Chapter 78 A New Beginning
◎These stores probably get their products from Melia.◎
Chirp, the birds are calling loudly on the windowsill.
Bang! The pillow hit the glass, and it flew away with a clatter, finally bringing some peace to the morning.
"Oh... Oops." Elena rolled off the cramped bed and walked to the window to check the glass.
In the past, there were only window frames and wooden boards, so we weren't afraid of stones hitting us. Now they've been replaced with glass, which lets in light without having to open it, but it's too easy to damage.
Fortunately, there was a thick curtain blocking it. I pulled it open and looked carefully against the light, but I didn't see any scars.
She stretched towards the sun and turned her head: "Meliya, get up..." Her voice faded away.
Oh, by the way, I've been sneaking back these past few nights and not sleeping with her. Elena relaxed her shoulders and walked to the cabinet, where there should be a bag of dried meat and raisins and two bottles of wine.
"Drinking in the morning is bad for your health. Drinking at noon is bad for your health, and drinking at night is bad for your health too!"
"If I knew you still added lead sugar, hehehe~"
She withdrew her hand from the cabinet door, shook her head and walked to the table, on which were two boxes of candy and a large box that was sent before the Moon Goddess Festival... Melia called it a mooncake gift box.
There are eight mooncakes inside. As the name suggests, mooncakes are a kind of cake made with a lot of sugar, flour and oil and shaped like a full moon. Eating two pieces will make you feel full.
Elena casually opened the gift box, picked the lightest piece, and took a light bite. The caramel filling dripped onto her tongue, bringing a refreshing high-sugar experience.
“So sweet.”
After a brief taste, she decisively wrapped a few pieces in cloth and put them in her bag. She would eat them later when she went out, as she had important things to do today.
…
Elena walked briskly to the stable, and sure enough, the little white horse was left alone again, chewing grass and flowers in loneliness.
"Walk."
She mounted her pony and ran outside.
On the way, I saw Marcus passing by with a group of followers. He raised his hand in a friendly manner and shouted loudly: "Congratulations——"
Elena nodded politely in response. Having only received the Legion's permission yesterday, she needed to be humble. She ran along the gardens, through the corridors, and soon out of the Royal City, plunging into the bustling morning air of Rome.
As she sat on her horse, she thought of Melia's nagging worries about people's livelihood, and subconsciously paid attention to the shops on both sides of the street.
Most of these shops were rented by nobles and temples to their families, primarily serving as grocery stores. Influenced by Melia, a few low-end clothing stores also appeared.
The clothes here were of varying quality. Unlike the shop run by Melia and Ilit, most of them were run by families, buying ready-made fabrics and weaving them themselves. The style and quality depended entirely on the owner's skill, but the price was low enough to earn a hard-earned income.
[These stores' supply channels... probably have to go through Melia.]
She rode her horse towards the city gate and saw many newly opened bakeries along the way: it was hard to say that they had not benefited from Melia's cheap flour. People bought enough flour to eat, and then they started to think about selling bread.
Seasonings and spices have been a highly profitable industry since ancient times. Salt is controlled by the royal family and the temple, while sugar is held in the palm of Melia's hand: her planning is very far-sighted. She cultivates plants with high sugar content and then uses water power or animal power instead of human power. Other nobles can never compare with her.
From the sound of it, she probably has a secret plantation far away from Rome, where no one can steal or destroy her latest plants.
Snap, clack. The sound of impatient horse hooves came from behind.
Elena turned around and reined in her horse in surprise: "General Torres, why are you here?"
Normally, when forming a new legion, one or two experienced soldiers would be assigned to it, but with General Torres's status, even Marcus couldn't win him over. He was a skilled soldier that Caesar loved to use.
"Hoo~ Your Highness Elena, congratulations, and thank you for your advice last time." Torres dismounted from his horse. He was not young, his temples were gray, and there were a few wrinkles around his eyelids, which made the corners of his eyes droop even more.
"No, you helped me before." Elena politely extended her hand and bumped fists with him. "If it weren't for you, my father wouldn't have been so cautious."
Caesar has nothing to do with caution... Torres smiled awkwardly, rubbing his hands together as he spoke, completely lacking the confidence he possessed on the battlefield. "Your Highness, Elena, you have the authority to form a legion. I have many recommendations for candidates... Don't worry, they're all good guys! They may have some minor flaws, but they're definitely not the kind that need care."
His cheeks flushed red as he spoke rapidly, "If possible, you'd better receive them today. After all, this winter is very cold. Look, my hands are all frozen and cracked!"
Seeing his cracked hand, Elena's face gradually turned red. Dragon blood was very effective in resisting the cold, but most Roman soldiers were ordinary people.
She could ride a horse in the winter wearing only a single layer of clothing, looking very excited, but they couldn't.
"Elena, will you find ordinary people annoying in the future?"
The girl's worried expression came to mind.
So that's why Melia was so worried because she never really cared about it.
"General Torres..." she chose her words carefully. "Come with me first. Let's take a look at the station assigned to us by my father. It might not be ready yet. I'll buy charcoal and blankets as soon as possible."
