Chapter 75 Intertwined Spirals

A silver-white chariot clanged up, inlaid with a silver moon pattern and hung with a jeweled dagger.

Ding-ling-ling, dong-dong-dong.

Musicians beat drums, and bells swung from the dancers' feet. The process of selecting the Moon Goddess's maidens was incredibly lengthy. Although the selection process took only a split second, it required a full sense of ritual to satisfy the devotees' imaginations.

The ladies standing on the stage took the opportunity to wipe their sweat and change their feet, and the slaves took the opportunity to serve them teacups.

Ophelia was the most relaxed one among them. There was a white marble pillar behind her so she could lean on it quietly. There was also a huge celebratory wreath on her head, which cast a shadow so that her eyes would not be dazzled by the sunlight.

Even so, there was some irritation hidden under her perfect smile. She shook her head again and again to prevent the falling hair from piercing her eyes.

Phew~ Stay calm. Just stand there until night and you can meet your father with your followers.

Ophelia occasionally dreamed of becoming the Roman emperor, but she was very self-aware: instead of climbing up herself, she would rather hope that Marcus would gain a foothold and help her, just like now, with a roof over her head to keep her cool.

Why was Diana wearing armor? She felt the iron "armor" scratching her delicate skin. The tiny silver flakes were so thin and fragile that they pricked and itched.

Ophelia wanted to lick the sweat from the corner of her mouth, but was afraid of ruining her makeup, so she had to look to the side to distract herself: Phew~ The follower recommended by Marcus is really good, with a well-proportioned and handsome physique, and looks very stylish in armor. It would not be embarrassing to sit on her float.

The most amazing thing is her unforgettable face. Even if she were thrown into a crowd, she would not be found. No one can overshadow her as the number one waitress.

It’s almost there, it’s almost there, the sun will soon set… The crimson circle sank downwards, covering half of her face with hope.

Clang, clang, clang!

"Is something approaching?" A cry of surprise grew closer, and the piano stopped playing. Ophelia spun around abruptly. A silver-white chariot, inlaid with a silver moon pattern and dangling jeweled daggers, clanged toward them. Two pure white ponies pulled the ropes, making the petite figure on the chariot seem taller.

Chariots weren't surprising. Every contestant had to bring her own chariot and attendants: otherwise, wouldn't any commoner be able to participate? The temple didn't want a beautiful poor girl to crowd out the patron's prized possessions.

However, this magnificent chariot looked somewhat familiar. A young lady who often watched gladiatorial performances exclaimed loudly, "Isn't this the float used in the central arena to celebrate the Luna Festival?!"

She especially recognized the two beautiful ponies. Aren’t they the ponies? This carriage was originally used to pull the small golden statue of the Moon Goddess!

Before the lady in the pink helmet could question it, her attention was drawn to the entourage behind her: "Oh my God, she, Melia, invited six big stars! Ronnie is here too—"

Jealousy and bitterness tore her heart apart: Damn, how much does this outfit cost per day? If only her parents were also the richest people in Rome! Well, she has to die sooner. If Muala died later, he wouldn't be willing to spend so much money on his daughter's holiday...

With a crisp clang, Melia made a brilliant appearance.

She wore a classic hollow breastplate, thankfully padded with two layers of silver-white tulle, revealing only her arms and calves. On her head was a shimmering laurel wreath, matching the Moon Goddess's maiden and the Moon Goddess, with gemstones adorning the sides. The omission of a moon disc was a final act of modesty.

Ophelia held her breath. She had never even looked at Melia. Everyone knew she was Muala's idiot. She was rich and brainless, so what was there to see?

The most profound impression she had was the scene of her being beaten by Elena until her fingers clanged against the wall, and her gums bared when she fell off the slave.

But today, the girl who stepped off the chariot had a sweet smile on her face, was full of vitality and a heart-warming...purity.

"Meliya, this isn't the place for you to act so recklessly." A sense of urgency drove Ophelia forward two steps. Normally, there would be plenty of attendants willing to do this, but today, she had to personally stop Meliya from approaching the booth.

"How dare you? I came here to run for election in an upright manner."

Melia stepped onto the booth with her skirt lifted. Ophelia hurriedly stretched out her foot, trying to quietly trip her ankle—bang! After a muffled sound, she stumbled twice on her skirt.

After a closer look, I was stunned: Melia was not wearing jewel-studded high gold sandals like them, but a pair of small leather boots wrapped in metal pieces!

Melia stepped twice and walked to the center. The laurel wreath on her head reflected the light of the torch. At this moment, the moon slowly emerged and the red sun sank into the clouds.

She was indeed more like the moon maiden painted in the temple than Ophelia: young, proud, full of energy, and with a childlike innocence. Her emerald eyes were generous and sweet when she looked at people, and even her slightly curled black hair seemed darker.

Ophelia's heart sank, but getting involved in the stand would only disadvantage her: she was a princess known for her elegance and gentleness, unlike Melia, who was so notorious that she was not afraid of slander.

"Really? A Moon Maid must be a kind girl, Miss Melia. Do you think everyone will approve of your character?"

