Bach, of course, did not care about Varo's life. The reason why he was willing to plead with Gaby was because of Zhang Heng.
Since that hard-fought victory, Bach began to pay more attention to this oriental man that he had never paid attention to before. He even secretly observed Zhang Heng from time to time during training.
The result made him even more confused. Zhang Heng did not slack off during training, and he seemed to be quite serious. However, his performance was just below average. It was not a coincidence that Gaby classified him in the group of "good attitude but limited talent".
Of course, Zhang Heng's oriental appearance was quite rare, and it could be used as a selling point. Therefore, Gaby decided to relax his requirements for Zhang Heng during the final assessment.
…
Three days was not a long time, especially for a person who had just suffered a major blow. This amount of time was far from enough for Varo to pull himself together.
But as Bach said before, everyone on the training ground had their own story behind them. Those who entered the gladiator school had their own reasons. Although it was not right to compete in a more miserable way, life was sometimes so cruel. One could not change the things that had happened. All they could do was try their best to seize the present.
But for now, it seemed that Varo could not seize the present. The former antique dealer planned to give up on himself.
And Zhang Heng did not do anything else. These extra three days were considered a friend, and he was fighting for the last chance for Varo. If Varo did not have the desire to survive, no matter how hard the others worked, it would be useless.
Although it was a pity, it seemed that Varo could only spend the rest of his life in a dark and gloomy mine.
But what Zhang Heng did not expect was a small accident on the afternoon of the third day.
There was a gladiator show in the arena. Because there was a lack of manpower, Gaby transferred Varo, who had no hope of passing the assessment, to help out. He also told Varo that he did not need to train anymore.
Gaby had completely given up on Varo. It just so happened that the appointed time had arrived. A group of new slaves would be sent to work in the mine the day after tomorrow, and Gaby planned to send Varo away at that time.
When Varo heard the news, there was still no expression on his face. He did not struggle or resist. His heart was completely dead, and he would do whatever Gaby said. He put down the training sword in his hand and obediently followed the supervisor to the arena.
His opponent, on the other hand, showed a hint of joy on his face. He was also unlucky. He had been assigned to the same group as Gaby during training, and the result was similar to chopping wood. Now that he had a different trainer, he immediately felt the pressure.
Zhang Heng watched Gaby's figure disappear at the entrance of the training ground. He did not know if this would be the last time he saw the antique dealer.
On the other side, Bach was peeking at Zhang Heng as usual, and Gaby saw it. He snorted in dissatisfaction, clapped his hands, and asked everyone to stop what they were doing. After that, he announced a new piece of news — from today onwards, everyone's training load would be doubled.
As soon as he said that, there was an uproar. These reserve gladiators were already working very hard, and their training was much heavier than the previous gladiators. If they were to double their training, they would not even have time to sleep and eat. Putting aside the issue of the assessment, they might not even be able to make it to the assessment.
Zhang Heng frowned when he heard that. He could see that Gaby was a little anxious. Although there was no scientific training in this era, the gladiators were a money-making tool for the gladiator school. Under normal circumstances, the school would pay attention to the maintenance of the gladiators.
Whether it was the amount of training or the frequency of performance, there would be an upper limit. Other than that, the gladiator school would also use massages, baths, and strict diet control to keep the gladiators in good condition. After Zhang Heng and the other gladiators entered the school, their staple food was basically whole-wheat food. Other than that, the school would also make them consume ground bone powder to enhance the strength and toughness of their bones.
Gaby announced that he would increase the intensity of the training, and it would be doubled. The trainees' bodies would be severely damaged. It might be effective in a short period of time, but it was not cost-effective in the long run. However, Gaby could not care so much now.
That was because he had just talked to Habitus, and the result was not optimistic.
The Gauls were very cunning, and no one knew where they got the news in advance. They knew that Gaby was worried about Sethnets's successor, so they demanded the gladiator school to invest more in them instead of just using them as a consumable in an emergency.
Habitus was a veteran gladiator, and he knew very well how this business worked. There were many twists and turns in the process. Gaby wanted him to replace Bach until he became stronger. After that, in order to squeeze all the value out of him and recover the cost he invested in him, Gaby would definitely arrange a duel between him and Bach, allowing Bach to use him as a stepping stone.
There was nothing more eye-catching than an opening like this. It could arouse the audience's interest in Bach.
Gaby's plan was good. The only problem was that Habitus did not want to be Bach's successor.
If Habitus were a slave, Gaby could disregard his opinion and force him to obey his orders. Under normal circumstances, the gladiator school would not force star gladiators to do things they did not want to do. However, this was a special time. Habitus was different from Bach, Zhang Heng, and the others. He was a free man.
And he was not a free man who was emancipated from a slave. He was a Roman citizen, just like Varro. He became a gladiator for money and the love of women. Although he had signed a contract with the gladiator school, requiring him to perform at least a few years' worth of performances after completing his training, it was only a superficial restriction.
And the things that Gaby discussed with him could not be put on the table. All gladiator schools had unspoken rules when they arranged the duel. They had to consider the topic, promote the newcomer, and so on. However, the audience would not want to see what they saw to be carefully arranged. This kind of thing could not be written into the contract.
Of course, Habitus's contract had not been fulfilled yet, and he did not want to have a bad relationship with the gladiator school. However, it seemed impossible for him to sacrifice his own interests to cooperate with the gladiator school. And Gaby also doubted whether Habitus could survive until Bach became stronger. So, the first negotiation between the two parties ended on bad terms.
Gaby had no other better way, so he could only turn around and continue to squeeze out Bach's potential. Anyway, Bach was still young. Although he looked a little rough, he was only eighteen years old. Even if he had some hidden injuries, they would not break out immediately.
And the others were completely unlucky. In order not to let Bach feel that he was the only one being targeted, Gaby simply asked everyone to train together.
Le Wen's mobile version was updated by:
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
