Chapter 34 Advice
◎It’s so hard to be a human being. She is just a little cat——◎
Pasha.
Taffi helped Melia push aside the bushes, and the three of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time: Great, we finally found Caesar's base. They are really good at running, they ran so far away in an instant!
Melia shook off the leaves on her body, stood up from the bushes, and walked towards the fire in the camp.
A war slave was standing under a tree, chewing on dry biscuits. When he saw Melia, his eyes widened. "Woo woo, Master? You've come back."
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a slave brought from home.
It looked like everyone was running pretty fast. Melia felt relieved. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where's everyone else? Have you all reunited with His Majesty?"
The slave choked with a grunt and beat his chest hard to knock out the dry biscuit stuck in his throat: My God, the master actually compares them with His Majesty?
He shook his head and nodded sadly: "Yes, yes, not less."
"That's good. Go ahead and eat. I'll go in and take a look."
Melia stepped inside on her shoes. From time to time, a soldier would glance at her and then quickly look away without even asking: A war slave would not question a Roman noble, and the nobles... who didn't know the little beast in Muala's family?
Only the slaves and cavalrymen they brought with them would greet her and guide her in the direction of Caesar and Elena.
Compared to the search in the wilderness, this time went much more smoothly.
Melia followed the smell of barbecue around to the right side of the camp and, as expected, spotted Elena lost in thought before the fire. Not far away were Caesar and his generals, slicing the meat with scimitars and smashing it onto a cone of spices.
Gurgle.
She couldn't help swallowing. The blade sliced through the freshly roasted beef, slightly browned on the outside, yet tender and pink on the inside. The fat dripped onto the spices, the sizzling sound mingling perfectly with the fruity aroma that washed over her.
Caesar looked up from the fire, not knowing if it was the sound of saliva or the presence of his presence, and frowned slightly. His frown was a striking resemblance to Elena's. "Who is she?"
The general beside him picked up the barbecue, followed his gaze, and exclaimed, "Isn't this Melia from the Muala family? Wow, she's really here! I thought Elena was dreaming!"
He changed his tone three times when he mentioned the word Melia from Muala's family, highlighting a sarcastic tone.
Melia walked over with her head held high, but before she could salute, she heard Caesar's surprised voice.
"Meliya from Muala's family?"
Caesar's midnight eyes swept over and he chuckled slightly: "How did you change so much?"
Is that too much? Melia shuddered, her shoulders hunched in fear. The general beside her retorted loudly, "How has he changed? He's still that cowardly. I just saw him a year ago. Your Majesty, you don't take it to heart at all."
Caesar remained unperturbed by his subordinate's retorts. He cut off a piece of roast meat and chewed it slowly, seemingly good-tempered. "Really? I remember her as a nasty child. She hanged Ophelia's rabbit and even made a scene in the council chamber."
Uh, is it necessary to carry out such a public execution?
Melia wanted to find a bush to crawl into, but she could only stand by and continue listening.
Fortunately, Caesar didn't insist on the topic. After finishing the meat in his mouth, he looked at her and said, "I heard from Elena that the potion and the fire were both your ideas?"
"Yes." Melia bowed her head modestly. She could hear a few generals sneer softly, but fortunately, Caesar's voice was not among them.
Just when everyone thought she would obediently accept Caesar's questioning and reward, the girl suddenly lifted her hair and raised her head shyly: "I also have to thank Lord Sulla. He gave me a lot of magic potions at my father's funeral."
The sneers disappeared, and the generals beside Caesar finally looked at the girl not far away: Okay, Melia has grown a brain?
They had known that Muala was dying when they set out, and this did not surprise them. What was surprising was that Melia would speak ill of Sura in such a roundabout way.
Normally, a lawsuit brought against a Supreme Senator would easily be "proven" to be a false accusation, and the only recourse would be to beg for forgiveness from the "falsely accused." However, she casually said to Caesar, "Sulla gave me a lot of potions."
This is not an accusation, but it points out in front of Your Majesty that a top elder has secretly hidden extremely dangerous drugs.
Caesar's reaction was not as obvious as his subordinates'. He nodded slightly and said, "It's very useful. The Persians have suffered. Sulla should have donated some to the army long ago."
"Yeah~ I think so too."
Melia approached the fire with a smile, kneeling down across from Caesar like a junior. "Lord Sulla has been working incredibly hard lately. He must be discussing with the other lords how to best assist you."
"Heh." Caesar smiled but didn't answer. He tapped the hilt of his sword and asked, "What reward do you want?"
Melia's eyes lit up, and she leaned closer flatteringly: "My father left a place for me—"
"You want to praise your brother? He's quite capable."
"—what do you think of me?"
"Hahahahaha." "Hahahahaha." There was a burst of laughter.
