Not long after the boat sailed out of the inner city, it slowly left the water with a slight swaying. With the sound of water dripping, it flew higher and higher amid the surprised eyes of people on the nearby river bank.
The height gradually surpassed the spire of the Marland Temple, where several priests in the courtyard were looking up in this direction. Tall square flowers were planted in the courtyard, as white as snow, and the tiles on the majestic buildings reflected the last dim red light of the sky, which gradually faded away.
The only thing left in the field of vision was the clock tower of Questac, rising alone from the ground. There were a few workers checking the clocks there, but they did not look in this direction.
In the dusk, two flying dragons flew from a distance——
These creatures with huge claws and sharp beaks, tails with poisonous spikes like manticores, and their bodies covered with hard feather scales, which look as heavy as iron in the night, can be found almost everywhere in Etalia. visible. They are cousins of the dragons, but the latter refuse to recognize these less intelligent kin - two flying dragons with huge saddles on their backs and two knights sitting on them.
The other party seemed to have received Her Royal Highness's order early and came closer and walked alongside them.
Then he led them flying out of the city without saying a word.
There was another airship on the distant route, with a huge shadow hanging above like a dark cloud, but under the leadership of the flying dragon knight, the brisk boat quickly surpassed the former and left it behind.
Parker lay on the stern of the boat watching this scene, whistled and cheered. He pulled off his belt and was about to throw it away, but Luo Hao, with quick eyes and quick hands, snatched it away and glanced at the latter. Parker was so angry that he wanted to say a few curse words, but for some reason he suddenly remembered the dark room where he was locked up for several hours the day before.
He still doesn't know why he was imprisoned.
This is probably retaliation.
Because someone is jealous of the King of Night Thieves——
Parker thought.
And Nini sat on the side of the boat, looking here and blinking her big eyes.
Alfond lit his pipe and leaned on the side of the boat with some enjoyment, as if he was very pleased with the dark color. His pipe is different from the big cat man, and also slightly different from the boatswain's. It has a long metal pipe, which is very common in Istania. The halfling looked at the last light that faintly disappeared on the horizon and said:
"The secret to making this kind of sailboat fly lies in the attitude of the boat -"
Luo Yu listened carefully.
"When taking off, the wind elements must be gathered under the ship..."
"But you can't lose your center of gravity, otherwise there will be a risk of rolling over."
"So how to allocate limited elements to achieve the best balance between lift and stability is what you need to consider..."
"But all in all, this thing requires proficiency. If you are willing, you can try more."
"Can I try too?" Luo Yu asked.
He had actually operated a large ship like the Daoud, but that was not much experience at all. The only thing he did was to start the magic furnace, then let it float in the air and fly with the wind.
In the end, he watched the Daoud crash.
"Of course, I was watching from the side." The halfling took out his pipe and blew out a big smoke ring. The smoke ring floated back and was quickly blown away by the wind blowing from the front. "This doesn't really count. It’s not difficult at all. But if it’s a big ship, it will require the cooperation of several people.”
"I heard from Her Royal Highness that you are also building ships?"
Luo Yu nodded.
"What is your name?"
"Seven Sea Traveler."
"I accepted this information, and this can be considered as tuition."
The silver sail rose higher and higher under the night.
The city blocks turned into thin ribbons below, the lights turned into spots of light, the canal was like a strip of light immersed in darkness, and the people on the riverbank turned into tiny black specks. Afifah stood alone on the side of the ship, silently watching the blocks turn into tiny squares, with veins of light forming a tic-shaped shape like flashing water, criss-crossing and filling them.
Suddenly, a silver meteor streaked across the sky and into her eyes.
All this was reflected in the dark pupils of the little princess. For some reason, the tears streaked down her cheeks like shooting stars and couldn't stop falling anymore.
"Princess Afifah."
Fang Plover came over at some point.
Afifa turned back to look at him with red eyes. Fang Plover then noticed that the other person was holding something in his hand. It was a wooden sculpture, which seemed to be that of a young girl.
When he looked carefully, he realized that the wood carving was exactly the same as the mystic girl, but the expression was slightly different - the knife work of the wood carving was not delicate, and even a bit rough, but lifelike. Fang Yu suddenly had an idea in his mind and realized the identity of the girl on the wood carving——
At this moment, Afifah is no longer the proud little princess she was when we first met her. She is just a young girl who is worried about her father.
She held the statue of her mother tightly in her hand. Her mother had left her and her sister's side early, and the safety of the only person who still cared about their sisters was uncertain at this moment.
"I'm sorry, Captain Ed," her voice was almost choked, tears rolling down her face.
Fang Yu suddenly felt that this little princess was a little pitiful.
Although she was born with a golden key in her mouth, in a sense, she was no different from Pasha.
Wealth and status cannot replace everything.
After all, people are still the same.
