July 1st, Wangdu, East District.
The continuous rain finally stopped last night, and there was still moisture in the early morning air. One night passed, and the rainwater that had not yet dried up formed ice on the walls and roads. The rising sun shone on the ice, making it shine golden in the distance.
Snapped! The wheels of the cart fell from the steps, shattering a chunk of ice. The orange-haired cart pusher stepped on broken ice and almost slipped. He cursed under his breath, turned around and shouted: "Kapulo! Why are you dawdling?"
"Come here, brother! One fell down accidentally just now."
Capullo carried the last few jars and carefully put them on the car. The green hair on his head shook in the cold wind, making him look even more stunned. He guiltily glanced at a cart full of goods - fake antiques made from broken furniture recovered from the garbage dump - and whispered: "I say, brother Tyros, how about we sell back the little pornographic books? ? If this is discovered, you will be charged with fraud, and you may go to jail... Hey, don't hit me, young man."
"Pig, slug!" Tyros hit his little brother hard on the forehead, "How stupid are you to think of selling Morton's romance stories on the day when patriotism is at its highest in the year? The police didn't come to the inner city. The tourists smashed your stall first! Today we have to sell great and honest things, do you understand?"
"Oh oh oh." Capullo nodded repeatedly and used his strength to push the trailer from behind.
The two of them headed for the exit of the narrow alley. The moist and cold air penetrated into the hole on the side of the down jacket, making the orange-haired man shiver. It was a hole made by moving goods yesterday, and it was not reliable even if it was patched. What a damn unlucky thing. I'll have to get a new one when I make some money in the past two days...
Why not wait two months for seasonal discounts? The man thought to himself, but the money may not last this long. This day is passing day by day, who knows what will happen in the summer. It’s better to look at the present and buy it first.
"Brother, there's a hole in my boot..."
"Use your chivalry to overcome it." Tyros mocked, "Or go back and change into flat shoes."
"You laughed at me again."
Capullo muttered and went back to their shabby house to change his shoes. Tyros patted the ice shards on the wall and leaned aside for a while. On the avenue outside the alley, an old cleaning man was clearing away the remaining ice. A group of burly men in costumes walked through the ice, each wearing a funny and weird mask.
"Hey, man!" he chimed in idly, "Parade troupe?"
The leading man stopped when he heard the words and did not take off his mask. He replied slowly but cheerfully: "Morning...! We... have to rush to the morning parade. The first day... has the most people."
Tyros was amused: "The troupe we invited still cares about the number of spectators? Why don't they all get a number?"
At this time of year, there are various celebrations on the streets. The main streets are often occupied by official performance teams and knights, while unplanned areas are filled with various street performances, the most popular of which are often plays. Tyros thought that this group of people must be foreigners hired by some company or charity organization to support the show. After all, the local actors were mostly thinking about their vacation and did not want to take orders, but the foreign theater troupes were happy to take this job, and they were well paid and could also travel.
"Acting... the more the audience, the happier it is." The burly man said a non-standard Kingdom proverb in a rustic Hezhong accent, "It's time to go... The Holy King bless you, man."
Tyros couldn't help laughing and corrected: "The Holy King protects you. Good luck!"
"Ha ha……"
The men in the troupe laughed and walked away. Capullo rushed over after changing his shoes and pushed the car with a bang.
"Brother, I still don't understand. Can we really sell this crap..."
Tyros quickly changed his attitude: "Why don't I call you stupid! Today is the big business opportunity of the year. Any junk painted in the colors of the national flag will be bought willingly."
"why?"
"The man is happy! I am willing to spend money!"
After the cart left the alley, Tyros wiped the sweat from his head and looked up into the distance. As he spoke, the sun had completely risen, and the warm sunshine shone on the winter capital. The bells in the East District rang at this time, announcing the beginning of a new day to the subjects of the Royal Capital. National flags fluttered in the morning breeze on the street. As far as the eye could see, the majestic lion on the dark blue flag and the stars in its palm were like an ocean floating in the street.
