Speaking of Bach, Mark Reuss was angry at him. Although Bach was not as uncontrollable as Zhang Heng, he was not someone that one should mess with. During his previous duel with Rufus, the Black Scythe, Bach was determined to kill him even though he suffered a pretty severe injury. And this time, he did the same thing again. He beheaded Habitus from the same gladiator school.
Both of them were the gladiators that could help Mark Reuss boost the ticket sales in the Victor Arena, especially Habitus. He was clearly more popular than Bach, and the people were more than willing to buy the tickets to watch his performance. And now Mark Reuss had lost Habitus forever.
However, Mark Reuss could not scold Bach because Bach had achieved a good result in this gladiatorial performance. Habitus was now dead, and Zhang Heng was free again. Mark Reuss realized that he could only rely on Bach now. He was left with no other options.
Mark Reuss then stared at Bach for a while, and finally, he sighed helplessly. “Although he was quite good at combat, his strength was not as good as you. You are the champion of this gladiatorial show.”
“If you really want to create another Sethnets, I think there is someone who might be able to help you.” Zhang Heng said.
“Who might that be?” Mark Reuss was taken aback. There was a reason why he could make his school the second-largest gladiator school in Rome. He quickly reacted, “Oh, you are talking about Terufelos. After you regain your freedom, he will become the most powerful gladiator in Rome. It’s a shame that his school wasn’t set up in the city of Rome. He can’t maximize his value even if he wants to. But the problem is that bringing him in will not be easy. Many gladiator schools are targeting him right now. If I were his master, I would’ve sold him to whoever that offers me the highest price.”
“Terufelos seems to have a good relationship with his master. They do not have the ordinary master and slave relationship. You can try to make use of this fact to your advantage,” Zhang Heng added.
“Um, is that right? It’s a useful clue indeed.” Mark Reuss touched his chin and then sighed. “Even so, he will still cost a lot of money.” He said it with reluctance and glanced at Zhang Heng, “Forget it, let’s get your matter sorted out first.”
Although he was reluctant to do it, he still didn’t dare challenge Commodus’s authority. He was one of the few people who knew that Commodus had sneaked to the gladiator school to meet Zhang Heng. Since then, Mark Reuss felt that something terrible was about to happen to him. He had a foreboding that this day would come, but he did not expect it to come so soon.
Unfortunately, he was not as powerful as Commodus. In the end, he decided to follow the order and went to the “Freedom House” on Trajan’s Square with Zhang Heng. After that, he asked the clerk to change Zhang Heng’s status from a slave to a Roman citizen.
And when he signed his name, applause burst out from the House of Freedom. Zhang Heng’s current fame had skyrocketed in Rome, with many people from the House of Freedom watching his performance on that day. When they saw that he had become a free man, every single one of them congratulated him.
The scene saddened only Mark Reuss. Regardless of Bach or Terufelos, the two combined were still not as popular as a Zhang Heng. If Zhang Heng were still with him, he would only need to promote him a little more, and his school would become the number-one gladiator school in Rome.
And now, all of his dreams were in vain.
Zhang Heng then patted him on his shoulder, “I remember that there is a rule in Rome. The released slaves still need to spare some time each year to work for the former master.”
Mark Reuss was a little surprised when he heard that. Non-stated in the code of law, it was a traditional custom at best. While enjoying free labor from their former slaves, the master would have to become the protector of his former slaves as well. If the former slaves encountered any trouble in their lives, they could always ask the protector for help.
If Commodus were not involved in this matter, Zhang Heng would not mind asking Mark Reuss to become his protector after regaining his freedom. However, he was about to work for Commodus. In other words, the Roman Empire would be his protector.
Zhang Heng then continued to say, “I don’t need you to become my protector. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t want to get you into trouble.”
Mark Reuss was speechless. He then glared at Zhang, thinking that Zhang Heng must be trying to make a fool of him. After that, he heard Zhang Heng continue, “I can spare some time every month to fight in one of your gladiatorial performances. However, it would be best if you told me, my opponent, in advance. And you need to get my consent.”
“What?” Mark Reuss thought that he must have misheard Zhang Heng.
So Zhang Heng had to repeat his previous sentence.
Mark Reuss was suddenly overjoyed. He never dreamt that Zhang Heng would be willing to perform in the Victor Arena after regaining his freedom, expecting that he would work wholly for Commodus after he left the gladiator school. Even if he wanted to earn more money, there was no reason for him to perform in the Victor Arena.
When Mark Reuss heard the good news, he asked, “Why? Why are you willing to come back?”
The next second, he regretted asking the question.
Fortunately, Zhang Heng had no intention to go back on his words. He just smiled and said, “Of course, there are conditions if you want me to fight in your arena.”
…
Zhang Heng won the championship at the Amphitheatrum Flavium. It did not take long for the news to spread throughout the city. And naturally, Zhang Heng’s slave girl knew about it. While she felt proud and happy for her master, she also realized that it was time for the two of them to be separated.
Like Mark Reuss, she did not expect Zhang Heng to regain his freedom so soon. He had only been in the Victor Arena for two months, and he was probably the fastest gladiator in history to become a free man. It meant that he was about to move out from the gladiator school, and his slave girl would again be Mark Reuss’s property. There was no way that she could leave with Zhang Heng.
When Zhang Heng came back, it was probably the last time the two met. The slave girl’s excitement quickly turned into depression.
However, it was pointless for her to feel unhappy. After all, she was just a slave girl that no one would notice, and she was no different than other slaves.
Dwelled in her thought, she finally heard the familiar footsteps coming from outside. However, she suddenly did not want to see Zhang Heng again. But, it was not too late for her to run out of the house. So, she could only find a place to hide.
After that, she heard Zhang Heng walking into the room. It seemed he did not notice that the slave girl who had been with him all the time was nowhere to be seen. He simply walked around, picking up his belongings. The slave girl sighed in her heart. It seemed like she was right about it. However, she started to feel regret for the decisions that she had just made. It was pointless getting angry. And it was very likely that this was going to be the last time the two met. She might miss her chance of saying goodbye if she did not come out from her hiding now. But the next moment, she heard the footsteps stop outside the cabinet where she was hiding.
Afterward, Zhang Heng knocked on the cabinet door and said, “Hey, we’re leaving soon. Aren’t you going to come out to help me carry my luggage?”
After a while, the cabinet door opened halfway, and the slave girl poked her head out. Her eyes were still red. She then sniffed and asked, “What luggage?”
“What do you mean? You should have received the news earlier. We are going to move.”
“We? But I am no longer your slave,” the slave girl replied innocently.
“Well, congratulations, you are free now. Mark Reuss decided to give you back your freedom because of the hard work that you have done for so many years. But I remember you said that your parents are no longer in this world and have nowhere to go. If so, you should move out and live with me first. You can wait until you find a job and move out. But before that, you have to do the housework in lieu of rent,” Zhang Heng said casually.
