Metropolitan Rome, the capital of Rome Empire, a cell in the prison.
Frank barely wakes up, smelling the rancid odor in the air, which makes him “slightly” uncomfortable, and almost vomit.
What the heck is the stench coming toward my face? Eric pooped on bed again? ... OMG the extremely toxic smell, he must shit on my forehead! ....
Frank has adopted a Husky named Eric.
He has been in New York after graduation for almost ten years, and still alone. Loneliness inevitably comes into his mind, to adopt dogie or kitty for therapy is not cool, but at least better than killing time on Svideo or Bornhub.
Opening his eyes and looking around, Frank was shocked.
Lying on cold and tattered straw mat surrounded by the cubic stone-built walls and three square windows in front with little sun shine shooting on his chest, he asks himself as dust floats in the thin beam.
Where, the hell, am, I?
Frank ponders momentarily in the confusion of doubting life, and then he starts doubting his own life for real.
Did I ... traveled .... to the past?
All of sudden, tremendous amount of memories, giving him no time to react at all, rush into his brain frenziedly, and flow around rapidly.
Frank R. Sun, a patrol officer of city of Rome police force in Italy of Roman Empire, with salary of 185 denarii a year.
His father was a legionary, who died in the 'Battle of Actium' 28 years ago. Later, his mother also deceased of illness ... which makes Frank feel a little bit relieved.
As we all know, a survival orphan could not be a coward.
"Can’t believe still a cop even revive back to past, is this a destiny or what?" Frank feels a toothache.
He graduated from NY police academy before his travel, got promoted successfully after a couple of years’ exertion, and won a good fame plus salary in NYPD, which is exactly what his parents expected, but not him. What he wants is freedom, wealth, indulgence, the quote of Musk “If something's important enough, you should try. Even if the probable outcome is failure”
So he resigned decisively and went to start his business.
"But why am I in jail?"
He attempts to figure out all the memory in his mind, and soon understand the current circumstance.
Frank was raised carefully by his uncle, Marcus, since he was an orphan. He would consume about 1,000 denarii each year due to incessant daily Pankration practice (combat sports exercise in Ancient Rome), which leads the dislike from his aunt.
When reaching out to the prowess peak at the age of 18, he is unable to transcend himself anymore. What’s worse, he has to move out for his own living due to the pressure of aunt.
Through the network of his uncle, he got a job as a patrol man in police force of Rome City with a not bad life, until ...
Three days ago, his uncle, the equestrian chief appointed by Senate in charge of tax escort from some other provinces to Rome City, has accidentally lost all chests full of coins on the way back.
That is 18 million denarii.
The bad news shakes the entire Rome, which undoubtedly infuriates the emperor. Immediately, the execution order has been signed, Marcus is arrested and will be beheaded five days later, with all family members as suspects in jail and then demoted as slave, which are either exiled or sold to madam after Marcus’ death penalty.
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As the nephew adopted by Marcus, Frank is dismissed from his position and sent to prison as well.
Only two days left before his journey to remote and barren frontier, which is full of barbarians and hard labor in the rest of his life.
Just two days.
"Man, start in difficulty of hell ..." Frank sweats icily on back, with a heart from cold to frigid.
Could this be something, like the VR game or experiment and I happen to be a white rat unfortunately?
This world is before feudal age, which even does not have the concept of human rights.
Where is the frontier? The place has nothing but withered vegetation and terrible climate, most prisoners banished to frontier live no longer than 10 years due to horribly heavy work, more worse, with more death on the way to frontier due to various reason, like disease, accident or “accident”.
Frank starts to scratch his scalp heatedly.
"Um ... Mr. System, hello?"
he tries his best to seize the last straw, which seems not existing at all.
Must be a game or test or something, there should be virtual assistant to provide at least a fuking guideline!
“Hey! Any help, clue, or fuking tips?”
After a silent moment, nothing but Frank's sound echos in the silent prison.
The system ignored him.
"Come on ... Mr. System...Dad System, please!" Frank's voice is more and more hopeless.
Still silent.
No system? There is no system!
Meaning to say, he may have no way to get rid of current circumstance. In two days, he will be pilloried and sent to the border.
Well, he should not die on the way due to his sturdy body. But this is definitely not a good thing, just think about he would be exploited as a labor in the rest of his life and then exhaust to die ...
Terrible, horrible!
The beautiful dream about travel back to ancient is instantly destroyed as a cracked bubble, and only leaves anxiety and dread.
"I have to figure out a way to get rid of this, I can't just die like this."
