Three weeks passed.
During these three weeks, Septimus has sent 50 clones to Naples in two groups and has managed to increase by 10 the number of clones assigned to the production of white sugar.
Septimus has also gained significant combat experience, sacrificing 120 clones in fierce battles and causing Gaudas to change his expression upon observing Septimus.
In Gaudas's opinion, Septimus's actions are those of a person who adores blood and slaughter.
The combat experience in the underground arena has generated a notable improvement in the combat skills of all the clones, including those training in the ludus, pleasantly surprising Gaius. At first, he did not pay much attention to the 30 new individuals, but their rapid improvement in combat skills brought a pleasant surprise to the ludus due to the talent demonstrated by the clones.
Finally, since Septimus began producing white sugar, he has been discreetly selling it in Naples at 40 denarii per pound. A Roman pound is equivalent to about 335.9 grams, which generates a great profit.
With such a high price, sugar can only be considered a luxury, destined exclusively for the Roman upper class accustomed to extravagance and excess.
In Roman society, where the gap between the rich and the poor is so pronounced, for the Roman upper class spending 40 denarii or more for a pound of sugar was not considered expensive.
The level of extravagance of the upper class caused some nobles, aware of the possible social problem, to attempt reforms, the Draco brothers being a clear example.
Septimus, having assigned 50 clones to trade and protect his sugar sales, managed to accumulate a fortune of more than 70 thousand denarii in 3 weeks.
Taking advantage of the good weather, Septimus, together with 10 clones, planned to buy a villa outside Capua and move the sugar production to the villa.
After making a decision, Septimus, together with his clones, met with the seller of a villa and managed to agree on a price of 75 thousand denarii for the villa without slaves.
Upon observing the large expanse of land with olive and cereal crops, along with the comfortable and spacious residential area and the two warehouses used to store grain,
Septimus felt satisfied with the villa. In this place he would establish his first foundation; currently, the villa was located 2 days from Capua, neither too close nor too far.
The clones worked like worker ants and transferred the sugar production to the villa. Septimus established a guard of 300 clones dedicated to protecting the villa and increased to 100 the number of clones dedicated to the production of white sugar, adding another 50 clones for the normal functioning of the villa, resulting in a total of 450 clones.
Septimus also planned to buy 20 beautiful virgin slaves in Naples to serve him in the residence as maids and occasional lovers. He could not always delegate household tasks to his own clones, and with his great wealth, maintaining a few lovers would help him enjoy the privileges of this era.
After establishing clear objectives, Septimus set out to fulfill them.
A month passed.
During this month, the number of clones in the villa increased to 450, forcing Septimus to build wooden huts to accommodate them. He also increased the number of clones assigned to trade in Naples from 50 to 100 and assigned another 100 clones to trade in Rome and Sicily, assigning 200 clones to each place.
Septimus had no other option; he could not accommodate too many clones, and Rome, as the capital of the Republic, required clones to handle trade, just as Sicily did due to being farther away.
On the other hand, Septimus has also earned more than half a million denarii; white sugar has become a popular product among the Roman upper class, becoming indispensable at Roman banquets and on upper-class tables.
Although the estimated profits from the sale of sugar have caused the greed of some influential individuals in Rome, the discretion of the clones, combined with the uneasy political situation in Rome, with an environment of social and political unrest among the upper spheres of Rome,
as a result, Septimus's white sugar trade has not been affected by interference from individuals with ulterior motives.
With a large sum of money, Septimus's ambitions also increased, and he planned to buy the surrounding villas and expand his own villa into a small walled city.
With the objective of increasing his clone force to half a legion to protect his assets, Septimus is aware that by purchasing large quantities of construction materials, the upper class in Capua will take notice of him. His advantage lies in the ability to have a large number of clones loyal to himself and capable of fighting.
With his cloning ability, Septimus understands that he has an advantage in forming a legion; he only needs to pay for weapons, armor, and food. He does not need to pay wages or training costs; his own clones are skilled warriors and are an extension of himself, without the need to pay them a salary. All clones are one.
With that idea in mind, Septimus calculated that the cost of weapons, armor, and food for his half legion would amount to a total of 425 thousand denarii.
Although it is a huge amount, if it were another person, the cost to form half a legion would be more than double that amount. Septimus estimated that in the following month he could gather both the money and the number of clones required to form the half legion.
Septimus was unaware that his situation was already known among the people of Capua. People in Capua talked about a wealthy young man with a villa outside the city who traded with different cities in Rome.
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
Septimus formed his half legion and, from the three neighboring villas surrounding his own, managed to purchase two nearby villas.
The only thing that made him frown was the last villa. Although his clones presented themselves politely with the intention of buying the villa at a price above its value, the slave in charge of that villa showed an indifferent attitude, unwilling to listen to the clone's offer.
While Septimus was thinking about the situation regarding the purchase of villas,
three beautiful young women with graceful figures entered the room that Septimus used for work, carrying wine and fruit.
"Young master, we have come to feed you," said one of the young women with perky buttocks and small breasts as she sat on Septimus's lap and fed him fruit.
Another beautiful young woman with blonde hair and sharp facial features stood behind Septimus, massaging him, while the third young woman with black hair, with well-proportioned buttocks and breasts, stood beside him with a jug of wine while Septimus grabbed her buttocks.
In recent weeks, Septimus has enjoyed 20 virgin beauties whom he bought with a large amount of money, giving them a place in the villa as his women and administrators of his daily life.
As a modern person, Septimus does not consider himself a saint, but the treatment he gives his slaves is the best that can be given to a slave in this era.
Every day, Septimus enjoyed five different slaves, rotating among the 20 women for his personal service.
While Septimus enjoyed the attention of the women, his expression changed, and he stood up from the furniture, grabbing a garment to dress himself while frowning and sighing.
"The problems that must come will come," Septimus said to himself as he stood up and headed toward the entrance of the villa.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the villa,
"I have come to inspect the property of the villa, let me pass," said Titus the tax collector with an angry expression to the two clones serving as guards at the entrance.
"We cannot grant you entry to the villa until we receive orders from the young master," said one of the clone guards coldly to Titus.
"I represent the Fiscal authority of Rome; step aside or you will end up crucified," Titus shouted angrily at the clone guard.
Amid the shouting between the clone guard and Titus the tax collector, Septimus, together with 6 clone guards, headed toward the entrance of the villa. Upon seeing the fat tax collector, Septimus felt a strong urge to kill him, but restrained himself.
Looking coldly at the fat tax collector,
Septimus said, "What brings you here, Mr. Titus?"
The tax collector Titus frowned upon seeing Septimus's attitude, but he did not care; today he had come here to extract a portion of money from this young man.
"I have come to verify your assets in order to estimate the amount of tax you must pay, young Septimus," said Titus with a false smile on his fat face.