Cheers and cheers could be heard from a distance in the inner city. Soon people would take to the streets to celebrate. Soon a series of exciting activities would begin. At this moment, the atmosphere of joy and solemnity had already been exaggerated, making everyone feel happy. A person from the royal capital has a smile on his face and his heart is filled with glory. Tyros puffed up his chest, and his proud attitude made his mouth unconsciously filled with pride: "Today is the day for a duel before the emperor. The whole country is celebrating and everyone is happy!"
·
"Gentlemen, who has seen my horse?" shouted Gaffrey at the top of his lungs. The young knight on the side quickly replied: "Your horse caught a cold last night and the veterinarian is doing an emergency examination. If we can't make it in time, you may have to switch to... a motorcycle."
Gaffrey's eyes almost popped out of his head: "The leader is riding on his black horse, the queen is sitting in a golden carriage, and then I, the deputy leader, ride a motorcycle and follow the two nobles? What will people think? ?”
"Well... I don't know what people will think, but I think you will definitely be on the headlines of the newspaper tomorrow." Gongsun Ce used telekinesis to help the knights pass the documents and spoke smoothly, "First page of Lieyang Newspaper, " Using a motorcycle instead of a horse, the knight Gaffrey is quite popular." The girls in the third page of the day wore riding leather jackets."
"They are really capable of this!" the deputy captain gasped, "Knight Sara, are you still there? Ask the horse for me!"
The headquarters of the Knights was literally as messy as a pot of porridge. The flying paper documents dyed the hall white, and everyone was like a grain of rice jumping in the pot of white porridge.
The knights had already made preparations in their spare time. They had cleaned up the Shadow Mist City in advance, implemented public security controls, and eliminated all potential threats as much as possible. The old group leader and the Dawn Knight even went to the troupe in person to supervise Situ Yi's fulfillment of the agreement - he had made an official agreement when he came and would leave the royal capital before July.
But on this day, everyone discovered that there were still a lot of unexpected problems (Captain McCollough said: This happens every year anyway), and everyone was still busy. Orianna was forced into a corner by a group of makeup artists to dress up "the majestic image that the Seventh Knight should have". She looked like she wanted to run away; Airandia and the old leader had just inspected the Shadow Mist City and confirmed that it was safe. Now The defense deployment was being confirmed for the last time; Raquel's body had already gone to the scene to prepare, while the knight Yulia stood silently beside Gongsun Ce and Mo Yuankai. He heard the deputy captain's plea for help and turned to look at the corridor on the right: "Knight Sara!"
"Woof?" A female voice came from the corridor, "Oh! Sorry, I didn't quite convert."
A woman with long black hair walked out of the corridor. Her hair was disheveled, her back was hunched over, her arms were drooped, as if she would fall to the ground in the next second, like an atavistic female ghost. She swayed to Yulia's side, lay down on him, and twitched her nostrils: "It's strange, Yulia, why is your smell so weak?"
Yulia's face turned red. He held his colleague's shoulders to make him stand up straight, and said seriously: "Wake up, you are your true form now!"
"Ouch?" Sarah shook her head like a large dog, and the hair covering her face spread to both sides, revealing a soft face. She patted her face and said suddenly: "I said why I can't find the tail... Here you go, deputy captain!"
Sarah hurriedly went to check the deputy leader's horse. Yulia coughed twice awkwardly, and turned around to see the two superpowers showing him subtle smiles.
"I must emphasize that this is not—"
"I understand." "I understand everything!"
Gongsun Ce and Mo Yuankai pressed his shoulders, and their smiles became more meaningful, leaving the sincere knight speechless. He turned around angrily and saw the old regimental leader coming with a speech in his hand: "I'm going to trouble you today, Knight Yulia."
"It's my duty." Yulia glanced at the speech and hesitated, "...I also enjoy my leisure time."
"Treat our distinguished guests well." The old captain patted him on the shoulder, turned around and said, "Okay knights, if there is no big problem, we will——"
Yulia couldn't help but remind: "Captain, you got the wrong speech."
McCollough was startled: "Oh God! This is the one about eggs the day before yesterday! Gaffrey, where is my manuscript?"
"Wait a minute while I get my horse!"
