Chapter 876: Speculation
The unexpected meeting with Altrus that night didn’t last too long. From the beginning to the end, Zhang Heng did not see Altrus’s face. This however did not stop him from collecting information about him through other means.
Although Zhang Heng was also affected by Scopolia, he could still control his body well. All five of his senses were still working. At the same time, his calm mind also provided him with an objective and accurate analysis.
Judging from Altrus’s voice, Zhang Heng knew that Altrus was not that old. He was estimated to be as young as him or Commodore, which was around twenty years old. Zhang Heng was a little surprised by how cautious Altrus was. Zhang Heng thought he should be at least 27 or 28 years old in terms of maturity, but he did not expect him to be so young.
Unlike the rumor, Altrus was different from someone like Clint, who had climbed from the bottom of the pit to where he was today. Although the latter was now a nobleman and he had learned their manner of speech and way of life, his choice of words and how he constructed his sentences still contained traces of bad habits he cultivated when he was a child. Clint would roll his tongue when he pronounced some words because his former elementary school teacher was a Cappadocia.
However, Altrus did not have a problem like this. His accent was pure, and he could show that he was a true noble from his word choices and how he constructed his sentences. Zhang Heng had strong reason to believe that he had grown up in a very decent environment. The possibility that he grew up in a large family couldn’t be ruled out too.
But in this way, he could not explain why Commodus trusted him so much.
Judging from Commodus’s attitude towards the Senate, it was apparent that he was not that stupid. From the moment he inherited the throne, he had always guarded against the nobles and was also why he was dared to use newcomers from a humble background like Clint and Zhang Heng. If that was the case, he should not allow the descendants of a great noble family to enter and leave his study room freely.
Other than that, Zhang Heng also noticed how Altrus’s footsteps sounded unique. They seemed feathery and light. If he hadn’t gone through stealth training as Zhang Heng had, it would indicate that his weight was also very light. Zhang Heng estimated that he weighed only sixty to seventy catty. Even for a lady, he would be too light, not to mention that Altrus was a man.
Zhang Heng figured that Altrus might have some kind of disease and it was incurable in this era. The latter was also dragging his right foot on the ground when he walked, which also proved Zhang Heng’s deduction. Other than that, Altrus also held a cane to assist him in walking.
Judging from that, Altrus had not shown his face because he did not want others to see his current physical condition, apart from the fact that the Balance Blade wanted to assassinate him. It was interesting to know that the most mysterious and trusted advisor of Commodus had some physical disabilities. A great many people would be shocked if he were exposed.
Zhang Heng also learned Altrus’s identity from the subsequent dialogue between Altrus and the maid. The maid who helped him was probably from the Hounds. Coupled with the previous encounters that Zhang Heng experienced, Cornu, from the Beehive, was suspected of being a Hounds member. In other words, the influence of the Hounds in the city of Rome was probably quite insignificant.
It was very likely they had secretly mobilized their men to the city of Rome. And it was very obvious that Altrus was working with the hounds, and the two sides planned to join forces to deal with the Balance Blade.
And that wasn’t even the worst-case scenario yet. The worst part was that it seemed like the tragedy that happened to Balance Blade during the Caesar era was likely to happen again. And Zhang Heng now had enough reason to suspect that there is a traitor in the Balance Blade. It was not only because of how much Altrus and the Hound knew about Balance Blade; more importantly, Zhang Heng was more concerned about the attitude displayed by the Balance Blade’s priestess.
There was no doubt that she or the political forces behind her wanted to get rid of Altrus. Otherwise, she would not issue an oracle like this. After that, she found Zhang Heng through Dadatis and reached an agreement with Zhang Heng privately. She wanted Zhang Heng to hand over Altrus to her first before he killed him.
Zhang Heng suspected that the Priestess might have also discovered the traitor not long ago. On the other hand, Altrus had probably identified the traitor as well, or at least the information related to the traitor’s identity. With that, everything could be explained perfectly now.
The oracle that the Priestess issued to kill Altrus could not be withdrawn. Hence, she was forced to come up with a contingency plan. She wanted to get the traitor’s name from Altrus first before letting Zhang Heng kill Altrus.
Zhang Heng was originally not interested in the war between the Balance Blade and the Hound. However, with how the current situation developed, the Balance Blade was in a tough spot. Although Zhang Heng did not get any sense of belonging from the Balance Blade, he had to consider the problems that might drag him down after the Balance Blade fell from its grace.
So Zhang Heng decided to remind the Priestess about it.
Early the next morning, he traveled to the southeast city and went through the complex terrain to get rid of the possible people that followed him. After that, he used his Lv2 makeup skill to come up with a new disguise for himself. Once that was done, he left the southeast city and came to Perfume Street. As promised, he looked for a perfume shop with irises outside.
Zhang Heng told the shopkeeper that he was going to buy a bottle of perfume that had a very light smell. After that, he paid a Sestertius to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper felt a little surprised initially. After he heard about the perfume that Zhang Heng requested, he thought that he was here to mess with him. However, after he received the copper coin given, his expression changed, and he quickly led Zhang Heng to the storeroom at the back of the perfume shop.
After a while, a woman with a veil on her face appeared and said, “Have you found the whereabouts of Altrus?”
“Not yet, but I have a clue. As long as I’m in the right direction, I should be able to locate him soon.” Zhang Heng said.
However, the woman wearing the veil was indifferent when she heard Zhang Heng’s update. She frowned and asked, “Since you haven’t found Altrus, why are you here?”
“Because I want you to pass some words to the priestess.”
“Sorry, this is not within my responsibility. But I can help you make an appointment with her,” the woman wearing the veil said coldly, “You can talk to her in person when you meet her.”
“We didn’t get along well when we met for the first time. I don’t think it is necessary for me to meet her again. Anyway, let me tell you something important. As for whether you want to tell her about it, it has nothing to do with me” Before the woman could say anything, Zhang Heng continued to talk.
“Altrus is working with the Hounds. I guess they have most likely moved their core members to Rome. And they may attack us at any time soon. As for the traitor, I think you should have known about it a long time ago. I hope all of you have prepared to handle this trouble.”
The woman wearing the veil seemed a little surprised when she heard what Zhang Heng said. She was not surprised by the news that Zhang Heng told her but the fact that Zhang Heng knew about the traitor shocked her. This changed her attitude toward Zhang Heng slightly because she now discovered that Dadatis did not make any exaggeration. There was something special about the oriental man in front of him.
So her tone also eased up a little. “We knew about what you just told us quite a while ago. You can rest assured that we are different from two hundred years ago. Now, except for the speaker and the Priestess, the members of the organization do not know each other’s identities. Hence, the damage that the traitors can cause is also limited.”
Zhang Heng was noncommittal when he heard what she said. “Better be. Altrus and the Hounds seem to be very confident that they can destroy Balance Blade this time. If I were you, I wouldn’t talk too soon.”
“Don’t worry. Strictly speaking, you haven’t fully joined us yet. So you don’t know how powerful Balance Blade is. We have faced many enemies throughout history, but we are still standing here.” The woman wearing the veil said confidently, “There will be no exceptions this time.”