Chapter 608 Tea Master is online for a limited time
The next morning.
Caesar climbed to the top of the mountain panting, looked up at the towering mansion in front of him, and couldn't help cursing in his heart.
Flying was prohibited on the thousands of steps, and there were restrictions along the way to seal the divine power, so this guest had to climb up step by step relying on physical strength, and he almost lost half his life due to exhaustion.
What kind of broken rule is this?
While complaining in his heart, Caesar's thoughts couldn't help but go back to last night.
Having just made a small fortune with his sharp eyes during the day, he was in a very good mood at night. As he was preparing to go to bed, he discussed philosophy and ways to make money with the god of sleep.
As a result, the priest of the Pantheon suddenly came to visit and delivered an invitation, saying that an important figure from the Claudius family wanted to summon him this morning.
Now, the ruler of the Roman Empire is Claudius I.
In Caesar's view, the current Roman emperor strives for harmony among all classes in governing the country and takes a moderate approach in everything. Although he has not made any major mistakes, he is definitely not a great ruler. His political achievements during his reign are unremarkable, and he can only be described as a "mediocre person."
However, although he did not think much of the current Roman emperor, Caesar had to admit that the power and influence of Claudius' family far exceeded that of a poor man like him, Julius.
Especially the big shot who wanted to invite him seemed to have a close relationship with the Pantheon, and could easily ask a priest to act as a messenger to deliver the invitation.
This shows how great his power is.
If he could establish a relationship with this legendary big shot and gain his appreciation, it would be much easier for him to solve his debt problem or to make great strides in politics and military.
So, Caesar naturally regarded this summons as a great opportunity and came to visit early in the morning.
However, he didn't expect to get a severe blow before he even entered the door.
Could it be that I have offended this important person?
Caesar, with a hint of suspicion, carefully knocked on the door of the mansion.
Three little girls with short red hair opened the door, looked at him curiously, and asked:
"You are Caesar? From Julius's family?"
"My Lords, it is me. I have come here as promised. This is my invitation."
Caesar nodded quickly, took out the invitation and handed it over with a smile on his face, not daring to underestimate these three little guys at all.
Because those pointed ears are enough to prove that they are not mortals, but descendants of gods, or spirits.
Caesar knew very well that with his current identity and status, he could not afford to offend.
"It seems that you are the guest that the teacher is waiting for."
"The teacher said that if someone arrives, you should go to the living room and wait. He will see you when he is done."
"Don't run around."
The three little guys answered one after another.
Caesar nodded repeatedly, carefully followed the guidance of the three people, and walked into the living room.
The journey was smooth, and even as soon as he sat down, a maid served him tea and snacks, which made him doubt his judgment.
Am I overthinking?
However, just after he had a cup of tea, a pretty maid pushed a silver tray against his face and said with a smile:
"Chenghui, twenty gold Zeus."
"?"
"This is the tea fee, please pay it."
"!"
Caesar was so shocked that he almost jumped out of his seat.
I drank a cup of tea and they charged me 20 gold Zeus? Are you kidding me? This is more than the living expenses of ten ordinary families in a year!
Besides, am I not a guest? You invite me and ask me to pay?
Caesar suppressed his surprise and reminded carefully:
"I have an invitation."
"My Lord said that he only invites guests, not meals."
The maid continued to answer with a smile and pushed the tray a little closer.
Caesar's face darkened and he felt depressed.
He was certain that he had definitely offended this big shot.
And this invitation was clearly a revenge.
Thinking of this, Caesar reached into his pocket and fumbled for a while, then a slightly awkward but polite smile appeared on his face:
"Sorry, I was in a hurry to leave this time and didn't bring any cash. How about I go back and get it?"
As he spoke, he stood up from his chair with nimble movements and rushed to the door.
Since the banquet is not going to be good, let’s just slip away.
However, before he could take a step, the silver tray appeared before his eyes again like a ghost:
"My Lord said that IOUs can be written."
The maid smiled warmly, and her two companions took the opportunity to hand over paper and pen.
"That sir, he is really thoughtful..."
Caesar, with a hint of tears in his tone, picked up the quill pen, tremblingly wrote an IOU of 20 gold Zeus on the paper, and signed his name.
The maid picked up the paper, blew the ink dry, and after carefully examining it, nodded with satisfaction:
"Then we won't bother you anymore. The adults will be here soon. Also, the cakes on the table are free gifts. Please enjoy them."
Looking at the maids' leaving backs, Caesar's heart was bleeding.
He hadn't paid off the debt for redeeming his freedom yet, so how come he was incurring another debt out of nowhere?