Yulia glanced at her watch. There were still thirty seconds before the scheduled departure time. He suddenly felt that it would be a good idea to give up the honor of patrolling the whole city and take care of the two guests. At least now he didn't have to be as hasty as his colleagues. He confirmed the status of the two "distinguished guests". Mo Yuankai was encouraging Orianna not to be nervous, and Gongsun Ce was absentmindedly passing documents around, looking in the direction of the Dawn Knight from time to time.
After checking the defense situation, Knight Alandia said goodbye to him in a hurry, and then followed the large army away. The black-haired young man responded cheerfully and waved to her. He didn't slowly lower his hand until the knight walked away.
He finished delivering the documents and watched the knights in heavy armor walking out of the door one after another. After that, he didn't talk to anyone anymore and just stood there quietly, like a tourist who had gone to the wrong sightseeing spot.
Yulia frowned. He stretched out his hand and deliberately raised his voice: "I will be responsible for guarding you two today. I hope you will get along well."
Gongsun Ce looked up as if he had come to his senses and shook hands with him: "Pull him down, whoever gets along well with you."
This appearance made Yulia feel more pleasing to the eye, and he increased the strength of his hands: "Both each other."
·
The royal duel is an annual event in the kingdom. The whole country has a two-day holiday. Celebrations are held in major cities across the country. The most enthusiastic atmosphere is undoubtedly the royal capital where the knights are personally present. The Star Knights will lead the cavalry patrol in the royal city just like the ancient legends, accepting the cheers and applause of the people, highlighting the glorious history of the kingdom.
】
Naturally, the Knights of Dawn could not be absent from such an important occasion, and Mo Yuankai had just repaired the Holy Fire Armor, so no matter what, a high-ranking member of the group had to stay behind to protect him as a sign of respect. Knight Yulia took the initiative to fill the gap. In name, he is a guard, but in fact, the distinguished guest himself is superior in strength and does not need protection. The main purpose of this task is to prevent his followers from going crazy and destroying the crowd at random - after all, Gongsun Ce is a Silent Phase Dragon.
In order to ensure that his judgment was correct, Yulia specifically asked his colleagues for their opinions on this person. Knight Rakel thought he was pretty good, but immature; Sarah said he was a very interesting child; Knight Gaffrey said he could become An excellent civil servant; and Knight Orianna said he was a "very powerful superpower"...
This was the only comment that Yulia couldn't understand. He couldn't see anything outstanding in Gongsun Ce. This young man has an exaggerated manner and an unstable mind. When he is not talking to others, his eyes are wandering, as if he will float away like a balloon if he is not careful. He is just a child who has not grown up, an adolescent boy who is always depressed due to lack of sense of achievement. He is naive and fragile.
Gongsun Ce didn't know what the knight next to him thought of him, and he wasn't interested in paying attention to what he thought. He leaned on the railing beside the road and said, "How long will this continue?"
Mo Yuankai flipped through the manual: "It seems like the whole morning was a military parade. The knights didn't gather together in front of the palace until 12 o'clock."
"Then what's so good about this?" Gongsun Ce complained, "Why are they so excited?"
Now the three of them were huddled on one side of the avenue separated by iron bars, watching the glorious red coats, black hats and shiny leather boots of the Kingdom's soldiers up close in the crowded crowd. The excited cheers of the people around him were like an endless stream of waves. Everyone wanted to squeeze forward to get a clearer view. Gongsun Ce clung to the iron railings and felt like a pitiful rock. He had nowhere to hide and could only greet him with his back. The lapping of the tide.
"Everyone's excitement is a combination of the festive atmosphere and the sense of collective honor, just like the students were very excited during the cultural festival!" Raquel's wax figure shouted loudly. He had to shout loudly or the people around him wouldn't hear him.
"I see, you, a member of the Kingdom, are talking about Mao's cultural festival. Have you seen it?"
"I've seen it in animation!"
Raquel's wax figure also came as a bodyguard, and he and Yulia sandwiched two superpowers on the left and right like guardians on the left and right. The three nonchalant otakus were discussing with great interest, from the campus cultural festival to the maid cafe. Yulia, who was silent at the side, felt that her brain was seriously polluted, so she couldn't be disturbed.
