Chapter 91 Exploration
"Yes, you only want the crown on your head."
Groups of merchants and slaves were like fish swimming into water. By the time the guards realized what was happening and left the city, they were nowhere to be seen!
How dare the parliament execute so many foreigners together?
The only risk was a fine, and with a slight thrill like stealing vegetables, everyone dispersed tacitly and covered for each other.
"Hey~" Melia took Taffy's hand, and the two slid down from the roof one after the other and landed on the haystack in the yard.
"Miss...you need to take care of yourself now." Her hand was grabbed, and Taffy ran helplessly. If she had the same strength as Ronnie, she might have pushed the lady on her head.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm very calm~" Melia shook off the dust on her skirt, walked to a room and knocked on the door.
This is not trespassing. This is the property that Muala bought in Athens: a shop selling gemstones and jewelry.
Athenians believed that a healthy body was more beautiful than gorgeous clothes. As long as the temperature was suitable and they were not entertaining foreign guests, they would happily wrap themselves in a piece of cloth and walk around the city.
There are even citizens who are extremely confident about their bodies and choose to go shopping naked: this makes sense, after all, only slaves have to wear clothes and not expose their bodies.
The sales of ready-made clothes in Athens were relatively slow. Most people gave cheap and low-quality clothes to slaves. The upper class only liked bibs, cloaks and high-end dresses. Mid-range clothes were not easy to sell.
In contrast, armbands, legbands, belts and headdresses are extremely popular, and a slightly novel design can be sold at a multiple premium.
Muala saw this during his lifetime and prepared to take over this market.
Since it was difficult for foreigners to settle down and purchase property in Athens, he "released" several Athenian citizens who had been captured and sold during the Spartan War, and sponsored them to return to their country to start businesses.
Of course, their families remained as slaves in Muala's household, and the profits were split 90% to 100%, with Muala taking 90%.
Boom boom boom, boom boom boom.
A young man helped Melia knock on the door. He wasn't a Hun, but the son of the owner of the house. The lady was willing to take him back to Athens and promised to restore his status as a free citizen—so he was more anxious than anyone else.
I don't know how long I knocked, but finally a crisp creaking sound came from inside.
Snap, snap, snap.
Creak... The teeth-grinding dragging sound stopped, the door slowly opened, revealing half of an old face.
The young man rushed to his father, his eyes wide with wonder. "Dad, is that you? I'm Kerry, and the kind lady wants to set me free—the lady is here too, ask her!"
He turned around happily, and found that Taffy was blocking Melia, and he felt a little embarrassed.
It's no wonder they were so nervous. Their father looked really strange. Kerry asked softly, "Dad, are you feeling unwell? Why do you look so bad?"
Silence, still silence. The old man stood in front of the door, perhaps lost in memories, or perhaps thinking of nothing.
"Natos."
Melia called his name. "Your contract with your father ended long ago, and this shop has been yours for many years. I sent a letter last time, telling you not to pay the profit anymore. Just settle the previous work."
The last time we exchanged letters was two months ago, and actually there weren't that many times in total.
She inherited Muala's vast fortune, much of which was in the form of property rights, making it difficult to liquidate. Melia temporarily shelved the businesses she didn't understand, leaving the original employees in charge.
Athens is too far away from the Roman capital, and the image that Nathos showed in the letter was very serious and dedicated.
She still remembered the letter in which Natos firmly stated that he would pay the profits he "should" pay for the rest of his life. He was grateful to Muala for "giving" him the property, and he hoped that his son would be valued in Rome and would preferably marry a housekeeper who was good at socializing.
The person in front of me was completely different from the dull attitude shown in the letter.
He slowly came to his senses after about half a minute: "Okay, thank you, Miss." He put his hands behind his back and opened the door. Natos seemed not to want to entertain anyone. He slowly walked to the lounge chair and lay down to bask in the sun.
Kerry ran in first and dragged a bench for Melia. He searched for a long time but couldn't find any fresh snacks. The cupboard was so clean that bugs could slip on it.
By the time he found the candy gift box and dried fruits, Melia was already looking through the account books left by Natos.
"Miss."
Kerry put down the plate carefully. "Did father give you less money? Is the account okay?"
"Well, the account was fine a month or two ago..."
"So, are there any problems recently?"
“Yes, it’s a big problem.”
Melia simply unfolded the scroll and asked everyone to come over and take a look.
She sent notebooks to all the store managers and told them in advance that they would audit the accounts every year. Natos left his handwriting on both the scrolls and the notebooks. At first, his handwriting was meticulous and neat, because the paper could write very small, and he had the mood to draw illustrations.
"Father loves painting..." Kerry's smile froze on his face because Melia turned to the last few pages.
The handwriting at the end becomes more rigid. Although it can be seen that it was written by the same person, the strokes are very weak.
The most obvious thing is the disappearance of illustrations, and the simplification of records, until only names and amounts remain. It's hard to believe anyone but Natos himself would understand.
"Father is still keeping records. He shouldn't have embezzled anything." Kerry nervously walked towards the cabinet. "We can search the deeds, account books, and mezzanine now."
"Wait a minute, no need to search."
Melia closed the account book and put it back in the wooden cabinet.
She glanced at the spotless room and patted the table. "Kerry, please observe your father here first. He may be sick and needs someone to take care of him."
"You're right! I'll go right away."
As Kerry hurriedly walked towards the living room, Melia lowered her eyes: "The attack" happened about a month ago. If it was a slow-acting potion or a triggered trap, it should have been set up earlier, most likely before the marriage was decided.
