Simulate the universe, starting with speedrunning Greek.

Until someone asked in a trembling voice, "Where...where are the reinforcements?"

"...!!!"

No reinforcements—! Once this fact was confirmed, all the Roman soldiers were in an uproar.

They were angry, they roared, they were desperate and panicked, and they began to curse the reinforcements that should have arrived but did not appear on time. What was going on?

At this moment, amidst the despair of the soldiers, unnoticed by anyone, one of the handsome young soldiers gazed at the empty lake—

His face turned deathly pale, but he seemed to have suffered a blow far greater than anyone else, looking more haggard than anyone else, and kept muttering, "...They've gone mad!"

"No reinforcements have actually arrived!!"

Everyone was in despair, some kneeling helplessly on the ground, some weeping with their faces covered, and some laughing hysterically as they lay on their backs on the ground.

Night, who witnessed all of this, perhaps knowing that at worst he would die once in the simulated universe, remained remarkably calm and noticed the handsome young man's unusual behavior.

The sun was setting, and it was getting dark very soon.

The Roman soldiers, having lost all hope, suddenly remembered the man who had led them to this dead end and initially suggested they flee in that direction.

With time running out, their identities were about to be completely relegated to deserters. Even if they weren't killed by the Spanish rebels who caught up with them, they would be dealt with by Rome afterward. They might be sold into slavery, or they might be beheaded.

Blaming everything on the proposer, a group of people, led by a somewhat old but strong-looking soldier, suddenly turned their cold faces toward the handsome young man they had noticed earlier that night.

That's right, the handsome young man was the one who suggested everyone flee to the Ebro River.

A group of soldiers began punching and kicking the young man. He cried out in pain but dared not fight back. He simply covered his head and curled up on the ground.

"Alright, stop!" Ye suddenly said.

Several soldiers subconsciously stopped what they were doing, and then turned around with some dissatisfaction to see who was standing up for the young man. When they turned around and saw Shi Ye, they all swallowed back the curses that were on the tip of their tongues.

The veteran who was in the lead was seething with anger. Although he was afraid of Ye's strength, his expression still turned ferocious.

"Are you going to stand up for him?"

If it weren't for this man, we wouldn't have become deserters.

The sun has already set. Even if we escape back to Rome, our names will be nailed to the pillar of shame, we might even become slaves, completely lose our names, and bring disgrace upon our families!

After saying that, the veteran drew his longsword and aimed it at the young man's head.

"This humiliation must be repaid with blood!"

The young man, who had initially remained silent and showed no intention of fighting back despite being beaten due to his guilt, was shocked when he realized the veteran was truly going to kill him…

As the sword was about to sever his head, the chill on his neck made him desperately want to say something, but it was too late—

No one expected the veteran to suddenly erupt like that! He has such a fiery temper!

Even knowing the terror of the night, they openly disobeyed his orders.

But the next moment, a longsword suddenly knocked the sword out of the veteran's hand.

Then Ye suddenly appeared, appearing in front of the veteran as if in a flash, lifting him by the neck with one hand and slamming his back to the ground.

Bang! The loess ground cracked slightly, and the old soldier spat out a mouthful of blood, letting out a painful groan.

After easily defeating and severely injuring the veteran, Ye Zhan stood up and looked down at him coldly, saying:

"What, you don't even have the strength to wield a sword anymore?"

Too weak. As a warrior, your strength is completely inadequate.

For someone as weak as you, perhaps dying on the battlefield would be the best outcome.

At least I can save some face. Or would you rather die by my hand?

"Carcasses!!" Several people who had come with the veteran called out the veteran's name upon seeing this scene.

They stared in shock at the ground cracked by the night's blows, feeling once again the inhuman brutality of the night's power. They also swallowed hard, somewhat relieved that they hadn't resisted the night earlier.

Night did not kill the veteran, but Carcassis, who was lying on the ground, turned red with anger after hearing Night's words. His brain was so humiliated that he even temporarily forgot his fear of Night.

Just as he was about to say something—

Night: "Calm down. My attack on you is punishment for disobeying my orders."

It's not about being biased towards anyone.

I have another question for this man—it concerns whether we can make it back to Rome alive.

Perhaps the situation isn't as bad as we think.

Or are you trying to test my patience further?

Night's words gradually calmed Carcasses down.

“I understand…” Although he didn’t know what Night had discovered, there was no reason for him to deceive himself, so Carcasses complied.

At that moment, Ye looked at the handsome young man from before.

