Author's Note: "In this chapter, I've included a few suggestions for writing style. You can comment later with your feedback. I haven't found a solution for the POV issue yet, so it won't be used for now.
The light from dozens of oil lamps flickered, making shadows dance like ghosts in Ulixes's study. The sharp scent of burning olive oil mingled with the faint fragrance of old papyrus. His back felt a little stiff, his muscles protesting from sitting too long. He ignored it.
His calloused fingers traced a row of numbers on a wax tablet. An income report from Ludus Ulixes. The corner of his lips lifted slightly, almost imperceptibly. A steady flow of silver. He pushed the tablet aside.
The next scroll was a map of the newly acquired vineyards. His eyes scanned the contours of the land, the curves of the hills, and the flow of small rivers. Gold grew from this soil. His mind felt cold and clear.
A soundless movement at the doorway. The Egyptian stood there, his figure blending with the shadows.
"The song of Tiberius Acilius is now sung by beggars at the east gate," the Egyptian reported in a low voice. "They exchange stories for copper coins."
Ulixes nodded. "Good."
The Egyptian placed a thick scroll on the table. "Shipping contracts from Ostia. For olive oil." He then retreated back into the shadows and vanished.
Ulixes unrolled it. Dense, neat Latin script filled the papyrus. His eyes moved quickly, scanning. Then slowed. He read it again. Words like portorium, vectigalia, and lex mancipi felt alien, sharp legal thorns. A dull throb began behind his eyes. He could grasp the logic, the big picture, but the details, the loopholes hidden within the convoluted legal jargon, felt slippery as oiled eels.
His jaw tightened. He exhaled sharply through his nose. An unsettling cold feeling began to form in his stomach. The feeling of being exposed. He was blind here, walking in a minefield he could not see.
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and summoned it. The transparent blue light he alone could see shone behind his eyelids.
{Name: Ulixes (Tiberius Acilius Ulixes)}
{Essence Stored: 53}
{Active Legacies: [Talent] Rapid Adaptation, [Knowledge] Basic Psychology (Tier 1), [Talent] 360-Degree Awareness, [Knowledge] Roman Military Tactics (Tier 1)}
Fifty-three. The number felt like an insult. A reminder of his limitations. Insufficient. The voice echoed in his mind. Not enough.
He opened his eyes and looked out the window, at the lights of Capua twinkling like false stars. Out there was a game he was winning, but he hadn't even grasped all the rules yet. His hand on the table slowly clenched into a fist. He needed more Essence.
Ulixes's fingers tapping on the polished wooden table stopped. The silence in the room felt heavy, broken only by the soft crackling of the oil lamp. He stared at the number 53 in his mind, a figure that felt like a wall blocking his path.
A light footstep and the rustle of silk fabric on the marble floor pulled him from his calculations. He didn't need to turn. He recognized the gentle scent of lily and jasmine perfume, a fragrance that had become a part of his home.
Licinia stood in the doorway, her graceful figure silhouetted against the corridor light. Her pregnancy was now beginning to form a soft curve in her gown. She looked at the stack of papyrus scrolls on Ulixes's table, then at her husband.
"You look as if you are going to war with those scrolls, Tiberius," she said, her voice soft, slightly amused.
Ulixes did not immediately answer. He allowed a brief silence, his eyes following Licinia's movements as she stepped into his study, bringing her warmth and life into a room filled with cold strategy.
"Just ensuring our investments are secure, my wife," he replied, his voice slightly hoarse. "There are many serpents in this city, and they like to hide among legal clauses."
Licinia arrived behind his chair. Ulixes felt a warmth as her hands landed on his tense shoulders. Her slender fingers gently massaged his stiff muscles.
"Then let the serpents wait," Licinia whispered close to his ear. "Even a general needs to rest from his wars."
The touch, her warmth, her scent, pulled Ulixes's focus away from the numbers and contracts. His mind, which had been filled with Essence deficits and business strategies, now shifted. The problem and the solution were now in the same room. The frustration that had chilled his thoughts began to recede, replaced by a different heat.
He stopped Licinia's hand movements, gripping it gently, and pulled her forward. He stood, turning his body to face his wife. His gaze dropped from Licinia's questioning eyes, to her lips.
"You are right," Ulixes said, his voice now deeper. "Work can wait."
He cupped Licinia's face, his thumb caressing her smooth cheek. He lowered his head, and as their lips met, all thoughts of silver coins, shipping contracts, and political strategy evaporated, burned away by the promise of a far more intimate and urgent investment.
Ulixes's lips devoured Licinia's, no longer with hesitant gentleness, but with demanding hunger. One hand cupped Licinia's jaw, while the other wrapped around her waist, pulling his wife's warm body close to his hard one. He lifted her from the floor effortlessly, her silk gown rustling. Licinia gave a small laugh amidst their kiss, her legs instinctively wrapping around Ulixes's waist.
He carried her out of the cold study and into their dimly lit bedchamber. He gently laid Licinia down on the cool silk sheets. In the moonlight filtering through the window, he gazed at his wife's body. Her slightly swollen belly, a tangible proof of their alliance and their future.
His hand traced that curve, feeling the warmth of her skin and the life pulsating beneath. Licinia moaned, her eyes closed. Ulixes lowered his head, his lips following the path of his hand, softly kissing her belly before moving lower. He lifted Licinia's gown, revealing her wet and glistening womanhood.
