Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 40 - 40 31 Gladiator

40: Chapter 31 Gladiator 40: Chapter 31 Gladiator The White Iliana, having loaded its cargo at the Ochakiv Port in the Duchy of Kyiv Rus, began its return voyage.

It was said that after the Emperor suffered a defeat at Manzikert, orders for shipping to the Black Sea skyrocketed by tens of times.

The sharp-eyed merchants had already predicted that the southern trade routes from Asia Minor across the Ilanian Plateau would definitely be intercepted by the Seljuk Empire.

The only way to maintain normal trade with the Dragon Country in the East was through the Salmatian-Mongolian Prairie route north of the Black Sea.

This route, being too far north, could only be traversed during the summer.

Come winter, heavy snow would block the roads, and the cargo carts would hardly be able to move.

The Duchy of Kyiv Rus wasn’t exactly flush with cash to sprinkle de-icing agents on the roads, let alone on the vast Mongolian Prairie where nomadic tribes roamed freely.

If they couldn’t survive the winter, they would ambush and plunder by the roadside, so this trade route was bound to be suspended during the colder months.

Therefore, it was crucial to stockpile goods during the summer.

The nobles of the Duchy of Kyiv Rus were quite cunning.

Somehow, they had gotten wind of the Empire’s defeat and those nobles, dressed in animal furs, were Scolap lords who heavily taxed their serfs’ estates’ roads, causing the fur prices from Kyiv Rus exports to triple.

The ship owner roughly calculated that this trade journey would barely break even—it was essentially a wasted effort.

Had it not been for carrying a wealthy Mercenary Group, this trip to the Black Sea would have been a total loss.

The frustrated ship owner ordered the ship to return, silently praying that the Mercenary Group who landed on the mysterious island would survive.

Then he could earn 5 pounds.

“What!” exclaimed the ship owner, who clung to hope.

When he learned from the lookout that the mysterious island had disappeared again, his emotions crashed, “Impossible!

Such a big…

such a big island!

How could it just disappear?

Could our course be off?”

“Captain, even if you don’t trust the compass and sextant, you should at least believe the GPS on our ship,” the navigator said with a bitter smile beside him.

The ship owner leaned against the ship’s rail, dejected, forced to admit the navigator’s judgment was correct.

After all, if that mysterious island could appear out of nowhere in the Black Sea, it naturally could also vanish into thin air…

It was just a pity he couldn’t earn those 5 pounds.

Just as his spirits sank to the lowest, a red flare suddenly rose in the distance.

The ship owner’s spirits lifted as if the winter snow had finally melted, completely invigorated.

“Quick, quick, head in that direction!” he shouted, pointing towards the flare.

As the merchant ship drew nearer, the sailors finally saw a small boat, drifting aimlessly on the sea’s surface.

Five people were sitting in a circle on the boat, murmuring something.

“I am the prophet,” Nora said, “I checked the squad leader’s identity last night; the squad leader is a werewolf.”

“No, I’m the prophet,” Aske asserted seriously, “I checked Nora’s identity last night; Nora is a werewolf.”

“I can’t tell who’s lying at all!!!” Eleanor cried out, tears streaming down her face as she hugged Peggy.

“I think Aske is the werewolf,” said Peggy, who was being hugged, calmly.

“Why?” Aske asked quietly.

“Intuition,” Peggy replied.

“Please speak in turn, Aske—you’ve already spoken,” Medea, serving as the referee, said weakly from the side.

Her Spiritual Energy hadn’t recovered yet, plus her Mind Power…

playing a werewolf game was cheating.

“Then I vote for Aske,” Eleanor said.

“I vote for Aske too,” Nora added.

“Alright, the werewolf is killed, game over,” Medea said blandly.

“Yay!” Nora and Eleanor high-fived excitedly, pulling Peggy into their celebration.

“Playing werewolf with four people is too easy,” Aske remarked, “Once we get back, I plan to start considering expanding the team.”

“Based on the four occupations we discussed earlier?” Nora flipped through her notebook, “Thief, Armor-breaking Warrior, Gunner, and Arcane Mage.”

“That’s right,” Aske looked toward the approaching merchant ship, “Our ride back is here.”

Two sailors dived from the ship’s side into the sea, swam to the small boat, and secured it from all sides with steel cables equipped with iron hooks.

The sailors on the ship started the machinery, and the small boat was heaved aboard with a lot of effort.

“God above, you actually made it back alive!” the ship owner excitedly gave Aske a hug, grateful for the face of those 5 pounds.

“Don’t ask me where that mysterious island went,” Aske joked.

“Of course, of course, we have no interest in supernatural events,” the ship owner took the 5 pounds handed over by Aske, pocketing it with satisfaction.

At 3 p.m., the White Iliana arrived at the dock of Golden Horn Bay.

After bidding farewell to the ship owner, the group set foot again on the land of Constantinople.

They then took the subway across the Galata Bridge to the main district of Constantinople, disembarking at the subway station near the Mercenary Guild.

“All the mission targets are dead,” Aske announced to the receptionist at the Mercenary Guild.

“Do you have any remains of the target individuals?” the courteous receptionist asked with a smile, “If you don’t have the remains, I’m afraid we can’t issue your payment.”

