Chapter 36 Riot
◎A kind of madness...struggling between life and death.◎
The weather was dry, and when the sun shone directly on the top of the castle, the whole of Rome was boiling with celebration.
"Caesar is back—he's back with an army!"
"Caesar has won! Another great victory!"
Everyone ran around to tell each other, and even the humblest poor people puffed out their chests: Now that Caesar has returned safely, he will definitely bring more slaves to show their nobility as Romans!
Although too many slaves would squeeze the civilians' money-making space, they were also high-quality cheap labor. As long as the Romans had surplus food at home, they would consider buying a slave to help with farming and housework.
Ordinary Roman citizens had not yet noticed the hidden danger of overmanpower and were only immersed in the joy of Rome's victory.
Caesar won, the Persians were no match for him!
People donned new clothes reserved for festivals, and those who prized beauty would also don red shoulder ornaments embroidered with gold. Wealthy families walked through the commercial district, their gold bracelets jingling and clacking.
Caesar's motorcade will pass along the main road, and every awning will be a good spot.
Poor people in Xicheng District also poured into the streets, trying to find some space between the crowds.
Roman laws were harsh, and few people dared to steal in broad daylight, especially since today was a special day. If Caesar's guards drew their swords and beheaded them, there would be no way to seek justice.
They bent down to the ground, hoping to catch the coins thrown from the chariot during the triumphal procession: Caesar rarely threw the coins himself, but he always brought a large number of soldiers and slaves with him, who would throw some of the spoils to the crowd.
Even if the spoils are not rich enough and the soldiers are reluctant to share the profits, there will be wealthy people who want to join in the fun and distribute things around.
A pale man hunched over, trying to avoid being knocked down by the crowd. He had no money to pay a witch doctor to treat his injuries. Originally, the work that would have earned him the bounty was done by his daughter, but Misha hadn't been home for days.
This wasn't surprising; it was easy for children with good looks to disappear. He had no time to grieve; he had to seize the opportunity to earn more money. Otherwise, once the new slaves took root in Rome, his family wouldn't even survive the winter.
[It would be great if I could sell it to Miss Melia myself, but unfortunately I don't have any skills.]
As he followed the crowd toward the white jade archway, he thought numbly: Miss Melia is young and beautiful, so she should be more gentle than other masters, right?
As for those rumors - hey, rumors are just rumors.
The man's dark brown eyes were fixed on the ground and people's legs. Once those cute, shiny little coins fell, he would bend down and crawl under, taking the risk to pick out a few from the gaps.
A huge sound wave suddenly passed over the head.
"Caesar—"
"Your Majesty has won!"
"Your Majesty is invincible—"
Celebratory petals flew onto my face, and I raised my head to follow the waves of sound, and saw a jungle of arms everywhere.
Gold, silver, various metals and precious stones were waving wildly in the air. Even the poor men forgot their debts for a moment and stared at the passing caravan in a trance.
The wolf-head emblem of the Roman royal family came closer, so bright and huge that even from a distance one could clearly see the jeweled totem on the wolf's head. The legion's eagle flag was hoisted high. Each cavalryman was a young and strong Roman son or daughter. The sunlight grazed their long dark hair, condensing into a golden flame on the tips of their swords and spears.
For some reason, tears welled up in his eyes. The dejected man raised his hands and screamed with everyone: "Rome! Rome will win!!" Caesar's carriage kept approaching, and he was pushed farther and farther away by the surging crowd. Only when his vision was completely covered by bouquets of flowers and laurel leaves did the man break away from his excitement and wipe away his tears with his fingers.
"Ah..." He sighed deeply, perhaps because neither the general in the chariot nor Caesar threw coins.
There were merchants cheering and having their slaves bring baskets of copper coins of the smallest value, but they were too far away and couldn't grab anything even if they ran over.
The glow faded from his cheeks, and the man hunched his back again, thinking about where to go for dinner: no rich people had died recently, and the neighbors around him were also frugal.
There are some wild fruit trees outside the city, and you can go fishing in the river. But if you offend the nobles, you might be mistaken for a thief and beaten to death.
Pasha.
"Who?" He glanced over his shoulder warily, his mouth slowly opening wide: "Misha?! Where have you been all these days? Your mother..."
A golden coin bounced between Misha's fingers and slid into his palm. After a brief silence, the man grasped the coin with all his might, looking around suspiciously: Ah, thank goodness, no one noticed them; everyone's eyes were focused on the convoy.
He swallowed, not knowing what to say.
Even if, even if Misha encountered something beyond his imagination, as long as this gold coin was real, it seemed... nothing to be afraid of or sad about.
Misha looked at her father and felt that his shoulders seemed more hunched than usual.
She slowly suppressed the pity and irritation in her heart, and said in a gentle voice, "Dad, I still have some money in my pocket, remember to keep it."
"That's—"
"That's Miss Melia's money." Misha took out a purse and stuffed it into the man's arms. "She has taken a fancy to Millie and me and wants us to join her guard."
