Chapter 62: Mental shackles will not disappear
Will they not be stopped again? !
Lucius Caesar fell silent. This time, he was really a little moved.
No, it was not the night that moved him, but rather the idea that existed deep within him.
Otherwise, the night, who had never studied eloquence or other oratorical skills, would not have been able to convince a powerful member of the Roman upper class with just a few words.
How could someone who has come this far be mentally deficient? How could they change their mind because of a few words?
But he was only expressing the thoughts that existed deep within Lucius himself.
Lucius, who had never dared to tell anyone this thought, had perhaps been wavering in his hesitation.
And Night was just the person to encourage him to take that step.
He felt that Night was right in one way: the war had lasted for so long that even the nobles in the Senate had suffered huge economic losses.
The military expenditure of every war was the most controversial issue in the assembly.
War costs money. Continuing the civil war would not only make a mockery of Rome in the eyes of other countries, but also the treasury could not afford the accumulated military expenditure.
And because the war has weakened Rome's national strength, will other countries around it let Rome go?
Just as Lucius began to fall silent, weighing the pros and cons,
the night suddenly gave him a blow with a single sentence— "Rome now is not impossible to be the Carthage of the past."
A rumble~! It was like thunder exploding in his head, and a flash of horror flashed in Lucius's eyes, causing his hair to stand on end.
Comparing Rome to Carthage?
His face turned pale, and he remembered the words of the once-mighty Roman general Scipio Africanus.
Carthage was once a mighty power, but it fell from its peak.
If Rome did not learn from this lesson and remained complacent, would a more powerful country emerge to destroy Rome?
Who would that country be? Italy? The Celts?
Once Rome is weakened, the barbaric Germanic tribes will not let go of such an opportunity.
Lucius Caesar finally made up his mind.
But he still said, "I need to think about it.
Since you are the one who proposed this idea, you must have some thoughts in your mind.
I need to see a new bill. At that time, I will decide whether to help you based on the feasibility of the new bill.
If this works out, it will be a good thing for all of Rome, and even I will be happy about it.
So you can make one more request.
The Julius family will never fail to reward those who have done them a favor."
At night, he heard this and spoke without hesitation: 'Then find me a spear.
A weapon made of hard material, and if it is a military outfit passed down from the era of Greek mythology, that would be even better.'
He was really not at all polite...
Lucius Caesar: "...
Long spear – and preferably one that has been handed down from the time of Greek mythology.
What a request! Weapons handed down from the time of Greek mythology are priceless, simply because of their fame and legendary status.
You can imagine it, just like the Stonehenge sword of King Arthur in the British Museum;
People don't care whether the sword is sharp or whether it works well, they are only concerned about its legendary nature, and it has already become the most precious cultural relic.
Weapons from the mythical era? Lucius Caesar suddenly had an idea, but quickly dismissed it.
He said he would keep an eye on this for the night.
After a few more words, the two parted ways.
The night returned to his manor.
But when he returned to his new home in the world, he saw slaves waiting for his orders in the courtyard.
Without Ye's orders, the slaves did not dare to act freely.
Even the three untamed Spartans did not run away, but stayed here obediently waiting for Ye's return.
When he saw the scene in front of him, Ye felt a little pity and compassion for these slaves.
No one has escaped. Although escaping may mean death, losing the courage to even try is even heavier than the shackles on their bodies, and it is even more of a shackle that this era has placed on their hearts.
However—
for these slaves born in this era, staying here may be a good thing for them too.
Night: "Very well, then—all of you, now issue your first order as your master."
Everyone perked up at once, except for the male slaves.
The sisters they had bought earlier and the little girl the slave trader had given them as a gift were trembling with nervousness and lowered their heads.
The fate of female slaves in Rome was much worse than that of male slaves.
They were worried that they would meet a cruel master...
Even though Ye's appearance and temperament really attracted women, they didn't know much about him.
However – immediately afterwards, Night issued an order that surprised everyone.
"I allow you to remove the chains around your necks and move freely around the estate from now on.
This is to facilitate your work on the estate..."
With that, Night threw down a bunch of keys around his waist.
If it hadn't been so crowded in the square before, he would have done it already.
Night wasn't worried that the slaves would escape once they were completely unchained.
Women are naturally more timid and more submissive in the face of a strong person. They don't have the guts to escape from the manor alone.
With their status as black market residents and their beautiful appearance, they can't survive in Rome without anyone's protection.
As for the male slaves, the three Spartans, who are most likely to escape, didn't act when they had the best opportunity to escape before...
It is highly unlikely that they will act in the future.