“No, because they all sank to the bottom of the sea,” Aske replied, “Therefore, you might also tell the mission issuer that no one can find those targets anymore.”

“Understood, the Guild will consult with the issuer.

If the issuer agrees to cancel the mission, this will not be counted as a failure for your team.

Please complete the mission submission on the APP first,” the receptionist instructed.

Aske nodded and then left the Mercenary Guild, addressing the four ladies waiting there:

“Alright, let’s head home.”

“Home!” The girls almost burst into tears.

Although their adventure on the deserted island in the Black Sea was thrilling, after a day and night of battle, what they now desired most was a hot bath, a well-cooked dinner, and a warm bed.

Returning to Aske’s ancestral home, it was already 6 PM.

The girls took turns bathing in the bathroom and then changed into comfortable, soft clothes.

Aske had brought back food from outside, so they dined in the study on the third floor.

“How is everyone doing with digesting their Extraordinary Power?” Aske asked casually.

“I’ve digested some,” Nora replied.

“A fourth,” Eleanor said.

“I’m almost done digesting all of it,” Peggy added.

Medea listlessly stirred her salad.

She had already digested her level2 Magic Potion long ago and now lacked the Magic Potion Materials for “Desire I,” so she didn’t say much.

“Later on, everyone can go to train with the Plane Fragment at Heaven Mountain,” Aske said, “I’ll set up a training schedule for that.

However, I’ll be out tomorrow recruiting new members, so you all can rest for now.”

He tossed the “Absurd Dreams” to Nora, “Feel it out with your Spirituality, it’s easy to pick up.”

“Are you leaving this to me to keep?” Nora asked doubtfully.

Logically speaking, an Extraordinary Item like this, which contained a plane’s seal, would be carried personally by the leader in any organization.

“That’s right,” Aske said, “Besides, you’re already managing the finances, so let’s add procurement and storage to your responsibilities too, Miss Team Administrator Nora.”

“Okay,” Nora nodded, her heart warmed by the trust shown in her, and a fluttering sensation tickled her like the excited beating of a little deer’s heart.

……

A night passed.

The next morning, after freshening up, Aske left the house not wearing his armor or weapons, just comfortable clothes, looking refreshed and brisk.

Arriving at the Constantinople Arena, he approached the reception counter and knocked on the desk.

Behind the counter, a languid middle-aged man yawned and said,

“You’re late.

The next gladiator match starts in half an hour, and the betting has already closed.”

“I’m not here to bet,” Aske said with a smile, “I’m here to sign up for the team gladiator fight.”

“Oh.” The middle-aged man widened his eyes, looking at this naive young man, “Then fill out an application form.”

He pulled out several documents from a nearby cabinet and placed them in front of Aske.

There was a basic information application, a temporary employment contract for the duel, and a disclaimer:

The contestant voluntarily participates in the duel and is fully aware of the dangers of gladiator combat.

If they are injured or die in the duel arena, the organizers bear no responsibility.

Aske didn’t bother to look at them in detail, filled in everything required, signed his name, pressed his fingerprint, and then pushed the papers back to the middle-aged man.

“Let me see.” The man scrutinized the documents, “Aske Lebios Achilles, your name…

Are you an Empire noble?”

“Can’t a noble participate in a fight?” Aske asked smilingly.

“Of course, they can,” the middle-aged man muttered something and then said, “Once you are in the arena, everything is settled with swords.

This agreement is certified by the Church, so if you regret it now and want to leave, there’s still time.”

“Don’t come regretting and making a fuss after your arm is chopped off in the arena; it won’t be good for anyone’s face.”

“Just follow the normal procedures,” Aske said lightly.

Seeing that he wasn’t dissuaded, the middle-aged man sighed, skillfully stamped the papers, and said,

“There’s currently one vacancy in the red team.

Walk straight down the hall to the right, the first door is the Red Team’s resting room, which includes areas for rest, training, and equipment.

You can’t miss it.”

“By the way, the leader of the Red Team is a tough Warrior from Thrace named Saiotis, nicknamed ‘Brown Bear.’ He might be…

somewhat unfriendly towards you.”

“Unfriendly?” Aske asked, “Why?”

“Listen,” the middle-aged man straightened up, “Each side in a team duel can have up to 9 people.

More than that affects the spectacle of the duel.

The Red Team has always been fully staffed, but today someone took leave, creating a vacancy, that just so happens to be the team leader Saiotis’s brother.”

“Our duel arena doesn’t recognize such things as leaves.

If you don’t come today, someone else will and they’ll take your spot.”

“So, by registering today, did I take this Saiotis’s brother’s spot?” Aske said leisurely, “Even if he comes back tomorrow, he can’t return to the gladiator field?”

“More precisely, he can’t return to the Red Gladiator team,” the middle-aged corrected him, “Unless you die in today’s duel, making the Red Team short a man again.”

“Hmm, though there’s no evidence, there have been rumors among gladiators that Saiotis once had a teammate killed in secret during a duel to make space for his brother in the team…

Of course, we have no evidence, otherwise, we would have kindly asked him to leave.”

“I understand,” Aske nodded.

“Are you not considering coming back tomorrow?” The middle-aged asked again.

“It’s too much hassle,” Aske replied, shaking his head, “Let it be.”

“Suit yourself.” The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, lazily placing his feet on the counter.

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