A week passed quickly.
The purges within the city of Rome resumed, and many nobles, elites, and citizens suspected of having supported Cinna and Marius were executed.
Sulla was simply repeating what Marius and Cinna had done; it was not about what was right or wrong, but only about victory or defeat.
Sulla's new plans required money, and maintaining a large number of legions was an enormous expense that pressured him every night.
Sulla's intentions were obvious to many old, experienced politicians.
To make money and reduce the influence of the plebeian social class that had strongly supported Cinna and Marius.
On the other hand, the generals who did not understand Sulla's actions and his purpose faced serious consequences.
The first general to suffer the consequences of his shortsightedness regarding the political situation in Rome was Quintus Lucretius Ofella.
Ofella committed the foolishness of presenting himself as a candidate for consul, unknowingly challenging Sulla.
General Ofella went to the square to give a speech and, as a result, was assassinated by Sulla's men.
The news of Ofella's death by Sulla's orders spread quickly, causing shock among the nobles and generals who had a friendship with Sulla.
Ofella was a general who had accompanied Sulla from the beginning in his campaigns in Greece and Pontus; Sulla had killed him without hesitation.
Septimus understood Sulla's intention: to become dictator for life.
A dictator could only be appointed by the consuls, but the two consuls, Norbanus and Carbo, had been killed and declared enemies of the state, which made it impossible to appoint them as dictators for life.
However, there was another method: when a consul died in battle or could not be contacted, the assembly of citizens could elect a dictator.
During the Second Punic War, when it was not possible to contact the consul in Hispania, the Roman citizens' assembly elected a dictator for the first time through a nomination process.
Rome was also aware of the dangers of concentrating too much power in one person, and as a result, the office of dictator had a duration of six months; the concept of a dictator for life did not exist, and for many Romans it was a taboo that recalled the monarchy.
On the other hand, Sulla's preparations to reduce the political influence of the plebeian social class in Rome also focused on the marriages of his main generals.
Pompey was forced to divorce his wife Antistia to marry Aemilia Scaura.
Aemilia was the daughter of Sulla's wife (not his biological daughter), so the marriage was a direct political alliance.
The reason Sulla forced Pompey to marry Aemilia was mainly because Pompey's father-in-law was a plebeian, and the marriage with Aemilia would break Pompey's ties with the plebeians.
Sulla did not know that his actions against Pompey caused him to harbor resentment.
First, Aemilia was already pregnant by her previous husband when she was forced to marry Pompey. In the original history, Aemilia would die within a few months during childbirth.
Second, Pompey was a proud man who valued his personal honor, and forcing him to divorce to marry a pregnant woman was a strong blow to his self-esteem as a man.
It is no wonder that later Pompey supported Lepidus, who opposed Sulla; Septimus believed that this was probably the reason. Few men could endure such humiliation.
Sulla originally thought of arranging a political marriage between Aemilia and Septimus.
Unfortunately, Septimus's reputation was too notorious, and there was no guarantee regarding Aemilia's safety if Septimus were angered.
Septimus's past and his irrational cruelty were known throughout Rome, including to Sulla and his wife, the mother of Aemilia.
Aemilia was pregnant, and Sulla could not guarantee her safety during childbirth if she married Septimus.
Childbirth was a matter of life and death for a woman during this era. If complications occurred during childbirth, in nine out of ten cases, it was a loss for both the mother and the child. Sulla's wife feared that Septimus would use childbirth as a pretext to cause the death of her daughter Aemilia.
On the other hand, Sulla also devoted his efforts to making money.
Crassus and Metellus also joined Sulla's actions, causing another round of plundering in Rome aimed at the properties of nobles, elites, and merchants of the city.
Septimus was more honest than the three and spent money buying properties from families that had been eliminated or were bankrupt.
Unlike Septimus, the methods of Crassus, Sulla, and Metellus were more direct and similar to plunder.
It was common for freed slaves supported by Sulla or Metellus to buy a property valued at 1.5 million denarii for 500 denarii; there were also cases of slaves accusing their masters of being enemies of the state.
To become dictator for life and reinforce conservative policies in Rome, Sulla did many things that offended his subordinates.
Septimus did not care about the situation in Rome or Sulla's purpose of becoming dictator for life.
Moreover, Sulla did not remain dictator forever; he simply reformed the Roman political system.
He focused on undermining the political base of the plebeians, for example, by weakening the voting rights of freed slaves, reducing the power of the tribunes of the plebs, and abolishing the law that allowed grain to be sold to the plebeians at low prices.
Sulla was old and did not have much time left to live; Septimus did not see him as a threat, and killing him would drastically change the course of original history, causing unpredictable changes.
Three days passed.
Septimus, taking advantage of the opportunity of the boom in property purchases, made a significant purchase and bought a hill on the outskirts of Rome.
A person from later generations would easily recognize the hill as the place where the current Vatican is located.
Previously, Septimus had tried to buy land to build a castle, but knowing the later depreciation of land prices in Rome, his decision was to wait.
The current hill where the Vatican would be located in a few years was not a place of much importance within the city of Rome.
It was on the outskirts of Rome, and one had to cross the river. If it were not for its height, it would not be worth much; the Tiber River overflowed frequently, causing damage every year.
Septimus was the only person in this era who felt attracted to its location.
How many people from future generations are unaware of the Vatican? It is the sacred place of Catholicism, the residence of the Pope.
Septimus would build a majestic castle on that hill, which he would use as a residence to witness the history and culture of the city of Rome over the coming years.
In the city of Rome, living on a hill meant enormous prestige and was synonymous with status.
With the increase in Septimus's status and power, it was necessary to have a residence in the city of Rome at the top of a hill. Living on a hill had a very special meaning for the Romans of this era.
Rome is known as the City of Seven Hills because its walls were built around seven hills.
The Romans originated in this city and became a powerful nation that dominated the Mediterranean world.
The most famous are the Capitoline and the Palatine. The Capitoline, the highest, was considered the dwelling place of the gods and was forbidden to inhabit.
The Palatine, however, was the most habitable. Even at its summit, it had abundant water resources, and the Roman Forum was located just below the summit.
Almost all the powerful families of Rome, such as Valerius, Appius, Claudius, Fabius, and Cornelius, longed to possess properties on the Palatine Hill.
In addition to these, the other five hills were also inhabited by numerous nobles and elites; for example, Pompey lived on the Caelian Hill.
Septimus would have his own castle at the top of a hill, demonstrating the influence and power of his family over the coming years.