Chapter 159: Extra 1. Cat Dragon and the Crown
◎On this day, the princess, realizing the preciousness of life, donned a crown and ran into the sunset with the generals and ministers.◎
"Mom~"
Squeak! The door frame was opened by the kitten's head. Nini happily bit the pillow and ran inside, rolling all the way to the side of the big bed.
A hand reached out from the bed, followed by half of Elena.
"Hey, is that you?"
“It’s you…”
The two of them expressed regret in unison. Cat Head angrily threw a pillow at Elena's face: "Where's Mom? Where's Mom Melia?"
"I also want to ask...it's so cold."
Elena yawned and quickly pulled her robe back on. The pillow to her right was completely cold.
She stood up and opened the curtains. The sky was bright and sunny.
That’s right, Nini got spanked on her butt last time, so she won’t come to disturb me in the early morning.
The big and the small stood by the bed staring blankly. After a moment, Elena lifted the kitten by the scruff of its neck and flipped it over the windowsill.
Bang! They fell into the bushes. The guard glanced over here and quickly turned his head back.
She walked through the corridors and all the way to the castle gate, but still couldn't find Melia.
Just as the mother and daughter were about to fly up to the sky to take a look, someone finally bravely approached Elena and said, "Your Majesty, there is a piece of paper stuck on your back."
"Huh?"
She touched her back and pulled out an envelope.
Dear Elena,
The wool spinning wheel has been successfully mass-produced. I'm going to attend the completion ceremony of the new factory. Don't worry, it's safe to go through Shadow Rome.
After this, I will have to communicate with the nomads about wool purchases in the next few years, and will stay on the grassland for a few more days.
I want to promote the new contract. If successful, it will be of great help to subsequent business activities.
Love you, Melia
"So she doesn't even have time to eat together?!" Elena tapped her forehead in frustration, and then she heard her daughter's giggling.
"Hahaha~ Who told you to drink too much last night! Serves you right, you deserve it~"
Nini imitated the dodo bird, swaying back and forth with her head tilted back.
Elena pinched the little white cat with a headache: "Go away, representatives of foreign city-states are guests. I am respecting their customs."
"Is it because the wine is so special this year? It even has a lot of sugar~"
“…”
Children who are too smart can sometimes be quite annoying.
"Nini, let's go out."
"You can go by yourself~"
"Well, I'll eat with Melia tonight, and you can go to the palace kitchen and eat the leftovers."
"Let's go!"
…
Balls of raw wool are pressed into the machine, and through repeated combing and washing, grease and impurities are removed, turning it into smooth hair.
Melia held up the successfully washed wool and sighed with joy.
Although we haven't been able to develop a machine specifically for separating wool and cashmere, the cleaning step alone saves a lot of manpower.
Now the wool cleaning at the front end and the spinning at the back end are both mechanically assisted, but the drying, sorting and splitting of fibers in the middle section still require manual operation.
However, Rome had a surplus of labor, and letting machines do all the work might cause more problems.
Every household can buy wool and knitting needles to knit their own sweaters, which can not only cope with the drop in temperature in winter, but also will not affect the sales of summer robes.
The investors who were invited to watch stared at each other in amazement:
They had just visited the factory and were overwhelmed by the magical multi-spinning wheel foot-operated textile machines, the fine finished wool yarns, and the finished sweaters.
Yes, cloth robes and leather jackets are popular around here, but wool is obviously on a different track: compared with cloth robes, it has amazing thermal insulation performance, and compared with genuine leather products, it is shockingly cheap.
There is no need for hunting, just raise some sheep that can eat and produce milk, and you can harvest new wool every year.
“I’ve invested in this project!”
"Hey, hey, hey, don't rush, don't rush, I want to vote too, I want one too!!"
Hands were raised. Although the richest man in Rome had a strange requirement that the labor force must be free people - that was easy, couldn't he just free the slaves at home on the spot? They would be much cheaper than citizens!
…
The reception was a great success, and several letters of intent were drawn up. Melia left Shadow Rome happily.
She had just passed through the archway when suddenly, a pair of hands covered her eyes from behind.
"Guess who I am~?"
"Nini isn't that tall, so... you're Sunny."
"Yeah, I even pinched my throat on purpose."
