Chapter 69 Moon Goddess Festival
◎ Was the beast tampered with, or... was there something wrong with the fixed performer?◎
It was the first time for Melia to sit in such a crowded stand.
There were people crowded around her, so she had to hold Elena's shoulders tightly to avoid bumping into the audience next to her.
Fortunately, the Romans loved taking baths, and there were even free public baths in the city, so I didn't smell the sour odor of the stables.
Because they had been wandering the streets for too long and hadn't reserved seats in advance, they sat quite far back. Luckily, the building was an inverted ring, with the outer ring higher up, so they could vaguely see the action at the bottom.
"Hehe, this is what we have to rely on at times like this~" Melia snorted with pride and took out a thin copper tube from her sleeve. There were lenses stuck on both sides of the copper tube, one end was big and the other end was small.
She imitated the tone of a blue earless cat in later generations and blew on Elena's ears: "Ding ding ding ding! Simple telescope~~"
Elena grabbed her neck and shook her, then leaned over to the copper pipe: "What is this...it really works!" Her lips parted in surprise. This copper pipe was not just a new prop used by Melia to show off, it was really useful!
For some reason, she could see far through the copper tube, even making out the carvings on the gladiator's sword. While her eyesight was excellent, this little gadget must have helped her considerably.
Elena looked around with the telescope, and her love for the magic props became more and more obvious: "Where did you buy it, and how much did it cost?" It must be expensive, but no matter how expensive it is, it is worth it.
If scouts were equipped with such convenient magical items, it would add another bargaining chip to the balance of war.
"Magic? No~it's science."
"What's the difference?"
Melia tapped the copper tube and whispered in her ear, "The cost price, including labor costs, is probably less than two gold coins." The main reason is that the prices of polished glass and copper tubes are relatively high. If they can be mass-produced, the prices can definitely be reduced.
Two gold coins? Compared to magic items, that's nothing. Rounding it up means nothing. Elena pointed the telescope at the arena. "What a difference! I love science."
The warm-up match had just concluded, and everyone on the field gathered and left through the open iron gates on either side. No one in the stands applauded, but instead there were scattered boos.
Elena was not surprised. Today was the Moon Goddess Festival, and people were crowding together to watch the performance. They were full of anticipation, but all they saw was two groups of people sparring with each other. They must be very disappointed.
But... the central arena always focused on the opening performance, where they would bring in dangerous beasts to compete with the star gladiators. Could it be that they arrived too late and didn't see the first performance?
Before I could let my thoughts wander for long, the little hand wrapped around my arm suddenly tightened: "Here they come, come and see what they are transporting?"
Elena moved the telescope and carefully observed the iron cage with the curtain drawn. "It looks like some kind of lion."
"Is a lion this big?!" Compared with the gladiators on the field, the lying lion is even taller!
"Well, it's probably a lion king that was captured somewhere."
This lion's mane is almost pure black, but its body is golden orange.
The slaves pulled open the bars above the cage, and as soon as the lion was freed, they hurriedly slid down the ropes to the outside of the arena and hastily threw their weapons back inside.
The gladiators will go into battle empty-handed, and how they pick up weapons while being attacked by wild beasts is also an important highlight.
Whether it was a deliberate show effect or just coincidence, the swords and shields that most gladiators were best at were left at the lion's feet. This incited the beast to even greater rage, and it bared its teeth and roared at the stands.
The boos from the stands finally stopped, and the audience cheered with ten times, a hundred times more enthusiasm: "Show us the gladiators!"
"I want to see Desert Rose Martina!"
"No, no, no, Lava-Ronnie is better!"
"Bah! Anyway, don't be Takamanla! I bet 10 gold coins on her to win. If I let her fight this monster, who will pay me back?!"
Elena turned her head: the warm atmosphere seemed to have no effect on Melia. She hugged her arms as if she was afraid of the cold and looked down nervously.
She didn't use the telescope, so she probably didn't care who was there. She was just simply... worried?
"Elena, if a gladiator loses... will they let the lions eat him?"
The girl's voice was a little weak, which made Elena choose her words carefully. "It depends. Normally, no. Gladiators have investors. The wealthy who have invested heavily in them will protect their precious property. But today is the Moon Goddess Festival... the dead will be used as sacrifices."