Assuming that fairies are behind this, their target must not only be me, Elena or Antonio.
What kind of purpose and means allowed them to influence the entire city of Athens? It is hard to imagine.
[If necessary, take the people and escape directly. Be sure to be wary of irreversible chronic death.]
A huge sense of uneasiness hung over my heart.
Melia walked outside and felt a smell of decay in the city.
She blinked, and her stomach suddenly ached. In between the aches, she could see another double image in her left eye, as if Athens was covering Athens.
Is this an illusion? Or is this a world similar to Shadow Rome?
She tried to tossing the coin, but twenty seconds passed quickly and nothing happened. Not only could she not reach Shadow Roma, she also felt a faint repulsive force.
It's like trying to fill a full bottle with water; you just can't pour it in.
Ask some locals?
Melia walked into the street, and the residents walked past her numbly, without a single smiling face. Whether Athens was as lively, enthusiastic about entertainment and eloquence as the legend said, it should not be so silent.
If it’s not easy to ask the locals, then ask the people who just came in!
"Taffy, let's go." Melia quickened her pace. "Let's look for those merchants. With so many of them, someone must be able to find a clue!"
…
Antonio was on pins and needles.
He lay on his side on the couch, and the surroundings were so clean: there was not even a decorative vase, only the most basic couch and stool. He even had to run to the next room to change clothes!
"I know, it wasn't like this before." Elena imitated his tone just now, with a calm expression.
They sat in silence until the footsteps outside the door faded away. Then they stood up almost at the same time and squatted down to carefully search the surrounding carpets and wall patterns.
No matter whether using gems or magnifying glasses, no suspicious traces can be found.
Antonio was shocked: "Well, where do we start investigating?"
"investigation?"
Elena asked back. She walked to the window and pulled down the curtains. "No, I'm not interested in the incident in Athens."
Likewise, he wasn't interested in the wedding. As long as he got the treasure, he would leave for home that same day and avoid all this mess.
[Crown of Alexander, this is all I want.]
Antonio chuckled softly, "Yes, you only want the crown on your head."
He walked over to Elena and gently spread out his hands. "There's no time to lose. Go get it after nightfall. It seems something went wrong with the person you arranged. Fortunately, I'm here to take your orders at any time."
"Very good." Elena nodded slightly. Some things didn't need to be said, like the fact that Caesar's spies in Athens had also lost contact. Perhaps they were still alive, simply betrayed... hopefully it wasn't that bad.
The two hands shook each other in a friendly manner.
They lay back down on the couch, as they still had a lot of things to do that night and needed to recharge their batteries.
…
I have to say that businessmen are really good at hiding. I don’t know which master booked the central theater. The huge space prepared for the audience is enough to hide hundreds or thousands of people.
By the time Melia reached the theater, the sun had already sunk into the sea of clouds.
"You guys wait outside first, Taffy will be with me." She whispered to the Hungarians and walked into the theater with Taffy.
Athenians loved drama, and most Greek city-states were known for their tragedies and comedies, as well as erotic romances based on myths and legends. She looked up at the pillars around her, each one engraved with a different story or portrait.
As you walk, you can also see some special stone tablets: they say that it was sponsored by someone in a certain year and month.
It turned out to be a merit plaque... The distance between time and space instantly closed. Melia gently traced the names of the patron and the artist with her fingers, her eyes softening.
"It was very lively here when I came here last time!" A fat merchant walked by, with only two ordinary slaves behind him. They didn't look like slave merchants, but more like traveling merchants who came here for fun with their wives.
"That's right!" His wife nodded in agreement. "I thought the line would last until tomorrow, but there's no one there... There's only one show."
Their voices echoed in the empty lobby.
"There was only one rehearsal for the play—God, do Athenians no longer like drama? Are they too busy working?"
"Shh, don't be so loud. I asked the theater staff, and they said they have to rehearse urgently for the wedding..."
"Tsk, you believe that? Do you know how many plays Athens has had since ancient times? They're performed year after year, with no repeats. A new production just for the Romans? Haha."
…
Melia calmed herself down and walked into the main hall under Taffy's worried gaze.
The ruins of history now stand gloriously in every corner, with just the right amount of colorful paintings and gemstone decorations. The most eye-catching are the lifelike stone sculptures, in which gods and beauties dance, and you can almost hear their breathing.
When she passed the last stone sculpture, she couldn't help but glance sideways: the girl was shrouded in a veil, the stone-carved veil was soft and light, and she didn't know whether she was waiting for the breeze or her lover.
Aches was sitting high up in the stands. He recognized Melia and raised his glass politely.
Wait until you finish watching this scene before you start talking to him.
Melia looked at the positions of the slave traders and deliberately chose a seat with a suitable distance, sitting side by side with the traveling merchant couple.
They seemed very surprised that Taffy took the seat, but they did not object. Instead, they smiled at Melia in a friendly manner.
The wife handed over some snacks and said, "That's all for today, but I love Ianna's story! She's so cute~"
Melia took the snack and responded politely.
The Jason in this world is called Ianna, and he is a woman.
The legend itself is quite modified, but the Athenians changed it into several versions. Compared with the original work... it is basically from fan fiction to original work.
As the music started, Melia slowly closed her eyes: I'd better turn into a cat and help Elena steal the crown.
As long as she gets the crown, Elena can leave immediately without having to hold any... wedding...
The author has something to say:
It's about to burn~ (rub hands)
Thanks to Lei Lei, the first offender~
Thanks to Lily yyds, Feiguang, Doubi Xiaomushi, nanaya_scarlet, and Kim Minji idiot @% for their support~
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