In grief and anger, he couldn't help but take out the invitation and slap it on the table:
"Who is so kind to treat us like this?"
"You seem to be scolding me?"
Along with the deep voice, a slender figure with silver hair and purple eyes walked into the living room, with a playful smile on the corners of his mouth.
The moment he saw the man's face, Caesar immediately understood where this unprovoked disaster came from, and he couldn't help but say with a sad face:
"So you are a big shot in Claudius's family. Why didn't you tell me earlier? How could I dare to accept your tip?"
"No, no, you help me find the book, and I give you a tip. This is a fair transaction, reasonable and has nothing to do with identity."
"So what are you doing?"
"This is my first time in Rome. It's rare to meet a local as enthusiastic as you. Of course I want to invite you to come and sit down with me. By the way, I want you to taste the flower tea I brewed myself."
"Twenty gold Zeus a cup?"
"This is high-quality stuff brought from Ares Mountain. Others can't even drink it if they want to. I'll charge you 20 gold Zeus coins per cup, and that's a discount."
Hearing the sincere tone of this great man, Caesar, who had "got a great advantage", was in tears.
Yesterday, when he saw the other party's behavior of a country bumpkin in the bathhouse library and heard his slightly Greek accent, he thought he was some young man who was ignorant of the ways of the world and thought he could make some money from him.
In order to warm up the two silver Heras, he even thought of what he would say when the other party came to him:
Although the books in the library are free, the service is not free.
And having a divine-blood noble condescend to serve and help find the book, two silver Heras are the cost price, which is really not expensive.
However, he did not expect that this foreigner from Greece could be related to the Claudius family, and his status seemed to be not low. He used a similar trick on him and blocked the excuse he had found as if he had foreseen it.
"From your expression, are you a little thirsty? Would you like another drink?"
Hearing the gentle question, Caesar jumped up from his seat reflexively and shook his head repeatedly.
"No, no! Thank you for your hospitality. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now!"
A cup of scented tea costs 20 gold coins to Zeus, and if he eats or drinks something else, he still can't afford to lose money even if he cuts himself into pieces and sells them by pound.
Now that he knew that this was a Hongmen Banquet, he naturally had to hurry and escape.
Luo En picked up the teacup on his desk, took a sip, and said slowly:
"Actually, drinking tea is secondary. I summoned you here because I admire your intelligence and knowledge, and I want to ask you something."
Caesar's heart moved and he stopped.
As a big shot with connections everywhere, it would be too cheap for Zeus to go to so much trouble to set up this Hongmen Banquet just to extort 20 gold coins from him.
If there was some other purpose, it would all make sense.
And this may be his chance to turn things around.
It’s not a loss to use 20 gold Zeus as a stepping stone.
Caesar's eyes gleamed, and he turned around and smiled:
"Whatever you want to ask, just tell me. I promise I'll tell you everything I know."
"I want to do some business in Rome, what projects do you recommend?"
Caesar was disappointed when he heard this, but he still patiently suggested:
"If you plan to stay in Rome for a long time, I suggest you buy some land and some slaves to cultivate the land."
"How much is the profit?"
“About ten times.”
"Is there any higher one?"
"If you are brave enough and have a fleet, you can trade in gold and spices."
"How much is the profit?"
"About a hundred times."
Luo En shook his head, seemingly dissatisfied:
"What about higher ones?"
"How about selling your scented tea? This is a thousand times the profit, definitely faster than robbery."
Hearing the slight resentment revealed in Caesar's joke, Loen smiled and still shook his head:
"It's too small. To me, these are still insignificant petty profits. It's not worth my effort. Is there a more profitable business?"
Caesar fell into deep thought, then looked into the meaningful eyes of the great man, as if he understood something, and nodded slowly:
"have."
"What?"
"Prosper a country, destroy a country!"
Caesar answered in a deep voice, his eyes as sharp as a hawk, and he spoke eloquently,
"As far as I know, the profit from farming is only ten times, the profit from maritime trade is only a hundred times, and the profit from plundering is only a thousand times, and it will cause endless troubles. Only by building a country and expanding the territory can we make countless profits and leave a name for ourselves forever!"
Looking at the sword tearing off its disguise and revealing its sharpness, Loen nodded with satisfaction.
Because this was the answer he wanted.
If he doesn't even have the courage to say this, then the person in front of him is very different from the impression he has of Caesar the Great, and is not qualified to be his helper in this age of gods.
Thinking back, Lorne smiled and extended an olive branch:
"It sounds like a good business, but my energy is limited. I need some partners now. Are you interested?"
Do you really have this plan?
Realizing that he seemed to have fallen into a huge whirlpool, Caesar regretted his hasty words.