Melia slowly pursed her lips:
In her previous life, she was looking forward to the gladiatorial performances, even the second before the performance began.
How can you not look forward to it? Sitting in a circular arena that is almost like the ancient Roman monarchy period, watching a performance where gladiators risk their lives, the thought of it makes people excited.
But this performance is different from that performance. The gladiators will really bleed to death. They will not be able to wait for professional doctors or relatives to comfort them at the bedside. They will only take their last breath in front of fanatical "fans".
Even if they cannot be killed with one blow, they have to endure being devoured by the beast for a long time.
Looking at those sad eyes, Elena seemed to understand some of the emotions. She patted Melia's hand and whispered comfortingly: "There's nothing we can do. They need entertainment."
Although she herself did not like this kind of meaningless sacrifice, Elena could understand everyone's thoughts: compared with the high-end enjoyment of the rich, gladiatorial performances were indeed a relatively cheap and affordable enjoyment.
Even poor civilians could wait for the day when the outer stands were open for free, bring a little money to place a bet or bring nothing at all, and simply enjoy the gladiators' wonderful performances and heroic deaths.
Especially death—the spectators would cheer and sigh as the blood gushed out, as if it were they who died and then miraculously came back to life.
Without gladiatorial performances, public baths, and the generous banquets provided by the wealthy, it is hard to imagine how the common people would have found relief from their daily toils.
After all, most of them were illiterate and unable to read books. They were too busy working to enjoy music and painting, let alone hunting - trespassing into the territory of the nobles was punishable by death.
"Entertainment?... Indeed, there are too few entertainment options these days." Melia blinked, her sadness replaced by a pensive expression. "Novels and comics won't become widespread until everyone can read, but drama doesn't have those restrictions."
"drama?"
Elena was just about to say that drama was not something that common people could enjoy all the time. Although there were some comedies that reflected rural life, the nobles still preferred Greek-style tragedies and comedies.
Playwrights and actors could receive high remuneration from the nobles, so naturally they would not go to the countryside to perform. At most, they would perform one or two shows in theaters during the New Year, just like gladiatorial games.
Seeing her lover's shining eyes, she really couldn't bear to pour cold water on him. Just as she was about to say a few words of encouragement, she was called back to attention by the huge noise from the audience.
What happened? Elena raised the telescope and pointed it downwards. She was stunned: "Meliya, look, Ronnie is down there!"
"What?! Is she the one making an appearance?!"
Melia grabbed the telescope and clenched her fists nervously: Ronnie was holding a scimitar to protect another gladiator. There were five people on the human side, but there was more than just one tiger on the beast side!
I don't know how the arena was arranged, but there were seven or eight reddish-brown wolves mixed in. They didn't cooperate with the lions, but they formed a rough formation with each other, making the gladiators afraid to approach.
Melia bit her lip. "What the hell... How could this happen? The wolves are too dangerous, and the others haven't got their weapons yet!"
Elena looked down silently. Several slave owners were talking anxiously to the staff: I'm afraid things are not just as they seem on the surface. Something unusual must have happened in the arena today.
Was the beast tampered with, or was there something wrong with the fixed performer?
[Roni will be free in a few games~]
Anyone with any sense of dignity would not arrange a near-death match for a star gladiator in his last few battles before freedom.
The audience was unaware of this and they were shouting at Ronnie to quickly split the lion's skin and not to be lazy or slack off!
Oh, and there are weapons. Let those useless gladiators run quickly to the wolves and pick up the spears on the ground.
Once you pick up a weapon, what's so scary about those giant wolves? Slide past the lion and then use your spear to skewer the wolves. How cool!
Under the gaze of the crowd, the gladiators slowly began to move towards the wolves, towards their shields and spears. Ronnie was the only one who had picked up a weapon. She alone guarded the flank of everyone, always keeping her knife pointed at the lion's claws and fangs.
The audience's cheers grew louder and louder, and then—the wave of cheers stopped and turned into questioning "boos"!
Mario suddenly rushed out, jumping up and down and shouting something to the stands, but only the front row could hear him. The back row only knew that because of his appearance, instructors and staff members jumped into the arena with weapons in hand, ready to join the gladiators!
Shhh—there's no such rule! Today is Moon Goddess Festival! Even if I get eaten by a wild beast, it's the Goddess' will!
