The next day, Zhou Li and his party left Shangjing after bidding farewell to the traveler girl and her father, the city lord.
Shangjing is about 200 kilometers away from the nearest city, which is not a problem for the speed of Zhou Li and his party. After getting their customs clearance documents, Zhou Li and the others set off in the morning and arrived in the city called Tianshui in the afternoon.
"Tianshui..."
Zhou Li raised his head and read out the two huge characters on the city gate. A trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, because this name seemed to have appeared in his mind, but it was difficult to remember.
"What, what's the problem?"
Atalona on the side glanced over and asked. Zhou Li looked away, shook his head, and said indifferently: "It's okay, it just looks familiar."
look familiar.
What Zhou Li didn't see was that after he said these two words, Atalona's expression seemed to change. At this moment, Taoyao on the side seemed to have discovered something and said, "Master Zhou Li, what do you think that is?"
Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, then looked in the direction Tao Yao pointed, and then saw a rough long sword sculpture standing on the north wall of the city. Everyone also looked over and found this long sword that was somewhat different from what they knew.
There are generally three types of long swords in the Gaia world. One is the knight's sword, which has a long and slender sword with a blood groove on the tip, suitable for charging and piercing immediately. There is also a fighting sword, which is similar to the European-style sabers Zhou Li had seen on Earth, but the sword guard is smaller.
However, the long sword sculpture standing on the city wall at this time was very different from the long sword that Zhou Li and his party knew. The sword body is like a willow leaf, and the sword grid is inlaid with white jade. The luster of the long sword is not the silvery white that people think of, but a thick color with an ancient cyan color. This sword may look a little short if scaled down, but it gives people the solemn feel of a priest presiding over it.
It's like... the sword of the emperor.
Everyone's doubts did not affect Zhou Li, because Zhou Li's heart was already filled with shock. No one could recognize what this sword was, but not Zhou Li. Because this sword is an ancient object that Zhou Li has seen with his own eyes and recorded every inch of rust.
The sword of Yue King Goujian.
At this time, Zhou Li felt that his breathing began to become a little hasty, and an indescribable feeling spread across his chest. He was sure that this sculpture was a bronze sword on Earth. Whether it was the turquoise pattern or the long rhombus pattern on it, it was exactly the same as the bronze sword in his memory that shone through the ages. But the problem is that this is something on earth, and Zhou Li is sure that it will never appear in the world of Gaia.
But now, this proportionally enlarged bronze sword appeared in front of him. At this time, Zhou Li was extremely excited. He seemed to feel that this long sword seemed to be calling him. After taking a deep breath and suppressing the excitement, Zhou Li looked at the people on the side and said in a deep voice: "Let's go in first."
"good."
Eluma had noticed something strange about Zhou Li a long time ago, but at this time the goddess of life was beside her and she did not say anything. But Torea was just sizing up whether this long sword was suitable for killing enemies on the battlefield, and after hearing Zhou Li's words, she followed them obediently. As for Atalona...
She was researching whether the weeds around her had any special care.
"This grass is really grassy."
Standing up, Atalona, who had just been studying weeds in a very inelegant squatting position, stood up and sighed. Then she realized that Zhou Li was in a bad mood at this time, but she didn't care and walked towards the city with everyone.
As usual, there were soldiers checking passes at the city gate. After confirming that Zhou Li and his party were all humans and did not need to wear jade pendants, they saw the special customs clearance document that Zhou Li gave him. After seeing the words above, the soldier's expression suddenly changed and he was at a loss for a moment.
"You, this..."
After a brief hesitation, the soldier raised his head and said with difficulty: "I'm really sorry, I can't make a decision. I need to ask our superiors for instructions."
"So difficult?"
Zhou Li was stunned for a moment. He didn't mean any harm, but asked curiously: "Isn't it just a customs clearance document? Is it so solemn?"
Hearing this, the other party gave a wry smile, opened the document and showed it to Zhou Li. I saw a line of large gilded characters written on the light brown document.
