Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7321 Mysterious Shadows

Chapter 7321 Mysterious Shadows

Ma Chao's identity was always an open secret in Rome, but the Roman Empire never cared about it. After all, in Rome, achievements were the ticket to entry, while national identity was the concept that made them a unified whole. Moreover, the Romans, who could even recognize barbarians as citizens, didn't really care if Ma Chao, with his sufficient achievements, became a Roman citizen or even a Roman senator.

However, there is a limit to this kind of acceptance, and now that the situation has reached this point, there are some things that the Roman senators really need to analyze.

Of course, this is just something to analyze; Rome's current situation hasn't reached the point where they absolutely have to force Ma Chao to choose his lineage.

"Are you ready?" Ma Chao repeated, then nodded slightly. He knew his own situation, and he had never hidden it. He had come to Rome earlier just to find a place to fight a few battles and vent his depression over the inexplicable loss of his legion. He just didn't expect that things would turn out this way by chance.

Ma Chao stayed in Rome afterward simply because he had a good impression of the city. However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that he completely sided with Rome. In fact, Ma Chao hadn't brought his father and family over all these years. He did have many connections in Rome, but he also had many connections within the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Ma Chao's feelings were somewhat complicated when he heard Luciano's words.

"No need to overthink it. No matter what, the Roman Empire won't go as far as you imagine. The upcoming review of you is more about clarifying your future limits." Luciano, seeing Ma Chao's expression, understood what the other was thinking and laid it all out. After all, he was the commander of the Eleven Loyal Claudius Legions and had been in Italy for so long; he knew what he needed to know.

"I see." Ma Chao nodded. If that were the case, he wouldn't mind continuing to work for the Roman Empire. But if it had to be a matter of choosing one over the other, Ma Chao felt he might choose exile. After all, given the current state of the Han Dynasty, Ma Chao felt he would despise himself if he were to betray it.

In times of chaos, the identity of being a descendant of Ma Yuan might have been just a facade, a card played by the Ma family of Fufeng. But now, it's a card that can truly be presented.

Moreover, Chen Xi's moral system has been built up over many years, and Ma Chao was influenced even when he was abroad. It's impossible that he would betray the Han Dynasty so simply for some reason.

So Ma Chao knew exactly what to choose. He had even discussed this with the high-ranking officials of the Han Dynasty. This was actually the reason why Ma Chao had never moved his entire family away. If he had ambitions, ambitions to become king in Rome, and the idea of ​​betraying his origins, would Ma Teng still need to stay in Chang'an?

From a certain perspective, Ma Teng and other members of the Ma family were actually playing the role of hostages, only they didn't go too far in their dealings with the Han dynasty, nor did they say anything too outrageous.

“But some things must be made clear. Because of the death of the treasurer, the Roman Empire is currently in a state of extreme confusion. As a Roman senator and powerful governor, you have attended many meetings of the Senate. If you recall the Senate, you should have a sense of it.” Luciano said with a sigh. He could sense that Ma Chao had not acted entirely according to their expectations, but this choice was also within their estimation.

“The Claudius family, I know them too. They even came to me for a while to ask if I wanted to add Claudius to their surname.” Ma Chao went straight to the heart of the matter. Luciano’s lips twitched when he heard this, but he didn’t say anything in the end. This was indeed a simple and crude test, and a completely unbelievable way of solving the problem.

After all, if Ma Chao was willing to add Claudius to his surname, then he would be considered one of the family, and the Claudius family would naturally be responsible for the aftermath, thus he could be considered one of the family.

"That's pretty much the situation now. Back when Lord Pompiñas was still alive, the Roman Empire's progress was driven by the state to acquire the Claudius family's assets, and this action actually faced considerable resistance," Luciano said with a hint of helplessness. Although he voted in favor during the vote back then, he was well aware of the obstacles involved. It was only because Pompiñas was strong enough, and there were many Claudius officials who genuinely stood on Rome's side, that this matter was brought to fruition.

But now that Pompiñus is dead, it's time to launch a counterattack!

As a predecessor who had experienced the struggles of Commodus's era, Luciano knew very well that the Roman Empire was not a benevolent place. In fact, it was often filled with bloodshed and violence. In the eyes of people like him and Ma Chao, the country was relatively normal, only because they were strong enough. If anyone else had come, they would have been easily wiped out by the Roman Empire.

"Aren't Pabinian, Herodian, and Ulpian still alive? I was there when they voted," Ma Chao asked with some doubt.

“Pompianus has died.” Luciano emphasized this statement, leaving Ma Chao puzzled.

