The night is deep, and the darkness is like the sea falling from the sky, drowning everything silently. Dots of bonfires are lit in the capital city in the lake, like small islands in the sea, shining with short-lived light. And this is the largest island in the dark sea,
Naturally, there is the towering Great Temple and the chief palace hidden in the back.
At the top of the chief palace is the ancient and ancient main hall, engraved with the vicissitudes of the past. Fish oil candles are burning among the murals of gods. A faint fragrance floats from the incense burner, like the undercurrent of the sea, or the gentle breeze of jellyfish.
Touching. Under the comfort of this silence, a skinny old man with white hair finally opened his eyes with difficulty from a deep sea-like sleep.
"it's dark..."
The elder stared at the sky above the zenith, his eyes filled with chaos and turbidity. He stared blankly for a long time before he regained some clarity and allowed his eyes to return to depth.
"It's getting dark again..."
Shadow Guard Chief Chevali pursed his lips and stood behind the elder's bed like a sculpture. In his hands was a clay pot that seemed to have never been put down, and at his waist was a sharp bronze axe. Opposite him were a few figures.
The next step is the elder priest, Ugel, with a towel in his hand and tears in his eyes.
The elder slowly opened his mouth and tasted the honey in his mouth. He exhaled gently and asked in a weak voice.
"Chevali, did I sleep for one day or two?"
"Sir, you have slept all day."
Chevali bent down and carefully lifted the elder up, leaning on the thick cotton backrest.
"Before, Elder Wugel fed you some honey water, added some salt and some processed avocados."
"Um."
The elder nodded calmly. Then, he turned his head and stared at the bonfires all over the capital outside the window. He was lost in thought for a long time before looking at Ugel who was standing on the other side.
"Ugel, you are determined."
"Elder...wuwuwu!"
Ugel lowered his head, his voice was trembling, and tears kept pouring out of his eyes. There was genuine sadness on his face, as well as fear and confusion about the future.
Since December last year, when the king vowed to conquer the east, the elder has been unable to get out of bed and cannot move around at all. In March this year, after the expansion of the temple was completed, the elder fulfilled a long-cherished wish and fell into a coma from time to time. One day
He was asleep far more often than he was awake. By late May, the elder was too weak to eat and could only survive by drinking carefully prepared honey water.
Seeing such a weak elder and such a dim sun, even though Wugel has always been afraid, he can't hide the sadness in his heart! After all, he has been following the elders and obeying their orders since he was a boy, and now he is almost four years old.
Ten years! In these forty years, he grew from a young priest apprentice to a priest and elder in the capital. The immortal elder has always been at the top, and is the sustenance of all his awe and respect, and is also his usual reliance.
..
"Stop crying...I'm not dead yet."
After looking at Ugel who was crying like a child for a while, a faint smile flashed across the elder's face. Then, with a calm expression, he looked out the window again. Facing the main hall was the expanded and more majestic one.
Great Temple.
"Ugel, how long has it been since the expansion of the Great Temple was completed?"
"Six...sixty-three days."
Wu Geer raised his head and answered with tears in his eyes. Since the expansion of the Great Temple was completed, the elders have always asked such questions about the past time. This is like an important node, deeply engraved in the elders' hearts.
In his heart, it is also engraved in his life.
"Sixty-three days have passed..."
The elder looked out the window for a while. The great temple towered in the darkness, outlining its vague outline. It was like the Snake Mountain where the God of War lives, and also like the stairs leading to the Kingdom of God, embodying the infinite faith of mortals. After a while,
The elder slowly lowered his eyes.
Wugel wiped away his tears with a towel, put it back in the bamboo basket, and changed another one. He brought many towels, mainly to serve the elders. Then, he looked at the elders who were looking down in thought, and waited blankly.
After two moments, I was surprised to find...
"ah?"
"Shh, let the elder sleep for a while."
Shadow Chevali stretched out his hand and asked the priests and elders to wait patiently.
"Uh...ok."
Then, Ugel sat cross-legged on the ground, and Chevali stood like a sculpture. Two hours passed in a blink of an eye. It was not until the night fell deep, and it was almost the darkness before dawn, that the elder slowly woke up and opened his eyes again.
"Ugel..."
Wugel hung his head and fell asleep, drooling from his mouth. The elder's weak call did not wake him up at all.
