Private Conversation

Gladiators were the super idols of this era.

So, much like the stars and idols of later generations, they found it difficult to escape the entanglements of wealth and power.

What made matters worse was that no matter how famous a gladiator became, he still could not shake off his status as a slave. As long as someone offered a high enough price, the Gladiator School would usually arrange for the gladiator to secretly meet with that generous lady.

And when a man and a woman met in secret, what happened afterward was self-evident.

This was also an additional source of income for the Gladiator School, though most gladiators were not particularly resistant to such arrangements.

Besides being unable to defy their masters' orders, they also knew it would add another unusual touch to their legendary stories, giving people something to talk about.

The most famous example was the story of Sergiolus and Abia. The former had been a celebrated gladiator at the time, while the latter was a senator's wife. Abia always met Sergiolus after his performances, and many people in Rome knew about it.

But no one expected Abia to eventually abandon her husband and family for Sergiolus. The pair, tormented by love, finally fled Rome together one night.

For a time, their story became the favorite subject of bards.

Macrus truly had not expected Zhang Heng to refuse something that seemed harmless to him. It would also cost him a considerable sum of money. If it had been anyone else, his expression would probably have darkened by now, but his relationship with Zhang Heng was currently in its honeymoon phase.

Macrus did not want the friendly atmosphere they had worked so hard to create to vanish over this matter. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I