The distinct scent of aroused woman mingled with the lily fragrance of her skin. Ulixes buried his face between Licinia's open thighs. His hot tongue licked the cleft of her womanhood, from bottom to top, in one slow, deliberate sweep.
"Ngh... Tiberius..." Licinia cried out, her back arching, her fingers gripping the sheets tightly.
Ulixes did not stop. His mouth worked ravenously, sucking on her swollen clitoris, his tongue dancing inside her wet vaginal canal. Loud, wet lapping sounds filled the quiet room. Licinia's moans deepened, a melody of uninhibited passion. He could feel the muscles in Licinia's thighs tense, his wife's body trembling on the verge.
He brought Licinia to climax with only his mouth. A suppressed scream escaped Licinia's lips as her body convulsed. Ulixes felt a gush of his wife's warm fluids wet his mouth and chin. He rose, looking at Licinia's face, flushed and hazy with passion.
His hard, veiny penis was fully ready. He positioned himself between Licinia's thighs. The wet tip of his manhood touched the swollen, soaked lips of his wife's vagina. With one deep, controlled thrust, he entered fully.
"YAAAHHH!" Licinia screamed, her eyes wide as she felt the full sensation stretch her. The hot, slick walls of her vagina gripped Ulixes's manhood tightly.
Ulixes began to move, his hips thrusting with a slow, powerful rhythm at first, looking directly into his wife's eyes. Every thrust was an affirmation. You are mine. This child is mine. This future is ours.
"Yes... ah... ah..." Licinia moaned, her breath coming in gasps.
He sped up his tempo. The loud slapping sound of their sweat-slicked skin against each other created an animalistic rhythm. PLAP. PLOK. PLAP. The bed beneath them began to creak.
Licinia, driven by a second wave of passion, reversed their positions. She was now on top, taking control. She looked down at Ulixes with a wild, triumphant gaze, her loose hair framing her breasts that swayed with every movement. She rode her husband with power and purpose, her hips grinding down, forcing Ulixes's manhood to penetrate even deeper.
Ulixes growled, his hands gripping Licinia's hips, lifting her to meet his every upward thrust. He flipped his wife over again, positioning her kneeling on the bed. He entered Licinia from behind, his thrusts now deeper, more primal. He slapped Licinia's buttocks lightly, leaving faint red marks on her pale skin.
"MORE!" Licinia cried, her voice hoarse.
He felt his own climax approaching. A burning heat gathered at the base of his thighs. He gripped Licinia's hips tighter, three final deep thrusts. With a low growl from his chest, he released himself. His hot semen erupted, heavily filling his wife's womb, which was pulsing from her own orgasm.
He collapsed onto Licinia's back, their sweaty bodies clinging together, their heavy, ragged breaths the only sound in the room.
Ulixes lay in silence, his breathing slowly returning to normal. He felt the weight of Licinia's sleeping body beside him, a real and satisfying warmth. Outside, the distant sounds of crickets and Capua's nightlife faintly carried. He stared at the dark ceiling, his mind clear. The investment had been made.
Just then, the familiar blue light glowed within his mind, a cold intrusion amidst the intimate warmth.
{Intimate relationship completed. Target: Upper Class Noble (Category 4).}
{Life Essence obtained: +50}
A different kind of satisfaction spread through him. Not physical satisfaction, but the satisfaction of a strategist whose plan had succeeded. He did a quick calculation. Fifty-three plus fifty. One hundred three. Enough.
The panel blinked again, as if anticipating his need.
{Notification: Legacy Threshold reached. Ready to unlock new [Legacy]}
Without hesitation. The shadow of the complex contract scrolls flashed in his mind. He would never feel that blind again. His intent locked onto one category. Knowledge.
A new list appeared before him, three doors to different powers.
{Available Knowledge Choices:}
{- [Knowledge] Economics & Trade (Tier 1)}
{- [Knowledge] Roman Law & Property (Tier 1)}
{- [Knowledge] Diplomacy & Negotiation (Tier 1)}
All three were valuable. Law would protect him, Diplomacy would open doors. But the core of an empire, the foundation of a war chest, was its ability to generate wealth. He had to master the flow of money before he could master the flow of power. His choice was clear.
His intent locked onto the first option.
The sensation was not like a surge of physical power. Instead, it felt as if a vast library, previously locked within his mind, had suddenly opened. A torrent of information flooded his thoughts: an instant understanding of Mediterranean trade routes, grain prices in Egypt, tax rates at the port of Brundisium, the intricate workings of the debt system, and the true value of a monopoly. The legal clauses in the contract that had been confusing now became clear, their loopholes wide open like gaping wounds.
The panel blinked for the last time.
{Legacy [Knowledge] Economics & Trade (Tier 1) activated.}
{100 Essence used.}
{Essence Stored: 3}
The blue light faded. Ulixes turned, looking at Licinia's face, sleeping soundly in the crook of his arm. He gently brushed a strand of hair from his wife's face. Physically, he had given his energy. But strategically, he had just gained a far more powerful weapon. His mind was already at work, reorganizing his business plans, seeing new opportunities that had been invisible before.
In the quiet of his bedchamber, the former gladiator had now fully become a merchant prince, ready to conquer Rome not only with a sword, but with gold coins.