Septimus withdrew from the residence of Julius Caesar and headed toward Sulla's mansion.
One hour later, General Sulla and Septimus were sitting on luxurious furniture drinking wine.
"What is so special about him? Does he have more than 10 legions like you?" asked Sulla mockingly. He thought carefully, but he had not heard anything extraordinary about Julius Caesar, Cinna's son-in-law.
Septimus cursed inwardly, having been deceived once again by the history books.
Historians also wrote history with their own prejudices. For example, Plutarch omitted a dark chapter in Caesar's history: after Caesar fled to the East, the governor of the western province of Asia Minor sent him on a mission to Bithynia (the current area of the Bosporus Strait in Turkey). It is said that King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia spent some time with Caesar in the palace. In other words, in his youth, Caesar may have been involved with both men for a time.
Plutarch deliberately omitted this part of history, praising him instead as a figure even more capable than Marius.
But how could this be true? Who was Marius? He was acclaimed as one of the three greatest figures since the founding of Rome, the only one to serve as consul seven times, a feat that no noble could achieve; not even Sulla could match him.
How can an 18-year-old youth be praised as more capable than this consul who held the office seven times? It is nothing more than an exaggeration of historians, just like the favorable omens recorded in official histories when emperors were born.
"His mother is my lover," said Septimus directly without giving further explanations.
Sulla nodded at Septimus's request without giving it much importance.
Sulla's thoughts toward Septimus were very complex.
Septimus's military strength represented a threat to Sulla's regime, but his reckless actions isolated him from the political support of the Roman nobility.
On the other hand, Septimus's military prowess was well known in Rome, and Sulla knew that without Septimus he would not have been able to win the civil war easily.
Defeating a Roman army was a feat difficult to replicate, and even less so achieving consecutive crushing victories against the enemy.
Even Sulla did not trust in being able to defeat a Roman army while at a numerical disadvantage.
Septimus's legionaries were also known for strong discipline, and their maneuverability in changing formations surpassed common sense.
Hannibal had also carried out formation changes before battle, but that was changing from a convex shape to a concave one, which was much easier than changing formation in the middle of a chaotic battlefield.
Could Septimus be even more capable than Hannibal? But Sulla quickly dismissed the idea; how could that be possible?
Septimus's first crushing victories in Capua were also against Roman legions.
They were Roman legions, not a barbarian army.
Many Roman generals could defeat a large number of barbarians, but almost none could defeat a large Roman army; not even Sulla could be confident in doing so.
Sulla's inability to defeat Carbo was proof of this in the original history. In the final battle of the civil war in the original history, the Battle of Rome, Sulla's main force was almost completely annihilated. If Crassus had not unexpectedly defeated the enemy, Sulla might have lost that battle.
Sulla was trying to ingratiate himself with Septimus by easily accepting unimportant requests; he needed Septimus's legions to subdue the enemies in Africa.
Septimus and Sulla spoke about trivial matters for 5 minutes.
"Rome is facing a turbulent period, and a man with vision is needed to lead it and overcome the chaos caused by the war," said Sulla with a solemn expression suddenly.
"You are right," replied Septimus indifferently.
Sulla carefully observed Septimus's indifferent expression without seeing any perceptible change.
"Support me as dictator for life," said Sulla with a serious expression while observing Septimus very closely without losing any possible changes in his expression.
"I agree, but I have one condition: the region of Campania will become my territory," replied Septimus with the same indifferent expression.
Sulla frowned upon hearing Septimus's proposal; to be honest, when he accepted Septimus's condition for the first time, he did not give it much importance and expected that Septimus, along with his legions, would suffer a great defeat or death, causing the attrition of the enemy troops.
But the situation has changed notably; Septimus possesses more than 14 known legions, and his contributions to the war have erased much of the previous skepticism and distrust that Sulla felt toward Septimus's great military strength.
The support of Septimus and his legions was indispensable to achieve Sulla becoming dictator for life.
Septimus and Sulla tacitly understood the meaning of the word "for life" and the repercussions it would cause throughout Rome.
"I accept to cede control of the region of Campania, but nominally the region will belong to Rome, and there cannot be an autonomous government that separates from Rome," said Sulla seriously after a few minutes of contemplation.
Septimus's expression remained indifferent, and he easily accepted Sulla's demands; he also did not wish to separate from Rome or drastically alter the course of history. The administrative control of the region of Campania under the banner of the Roman Republic was a good outcome for Septimus.
On the other hand, Sulla was satisfied; with Septimus's support, the position of dictator for life was 60% guaranteed.
"I hope to become, legally, dictator for life. I will hold a citizens' assembly, and I hope that you can gather some citizens to support me," said Sulla with a serious expression.
"I will mobilize Roman citizens loyal to me from all of Rome and the region of Campania to support you," replied Septimus with a calm expression.
Sulla nodded in satisfaction; regardless of his prejudices against Septimus, it was undeniable that he had become the most important and capable general under his command.
"I will appoint Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella and Marcus Tullius Decula as the next consuls; I also hope that you will support them," said Sulla with a kind expression.
Septimus nodded in approval; he had no intention of competing for the office of consul, and participating in bureaucracy was indifferent to him.
On the other hand, it is not surprising that Sulla accepted ceding administrative control of the region of Campania so easily; he had several requests.
Defeat the rebels in Africa.
Support him as dictator for life of Rome.
Support the candidacy of two consuls trusted by Sulla.
On the other hand, Septimus was too young to hold a very high official position in the region of Campania and could only rely on Sulla's word to have the excuse to formally control the region.
The clones had infiltrated all areas of life in the region of Campania, and regardless of the position or Sulla's approval, the entire region was firmly controlled by Septimus.
The advantage of the clones also lies in being able to give them an identity to occupy administrative positions throughout the region of Campania.
Septimus and Sulla bid each other farewell courteously after reaching an agreement beneficial for both parties.
A clone centurion, in black armor, headed to the residence of Julius Caesar with a parchment.
Upon learning that the name of Julius Caesar had been removed from the list of enemies of the state, Aurelia was filled with indescribable gratitude toward Septimus, and her thoughts became complex as she remembered his demands.
Septimus, of course, through the clone soldiers, was able to observe the complex expression on Aurelia's face.