Frank steps anxiously back and forth around the small cell like an ant on a hot pan, or a trapped beast, attempting to figure out what to do.
I started building my body through various practice, especially all kinds of combat exercise, quite young. But this is obviously not enough to break the prison in Rome City ... ask for help from relatives or friends? Sun is not a notable family in Rome, most members scatter around territory of Empire, plus, now it is 18 million denarii that has been lost, no body could make any difference on my fate ... unless, I got the tax back?
According to the law of Rome Empire, Rome citizen has chance to get exemption from death penalty if they make up for the loss caused by their crime.
Frank's eyes lit up, he grabbed the last straw.
He is an excellent police officer graduated from NY police academy, with plentiful theoretical knowledge, clear logic capability and exceptional reasoning ability, additionally, he has reviewed and dealt countless cases during his life in NYPD.
Maybe I could try to solve the case and regain the tax money to earn the exemption.
But then, the light in his eyes dimmed.
The case file review would be the first necessity for case solve, it could help to understand the details, then investigation and case solved.
Now he's in prison without any possibility to touch the case file, and will be escorted to the border in two days!
You are dying, the end!
Frank sits on the ground with a pair of lost eyes.
He kinda remembers that he had been quite drunk at the bar yesterday, and then woke up in prison, which indicates that he may die of alcohol poisoning before time travel.
God let him revive in the past, which seems not a reward but a punishment. Cause he is overly relaxed before death?
In ancient Rome, exile is definitely a severe penalty only inferior to death penalty.
Although I was viciously caned by society in the life of my last incarnation, it is a peaceful and prosperous world. Never realize how good it would be if everything could restart; I would take all my mom’s money to purchase bit coin so dad has no penny to go to casino ...
Meanwhile, the sound of the chain swiping comes from the end of the dark corridor, seems like someone unlock the door.
Then the sound of footsteps comes closer.
A jailer leads a handsome but haggard youth to stop in front of Frank's cell door.
With a glance to the youth, the jailer says: "Only half an hour, don’t forget the time."
The youth whispers a thank you to the jailer, and then turn to Frank after watching the jailer leaves. Frank stares at him - blond curly hair, sharp eyebrows above twinkled eyes, thin lips, wearing a moon-white toga, what a pretty boy!
Relevant memories about this man comes into Frank's mind.
The second son of Uncle Marcus, Alexander Sun.
He just got admission approval to Empire Academy, from which come out more than 50 percent of senators, governors or equestrian elites in Empire.
Alexander looks directly at him quietly: "The soldier who is going to escort you to the border accepted 400 denarii from me. That is all we have now. Be safe, and there should be no accidents on the way."
"What about you?" Frank spits out these words unconsciously. He kinda remembered that the relationship between the current identity owner and his cousin is not good.
Due to the fact that aunt dislikes him, no body in Marcus’s family wants to behave too close with him except Marcus.
Plus, in his associated memory, his cousin is a trash talk master.
Alexander becomes impatient, "I've already been declined by Empire Academy, but no need to be deported due to the defense from my adviser, remember? My personal tutor. Just take care of yourself. Control your tantrum after arriving the frontier, and live as long as you can."
Alexander studies speech and literature under instruction of Felix Brutus and becomes quite famous in the new generation of aristocracy before he is admitted by Empire Academy, which afterwards turns out the weight of Brutus in Senate. He is not imprisoned after Uncle Marcus has been arrested, but not allowed to leave Rome City. He has kept looking for aid around recently.
Frank is silent. He realizes that Alexander would not be better than himself. Not just a rejection from Empire Academy, Alexander would be demoted as freeman or even slave, probably slave, which means that he falls down into the bottom of Roman society and his offspring is ineligible to enter into Senate or even accept forever before they recover their citizenship.
Moreover, two days later, female members in Marcus’s family probably would be sent to brothel.
As a popular and promising juvenile in scholarship, how are Alexander still willing to live in Capital after the rough hit? Perhaps exile is a better option for him.
Frank gets all of this clear, then takes a few steps forward, and clasps the iron fence with both hands: "You wanna commit suicide?!"
Uncontrollably, sadness spills out of his heart.
...I don't even know him.
Alexander says expressionlessly with his head tilted, "Not your business."
Pausing a sec, he moves down his vision a few inches to avoid eye contact with Frank, and then speaks softly.
"Live please"
Then tread to leave decisively.
"Wait!" Frank reaches right hand out of the fence and grabs his sleeve.
Alexander halts and turns around to look at him silently.
"Can you get the case file? The dossier regarding the lost tax."