"Don't worry, things haven't come to the worst yet."
"We can't help you much. Only you can convince His Majesty the Sand King."
"We will only put the opportunity into your hands, little princess."
The little princess nodded with tears in her eyes.
She looked at Pasha not far away, feeling apologetic for the first time in her heart.
The boat sails on the sea of sand.
The silver sand sea reflects the lights on the ship.
…
Babartan, the King of Sand, watched the last ray of sunlight sinking below the horizon.
Then everything in this world fell into darkness, and the sand dunes in the distance glowed with a cold blue hue. After the star curtain rose, it hung upside down on the shadow of the northern mountains - there was another shadow in the east, and behind it was Warm Grand Canyon, tree-lined place.
Two mountain ranges isolate this barren land from the warmth and cold, rain and snow of the north——
The ancestors of the Istanians were left with a piece of cold gravel.
They have lived here for generations, but apart from being boring, they at least have peace.
A few hours ago, the sentinels on the outskirts reported that there were sand bandits gathering nearby, but the number was not large.
Those people may have been disturbed by the actions of the army - there are these lawless people everywhere in the desert. In the past ten years, instead of decreasing due to the suppression, the number has increased. Not only because of several years of poor harvests in the most fertile land of Istania in the south, but more importantly because of the turmoil in the ancient kingdom in the north...
Even trade routes began to be affected.
The bandits above the sea are getting closer to the mainland day by day. Not long ago, the Blood Shark Air Pirates even landed in Farbans and went deep inland to places like Idos.
He had to let his little daughter solve the matter. If it weren't for Fang Pliance, he might have changed his current plan and rescued his daughter.
And this was precisely the reason why he looked at the latter in a different light.
As for Van Rick's hero, that's just a way of saying it to stop other people from talking about it.
certainly.
And that thing——
At this time Numan pushed the door open and walked in from outside.
The Sand King turned around, looked at the latter, and said calmly:
"Ready?"
Nuerman nodded, but hesitated: "But..."
However, several ministers were worried about the empty defensive forces at the entrance of the valley.
The Garden of Fantasy is located in a huge rock canyon. The fall about a thousand years ago created all of this. There are four entrances to the valley. Generally speaking, troops must be stationed at each entrance, especially when the King of Sand enters this canyon.
But traces of sand pirates appeared in the north, and the troops deployed to prevent it made the defense in the remaining directions obviously weak. This small loophole seemed to be nothing in normal times. Even Babartan himself seemed Also ignored this point.
"Governor Zabeel was worried about what happened to the Sand Thief King a few months ago..."
"They think that for some unknown reason, the sand pirates seem to have found the location of the Fantasy Garden..."
"Then you should tell them that the location of the Garden of Fantasy is unpredictable and it is just a coincidence."
"Your Majesty, ministers are not children either."
"It doesn't matter, just let them know what I mean."
Numan glanced at the Sand King and nodded.
"Is there anything else?" Babartan asked again.
"General Manager Kamil believes that people should be drawn from the Forbidden Army to supplement the peripheral defense."
"Tell them no need, the sand bandits are in the north, just drive them away——"
Finally, he added:
"Numan, you understand why this is. You don't have to wait for my orders. Just appease people's hearts. When everything is over, they will naturally understand all this."
Governor Bein bent down and bowed.
"Let's go," said the Sand King: "Today you treat me as a brother, just like then, we fought side by side in Nognis against the Imperials. I was not the Sand King then, and it is the same today, And you are not Governor Bein. When I saw Aleph and that little guy, I seemed to see us back then——"
"His Majesty."
"Um?"
Numan was startled for a moment before he changed his words: "Babartan."
"Very well, Nurman."
The Sand King adjusted his robe and walked past his best friend.
…
Few people know when the Phantom Sea appeared, but perhaps since a certain ancestor of the princess's family came to this place, it entered the sight of the Istanians for the first time. But its inclusion in the history of this kingdom has to be pushed back to a later period of history - perhaps only less than twenty years.
The huge canyon is made of brown rock. It seems like an incomparable force, tearing apart the earth here, and a canyon rises from here.
But under the giant rock, there are dense plants growing, all kinds of rare and exotic grasses, shiny fruits hanging from the mountain walls, fluorescent lights dancing in the palm groves, and the ground covered with a layer of flowers that are very rare even in oases in the desert. The sea, but this is not an oasis because there is no water, the source of all life.
The plants seem to grow out of thin air between the rocks and on the sand. Wherever the light of the green crystal shines, they become full of vitality and spread in all directions, but they never set foot outside the canyon. .
Not all of these plants are friendly, and some of them are full of danger and aggression. However, over the centuries, the princess's people have already understood how to deal with the dangers lurking here.
Now that I'm taking this road again, there are no longer as many dangers as before.
There are some buildings in the forest, with white palace walls stretching across them. This palace was built in the past twenty years. It has experienced wind and frost, but it still looks brand new from the outside.
