The dusk has not yet ended, but people are already gathering on the street. The atmosphere of the celebration seems to be spreading quietly and invisible.
Of course, this desert day celebration was far less lively and noisy than the one he saw at the Duron Winter Festival - the Istanians seemed to have their own independent views on the celebration.
On the dust-covered streets, there were only twos and threes of pedestrians, each holding a luminous crystal in their hands, and they quietly gathered in the direction of the palace - like a light dragon in the darkness.
People often put fire, dryness and heat in the same context. Similarly, fire also has a special meaning in desert culture. It seems to be in the same vein as the creation myth of the Sinsas Snake People - the world emerged from the flames.
After birth, all things will eventually perish in a fire.
Fire is a sacred thing, the holy symbol of Andromeda, and candlelight has become a symbol of it. In the past, the desert people always carried candlelight to participate in such celebrations, but after experiencing many fires, they gradually changed to
In the light crystal, fire and light complement each other, like a pair of twins.
Walking in such a stream of light, you can clearly feel the uniqueness of Istanian culture.
But Fang Piao walked aimlessly along the flow of people in the direction of the palace, watching this scene without any thoughts, but in his mind he only repeatedly pondered the previous conversation between Bishop Faris and himself.
…
What was his specific reason for accepting the commission from Princess Rupert?
Of course, everyone gets what they need.
What other meaning can there be for the Chosen One to complete the commission?
But in more detail, it should be for the Seven Seas Traveler, or to put it further - to fulfill the promise I made to a lady a long time ago.
The smiling face appeared in his mind involuntarily. In the calm and beautiful eyes, it seemed as if there was a princess sleeping peacefully. In that dream, there should be spreading roses and roses, as well as pricking thorns.
.But she only smiled slightly, and everything turned into the moving sunshine of the afternoon, like an open book between the teacups, with tenderness written in the beautiful words.
He never thought that a person could occupy such an important position in his heart.
It was as if they had become accustomed to each other's presence without even realizing it.
He gently touched his collar, as if that delicate hand was still there——
There is an uncontrollable stirring and uneasiness in Fang Yu's heart. When he is alone, his heart is more like a drifting boat. It rises and falls in these days - recklessness and impulsiveness, worry and anxiety coexist, but
I had to calm down at all times, because I knew that this was just my delusion - even if I lost news about other people for a while, the possibility of them being in danger was actually not high.
Or rather, this remaining reason suppressed him from taking any extraordinary actions, but as time went by, he really didn't know how long he could pretend to be nonchalant.
Without even realizing it, Fang Yu sighed softly involuntarily.
After sighing, he was slightly startled.
It turned out that I was already worried to this extent?
But after these thoughts went through his mind one by one, he returned to the previous question again. Of course, he understood that Bishop Farris did not intend to answer this question when he asked him this question.
For adventurers, there is no special reason to complete the task.
"But there has to be some element of choice, right?"
In the main hall, there was a faint light in Faris's eyes. In those light brown old eyes, it was difficult for others to hide any real secrets. "Could it be that murder and arson are a commission that is harmful to nature, and the adventurers have no hesitation in doing so?"
"
"Of course," Fang Yu felt that the other party's question was purely unnecessary. "The Adventurer's Guild also..."
"But such adventurers do exist, right?"
Fang was stunned for a moment, did the other party mean something by saying that?
But the old bishop looked at him with a slight smile, and did not seem to mean to accuse him.
He thought for a moment and then nodded slowly: Scum can be found everywhere, and adventurers are no more noble than other professions, and are even more mixed.
But the Seven Seas Troupe will never be like this.
Suddenly, Fang Yu understood what the other party meant.
The two parties to the contract did choose each other, and he also had the power to accept the entrustment or not. The reason why he chose this task was indeed because of the generous reward. But more importantly, let alone the eldest princess-even if it was just a
Isn't it normal for a daughter from an ordinary family to be haunted by her mother's mysterious death and demand that the former murderer pay the price?
In essence, it is precisely because of my own identity that I accept this task.
After hearing Fang Plover's answer, Farris smiled slightly:
"So you think your choice is just and that's why you agree to Her Highness the Princess's request, right?"
"I can't say it's just," Fang Plover replied. "But at least it can't be said to be wrong, right?"
"Why are you so sure?"
Is there any other reason for this?