“The treasurer was the one who spearheaded this matter. His death will cause a lot of problems. The Grand Justices agreed to this because they recognized His Excellency Pompiñus’s abilities. And as you can see from the progress of this matter over the past few years, it has been very difficult, even with the treasurer’s efforts,” Luciano said with a heavy heart.

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao recalled for a moment and nodded. Indeed, even with the approval of so many important figures, it was still very difficult to push this matter forward.

“Chao, don’t think of the positions of the Grand Justices and magistrates as so clear-cut. They have their own ideas about how to save Rome. Normally they seem normal, but once they enter a state of protecting Rome, then they…” Luciano said with a heavy tone. He had witnessed the era when Perennis, in order to protect Rome, took up his sword and killed indiscriminately.

“When the treasurer was alive, the country had enough capital. Money might not solve all problems, but most problems could be suppressed with enough money. Moreover, if money couldn't solve them, it would be difficult to solve them without it. But now that the treasurer is dead, if the successor doesn't have the ability to raise money…” Luciano’s expression grew increasingly somber. “That scene from back then will repeat itself. The biggest mistake in this world is not that you are right and the other party is wrong, but that you and I are both right, but the world can only support one right person.”

At this moment, Ma Chao looked at Luciano with some shock. He really didn't expect that Luciano, who didn't seem to be very bright, could actually say such a philosophical thing. It was a shock to Ma Chao that had lasted for more than ten years.

"Don't you find it unbelievable that I said this?" Luciano saw the shock on Ma Chao's face and said with a bittersweet expression.

Ma Chao remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Because I have truly witnessed such an era,” Luciano sighed. “More than twenty years ago, those important figures in Rome used whatever methods they thought were right in order to save Rome. During that time, even someone like a quaestor could be executed for being right. Rome was that cruel back then.”

Ma Chao was dumbfounded. So the Roman Empire had such a crazy period?

“That group selected the treasurer’s plan, and the treasurer knew why, but now that the treasurer is dead, once the successor is chosen, it will inevitably cause turmoil,” Luciano said with some weariness. “Moreover, the Grand Chancellor is also dying soon, and once Pabinian passes away, the pillars of the Roman Empire’s law will be in trouble, and many problems will no longer be easy to solve.”

"No, wait a minute, what about those life-extending things from the Roman Empire?" Ma Chao suddenly realized something was wrong and asked with some doubt.

In fact, Ma Chao had felt something was wrong ever since Pompiñus died, but he hadn't figured it out before. But now that Luciano said that Papinian was also nearing the end of his life, Ma Chao finally realized that something was wrong. Did the Roman Empire not have any secrets to prolong life?

“Yes, but there will definitely be some kind of mistake at some point.” Luciano said after a moment of silence, “The Empire, in some ways, is still quite dark.”

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao remained silent for a long, long time, ultimately unable to find the words to say.

“Chao, you need to realize one fact: all life-extending medicines require the person to be alive to prolong their life. Once the person is truly dead, the life-extending medicine is useless. In fact, the treasurer and the chief justice in the Senate have long since reached the end of their lives, but they are being extended by life-extending medicines. That’s why there are situations where they die as soon as the life-extending medicines malfunction.” Luciano said solemnly. Ma Chao nodded upon hearing this; this was not beyond his expectations.

"Can't we bring back the deceased treasurer? If I remember correctly, the Roman Empire has more than one or two such methods." Ma Chao asked with some doubt. He was also a high-ranking official in Rome, and even if he couldn't access the most core secrets, he was still aware of this information.

“Yes, there’s such a technique.” Luciano said with a wry smile, then tried his best to adjust his expression as he looked at Ma Chao. “Chao, let me ask you a question.”

"What's the problem?" Ma Chao asked Luciano, puzzled.

"What exactly is the basis of Caesar's existence?" Luciano revealed his trump card directly. "What kind of power allows Caesar to step out of history and then demonstrate near-complete capabilities in this era, even instructing us on military training?"

Ma Chao was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then, recalling the situation on the Han Dynasty's side, he silently nodded, already having made a guess in his mind.

"It seems you guessed it too." Luciano looked at Ma Chao's expression and knew that the other party had already made his own judgment about Caesar's way of being.

“Caesar’s presence was stronger than those two dictators in the Han Dynasty. He could even interfere with the Senate’s decisions to some extent. These actions would consume the Roman Empire’s national fortune. Although there were two dictators in the Han Dynasty, they would not interfere with the Han Dynasty at the policy level.” Luciano told Ma Chao his analysis, which he had combined with that of others.

“Although we always say that we are stronger than the Han Dynasty, you should know best from the details. If the Han Dynasty was really weaker than Rome, you would have just joined Rome. Why do things like this?” Luciano said with a hint of sarcasm. Ma Chao was somewhat embarrassed by his words, but he did not directly refute them.

