Fari understood that war could help Spartacus mature and prepare him to reclaim his position and become a qualified leader.
"Of course I'd like to; I've wanted to go out and see the world for a long time," Spartacus said quickly, wearing an eager expression at the prospect of seeing the world.
He had long wanted to see the outside world and had even left Thrace once before.
"Haha, this is wonderful! Worthy of being my son," Fari said with an expression of pride at Spartacus's enthusiasm.
After Fari left, Spartacus noticed that Sarah seemed somewhat dazed.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Spartacus asked in confusion.
"I don't think you should serve the Romans," Sarah said with a serious expression.
"Why?" Spartacus asked doubtfully.
Sarah was a priestess of the tribe who possessed extraordinary abilities and held a prominent position. Even the elders often had to listen to her advice.
"Last night I had a dream, and at first I didn't know why, but now I do. The Romans are powerful, and they will win the war. But you'd better not go. If you do, you'll become a great hero, but something tragic will happen to you," Sarah said with a serious expression.
"A hero? Really?" Far from being afraid, Spartacus asked excitedly.
"Yes, even the Romans will fear you." Sarah thought for a moment before speaking.
"That's fantastic! Now that you've said that, I'm definitely going!" Spartacus said, laughing out loud.
"Have you never imagined that something terrible could happen to you? Maybe even..." Sarah asked, her brow slightly furrowed.
It could even involve her... But she did not say those words out loud.
"What does it matter? You know that what I desire most is to become a legendary hero," Spartacus exclaimed excitedly as his mind wandered.
"I never imagined that even the Romans would fear me! How did I manage that?" Spartacus exclaimed, slightly excited.
He began to feel confused. Had he captured the King of Pontus alive?
Sarah could not help but frown; the world of men was always filled with fighting and killing.
"Won't you reconsider?" Sarah said with a serious expression.
"No, I'm leaving here no matter what happens. I want to see the outside world, and I want to accomplish great things that even my father couldn't achieve," Spartacus said with a serious expression.
Sarah felt a stab of disappointment. In the end, it was the will of the gods. Since it was going to happen, she might as well accept it.
"Since I'm leaving, how about treating me well today?" Spartacus said as he looked at the beautiful woman standing before him.
"You..."
Sarah was left speechless. Before she could react, Spartacus laughed, picked her up in his arms, and carried her to his room.
---
Ephesus, in the province of Asia (later part of Türkiye, west of the Bosporus Strait), was a bustling port city in the province of Asia.
A large number of ships were docked at the harbor, and a great number of Roman soldiers disembarked and formed orderly ranks.
A total of 10 legions were disembarking from the transport ships in a disciplined manner.
The distinctive banner bearing three decapitated heads differed greatly from the classic Roman standards.
As a result, the inhabitants of the city of Ephesus showed caution and fear at the arrival of a large Roman army with such an ominous appearance.
The citizens and residents of Ephesus kept their distance from the harbor, and very few dared to watch from afar.
At that moment, a group of guards carrying a luxurious banner embroidered with gold threads and the distinctive emblem of three decapitated heads disembarked from the ship. After stopping, they looked around warily. Shortly afterward, Septimus descended the gangway.
"Well, it seems Terentius Varro didn't come to welcome me," Septimus said with a thoughtful expression.
The current governor of Asia was Terentius Varro, a conservative politician and nobleman who had obtained the governorship because of his noble background and the expenditure of a large sum of money.
"It must have been the storm that pushed us off course and caused us to arrive a day later than expected," a young man said as he slowly descended the gangway.
The young man accompanying Septimus was Julius Caesar.
Septimus nodded with some apprehension; the ships of this era were far inferior to those of later periods.
If a storm arose, a ship could be destroyed, often resulting in the loss of lives and material goods.
Fortunately, his fleet had weathered the storm without suffering any damage, with the only loss being a single ship, although it had cost them a great deal of time.
Septimus and his personal guard mounted a group of newly purchased horses.
Julius Caesar also mounted a horse and followed the group.
Septimus nodded calmly.
Julius Caesar's presence during the campaign had initially been driven by self-serving motives, but later the young Julius Caesar earned Septimus's appreciation.
Julius Caesar displayed an excellent strategic sense that could easily adapt to any circumstance or environment.
Although he was still very young, his brilliance on the battlefield could not be concealed.
Septimus enjoyed discussing various topics with the young Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar also took the opportunity to win the favor of the notorious and influential Septimus.
The two chatted casually, and before long the conversation turned to the war that lay ahead.
"I didn't expect the Kingdom of Pontus to have assembled 300,000 soldiers. It seems we must take this battle seriously," Julius Caesar said calmly.
Before departing for Asia, Julius Caesar had learned a great deal about the army of the Kingdom of Pontus. When he heard that the Pontic army was said to number 300,000 men, he was surprised. He had not expected the Kingdom of Pontus to have assembled so many troops.
"The 300,000 soldiers he mentioned should include the civilian workers and slaves accompanying the army; there certainly weren't that many soldiers capable of fighting," Septimus said indifferently.
Throughout history, the rulers of Asia Minor loved to exaggerate the size of their armies.
King Mithridates VI of Pontus said that if half of those 300,000 soldiers were actually capable of fighting, that would already be considered a good result.
Moreover, Septimus was a great student of history and knew that this problem was not limited to monarchs, but also affected many scholars who recorded history.
For example, the famous historian Herodotus wrote that Xerxes' expedition to Greece was led by an army of as many as five million men, which is obviously impossible. Anyone with even a basic understanding of military affairs knows that organizing an army of five million men was simply impossible in antiquity.
Furthermore, Appian's accounts of the Romans fighting foreign tribes, which often describe Roman casualties as only a few or a few dozen men, are utter nonsense, and his ability to exaggerate rivals that of the many charlatans of later generations.
"You're right," Julius Caesar said with a thoughtful look.
The group continued along the main road, where the people lived in poverty, the houses were in ruins, and many civilians had been displaced—a stark contrast to the prosperous Asia he had imagined.
Moreover, the way the common people looked at them was strange. The Romans were the rulers of the region, and instead of fear, they looked at Septimus and his companions with hostility.
"Did you see that? Their eyes are full of hatred," Septimus said with a frown.
Julius Caesar's expression changed, and his attention shifted to the people around them.
"This isn't good. Asia is the front line of our war against Pontus. If the people here don't support us, they could sabotage our supply lines," Septimus said with a thoughtful expression.