It neither violates the "Stargate Declaration" nor the laws of Istania, nor does it conflict with the universal values recognized by people.
Everyone getting what they need may not be said to be noble, but it can't be said to be wrong, right?
But Bishop Farris still had that plain look and pointed out this point: "Really, but the law of Istania was written by the King of Sand. You didn't violate it today, but what about tomorrow? Besides, Ed,
Now you are caught between the King of Sand and Her Royal Highness the Princess. If they are in conflict with each other, which side will you side with?"
"The King of Sand is the master of Istania, an ally recognized by Corin-Ithurion, and naturally the only legitimate ruler of Istania recognized by 'you'. If Her Royal Highness the Princess clearly opposes her,
Father, even at the expense of dividing this kingdom, does your intervention violate your declaration?"
Fang Plover opened his mouth.
He was speechless for a moment because he had never considered this issue from this direction.
In his opinion, the conflict between the eldest princess and the King of Sand will never rise to the level of the nation and the country, but is just a conflict within the royal family.
But he suddenly realized that he had thought too simply. How could the conflicts within the royal family be explained in a simple way? How did the internal struggle of the Kaolin royal family end up in the current situation? Isn't it a lesson learned from the past?
He couldn't help but be stunned.
"But..." He hesitated: "We only have an employment relationship with the eldest princess... and we will not..."
"You won't be involved so deeply?" the old bishop asked.
Fang Plover nodded.
"But what about your companions?"
"Are they still stuck in it?"
Fang Plover frowned.
The old bishop shook his head and relaxed: "...I'm not saying that someone is going to use this matter to force you to take sides, but isn't your current behavior a choice you have made?"
"You don't want to get involved, but it is."
Faced with the old bishop's indifferent gaze, Fang Yu was speechless.
But the other party slowly said: "Do you think you are obviously right?"
"You did nothing wrong - whether it was for use or not, the Sand King has entered the restricted area. And Her Royal Highness just wants the truth about her mother's death. It sounds like it is human nature. She does not
She didn’t take advantage of you, and maybe she didn’t even know it at first.”
"...You just got involved because of a misunderstanding."
Fang Yu asked in a hoarse voice: "Does Bishop Faris think I did something wrong?"
But he didn't think so in his heart.
He asked himself whether his decision was justified by his own conscience.
Faris glanced at him and shook his head in surprise: "You already have the answer in your heart, don't you?"
Fang Plover looked at each other in surprise.
Farris replied slowly: "I guess you must have someone you know, a knight of the goddess, right?"
"They must have told you the definition of justice, right?"
The old bishop's eyes flashed with a light of unknown meaning.
Fang Yu's thoughts suddenly returned to a long time ago.
That was Elpaxin, and the big cat man did say similar things to him.
The justice that Marlan's followers pursue is nothing more than not going against their true intentions. When pursuing what they think is right, as long as they stick to the bottom line, they will not lose their direction——
But why would Bishop Faris talk to himself about this at this moment?
He looked at each other a little puzzled.
The old man seemed to read the confusion in his eyes and patted his shoulder gently.
"The goddess can't predict the future, and as her believer, you can't predict the future. As for the rights and wrongs of a matter, the parties involved dare not tell you everything. And when you go deep into it, it is normal to feel confused, but you
As long as you remember what you are thinking at this moment today, at least you will not lose your stance——"
"Just remember - the goddess is actually a seeker of justice, not an arbiter."
"Didn't you ask what you wanted to ask the goddess for? That's it."
Fang Yu couldn't help but be stunned after hearing this.
He has always doubted the intentions of the temple, and further suspected that Ms. Marland had what purpose she had in referring to herself as the chosen one.
Because he never believed that there would be a free lunch in this world. How could a god who looked down on all living beings take a fancy to him and give him benefits for no reason?
But Faris's words explained all the doubts in his heart. It turned out that the other party had never deceived him from the beginning. Ms. Marland chose him only because his behavior was in line with the definition of her teachings. If he sticks to his original intention, what he will do is
Everything he did was the result that Marlan wanted to see.
If one day he himself changes, the goddess's favor will naturally leave him.
Fang Yu couldn't help but smile bitterly.
This goddess is really good at calculating.
But he had to accept that he couldn't oppose just for the sake of opposing, not to mention that it was also good for him, and it could be considered a win-win situation.