Attila let go of her hand and waved regretfully, "Long time no see! Sister, you're so cruel! You saved so many of us, but you didn't even come to the grassland to take a look?"
The familiar smile brought them closer. It was great that she didn't turn into the evil spirit with a face full of resentment in the illusion.
Melia stood on tiptoe and touched Sonny's head.
Attila was as gentle and well-behaved as before. He shrugged innocently until the fingers left his body. "Sister, we Huns actually hate being touched on the head, don't you?"
"Hey - you're lying! Didn't the Great Witch just touch it? And you even touched Nini's head."
"Hehe~" Attila shook his head slightly. "So you said 'others'. In our customs, only superiors to inferiors, and seniors to juniors, can perform the gesture of touching the head. I'm the Golden King, I can touch anyone I want. Theoretically, the only people who can touch me are the Great Shaman, my father, my mother... or..."
A complex emotion flashed across his golden eyes: "If it's my beloved wife, I... Sister, please don't leave~"
Melia took several steps back and stood in front of the archway cautiously: "Don't be ridiculous, or I'll hit you with a branch!"
"Ha ha."
Attila stood there, raising her arms with her palms facing up. “I’ve always wondered, if I were the one who first met you…”
"Impossible~"
"Meliya!"
She pursed her lips, a rare moment of anger, a hint of inexplicable anger. "I know... it's too late. That's why I'm waiting here, waiting for an answer."
What answer? Melia was a little nervous. Teleporting takes 20 seconds, and with Attila's speed, he could easily interrupt it. If she wanted to do anything strange, she would have to rely on rewinding.
No way—the first flashback after the goblins' annihilation ends here? Where's the peaceful life we were supposed to live?
"Don't be afraid, I'm really just curious."
Attila slowly approached, finally stopping a few steps away. She stood in the wind, her handsome face slightly sad. "Can you please think carefully about the answer I just gave you?"
The answer just now?
If it was Sonny I met at first… Melia closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then chuckled, “Not so good, you’ll definitely kidnap me.”
"Kidnapping? Hahahaha."
They both thought of their first meeting.
One was a wealthy Roman woman, the other a Hun hostage. Kidnapping... If Elena hadn't been around, and if there weren't other powerful people around, she would probably have kidnapped Melia.
To her, he was the only nobleman who was not annoying.
"I won't kill you, Sister Melia, absolutely not." For some reason, she had a strange confidence: as long as they said a word, exchanged glances, and had a little bit of familiarity, she would not kill Melia.
Even Brida would have questioned such an unreasonable idea.
"Uh… because you need the knowledge in my head?"
Attila laughed: "Can't you be more romantic?"
"So it has nothing to do with knowledge?"
"Related." She tightened her lips. How could it be unrelated? It was experience and knowledge that shaped this unique girl before her.
I want to marry a wife with brains.
I want to marry a lover who can stand by my side.
She is smart, well-mannered, and willing to think independently. We will have many, many children, or adopt many, many children, and walk through a not-too-long, but interesting life together.
Attila squinted his eyes in the sunlight and saw a hallucination of the "Meliya" who had never existed.
"Sonny, the result is important, but the process is also important."
"Really? As long as you can get the gold, the means don't matter."
"Huh~ The gold we stole is so different from the gold we earned!"
"As long as we can keep the gold from being taken back, it makes no difference."
The non-existent girl pinched her face, and it burst gently like a soap bubble.
She still remembered how stubborn she had been before, but she was convinced by herself.
If I could meet such a girl, even if I was lying on a sickbed in my old age, as long as she held my hand, it would not matter whether the outcome was success or failure.
Ah, there is a difference. I want to build a golden city for this true lover - a fortress of knowledge and civilization.
With her, I will definitely fight until the last moment, right?
Just as she couldn't help but stretch out her hand to touch the shattered shadow, a hand reached out from the archway and grabbed Melia's wrist.
“…” Attila withdrew his finger, leaving only a smile.
"Next time you go out to discuss business, remember to tell me first."
Elena walked out of the archway and put her arm around his wife's waist. She saw Sonny and hesitated for a second whether to greet him according to diplomatic etiquette, but finally nodded silently.
"Well, I won't bother you any more. We'll discuss our cooperation at the next banquet." Attila waved her hand and ran towards her horse on the hillside. She easily climbed onto its back and disappeared behind the sky.