The messy discussion continued until Gongsun Ce suggested seeing something else. Yulia was relieved and took the initiative to suggest walking to the non-activity area outside the main road. So they struggled to squeeze out of the crowd and walked to Wood Park. Fortunately, both knights were armed with disguised telepaths, otherwise they would definitely not be able to get out if they were recognized.
"Speaking of which, I have been curious about something for a long time." Mo Yuankai said as he walked, "Generally speaking, the magicians are hidden in the dark side of society. Why are all the knights in the kingdom public figures?"
"This is related to the tradition of the kingdom. You know that before the establishment of the Shadow Mist City, the kingdom was plagued by wild beasts and ghosts, and knights often killed evil in front of people. Now that the barrier has been established, the activity of the knights has long been engraved in the culture , we have become a symbol of security." Raquel explained, "And the knights' constant patrols day and night are also a ritual to maintain the stability of the barrier. These complex factors make it impossible for us to hide from the public's sight. Now, in the eyes of citizens, we are not only an elite force fighting against the dragon phenomenon, but also a cultural symbol of stability. In our daily work, we are also responsible for eradicating violence, upholding justice, and providing free help to the people."
"Sounds so exhausting." Gongsun Ce commented, "It's all because of the Impermanence that makes those mage apprentices fish happily. Why are there so many people wanting to be knights?"
"Because of justice and glory." Yulia said with a straight face.
Raquel rubbed his fingers and said with a smile: "It's also because our treatment is a little bit higher than that of people in the same realm."
Gongsun Ce said "Oh" and nodded clearly. They entered the park and found that it was much livelier than usual. Like the streets, there were citizens waving small national flags everywhere. Many people spread a piece of cloth on the lawn and sat down to chat, and many people were playing musical instruments. An old man dressed in a rustic style was playing the accordion. When he saw them coming, his eyes lit up. He walked over and asked excitedly: "Hey! Are you a child of the Empire or Zero Island? Are you coming from so far away to participate in our celebration?"
"From the Empire, we are on summer vacation and we are traveling with our classmates." Gongsun Ce stood up to talk, and the other "classmates" smiled in unison, "Before I came here, I heard about the celebration of the day of the duel. I didn't expect it to be better than what was captured in the video. It’s more lively.”
The uncle blew his beard disdainfully: "The promotional video only shows the parts of the Palace Museum. Most people can't squeeze in! Let me tell you, the best place today is in the bar. There is jazz, free snacks and 'Punch and Judy'." '. The bosses would generously give each customer a large glass of beer. When I was young, my friends and I went to buy a whole street of beer, and we couldn't sleep until the next day."
Punch and Judy is a Kingdom folk puppet show, a tragicomic story performed by multiple glove puppets. There is no fixed script but several short stories spliced together. The plot is vulgar but popular with the public.
"It sounds really good." Gongsun Ce said, "I'll try it in the afternoon."
Yulia immediately realized that he was lying, because the knights who had finished the superficial duel in the afternoon were going to Shadow Mist City to prepare for the real duel, and Gongsun Ce would not have time to go out and play. But the young man showed great interest and showed no embarrassment at all when lying. He had a lively chat with Mo Yuankai and the local middle-aged and elderly people, and he made everyone laugh with his witty remarks from time to time. The old accordion man was so happy that he took out a small hip flask and said, "Let's toast to the young people from a foreign country!" "Okay!" The middle-aged farmer wearing a cloak on the side shouted, "What are you wishing for?"
"I wish our Majesty the Queen and the kingdom peace and prosperity! I also wish a few young people...well..." the old man wanted to say a sincere and practical blessing, "I wish you peace and prosperity, and be free from the curse of super powers forever!"
Mo Yuankai's smile stiffened. Yulia's heart tightened, she didn't expect something would happen here. He was secretly prepared to protect the citizens, but was surprised to see Gongsun Ce's expression unchanged, only smiling and nodding in agreement. "Thank you everyone."
