Chapter 37 Career Planning
◎Sura is far from the only troublesome guy...◎
"Open the door~" Melia's voice was not loud, and the huge door opened behind her with a bang.
All the people who were originally gathered in front of the door lowered their heads and moved aside. Scarface felt uncomfortable when seeing this: slaves are slaves, bah, they get scared when they see their master putting on airs!
Slippers clattered on the marble porch.
Idido hurried down, holding her belly and whispering softly in her master's ear.
Melia nodded and turned to look. "Why, relative, don't you want to come over to discuss this? Tonight is a celebration banquet. The food is delicious, including roast suckling pig."
The people around didn't dare to breathe, and let the warriors brought by Melia brush past their shoulders one by one.
Scarface forced a twisted smile. "Of course I need an explanation. You're quite generous, young lady. Last time I came, you gave me a piece of gold, and this time you're hosting a banquet for me."
"You're lucky, you just happened to see Caesar's triumph~ Yawn, come in, I didn't arrange any executioners."
“…”
Scarface didn't gain any advantage from the verbal exchange, so he had to control his temper and followed Melia inside.
Idido's expression was not much better: in his opinion, a killer like Scarface should be entertained in other people's shops, and the master rarely saw him in his own manor before.
After all, if there is any lawsuit, this kind of person will have to be kicked out.
They stepped into the main hall with a lot of worries in their hearts, and the smell of fine wine and delicious food hit them in the face.
Melia naturally sat at the head of the table and knocked on the table: "Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?" The armed slaves lined up behind her, each of them equipped with a scimitar, which was most suitable for close combat.
Scarface trembled his cheeks and raised his voice: "Why, Miss, you are a junior after all, and you won't even give me a drink?"
"Drink?" Melia glanced at the wine on the table. Except for the gold wine glass next to her, the rest of the wine was a suspicious lead black... ugh.
She waved her hand dismissively: "Goodbye, these wine barrels are all lead-plated..."
"What?! I can't drink after being coated with lead?!" Gulp, gulp, gulp, without anyone urging him to drink, Scarface picked up the glass and poured it full. He emptied one glass after another in front of Melia, and finally the echo could be heard when the wine jar was shaken.
"Hiccup... I've tried wine, water, lead, honey... I can drink it all!"
I have to say that Muala's wine is really good, mellow and sweet. As soon as you touch your lips, you can tell that it is made from fine grapes soaked in lead barrels and slowly brewed. Now that the master is dead, he can't even drink good wine?
After drinking it, he deliberately glared at Melia, leaving her speechless.
Melia put her hand on her forehead and said, "Okay, since you like it, I'll give you a few buckets when I get back."
"really?!"
Grapes are precious, not to mention the Muala family's secret aged wine. The wine in the barrels is the purest, and when you go home, add honey water and dried fruits, you can fill several more barrels.
If it weren't for the serious business feud, Scarface would have just put on a smile and walked away.
"Really... Come, Annie, take a few people over to clean up the wine cellar." Melia shook the bell weakly. "Don't forget to put away the other barrels and set up a special gift-giving area. When is the next festival? Let's replace the elders' gifts with fine wine. And pack up those lead-covered wine vessels and give them all to Lord Sura and his friends."
"Yes." Ani agreed meticulously and left the living room with several slaves.
This conversation made Scarface clench his wine glass: Did she mention Sura on purpose?
The man sent by Sulla made it clear that Miss Melia was at the end of her rope, spending lavishly and not striving for progress. She would soon become a pauper, losing her land and house. He was told to come quickly and claim the benefits of their years of cooperation.
But why didn't he smell any smell of corruption since he stepped into the courtyard?
There were fewer decorations in the corridors, and there were no slaves standing naked in the garden to attract mosquitoes and drive away birds. Even when entertaining guests, only a few servants stayed around, and the others ran to the back after serving the dishes.
Logically speaking, this was a clear sign that a wealthy family was about to fall into poverty. However, neither the servants in the house nor the fully armed slaves showed any signs of dejection or anxiety.
Melia was still so arrogant and extravagant, demanding to empty the wine cellar and replace the wine utensils... What was the basis for such arrogance? She was clearly not a cunning person at all.
Sweat trickled down his nose, and even when the servants brought him the golden and crispy roast suckling pig, Scarface still couldn't utter the words he had prepared. He had a feeling that if he really started threatening the person in front of him, things would fall apart on the spot.
For the money, he can endure it.
Melia was not in a hurry. She slowly picked up the knife and cut the ribs. She was still thinking about drawing the style of the tableware and asking Annie or Edith to take it to be customized. Once the business settled down, she would sell it in large quantities: she didn't expect that the Romans had not invented forks yet, and only had spoons and knives.
It wasn't until she finished the first plate of barbecue that she looked up in confusion: "Tell me, how would I know if you don't tell me?"