Humph, with the power of the Golden King, trade with the grassland will soon become a one-on-one exchange.
Elena retracted her gaze and pulled the little white cat that was looking at the scenery in the grass: "Come, today our family of three is going on an outing."
Nini pouted: "You want me to fly again? There is no magic tide here. It's very tiring."
Humph, only Shadow Rome and the fake world are the most comfortable. In the real world, I have to flap my wings to fight against gravity. It’s so tiring.
Looking at her little face with her small nose and eyes, Melia smiled and stroked the cat's head: "Okay, let's go on a picnic together. I just happened to have some new and interesting food prepared."
"New food?" The cat's tail suddenly stood up like a small antenna.
"That's right~ It's very novel, I'm sure you've never eaten it before."
Wow, could this be the legendary ultimate delicacy that glows?
Nini swallowed her saliva, jumped to the ground, rolled over and grew bigger, and spread her wings hard: "Mom, hurry up and get the lunch basket, we're leaving now--"
…
Night fell over the wilderness, and a huge shadow descended upon the edge of the pool.
Before turning back into a cat, Nini used her tail to splash beautiful water: "Yeah, I've been here!"
She rubbed her paws together proudly and crashed into the bushes. "A fairy gave me a sword a while ago. It's right here!"
Melia pulled it out and patted it, and the small berries fell to the ground one by one: "Sword? The broken sword?"
"Yeah, there's still a little left."
As Elena spread out the picnic blanket, Nini pulled a tiny silver needle from between her teeth. The needle tip continuously absorbed the moonlight, gathering it into a tiny point of light.
After all, it is a treasure given by the fairy, so it must have some special powers.
Melia carefully moved her fingers apart. "Don't use it to pick your teeth, or the gaps between your teeth will widen. And watch out for other people's fingers when you're forking meat, okay?"
"Okay~"
The evening breeze blew as the family of three snuggled up on the blanket.
"Mom, what's for dinner?"
Melia poked the cat's nose and turned her head to fiddle with the lunch basket.
Elena lent a hand and took out a...ceramic jar from the basket.
"Uh, what is this?" Nini leaned over to the jar and tapped it with her paw. It was a completely ordinary pottery jar, but the seal was very tight, made of some kind of mud. It must have been heated later, so it was hard.
"This is a sample for mass production. It's candied braised pork that's been stored for two months."
Melia took the second bottle from the basket. It was a precious glass bottle with a metal seal. "I made this in Shadow Rome. It's a pickle I've been storing for a year."
The glass bottle is transparent, revealing the lush green cucumbers and the deep yellow, sour juice inside. The vegetables soaked in the thick liquid are both novel and strange.
Candied braised pork? Pickled cucumbers? It was definitely something I had never tasted before.
Nini sniffed the edge of the jar and opened her mouth: "Ah~"
"Puff." Elena took out a handful of candied braised pork in a lightning-fast manner and stuffed it directly into the cat's mouth.
“Hmm!”
The kitten's face wrinkled as it swallowed the braised pork with difficulty. Under its mother's malicious gaze, it slowly nodded: "It's okay, but there's a little too much sugar."
Still okay? How could fatty meat with so much sugar added to it still taste good? She had seen canned food being processed, where sugar was piled in relentlessly, and to ensure the fat content, the meat was only the fattiest part.
Elena scooped a spoonful and put it on the tip of her tongue.
A rich sweetness slowly unfolded, the unique richness of fat becoming even more viscous against the backdrop of the broth. But surprisingly... it wasn't bad.
Compared to the meat scraps of childhood and the dry rations eaten during marches, canned food like this can be considered a luxury.
She unscrewed the can of pickles, and this time the cat poked its head in first, munching away. "Mmmmm, so sour! Ugh!"
Nini spat a little, then sheepishly rolled it back into her mouth. Mom said we shouldn't waste food.
She held the can in her arms and smacked her lips listlessly. "It's okay, it's quite fresh. I'll add some to my bread."
"You~don't be so impatient next time." Melia tapped her forehead and was amused by the cat head that lowered its head to admit its mistake.
Elena turned her head and looked at her wife and daughter with a smile.
[Canned food... is perfect for marching and fighting.] She wasn't going to say such a depressing thing.