But the heart in the chest that refused to be ordinary was beating violently.
He pondered for a moment and asked seriously:
"Sir, can you tell me first why you chose me?"
"I've read your resume."
As Lorne spoke, he took out a thick stack of information from the magic array and asked as he flipped through it,
"You are from the Julius family, with pure blood. You have served as treasurer, priest, judge, city governor, judicial inspector, tribune, etc., and you have done a great job in every position. You have also organized a fleet to clear the pirates in the Aegean Sea for the empire. You have also made great achievements in the military field. You can be called a well-rounded talent. Logically speaking, with your resume, you should not be unable to stay in office, right?"
Caesar shook his head and laughed at himself helplessly:
"I am now just a poor man with a huge debt. I have to deal with creditors who come to collect debts every day, but I don't have the money to bribe the bosses."
When Loen heard this, he remembered that corruption in the Roman Empire seemed to be very serious.
Historically, one of the main reasons why Caesar was able to come to the fore and seize power was because he used bribes to pave the way.
However, after consolidating his power, he issued a decree against extortion by provincial officials. In addition, he expanded the scope of Roman citizenship, established colonies for retired veterans, implemented municipal laws, added senior official positions, etc., gradually transitioning Rome from a loose slavery system to an imperial period with highly unified power.
In short, he is a political strongman who is capable, resourceful, ambitious, and flexible.
However, due to the existence of gods and the ripples of fate, this heroic figure who should have shined brightly in history became a poor man hiding from his debts.
And at the moment, this kind of talent is most suitable to become the sharp weapon for initiating reforms after Nero comes to power.
Luo En closed the information and asked:
"If I give you a chance, are you willing to eliminate the empire's ills and expand its territory?"
"Thank you for your appreciation, but I'm afraid I can't take on this responsibility."
Caesar shook his head unexpectedly and said self-deprecatingly,
"Besides, even if I want to continue to contribute to the empire, the emperor may not dare to let me continue."
As he said of Claudius I:
This is a mediocre person who seeks stability in everything and is only suitable for maintaining the status quo.
But Caesar himself was a reformer and had always hoped to use tough measures to eliminate the problems facing the Roman Empire.
Therefore, whenever he took office, he would make some policy adjustments and work hard to eliminate the long-standing malpractices.
But this also made the vested interest groups very disgusted with him, and they found ways to transfer him from his position or even expel him from the political arena.
In the end, even the Emperor Claudius I had some complaints about him.
If he didn't have the halo of Julius, he would probably lose his life if he did this.
After suffering such a blow, it's understandable that he would be disheartened...right?
Caesar blinked, waiting for a response.
Luo En remained unmoved and sneered secretly.
If this old fox was really discouraged and knew that Claudius's family invited him, he would not have come at all.
Besides, you’ve already refused, why don’t you have any intention of leaving?
This is nothing more than retreating to advance, waiting for him to speak and selling himself for a good price.
After a moment, Lorne sighed:
"Although it's a pity, I respect your choice."
When Caesar heard this, he was stunned.
I thought I could sell it at a high price, but I was not careful and ended up losing money.
This is bad. He was hoping to seize this opportunity to turn things around and pay off his debts.
Just as Caesar was racking his brains to think of how to respond, a crisp bell rang.
"Sorry, I have to go to class. The door is over there, so I won't keep you for lunch."
While sorting out the manuscript, Loen ordered them to leave.
Caesar was moved and asked:
"Excuse me, who are your students?"
"Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, the youngest son of Emperor Claudius I and the future heir to the throne of the Roman Empire. I have been entrusted by the Pantheon to educate her into a capable person."
"You are from Greece, right?"
"Why? Can't I?"
"Of course not!"
Caesar slapped his thigh and excitedly took the teacher's hand, as if he had met him too late.
"To be honest, I love ancient Greek culture, especially Greek classical literature. I even went to Rhodes to learn rhetoric from Apollonius, the son of Myron and a master of oratory. Today, I have a rare opportunity to meet a famous teacher from Greece. Please allow me to attend the class and relive the influence of civilized education!"
The first half of the sentence is true, and the second half is of course a compliment.
Due to the heavy debt, he can hardly make ends meet, and this time he must seize the opportunity to make a breakthrough no matter what.
What's more, the boss this time is not the mediocre Claudius, but seems to be his youngest son. Whether he is suitable for him to serve him is just right to take this opportunity to test his quality.
Under Caesar's expectant gaze, Lorne nodded generously:
"You can listen if you want. There are plenty of seats."
Caesar was overjoyed when he heard this.
He hurriedly and attentively picked up the teaching materials for the temporary teacher and followed him to the classroom.
(End of this chapter)
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