"In short, that's the situation. The Roman Empire can only support one Holy Spirit who can interfere with national policies: Lord Pompiannis. If he were to be resurrected and forcibly interfere with national policies, the backlash would be..." Luciano didn't finish his sentence, but what he wanted to say was clear.

Simply put, doing this will lead to death and will affect countless people.

"And another very important point is, Chao, do you think it's a good thing that the senior can extend his lifespan indefinitely?" Luciano asked very formally.

"Ah, I really haven't thought about that question, but to be honest, I still hope that figures like the treasurer and the chief justice live longer," Ma Chao said honestly. Having spent so many years in Rome, Ma Chao had come to understand the true structure of the Roman Empire and held certain individuals within it in high esteem.

“Yes, to live longer.” Luciano smiled. “Your answer completely reveals your true thoughts.”

Ma Chao remained silent for a while after hearing this, as if it were indeed true.

"Those who come after also need a place. If the seniors take all the positions, how can the newcomers rise to the top? Admittedly, those seniors who were able to extend their lives are all very strong, but there are definitely stronger ones among the newcomers, they just haven't had the position or opportunity to use their abilities," Luciano said with a sigh. "Of course, you could say that the seniors were noble and withdrew on their own..."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao realized the problem. Retreat was out of the question. In the current situation, retreating would be tantamount to giving up the life extension. When the country realized there was a substitute, resources would be allocated accordingly. Without the life extension, death would be inevitable.

Especially in the current situation, some important figures have actually reached the end of their lives, but their lifespans are being extended only because the country needs them. Now that a younger person has been found to replace them, even if arrangements were made for them earlier, what will happen next?

“So if it really comes to that, then it’s impossible to step down alive,” Luciano said with a hint of lament. “And to survive, what kind of disasters are those big shots capable of? To be honest, just thinking about it terrifies me.”

Ma Chao looked Luciano up and down. He felt that Luciano's words had some other meaning. Did he not want certain people to continue living?

However, after this thought crossed Ma Chao's mind, he dismissed it. What did it have to do with him? He was just a Roman senator attending the meeting, the governor of Media. As long as he didn't have any ambition to become emperor, his life was already quite good.

“I’ve said what I needed to say and passed on what I needed to pass on. How you choose to proceed and whose side you should stand on is up to you. But as someone who’s been there, I have to give you a piece of advice: as long as you can still be vague and others are willing to listen to your vagueness, you don’t necessarily need to explain everything completely.” Luciano patted Ma Chao on the shoulder and then turned and left.

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao stroked his chin, sensing that there was a hidden meaning in the man's words.

Luciano didn't stay in Midia for long. After Ma Chao saw him off, he flew away immediately. Ma Chao then told Uberto to pack up and prepare to go to Italy with him. No matter what they would face next, they absolutely could not miss this Italian Senate meeting. After all, anyone who wasn't a fool would know that something big was about to happen.

After packing his things, Ma Chao flew to Italy with Uberto, where they met Xu You, who was waiting for them, as soon as they landed.

"Chao, be careful at the upcoming Senate meeting," Xu You said directly.

"You call me Chao instead of Mengqi, so why should I be careful?" Ma Chao said irritably. You don't even consider me a Han Chinese, do you?

Xu You was silenced by Ma Chao's words. After a long while, he finally spoke, "It seems you already have your own plans. I won't say any more. The treasurer has passed away, and the Roman Senate is launching a counterattack. I'm wondering if I should add fuel to the fire."

“Add more if you want. I’m just here to see the finance officer off. After this meeting, I’ll go back to Media. Italy isn’t really a good place for me right now.” Ma Chao glanced at Xu You; he always felt that this guy was very cunning.

“I have something accurate that can take away the Grand Justice and his successor in one fell swoop, and it has nothing to do with us,” Xu You said to himself. Ma Chao was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and his expression became much more serious.

“I even suspect that Pompiñus’s death is related to this material I have.” At this moment, Xu You put away his cunning expression and said with a bit of seriousness, “But we haven’t decided yet whether or not to expose this as the Duke of Eastern Europe.”

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao stared intently at Xu You, trying to determine whether Xu You was joking or serious.

"There is an evil god in the highest echelons of Rome, who is the humanized form of multiple composite evil gods." Xu You gave the answer directly to Ma Chao. This kind of thing cannot be detected by normal methods. Let alone Rome, even if it were sent to Chen Xi's side, Chen Xi would not be able to determine whether it was non-human or not. But Yuan Tan's wife is the humanized form of multiple composite evil gods.

In other words, if this meeting hadn't been so important that Yuan Tan had come in person, no one could have been certain of what would have happened today.

I struggled to get up from my bed.