Melia must have known this, which is why she was so eager to promote the wool trade and strongly advocated in the Senate for the release of slaves so that they could participate in food production.
Rome had a vast territory and a large number of slaves, so even without considering Shadow Rome, there was still a lot of room for development.
Most wars are caused by resource scarcity, so conversely, as long as material resources are abundant to a certain extent, peace will come - is this right?
I don’t know. Everyone knows that most people only care about the resources they have.
Private ownership - how to break the deep-rooted desire for possession? This seems to be a problem that can never be solved.
She stared at her wife for so long that Melia turned her head and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are there any little bugs flying around?"
"Hmm~" Elena raised her hand and brushed across the ends of her wife's hair.
I am watching your back, watching a pioneer who is trying to open up an unknown future - of course, this sentence can only be hidden in my heart.
Maybe I will say it one day, but it will definitely be many, many years later.
The three of them lay down comfortably and looked at the boundless starry sky.
The cat put its head between them and rubbed her shoulders from time to time: "Mom, touch me~" Then, two pairs of hands would come down from the front and back to rub her soft fur.
Nini slowly closed her eyes, and suddenly, a star streaked across the sky.
"meteor!"
She widened her cat eyes, remembered her mother's bedtime story, and quickly clenched her cat paws.
Make a wish, make a wish, what should I wish for?
Before the little cat could think of a wish, the tail of the shooting star had disappeared.
What a pity... Woohoo.
No, it's not over yet.
One, two, three stars cut through the night sky and fell brilliantly.
"It's a meteor shower! Nini, make a wish quickly~"
Her mother's warm palm stroked her head, and Nini rubbed it coquettishly: "What wish will mommy make?"
"Of course, my whole family is happy~"
"Hey, since mom made a wish, I don't have to make one again."
The clever cat shook his whiskers and looked at Elena again: "Mom, what about you? What wish do you make?"
"Me."
Tenderness overflowed in her sea-blue eyes. She kissed her wife's black hair and said, "It's all come true."
…
Then, time passed and time flew by.
The arena was packed today, and if you arrived a little late, there would be no place to put your feet.
Nowadays, those who still call the Colosseum a "Colosseum" are mostly old people in their 40s and 50s, while young people always like to call it a "football stadium".
Indeed, ever since Her Majesty Elena forcibly abolished the declining slavery ten years ago, gladiatorial performances have become increasingly unsustainable. Once a bloody spectacle comparable to football, the spectacle of gladiatorial performances, with its bloody slaughter, has rapidly declined in popularity without the availability of slaves for sacrifice, and has been reduced to mixing it with theatrical performances and adding a touch of drama.
"Ohhhhh, come on, Princess Wang!!"
The cheers from the stands were deafening, and you could tell it was an important event.
A foreign businessman cautiously asked the guide, "Does your princess also play football?" He didn't ask her name, because everyone knows the Roman princess Menea, a true dragon. It's said that even her scales are made of pure gold, and when she flies, she makes a crackling sound!
"Of course, who doesn't like playing football!" The Roman guide raised his head proudly, then jumped up: The princess scored a goal!
“Great—”
It was a buzzer-beater, 3-0!
The cheers were earth-shaking, and Nini, wearing a jersey, hugged her teammates warmly.
She glanced at the scoreboard with a bit of pride: Humph, if she hadn't deliberately suppressed her physical strength, she could have scored 300 to 0. But that would be boring.
After the game, the caddies came running from outside the court, scrambling to wipe the sweat off the princess' face and hand her water. Even the enthusiastic fans who jumped down to present flowers were pushed to the back row.
She took the towel and wiped it, and suddenly saw Aunt Taffy coming from a distance, accompanied by many guards.
Seeing this serious regent, the caddies and fans made way for him like water and oil. Even Menea straightened her back and put away her smug expression.
"Your Highness," Taffy said, standing at attention before her. "Please return to the palace immediately. His Majesty should have informed you that today is the day you will assist in government affairs."
"This... didn't I help with government administration 10 years ago?"
Despite her complaints, Menea still rushed through the gate as fast as she could, spreading her wings and flying towards the castle:
Summoning her so urgently, could I be ill? This is how foreign royal families are; old kings only give up power when they are too old to move.
