Chapter 815: Not That Bad
Although Zhang Heng had won the gladiatorial performance, he had more things to do next.
Earlier, Commodus awarded him a training sword symbolizing freedom under the eyes of more than 90,000 people. After that, he would need to go to the “Freedom House” on Trajan Square with Mark Reuss. There, Ruess was supposed to help Zhang Heng change his status from a slave to a Roman citizen.
After doing that, he would be considered a citizen of Rome. He had to go back to the place where he lived before to pack his things, bid farewell to a few acquaintances, and move out of the gladiator school. And in the meantime, he had to negotiate with Mark Reuss.
Before Commodus left the arena, he signaled Zhang Heng with his eyes. Since he wanted Zhang Heng to meet him right after he settled down, it was undeniable that he tried to recruit Zhang Heng to be part of his team. Other than that, Zhang Heng also wanted to meet up with Dadatis to determine if Balance Blade had planned the whole thing. If they had nothing to do with it, it could mean that other forces were targeting him.
In other words, he would have more problems to deal with. Fortunately, all those things could be solved one by one. After the performance, Zhang Heng first returned to the lounge, where the other gladiators were gone except for Bach and Terufelos.
It seemed the show that Zhang Heng forced Terufelos to put on had caused him a nervous breakdown. Terufelos was a little afraid to see Zhang Heng. After a short moment of hesitation, he decided to stay to express his gratitude.
He was no fool, knowing how much he had gained this time. With his previous wonderful performances, he had also left a deep impression on the audience’s hearts. Now, his status was second only to Zhang Heng. Especially when Zhang Heng regained his freedom, it would mean that he would become the most famous gladiator after this performance.
Until now, Terufelos still felt that he did not earn his rank fair and square. And Zhang Heng seemed to know what he was thinking. He then said, “What’s wrong with you? You are now the second-best gladiator after me.”
Terufelos was taken aback. It was a fact he was unable to deny now.
He was one of the candidates expected to claim the championship. And it happened that Satonilos and other gladiators did not perform well. Some even failed to pass the first round of battle, and the angry spectators demanded their execution. Teufelos counted the remaining gladiators with his fingers. Probably no one there would pose a threat except for Bach that was sitting next to him.
And Bach’s combat style was very similar to his. Both of them relied a lot on their immense strength. However, he was obviously stronger than Bach. If he was asked to fight with Bach, he was confident that he could beat him.
In a manner of speech, there was no problem with Terufelos’s ranking. The only thing that he was unhappy about was the process of acquiring his current rank. So, why did he dwell in his previous frustration? Terufelos thought about it again and figured it must be because Zhang Heng had shocked him too much. The difference in strength between the two was so great that even Terufelos began to doubt himself.
“You are too strong, almost like a monster,” Terufelos said, “but you don’t seem to be too old. I can’t imagine how you trained to become so powerful. Fortunately, I don’t have to face you in the arena again. My master has been complaining about the high cost of accommodation in the city. I guess we will leave Rome tonight.”
Terufelos stretched out two thick arms and hugged Zhang Heng.
“That might not be the case.”
“Huh?”
“If your master is smart enough, he should consider selling you after this performance.”
When Terufelos heard what Zhang Heng said, his eyes widened, and he seemed a little surprised. “No. No. We are very close. And we are not like the ordinary master and slave… more like old friends. We have relied on each other and performed at all kinds of places, not to mention that I performed well this time. He has no reason to sell me.”
Zhang Heng was noncommittal about the relationship between the two. He then continued to say, “No matter how close the two of you are, selling you would be the best decision for him, and it would benefit you as well. After this performance, you will become very famous in the city of Rome. That means you will get many spectators that like you. You can maximize your value and make the most money by staying here, but your master probably doesn’t have the financial resources to move his school here. And the schools here in this city fiercely compete with each other. He can’t possibly keep the school running by just relying on you. Hence, selling you is his only choice.”
Terufelos wanted to refute Zhang Heng, but he decided not to say anything about it because, though the truth could be cold sometimes, he knew that Zhang Heng was telling the truth.
“Don’t worry. You should be able to be sold for a good price. With this money, he can retire and enjoy his life early. And if you stay in Rome, you can get more of what you want rather than wandering around outside,” Zhang Heng said.
Although he had accepted what was about to happen to him, Terfufelos still wanted to talk to his master about it first. So he hurriedly left without saying anything. After that, only Zhang Heng and Bach remained in the lounge.
The two were also the only two gladiators from Victor Arena that survived the gladiator show. Apart from gladiators who were eliminated during the early game, Habitus was killed by Bach. The other gladiator named Murkazan was asked to be executed by the audience because of his poor performance.
Before Bach could say anything, he heard footsteps coming from outside the door.
The visitor seemed very nervous and anxious. The footsteps sounded messy, and it appeared the person was rushing too. When Zhang Heng and Bach saw the person, they knew that Mark Reuss did not actually need the slaves’ assistance in walking. They were surprised to see that Mark Reuss could run on his own and at a rather decent speed at that.
“How can they treat me like this?!” Mark Reuss cried as soon as he saw Zhang Heng, “This is really tough on me. I bought you with my money, and it took a long time for me to train you into my trump card. It’s close for me to bring back the glory and honor back to Victor Arena. And suddenly I realize that my wish can never come true! I didn’t mistreat you, right? I gave you everything you wanted! When you told me that you didn’t want to date anyone, I just bit the bullet and rejected all those invitations. Thanks to that, I offended a lot of people. Why did I get such bad returns in the end?”
Mark Reuss became sadder as he talked, and tears started to flow down from his eyes.
Zhang Heng had to remind him, “His Majesty, the emperor, made this decision. If you say something like this, others might think that you are dissatisfied with a royal decree.”
Mark Reuss finally stopped crying when he heard what Zhang Heng said. Still, he could not hide his sad look.
“Actually, it’s not that bad. Even if I’m gone, isn’t Bach still there? His performance was second only to Terufelos and mine.”