Anchorex sat in his old seat against the wall of the King's Hall, the only bare-chested person in the room. The king had a whole new set of guests, though they were hard to tell apart, as far as Andros could tell. In his memory, occasionally there would be a person with particularly bad teeth or a fat face, but most of them had the same light brown flat hair, thin face, leather jackets, and jewelry. Always jewelry, as if a person with a modicum of self-respect would be seen wearing it in public. barbarian.
The king kept inviting more and more of them to his grand banquets, so they must have been local celebrities. The nearby farmer had three cows instead of one, no doubt about it. Or the man who has many sons, because he has so many children that people should take the trouble to remember his name.
As usual, those who had never seen him before stopped mid-walk and stared at him, often before they had found a place to sit. Some brought women or servants, and the whole group stared at the door, quietly joking. Most of the time he couldn't hear it, but the jokes he heard were repeated; a dozen people had the same idea and thought they were clever. At least the fire and the noisy guests kept the winter chill out of the hall. It's the only warmth Androx gets these days.
Altefel may have had the king display him this way to humiliate and embarrass him, but the real effect it had on him was mild annoyance. It was obvious that these savages had so little idea of orthodox culture that they didn't even know where to start teasing him properly. They'd better make jokes about his half-nakedness, or worse, ignore him entirely. Instead, they froze, teasing and impressing each other, quietly so he couldn't hear. It was hard for me not to laugh at them.
He'd better behave himself, because Altfil promised him to see his son again tonight. It's been ten days since last time and that's terrible for the kid. The prince threatened to show Flower to Amrocles and his wives, but nothing came of it. There is no doubt that this man realized that putting his son, Androchus, whom he wanted to save, and the man he wanted to kill, in the same room at the same time, would do little to the man he wanted to kill. Good results.
It's been ten days and not a word has been said about his son's condition. The poor little flower received several sickening blows on the head, some of them so hard that they made stars twinkle in his eyes. All Androcles could do was believe that the boy was good, or close, or Altfer would be taunting him with it now. Still, Flower is a child, and children are fragile.
The room was filled with the king's guests, about fifty men in all, and many more women or servants, among whom Alterfiel passed greeting after greeting, and sat down at the feet of the king, who, as usual, Sitting equally solemnly, with a calm expression. The prince clapped his hands and called for food and drink.
The crowd erupted in cheers as slaves paraded into the room carrying plentiful food collected from taxes collected throughout the impoverished countryside during the winter. For the first few weeks, Andros was impressed by King's continuous ravioli feasts. He considered it an effective display of wealth and power. This repeated itself every few days over the next few months, and now it irritated him greatly.
He wouldn't be so worried if the savages weren't impoverished. They had no grand temples, no grand public works, and no grand cities to house them. Sure, they had roads, but they didn't pave them. They had gold, fine weapons, and clothes, but nothing valuable. Nothing lasting. There is no real civilization. Seeing the king wearing so much jewelry reminded him of a little girl wearing her mother's makeup. These exotic nobles make a mockery of the aristocracy - they clearly have no sense of responsibility to those beneath them. A
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Okles couldn't help but think of some poor little family starving to death in a small hut because the king needed to eat their last sick sheep in front of his admirers. Displays of great wealth bring honor, but only if they were acquired in an honorable manner in the first place. In the City of London, wealth is measured by how much money a person donates to the City, not how much money he puts on his desk from the City. Even kings have their own flocks, A
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Never heard of okles either.
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The okles waited impatiently for the entertainment to begin, and the king's guests were hard at work enjoying the feast. He watched them gorge themselves greedily with disgust and condescension. The idea that the king was probably trying to win their loyalty by giving them the only good meal of the year only disgusted them further.
His eagerness to see his son was almost unbearable. He was very angry every time he was asked to have more wine or more meat, but he had no choice but to sit back and wait. Finally, after a long time, Altfer stood up and stood in the open space in front of the king, waving his hand for silence. As soon as the crowd complied, he said: "Distinguished guests of the King, we have a special treat for you tonight."
Altfer was dramatically silent for a moment, leaving everyone wondering what it was. Androx found himself sitting forward in his seat in nervous anticipation.
