“You are lying,” Lucilla took a deep breath. “You only said that to make me forgive you for what you did.”
“Perhaps.” Pompeanus did not argue too much on this issue, nor did he panic. From the moment his identity was exposed, he had kept a calm expression as if oblivious to the dagger pointed at his chest. He then continued casually, “No matter how much you hate me, there is at least one thing you can’t deny. I am indeed the best person for you in this world.”
“No. You are just a liar that tells all kinds of lies.” Lucilla then looked at Zhang Heng, who was watching the drama unfold before him. She seemed to have finally made up her mind. Hence, with gritted teeth, she growled, “Kill him! Kill him! I’ll tell you the location of the Balance Blade’s library.”
“Deal.”
Zhang Heng was very straightforward. He had been waiting for Lucilla to drop the order. Without any hesitation, he thrust the dagger cleanly into Pompeanus’ chest.
“That’s why I like you.”
Still staring at Lucilla at the last moment of his life, Pompeanus smiled. “Don’t worry, my dear. Even death can’t separate us.”
“What does that mean?” Lucilla’s expression changed slightly.
Pompeanus could no longer answer her because he had stopped breathing.
Zhang Heng pulled the dagger and said, “He is dead, and I have fulfilled the agreement with you. It’s your turn to fulfill your part.”
“Wait, what did his last sentence mean?” Lucilla frowned.
“I can’t answer your question. My understanding of him is limited to the part that he was related to the Hound.” Zhang Heng said, “Perhaps, it is something you should be asking yourself. After all, you and he have been a couple for so long.”
Lucilla looked uncertain. In the end, she decided not to dwell on this question anymore. Instead, she said, “You seem to have a way to hide well in this city. Can I hire you to be my assassin? In this war, I lost all the assassins from the Balance Blade. However, we can always recruit new ones. You can become the Assassin Speaker. You can freely use all the resources left behind by the Balance Blade. Other than that, I will pay you a huge sum of money.”
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Zhang Heng seemed indifferent when he heard her offer. He then wiped the blood from the dagger. “Sorry, I am only interested in the whereabouts of the library.”
Lucilla had a sullen expression on her face, but she soon sorted out her emotions. She still had many political allies, and she was also the emperor’s sister. The destruction of the Balance Blade had indeed weakened her power a lot. She was glad that Zhang Heng had managed to kill Altrus and exposed Pompeanus’s identity. Although it was a pity that Zhang Heng did not accept her offer, Lucilla did want to make a more powerful enemy at a time like this.
So she nodded and said, “That’s a shame. Hold on.”
After that, Lucilla walked to her dressing table, took out one of her makeup boxes, and took out a map from the hidden compartment.
“Where is this?” Zhang Heng took the map, looked at it, and asked with confusion.
“Egypt,” replied Lucilla. “The secret library of the Balance Blade was originally located in Greece. However, the tragedy that happened two hundred years ago forced us to relocate it. It was for security reasons. The library is now located in a desert in Egypt.”
“Hmm. It seems I can enjoy my long-distance travel next. I hope the scenery along the way is not too bad,” replied Zhang Heng with his eyebrows raised.
…
After killing Pompeanus, Zhang Heng was done with all the tasks in the city of Rome. Before he left, he returned to the southeast city to make some final arrangements.
Lucilla was curious of why Marcus, Soap, and others did not betray Zhang Heng for the considerable reward. The answer was simple. It was not because of Zhang Heng’s charm. He revealed his Shadow Wings to them, causing a significant impact on their mental state. Zhang Heng had no idea how long his trick would last. However, it was definitely enough for him to survive the complex situation in the meantime.
The last place Zhang Heng headed to was the Red Nose Blacksmith shop to withdraw the game items he deposited here. If he were right, he would not be returning to Rome anymore after his journey to Egypt. He employed his Lv2 makeup skill to join a team leaving the city, successfully going past the city gates. After that, he took a last look at Rome behind him.
In just six months, he went from being a slave to a gladiatorial champion to being favored by the emperor. He was granted the status of a free man, and he worked his way up to become a nobleman with a fief. In the end, he became a wanted criminal by the entire empire. Probably no one could beat his life experience.
However, Zhang Heng was not too emotional about it because he was just a passer-by in second-century Rome. To him, the scenery of the city was more interesting than becoming a noble. Zhang Heng withdrew his gaze after that. He had less than a year of game time left in this dungeon. It seemed quite long, but considering the logistical difficulties he would have to face on the path, he might have to spend a long time traveling from Rome to Egypt. If he chose the land route, he would need at least a couple of months to get to his destination.
Fortunately, he could take a ship across the Mediterranean Sea. And the current wind direction favored his journey. So, Zhang Heng found a grain ship at the pier that was about to make a return. Many modern folks believe that Egypt had always been made entirely out of desert and pyramids. During the second century AD, however, Egypt was known for shipping grain to Rome. Every year, the grain from Egypt fed at least half of the population of the Roman Empire.
After paying a gold coin for the ship ticket, Zhang Heng successfully found himself a bed on the ship. The moment he returned to the sea, he felt a sense of familiarity. It did not take him long to mingle with the sailors. The captain even wanted to keep Zhang Heng on the ship and give him a job after arriving in Egypt. However, the latter declined the offer.
Zhang Heng had not forgotten the purpose of his trip. After he arrived in Egypt, he took two weeks to check out the famous places in Egypt. After that, he spent some money to buy thirty camels and prepared seven months’ worth of food and water. Lastly, he hired a few local guides and started his journey to the marked location on the map.