Before he set off, Zhang Heng also received the information provided by Mark Reuss. Among the opponents that he needed to pay attention to, Sartonilos was one of them.
The latter was a gladiator of the same era as Sethnets. However, when he first rose to prominence, Sethnets was at his peak. Hence, his name was completely overshadowed by Sethnets. Naturally, Sartonilos was not convinced, so he challenged Sethnets.
However, the two belonged to different gladiator schools. Usually, they would not fight each other. If Sartonilos wanted to challenge Sethnets, he would need the approval of both gladiator schools.
However, at that time, Sethnets was already going downhill. Mark Reuss did not want Sethnets' hard-earned reputation to benefit the gladiators from other gladiator schools. On the other hand, Sartonilos's gladiator school also doubted whether Sartonilos could defeat Sethnets. After all, there were rumors that Sethnets was going to retire. So, they decided to wait for Sethnets to retire and let Sartonilos take over his position. That was the safest way for them to do that.
On the contrary, if the two fought against each other, it would be a good thing if Sartonilos won. His reputation would soar, and it would mean that he would be handed over to the first gladiator. But what if he lost? Sethnets was going to retire anyway, but Sartonilos was still in his prime. The gladiator school behind him still counted on him to make a lot of money in the next few years.
Considering that the risks and benefits were not proportional, the matter was left unsettled in the end.
However, it was undeniable that Sartonilos was indeed the gladiator who was the closest to Sethnets in his era. After Sethnets left, some people thought that he was the number one gladiator in Rome. Recently, however, there were rumors that Sartonilos had suddenly become addicted to alcohol and women. Now, he had not participated in any gladiator performances for a month.
And today, seeing him in person seemed to have confirmed this rumor.
However, with his previous achievements, the gladiators in Rome were still very afraid of him. Only the country bumpkins outside the city dared to provoke Sartonilos so recklessly.
The unlucky guy's ending was naturally pleasant to see. Not only was his face destroyed, but it seemed that he could no longer participate in the gladiator performances. Naturally, the gladiator school behind him would take care of this matter.
After Sartonilos turned around and sat back on the steps, the slaves immediately went over and carried the guy on the ground out of the door. After that, everyone looked at Sartonilos with more awe in their eyes.
Because of this little episode, the noisy front hall became a little quieter. The gladiators also became more cautious. After all, the gladiator performance was about to begin. No one wanted to be eliminated in advance because of a small conflict.
Not long after that, a servant came out of the inner room and walked directly to the place where the masters of each gladiator school were. Mark Reuss and the others finally perked up when they heard what the servant said. They immediately summoned their respective gladiators to stand in the front hall.
They had been waiting for quite a long time tonight, and they were already a little impatient. After all, they were the local tyrants in their respective gladiator schools. Usually, only others would wait for them. They had never stood in the courtyard in the cold wind. However, when they saw a group of men and women walking out of the dining hall, everyone tried their best to squeeze out a smile.
As Mark Reuss said, the people who would appear here tonight represented the most powerful class in the entire Rome. Any one of them could cause an uproar in the political arena. The masters of gladiator schools like Mark Reuss did not dare to offend them.
At the center of this power were a young man and a middle-aged man.
Among them, the middle-aged man was the host of this banquet, Dior. In the Senate, which was composed of more than six hundred people, he controlled about fifty seats, and more than a hundred seats followed his lead. In other words, any proposal in the Senate had to be approved by him before it could be implemented. And if he objected to a proposal, it would often be left undone.
And it was such a powerful man who was now so respectful to a young man.
Zhang Heng knew who the young man beside him was without the need for others to introduce him.
Other than the emperor of the Ancient Roman Empire, no one was worthy of Dior's humility. Although the others were also from extraordinary backgrounds, they could only stand around the two of them like stars surrounding the moon.
"Your Majesty, these are the warriors I found to participate in tomorrow's gladiatorial performance," Dior said.
A group of nobles walked down the steps, looking at the gladiators in the front hall curiously as if they were choosing goods in a shop. From time to time, some of them would pat the gladiators' shoulders and pinch their chests.
"They all look strong. There should be a good show tomorrow." A strange look flashed in the young emperor's eyes, especially when he saw the giant-like strong man. He reached out his hand and wanted to touch the man's skin. However, he seemed to have thought of something before he retracted his hand. He then coughed twice and put on a serious expression. "You have done a good job, Senator Dior. The people will thank you." "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty.
"Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty. Compared with your great achievements, what I have done is not worth mentioning at all. You have solved the problems caused by the barbarians at the border for the empire and brought peace back to Rome. This is something that your father failed to accomplish during his reign. It is an honor for me and the Senate to share some of the trivial matters with you. Please rest assured that we are already doing these things with ease. There will not be any mistakes in the performance. The residents of the entire city of Rome will be grateful to you for being able to enjoy this high-level gladiatorial performance."
"If that's the case, then it couldn't be better." The young emperor paused for a moment before continuing, "I know that I'm still far from my father. I'm just trying my best to follow his teachings and follow his example. My father always said that being with a wise man will also increase one's wisdom. I think you and the members of the Senate are the wise men he spoke of."
"You really flatter me." Dior bowed slightly, but he seemed to have something to say after that.
"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 a loss for the entire Rome. Fortunately, we still have you. Since you call me a wise man, maybe I can give you a small suggestion."
"I'm all ears."
I hope you can know that the Senate will always be on your side. You have 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 would do or what he expects you to do. You have done a good job with the armistice, and the people support you. So, you can let go of other things, "Dior said." I heard that some people in the military don't seem to support your decision to stop the war with the Germanic tribes. They think that this is against your father's edict, but I hope you can know that the Senate will always be on your side.
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