Gongsun Ce was deeply puzzled by this question: "I have seen it, and I am amazed by the rich imagination of the people in your country."
The variety and exciting plots of King Morton's love affairs amazed Gongsun Ce, an open-minded young man. In these stories, the king showed extraordinary energy and strong desires that had nothing to do with his age. He could fight female thieves in his youth and play with fairies in the forest in his old age, which made Gongsun Ce unable to stop doubting him. How many simple fantasies of the working people are entrusted in it?
Roninlus sneered and said, "How do you know it was made up?"
"……ah?"
Roninlus waved his hand, and pages of parchment flew up from the pile of documents. Gongsun Ce vaguely caught a glimpse of the contents of some of them: King Morton having sex with a long-haired woman, and running with a girl in the forest. …
Loningles held one of them and tapped the exposed portrait with his fingertips: "Some of these vulgar stories can even be traced back to 1,800 years ago, when King Morton was still alive. Quite a few of the erotic stories that are talked about by the poor people of the East End have real-life prototypes, and King Morton is a lustful ghost!"
"Then his waist should be pretty good..." Gongsun Ce looked strange.
The old mage glared at him: "Is this the only feeling?"
"What's the matter, you showed me such a vulgar thing and you expect me to give you an elegant reply?" Gongsun Ce shook out the card of the king of hearts, put it on the table, pointed to the king's head on the card and said, "Then he is He is a very typical feudal monarch. He is brave and good at fighting as a founding hero, but he also has a dissolute side as a mortal. The most he can say is that people with strong desires are old-hearted, but what else can be said?"
"That's the point." The old mage whispered, "King Morton is a man with strong desires... Naturally, as the founding monarch and the most talented blacksmith in history, he must have extremely strong desires. . But this is not like the holy king in our impression, the mythical Morton is not this image at all."
In Morton's founding myth, King Morton is a king who is too wise to be human. Not only did he defeat the dragon, but he also voluntarily gave up his rights afterwards. He established a check and balance among the three powers of the royal family, mages, and knights, and gave the holy sword that defeated the dragon to the purest knight - the magic weapon that he forged with great painstaking efforts.
This is indeed difficult to explain, Gongsun Ce thought. After all, in an era when statutory law does not exist, which ruler would be willing to give up his power?
This is not his hometown, the Yongguang Empire. There is a blessed land where the rulers are far-sighted. The emperor issued an imperial edict every few decades saying that he planned to carry out institutional reform, decentralize power, make governance transparent and open, and enhance the efficiency of the court's office. It is best to quickly change the feudal monarchy and replace it with a democratic republic. My beloved ministers, please quickly discuss what good strategies are available. A group of ministers with big eyebrows and beards cried bitterly in the court hall, saying, "Your Majesty, how can the country be left without an owner for a day? This is unworthy of the rule of government. They are afraid that the country will be unstable and the country will be in trouble. Even if an old minister is killed by a pillar, he will be killed." His Majesty took back the order. In the end, the emperor had no choice but to compromise and said that he would come up with a small change plan first and make major changes later.
Emperor Yongguang is famous around the world for not loving power, and Minister Yongguang is also famous for being patriotic and loyal to the emperor, but other countries are not so... inhumane. It is indeed a bit unrealistic to say that King Morton, a pervert, is also thinking about things a thousand years from now.
"The dragon-slaying holy sword is powerful enough to repel the evil dragon of the monarch. If King Morton forged this magic weapon with his own hands, why did he specifically entrust it to the knights for management? It should have been a treasure inherited by the royal family. Used by the royal power from generation to generation.”
Roninlus said gloomily: "Let me ask you, Helleson. A man who is so greedy and unrestrained in his private life, a man with such powerful desires, would he willingly give up his rights? That man Should the supreme authority be controlled by his descendants from generation to generation, so that his family can enjoy eternal glory?"
"I can do it if it's me." Gongsun Ce deliberately argued.
"Get out of here if you interrupt again!" Roninlus slapped the parchment on the table and roared. He sat down angrily in his seat and said nothing until Airandia spoke.
"You suspect King Morton was forced to cede power."
"I'm sure." Roninlus said expressionlessly, "Look at the conditions for wielding the Last Sword... You must meet the following oaths to be qualified to wield the Last Sword. This is a mandatory requirement for the Mental Arms. .”