Of course, these words were lies. She just wanted to stay with Meimei and explore Shadow Rome. Fortunately, Melia was also Meimei's believer, so everyone was covering for her.
She knew her father's choice: as long as the gold was real, everything would be real.
Sure enough, after the initial surprise, the man's face quickly relaxed, as if he had regained some of his youth: "Misha, you and Millie have found a good place. Don't make Miss Melia angry."
He murmured with his lips and stroked the purse in his arms: If it were all gold... no, even if it was silver, it would be enough to buy three or five strong slaves.
So in the end, he said nothing, but just stood there and watched his daughter's back disappear in the crowd.
After the convoy had completely passed, the man started walking in the opposite direction of the crowd surrounding Caesar.
…
Melia fell off the chariot, covering her mouth and whimpering.
Fortunately, Taffy was quick to bring over a jar, and she was able to vomit into it smoothly: "Cough cough cough cough, ugh - breakfast wasted..."
Wooden wheels turn faster, right? It's because of the butt! Sooner or later, she'll find rubber to smear on it. Isn't there a magician? Come on, help!
Melia muttered several times in a low voice, but didn't dare to say what was in her heart: Really, being driven back by the Persians makes it seem like a triumph.
Caesar's confidence was not shaken at all. Although he lost some men and money, he brought back more slaves.
Moreover, according to the account in "Rozen Maiden", before he was poisoned to death, he actually went back and incorporated Marcaspon and the next two cities into the territory of Rome.
Forget it, instead of worrying about Caesar's ending, I might as well worry about myself first.
Besides Taffy, Sunny was also circling around her: "Sister, can you take me to the palace to have a look? Please? I really want to go to school."
"Hiss, let's talk about it tomorrow. Go home today and I'll find you a room."
Melia rubbed her waist, and Roni took her into her arms: "Miss, let me tell you in advance, I have to go back to the arena today. You have to learn to deal with some troubles on your own."
Huh? Why are you saying this now?
Melia patted her shoulder in confusion: "How about I help you redeem yourself?"
"No, I'm only a dozen games away from freedom. There's no need to waste money." Ronnie chuckled: "Besides, I want to be a free man."
"Oh~ congratulations!"
A smile also appeared on Melia's face. She did not refute, but was happy for her friend from the bottom of her heart.
Looking at the girl's innocent smile, Ronnie had to turn her head forward and face the luxurious courtyard diagonally in front of her.
"Miss, look at your door."
"My front door is really big, right? Hey, what the hell are these people?!"
Melia opened her eyes wide. The mansion belonging to the Muala family was surrounded by three layers of enemies. Idido stood pitifully on the second floor, shouting loudly to the people below.
The people below were dressed differently, some looked like slaves, some looked like wealthy free men, and each of them banged on the railings and cursed at Idido with a sense of righteousness.
Could it be that Su La has found another group of people to pretend to be creditors? Melia puffed out her chest and said, "Come on, let's go home together. Uh, Ronnie, put me down first."
"Yes, miss."
Responding to her calls were not only the gladiators around her, but also a vast army of armed slaves. Their numbers were so great that the captives Caesar had rewarded stretched two blocks, with no end in sight.
…
"Idido, call your master out!"
Scarface raised his hand, thumb pointed downward, and made a contemptuous gesture. "When Master Muala was alive, he clearly said that we brothers would take the lead in the loan. How come he changed his mind after he passed away? Ugh!"
"Oh, oh, you don't understand what the young lady means..." Idido wiped her handkerchief anxiously: The man below was not a slave, he was a distant relative of Master Muala. Although he was not very influential in Rome, he had many connections in many remote towns and was a local tyrant among local tyrants.
This time, I don't know who notified this killer star that the lady would never lend money again and brought this guy to Rome to seek justice! Although he was a blood-sucking insect parasitic on Muala's family a long time ago, he still had to do some dirty work.
Even if you're a young lady, it's not good to offend someone like this...
"Idido." A clear voice called out from afar. Everyone turned around at the same time and looked at the girl who was approaching.
She walked side by side with the strong gladiator, her slippers making a clattering sound. "Who are these hooligans? If they dare to commit a crime, they will be thrown into jail."
"Hey~ Miss Melia." The scars on Scarface's face became more vivid. He licked his lips and was about to say a few harsh words and remind Melia how many dirty things he had handled for her, when the sunlight above his head was suddenly blocked.
Tall and strong armed slaves, holding their weapons in their hands, formed a circle in front of him, almost blocking out the sunlight.
Compared with them, the people he brought with him were just like two or three kittens.
Gulp, Scarface swallowed his saliva.
"Sorry, I just got off the battlefield and forgot who you are." Melia smiled and crossed her arms. "How about we talk? Or do you want to talk to them?"
"Let's talk."
Scarface is not a coward, he doesn't want to be scared. Even if the other party brings more warriors, the difference in leaders is absolute: Who would be scared in front of the brainless Melia?
However, at that moment, he felt a strange breath from the person in front of him.
A kind of... madness struggling between life and death.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to jgbvgyfch's Lei Lei~
Thanks to Nishina Soraya, x for the irrigation~
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