Several centuries ago, "Southerner" Hyman Brightstar entered the city alone at the most dangerous moment. He fell in love with Miss Regina at first sight during the election, and ultimately saved the kingdom from civil war. The tradition of the election began.

reserve.

And now, five hundred years later - sitting in the stands, looking at the cheering audience in the stands, the heavily guarded guards under the field, and the contestants gearing up in the field, Thales couldn't help but think - another

A shining star prince, surrounded by countless guards and servants, came to another election.

I just don’t know about the election that year. When "Southerner" Heyman changed his name and sneaked into the venue, faced with the powerful soldiers, geared up, and gathered the crowd to elect the general to fight against the heroes of the South Coast of the Bright Star Royal Family, what was his reaction?

When a big event is approaching and the war is in danger, will he be confident and calm, or will he grit his teeth and hold back, talk and laugh as if nothing has happened, or will he face the difficulties with high morale?

Thinking of this, Thales sighed deeply: It's not like him, who is confused and full of melancholy, but he still has to force a smile and pretend to be calm.

And Heyman isn't alone.

Five hundred years ago, Prince Heyman had at least the powerful "Eight Finger" King as his backing, at least the eldest son of the Duke who had a clear distinction between love and hate to speak out, and at least the extremely intelligent Miss Regina to make suggestions.

The Duke of Cork is also a prudent and steady old minister - at least in the story.

But what about him, Thales Bright Star, who is now in the Emerald City, the backing he has, the allies he relies on, and the opponents he faces...

"Your security chief has just been killed, Your Highness the Prince," Zhan En's voice came from the seat on his right, calm but shrewd, "and you are under suspicion and surrounded by rumors. If I were you, you would keep a low profile, such as

Accepting the protection of Captain Seychelles, he was escorted by heavy troops to a separate and isolated stand, and attended the election cautiously..."

"Protection? Escort?" Thales looked at the workers preparing hard in the arena, "You mean, semi-forced kidnapping and house arrest?"

But Zhan ignored him: "...instead of turning around and getting together with my sister, and squeezing into the Duke's Stand in a conspicuous way."

"Let's do it? Let's do it together?" Hilley's head popped out from Zhan's right side, staring at his brother angrily.

Zhan En turned his head and glared at his sister, with an unprecedented seriousness and solemnity.

"The Seychelles knight longs for status, but he is not the kind of person who will bow to the powerful and let you go at critical moments - especially in front of outsiders, so what weakness do you exploit in him? Power? Wealth? Wife, children and children.

? Or dance for him?"

Thales was about to pick up his teacup when he paused after hearing this.

"Easier," Heeley snorted, without any sense of being sarcastic, "Duizi."

Zhan followed Hilley's gaze and turned to the escort team under the stands: the Star Lake Guard and the Emerald Legion were headed by Hugo and Seychelles respectively. They were separated into two rows and were wary of each other. There was only one knight sitting in the middle holding a sword.

, looking at the tents prepared for the contestants in the arena with complex eyes.

"Is that Knight Cassian? I understand. If he takes action, Seychelles is not sure that he can defeat him in front of his subordinates. This is not good for his prestige, so he simply seizes the opportunity and jumps in... But you

How did you convince Cassian to come out?"

Zhan frowned and waved to the audience diagonally opposite, receiving another round of applause:

"Could it be that you also threatened him that if he didn't come out, you would dance in public?"

Thales held up the teacup and let out a long sigh.

Why does this guy care so much about this?

"For the sake of the sunset, brother, one sentence: OK or not?"

Xi Lai raised her eyebrows. She took Zhan En's arm and smiled sweetly. Only the words leaked from between her teeth made people frown:

"Don't force me to go out and dance now!"

Zhan En's face changed slightly.

"Shameless..." The Duke tried his best to keep his facial expression normal, but just as he was about to retort, he was interrupted by cheers from inside and outside the arena.

The election is about to begin.

Brother and sister Kevin Deere calmed down their expressions, gave each other an unkind look, and all sat upright.

Thales breathed a sigh of relief.

"Long wait, everyone!"

The host of the election is a renowned banquet emcee who has studied minstrel arts at Dragon Kiss College. He is standing on a specially designed hosting position, holding a special loudspeaker:

"Have you ever remembered that seventy years ago, when Lake, the 'White Devil' of Allenbia, swung his ax and split a man and a horse in half, the ground was as solid as the ground and trembled! Fifty years ago, when the people of the great desert

The 'Slave Slave' Mossago fought fiercely with the 'Red Ghost' in the night until the moon went down in the west and the sun rose in the east. Even if you were patient, you would not give in! Forty years ago, when Murat, the 'Righteous Attendant' of the Sera Principality, was fighting for the injured

The master of the knight died at the hands of one against three, which made even the most hard-hearted audience burst into tears! Thirty years ago, when Prince Horace, the 'Light-tracing Sword', was victorious in ten battles, the entire Emerald City

Everyone is cheering wildly!”

As usual, the venue chosen for the meeting is a wide open space in the new suburbs - the terrain here is sunken, high on the outside and low on the inside. It is especially suitable for large-scale performances and group activities. It is usually an exchange market where merchants and vendors gather spontaneously, and on Boxing Day

It is often booked as a theater for stage plays and even as a missionary and evangelistic venue for Sunset Faith. Before and after the Emerald Celebration, the place was cleaned up early by the Emerald Legion, and then the security officers set up a cordon, and the craftsmen worked day and night to erect the

Fences, racks were set up, tents were set up, passages were set up, carpets were laid, standing tables, seating tables and even various temporary stands three or four stories high were put in place to create a large-scale annular arena.