[The person holding this customs clearance document is a noble person in the court and needs to be received by the city lord]
Engraved below the document is the seal of An Quan, the lord of Shangjing City. Because these seals are carefully designed, there is absolutely no possibility of them being stolen. After reading this line of words, Zhou Li understood why the other party reacted like this. After all, this thing is just an interview with the city lord, and anyone who comes has to hesitate. What's more, there are not many connections between the cities in the human world. This thing is real, but I really don't know if it is really useful.
"Then ask."
Zhou Li did not embarrass the other party. He just handed the other party the ultimatum and said, "By the way, I mentioned to your city lord that Atalona wants to visit the other party."
After saying this, the other party quickly walked to the corner and seemed to be saying something to the spirit of the court master. After about a few minutes, the soldier's expression suddenly changed, and his original hesitation turned into surprise. Then he ran all the way to Zhou Li and his party, handed over the customs clearance document, and said respectfully:
"Tianshui City welcomes everyone. Please follow me to the City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord is already waiting for you."
"That would be troublesome."
Zhou Li nodded, and then he and the others began to walk towards the city following the footsteps of the soldiers. Just as a group of people were about to enter the city, the soldier turned his head, as if he had just remembered something, and asked apologetically: "I'm really sorry, my lords, I have to make a routine inquiry."
"There are four of you, right?"
When Zhou Li heard this, he subconsciously turned around and counted. Then he looked at the soldiers, nodded and said, "Yes, four people."
"OK."
The soldier breathed a sigh of relief, and then he led everyone towards the city lord's mansion. The soldiers were silent along the way. Maybe they knew the identities of these people and they couldn't contact them at all, or maybe the city lord gave the order. After walking through two bustling markets, Zhou Li and his party arrived at the City Lord's Mansion in Tianshui City.
If the City Lord's Palace in Shangjing City has a somewhat Chinese style, then the Tianshui City Lord's Palace that appeared in front of Zhou Li at this time is more "Han". Courtyard-style layout, multi-story attic, and the kind of grand beauty that pursues majesty and magnificence. Of course, grandeur does not mean luxury. What can be seen with the naked eye is that although the city lord's palace is not small in scale and magnificent, the decorations are not extremely luxurious, but are simply decorated with ordinary white jade and celadon.
"Everyone, please."
It was obvious that the city lord of Tianshui City had given Zhou Li and his party all the respect. The door that seemed to have not been opened for many years opened directly to welcome the arrival of Zhou Li and others. This time Zhou Li and the others no longer need to control the city lord's mansion to see the city lord, because this time, the city lord came directly to meet them.
The man wearing a splendid official robe and a royal crown quickly walked out of the house without losing his grace, and soon arrived at the door of the courtyard. Looking at Zhou Li and others in front of him, the handsome man bowed slightly and saluted with a strong and powerful voice.
"Jiang Qi, the Lord of Tianshui City, has met you all."
The identities of the people were not revealed in order to prevent the soldier from hearing things he shouldn't hear. After saluting Zhou Li and others, Jiang Qi looked at the shocked soldiers on the side and said, "Go ahead and continue working."
"promise."
The soldier suppressed the confusion in his heart. It was hard for him to imagine that the youngest city lord would bow his head and salute one day. As the city lord of Tianshui City, Jiang Qi had long ago won the favor of Tianshui Jade Qilin on the battlefield against the entropy spirit. The name is as gentle and firm as jade, as proud and willful as unicorn. This is a true portrayal of this proud man of heaven. But···
Without daring to think too much, the soldiers hurried back to the city gate without daring to stay longer. Although Jiang Qi usually treats everyone as gentle as jade, he knows that he must not get involved in this situation now.
After the soldiers left, Jiang Qi didn't say much. He stretched out his hand to push aside a barrier and saluted again. However, Jiang Qi's etiquette this time was to bow and bow his head, which was the most solemn etiquette among the three Eastern Courts and belonged to the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers. If the soldiers saw this scene, they would probably be so surprised that they fainted.
Not to worship the Lord of the Three Courts, this was Jiang Qi's oath.
