A large number of people gathered in front of the gates of the Servian Wall surrounding the seven hills of Rome from early hours.
There were so many colorful wagons that you could see at a glance that they were powerful aristocrats.
The area near the gate was so crowded that there was no room to step with the slaves brought by the aristocrats as guards.
They built the Servian Walls while Rome was still a small state, so they were quite small.
In the early days, it was enough to surround the seven hills of Rome, but now Rome has become too big.
The city had already expanded out of the wall, and the meaning of the wall itself had disappeared.
Danae, who followed Marcus, was observing this uncoordinated landscape with mysterious eyes.
"It is the first time I have seen a city wall located inside a city, young master."
"It'll disappear later anyway, so if you're curious, watch it to your heart's content."
"Oh, you have plans to demolish it, don't you?"
"About 30 years later."
Later, Caesar, who took power in Rome, decided that the wall was interfering with the city's expansion and tore it down.
Marcus could see with his own eyes that Caesar's judgment was right a hundred times.
'At this point, I want to see what kind of person he is. It will also help me plan my future plans.'
At this point, Caesar is still studying abroad on Rhodes Island.
If history is correct, he will return to Rome next year.
Even if Marcus doesn't look for it, he'll probably come first by then.
It is recorded that Caesar borrowed a large amount of money from the Crassus family.
"... Anyway, I think it's time to start. I'm sure you're all ready, right?
"Sure. Septimus is doing a final check, so we should be able to leave soon."
"All right, then let's go back to the carriage."
It was when Marcus was about to take Danae to the carriage.
A familiar voice in the back turned him around.
"Hey, Marcus. Why is it so hard to see your face these days?"
"Are you Cassius?"
A friend who was close to Marcus in the past approached him with a welcoming greeting.
Unlike other friends, Cassius didn't come from a great family. Still, he was intelligent and bold, so many people were close to him.
Although he soon got along with Marcus, he wasn't that hopeless.
"I heard you've been involved in the family business lately? If you make a lot of money later, lend it to me without interest."
"There's nothing I can't lend you if you pay me back."
"Hahaha, as expected, you're generous. By the way, is the slave next to you the one who is rumored to be the one?"
Cassius glanced at Danae without hiding his interest.
Marcus asked, taking a step forward, naturally covering her front.
"What do you mean rumors?"
"You really don't know? There's a rumor that the reason haven't been to meetings lately is because you've been having so much fun with young female slaves."
"What? Who said that crap...…. That's a rumor. Don't tell me you believe such a rumor?"
Marcus turned his head and examined Danae's expression.
She was slightly flushed, and her head bowed.
Cassius tilted his head when he saw the reaction of the two.
"What, was it a false rumor? I thought it was real because you suddenly said you brought in a little slave. So you haven't even touched it yet?"
"What are I touching? She is still a child."
"Ah~ You didn't like being young? Then you're staying put. Well, meat, wine, and women all taste better when they're aged...…."
"Let's stop talking about it. How about Capua this time? Do gladiators really end up like that?"
Marcus was forced to change the subject as the nasty rumors that he couldn't listen to continue.
Cassius replied, nodding his head casually, perhaps because he did not realize that he had said something unpleasant.
"I'm really going to knock off you. You know Lucius of the Valerius clan? He had to go to Capua, so I went sightseeing, and he said it was jaw-dropping. Other gladiators are similar to here, but two of them are definitely different in class."
"Is one of them the rumored Spartacus?"
"I think so. He's the strongest Capua gladiator right now. I'm going to enjoy my eyes well this time. Isn't that right?"
Marcus nodded silently.
Spartacus is probably one of the most famous Roman figures.
Even those who are not interested in history naturally think of gladiators when they think of Spartacus.
At this time, the treatment of gladiators was completely different.
Some were as popular as modern sports stars, but many were treated less than slaves.
Spartacus rallied his companions to revolt.
Since this time is 73 B.C., the future will happen one year from now.
The Roman leadership initially dismissed Spartacus' uprising as a rebellion of lowly slaves.
However, when they defeated the military one after another, and they defeated even the consul's punitive forces, they recognized the seriousness of the situation.
Since then, Rome, fully prepared, has deployed as many as eight legions to beat the rebels with overwhelming force.
Crassus, Marcus' father, was in charge of the Roman army.
Spartacus' rebellion eventually failed, but it was not entirely meaningless. This is because it is said that the treatment of gladiators and slaves in Rome has improved a little since this rebellion.
And Spartacus' longing for freedom and resistance to those who suppress freedom is widely passed down to the future thousands of years later.
Marcus wanted to meet and talk to this historical figure somehow.
Of course, there is nothing more to be desired if he can bring it to his side.
Marcus, who sent Cassius away, sat in the carriage and organized his thoughts.
It must be a rare experience to see historical characters in dramas and movies with his own eyes.
But he can't just get carried away.
Spartacus revolted because the gladiators' treatment was in the gutter.
This wasn't a game or play, and it was reality.
Some people are dying miserably at this moment.
It is difficult to forget this part.
'We need to improve the treatment of gladiators somehow, but...… What should I do? I can't think of anything that I think this is it yet.'
Unfortunately, Marcus' thoughts did not last very long.
As the carriage began to run along the road, his whole body shook, and he couldn't continue his thoughts.
For Marcus, who rode the ancient carriage for the first time, it was a hopeless ride he could not accept.
On the other hand, Septimus and Danae, who boarded next to him, were calm as if nothing had happened.
Marcus couldn't understand it at all.
He wanted a different ride than a modern car.
Ancient technology is indeed poor, so he expected the ride to be bad.
But he really didn't know it would be this much.
"Is there no suspension at all? I think the shock is transmitted to your buttocks...…."
"Suspension? What's that?"
"No. I'm just talking to myself."
Septimus' reaction alone showed that the carriage did not have a proper shock absorber.
He could understand why people of this era preferred palanquins to carriages.
The palanquin absorbs the shock with the joints and muscles of the palanquin man, so the person on the top does not feel tired.
Marcus also rode it a few times, so he knew it well from experience.
From that experience, it was a big mistake to roughly cut the carriage's ride.
"Septimus, how long did you say it would take to Capua?"
"It's about 10 hours' drive by carriage. It will arrive tomorrow at the earliest."
"Ouch! I have to endure this for 10 hours?"
Marcus' complexion turned pale, like a sinner who was sentenced to death.
It hadn't even been a few minutes since he ran, but his butt already felt stiff.
But having to endure this for another 10 hours is like torture.
Marcus regretted his decision to go to Capua for the first time.
But the water has already been spilled. Marcus can't turn back, even if he regrets it.
And if he thinks as positively as possible, it is not without harvest at all.
Didn't he get the confidence that it would be a considerable amount of money if he could improve the structure of this shitty carriage?
He needs to learn precisely how to design the suspension, but he knows the principle that something is placed between the axle and the body to absorb the impact.
If he knows the principle, he can somehow implement the primitive form of the initial invention.
Considerable trial and error are expected, but he can cover it with money and manpower.
Marcus was determined to improve the comfort of the carriage at all costs.
As such, Marcus' first trip became a time to feel the proverb with his whole body that necessity is the mother of invention.
* * *