Perhaps it was because they were about to be sent to the gladiator school to become gladiators, the work assigned to them was not too heavy. For the time being, Zhang Heng did not have to experience the cruel oppression of the evil slave society.
After finishing the work at hand, the supervisor did not appear again. It was as if the supervisor had forgotten about them when he assigned them new tasks. So, Zhang Heng and Varo, the two new slaves who had no self-awareness, started to slack off.
Zhang Heng took the initiative to communicate with Varo, hoping to get as much useful information from him as possible. After all, his understanding of ancient Rome was limited to some relatively famous historical figures and historical events. Varo, on the other hand, was different from ordinary slaves. Before he became a slave, he was a Roman citizen and a businessman. Hence, he was well-informed. And unlike his burly body, he was very kind. At the same time, he probably felt that he owed him for what he did just now. Hence, he answered every question Zhang Heng asked him.
Considering the current situation of the two, Zhang Heng first asked Varo about slave-related matters. From Varo's words, Zhang Heng knew that although slaves were at the bottom of Roman society, the fate of different slaves seemed to be quite different.
"Of course," Varo explained patiently. "For example, staying in the city is usually much better than being sold to the countryside. That's because the city is relatively wealthier, and the living conditions of the slaves will be better. And some nobles need to consider their reputation and show their kindness. Most of them will not exploit their slaves too much. Your job is basically to take care of the master and mistress, cleaning, and so on. There's not much hard work, but living in the countryside is miserable."
Varo licked his slightly dry lips and continued, "If you are sold to the countryside, you will either be forced to farm or work in the mines. The food and living conditions there are not good because the owners will try to make you work more. They don't care about your living conditions. The more you work, the less you eat, the more they earn. The female slaves are even worse. They may be asked to keep giving birth. Every time they give birth to a child, they will earn a sum of money. Whether they keep the child for themselves or sell it, it's a good choice."
"What about the investment you mentioned?" Zhang Heng asked again.
"Oh, this is the best fate for a slave like me who has a certain talent. I can ask my master to invest a sum of money and open my own shop. As long as you can bring a steady stream of income to your master, your status will naturally get higher and higher. You don't have to work hard to serve your master like other slaves. And if you're lucky, you can eventually get your freedom. In order to motivate the slaves, many masters will set a certain amount. After you earn that much money, you will become a Roman citizen again."
"Sounds good," Zhang Heng said.
If you can pass the assessment and become a gladiator, your status will be a little higher than ordinary slaves. If you can win a certain number of battles in the arena, you can also gain your freedom. However, it's too difficult. Many people with excellent combat skills on the battlefield can't even survive to that day, let alone us. By the way, where are you from? I've never seen you like this before. "" That's right. You're a gladiator, and you're a gladiator! "Varro hesitated for a moment, then added," Actually, being a gladiator … can be considered a way out.
"I am from the Great Han Empire in the East," Zhang Heng said.
He wasn't lying. In the second century AD, which was the Eastern Han Dynasty in history, the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were the two most powerful empires in the world. As a result, many villagers who had nothing better to do on the internet were very keen on discussing the winner of the war between the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire, and they were constantly arguing about it.
Unfortunately, even until now, although something like the Roman Cup was unearthed in China, the archaeologists had yet to reach a consensus on whether Rome and the Han Dynasty had any contact with each other, let alone who would win the battle. On the other hand, the topic of void confrontation became more and more popular because neither side could convince the other.
Sure enough, when Varo heard about the Great Han Empire, he was a little confused. "Then how did you come to Rome and become a slave?"
"I wanted to see what was in the west, so I prepared a trip. As a result, I encountered bandits in Persia. After that, I was sold to a slave dealer, and I ended up in Rome." Zhang Heng casually made up a lie that was not easy to expose.
"That's unfortunate for you, my friend from the East." Varo observed a moment of silence for Zhang Heng. From his point of view, Zhang Heng's temperament and well-maintained skin were proof that Zhang Heng was a noble in the Great Han Empire. Moreover, he was probably a noble with an extraordinary status.
However, Varo did not know what was wrong with Zhang Heng. Instead of a decadent ruling class life, he had to pursue poetry and distance. Now, he plunged into the arms of bandits. Not only did he become a slave from a noble, but he could no longer return to his hometown. It seemed like he would lose his life in Rome as well.
However, Varo did not feel sorry for Zhang Heng for a few seconds. When he remembered that his own tragic experience was not much better, his mood sank again. With this connection, he felt that his relationship with Zhang Heng had become a little closer. Both of them had a good life before they were suddenly turned into slaves. In this regard, they had a lot in common.
Varo could not help but pat his chest and say, "Don't worry. If I regain my freedom in the future and make money, I will redeem you from the arena and let you return to your hometown."
"Thank you very much," Zhang Heng said politely. He did not take Varo's promise to heart.
Since he knew that slaves were at the bottom of Roman society, he would certainly not be a slave forever. Fortunately, although Rome was in a slave society, the society was not completely without mobility. According to Varro, slaves could obtain Roman citizenship through hard work, and their status was even higher than that of foreigners. Similarly, civilians could also become nobles. Of course, the difficulty of this matter was definitely much more difficult than becoming a civilian from a slave.
Zhang Heng did not need to think so much at this stage. He just needed to get rid of his slave status first.
After that, the two chatted for a while until dinner.
In all fairness, the dinner was not bad. The richness of the meal was definitely not comparable to the one in the future. Other than beans, there was porridge. Surprisingly, there was meat and crabs in the porridge.
However, Varo was not happy when he saw the food. He whispered to Zhang Heng, "It seems that they really intend to let us enter the gladiator school."
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