman, her dress covered most of her body, including her torso and legs. Her white skin and curvy body were quite seductive.

Behind her trailed a young boy, around 11 or 12 years old. His hair was brown and slightly curled. Despite his age, his eyes were keen and filled with wisdom.

Gaius Julius Caesar!

When his gaze fell upon the boy, this name appeared in Ye Tian’s mind.

Damn, this boy was the young Caesar!

But now that I’m here, the great emperor will not be called Caesar, but Satan!!

A smile slowly appeared on Ye Tian’s face.

Since this child is Caesar, then the woman must be his mother Aurelia.

Ye Tian knew of Aurelia’s beauty, but he didn’t expect her to be that stunning. She must’ve been a real knockout in her youth.

Aurelia was from the Aurelius Cotta family. They were a prominent family in the Republic, with Caesar’s grandfather, Lucius Aurelius Cotta serving as a consul in 119 BC.

In the Roman Republic, a consul was the highest possible elected rank; with only two elected each year. They were, in fact, the head of the Republic; responsible for commanding the army, presiding over Senate meetings, implementing decrees passed by the Senate and representing the Republic in foreign affairs.

At this point in time, Caesar’s father had probably just been elected as a senator, which meant he had some influence over the decisions the Republic would make.

It was clear that Caesar was born with a silver spoon in his mouth as he belonged to an influential, aristocratic family. His father had a distinguished career, serving not only as a praetor and quaestor, but he had also been proconsul of Asia.

Caesar was incredibly perceptive; he looked straight into the crowd, evidently feeling Ye Tian’s gaze. However, he could not find the owner of that gaze.

“Damn!”

Ye Tian sighed and averted his eyes when Caesar looked to the crowd.

No wonder he became Rome’s greatest emperor!

“Mother, is this not a slave market? Why are we here?” Caesar asked curiously, wrinkling his brow.

“In three years time, you will be an adult. Before that, you need to ‘spill blood’ and become a real man. Today you are going to choose a slave and kill them. The year after next, you will kill a soldier – a prisoner of war. You must become a man worthy of our family.”

Although Aurilia spoke quietly to Caesar, Ye Tian could still overhear the conversation. (ed. damn does he have super hearing now?)

Spill blood?

As expected, they may have been distinguished nobility, but they definitely weren’t sheltered flowers to be pampered and fawned over. In some ways, their upbringing was harsher than a commoner’s.

Ye Tian was under no illusions when it came to ‘spilling blood’ –  he knew exactly what it meant.