Traveling through Ancient Rome: The Loser's Legendary Counterattack Journey

Episode 2:The Road to Survival in Ancient Rome

Jack has been locked in the cell for a day and a night. The cell is dark, damp, and reeks of decay. Jack sits in the corner, his heart filled with fear of the unknown. However, he knows that self - pity won't solve the problem, and he must pull himself together.

He recalls his knowledge of ancient Rome, trying to find some clues to help him get out of the predicament. He remembers that in this era, people revere the gods very much, and prophets have a special status in society. If he can pretend to be someone who can predict the future, he may be able to attract the attention of the authorities and get rid of the suspicion of being a spy.

Just as Jack is thinking, the cell door opens, and a jailer comes in and throws a piece of hard bread to Jack. Jack looks at the bread, and his stomach growls, but he asks first, "When can I meet the person who can decide my life or death? I am innocent." The jailer sneers, "Humph, you suspicious guy. Don't expect too much. It's good enough that we give you a piece of bread." After saying that, the jailer is about to leave.

Jack quickly shouts, "Wait! I have something important to tell your leader. I can predict the future. If you don't listen to me, a great disaster will come!" The jailer pauses, turns to look at Jack, and his eyes are full of suspicion: "What did you say? Predict the future? You're crazy. Don't try to deceive me with such nonsense." Jack says seriously, "I'm not deceiving you. You can pass my words on. If what I said is not true, it's not too late to punish me then." The jailer hesitates for a moment and finally decides to report Jack's words. After all, if Jack is telling the truth and he doesn't report it, he will also be punished.

After a few hours, Jack is taken out of the cell. He is brought into a hall, where several elders in luxurious robes and a general - like man are waiting for him. The general speaks first: "I heard that you can predict the future? Humph, if you're lying, today is your death day." Jack takes a deep breath and says calmly, "I can indeed predict the future. In three days, there will be a small earthquake in Rome. Although it won't cause large - scale house collapses, some old buildings will be damaged. If you don't believe me, you can take preventive measures in advance, and then you will know that I'm not lying."

The elders and the general look at each other. They don't fully believe Jack's words, but they dare not completely ignore them. After all, if an earthquake really happens and they are unprepared, the consequences will be unimaginable. So, they decide to send people to observe some old buildings in the city and secretly watch Jack's movements.

Jack is arranged in a relatively comfortable room, guarded by soldiers. He knows that this is his opportunity. In order to increase credibility, he uses some physical knowledge he learned in modern times to simply make a device similar to a simple seismograph. He explains to the guarding soldiers that this is a tool he uses to sense the will of the gods. Although the soldiers don't quite understand, they still report this situation to the general.

Two days have passed, and everything seems calm. The elders and the general begin to suspect that Jack is bluffing. Just as they are about to interrogate Jack again, Jack points to his simple seismograph and says, "Look, the gods have sent a warning. The earthquake is coming." At this moment, the ground begins to shake slightly, and then the vibration becomes more and more obvious. Sure enough, the sound of some old buildings collapsing comes from the city.

Everyone is shocked. They immediately come to Jack. The general says with awe, "You can really predict the future. Are you a messenger of the gods?" Jack secretly breathes a sigh of relief, but on the surface, he pretends to be profound and says, "I am guided by the gods to help Rome. But I was previously imprisoned as a spy, which is disrespectful to the gods." The general quickly apologizes: "I'm sorry. It was our ignorance that offended you. From now on, you will be treated with courtesy by us."

Jack successfully gets rid of the fate of being executed as a spy by virtue of this "prophecy" and initially establishes his prestige in Rome. However, he knows that this is just the first step on his road to survival in ancient Rome, and there are more challenges waiting for him in the future.

As Jack's status gradually rises, he begins to come into contact with people from all walks of life in Rome. He finds that although Rome is prosperous on the surface, social contradictions have become increasingly sharp. The common people are dissatisfied with the oppression of the nobles, and the slaves are living in misery.

Jack wants to change this situation, but he also knows that he can't be too radical, otherwise, it will arouse strong opposition from the nobles. So, he decides to start by improving the lives of the slaves. He proposes to some more enlightened nobles that providing slaves with better living conditions and appropriate rest time can improve the work efficiency of slaves and reduce their rebellious emotions.

Some nobles agree with Jack's proposal, but some conservative nobles strongly oppose it. They believe that slaves should unconditionally obey, and giving slaves good treatment is against tradition. Jack has a fierce debate with these conservative nobles.

At a noble gathering, a conservative noble named Lucius shouts loudly: "Slaves are born lowly. Giving them good treatment will only make them lazy and greedy. Jack, you make such absurd suggestions, which is a desecration of our Roman tradition." Jack calmly responds: "Lord Lucius, I understand your respect for tradition, but times are changing. Nowadays, our slaves are overworked and in poor physical condition, which has led to slow progress in many projects. Giving them appropriate rest and better living conditions is like giving a horse appropriate rest and high - quality fodder. The horse will run faster, and the slaves will also work harder for us."

Although Jack speaks reasonably and with evidence, Lucius is still unmoved. He sneers: "Humph, who do you think you are? You are just a person of unknown origin. What do you know about Roman tradition and management?" This debate ends unhappily, but Jack doesn't give up. He knows that changing people's concepts takes time, and he will do it step by step.

While dealing with the nobles, Jack is also studying hard the language and culture of ancient Rome. He knows that only by deeply understanding this society can he survive better here. He hires a language teacher and a cultural tutor and studies hard every day.

His language teacher is a young woman named Avina. She is very surprised by Jack's thirst for knowledge. During the teaching process, Avina gradually has a good impression of Jack. She thinks that Jack is different and has a mysterious charm.

One day, Avina says to Jack, "Why are you so interested in our language and culture? You don't seem to be a local." Jack hesitates for a moment and decides to reveal a little truth to Avina: "Avina, you're right. I'm not from here. I come from a far - away place, where there are a lot of different knowledge and cultures. I hope to bring some good things to Rome and make Rome a better place." After hearing this, Avina's eyes sparkle with curiosity: "Your hometown must be a very magical place. Can you tell me more about it?" Jack smiles and says, "Maybe later. Now I have to learn the language and culture of ancient Rome first."

As time goes by, Jack has made great progress in language and culture. He can communicate fluently with the Romans and has an in - depth understanding of Roman customs. This not only makes him more proficient in dealing with the nobles but also wins him more favor among Roman commoners and slaves.

However, Jack's every move is being watched by some people. Some people who are jealous of him start to investigate him secretly, trying to find his flaws to pull him down from the power stage of Rome. Jack senses this potential threat, but he doesn't back down. He believes that he can meet these challenges and continue to write his own legend in ancient Rome.