Late September of the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era.

A group of five hundred people entered the province of Gaul from the southeast.

This team was sent by the Senate to oversee the relocation of the Gallic nobles to Rome.

Inside a luxurious carriage, a young man dressed in a silk robe pondered his next move with a troubled expression.

This man is named Kelinor, and is the heir to the Kelin family, the family that holds power in the Senate.

His only concern was how to accomplish his mission.

Moving a host of noble lords from Gaul to Rome was no easy task.

Moreover, this matter would bring them no benefit whatsoever; if they failed, they would also suffer punishment from Commodus.

Just as Kelinor was pondering this, the carriage suddenly stopped, and a commotion reached his ears.

Distracted from his thoughts, Kelino frowned, then lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.

The procession was stopped by a group of Gauls.

These Gauls numbered about 1,500, carrying various weapons and wearing different clothes, some in leather armor and others in cloth. They looked no different from ordinary peasant soldiers!

Just as Caelino was observing them, a burly Gallic man who was leading them stepped forward and asked loudly, "Who are you? Where do you come from? What are you doing in Gaul?"

Calinno didn't speak, but instead gave a wink to the servant beside the carriage.

The servant understood, then stepped forward and looked at the burly Gallic man, saying arrogantly, "We are from the Caelin family, and we have come from Rome to discuss important matters with your Gallic governor!"

"The Kelling family?"

Upon hearing the other party introduce himself, the burly Gallic man immediately remembered his lord's instructions and began to scrutinize Caelino inside the carriage.

Seeing this, the servant immediately shouted, "If you know what's good for you, get out of the way right now! If you delay this important matter, you'll be in big trouble!"

"Heh~, it's impossible for me to suffer punishment, but you guys should come with us!"

Hearing the servant's threat, the burly man sneered and then beckoned to his men behind him.

Several Gallic soldiers then stepped forward and surrounded Calinno's carriage.

Upon seeing this, the servant's expression changed: "What do you want? We are members of the Senate!"

"Nothing much, I just wish to invite you all to our lord's house as guests!"

The burly man smiled and then gestured with his chin toward Kelinor's carriage.

A soldier understood and immediately stepped forward, snatching the reins and whip from the driver's hands.

The servant was about to say something more when he was pinned to the spot by two other Gallic soldiers.

At the same time, the Gallic soldiers surrounded the entire column.

Seeing this, Kalinor, who was in the carriage, couldn't help but feel a sense of panic, sensing that something bad was about to happen.

However, despite this, Kelinor managed to calm himself down and looked at the burly Gallic man. "I have important business to attend to and should not linger here too long. Let's discuss the matter of being a guest another day!"

The burly man smiled and shook his head: "That won't do. My lord sincerely invites Young Master Kelin. If you don't go, wouldn't that be too disrespectful?"

Seeing this, Kelinor was very angry, but he restrained himself from lashing out.

This isn't Rome, after all, and his status as the heir of the Kelling family isn't all that important. Besides, his group is already surrounded, so it seems he has no choice but to go or not.

"Alright, then please lead the way!"

In the end, Kelino agreed to their request.

After walking for about an hour, the group finally arrived at a manor.

Several country lords dressed in ordinary robes were standing at the manor gate to greet them.

When Kalinor stepped out of the carriage, the lords quickly went to greet him, bowing politely.

Then, several lords led Kalinor and the other nobles who accompanied him into the manor, while the servants and slaves were kept outside.

Inside the manor, several lords prepared a lavish banquet for Kalinor and his companions.

However, while this banquet might have been quite lavish for the country lords, it was utterly unbearable for Kalinor, who was accustomed to the delicacies of the Han Dynasty.

Looking at the table full of grilled fish, boiled vegetables, stewed meat, and murky liquor, Kelino had no appetite whatsoever.

Seeing that Kalinor was unmoved by the food he had prepared, a hint of displeasure flashed across the faces of the several country lords.

Then, a country lord looked at Caerino and asked, "What brings you to Gaul?"

Kelinor replied vaguely, "It's nothing major, just announcing some orders from His Majesty and the Senate!"

The lord raised an eyebrow: "Oh, what are the orders?"

Kelino shook his head: "Well, it's not advisable to reveal this before meeting the Governor!"

The lord asked in a deep voice, "Excuse me, is this about the matter of having us relocate to Rome?"

Upon hearing this, Kelinor paused, speechless.

Upon seeing this, the faces of the several rural lords all darkened.

The lord looked at Kelinor: "Young Master Kelinor, we have lived here for generations and have always been law-abiding citizens. We have never shortchanged ourselves on taxes. Could you please show mercy and let us go?"

Kelinor shook his head: "This is His Majesty's decision, and there is nothing I can do about it!"

The lord narrowed his eyes: "So, young master Kelling is determined to deal with us?"

Kelinor corrected, "It's not that I want to deal with you, it's that His Majesty wants to deal with you!"

"In that case, please return the way you came, Young Master Kelin, and please convey to His Majesty that we are used to staying here and will not go anywhere else!"

Upon hearing the lord's words, Kalinor frowned.

If I go back like this, Commodus will definitely use this as an excuse to launch an attack. At that time, not only I, but also my family will be implicated.

Kelinor shook his head: "No, this is not something you or I can decide!"

"In that case, don't blame us for being rude!"

Upon hearing Kalinor's words, the lord immediately picked up his wine glass and smashed it on the ground.

As the blanket shattered with a sharp crack, dozens of Gallic soldiers wielding long swords rushed out from the side hall and surrounded Caelino and several nobles accompanying him.

Upon seeing this, Kelinor's face paled: "What...what are you going to do?"

"Hmph~, since we're going to tear off the mask and fight anyway, why not use young master Kelin's head to declare war on that tyrant and let everyone know that we Gauls will never bow down to anyone!"

As soon as the lord finished speaking, the Gallic soldiers rushed forward and hacked Caerino and several nobles from the Senate to death.