"...hiss." Scarface calmed down for the sake of the scimitar and the wine. "Ms. Melia, we need to discuss the loan business. You may not know that [no one] lends money at an interest rate lower than 20%!"
There are some newcomers who don't follow the rules and pretend that you only need to pay back 10% a year. But those people are even more ruthless than them. They don't allow people to repay the principal in advance and the interest will be compounded.
"Well, then don't let it go." Melia smiled and supported her head with her hands, almost making Scarface faint from anger.
"Miss, look at the group of people I brought with me—"
"Ah? Not your relative?"
Scarface stood up quickly, his foot twisted and he staggered. "No! They are all slaves assigned to me by the master! They are your slaves—they have only learned how to lend money and collect money. Now you want to kick me away and sell them all?!"
His heartbeat quickened in anger, but his mind grew calmer: No, I must not give in here. If he couldn't seize the family's lending business, his status and connections would slowly decline.
Even the slaves sent by Muala would accept their fate and betray him. That's what slaves are like.
Scarface wiped his sweat, waiting for Melia's next move. If she truly disregarded profits and insisted on shutting down this business... then it would be a fight to the bitter end!
"Really? You and they all need new jobs~" Melia nodded slowly: "Have you heard of gold mines?"
"You really can't release the gold mine?"
The anger that had been building up in his chest suddenly dissipated. Gold mine? What gold or mine?
"Yes, a gold mine. To put it simply, gold was dug out from the barren mountain my father bought a while ago."
Seeing his dull eyes, Melia snapped her fingers and pointed at the door with her chin in front of everyone: "Anyway, you brought a carriage when you came, do you want to take a look together?"
The next moment seemed to have been thrown into a crucible by a wizard. Scarface hesitantly stood up with Melia and mixed with the group. He couldn't remember when he got on the car or how long the team followed her. In short, his hands were cold.
Gold mines? Could there really be gold mines near Rome?! Even if there were before the city was built, they would have been mined out long ago, right?
But a glimmer of hope caught his heart: What if, what if it was true? What if there really was a whole mine, and the honorable Miss Melia was really willing to let him manage it?
The carriage stopped with the tinkling of bells, and darkness enveloped the mountains.
He looked up and saw a wooden archway standing in the middle of the road. The archway was smooth and exquisite, with few growth lines visible except for the broken edge in the middle where a gold coin was embedded.
Led by Melia, the crowd passed through the archway, their dazed minds becoming even more shaken: the mountains before them seemed to have risen a great deal out of thin air, the originally dry land became somewhat moist, and the sound of gurgling streams could be heard.
Scarface walked forward in a daze. Amid the rustling sound of leaves, he had completely forgotten what he came here for today.
What Sura, what lending, what slaves... With a splash, he stepped into a stream.
The moonlight was dim, and the slaves lit torches. Many of them lowered their heads because of the cold water.
It seemed as if there was something mixed in the mud and sand, emitting a bright reflective light.
【Gold Sand——】
A certain thought gripped my heart, sending blood rushing to my brain.
…
"Yawn~ It's too late."
Melia muttered as she rolled over in bed, pulling the blankets over her.
Misha and Miranda live in the next room. After all, Shadow Rome has temporarily welcomed new guests: a group of ambitious miners.
Melia wasn't worried about anyone escaping, because before she left, she had maliciously closed all the other arches, leaving only the tree arch. She also built a row of houses in front of the gate for the slaves who followed the army to rest.
"Miss."
Before turning off the lights, Aniluo leaned forward with some concern: "There may be Sura's spies among these people."
"I know~Thank you." Melia helped her blow out the candles and hid her smirk.
Don't be afraid that he has it, just be afraid that he doesn't have it. When fishing, you not only have to prepare bait, but also move it gently to imitate the movement trajectory of live fish.
Today's test went well. Who wouldn't turn down a gold mine, right? Especially one right next to Rome?
When Sura forged the contract, she would definitely find a way to add this in, and then... it would be her turn.
Melia slowly closed her eyes, and suddenly there was a fierce and suppressed fighting sound behind the bed.
What the hell, Ronnie just left and then there's an assassin?!
The maid guarding the door quickly lit a candle and shone it into the darkness: a dagger and a scimitar were lying on the ground, and two girls were wrestling with each other in their pajamas.
Sonny spat out the blood foam from the corner of his mouth and pressed his knee against Taffy's leg.
When the candlelight illuminated her face, she still showed a sweet smile: "Sister~ I really want to go to school~"
Ugh—Meliya couldn't help but scratch the goose bumps on her arms and stomped her feet hard: "Go back to bed, we'll talk tomorrow!"
There are more troublesome guys than just Sura...
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Seventeen and Lei Lei under Luo Mu Xiao Xiao~
Thanks to Liangliang's Unpredictable Life, x, Keqing is so cute!, Boyan, Xiaolu Dingding, and 53543719 for their support~
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