She looked at the believers below, many of whom showed hesitation:

They had benefited from Melia's kindness over the past year: cheap food, fashionable clothes, and bread distribution every other week. They were especially happy when the Xicheng District demolition happened; the compensation she offered was better than any other wealthy family, not to mention that it was her father's house.

In contrast, although Ophelia had a good reputation, she never took advantage of the poor. After all, she was a princess, so it was good enough that she did not bully the common people.

However, they still remembered how bad Melia's reputation was a year ago. Today was the Moon Goddess Festival, and God knew how many believers hated Melia. Cheering for her in public was too... tacky. They might be seen as jerk who accepted bribes.

Melia heard her hint and didn't get angry. "Beautiful? Do you think beauty depends on words or on reality?"

Ophelia touched her heart devoutly: "Of course it is practical. The gods will watch our every move."

"Ah~ That's easy."

Melia clapped her hands, and Ronnie and another gladiator lifted a heavy iron box from the chariot and opened the lid in front of everyone.

Wow—golden and silver light mixed with copper coins, among which were three types of Roman coins!

She raised her head and casually picked up a handful: gold, there was really gold mixed in it!

The light of gold coins and torches dyed the cheeks of the crowd red, and they cheered spontaneously.

"You, you are..." Ophelia wanted to say bribery, but she bit her lip and didn't continue.

There is no way. Throwing money at the crowd is a common practice used by many wealthy people. Caesar and generals also like to do this. If you accuse them, you will accidentally hurt a group of people.

Even before the Senate elections, many merchants would hold banquets for several days and even invite common people to watch comedic performances for free.

This box of coins is not too much, but not too little either. The most embarrassing thing is that they didn't prepare these.

Ophelia knew that she could no longer count on those common people, and whoever gave her money was the boss.

"Ahem, respected High Priest." She looked towards the High Priest who was about to greet the Moon Goddess's maiden. "The selection should be over, right?"

When it's over, quickly bring up the boxes for the corresponding number of people, and don't let Melia get involved! Others will be humble, but Melia is the one who dares to be the first to choose a box.

If she was chosen by Melia, she would have no place to cry.

The high priest pondered for a moment, then waved his hand at Ophelia's hopeful gaze, "Since the time has come, let's choose together. The Moon Goddess will favor the girl she likes most."

Together? With Melia?!

Ophelia was so angry that she fell backwards, but she still had to keep a warm smile on her face until the priests brought out all the boxes, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.

Great! My earlier greeting paid off. Originally, there were supposed to be seven boxes, to be chosen by the last few girls standing. Now, they've brought out a full 50 boxes, representing the number of people after the first round of selection.

The best part is that the boxes come in ten different styles and five different colors: gold, white, red, blue, and wheat.

Ophelia glanced from left to right, her smile becoming more genuine:

She saw the mark, the moon symbol hidden in the red box second from the left.

The boxes in the center, far left, and far right are the most likely to be picked, followed by the box on the right. If you put something second from the left, the actual probability of Melia picking it is much less than one in fifty.

After all the boxes were placed on the table, Ophelia spread out her palms lightly: "Please, you choose first."

The Moon Goddess would definitely choose her instead of Melia. It would not be a loss to regain the little bit of impression points she had just lost by giving in gently.

"Oh? Let me choose first, okay."

Humph, just as she expected, no matter how much Melia's expression changed, she was still that arrogant and vulgar girl. She didn't even try to refuse, but ran directly to the table to look at it.

"Hmm~"

Melia's right hand suddenly turned as her fingers ran across the white and gold ribbons: "I choose this."

The second one from the positive, red.

How is it possible - Ophelia suffered a cardiac arrest: Would Diana rather favor such a bad girl!

"Wait a minute... Phew, you picked the box I wanted."

Melia picked up the gift box and untied the ribbon: "Really? Thank you for giving it to me~"

The moon emblem reflected the glow of the torches as she walked towards the silver-white chariot.

"Wait..." Ophelia bit her lip. Enough, no more embarrassment. She looked away, only to see that the expressions of the attendants in the audience were even gloomier than hers.

Huh, I'm jealous, jealous of Melia's followers, they are all gladiator stars... Tsk, Marcus will not waste such money.

Uh, why is one of them heading towards Melia? Could it be that even my followers dared to betray me and take advantage of Melia?

"What are you going to do? Are you going to assassinate me?" Ophelia pointed at the guy who left the team righteously.

"cough……"

The woman who was being pointed at immediately held her waist. Before she could draw her weapon, Ronnie punched her in the neck and she fainted completely.

"Roni, disarm her~"

"Yes, miss." Ronnie took the woman's dagger and put it aside. If it was not contaminated with poison, the dagger still belonged to Ophelia.

A strange arrowhead was stuck on the inside of her belt. Ronnie silently pinched the metal arrowhead engraved with a snake shape and hid it in her palm.

"Please keep an eye on your followers~" Melia looked at the dark night sky, clapped her hands, and flew away with the gladiators.

The author has something to say:

Thanks to Qi Shengxiao's Lei Lei~

Thanks to Qi Shengxiao, Xiang Feng, Jiu Tiao Dried Fish, Yao Bu Ke Ting, and Liang Liang De Ren Sheng Wu Yi for their support.