After Babartan said those words, he stood up and left the throne.
Only then did Fang Plover realize that the old king was so tall when he stood up, even much taller than ordinary Istanians. As soon as the Sand King stood up, the discussion in the hall suddenly became quieter, but
People were still whispering and looking at the two young men in the center of the hall with suspicion and surprise - Fang Plover and Aleph.
After Babartan left the throne, two courtiers immediately came forward diligently, put on his robe on the left and right, tied up his cloak, and tidied the fur on his cloak. Babartan was looking at him calmly.
After patrolling the hall, after a while, he spoke in a loud voice: "Let the ceremony begin -"
As he walked down the steps, the courtiers on both sides also hurriedly lined up and followed the king in order.
Fang Yu was about to ask Aleph what happened, but Babartan had already come to the two of them. He glanced at his eldest son with a deep look and said concisely: "Aleph, follow me.
"Aleph quickly lowered his head and caressed his chest. At the same time, he turned back and motioned Fang Plover to follow him with his eyes.
In this way, Fang Plover had no choice but to follow him in confusion——
The King of Sand was leading a group of people toward the outside of the palace. Aleph stood side by side with him, followed by the ministers and other princes. Even Count Nurman was one step behind them, with his daughter beside him, and Lava
Li is looking here with an incredible look.
There are two other people in the same rank as Earl Nurman. One of them is old and wears a white robe. White has its own meaning on this occasion. Earl Nurman can only wear a brown robe.
, while the woman wears traditional clothing with gold background and red stripes. This makes people wonder about the identity of this old man. He may be an important minister from the previous King of Sand era. He is no longer in charge of the center, but he still has a respected position.
The old man seemed to be dying, his old face was like a piece of bark, crisscrossed with ravines, and his eyelids were drooping, but Fang Plover always felt that the other party would glance in his direction from time to time. But this is normal, and now it seems
Everyone would cast a glance in his direction - that gaze contained curiosity and surprise.
It's just that the old man's eyes seem to be different.
The other man was also an old man with gray eyebrows, but he was younger. He held a cane in his hand and was wearing a black and gray robe. There were some patterns on the robe that he could not understand - this man had a sinister look on his face.
Looking at himself, without concealing the murderous intent in his eyes. Fang Yu was startled, and still had some doubts in his heart. Where had he offended this person?
And judging from the identity of this person, it seems that he is no lower than the previous old man and Count Nuerman.
However, Ravalli's father is deeply trusted by the King of Sand, which is evident from this. He and two others are the only ones walking in the forefront, and he is still the youngest among them. Many princes are even behind the three,
Not to mention the courtiers, and the concubines behind him, Fang Plover couldn't even see the direction clearly when he looked back.
But at this moment, he finally understood the meaning of Lavalli and the surprised looks from everyone before...
He and Aleph are now behind the King of Sand and in front of all the ministers and princes. From the perspective of the Istanians, what this means is self-evident. Although Fang Plover is from Earth,
But he also understands this - this honor does not mean much to the electors, but to the aboriginal people present, it is not something they can't help but imagine.
Even Fang Yu himself couldn't help but think too much, but his thoughts might be slightly different from others:
Was it a whim of the Sand King, or was it for some other reason that Aleph and he were awarded this honor? What is the meaning behind this? People can’t help but think about it. Of course, he would not think that the Sand King specially let him
Together with Aleph, it's just because of a tower magic furnace.
Everyone slowly moved forward and walked out of the main hall. The moon-white high platform stood under the night sky and stretched to the center of the lake. Fang Plover looked around and couldn't help but secretly sigh at the beauty of the scenery. However, in the darkness, the night wind blew slowly and the temperature suddenly dropped.
Descent - Night above the sea of sand is two extremes from day.
From the high platform here, you can almost overlook half of the palace. There are palm trees, and there are dots of firelight among them, or some attic or side hall. The bright lights in the direction of the outer city are shining together.
Like a street market in the sky, falling into the earthly world, the streets crisscrossing the darkness are like dragons of light, with all their scales and claws, intertwining to depict the atmosphere of Questac's life.
The dark lake below the high platform reflects the ancient starlight, the sky is as deep as a lens, and the desolate crescent moon tells the story of the past years of this sand sea. The lake extends into the distance and is integrated with the dark sand dunes on the horizon.
