Ancient Rome: From Slaveholder to Supreme Emperor - Chapter 5

Caesar was expected to spill blood despite only being 12 years old; This was a tradition of the Roman nobility.

The Romans were militant, bloodthirsty and aggressive. It was the only way they were able to conquer so much land, and later, build the Colosseum.

Due to the vast size of their territory, they were either always at war or had to deal with rebels somewhere in the empire.

Once war broke out, the noble’s children would form an elite unit to suppress riots or expand the territory and earn merits.

So, when they came of age, the aristocratic children would join the army and either gain merits or use their money and connections to help them rise in the ranks.

These nobles were practically veterans by the time they got to the battlefield; otherwise, they wouldn’t earn merits, but lose their heads instead.

So it was very common practice for young aristocrats to use slaves as training dummies. As slaves had no rights and were viewed as little more than cheap speaking tools.

The slave markets usually opened later in the day, but at the arrival of Aurelia and Caesar, the traders respectfully invited them in.

The high nobility had the first pick of all slaves. No other slaveholders were allowed to buy slaves before them.

Slavery was a lot more rigorous and cruel than anyone could have imagined!

This was one of the insights Ye Tian gained after coming to Rome.

“Why is it you again?”

After squeezing through the crowd, Ye Tian noticed Colt at his side. Even though Ye Tian hadn’t said anything, Colt was already grumbling.

“Our fates are connected – it’s the will of the gods; praise them!” Ye Tian smiled brightly.

“I don’t want to share my fate with you, bastard…” Colt pronounced while glaring at Ye Tian.

“Your daughter is very beautiful. Sexy, too,” Ye Tian muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Colt to hear.

“Bastard, if you dare to touch Maria, I will tear you apart!” Colt growled in response.

Ye Tian quickly ran into the crowd to hide.

“Clang!” Aurelia’s bodyguards drew their swords and pointed them at Colt.

“Sir, sorry, I am very sorry, I should not disturb you…”

“I’m sorry for disturbing you. Please forgive me!” Colt immediately knelt down, his face pale.

“Let him go…”

At Caesar’s soft and immature voice, the soldiers sheathed their swords and returned to his side.

“Thank you, noble Caesar! Thank you, honourable Caesar!” Colt quickly thanked Caesar.

“Satan, you son of a bitch!!”

After Caesar disappeared into the crowd, Colt stood up and quickly looked through the crowd, trying to find Ye Tian. Colt realised he was gone, he cursed and gnashed his teeth in anger.

He knew Ye Tian had set a trap for him; he broke out into a cold sweat when he thought about how he almost died just then.

Noble families, like Caesar’s, had plenty of enemies. Some were merely political, others had personal grudges. It was not uncommon for prominent nobles to be assassinated by their rivals.

Just now, Aurelia could have had her men kill him just because he shouted.

“Damn you, Satan…” Unable to find Ye Tian, Colt wiped his sweaty brow and cursed to himself.

“Bastard, come out and fight me!”

Snickering, Ye Tian grasped Angela’s hand and hid in the crowd.

“Umm?”

Ye Tian shook from the murderous aura he suddenly felt from the crowd.

Killing intent!

It couldn’t possibly be aimed at him. He’d only been in this world for a little over a year. He stayed out of trouble and focused on being friendly, making lots of friends. He never offended anyone.

Despite Colt having grievances against him, it was strictly business; he was not a dangerous rival. Ye Tian knew the man’s character; he was the kind to take whatever advantage he could, but was as timid as a mouse. He would never send such killing intent.

However, Ye Tian wasn’t even sure that the ‘killing intent’ was for him; it was but a feeble breath. He figured that due to the system changing his body, he became a lot more sensitive and noticed the danger even though it was not aimed at him.

It must be aimed at Caesar or Aurelia!

Ye Tian pondered for a moment . A large family like Caesar’s could rise to a very high level in society, but no one knew the pile of corpses they left behind. They undoubtedly made many mortal enemies during their struggles.

If I get the chance, should I save them?

Ye Tian began to plan, weighing his options.

He had the confidence to save them, but if he did, it’d be harder for him to raise money in secret, and all his schemes could come out into the open.

However, by not taking the chance, he might miss the opportunity to gain a powerful patron.

If he could gain Aurelia’s favor and the support of her family, his plans could go well.

Ye Tian decided to go with the flow, while thinking about the tasks given to him by the system. Even if he failed to gain Aurelia’s favor, he would still get some kind of reward. At that point in time, it would be a big boost for Ye Tian.

After all, Caesar’s life was invaluable.

Ye Tian quickly made up his mind.

I hope you won’t let me down!