During a meeting to discuss this matter, Lucullus spoke out to attack Caesar.

Caesar, undeterred, launched into an extremely fiery and lengthy tirade against him, terrifying the seasoned, sardine-like Elder to the point of delirium, and ultimately causing him to prostrate himself on the ground, begging for mercy.

Lucullus's feeble display marked the withdrawal of the group of individuals from the Sula era, who had occupied high positions in the Senate, from the center stage of Roman politics.

Pompey's Eastern Law was passed, and soon after Crassus achieved his objective with Caesar's help—reducing by a third the fixed amount of taxes the tax collectors in Asia were required to pay into the state treasury.

Of course, while serving Pompey and Crassus, Caesar did not forget to pursue his own ambitions, embedding provisions in these passed proposals intended to address Rome's maladies.

However, Caesar was acutely aware that although he had become Governor, his power was still relatively weak and he couldn't change Rome's current state on his own. He could only rely on Pompey and Crassus's protection for now to make minor amendments.

In addition to legislative activities, Caesar undertook another significant task—arranging marriage alliances.

At this time, both he and Pompey were divorced. To solidify his alliance with Pompey, Caesar married off his only daughter to him.

Julia was young and beautiful, intelligent and refined, inheriting much of her father's charm, which pleased Pompey to no end.

Meanwhile, Caesar himself married Calpurnia, whose father, Lucius Calpurnius Piso, was highly likely to be elected as the Governor next year—a crucial ally whom Caesar needed to protect his interests.

Having completed these marriage alliances, Caesar still had another major decision—determining his posting after stepping down as Governor.

He would certainly not acquiesce to Cato's wishes to oversee Italy's countryside and minor roads. Such an unprofitable position would neither solve his immense debt problems nor fulfill his ambitious goals.

He turned his attention to Northern Italy. After Rome had stabilized the regions surrounding the Mediterranean, places still ripe for potential conflict dwindled. Caesar, well aware of the dual rewards of war—wealth and power—set his sights there.

Thus, Valgius, a People's Guardian closely aligned with Caesar, proposed a motion in the Senate: granting Caesar a special five-year command after his term as Governor, merging the Western Fa Province and Northern Italy Province for his governance, along with autonomy in selecting his Legion Commanders...

Though some Elders expressed opposition, with the support of Pompey and Crassus, the proposal was passed.

Soon afterward, it happened that the current governor of the Illyria Province, Metellus, passed away due to illness. The Senate then voted again to expand Caesar's jurisdiction to include Illyria as well.

A five-year term, a robust military force, and the opportunity to make a name for himself across Northern Italy and the Balkan Peninsula... These were precisely what Caesar desired.

That year, Caesar played the loyal subordinate, charging ahead for Pompey and Crassus, fulfilling all their needs, and naturally reaping generous rewards in return.

In 58 BC (the fifteenth year since the establishment of the Nix Tribe), Caesar, high-spirited, departed for the Northern Italy Province.

He was not alone; accompanying him was an entourage of staff members.

Among this group were many individuals whom Caesar intended to appoint as Legion Commanders: Labienus, who had previously served as a People's Guardian and had collaborated closely with Caesar—Caesar repaid the favor by granting him independent senior Legal Officer authority in the province; Valgius, the former People's Guardian who had rendered great merit in securing Caesar's appointment; Caesar's old acquaintances Balbus and Mamula... alongside the younger Publius Crassus, the youngest son of Rome's wealthiest man, Crassus, and another young man, Brutus.

What stood out about Caesar's proposed Legion Commander candidates was: except for Crassus and Brutus, hailing from prominent aristocratic families whose fathers had served as Governors, the rest had held no higher office than People's Guardian. Their families had been devoid of notable figures for generations, and they lacked war experience—an undeniable contrast to the elite Legion Commanders under Pompey's command.

Members of Rome's aristocratic families were reluctant to serve under Caesar, as—so far—few believed Caesar would become a great Commander. Some even speculated he might perish in his conflict with the Gaul Barbarians.

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The Boyi people originally inhabited the Po River Plain. They had repeatedly joined other Celtic Tribes in marching south to threaten Rome's security, but as Rome grew stronger, it retaliated by sending armies northward.

Witnessing their neighboring tribes obliterated one by one by Rome, the Boyi people were forced to migrate their entire tribe for survival. After enduring countless hardships, they reached the plains west of the Danube River's western bank.

This area had already been settled by other Celtic Tribes, and for the Boyi people to establish themselves, they had to contend with the original inhabitants for land.

