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Chapter 790: 790

Chapter 790: Meeting Commodus For The First Time

Before the departure, Zhang Heng received some information provided by Mark Reuss . Among them, the opponent he needed to pay attention to was a man named Sartonilos .

The latter was a gladiator of the same age as Sethnets . When he began gaining fame, Sethnets happened to be at the peak of his career . Hence, Sartonilos’s name was entirely overshadowed by Sethnets . Displeased by such injustice, he decided to challenge Sethnets .

However, the two belonged to different gladiator schools . In other words, they could not meet up to fight with each other . If Sartonilos wanted to challenge Sethnets, both gladiator schools needed to agree .

But at that time, Sethnets was already going downhill . Hence, Mark Reuss did not want him to lose his hard-earned reputation to other gladiators from different schools . Because of that, Sartonilos’s school doubted if he was powerful enough to defeat their Sethnets . Besides, since they had already heard the rumor about Sethnets’ impending retirement, they would let him do that first . By that time, Sartonilos would be able to claim the throne . It was the safest approach .

On the contrary, if the two fought against each other, and Sartonilos defeated Sethnets, his reputation would skyrocket . However, if he lost to Sethnets, who was about to go on retirement, it would significantly affect Sartonilos’s reputation since he was in his prime . Besides, his school still expected that he would earn them a lot of money in the coming years .

Considering that the risks and returns were unproportional, the gladiator school did not agree to the battle in the end .

But it was undeniable that Sartonilos was indeed the most powerful gladiator after Sethnets . After Sethnets’ retirement, some people thought that he was the greatest gladiator in Rome . Recently, however, some negative rumors revolvrf around Sartonilos . It seemed he had sprouted a new addiction to alcohol and had not participated in any gladiatorial performance for a month .

When the rest saw him today, it turned out that the rumor was true .

That said, his glorious battle record was something that would remain unchanged . Many gladiators in Rome were still very jealous of him . As for those hillbillies from the gladiator schools outside of Rome, they knew nothing about Sartonilos, which was why they dared to provoke him so recklessly .

The unfortunate gladiator that Sartonilos killed served as a lesson for everyone that they should not mess with him . Not only was his face destroyed, but it also seemed like he could no longer participate in the subsequent gladiatorial performances . This was something that his gladiator school had to worry about .

After Sartonilos turned around and sat back on the steps, a slave immediately carried the dead gladiator on the ground out of the door . When the other gladiators looked at Sartonilos again, they were awe-inspired .

Because of this episode, the noisy front hall had become quieter, and the gladiators had become more cautious of him . After all, the grand gladiatorial performance was about to begin and it was only logical that one should avoid all possible conflicts at this time . Nobody wanted to be disqualified by the organizer before the battle began .

Not long after that, a servant walked out of the back room and walked directly to the place where all the gladiator school’s owners were . After hearing what he said, Mark Reuss and the others put on their best look and immediately summoned their respective gladiators to stand in the front hall .

They had been waiting for quite some time tonight, and were growing impatient . After all, they were like emperors in their respective gladiator schools and waiting for others was uncommon for them . However, when they saw a group of men and women coming out of the dining hall, they had to try their best to squeeze out a smile .

As Mark Reuss said, the people who came here tonight represented the most powerful individuals in the entire Rome . Every single one of them was powerful to cause an impact on the political situation in Rome . For gladiator school owners like Mark Reuss, those were the people that they did not dare to offend .

And at the center of all those influential people were a young man and a middle-aged man .

Among them, the middle-aged man was the host of this dinner—Dior . The Senate was composed of more than six hundred people, and he controlled fifty seats . The other one-hundred seats had to show him great respect as well . In other words, before carrying out any proposal in the Senate, one had to seek his approval first . For those proposals that he objected to, they would never get to see the light again .

Such a well-respected and powerful figure was now treating a young man with respect .

Without the introduction by others, Zhang Heng already knew who the young man was .

Other than the emperor of the Ancient Roman Empire, no one could make Dior lower himself . Although the others were quite powerful, they could only humble themselves in front of the two of them .

“Your Majesty, this is the warrior I have found for tomorrow’s gladiatorial show,” Dior said .

A group of nobles walked down the steps, looking curiously at the gladiators in the front hall as if they were picking goods in a shop . From time to time, some of them would pat the gladiators’ shoulders and pinch their chests .

“They all look very strong . There should be a good show tomorrow . ” A strange look flashed through the young emperor’s eyes, especially when he saw the gladiator that looked like a giant . He reached out and wanted to touch his skin but before he could complete his action, something seemed to cross his mind . So, he retracted his hand . He then coughed twice and put on a serious expression, “You have done well . The people will thank you, Dior . ”

“Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty . What I have done here is nothing compared to your great achievements . You have solved the troubles caused by the barbarians at the border . You brought back the long-lost peace to Rome again . This is something that your father could not complete when he was still ruling . It is an honor for the Senate and me to complete these trivial matters for you . Rest assured, everything will be executed perfectly . Nothing will go wrong in the performance later . The people of the entire city of Rome will be grateful that they are able to enjoy such a high-quality gladiatorial performance . ”

“If that is the case, it’s great then,” said the young emperor . “I know that I still have a long way to go to become as good as my father . I’m just following his teachings and his example . My father always said that being with a wise man will also increase my wisdom . I think you and all the members in the Senate are the wise men that he talked about . ”

“You really flatter me . ” Dior bowed slightly, but seemed a little hesitant to speak .

“What’s wrong?” the young emperor asked .

“I hope you don’t get me wrong, Your Majesty . Your father is undoubtedly a great emperor . Losing him is the loss of the entire Rome . But, fortunately, we still have you here with us . Since you call me a wise man, then maybe I can also give you a small suggestion . ”

“I’m all ears . ”

“I heard that some people in the military do not support the truce that you made with the Germanic tribe . They think it goes against your father’s will, but I hope you know that the Senate will always be on your side . You made the right choice . As I said, your father is great, but maybe it’s time for us to look forward . You are the emperor of Rome . Sometimes you don’t have to keep thinking about what your father will do in such a situation or what he expects you to do . You have done a good job about the armistice . The people of Rome are happy with the decision you’ve made . So, try to give yourself a break sometimes,” said Dior .

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