He asked in a cold voice, "Who are you?"

The handsome young man, his face still damp with the cold sweat of a near-death experience, was about to express his gratitude when he heard Ye's question, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Night: "Don't rush to answer. Think it over carefully before replying. If you answer incorrectly, or choose to make up a lie to deceive me..."

Then I will hand you over to these soldiers to do as they please, unless you want to experience the near-death experience you just went through again.

Your attitude determines your fate...

Taking a deep breath and letting out a slight sigh, the young man knew he could no longer hide it.

a long time--

The young man shuddered at the thought of what would happen to him if he were handed over to veterans like Carcasses, and ultimately chose to tell the truth...

"My name is Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus..."

He was appointed as the financial inspector for the Roman war against Spain.

In the chaos of battle, I exchanged equipment with the soldiers accompanying me and escaped.

The warriors who were protecting me had already heroically sacrificed themselves halfway there, and you saved me just when I was about to be killed.

The original suggestion to go to the Ebro River was because I had recently received a letter from the capital of Rome that it would send an army of several thousand men from the river to support us.

The exact location is where we are right now.

I can assure you all that once reinforcements arrive, I will personally explain the situation to their commander, and none of you will be considered deserters. Please trust the reputation of the Gracchus family.”

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus—...!?

Upon hearing this somewhat familiar name, Ye, who hadn't paid much attention to the young man's identity, was stunned.

Most people probably don't know who Tiberius is.

But the Gracchi brothers are a prominent figure in the history of Roman reforms.

In the real world, the Julius Citizenship Law, which was originally intended to guide Lucius Caesar in establishing, was created by modifying the original bill proposed by the Gracchi brothers.

It can be said that the Gracchus brothers were pioneers and the culmination of Lucius's work.

Tiberius was the eldest of the Gracchi brothers...

For a moment, Ye was astonished by this wonderful coincidence: ...!

Unexpectedly, we even caught a big fish?

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Fighting a war relies entirely on our own people; without external aid, how can we avoid defeat as our numbers dwindle?

When Gracchus finished speaking—

The soldiers below were already whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

At this time, the Roman soldiers certainly had no idea about the famous Gracchi brothers.

But they knew of another Gracchus.

—Sempronius Gracchus.

This was because Gracchus was one of the few commoners elected as governor, and he had married Scipio Africanus's daughter and had three children with her.

One of the daughters married Scipio the Younger, the Roman god of war, while the other two sons were the Gracchi brothers.

There is no doubt that the Gracchi family was a newly wealthy and powerful family in Rome at this time, and because of their birth, the Gracchi family was still considered a commoner-noble family for only two generations...

At the same time, they maintained good relations with ordinary people and enjoyed a certain degree of credibility among them.

In Rome, the position of quaestor was usually reserved for nobles who were favored by the Senate and held very high social status.

If this man named Tiberius wasn't lying.

Given the Senate's high regard for him, he certainly had the ability to remove their deserter status...

The soldiers gradually calmed down.

The soldiers, having reached a dead end, now had no choice but to go down a path of no return and trust Tiberius.

At this moment, Carcasses, who had been lying on the ground, got up and suddenly spoke up: "How can I believe that you are not lying to us to save your own life?"

Tiberius: "I swear to the gods, in the name of the Gracchus family, that we will be absolutely safe and free upon our return to Rome."

Otherwise, my soul will surely fall into the River Styx after my death and suffer eternal torment.

Carcasses: "Remember what you said, you Gracchus brat!"

The soldiers reluctantly suppressed their hostility towards Tiberius.

After discussion, the group decided to continue along the Ebro River towards its mouth.

As the longest river in Spain, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Ebro River is only navigable by small boats for a 25-kilometer stretch between its mouth and Tortosa due to the canyons formed by its passage through the coastal mountains.

Although they did not have boats, if it was only 25 kilometers, they could use the materials on the spot to cut down trees with their weapons and build simple rafts to try to cross the river.

Night had no objection to the decision—or rather, this time, unlike the last time, there was no clear goal of obtaining the Achilles template in the simulated universe.

Unlike the Greek era, Rome in this era was not full of treasures and opportunities.

Perhaps Ye could try to build a great enterprise in this era and reap the rewards brought about by the transition period in Roman cosmic history.

If one could create one or two conceptual objects through legends, they would be comparable to treasures.

Gracchus...

Ye suddenly realized that perhaps he wasn't entirely without anything he could aim for.