Melia tapped her chin awkwardly. Caesar didn't laugh out loud, but the hint of a smile was brewing in his eyes.
It's said that a person's eyes are difficult to read, and a monarch's thoughts are even more profound. But at this moment, everyone could see what Caesar meant: You? Forget it.
I knew it!
Melia wiped away her tears silently in her heart and huffed. Ever since she traveled through time, everyone looked at her like she was an idiot. The problem was that even she herself agreed that "Melia" was an idiot, and there was no way to refute it!
If the original owner had been a bit more reliable, a bit less of an idiot, she would have been able to get Caesar to consider grabbing a younger, more obedient pawn, rather than the current situation of "You can do it? You can do anything, even dog on dog!"
Caesar shrugged. "Son, let's change the reward. Your father loves gold the most. Your contribution is worth ten chests of gold."
Melia was a little tempted, but using money to get rid of her was the most perfunctory way. After finally meeting Caesar, how could she just take some gold and leave?
Melia fluttered her eyelashes and softened her voice: "Your Majesty, if you are willing to speak a few words for me in the Senate, or recognize my father's land deed——"
"I see. You must need slaves. Everyone always needs more slaves." Caesar's voice suddenly rose, easily overwhelming her soft tone.
[Oops, Caesar isn't going to help at all.]
Melia pursed her lips. "Caesar didn't want to get involved in the Senate's struggle; he just wanted to watch from the sidelines. Want him to take action? Unless he could find something to hold against Sulla."
My heart sank instantly, but luckily I didn't have much hope in the first place.
Melia steeled herself, ready to accept the monetary reward. Gold was hard currency, and she wasn't prepared to accept more slaves. Why be a slave owner? Let's modernize things.
However, when his eyes swept over the slaves tied together with hemp ropes not far away, he couldn't utter the three words "not needed".
The civilians who were left as bait by the Persians and captured at random by Caesar were looking at her with hopeful eyes.
They didn't know Melia's past deeds, but subconsciously thought that following a beautiful noble girl was better than following the notorious Caesar.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would be taken to the slave markets of Rome and surrounding city-states. Unless their families were willing to pay a large sum of money to redeem them, they would face a fate similar to that of their original owner, Melia.
Should she agree? Even if she did, what would happen? Muala had already left enough slaves, and she hadn't had time to release any of them.
Melia bit her lip lightly and struggled fiercely.
"elder sister!"
The captives became agitated and isolated the girl who had screamed.
"This beautiful sister!" The girl had beautiful long golden brown hair, which was also highlighted. Especially her round and charming eyes, which were actually golden.
Her hands were tied behind her back with hemp ropes. She struggled to move a few steps on her knees, scraping against the dirt. She shouted in Roman: "I am the child of the tribal leader. You can exchange me for money!"
"Tsk." The general who had just mocked Melia took a sip of wine and pointed his finger into the air. "How much money can the Savage Tribe pay? A box of gold coins? Don't be fooled by that little face. Those tribesmen are like rats. She must have at least eighteen or nineteen brothers and sisters."
The tribal girl pursed her cherry-like lips. Although she also had a high nose and deep eyes, she looked even more delicate and sweet than the others around her. "I'm not lying! Even if my father doesn't give me the money, I will pay it back later."
She spoke with conviction, but her innocent words only confirmed her lack of wealth and status. She was the daughter of a tribal leader, and if she had any status, she wouldn't have been left in the city by the Persians.
After all, who would look down on these poor and smelly savage nomads? Apart from being able to herd sheep and horses, they have no advantages at all. Even when used as slaves, they often cause trouble and their price cannot be raised at all.
The general stroked his beard, sneered and turned his face away: Melia is a trouble anyway, she was deceived... it's a good thing!
Looking at the girl's hopeful eyes, the wavering balance in Melia's heart fell heavily: Never mind, let's save her first. Who knows where a girl like this will be sold?
She bowed her head obediently and saluted Caesar: "Thank you for your generosity."
"Yes." Caesar raised his hand, indicating that it was time for her to leave. She was a commoner without official title, and the fact that she was able to come here as a junior was entirely due to her previous achievements.
Melia stood up naturally. She was lucky enough to be able to expose the fact that Sura had hidden the potion. She slowly walked past Elena and didn't want to talk to her, but she was gently patted on the shoulder.
"Be careful." Elena suppressed a gloating smile: "That kid is a very good archer. He almost shot my helmet off."
Uh, the fear of being dominated by the crossbow instantly enveloped me.
The girl not far away blinked innocently, and Melia felt a stomachache: sleep, she wanted to sleep now!
It's so hard to be a human, she's just a little cat——
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Lei Lei from Luchen_piuma~
Thanks to Linglong, Liangliang's Unpredictable Life, Fugue, and Yun's 莯 for their support~
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