Roninles waved his hand again, and a brick on the studio floor automatically moved away, and an ancient stone platform slowly rose from the ground. The stone platform is about 4 meters long and 3 meters wide. There is a sharp groove in the middle, which seems to be just right for Orianna's giant sword to penetrate into it.
In front of the stone platform are lines of ancient writing. Arlandia looked carefully and took into account the well-known oath of each Star Knight:
[Those with noble character hold this sword]
[Those who are pure and kind hold this sword]
[Those without authority hold this sword]
[He who has no title and no reputation holds this sword]
[Those who meet the above four oaths will be the seventh knight of this generation and the master of the final sword. At a time when the country is in crisis and the Seventh Knight is unable to fight anymore, the Last Sword will be urgently passed on to the other Star Knights. All knights will fight for their country until the last drop of blood falls on the battlefield]
A hand without authority means that it does not hold any worldly rights. No title or name means that he cannot have any title other than his name. He cannot be a king, duke, or prince, or even a titled knight. Therefore, all the Star Knights of the past generations have their own titles, but the one who holds the sword will always be the Seventh Knight.
"If you don't meet the above oath, you will be rejected by the Last Sword itself. But if you only seek personal quality, why are there special restrictions on birth and power? Can't a prince or a duke be pure and kind? Can't a king be noble in character? Just imagine how much sacrifice Orianna Cavan has made. Not only is she unable to have any subordinates or followers, she even gave up her title and inherited title!"
Roninlus knocked on the table: "This is a deliberate restriction, Helleson! You know the rules of the royal family. They are born with power and status. Even members who have not inherited the territory must have the symbol "no" before their name. The noble title inherited. I can help you translate this oath into more understandable words..."
Roninlus pointed to the stone platform and said word by word: "Greedy royal members are not allowed to hold swords!"
Gongsun Ce said in shock: "What the hell are you talking about..."
"If you don't understand people's words, then eat shit!" Luo Ningles scolded. Unconvinced, Gongsun Ce immediately started to retaliate with swear words. The old man and the young man scolded each other so heatedly that the Dawn Knight had to sternly stop them from talking about business anymore.
"This is all speculation, Your Excellency. The facts may not be what you think, let alone what Situ Yi said."
"I also don't want to believe his opinion, but..." Loninlus sighed, "I have a feeling that that man knows more than us. I'm paying close attention to the troupe's research, I'm afraid he won't be involved in this matter. The superior is trying to make things mysterious."
Gongsun Cexin said that if I were you, I would not associate with that person at all. How can Situ Yi's words be trusted? He was a man who could say shocking things without changing his face. For him, communication was nothing more than a drama.
"So what does this have to do with me?" Gongsun Ce said impatiently, "You said you told me these secrets because you really wanted to use them as a pretext to kill me and silence me?"
"I'm afraid we really have to ask your opinion this time..." The old mage narrowed his eyes, "Tell me, Gongsun Ce. How did you feel when you saw the power of the holy sword?"
It was rare for the old fool to be so serious, so Gongsun Ce no longer spoke with emotion. He calmed down, carefully recalled the moment when Orianna swung her sword, and said, "That's pretty awesome."
A look of astonishment flashed in Roninlus's eyes, and Alandia immediately confirmed: "That's it?"
"That's right." Gongsun Zhi was confused, "It's just...a pretty awesome sword, what else can you think of it?"
Roninlus stood up anxiously and walked around the office. He turned around and stared at Gongsun Ce: "This is impossible! If that guess is true, you will definitely feel it!
"
Gongsun Ce was about to laugh out loud: "Isn't that because you guessed wrong? The Holy Sword was made by Morton himself and he asked the Seventh Knight to keep it. Isn't it good for people to be far-sighted? After all, your speculation is too forced. How can you infer from that little text that this sword bans members of the royal family? I think you are biased against the royal family!"
The old mage ignored him and kept mumbling, "It doesn't make sense." "How could it be possible?" and the like. Upon seeing this, the Dawn Knight stood up and said: "Your Excellency Roninles, let's stop here for today. We all need more confirmations..."