The prince continued: "We have just received news that the merchants of Thunderbolt have just arrived at the king's gate. The king has decided to welcome them into his hall, provide them with food, and openly listen to their requests. Welcome them in."
This is not what Androx expected, nor what anyone expected. Traders, it's this time of year? Who trades in the winter? What kind of fool would risk traveling all over the place...except for himself of course, and look what happened to him. The crowd was chattering, and many people were expressing the same thoughts as him. Curious as he was, he preferred to see Flower.
Five hooded men in thick traveling clothes entered the room. Two of the men were carrying strong sacks with straps on each shoulder. Judging from the bulges in the cloth, both bags were filled with coins. Even in silver, that's a lot of money. What if it's gold?
The crowd was silent, many with their mouths hanging open. Who dared to carry such a sum of money in a strange land without more powerful bodyguards? The mystery gripped Androx as firmly as any other, and his curiosity almost quenched his desire to see his son. . He noticed that four of them were Skywalkers, but the fifth had no tail.
Altfer led them to a place of honor beside the king, and then sat down opposite them. He said in a voice that was both emphatic and unemotional: "Food and wine for our guests! The king has an order!"
The slaves rushed in, carrying what Androker suspected was the last round of meat for the feast, and knelt on the ground, placing heavy silver platters in front of their guests. skytha
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They put their backpacks on their knees and took off their hoods amid the murmurs of the crowd.
He saw that they were all men; it was difficult to distinguish them with all the clothes they wore. Because they wore their hoods tightly for too long, most of their faces were covered with thin, soft fur, making them look unkempt and unkempt. They rubbed their pointed cat ears with a look of relief on their faces. Blossom and Pepper refuse to wear hoods because they make their ears sore. Androker had to wonder, why didn't they just make a hood with ear flaps?
When the passengers took off their coats, Androx almost jumped out of his seat with surprise—he recognized the trim on their shirts. This is a traditional Dikai'an pattern that dates back to murals on temple artifacts from the Heroic Age. With the establishment of the republic and its glorious unity it had become popular in distant lands, but the sight of something that looked like home in this poor country was enough to attract his attention.
The last traveler took off his hood and waited until the others had settled down, and for some reason Androcles could not guess that this man turned out to be a Raphaelite. He was young, probably in his early twenties. His olive complexion and short, curly black hair gave him away almost immediately. He had a beard but trimmed it very short and when he took off his coat he wore Dikaia like the others
s color. The young man looked familiar, but Androx didn't recognize him.
Androx stared at them openly. Is this why God made him wait? Were these people coming to buy him? No doubt they came from his own city. They must be. Where is that much money? Here?
The new arrivals ate with the enthusiasm of a long journey, and servants more than once poured soggy meat and root vegetables onto their plates. The Skywalkers drank the wine, but the Raphaelites did not, and Androclus guessed it was because the wine was not mixed.
When the king saw that the guests were all seated, he shouted: "Son, bring us something. Let's play music and dance for our guests!" The eyes of King Lugubelenus shone with greed; an excellent man The nobleman hides many things behind his dignity, but no one can hide everything.
Alsafir patted the leading slave and whispered in his ear. The man hurried out and came back a moment later, followed by four women, wearing dresses, fine jewelry, and nothing else. A
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okles looked around for flowers, but the boy was still nowhere to be seen. Looking for a little boy, he peeked past a beautiful, half-naked young woman, and the strange feeling didn't escape his eyes. He needed to see his son.
The musicians blew their flutes and the music began. The women danced a sensual and graceful dance, focusing primarily on the king, but also scanning the other important figures in the room with a professional eye, sometimes winking at them. Androcles, like everyone present, was awake at the waist and wished he had made a different decision about the wives of Altfer that day, for the nineteenth time.
The food, the entertainment, and the heat in the room made the king's new guests look like they had been pulled from a stormy sea wreck and given hot wine and a chair. Their faces became rosy, they became lively and energetic, and they talked quietly among themselves. There was no doubt that they hoped that their object was a prostitute.
The women danced twice and then were escorted out so they wouldn't be too distracting. Seeing that the new guests had not finished their meal, the king asked the musicians to continue playing while the remaining guests chatted with each other.