The inner perimeter of the arena consists of different stands and preparation tents for the contestants. They are separated by curtains, parasols, fences and even human power. Although the stands can look at each other and even talk loudly, although the merchants, priests and officials can

Nobles and other different people greeted each other warmly from across the air. Although the servants in charge of logistics kept passing messages back and forth between the stands, the sergeants across the aisle, the guards guarding the curtains, and the servants showed their faces when passing messages.

The family emblem or certificate all emphasize the hierarchical order here, which is clear and distinct and cannot be confused.

"And all these classic scenes in my memory all happened in our annual event that we are proud of. They happened in the most passionate moment, the most thrilling day, the most exciting occasion. Of course, they were also empty.

A good opportunity to make money with your wallet or a handful of blood..."

The host's voice carries the unique gorgeous accent and exaggerated drawl of the Emerald City, which is amplified by the circular layout of the arena and echoes in the slightly empty venue:

"With a glorious history of five hundred and fifty years - General Iris!"

Guests in the major stands applauded politely, and many people cheered enthusiastically in cooperation. However, the entire arena still seemed sparse and empty, but it was the most remote stands, including those outside the fence who could not enter, who roared crazily and roared like a tsunami.

, the sound shocked the whole city, and some drunk guys even wanted to light fireworks to cheer up, but they were stopped in time by the conscientious security officers.

Excluding the citizens who were joining in the fun outside (including those who climbed onto rooftops or trees), this arena could have accommodated tens of thousands of spectators, even if it was not as good as the legendary miraculous building in the ancient empire that could accommodate 100,000 people."

"Comorra Colosseum", but if placed in a corner of the Emerald City, it would be quite impressive. However, due to the sudden murder of a security officer this morning, this election will strictly limit the number of people entering the venue for security reasons.

, only less than 30% of the limit has been opened, many pre-sale tickets have been refunded and invalidated, and the security of the Emerald Legion and the security officers is also extremely tight, and impostors and bluffing through are strictly prohibited.

But things are rare and valuable, and the more so, the more people flock to them - nothing can prove a person's wealth better than overcoming all odds to get a ticket to the election (not available to those who are not high-ranking officials, dignitaries, wealthy businessmen)

Status. It is said that as soon as the news of limited capacity came out, in just a few hours, if you choose a seat at the far side of the hall, you can only look at the entrance and exit standing tickets, the price has been increased to an outrageous ten gold coins.

(“You’re all here…” – A certain Far Eastern guest who laughed and generously gave money, but then silently lowered his head and felt aggrieved)

But spectators who have no chance to enter need not be disappointed, because the outside of the arena is even more lively: people are crowded outside the fence, and there are vendors everywhere shouting and selling, sneaky ticket sellers, gamblers who open the market outside, and local people.

Restaurant owners setting tables and busy selling food and wine, buskers performing on the streets for rewards, preachers sent by churches seizing the opportunity, people discussing which business group sponsors fighters who can advance to the top eight, ocean-going shipping companies

What rare and exotic beasts were brought back, and what rewards were given by the duke and prince. There was a bustle of people and people coming and going, as if what was happening outside the arena at this moment was the real emerald celebration.

Compared with the atmosphere on the outside, the situation inside the fence is slightly weird: the soldiers and security officers at the exits and aisles are solemn and repressed, standing ready to watch every guest, including their servants; the grandstands in the front rows

On the scene, spectators with various backgrounds brought their families and their families, some were sitting calmly, some were chatting and saying hello to each other, some were cheering and shouting without realizing it, the performance was different; as for the warriors in the arena who were fully armed and warming up, some were gearing up.

, wielding swords and swords to show off their skills, some greeted their acquaintances and exchanged harsh words, while others were getting ready for action with the help of their attendants, remaining calm and silent.

"Of course, first of all, we must thank our generous and wise city lord, the Duke of South Bank, Lord Jann Kelvindir. It is his hard work and strong support over the years that made this election possible and more lively and brilliant.

The past!"

Under the gesture of the host, the audience in the arena turned their heads and looked at the highest three-story stand in the arena: the Lord of Emerald City still had that friendly and kind smile, looking towards the participants and other spectators in the stands.

They waved.

"And our most distinguished guest, the heir to the kingdom, the Duke and Second Prince of Star Lake, His Highness Thales, who is famous as the North Star of the Western Continent! His presence demonstrates His Majesty the King's grand grace to the Emerald City, and is a blessing to all citizens and even the entire

The honor of Nan'an Leader..."

Thales and Hillai sat on Zhan's left and right sides. The servants and guards were dismissed early by the three of them, and they could only serve as guards on the outside.

At this moment, the prince forced a smile on his face and imitated the duke in waving to everyone. However, he found that wherever he faced, the cheers stopped abruptly and were replaced by ducking and whispering.

"Look, next to the Duke is Miss Hilley!"

"Hey, the three of them are sitting together. The atmosphere is so strange. It looks like..."

"Like a family? Bah!"

"Why is the prince here too? Didn't he just kill the people from Kongming Palace..."

"The more this happens, the more he must attend so as not to appear guilty..."

"My uncle said that he knew the dead police officer and that he had been bullied unreasonably by the prince these days..."

"Shh! Stop talking. There aren't many spectators. He might be able to see us..."

"Interesting, they must have reached some kind of behind-the-scenes deal."

"Stop looking at him and look at today's handicap. Have you decided what bet you want to place?"

Thales could only sigh helplessly.

"You know, Thales, the earliest selection of generals was used by the Duke of Cork five hundred years ago to select generals and recruit troops to fight against the ever-increasing pressure of the Bright Star royal family," Zhan said with a smile to the people in the field.

The contestants waved their hands and asked in malicious voices, "Does it look familiar?"

"But in the end, he chose a shining star son-in-law and resolved the crisis?" Hilley shrugged, trying to discredit him in a very shameless manner.
To be continued...