"I'm doing the confirmation!" Luoningles said angrily. He waved the two of them to leave, leaving him alone in the office. He thought hard for a long time, but still couldn't think of a reasonable answer.
"Am I really wrong?" the old mage said to himself, "But the Skeleton King...sigh..."
As if to comfort himself, Roninles said: "That's good... at least we don't have to face a royal scandal that is countless times more serious than Charlie."
·
At the same moment, Shadow Mist City.
A pair of leather boots stepped through a muddy puddle, splashing a dirty stain on the wall. Mo Yuankai carefully lifted up his boots and covered the road with his ability, preventing the female knight behind him from stepping on the sewage.
"You are such a gentleman." Krikki, who was leading the way, smacked her tongue, "Why doesn't that kid look nothing like you?"
"A Ce is also a very gentleman, he just talks a lot."
The sky in Shadowmist City was still gloomy, and the abnormal moonlight illuminated the gray fog in the air. A group of three people walked in the narrow alley, with the spire of the bell tower looming not far away. A ghost with a mold-like face quietly followed them, extending its claws toward Orianna at the end.
Orianna turned around before being attacked, preparing to draw her sword to fight the enemy, but the hero's position was faster than her. Golden polygonal power surrounded the ghosts layer by layer, and the bright light caused them to scream in extreme fear.
Orianna let go of the hilt of the sword: "Mr. Mo, please leave this little matter to me..."
"It's not good to let girls fight first."
Mo Yuankai grabbed the ghost in the superpower prison and asked doubtfully, "What is this?"
"Eidolons are a specialty of the kingdom alongside the longing beasts." Criqui said, "Some of the strong negative emotions will be fixed under the influence of the spirit prison world, and merge with the distorted memories to become these little things. They have no entity. , like dark places, and are afraid of light and fire. They are particularly good at inducing people's fear in various ways, so we usually don't bring mobile phones when we come to Shadow Mist - we will receive ghost calls and text messages, etc. Newbies see Cries easily."
Orianna added: "Therefore, in the kingdom, it is very rude to invite guests to dark places... Because before the establishment of Shadow Mist City, there were often phantoms lurking in the darkness, and everyone had to hold a light to feel at ease."
Mo Yuankai suddenly realized when he thought of the Kingdom people holding lanterns on the road at night. It seems that this custom has been passed down to this day, and most people in the kingdom still maintain their aversion to darkness.
“When do strong negative emotions arise?”
"When you are betrayed, when you suffer great setbacks...and when you are dead." Krikki said with a smile, "You can regard most of them as ghosts. In the words of your empire, many illusions All spirits are caused by resentment."
The howls of wild beasts could be heard in the distance. Mo Yuankai walked quietly, and the more he thought about it, the colder he felt.
This is simply a cursed country. Humans have to worry about turning into beasts while alive, and the fragments after death may turn into ghosts. How difficult must it have been for the people on the island before the capital's barrier was established? When he was checking information before, he saw that there was a profession called hunter in the kingdom, and he was curious about what they were hunting. Now it seems that the targets of the hunters should be all kinds of sneaks in the Shadow Mist City. Because there are too many monsters, knights alone may not be able to do anything.
There are too many hidden dangers in the kingdom. No wonder Roninlus is worried about the coming dragon disaster.
"We're almost there, Mr. Mo." Orianna reminded in a low voice. Mo Yuankai raised his head and saw the huge dial on the side of the bell tower.
The seven bell towers in Superbia are not evenly distributed, with three in the inner city, one in the palace, and one each in the East District, Blue Church District and White Stone District. This is the St. George's Bell Tower in the Blue Church District. You must enter the Shadow Mist City from the Museum District to follow the trail.
The knight team patrolling today had opened the way for them in advance, and the three of them were not disturbed by wild beasts. They entered the bell tower from the small door on the ground floor and climbed up the spiral staircase until they reached the bell chamber above the clock dial. The room is clean, with no dirt or fog. The big silver clock sits quietly in the room, guarding the peace like a patron saint. Mo Yuankai accidentally saw a line of small silver characters on the wall.
[O Holy King, please protect your kingdom in peace and prosperity. 】
If the Holy King is really spiritual, he might want to personally help you guard this place.
Krikki glanced at her watch: "Please, Mr. Mo. There are still thirty seconds left. Do you know the steps?"