"Jiang Qi, meet the goddess of life, Her Highness Atalona."
"No need to be polite."
Without supporting Jiang Qi or showing any false feelings, Atalona said these words calmly, then watched the other person slowly raise his head and said to Zhou Li: "Master Brave, welcome to your arrival."
"So, you and An Quan are both god-reverent people."
Zhou Li didn't care about the other party's two etiquettes at all. After all, in a sense, he really didn't want the other party to give him a flattering gift. He raised his chin at the other party and asked, "Do all three Eastern Courts have the same attitude towards gods as you do?"
"The Three Eastern Courts have never forgotten the contributions of the gods."
Jiang Qi's answer was somewhat beyond Zhou Li's expectations. He looked at Zhou Li and said in a sincere tone: "No matter when, we will remember who ended the collapse of the Golden Tree."
Um?
Hearing this, Zhou Li was stunned for a moment. He seemed to notice something, and a curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. At this time, Atalona on the side responded: "Get out."
"good."
Jiang Qi was not displeased at Atalona's words, and walked directly into the city lord's mansion with Zhou Li and others. For the city lord of Tianshui City, a private reception room is a must, so everyone did not stay in the main hall of the city lord's mansion, but entered a tea room that was not gorgeous but solemn enough.
"This is Tianshui City's unique tea, called jasmine."
Perhaps in order to show that he valued the guests, Jiang Qi did not let servants serve him, but made and poured the tea himself. After a period of pleasing and concise operations, cups of tea exuding a light fragrance were placed in front of everyone. Jiang Qi did the whole process just right, both in terms of etiquette and demeanor, both were surprisingly calm.
Then he saw Zhou Li who put half a spoonful of sugar into the cup.
Wow, so urgent...
Eluma on the side looked at Jiang Qi who was holding back the anger in his heart and smiling, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart that the other party's eagerness was already so far away that she could smell it.
"Long story short, we won't bother."
Zhou Li put down his tea cup, looked at the handsome man in front of him, and said straight to the point: "If you have a way to contact the court master, you can tell us directly. If not, I hope you can help us sign a customs clearance document so that we can go to the next place. City."
"It seems An Quan has told you."
Jiang Qi was very smart. After Zhou Li said these words, he understood that they already knew everything about the Three Eastern Courts. After sighing, Jiang Qi smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry, everyone, to disappoint you. Not only can I not do the former, I can't do the latter either."
"Are you being double-regulated?"
Facing Zhou Li's astonishment, Jiang Qi was even more stunned. After all, there is no such word in this world. But he quickly guessed the general meaning from Zhou Li's expression and tone. Jiang Qi shook his head and explained: "No, I am still the city lord, and I also want to help you."
"However, something has happened in the city now, so Tianshui City can enter and return the same way, but it cannot enter the next city-state."
After Jiang Qi said these words, Zhou Li immediately understood what he was thinking. He smiled and said: "No need to be coy, just talk about what you have to say. If we can't do it, then this matter will almost destroy the world, so there is no need to talk about it."
"Destroying the world... is not a big deal."
Shaking his head, Jiang Qi explained after a brief pause: "As you all know, our Human Court does not actually have any discrimination or screening for outsiders. As long as they are honest enough, the Human Court welcomes any human being to live here. Even if they are not human beings, , you can also enter the human garden after wearing our special jade pendant. However, recently, some things have appeared in Tianshui City..."
Jiang Qi seemed a little confused about what to say, and looked a little confused. After a moment, he slowly said: "It's a very strange incident."
According to Jiang Qi, countless strange things have happened in Tianshui City recently. Many people will suddenly one day find that they have an "extra" friend, a relative, or a lover. These extra people are registered in the spirit of the court master, and there are also traces of activities in Tianshui City. They are completely the same person. According to common sense, even if these people really are outsiders who appear out of thin air, they should not be discovered.
However, they were eventually exposed. The reason exposed is very dumbfounding.
"They speak a language that we don't understand at all."
"After nightfall, they will all speak in their sleep."
(End of chapter)
