While Zhang Heng was looking at Decius, Decius was also sneaking glances at Zhang Heng.
He had already read Zhang Heng's letter of appointment, and he knew that the oriental man in front of him was Commodus's newly appointed consultant. He was here to deal with the bronze statue's delay.
Decius wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and took the initiative to say, "There is actually no problem with the craftsmen. We have already cast the model a long time ago. All we need to do is pour the bronze solution into it, wait for the solution to cool down, and break the outer layer. However, the Binota Mine, which has been supplying us with copper ore, had an accident recently. The mine tunnel collapsed, burying about twenty slaves. The rest of the slaves are still cleaning the mine tunnel. We don't know when they can start working again. Without the ore, we can't continue."
"What about changing to another mine? Do you have a backup option?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Yes, there are four mines on the outskirts of Rome. Binota is just a small mine, and we have signed an agreement with another mine. If Binota can't satisfy us, then the other mine will deliver copper ore to us. But …" Decius wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.
"But what?"
"But recently, His Majesty the Emperor has been casting new copper coins. The ore produced by other mines has been prioritized over the other side. They have no extra ore to give us." Decius spread his hands.
"What about the copper mines produced by other cities?"
"With the transportation cost, the price will be nearly double. And it will take time to transport them here. I'm afraid we won't be able to make it in time." Decius also seemed very helpless. He was not the son of the first wife, so he could not inherit his father's seat in the Senate. To prevent him from starving to death, his father fought hard to get him this job. Initially, he thought that if Decius worked hard, he would be recognized by Commodus, and he would get a stable job in the future.
In the end, this job that he couldn't mess up no matter how he looked at it, was about to be messed up by him. Decius felt wronged as well. Firstly, he did not take any commission, and secondly, he did not mistreat his subordinates. He had been working hard all this time, but somehow, he failed. He could only say that he was a little unlucky.
However, the new consultant in front of him did not seem to think so. After Zhang Heng heard that the delivery of the bronze statue was overdue, he asked Decius, "You said that there was an accident at the Binota Mine. Did you see it with your own eyes?"
"Ah?" Decius was a little dumbfounded when he heard Zhang Heng's words. "Do I still need to check on this matter? According to the contract between us, if you fail to deliver the goods on time, you will have to pay a fine."
"How much?"
"Well, about 20 Olis a day. That's not a small amount. After so many days, I'm afraid that they won't be able to make any profit this time. If they continue to delay, the mine will probably lose a lot of money."
"20 Olis a day. Even if the mine can't afford it, there are plenty of people in this city who can." Zhang Heng said faintly, but he did not say anything more. The fight between Commodus and the Senate was obviously not something a small character like Decius could know. Zhang Heng just said, "Do you know where the Binota Mine is? Let's go there together."
"Now?" Decius was a little troubled. "But it's not time to call it a day yet."
"Are you working now?"
"No … no," Decius answered honestly.
"Then prepare the carriage," Zhang Heng finally said.
"…"
Although Decius did not understand why Zhang Heng had to go to the mine, he still dutifully introduced the Binota Mine to Zhang Heng and the owner behind it. According to the information provided by Decius, the owner of the Binota Mine was a big landlord named Cobb.
He was from an ordinary family, a powerless civilian. However, he accidentally fell in love with a girl named Magnia. The latter's father was very rich, owning a large field and two mines. Binota Mine was one of them. Magnia's father despised Cobb, and he had always opposed his daughter's relationship with the poor boy. Before he could choose a satisfactory son-in-law, he died of illness.
After that, Magnia married Cobb as she wished. Since her father had no other children, Cobb became the new owner of this large field and two mines. He also got the nickname Cobb the Lucky Cobb.
"I have known Cobb the Lucky Cobb for some time," Decius said. "I bought a batch of food from him before, for my family. That guy doesn't talk much, but he is quite reliable. I don't think he will lie about the mine accident. Besides, it won't do him any good." Decius said.
Zhang Heng did not comment, but continued to ask, "Do you know who he usually contacts? Or who is his biggest buyer?"
"Well, Cobb basically spends most of his time patrolling the fields or wandering around the two mines. Although he is not a bad person, he is not the kind of person who likes to make friends. As for his biggest buyer, I heard that he sold all the wheat he planted to the senator, Divo Braille. More than half of the grain stores in Rome are owned by Divo Braille."
"Who?"
"Divo Braille. Why? Do you know him?"
Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows. He did not expect to hear the name of an acquaintance. Divo Braille was the person that the Jewish Gang and Golden Crown asked him to deal with. It was because Zhang Heng agreed to their request that he was given the right to develop the patrol team in the southeast city. After that, the three major forces in the southeast city even helped him pass the assessment perfectly.
However, Zhang Heng did not know if this matter was related to Divo Braille. If it was, how deep was Divo Braille involved? Zhang Heng's intuition told him that he might be able to use this matter to drag Divo Braille into this mess. On the other side, Decius was envious.
Zhang Heng was simply his idol. He was a gladiator, and he had climbed all the way to the position of an advisor. Not only that, he seemed to have met a lot of big shots in a short period of time after entering the political world. Although Divo Braille was not as influential as Dior in the Senate, he should not be underestimated. Besides, Divo Braille was a sly old fox who would not choose a side unless it was absolutely necessary. Hence, he did not offend many people, and he had many friends in the Senate.
Decius was thinking about how to get Zhang Heng to introduce him to Divo Braille. With that, he would have a backup plan if he failed his job. At least, he would not end up as a civilian.
But before he could speak, the carriage had already driven out of the forest path, and their destination, the Binota Mine, was right in front of them.
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