As the newcomers slowly finished the food set before them, the king asked sarcastically: "What do you think of my collection of heads?"
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s shut their mouths tightly and turned their reflective yellow eyes to Raphaelian, figuring out who the diplomat was. The man looked around the room, as if considering each of the dozens of severed heads. It took him a long time, A
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Okles had time to wonder how often they would need to reapply cedar oil to prevent rot. The man concluded by saying: "The king achieved considerable success in battle. His reputation seems well deserved. The place is strong because of their strength."
The king smiled and said: "I took many of the heads with my own hands. Many of the rest were taken by my successor Altfal, who gave them as gifts to my hall. He was a strong and wise man. People who have given me great honor. My heir is valuable. My family is very wealthy. My reputation is wide and my power is great. I have a lot of land. Do you want to see my big slave?"
After the diplomat nodded politely, the king motioned to Altfer. At his prompting, the prince said: "Smudge, come and stand before the king's guests and let them see you."
Shame began to seep deep inside him as he stood up and obeyed. It was one thing to be a slave to the savages, but before his own countrymen he felt that his nakedness was a wrong kind of nakedness. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then walked through the xenos and stood before their king.
The old Philistine said: "No! This is impossible! A
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Okles? The last Agapadi? Here, a slave?" He threw back his head and laughed. He was laughing so hard that he was almost breathless, and everyone in the room was disturbed by this unseemly display.
So, the man knew him. A son of his own city mocked him in the presence of his enemies. Androx stood upright, staring at the ground in front of him. He felt his face turn red with shame and anger, the emotion growing inside him until he could barely stand it anymore. Just as he was about to disobey the prince's orders and angrily leave the room, he remembered Flower. He had to see if the boy was okay. God told him to wait; he could hold on a little longer. Their blood will be even sweeter when it is finally spilled.
His countryman said, "Can you make him do magic?" The malice and resentment in the man's voice were simply inexplicable. Androcks didn't hurt or offend anyone back home, not to this extent. Perhaps this man came from the rebel city that Androchus razed, like Samoripetus?
The king smirked and said, "Perhaps we will find out. Do you like my prize? He is such a beauty, isn't he? I don't know how he keeps his muscles. We hardly feed him. Tell me, you are How do you know him?"
The man smacked his lips loudly, took another mouthful of food, swallowed lightly, and said: "His family has been my enemy for generations. Our house slowly and carefully destroyed his house. We finally When we heard from him, he left our land to find his wife because he thought she had run away with his money. We imagine him freezing to death on a hillside, or being killed after cheating an errant gambler. Stab. This is better than we could have hoped for. My father will be happy for a month when he hears this news, O king. Will the king tell us how he tamed it?"
Androx's mind was spinning in confusion, thoughts jumbled together as they tried to find their place. Enemies of his family? Thought his wife had taken his money? To tame him? The king and his companions were captured by crows. He revealed only a little of his murderous intentions, just a little. As the crowd quieted down, the atmosphere in the room darkened noticeably. He released it as little as possible but let it continue. After a few heartbeats, he raised his head and glared viciously at his compatriots. The man's face turned pale and he unconsciously leaned back to avoid people's eyes.
Arsal interrupted, his voice as calm and flat as ever, "When the deal is over, you will see how he was tamed as a prize to celebrate the king's deal. I can show all or part of his motivations .”
Andrew glanced at the prince, who looked at him expressionlessly. He finally swallowed the thought of killing and stared at the ground again. Altfer has made it clear that he wants to see the whole of his son tonight, not just parts. It's not just heads rolling around on the floor.
The old philosopher murmured his approval in a calm and appreciative voice. "In the name of the Father and the gods of his court, I couldn't believe my eyes." Then, louder, he added: "Nothing impresses me more than the great king. This man is a glory The hero of the country, but the king frightened him. The Decans would not believe me, and I would not tell them. Really, if he could foresee this, his cunning and wisdom would even surpass him. reputation."
The king sounded delighted and said: "My son Alsafir has not given us much trouble since he tamed Smudge. He is not the first great man I have taken as a slave, nor Will be the last one. Altfer, tell the slave to go back and sit down. Maybe we can bring him out later. I want to hear what my guests brought me and what they wanted."
