During Zhang Heng's second meeting with Hyacinth, he could clearly feel the Balance Blade's attitude toward him.
Even when he took the initiative to warn Hyacinth and told him that the Altrus who would appear next to Commodus tomorrow was a fake, Hyacinth was unwilling to disclose more information related to the next operation. It was obvious that he did not fully trust Zhang Heng.
And Zhang Heng was a little helpless about it. This was probably the side effect of him not believing in Kreis, causing the Balance Blade to be quite skeptical about his position in this war.
Considering that he was now doing well by Commodus's side, it was also worth exploring whether he was willing to give up everything he had to maintain the balance. The Balance Blade obviously did not want to bet on Zhang Heng's loyalty at this time.
This was understandable. If Zhang Heng was in the Balance Blade's position, it would be difficult for him to trust a newcomer who did not have much sense of belonging to the organization. However, Zhang Heng found that he had become an outsider.
The next morning, Zhang Heng arrived at the palace on time to report. Unlike before, Clint acted as if he did not see Zhang Heng this time. He was still talking to his colleagues around him. With Clint setting an example, the other related personnel treated Zhang Heng coldly.
Zhang Heng knew that Clint was expressing his dissatisfaction with him for not persuading Commodus. However, his attention was now focused on the war between the Balance Blade, Altrus, and the Hounds. He did not intend to work as an advisor for long. Hence, he did not pay much attention to this kind of workplace struggle. So, he found a corner and stood there alone.
After a while, the imperial guard general who was in charge of the security inspection this time also appeared. It was a big deal for the emperor to leave Rome. The security along the way must be done well. Fortunately, the place where Commodus was going this time was not far. It was just twenty miles outside the city, and it was also a military camp.
Therefore, there was no need to bring too many guards with him. Sixty elite imperial guards were basically enough to deal with all emergencies. However, to be on the safe side, the imperial guards still sent nine squads this time, with more than a hundred people.
The main reason was that in addition to Emperor Commodus, Altrus was also among the people accompanying him this time. The latter's identity was very sensitive. There had always been rumors that assassins wanted to assassinate Altrus, and this was the first time he showed up in public. Hence, the imperial guards had to be on high alert.
The person leading this imperial guard was the military civilian officer Sebutul. Sebutul was wearing armor, holding a sword in his hand, and a red cloak on his back. He looked majestic. He also brought two centurions with him as his deputies.
When Zhang Heng saw one of the centurions, his expression changed slightly. He found that the centurion looked very similar to the portrait the one-eyed Samaritan gave him.
When Zhang Heng was in the southeast city, he was inexplicably assassinated. He chased the assassin and found the middleman. He learned that the person who hired him to kill him was probably from the imperial guards. However, at that time, he had no way of getting in touch with the imperial guards. Hence, his investigation had to stop there.
After Zhang Heng became an advisor, he did get in touch with the imperial guards. However, the imperial guards' base camp was not in the city of Rome. The imperial guards who guarded the palace and the emperor adopted a rotation system. They would change every once in a while. For the time being, Zhang Heng could only meet the imperial guards who were guarding the palace. He could not find his target among them.
The guards this time were said to be directly transferred from the base camp. As for the palace guards, they still stayed in the palace to protect the queen and the people living here.
Zhang Heng did not know the name of the centurion behind Sebutul. He was still being ostracized by Clint and the others. It seemed impossible for him to get any information from them. However, this was not a problem for Zhang Heng. So, he walked straight to Sebutul.
The military officer had just arrived at the palace, and he did not know about the dirty relationship between Zhang Heng, Clint, and the others. When he saw Zhang Heng walking towards him, he was very enthusiastic. He knew that the oriental man in front of him was a rising political star. However, when he arrived at the palace, he saw Zhang Heng standing alone in the corner. Before Sebutul could figure out why, he saw Zhang Heng walking towards him.
So, Sebutul took the initiative to shake hands with Zhang Heng. The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Although Sebutul and Zhang Heng belonged to different systems, it did not mean that the military officer did not need political allies, especially a political ally who had been with Commodus for a long time. He knew what the young emperor was thinking.
After exchanging pleasantries with Zhang Heng, Sebutul did not forget about his two important subordinates. He introduced the two centurions who accompanied him to Zhang Heng. He found that Zhang Heng seemed to be particularly interested in one of the centurions named Herto.
When Zhang Heng shook hands with Herto, he looked into the latter's eyes and asked, "Are you a Thracian?"
"Yes." Herto did not seem to want to look at Zhang Heng. After their eyes met for a moment, Herto looked away.
"Have we met before? You look a little familiar to me."
Herto was stunned. "Have we met before? No, I don't think so. I usually stay in the barracks. I don't go to the city much. "
As a commander, Sebutul took good care of his subordinates. When he saw that Zhang Heng was interested in Herto, and Herto did not seem to be very talkative, he took the initiative to help Zhang Heng. "Herto is an honest man, and he doesn't talk much. However, he is very brave in battle. He once participated in the Roman Parthian War with General Pompeo Nus, and he made outstanding contributions. After that, he returned to Rome with General Pompeo Nus and was transferred to the imperial guards. In fact, it's a pity that he is a centurion.
Sooner or later, my position will be his. "Not only did Herto not accept Sebutul's kindness, but his expression changed slightly. He looked at Zhang Heng from the corner of his eye and found that Zhang Heng's expression did not change.
Zhang Heng then said, "I didn't expect Centurion Herto to be so brave." After that, he shifted the topic to another centurion. After the four chatted for a while, they saw Commodus and a guy wearing a pursuer's helmet walking down the stairs.
So the crowd quieted down. This time, Commodus was no longer the protagonist in the room. In fact, most people's eyes were focused on the strange figure next to him.
The man wore a thick helmet on his head. The pursuer's helmet was designed to protect the pursuer's head, so the material used was very thick. Basically, it covered the head tightly, leaving only two holes for observation.
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