There was a cold silver glow, and there was silence.
Everyone walked all the way to the end of the high platform.
The courtier brought a chair for Babartan and helped the king sit down.
Only then did Ravali find an opportunity and came to Fang Pliance. She was a little surprised and said to him: "Your Majesty actually let you and Aleph be the first to be blessed?"
"What's the meaning?"
"Let Aleph tell you, why are you asking me?" The count's daughter frowned.
Fang Plover looked in the direction of Aleph. This prince would definitely not be able to leave the King of Sand's side for a while.
Lavalli sighed and then shook her head. "It's about the Star Ceremony," she looked at Fang Plover with cold eyes, "Do you understand?"
Fang Plover was almost stunned for a moment before he came to his senses.
Then he was also surprised and speechless. In this annual celebration, the Star Ceremony is the climax of the celebration - when the Star Ceremony is completed, there will be a celebrant instead of Androma as the spectator.
Perform a blessing. Generally speaking, the first person to be blessed in previous years' ceremonies would only be the King of Sand.
Of course, there are exceptions. Nineteen years ago, the previous Sand King gave this honor to Babartan. Shortly after that, the current Sand King ascended the throne and became the king. In fact, in the past countless years, such things have happened
It is also performed repeatedly, but no matter how it is performed, there will only be one person blessed in the Star Ceremony.
When Fang Yu heard the news, his first reaction was - Babartan planned to pass it on to his eldest son. Of course, he didn't know Aleph was Babartan's first son until not long ago.
But the second reaction made him confused for a moment, because he suddenly remembered that Babartan wanted him to be the first to be blessed together with Aleph.
Although the blessing of the Star Ceremony is just a name, the meaning behind it is not simple at all.
Fang Yu looked at Lavalli's somewhat complicated eyes and suddenly understood.
But of course he would not think that the Sand King was going to pass the throne to him, but it was just a thank you, which was too much anyway. The Sand King Babartan had been in power for nearly twenty years, and as the ruler
The king who has been in Istania for a long time will certainly not be unaware of the consequences of his actions.
What does the other party mean?
Fang Yu immediately understood that he had been pushed to the center of the storm by the King of Sand, but for a while he didn't quite understand the meaning of the other party's move. If it was revenge, it would be too childish. The other party was a dignified King of Sand.
, if you want to retaliate for his behavior in Bein, do you still need to use such methods?
Isn’t this killing eight hundred enemies and injuring one thousand yourself?
He was about to ask again, but Babartan suddenly spoke:
"Aleph, you and your friends come here and stand next to me."
After hearing these words, Fang Yu couldn't help but look back and saw that the eyes of all the courtiers and princes turned red when they looked at him. Of course he understood how much of a favor this move was to the Istanians, but it was a pity that
But he is a chosen one. Such an honor means nothing to him, and he has to bear the trouble that comes with it.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk up - although the "Stargate Declaration" did not say that a king's order really had any effect on the chosen one, but looking at the heavily guarded royal guards around him, Fang Yu felt that if he had normal intelligence
, it is better not to disobey this king in public.
Power does not have to come from legal provisions, as long as it can immediately threaten your life and safety——
Fang Plover walked to the edge of the high platform for the first time.
He saw a long arched staircase that separated the dark lake water and led to the square below. The previous view of this ladder from below was completely different from the feeling of viewing it from a high platform, because Babartan, the King of Sand,
Appeared, the dark crowd in the square - no matter nobles or commoners, all bent down and prostrated on the ground.
Even the chosen tourists followed the local customs, but they only bowed and saluted, forming a unique landscape on the edge of the square. Some people even saw Fang Plover and Aleph. Nobles and commoners did not dare to raise their heads.
But a group of electors had no such scruples, and they even started discussing:
"That's the King of Sand."
"Are those two young men his sons?"
"I don't think it looks like it. One of them is obviously wearing an alchemist's robe."
"Yes, he won't be the chosen one, right?"
"Are you kidding? Why did the Chosen One appear there?"
Naturally, Fang Yu couldn't hear these discussions.
However, he knew that if there had not been a problem with the communication system this year, this scene would have been photographed by many people and spread to the community. This was the case for every celebration in previous years. However, this year's unexpected incident made him
He breathed a sigh of relief. There were already a lot of things that were worrying him right now, and he didn't want to add one more thing.
