Ancient Rome: From Sl*veholder to Supreme Emperor - Chapter 2
Ancient Rome: From Slaveholder to Supreme Emperor Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Ambition of the Slaveholder
T/L: wō niú E/D: NewMartialArt P/R: covfefe & kiskaiya
Looking down at the coins in his hand, Ye Tian burst into laughter. “The system rewarded me with an extra 100 gold coins! I’m so lucky!”
The currencies of Rome were:
Aureus: Gold coins, weighing about 8 grams.
Denarius: Silver coins, 25 silver coins equalled 1 Gold coin
Sestertius: Copper coins, 100 copper coins equalled 1 Silver coin
The Sestertius was the most commonly used currency, with one Sestertius being equivalent to 7 USD.
The 100 gold coins that the system rewarded Ye Tian with was worth 2,500 silver coins, or 250,000 copper coins, which was equivalent to $700,000 USD.
Ye Tian was still far from being rich as his current wealth only made him a middle class.
In his early years, Caesar was kidnapped by pirates and ransomed for about 50 Talentum of gold coins.
Talentum was the weight unit used in Rome. One Talentum was around 20-40 kilograms. And 50 Talentum meant about 100 – 200 kilograms.
100 gold coins, eight grams each, it was less than one kilogram!
Therefore, Ye Tian had to continue to work hard.
“This year is 90 BC. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty rules China. And at this time, the Han Dynasty should be fighting with the Huns!” Ye Tian muttered softly, looking to the distant east.
All of a sudden, his eyes lit up with ambition.
“The strongest slaveholder? One day, all of Europe will become my slaves. One day, I will become the Supreme Emperor!”
Ah, everything begins with the slaveholder!
…
“Master, how is this dress?” Angela asked, appearing before Ye Tian for the first time in a while. Her current clothes were a lot more concealing, whereas her old clothes left her arms and legs bare.
“Wow, it’s gorgeous! You have good taste!” Ye Tian responded with a smile. “Have breakfast with me!”
Looking at Angela’s incomparably graceful figure, Ye Tian felt his blood rushing to his little brother. The blood didn’t seem to stop there, either, probably because of his improved physique.
“I’m just your slave, It’s not my place to eat with you, master…” Angela muttered.
She was a little hesitant at first, but after hearing Ye Tian repeat this several times, she became alarmed. Despite her fear, she was touched and wanted to cry.
The status of slaves was very low. To most slaveholders, they were just tools that could speak.
The slaves did the dirtiest, most exhausting and difficult work every day, but were only fed the cheapest and least nutritious foods. And usually not even enough of it.
The life of a female slave was even more miserable; not only did they work like male slaves, their masters also expected them to solve their ‘physical problems’.
But, pleasing the master did not often lead to better treatment or a greater quality of life for the slave.
They were just tools to be used – coming and going with the whims of their master.
It was even worse if they were pregnant; if not killed outright, then their children were also enslaved, raised like pigs and dogs.
For the most beautiful slaves, life was even harsher. Not only did they have to be their master’s lover, but if he had a wife, then the slave would often be beaten out of spite.
It was no wonder Angela felt blessed by the gods. Her master was merciful and kind, and she was willing to give him her everything, including her very life.
Ye Tian smiled and whispered softly, “Okay, why don’t you feed me. Alright?”
“Yes, master…” Angela replied hesitantly. She nodded shyly, grateful for this opportunity.
As she was feeding Ye Tian, his hands slowly explored her body. Despite this, Angela was able to feed Ye Tian and also eat her fill.
“Come with me to the villa,” Ye Tian said impatiently, wiping the food from his mouth. “I want to see if those old guys dare to be lazy! “
“Yes, master,” Angela replied while properly fixing her clothes.
Roman agriculture was quite developed. Their main crops included wheat, barley, olives, grapes and spices. They had begun to use iron tools such as rakes, hoes, shovels and sickles, as well as others.
Ye Tian had planted some of these crops on his estate. There were other, more exotic crops that could be purchased from the system store. But, while he could buy them, he lacked the resources to protect them from thieves.
A Slave army!
Ye Tian planned to build the strongest slave army in this era, one that was completely loyal to him.
When that happened, the nobility, the three giants, and even the Senate would all be under his control, and he would be enthroned as the Supreme Emperor.
With the aid of the Strongest Slave System, Ye Tian was sure he could pull this off.
The System’s rules explained that once a slave’s loyalty reached 80, it would not fall again.
Money, wealth! It made the world go round!
And lots of it was needed to buy more slaves. To support his slave army, he needed money. To buy more land, he needed money.
Ye Tian came from the future, so he knew a lot of ways to make money. At this moment, he was weak; even if he created a business empire, he lacked the power to protect it. For now he could only worry about maintaining his current position.
