"Roman law stipulates that taxes for a villa are paid only as a percentage of the amount of grain that has been sold, not on the property," said Septimus with an expressionless face to Titus.
Titus frowned upon hearing Septimus; originally he had believed he was just a young man who was unfamiliar with Roman norms, but upon hearing him explain Capua's tax system, he began to doubt whether he should take advantage of this young man.
On the other hand, Septimus also doubted the motivations of this fat tax collector and the possibility that he was acting out of greed or putting him to the test. In any case, if the matter got out of control, the fat tax collector would be stabbed by unknown thieves tonight.
"I have come to carry out an inspection; recently you have purchased a villa, but the taxes from grain sales have decreased notably," said Titus with a serious expression.
It was true; Septimus had formed half a legion, and together with his various clones in different places, a large part of the villa's grain production was used to feed the half legion and the remaining clones. As a consequence, the villa's profits from grain sales were scarce.
Septimus was not interested in the miserable profit obtained from grain sales; his income came from the sale of sugar. As a consequence, Titus misinterpreted that Septimus was evading taxes.
"I will increase the taxes I pay twofold; I hope the matter is settled," said Septimus with an expressionless face to Titus.
"The estimated amount of tax is established after I have carried out the inspection," said Titus without blinking, with a hint of greed in his eyes.
"I will pay triple," said Septimus, fixing Titus with a murderous gaze.
On the other hand, the clone guards placed their hands on the hilts of their weapons.
Sensing the tension in the air, Titus became somewhat frightened; his reason told him that Septimus would not harm him, but outside Capua he was not sure. Septimus's villa was located two days from Capua, enough time for unknown bandits to intercept him and kill him along the way.
"Very well, let it be triple the normal price," said Titus with an arrogant look.
On the other hand, although the tax payment would be multiplied by five times, for Septimus it was a small amount; in the current Roman Republic, taxes within the Italian peninsula were very low compared to the high taxes of the provinces.
The support of Roman citizens was essential for holding high political office, and the nobles avoided generating infamy with Roman citizens, causing Roman cities near the capital not to be heavily burdened by excessive taxes.
Upon watching the fat tax collector leave, Septimus suppressed his murderous intent.
In roughly half a year, Marius would die, and in the following three years, Cinna would die. When Sulla disembarks, Septimus will be able to join his side with five legions or more and win the entire city of Capua as his own territory.
With his ability, Septimus trusts in his immortality and in his capacity to form armies to fulfill all his desires in Rome.
Septimus also fears that one day he may lose the will to live; without purpose and without reason, the only solution he finds to avoid becoming bored with immortality is to live a life without moral restraints, allowing Roman history to unfold naturally and acting according to his whims.
On the other hand, Septimus plans to conquer a piece of land in Rome as his territory to develop as his home and to enjoy Roman culture and women.
The identity of a powerful and feared noble is essential for Septimus and his plans to enjoy life.
Having resolved the problem, Septimus directed 30 clones to Capua to purchase construction materials; he intended to build a small fortified town in the villa and maintain a legion inside to protect his wealth. He also planned to open a white sugar shop in Capua.
"With my current strength, I do not need to be cautious with the Roman upper class," said Septimus, thinking to himself.
The clones, having their objectives, began to act.
In Capua, the purchase of a large quantity of construction materials alarmed merchants and the Roman upper class.
With the intense bustle of purchasing construction materials, two months passed quickly.
During the last two months, Septimus completed the purchase of the two neighboring villas, expanding his territory. He also increased the number of clones in the villa to 6,500, maintaining a reserve of clones ready to complete a full legion in a possible emergency.
Septimus's reputation also began to be known in Capua; the Roman upper classes began to notice a discreet young man who traded in white sugar and purchased large quantities of materials. Thanks to the efficiency of the clones, Septimus was able to advance rapidly in the construction of the villa's walls.
Septimus planned to build a perimeter wall 12 feet high, about 3.5 meters, and a ditch with watchtowers spaced every 100 meters. Although Septimus longed to build a wall on a military scale, without the permission of the Roman Senate it was likely to attract attention.
In present-day Rome, the construction of large military walls in villas was not permitted unless one was a powerful figure. Consequently, Septimus could only settle for stone walls of 3.5 meters, reinforced with 5-meter watchtowers every 100 meters.
In this way, Septimus could conceal the number of his clones and armed clone guards, creating the impression of having only a few hundred slaves. Previously, without the walls, Septimus kept his half legion of clones inside wooden huts, and with the construction of the walls, which prevent observation from prying eyes, Septimus could build more comfortable and robust military barracks.
On the other hand, Septimus increased the production of the bakery and moved the smithy to the villa to arm his private clone guards.
Septimus's source of income was concentrated on the trade of white sugar through the cities of Naples, Rome, Sicily, and Capua.
During this time, Septimus has not faltered in training with bladed weapons, sending at least 200 clones to fight in the underground arena.
Gaudas's opinion of Septimus also changed drastically, showing more respect and caution toward the young man who liked to watch people die and frequently sent people to the arena.
Septimus wished he could send more clones to the underground arena, but unfortunately there were not enough opponents to face his endless clones.
The combat experience of the clones acquired through the bloody fights in the underground arena was also notable, managing to refine Septimus's ferocity.
Septimus concluded that buying his own ludus and infiltrating his clones to serve as gladiators in the arena of Capua would be more profitable, avoiding the need to hide his ability.
After setting a new objective, Septimus planned to buy a ludus, mobilizing his clones to search for a declining ludus to purchase.
The clones found a decent ludus; after spending 200 thousand denarii and negotiating the property without slaves and gladiators, the lanista of the ludus agreed to the sale. After a satisfactory negotiation, Septimus can be considered a Roman lanista.
After concluding the purchase, Septimus sent private clone guards to retrieve the clones he had left in Gaius's ludus, along with 3,000 denarii as compensation and farewell for Gaius.
On the other hand, Septimus did not expect Gaius's attitude to change upon learning that he wanted to recover the 30 volunteers.
Originally, Gaius did not pay attention to Septimus or to the 30 volunteers; the talent of the volunteer clones was average or mediocre, but their constant improvements managed to change the opinion of the experienced Gaius. It was very likely that among the 30 volunteers a champion or a legend would emerge, increasing the fortune and fame of the ludus.
As a consequence, when Septimus wanted to recover the 30 volunteers, Gaius showed reluctance because he already considered them as slaves of his property; after all, they were foreigners outside Rome.
Gaius could easily lie, saying that they were slaves of his ludus, and there would be no evidence to prove otherwise.
Septimus, together with 40 clones armed as guards, headed to Gaius's ludus.
As they approached, the clones drew the attention of the guards protecting the gate of the ludus.