Chapter 2 The Prince Part 1

749 AUC4 BCSpringA tavern in the port city of Pupluna, Central Italy

The air was full of excitement and laughter, like any other tavern in the city.

Pupluna, once an important port city during the Etruscan days, was once again shining thanks to their new neighborhoods and their notorious unending riches. So, every night was a party when the weather was right, every tavern was open and ready to help spend some of it on wine, food, and women.

But Lucius didn't come all this way just to indulge himself in pleasure, he was searching for a specific man there. The boy, not even 15 and unable to wear his Toga Virilis, finally saw the person he was looking for: Marcus, the captain of the Hispania, the only ship permitted to sail between Pupluna and Ilva Island. A man in his 40s, forged by years and years of voyages in the Mediterranean Sea and sometimes even behind. He was missing part of his left ear, thanks to some of the once-feared Sardinia's Pirates but that didn't stop him from boarding and destroying three of their ships.

He was drinking and eating dinner with some of his crew, laughing but still maintaining a certain level of awareness, just in case of troubles.Lucius approached the captain, and everyone was so drunk that they didn't even bother to stop him.- Good night mister captain- Lucius greeted him, smiling with all the fake warmth he could master. ''Beauty is one of your weapons'' his mother once told him ''One day it could save your life''The captain gave him a look, studying his golden hair and features, and then replied – Go away kid, I'm not in the mood for what you are selling. I have nothing for you- And made some gesture with his hands to send him away.- I'm not in that sector of entertainment, I fear. If anything, I have something for you- Lucius opened a bag of money in front of him.-

Marcus gave him another look, this time trying to see behind his beauty and saw how new his clothes were, how his hands were almost without calluses and nothing about him was out of place. Then, he sighed and replied- I see, you are one of those rich kids trying to buy the crossing. Sorry, but I can't take any of your money, the previous guys were fired thanks to that, and I quite like this job.- And he pushed the money back to Lucius- Also, I'm sure you heard it already, anyone can try once for free. Even if only once In their life-Lucius was a bit disappointed, but with some quick thinking, he declared out loud to the host- I'm offering the whole tavern two free drinks of wine- After everyone else cheered for him, he said- This way I'm not giving you any money, right? And having a chat during dinner is not against the rules, I presume -

-Ahahah. You are a weird kid - Captain Marcus laughed, amused by this display of youthful thinking- I can't help you in any meaningful way, but I guess talking a bit should be fine. What do you want to know-- I have a lot of questions, but I guess I should start with the most important: how many people usually are able to enter the island every day?- He asked the captain- Depends on the day, but usually nobody. I would say one or two people every week are able to enter the island out of… I don't, maybe 500 that try to pass the test-- The test?- Lucius knew about it since he spent a couple of days asking a lot of people around, but his mentor once told him that faking not knowing something often leads to more information.

- Yes, you have to take some kind of test once you reach Ilva and almost all trying are destined to fail.- The captain explained- I never tried it, so I can't be totally sure, but out of curiosity I asked some of the people, and I heard them venting about it: they all say that it is divided into two parts, one you have to write something and the second you talk to one of ''them''. You have to pass at least one of them to enter the island.-- How can you be so sure you just have to pass one of those? And what kind of questions are asked?- Again Lucius already asked some of the failed test takers, but wanted to confirm as much as he could.- I'm sure because some people who couldn't read, especially artists and musicians, were able to pass. But I have no idea why they were picked, they weren't necessarily the best in their field- Marcus explained starting to get a bit annoyed- For the specific tests: the written one is impossible according to anyone that didn't pass it and almost nobody is able to answer even one of the questions, the second is a quick interview and they just ask stuff like ''Who are you'' ''What you are good at'', and other things like that. But honestly, I can usually guess who is going to pass the first test just by looking at them, the second seems really random to me-- What do you mean?- the boy was confused by this statement- They have a certain look in their eyes: they are desperate, but at the same time you can see in them a certain strength no matter if they are young, old, or even women. They always pass that test- the captain claimed, drinking once again his diluted wine- And boy, I'm sorry, you are not one of them-- We'll see about that- Lucius replied, full of that certainty only adolescents are able to display.- See you tomorrow morning and enjoy the wine- He then left the tavern.

Lucius didn't come all that way from Rome, avoiding his grandfather's wrath, just to be stopped at the entrance. He was going to Nova Atlantis and nothing was going to stop him.