Thinking of this, she instantly accelerated: Wuwuwu, Elena, don’t get hurt - you said you would be strong -
…
With a snap, the golden dragon landed outside the palace in a falling posture, because her "old" mother was holding Melia's hand, and the two of them walked into the new carriage affectionately.
Judging from the large and small boxes in the carriage, they had at least two months of fun outside.
"Mom!" She was so angry that His Majesty stopped yelling. Instead, she jumped in front of the carriage and blocked the wheels with her body: "You guys are going out to play without me!"
"Tsk." A disdainful sound came from inside the car. Elena opened the car door and looked the cat dragon up and down: "How old are you, dragon? Stop acting like a spoiled brat. Other people's children should be married by the age of 35."
"Hmph! In dragon terms, I'm still very young!"
Nini raised her neck with confidence and complained loudly: "Mom~Meliya Mom~I want to go out and play too~" The dragon's roar was long and loud, and could be heard all the way to the square.
If we delay any longer, curious people will flock to admire Lai Pilong.
Elena patiently explained, "I told you many years ago that our family's lifespans are different."
"Woo?"
She gazed deeply at the cat-dragon that had stopped tumbling. "Meliya shows no signs of reversion. In the next hundred years, I will spend more time with her."
"Mom, Mom?" Tears welled up in Long's eyes.
Yes, her signs of atavism are more obvious than those of her two mothers, so, so she will live for a very, very long time, so long that her mothers will...
"Okay, stop bullying Nini!"
There was a crisp knocking sound from inside the carriage, and then Melia poked her head out. She gently petted the cat dragon. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Besides, this time I'm just inspecting the various city-states to consolidate the status of the royal city. I'll be back soon after my inspection."
Oh——is that so!
The sadness that had just been brewing suddenly flew away halfway, and Nini curled her lips: "I said, she is the one who can't bear to part with her crown!"
"Who said I couldn't bear it?"
With a crack, a heavy golden crown flew out of the car and landed on the dragon's broad body.
"You, you?"
"What do you mean? Without my approval, this doesn't count as a succession."
Elena pulled Melia back into the carriage, her tone full of smiles: "Without a king, the crown is just an ornament. You can wear it as long as you want."
How could this be possible? Nini was dumbfounded. Looking at the crown on her back, she felt she couldn't return it or not.
What Mom said seemed to make sense, but what emperor would do that? He'd let the princess govern while he went out on patrol, leaving his crown behind...wasn't he just waiting for someone to usurp the throne?
Clang, clang.
I don’t know whether they can wait for the throne or not, but the mothers’ travels certainly can’t wait.
The carriage nimbly passed around the dragon's body and headed out of the city.
"Come back..." Nini put down her big claws helplessly, and after some hesitation, she turned back into human form.
Since she was 10, she has rarely transformed into a cat in public.
The noble princess bent down, picked up the pure gold crown from the ground, and flicked off the dust.
Were those words just now really a joke?
【Lifespan】, 【Companionship】.
These words were too cruel for a 35-year-old young dragon, but seemed just right for a 35-year-old human princess.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess."
General Ronnie came from across the bridge and saluted her.
Just as he was about to pass by, the princess held his shoulder and said, "Wait, I have something for you. Drink half and leave the other half for Aunt Taffy."
A drink? Could it be that super sweet, sour, sticky, spicy, bitter vegetable juice you always drink after losing a game?
Forget it, Your Highness has just been assigned a position by His Majesty, and he must be in a bad mood. Just drink it.
Ronnie nodded with a bitter face, and when she looked up, she saw Menea draw her sword and gesture with her wrist: "Hey, Ronnie, don't just stare, bring the bowl."
"What are you going to do?!"
MC*MS*SSC
"Dragon blood, that's what the stories say. After drinking the blood of a real dragon, mortals will be healthy and live long. I'm such a big dragon, I won't die if I give you some - Hey! Don't go -"
On this day, the princess, who realized the preciousness of life, put on the crown and ran into the sunset with the generals and ministers.
Congratulations, congratulations.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Yonezu for being a staunch fan of sweet stories! , and nanaya_scarlet's Lei Lei~
Thanks to Yonezu for being a staunch fan of sweet stories!! , KaLL, straying, Xia You Liang Feng, and Yang for the irrigation~
There is also a future chapter extra ~ happy!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