Under such challenging circumstances, the Boyi people were compelled to break from tradition and elect a king for their tribe. This king possessed substantial authority, overseeing military, diplomatic, and inter-tribal affairs, except for religious ceremonies, which remained under the purview of the Druids. This consolidation brought together the Boyi's various branches and unleashed a formidable power, enabling them to conquer other tribes and become the most dominant force on the western plains of the Danube River.

However, the title of Boyi King was not hereditary. If the king fell ill or committed major mistakes that incurred the dissatisfaction of the tribal leaders, these leaders would appeal to the Druid Priesthood to convene a tribal assembly to elect a new king of moral and leadership excellence from among the leaders.

Thus, after negotiations with the Nix Tribe failed, the Boyi people decisively ousted their king, who had led the tribe to a crushing defeat and captivity, and elected a new king.

The newly elected Boyi King promised his people: he would spare no effort in defeating the Nix people and rescuing their captured comrades!

This meant that the conflict between the Boyi and Nix Tribes would persist. However, due to the dominance of the Nix Navy, which controlled the entire Delaware River, the Boyi people could not dispatch large forces across the river for combat, and small-scale infiltration efforts served merely as harassment, often with limited success and frequent loss.

Consequently, the two tribes rarely clashed on land but engaged in numerous naval battles, with the Boyi people suffering frequent defeats.

In contrast to the Boyi people's active aggression, the Nix Tribe appeared relatively subdued, focusing their efforts on integrating and absorbing their newly acquired territories.

In 60 BC (the thirteenth year since the establishment of the Nix Tribe), the Nix Tribe relocated their Main Camp once again. The new location was the former Main Camp of the Perustai Tribe, situated on the south bank of the Delaware River.

Maximus, unperturbed by the inconveniences of this move, made the decision for two reasons: first, to expedite and facilitate control over the former territories of Pannonia's three major tribes to the north; and second, to demonstrate to the tribespeople the Nix Tribe's determination to target the Boyi people in their next expansion.

In February of 58 BC (the fifteenth year since the establishment of the Nix Tribe), Maximus was handling tribal affairs in his main quarters when an attendant reported: "Leader, Onomabatis from the Commerce Department requests an audience."

Why has Onomabatis returned so quickly this time?… Thought Maximus to himself, "Let him in."

Onomabatis, an Illyrian, had formerly been part of the Karsipengpas Pirate Group. Later, when Pompey launched a military campaign to eradicate pirates throughout the Mediterranean, they were forced to retreat into the mountains. Under Karsipengpas's suggestion, they sought refuge with the Nix Tribe, becoming tribespeople and receiving land and homes—leading lives far more prosperous and stable than before.

Yet not all pirates adapted well to lives of early mornings, hard labor, and subsistence farming. Onomabatis, for instance, after more than a decade as a pirate, had long forgotten how to farm. Although the Agricultural Department sent personnel to teach farming techniques, he did not take them seriously. Moreover, with the Nix Tribe's territory expanding and population growing, the Foreign Auxiliary faced numerous public works projects—bridges, roads, dikes…—and could not spare manpower to aid ordinary tribespeople in cultivating their fields.

Although ordinary tribespeople of the Nix Tribe managed to hire laborers from the friendly Yapode, Alde, and Skodisqi Tribes for assistance in farming, the shortage of laborers persisted.

Onomabatis, after years of sea-faring life and broad exposure, recognized this issue within the Nix Tribe and boldly sought an audience with Maximus to propose his solution—venture out of the mountains to Italian towns to purchase slaves.

"Buying and trading slaves" was considered taboo in the Nix Tribe, as many high-ranking elder tribespeople had firsthand experience of its pain. However, Maximus did not share this sensitivity. On the contrary, he was quite pleased with Onomabatis's proposal and even convinced the Chief Officers at the Political Affairs Hall: "Our actions are not condoning cruelty; rather, we're liberating those slaves from their suffering."

Pirates, after hijacking vessels, would demand ransom or sell captives who failed to pay… Onomabatis had been responsible for such transactions during his piracy days. Though this would now entail "going from selling to buying," his expertise was undeniable. Maximus promptly promoted him to the Commerce Department, assigning him exclusively to the task of purchasing slaves, and provided him with several subordinates.

The Nix Tribe's paper currency was insufficient for external use. Fortunately, with the Tribe now producing increasingly diverse goods—cloth, pottery, wood carvings, furniture…—they could trade these items with nearby friendly tribes for various raw materials. Hence, a surplus of silver coins originally looted from Italy remained. Maximus entrusted Onomabatis with a portion of these gold-and-silver coins, sending him and his subordinates out, accompanied by a unit of Legion Soldiers serving as guards, disguised as a merchant caravan.

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