Sparta: Many childrens, Many Blessings, Starting from the Gladiator

The steward led him to the back garden of the mansion.

It was more private here, filled with blooming roses and lavender, fragrant and intoxicating.

In the center was a marble pavilion. Ilithyia was sitting inside drinking tea, her posture elegant like a painting.

She was wearing a light green long dress today, her hair loosely pinned up with a few strands falling by her cheek.

When she saw Marcus arrive, she put down the gilded porcelain teacup and smiled slightly.

"Sit."

Marcus sat down opposite her.

Slaves quietly served tea and snacks, then retreated to stand at a distance.

"Have you considered it?"

Ilithyia asked.

"I accept."

"A smart choice."

Ilithyia picked up the teacup and gently blew on it. "My husband is very satisfied. He said you've been wandering around the city these two days, getting familiar with the environment?"

"Yes."

"Did you notice anything?"

"Capua is big, and the water is deep."

Marcus spoke honestly. "Batiatus has fallen. Many people want to swallow his territory. Nodis training camp is only the obvious opponent. There are other forces stirring things up in secret."

Ilithyia nodded: "Good insight. So what do you plan to do?"

"First stabilize the training camp."

Marcus said. "Gladiators are the core. Control the training camp, and you have manpower. With manpower, you can talk about other things."

"Specifically?"

"I need to see those gladiators."

Marcus said. "Gisco, Amir, Drusus, and the others. I need to know what they think and whether they are willing to follow me."

"It's already arranged."

Ilithyia put down her teacup and pulled out a sheepskin scroll from her sleeve. "Tomorrow morning, the training camp will be unsealed. You can go take over. The contracts of the gladiators willing to stay will be transferred to your name. Those who don't want to stay will receive severance pay and be allowed to leave."

She paused and added: "The money will come from my husband's account. You don't need to worry about it."

"Thank you, Madam."

"No need to thank me."

Ilithyia looked at him, her eyes deepening. "Marcus, I'm helping you because I think you have potential. But potential is not the same as strength. The underworld is not an arena. You can't become king just by winning one fight. There are conspiracies, betrayals, and dirty methods you can't even imagine."

"I know."

"Good that you know."

Ilithyia leaned forward and lowered her voice. "My husband is letting you take over the underworld not just for control. He also wants you to… clean up some things."

"What things?"

"Some people and matters that are inconvenient for him to handle personally."

Ilithyia's voice became even lower. "For example, the owner of Nodis training camp 'accidentally' died at home last night. The jailer said it was suicide, but you know, in prison it's very easy to make someone 'commit suicide'."

Marcus's eyes sharpened.

"And a few merchants who were too close to Batiatus have also had 'accidents' one after another these days."

Ilithyia continued, her tone calm as if talking about the weather. "My husband is cleaning up traces, and you are responsible for cleaning up the rest."

She stared into Marcus's eyes: "Can you do it?"

Marcus was silent for a moment.

"I can."

He said. "But I need to know the bottom line. Which people can be touched, which cannot. I don't want to be thrown away as a discarded piece one day because I killed the wrong person."

Ilithyia smiled, with appreciation in her smile.

"You are very cautious. That's good."

She said. "The bottom line is — you cannot touch people from the senatorial class, you cannot touch people from other provincial governors, and you cannot touch people from the temples. For the rest, as long as it doesn't cause too much commotion, you can deal with them as you wish."

"Understood."

"One more thing."

Ilithyia stood up, her skirt gently swaying. "About Mira."

Marcus's heart tightened.

"She is doing well, but she said she wants to see you."

Ilithyia gestured toward the side of the garden. "Follow me."

She led Marcus away from the pavilion, through the flower bushes, and arrived at a small building on the side wing of the mansion.

Pushing open the door, the interior was elegantly decorated with a desk, a soft couch, and several pots of herbs on the windowsill.

Mira was sitting by the window, holding a medical book in her hands, but clearly not reading it.

When she saw Marcus enter, her eyes lit up and she stood up abruptly.

"Marcus!"

"You two talk."

Ilithyia retreated and gently closed the door.

Mira threw herself into Marcus's arms and hugged him tightly.

"Are you okay? Did they make things difficult for you?"

"I'm fine."

Marcus patted her back. "How about you?"

"I'm okay."

Mira said softly, her voice trembling a little. "Lady Ilithyia is very good to me. She gave me my own residence and let me continue studying medicine. But… but I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that this is a trap."

Mira raised her head, her eyes a bit red. "Marcus, why did Gracchus help us? What is his real purpose?"

"He has his purpose."

Marcus held her shoulders. "But at least for now, we are safe. Mira, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"Stay here."

Marcus looked straight into her eyes. "Ilithyia trusts you. You can access a lot of information. I need to know Gracchus's movements, know who is opposing him, know the wind direction in the Senate."

Mira's face turned pale: "You want me to be a spy?"

"Yes."

Marcus held her hand tightly. "This is very dangerous, but very important. Only by knowing what they are thinking can we protect ourselves."

Mira bit her lip and hesitated for a long time, then finally nodded heavily.

"I promise you. But you must promise me to be careful and to stay alive."

"I promise."

The two talked for a while longer before Marcus left the small building.

Ilithyia was still waiting for him in the garden, bending down to smell a rose.

"Finished talking?"

"Yes."

"She agreed?"

"She agreed."

Ilithyia straightened up and smiled: "I knew she would agree. That child likes you and is willing to take risks for you."

Marcus didn't respond to that.

"Alright, let's talk about serious matters."

Ilithyia's expression became serious. "After you take over the training camp tomorrow, your first task will come."

"What task?"

"The dock area has been unstable lately."

Ilithyia said. "Several batches of 'goods' have been robbed. They belong to my husband's business. The robbers are very cunning and left almost no traces. I need you to find out who did it and get the goods back — or make the robbers disappear."

"When do you need results?"

"Three days."

Ilithyia held up three fingers. "The next batch of goods will arrive in port in three days. It must be resolved before then."

"Understood."

After leaving the mansion, Marcus quickly walked back to the residence.

Octavius and Saxa were waiting in the living room. When they saw him return, both stood up.

"How did it go?"

Saxa asked impatiently.

Marcus explained the situation.

"Dock robbery?"

Saxa raised an eyebrow. "Heh, this is testing our worth."

"Yes."

Marcus sat down at the table. "So we must do it well. If we do it well, we establish our foothold. If we fail, we become discarded pieces."

"How do we investigate?"

Octavius asked practically.

"First find people."

Marcus said. "Gisco and the others are familiar with the docks. After taking over the training camp tomorrow, immediately take people there to check."

That night, Marcus lay in bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

Taking over the training camp, taking over the underworld, investigating the dock robbery…

Every step was like walking on thin ice. One wrong step could mean eternal doom.

But he had no way back. He could only move forward.

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