The lively old men chatted for a while and then left. They walked in the park for a while. Mo Yuankai suggested that when it was almost time for the queen to come out, he could go to the palace to see the royal family. Gongsun Ce said that it was not like he had never seen anything interesting about those princes and princesses. You go ahead and I will look for you later.
So the wax figures of Mo Yuankai and Raquel took the lead, and Gongsun Ce sat down on a bench in the park, his back slightly arched, staring at the big lake not far away. The ice on the lake has still not melted, like a huge mirror.
"I'm surprised," Yulia said.
"Because I didn't get angry?" The superpower said calmly, "The old man didn't mean it, it doesn't matter."
Gongsun Ce acted as calm as lake water, as if he was wearing a mask and hiding all his emotions. However, Yulia felt an oppressive depression from his words and eyes, and he had a vague sense of déjà vu.
Yulia remembered that he often helped Sara take care of pets in his free time, one of which was a large black dog. It is very gregarious, everyone plays with it, and everyone calls it. But when it rests, it never stays with the other dogs. Instead, it lies quietly by itself, looking dejectedly at the flowers outside the window. Sarah said it was a bit melancholy because it didn't fit in here.
Gongsun Ce looked very much like the black dog at this time. Yulia stood aside quietly, not knowing what to say. He accompanied the super-powered person to look at the lake for a while, until he heard the noise of people in the center of the park.
"Are there any events?"
Yulia glanced at it from a distance: "Maybe it's an impromptu performance."
"Let's take a look." Gongsun Ce stood up and walked to the center slowly. They saw a wooden temporary stage, with several burly actors playing different roles above. They wear costumes and use different masks to represent the identities of the characters. The person in the middle wears a golden mask and looks majestic. You can tell at a glance that he is the classic image of King Morton.
"...Young Morton learned wisdom from the old man at the seaside, and practiced martial arts with the warriors in the wilderness..."
It is Morton's founding play and the most popular traditional play in the kingdom. The diligent study and training of the hero 1,800 years ago were conveyed by the actors in just a few sentences, and the plot progressed to "Morton Forging the Sword".
"The young craftsman went to the Crystal Mountain to seek materials. However, there were many dangerous beasts in the mountain. His teacher and companions were determined to go on the road with him..."
This theater company seems to have made a bold adaptation of the myth, further enhancing the plausibility of the story and adding a lot of eye-catching fights. King Morton and his friends stepped into the mountains together and killed all kinds of terrible monsters, which attracted applause from the audience. Soon the scene came to an end. The narrator covered an important prop with a piece of black cloth. It would be a bright treasure mine as the material of the holy sword.
"After going through untold hardships, the group finally arrived at the heart of the mountain. They were looking for the supreme material, but at this time they made an astonishing discovery."
The narrator flicked the black cloth, and the treasure in the heart of the mountain appeared in front of the audience. It's not a precious ore, but a long black sword. The appearance of the sword was imprinted in Gongsun Ce's eyes, and he felt a little familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere...
"——!" He remembered, it was the Dust Theater Troupe, the play he had watched in a hurry, the black sword dropped at the end of the first act!
"In the heart of the mountain, there is a sword. It is indestructible and is better than all ordinary soldiers!" The voice of the narrator suddenly became louder and sang, "The sword is sharp and can slay the dragon, and there are more than one. Who holds the sword? Who is the king? ?”
On the stage, the adventurers all showed greedy eyes. They reached out to the black sword at the same time, but were blocked by each other. They pulled out the long swords at their waists and pointed the sword tips at each other!
Under the stage, Gongsun Ce clenched his fists. He realized that this was not a charity performance, but Situ Yi's handiwork! Invisible power aroused and attacked the actors and the wooden stage at the same time. However, the narrator holds up the black cloth, which emits a dark brilliance. The light formed a translucent barrier, and the power of thought was isolated!
At the same time, several streams of blood burst out. The adventurers fell down one by one after being hit by the sword. The only survivor abandoned the blood-stained sword in his hand and raised the black sword high. The golden mask was stained red with blood, making it look as ferocious as a devil!
"Greed trumps friendship, and lust for power trumps justice! The craftsman kills his friend and monopolizes the power of the holy sword. This is how a thousand-year dynasty begins!"
