48 Hours a Day

Zhang Heng’s previous performances earned him quite a bit of money. Other than that, he also received a lot of gifts and copper coins from the excited spectators when he won his final battle at the Amphitheatrum Flavium. Although most of those gifts belonged to Mark Reuss, the money he earned was more than enough to pay the rent.

After Zhang Heng quit the gladiator school, Commodus almost instantly offered him a job. Simultaneously, he was still working for the Balance Blade, so he brought the slave around the town to look at a couple of houses. In the end, Zhang Heng chose the home most comfortable to live in. Its rent, however, was also the highest as compared to other houses.

The room for two people was located at the south of Plato Square. When they opened the window, they could see the Tiber River. Other than the excellent scenery, it also reduced the risk of the property catching fire. Initially, Zhang Heng wanted to rent two rooms, but the slave girl insisted on renting just one. She mentioned that it was unnecessary to waste so much money on her, and she did not mind sleeping on the floor.

Before Zhang Heng could even put together a bed, she had already slept on the floor. That was where and how most slaves slept at night.

“But you are no longer a slave now,” Zhang Heng said.

“Don’t you want me to take care of your daily life? How am I supposed to take care of you if I don’t stay in the room with you? Besides, we have been staying together for some time now. Is there any problem?” the slave girl asked while blinking.

“Uh, let me ask you a question. After you regain your freedom, have you ever thought about what you are going to do to make a living?” Zhang Heng asked.

To Zhang Heng’s surprise, the slave girl nodded again and again after hearing the question. “Yes. I did think about it.”

“Oh? This is unexpected. What do you want to do in the future?”

“I want to help you to clean up your place and take care of your daily life,” the slave girl replied without hesitation.

“…”

“Do you need someone to clean and take care of your daily life?” asked the slave girl.

“Well, I think the answer is yes.” Zhang Heng could not refute her. After all, he lived in the second century, and Rome was by no means a modern country. Living alone and doing everything by himself would prove a little inconvenient. There were no toilets, no washing machine, no running water, and no convenience stores. Even the kitchen downstairs had to be shared among many people.

It was true that Zhang Heng did survive on a deserted island, but he did not want to spend too much time maintaining his basic survival needs in this dungeon. Hence, it was necessary to hire someone to take care of that.

“I did take care of you for a while, and I did a good job, right?” the slave girl asked.

“Well, that’s true,” Zhang Heng nodded.

“Then, do I get this job?” The slave girl completed the perfect deduction.

“…forget it. You can do this for now. After that, I will look for a job for you so that you can support yourself.” Zhang Heng had to come to a compromise.

For now, this problem was solved. Zhang Heng asked the owner to add another bed in the room. He then gave her some money to purchase the essentials. When the two of them had finished cleaning up, it was already late. The slave girl who was the main laborer of this cleanup operation was exhausted. The moment she got on the bed, she fell asleep immediately.

On the other hand, Zhang Heng was not asleep. He was still l waiting for someone.

When the moon rose high in the sky, the streets became quieter. The tavern and other entertainment venues had closed one after another. Except for some drunks loitering in the alleys and gutters, everyone else had fallen asleep. The person Zhang Heng was waiting for had finally arrived.

“Is this your new residence?” Dadatis came in from the window like a ghost.

“Hmm.” Zhang Heng nodded, glanced at the street downstairs, then closed the window smoothly.

“The place looks good.” Dadatis looked around, and when he saw the slave girl on the bed, he took another look at Zhang Heng, “You brought her out too? You really don’t seem as ruthless as you look.”

“I never said that I was cruel and ruthless,” Zhang Heng replied.

“But your emotion does not fluctuate very much,” Dadatis said. “Very well, this is a trait that all assassins dream of.

“You performed well earlier,” he continued after a pause. “Not only did you win the championship, but you also successfully caught Commodus’ interest in you. If everything goes well, he will first give you one or two simple tasks. If you manage to complete them perfectly, he will definitely reuse you. At that time, you can squeeze into his circle and find out the whereabouts of Altrus.”

“Before I make those things happen, I want to ask a question. Was the sudden call for my freedom earlier today arranged by Balance Blade?” Zhang Heng interrupted.

“So, you noticed it as well.” Dadatis was a little surprised. “But I am not responsible for this incident. If you want to know more about it, there is someone who might be able to help you.”

“Who?”

“The priestess. She wants to see you.”

Zhang Heng was surprised. According to Dadatis, the organizational structure of the Balance Blade was not that complicated. Except for a group of auxiliary personnel who provided external services, the core members were a group of top-tier assassins and a priest. There was no nominal leader. Assassins like Dadatis and the other assassins were the sharpest weapons of the Balance Blade. Usually, they would come up with something similar to a council to maintain the organization’s operation. The priestess, however, could use the oracle to mobilize the entire organization.

To some extent, she could even be regarded as the actual leader of the Balance Blade. According to Zhang Heng’s deduction, the Balance Blade should belong to a powerful political force. If this was the case, the priestess of the Balance Blade was most likely the voice of that particular political force.

No matter the truth, the priestess was undoubtedly a very important person. Zhang Heng did not expect that the other party would summon him before proving his loyalty by passing Balance Blade’s test.

Was it because the relationship between him and Commodus progressed faster beyond expectations?

Zhang Heng could not figure out the priestess’s intention for the time being. And he also did not know whether the meeting was a blessing or a curse. So he did not immediately agree to it. Instead, he asked, “Do the other core members of the organization know about this meeting?”

“I don’t think so,” Dadatis shook his head. “I was also told suddenly that the priestess wants to see you. Under normal circumstances, even the core members of the organization would hardly see the priestess. When there is no oracle, she usually won’t show up.”

“So, if she shows up now, does it mean that a new oracle has appeared?” Zhang Heng frowned.

“No, you don’t need to be so nervous. It’s different this time. She wants to see you.” Dadatis said, “Also, don’t you want to enter the secret library in the base? Normally, this requires the consent of more than two-thirds of the assassins, but if the priestess is willing to help you, she can take you directly into the library.”