But he understood that the goddess must have won more. Is he the only person in the world whose behavior is consistent with her teachings? Of course not. Not to mention, the big cat man, Sir Dicket, is far more upright than him.
There are many more people and they are more capable, but why doesn’t the lady choose them?
Fang Yu knew in his heart that it wasn't because he controlled the Cang Zhihui.
After all, the misfortune is coming, and the divine war has arrived——
The gods of Orin must be preparing. The closer those people are to the line where the misfortune star comes, the more favored they will be by the gods. Then they will find people with similar teachings based on their character.
, and divide your own divine choices.
Presumably even if things are a little different from this, they won't be too different.
However, after Fang Yu understood the attitude of the temple and at least knew that there would not be a force with ulterior motives behind him, he felt a little more relaxed. In any case, this could barely be regarded as 'good news'.
Although he always felt that there was something in the last words between Bishop Farris and him.
Therefore, these religious people always speak in a garrulous manner, which is really annoying sometimes.
With mixed thoughts, when Fang Plover reacted, he realized that he had arrived at the palace area along with the flow of people - of course, as Aleph said, it was the outer area of the palace. There were guards guarding the passage.
Behind the three inner city gates is a fairly empty square.
A royal garden surrounded by palm trees, low shrubs, and a shimmering stream in the distance, an open grassland, and a huge bonfire set up in the center of the grassland, but it had not been lit yet.
Farther away, on the mound behind the palm trees, is the Forbidden Palace of Istania. A white high platform has been built there. It is said that the King of Sand and his concubines will be there later.
Appeared in that place. Fang Plover subconsciously looked around and didn't know if Aleph was in this place, but he thought he must be very busy today, so he wouldn't show up, right?
Who knew that when he just started to think this way, the other party suddenly appeared from the crowd and waved to him:
"Ed, this way."
Today, Aleph is wearing a loose robe, and he obviously understands that he is in this place and cannot let others recognize his identity. Fang Yu looked at the prince and the two knights behind him a little speechlessly——
Still the same two as before.
The two knights looked like they were in normal attire. After all, in addition to the royal family, many nobles would also go out with their entourage.
The other party came over, then without any explanation put something into his hand, and said: "These are the foods I brought from the palace. The celebration will be held until midnight, and the people will bring their own food by the bonfire.
Dinner party - I guess if you are not a local, you must not know this. I will definitely not be able to come after the celebration starts, so I will send these things here first."
He smiled slightly, but his brown eyes looked a little melancholy.
"Actually, this was specially prepared by my mother. She heard about you and asked me to thank you. She also reminded me of this, otherwise I wouldn't be able to remember this." He pointed to his two hands.
Attendant. "Originally, I planned to ask them to send it over, but my mother told me that it would be better for me to come in person."
Fang Yu looked at the delicate pastry in his hand and realized that it was made by a princess herself. He couldn't help but feel flattered for a moment.
In fact, he also brought food and cakes, because even though Bishop Faris was preoccupied with everything and didn't pay attention to these trivial matters, not everyone in the Maran Temple was a puppet, so naturally someone had already mentioned this to him.
However, this was the other's mother's wish, and he couldn't refuse it, so he just nodded.
But he looked at the other person. Logically speaking, His Highness the Prince had been preparing for this day for many days and should be a little excited. But Aleph's face was tense at the moment, looking very nervous, and there was a slight glint in his eyes.
There was a hint of uneasiness.
He couldn't help but wonder, could Babaltan, the King of Sand, be so serious and scary? He was just celebrating his birthday and put so much pressure on his children?
Although he felt that the other party's tradition as a desert people sometimes made people feel overly enthusiastic, Fang Plover still recognized this new friend he had made in Cuistak, and he asked about the other party's situation.
Aleph shook his head slightly, indicating that he was fine, maybe he was just a little too tired these days.
How tiring can it be to prepare gifts? Fang Yu was slightly startled, but before he could speak, Aleph already laughed and said:
"Ed, my brother, you don't need to mind too much - my mother actually just heard about you from Master Borod and hoped to find some help for me. But I know you don't care about this.
I'll be leaving Questac soon, so don't worry, just think of this celebration as an opportunity to relax."
Only then did Fang Yu understand what the other party meant. It seemed that the princess wanted him to stay in Questac - or to put it further, she wanted to recruit him as a court alchemist.