The King of Sand walked out of the palace and walked through a stone paved road. Looking at the familiar scene in front of him, it seemed as if he had returned to more than ten years ago - but he was not walking on this road alone at that time - he couldn't help but look at To his left, but there was no one there now.
He was slightly startled, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.
He then remembered that his daughter was only a little tall at that time, and she was still——
Numan followed the king, watching this scene silently, and couldn't help but sigh.
The two of them walked through the courtyard in silence - and this courtyard had a name that had long been spread - the Garden of Fantasy.
At the other end of the avenue, there was a tall circular building with a white dome supported by countless stone pillars. After passing through the gate there, Babartan saw the ministers waiting in the hall. But his gaze crossed the crowd and landed on a crystal as tall as a mountain and as green as a dream in the center of the hall behind it.
That may be the largest emerald star in the world.
It escaped the alchemical trend of the past and became one of the best-preserved emerald stars in the world today. Babartan could not imagine why Afifah's ancestors faced this emerald star, but it must have Be cautious.
At that time, various kingdoms and alchemist organizations competed for the control of the Emerald Star, and even went so far as to launch a war for this purpose. In that chaotic era, it must have taken endless efforts to preserve this crystal mountain so well--of course, there must also be credit for the fantasy sea itself.
Together with the Grand Canyon, it changes position every few years, and only a few people control the rules.
"Your Majesty." An old and hoarse voice sounded.
Seineman held the staff, separated from the crowd and walked out, came to the king, and bowed in salute.
In terms of status, he is the left minister of Istania, just below the two of them - and now that the old patriarch of the Oath Keepers clan is not here, then he is just below the King of Sand. , an existence above ten thousand people. Even Nuerman had to stand aside for the leftist minister.
All the ministers even gave way one after another.
But Babartan only looked at his left minister indifferently.
Seeniman faced this look very calmly and replied: "Your Majesty, everything is ready."
"I'm just waiting for His Majesty to preside over the ceremony in person."
Babartan withdrew his gaze and looked at everyone present.
The people who can come here are at least his cronies, and have more or less participated in the first phase of the plan, so they also know some inside information. Of course, the King of Sand had only told Numan about the deepest reason. If anyone else knew about it, there were probably only a few mystics and palace guards who participated in the plan.
But soon, these people will understand all this.
Everything fell silent.
It’s not that the people who come here don’t know the taboos of alchemy, but for various reasons—mostly related to power and status, they still choose this path. In any case, nothing is more important than gaining the trust of a king, isn't it?
But Babartan only nodded, then withdrew his gaze, passed through Seineman, and walked towards the crystal. The attendant of this blind follower only turned around and watched silently as the king walked forward.
The Sand King came to the foot of the crystal mountain, raised his head, and took a look at the 'giant rock' first.
Then he took another step forward, stretched out his hand, and pressed it on the crystal.
There was a cold touch in the palm of my hand.
The moment he pressed the crystal, he seemed to be in a trance, feeling like he was back in time again——
It was a somewhat gentle but lively voice:
"Babartan, I want to tell you a secret——"
"Do you know about the Third World and Tianzhiqiao?"
He laughed dumbly and looked at the beloved woman in front of him with his young eyes: "Afifah, I am the future king of sand and the master of Istania. I am destined to stay on this land for the rest of my life. What do these illusory things have to do with me?”
"Fool," the girl laughed: "Of course it has something to do with you, not only with you, but also with our kingdom."
"How to say?"
"Do you know why I want to go out and take risks?"
"Are you talking about that Tulip Adventure Group?"
"That's just an adventure group I've participated in, but the leader is a good person. It's a pity that she is the chosen one of the gods, otherwise I would definitely introduce her to you."
"You are all I need, Afifah."
The girl smiled slightly.
"You know, Babartan, I also love this land deeply."
"And that's exactly my reason."
"Do you know the legend about the elves' sacred objects..."
"My brother gave me a notebook..."
"He can't quite understand the content above. I guess it's because he doesn't have much contact with the Holy Chosen Ones. However, I happen to understand a little bit..."
…
The illusions in front of Babartan disappeared.
But the voice didn't disappear.
"I don't understand much about the contents of the note..."
"The elves cast sacred objects from the Emerald Star. That sacred object is the only clue and key to that new world..."
"Holy relics? Of course we don't have any holy relics. What are you thinking about, Babartan..."
"But what is recorded in the notes... it seems that we can find the only way through the same method..."
"You know, the Emerald Star... my family also owns it..."
"As for that method..."
"You must remember it clearly, Babartan."
In a place where others cannot see.
The King of Sand pressed one hand on the crystal mountain, his face already stained with tears.
At this moment he whispered to himself:
"Of course I remember it clearly, Afifah."
…
Miaoshuwu