The elder didn't shout anymore. He just stared at the fat face calmly, his eyes flickering slightly, wondering what he was thinking about.
"Um?"
A gust of night wind blew through everyone's clothes, giving them a slight chill. Wugel suddenly shuddered. He opened his eyes suddenly and saw the elder's expressionless face and eyes as deep as the sea.
eye!
"Ah! Ah!...Elder, you...you're awake!"
Wugel panicked and hurriedly got up from the ground, stood by the bed again, and then hurriedly wiped his saliva.
The corners of the elder's mouth were slightly raised. He waited patiently until Ugel finished sorting out, and then asked lightly.
"How is the situation of the Eastern Expedition?"
"Replying to the elders, everything goes well in the Eastern Expedition!"
Wugel's heart was beating loudly. He answered nervously and panicked.
"The two armies conquered all the important towns and invaded the heart of Tlaxcala! King Avit captured the Shensu Pass and the Feathered Serpent City in the north, and was about to surround the three snake cities. And His Highness Shulot conquered the Water Valley in the south.
The city and the mountain city are dealing with the Holy City..."
"Holy City?"
"Yes, the Holy City of Cholula. They even sent envoys to bring me gifts... ugh!"
Speaking of this, Wu Geer paused and his face suddenly turned pale.
"Ah...but...that...I didn't accept it! I really didn't accept it this time!"
The elder had no expression on his face and looked at Ugel deeply for a while. He did not ask any more questions, nor did he pay attention to the priests and elders who were explaining in a panic. He just pondered in his heart.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Holy City Cholula...Holy City Cholula!..."
Faint waves rose and fell in the heart of the elder, bringing with them the coldness of the deep sea and the hardness of the rocks on the seabed. Then, the raging torrent rose from the abyss of the seafloor, rushing and spinning silently, sweeping away the fresh fish in the sea.
, all involved in the bottomless darkness!
"Um..."
After a long time, the elder lowered his eyes and said calmly to Wu Geer.
"Ugel, please go back. From tomorrow on, don't come back again."
"Ah? Elder! You...you...wuwuwu!..."
Wugel's mind was shaken, and a bone-chilling chill instantly surged into his heart. He threw himself down beside the bed, hugged the old man's old and thin arms, and confessed heartbrokenly.
"Uuuuuuu! Elder, I don't dare to accept bribes anymore...I really don't take them!..."
The corners of the elder's mouth curved up again. He looked at Ugel with a calm expression, and then said slowly with a smile.
"Go back! Starting tomorrow, go to the high priest group and sort out all the academic affairs... If you don't know what to do, go to other elders and ask them clearly... You still have time, so you can study hard."
"Wuwu...ah?..."
Hearing this, Wugel's crying suddenly stopped. He raised his head and looked at the elder hesitantly.
"I...still have time?"
"Um."
The elder slowly stretched out his hand and gently rubbed Wugel's head. The hand was old and gray, without any strength, and seemed to have a huge weight.
"Go back. We can... meet again."
"ah?!..."
Under the repeated impact, Ugel's mind went blank. Under the guidance of Shadow Chevali, he stood up in confusion and walked out of the dead and deep hall. The fresh wind blew from outside, and he looked like
A fat dolphin in the deep sea suddenly jumped out of the water.
"This is..."
"Elder Ugel, please keep your mouth shut about everything today."
Shadow Chevali bowed slightly and saluted Ugel. Then, he turned around and returned, leaving only the fat priest and elder alone and disheveled in the wind.
The long wind blows the curtains of the gods, like the ending dance of the gods, and also reveals the blurred face of the main god. The shadow steps on the thick shadow and returns to the left and right of the elder, like a long snake guarding the main god, silently.
"...Dawn is almost here..."
At some point, the elder lay back on the bed again. He stared at the open ceiling and smelled the faint fragrance. Uncontrollable sleepiness hit his heart again, with the smell of death. Before falling asleep, he left
He said the last sentence, a low and emotionless word.
"This evening, please invite the high priest."
"Your will be followed, elder."
The shadow responded in a low voice. He disappeared behind the elder, stared at the old man, and slowly closed his eyes. Then, the candle was blown out, and the deep dark sea surged in again, swallowing him up in the darkness before dawn.