"I repaired it myself, of course I know it~"
Mo Yuankai took out the barrier central module from the box, which was a piece of black breastplate that looked like it was burnt. He raised the breastplate high and placed it in front of the bell just as the bell was about to ring.
"Winter~~!"
At twelve o'clock at noon, the bell rang. The big clock faintly emitted a silvery brilliance, and the brilliance caused the breastplate to fly up, vibrating together with the big clock.
"Winter~~~!"
Above the breastplate, a glow like a burning flame flashed past. That power seemed to be integrated into the sound of the bell, turning into a golden halo that spread in all directions from the bell tower. Mo Yuankai suddenly felt light on his body. He looked outside the building and found that the fog outside had become thinner. Countless phantoms flew up screaming, like a group of invisible moths burned by fire.
"Is this considered a success?"
"Oh my god, that's great!" Orianna jumped excitedly. She quickly calmed down and said: "We have to go back quickly, Mr. Mo. The power of the Holy Fire Armor may alarm those ancient phantoms. If we delay for a long time, we may be hindered..."
"...You are right."
There was a rare hint of panic in Crikey's voice, and she raised her finger stiffly: "...We have to hurry up."
】
Mo Yuankai turned around in confusion and looked in the direction of the mage apprentice's finger.
He saw a gray mountain.
The mountain rises from the far north of the city and reaches the spire from the center. The texture of the mountain is strange, like cloth, but the roots below it are as white as a woman's skin. When Mo Yuankai went upstairs, he remembered clearly that the area in the distance was supposed to be a twisted forest, but now strange mountains suddenly replaced the original terrain. He initially thought it was a special phenomenon in the Shadow Mist City, but subsequent developments overturned his suspicions.
The mountain roots moved. Like a crumbling tower in an earthquake, the white mountain roots swayed and rose, exposing patches of bright red stained with soil. An indescribable distorted sound came from the other side, like laughter or groaning. The roots of the mountain range showed their true form in this process. It was not a rock or a dead thing. It was a "seat" as white as skin, a seat made of human bodies!
Countless huge female bodies were stacked on top of each other to form this strange throne. The gray mountains they lifted moved accordingly. The mountains extended upward and turned into human-like shapes. The cloth-like mountain mass slipped down and spread behind it like a cloak. The highest point of the mountain range became its head. Clusters of crystals grew on top, as dazzling as a crown.
The huge terrifying existence slowly turned its head and faced the bell tower. Mo Yuankai was able to get a glimpse of the king's true appearance. There was no flesh and blood on its face or body. It was just a skeleton holding up a gray battle robe. There was no light shining in the empty eye sockets, but it was as solemn as if it had a soul.
It's observing. Mo Yuankai understood in an instant. This king with only skeletons is looking at him! The aura of that terrifying presence made him instantly alert, but he remembered that this was the City of Shadow and Mist, not the royal capital on the surface, and his machine spirit was not here!
"Don't attack, retreat quickly." Mo Yuankai whispered.
"I'm working hard and I'll be fine soon...!"
Orianna nervously toyed with a seal in her hand. Mo Yuankai stood in front of the big clock, looking at each other quietly with the King of Skeletons, watching it getting closer and closer to the bell tower. Its actions set off earthquake-like vibrations, and countless beasts howled in terror on the ground.
Criqui's voice was as light as a feather: "If we don't run away, we will die."
"3 seconds...right away...already!" Orianna grabbed their arms, "Go to the ground!"
Mo Yuankai immediately jumped down from the bell tower. He saw stone bricks flying up one by one in the underground square, and it was dark underground, like a dark night. The King of Skeletons also moved accordingly. It stretched out its building-like hand bones, as if it wanted to catch everyone in its palms.
Mo Yuankai accelerated quickly and dragged the two of them into the ground before being caught. Before Shadow Mist left, he heard a vague cry. The voice was hoarse and old, and he couldn't tell whether it was kind or malicious.
"The heir of Konghua...the son of desire, stay..."
He failed to hear the follow-up. A moment later, the three of them were already standing in the real royal capital, and the bell tower not far away was ringing the noon bell. The frightened three people stood among a group of tourists, as weird as ghosts returning from another world.