The audience was furious. They shouted loudly: "Refund the money!!" "Shame! ——" "Go to hell, you worms who deserve to be fed to rats!"
The person sitting next to them was particularly excited, and his waving hand almost hit Melia, but was pushed away by Elena.
She frowned and said, "Melia, things might get chaotic later. Let's go first."
"I want to go see Ronnie and uncle. Something must have happened today..."
Now? If I go back now, I might get beaten up by the audience.
Ronnie and the other gladiators went out of the small door first, while poor Mario stayed at the edge of the stands, trying desperately to explain something to the audience. If he wasn't careful, he would get bruised and battered.
Fortunately, the tall instructors surrounded him, so his life was definitely safe.
Elena took Melia's hand, climbed the stairs, and walked out against the crowd: "It's okay, you can't help now. Come visit tomorrow or tonight."
"That's right..." Melia looked at him worriedly. Her uncle was protected by the instructors behind him, and was backing away desperately against the garbage thrown away by the audience.
Phew, I shouldn't laugh, but there were so many rolls in the garbage he was avoiding! Luckily, her products weren't baguettes, otherwise it would have been considered an indirect murder.
…
The two ran faster and faster, and when they reached the church area, Melia felt her calves were weak from running.
The small dispute in the arena was left behind. She clutched her stomach and fell onto a wooden barrel by the roadside: "Wait, wait, my stomach hurts..."
"What's wrong? Do you want to go home?"
"No——Just walk slowly, huh~"
Elena helped Melia up, let her lean on her shoulder, and walked along the street with the pace of a morning stroll: There is no way, the area near the Temple of the Gods is too busy.
Only the outer circle of free stands in the Colosseum was filled with people, forming a human wall that blocked the view. The entire street near the Pantheon was packed with believers.
At this time, one has to admire the power of religion. Some people stayed from morning to night, and only ate a little bit of black bread distributed by the priests.
They paid no attention to the gladiatorial games or the extravagant merchandise at the festival; even the free theatrical performances offered by the wealthy failed to attract the slightest attention.
The believers surrounded the Temple of the Gods peacefully, waiting for something unknown.
Melia couldn't help but glance over as they passed by, whispering, "What are they waiting for? Will the temple give out free bread and eggs at the end?"
“…Are you craving some egg pancakes? Your egg pancakes are really good.”
The two of them played around for a while, and Melia nudged Elena's waist with her arm before she finally got a serious answer: "They're waiting for the temple to choose Diana's first lady-in-waiting. This position is reserved for a pure and beautiful woman every year. This year it must be Ophelia."
"Oh~ No wonder, Ophelia is your sister. Wait, no one will complain about such a shady deal, right?" Melia glanced over there and vaguely saw seventeen or eighteen girls surrounding the platform, which reminded her of a beauty pageant.
Elena smiled sarcastically. "They will go through several rounds of selection, and finally the temple will take out several boxes for the remaining four to choose from. But Ophelia will definitely know which box is the right one. The First Maiden will light the sacred fire in the Temple of Diana with Caesar at night."
Only unmarried women could participate in the auditions, and since the spots in previous years had been given to other friends, Ophelia was definitely going to be restless this year. Given her vanity, she was guaranteed to cheat.
Melia nodded indifferently. She had no interest in beauty pageants.
"Elena, let's go over there first. I think I smell the scent of omelets!"
"Haha, okay."
…
After walking around most of the market, the night was getting darker.
The nearby shops lit up their lights, letting their painted signs flicker in the candlelight: Ever since a certain bread roll became popular in Rome, these brightly colored wooden signs quickly replaced the original wooden boards with words and were placed in the most conspicuous positions in the shops.
Melia held the hot pancake and looked at Elena's face every time she took a step.
"What's wrong?" Elena stopped and the two of them stood under a huge beech tree, away from the crowd and noise.
"Guess~"
Still want to keep pretending? Melia raised her head with a smile, turned her back and ran a few steps towards the stairs.
Elena put her hands into her arms, and just as she lowered her head, a strange sound of fighting came from not far away, as if countless warriors rushed out from the darkness, disrupting the order of the church.
"Meliya, let's go first--"
Turning her head, the pupils of her emerald eyes dilated, and Melia's lips were stained red with blood.
An arrow pierced through his abdomen.
"Wait... for me." This was her last whisper.
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