A couple of hours went by, and the room was now fully crowded. Over a hundred civilians had come but there were very few soldiers. The anomaly was so blatant that everyone noticed it, and a few of the honourees even began to speculate.
During this time, Nero had talked to various groups, getting to know them better while also introducing himself to them. He also assuaged the rumours that he was anti-military as best as he could, which were more widely spread among the few soldiers.
But there was only so much he could do. Although they were pleased to hear what he had to say, he could also tell that they only took his words at face value. They did not actually believe him.