As the saying goes, the shackles on the body are far less heavy than the shackles on the heart.
Even if all the shackles on the body disappear, the shackles on the heart that they have put on themselves will not disappear.
Those without strength dare not have any rebellious thoughts.
And for slaves with strength, if they really want to escape, a chain around their neck will not stop their hearts from running towards freedom.
So-called chains are at best nothing more than shackles that help the weak control the strong.
But the night is stronger!
Even if the slaves suddenly rose up, he would not be afraid at all.
When he saw that the night really threw off the chains, his expression on his face was completely unlike a fake.
The slaves trembled in body and mind, and the twin sisters and little girl looked up at their master in disbelief and quietly surveyed them.
He—
Is he not afraid at all that we will escape after we break free?
This level of grace is so happy that it makes people feel a little false.
All the slaves were breathing heavily. They could see the key right in front of them, but they were afraid to go and pick it up, for fear that it was just a ploy by their new master.
After all, before becoming slaves, they had heard a lot about the ugliness of the nobles and their various perverted ways of playing.
It was entirely possible for something like this to happen: to give hope and create even deeper despair!
But—?
Thinking back to the scene in the square earlier, when Ye told the Spartan to unlock the chains, perhaps this new master was really very kind?
Chapter 63: As a warrior, live with more dignity (Chapter 2)
Freedom is within reach...
Although it is a freedom that is restricted to a certain extent, it is still much more comfortable than wearing a collar all the time.
If you wear a collar for too long, you may really forget how to be a human being.
They longed and yearned for the hope in front of them, but they were also apprehensive and afraid that it was just a conspiracy.
The bold Spartans were the first to stand up, thanking the master of the night for his gift, and then one after the other they untied the chains around their necks.
The Spartans only worship the strong...
So after witnessing the powerful force of the night, they became the most obedient slaves.
And after seeing someone take the lead, finally—the other slaves couldn't sit still either.
They scrambled to untie the chains around their necks, and the moment they breathed in the first breath of fresh air.
It was as if their hearts had been purified and elevated.
It was the taste of freedom...
At that moment, all the slaves, men and women alike, shed tears of excitement and emotion.
"Great master, thank you for your kindness! Your mercy is as dazzling as the light of the sun god Apollo. We vow here and now that we will serve you wholeheartedly in the future."
The night: "So, tell me—can I trust your loyalty?"
"Of course, you are the kindest master I have ever met. You have freed us from our shackles and given us a certain freedom and dignity.
We will never betray you, a kind master like you.
How could we be disloyal to you?" The slaves were suddenly filled with awe and hurriedly expressed their loyalty.
They really meant what they said from the bottom of their hearts.
It can only be said that in Rome at this time, the social status of slaves was really poor.
No one treated slaves as human beings. Even the street dogs had an easier time than they did.
They had already prepared themselves mentally, despairingly preparing for the hellish future life that might come, but they did not have the courage to choose suicide. They could only be bullied and tortured...
Unexpectedly, their new master, their first master, would be such a kind, great, and benevolent being.
His kindness and handsome face were generally unparalleled, and they were attracted and moved.
Even the two sisters and the little girl no longer seemed to be afraid of the future, and they even had some expectations and visions of the possibility of being favored by their master.
At this point, the girls couldn't help but imagine in their minds if their master had any requirements for men or women, whether they should take the initiative.
Having cast aside their fear of their master's status, just looking at Ye's strong body and handsome face like that of a god, they would be over the moon to spend a night with such a master.
I'm afraid that when those noble ladies and young ladies living on the Seven Hills see the heroic appearance of their masters, they too will be unable to hold back and will be willing to pay for the privilege.
Thinking about this, the young girls couldn't help but close their legs and rub them together.
And what they never expected was that at this moment, Ye, who had unexpectedly become the object of fantasy of his cute subordinates, was very satisfied after accepting the loyal declarations of the slaves...
A slight curve formed at the corner of his mouth. Next, Ye assigned the slaves to different tasks. The sisters and the little girl were in charge of hygiene on the manor and his daily meals.
The other male slaves were usually responsible for exercising their bodies and fighting skills,
as well as doing some farm work. However, Ye was not tired of their time management, and even provided a large amount of meat for the warriors to consume, to cover the expenses of their physical training and growth.
Ye: "Do you want to eat meat?"
"Eat meat? We can eat meat?" The slave warriors' eyes flashed with excitement and disbelief.
Although they had already imagined Ye, their new master, as a benevolent person in their minds, they had never dared to hope that Ye would give them meat to eat.