"Okay, I'll lead the way!" Torres' uneasy expression disappeared, and he jumped on the horse happily, fearing that Elena would change her mind and run away.
…
Whoosh——
A cold wind blew across her spine. Elena looked at the nearby camp and pinched her nose with a headache. This wasn't a dream, it really was terrible.
About 50 meters ahead, there was a seemingly indescribable pile of scrap wood, less than an acre in area. Not far away, I could see the pasture used for military training and the remains of a stable.
The level of damage was comparable to the waste dug out from Melia's mine.
"Ha~" She took a deep breath and walked into the legion camp with a tragic mood.
Calm down, calm down. You should have been prepared. Any land near Rome that was worth saving had already been divided up by the senators and generals. What remained were hillsides worthless, too poor to even support wild animals.
Of course, no one would want to manage such an uneven plot of land before it had an owner. It wasn't that her father was deliberately embarrassing her. Besides, a shabby structure had its advantages. Once it was built, no one would care how much wasteland you enclosed.
She walked carefully into the cluster of "houses", step by step, always on guard against a piece of wood falling from above and knocking Torres unconscious.
The old general looked much better than she did. He happily led her around until they reached a large house that barely had a roof. "Look, here are the soldiers His Majesty has assigned to you, as well as the old buddies I introduced to you!"
According to unwritten rules, Caesar would assign or deploy some soldiers to each newly established legion. Not many, but at least enough to make up a team of 50 people. If he recruited another 50 people, he could be appointed a centurion: if you are not so rigid about the word "hundred", 60 or 80 people can also be considered a team.
Who doesn't have dozens of slaves? Oh, it's Elena.
Cough cough cough, Elena quickly crossed out the image of cat-eared Melia that appeared in her mind and put her sharp complaints behind her.
She looked into the house with hope, but was then struck back by the cruel reality:
Including the two drafty rooms at the back of the hall, there should be enough space for 100 soldiers, but how many of them can mount a horse, wear heavy armor, and hold a shield? This is a question.
The soldiers inside were clearly divided into two groups. One group wore tattered clothes and had dark skin, looking like slaves who had been released from a mine.
In all likelihood, they were military slaves captured by Caesar during one of his campaigns. The fact that they were sent to her meant that the corresponding country was most likely destroyed, with nowhere to go and no one to redeem them, and their loyalty to Rome was negative, if rounded up.
The advantage is that as long as they are treated well, they will quickly pledge their loyalty to the general who treats them as human beings.
The downside is that it is winter now, and the most she and the businessmen can earn from their investment is to repair the house.
Charcoal? Food? Enough armor to equip a thousand men and money to hire an additional nine hundred? She was completely clueless.
If Elena had listened to history classes thousands of years later, she would be proud of the professionalism of the Roman army: it was precisely because they did not engage in production in peacetime, focused on training, and obtained their livelihood entirely from war that the Roman army had a stronger combat effectiveness.
However, she was currently busy counting the gold coins: withdrawing liquid funds from investments would inevitably affect next year's earnings. However, if she solely used the cash on hand, she would only be able to support the current 100 staff members for the next six months, making it difficult to organize effective training.
This means missing at least one to two years of war, a waste of time.
Just as she was planning to give a wonderful speech to boost morale, someone knocked on the wooden board in the distance.
"Elena~Are you there?" Melia's energetic voice instantly dispelled the depression.
"Yes, come in, the door is broken anyway."
She raised her voice in response, and soon the sound of footsteps could be heard all around.
Of course, there was more than just Melia. She brought with her a dozen craftsmen, as well as a number of hired laborers pushing carts and driving donkeys. They were all bought by Melia in batches during this period, and Elena had a basic memory of them.
In addition to Ronnie and Taffy, there was a group of strange Hun nomads at the end of the team. Those nomads did not speak Roman. They just stayed at the end of the team with Sunny, whispering and looking around, like a group of tourists.
"Elena, I have over a hundred employees who are willing to join the Roman Legion." Melia smiled and folded her arms. "After all, it's the fastest way to become a Roman citizen. Many of them are gladiators and have combat experience."
"A return gift from the arena?"
"Hmm~"
On the day of the Luna Festival, a large number of gladiators escaped. The owners of the venue sent people to cooperate with the guards to capture them all. While they were "saving" Caesar, a thrilling battle royale was still going on outside.
Even more terrifying was that these slaves weren't fleeing for freedom. They were carrying weapons and entering the church district, likely planning to ambush Caesar during the Luna Festival parade. Even if they couldn't kill his majesty, they could at least kill a princess.
This incident scared the owners of the field, but fortunately Caesar didn't take it to heart after receiving the gift. After all, except for the assassin and the "escaped slave", no one died.
As a return gift, they sent the suspicious newcomer from the same batch as the escaped gladiator to Melia, and also gave Ronnie the green light for all subsequent competitions, almost as a farewell.
"Okay, I'll take it." Elena agreed with emotion. She didn't expect that after all the twists and turns, it was Melia who contributed the most.
"Promise me you'll try your best to bring them back alive." Melia suddenly held her hand and whispered in her ear, "When you ascend the throne, truly rule those scattered city-states."
May you, who are blessed by destiny, not have to bathe in blood.
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