But looking at the crowds of people prostrate in the square, Fang Yu inevitably felt a kind of shock in his heart - although he had no feeling for power itself, seeing this scene, he still more or less understood the power of the past dynasties.
Kings, why are you so keen on that cold throne?
And Istania, to put it bluntly, is just a corner of the Kaolin continent.
A celebration in this small kingdom is enough to shock people.
As if aware of his thoughts at the moment, the Sand King turned his head and asked:
"How about it?"
"What's going on?" Fang Yu asked unexpectedly.
"What's the view like?"
Fang Yu was stunned for a moment - thinking about why this king's questions were so confusing.
But the flickering light of Questac in the darkness was reflected in the depths of his dark eyes, like a ray of candlelight, illuminating the sea of sand. The answer to this question seemed to emerge naturally from his heart,
He pondered for a moment and blurted out: "It's beautiful."
This time it was Babar's turn to be stunned.
But the King of Sand couldn't help but laugh after being startled: "That's it? Are there any others?"
Fang Yu shook his head.
Babartan glanced back at him, then withdrew his gaze, and replied slowly: "...It is indeed beautiful. This sand sea is the hometown of the Istanians... We call it the Silver Sand Sea.
, our ancestors have already set foot on every inch of this sand sea and took root in its vastness."
"There are more fertile lands to the north and south of this sea of sand. But our souls have long been connected with this ancient land. We were born here and our souls return here. But in the eyes of the world
The desolate and barren land has a very special meaning in our eyes. It is not only a superficial beauty, but also a poetic beauty."
"The poem is in the distance, also under the feet, above the lonely moon, and also in the gravel."
The King of Sand slowly spoke an ancient Istanian maxim.
Fang Yu didn't expect that the King of Sand would say such words to him. For a moment, he couldn't understand what the other party meant.
But when he listened to these words and looked at the land, he felt a little distracted for a moment...
The beauty he mentioned is actually not the case. It is not only on this sleeping sand dune, nor in the moonlight, nor in the gravel and palm trees, nor in this dark lake. It is the moonlight of thousands of years, shining on
Above this ancient city, beneath the mottled streets, lies the culture and history of Istania.
It was the tragedy of the years, the long poem of history, and these trickling touches were what made the earth completely different. If it was just an empty continent, why would it be worth coming to this place? Every time he spent in Aitalia
Every footprint is intertwined with the profound history of this land, and even becomes its future and history itself.
The poetry of the Istanian is his distant place.
And isn’t such beauty even more moving?
The Sand King looked at the city in the darkness.
Questac, and the sea of sand in the distance, his country.
He said in a long voice:
"This is the land guarded by the kings of sand for generations."
“Some of them regard it as their private property, some regard it as their homeland that they will protect throughout their lives, some regard it as a treasure, and some regard it as a throne, but no matter what, this land is precious.
.This is the same whether it is for the King of Sand or everyone living on this land——"
"But mortal time will eventually come to an end. When I think about it, one day, Istania may cease to exist and turn into a ruin in the sea of sand. Just like the elves a thousand years ago, and in earlier eras,
Just like that glorious empire. Sometimes I can't help but think that if people can look after this land forever, the Istanians will be immortal from generation to generation, and the fire on this sea of sand will be passed on forever.
that would be nice……"
"Unfortunately, that is something that mortals will never be able to do."
Fang Yu looked at the king with some surprise.
He couldn't help but think of some rumors, but the 'protagonist' in this rumor didn't believe in eternity?
Or should I say, this is just his temporary emotion.
But Babartan changed the topic and said slowly: "To protect with all my strength just because of the things that are cherished in my heart - such a feeling must be a hero - for example, Van Rick's Dragon Alchemist, etc.
Riffen’s savior, Mr. Ed, should be understandable, right?”
Fang Plover was horrified and frightened.
He looked at the King of Sand with an incredible look. On the other side, even Aleph also looked over.
But Babartan's voice was low and did not let others hear. He continued: "Don't be nervous, young man. I don't have any ill intentions in letting you come today, even though I know your identity - Ishtar
After all, Nia is so big that sometimes I am exhausted and unable to manage it well."
"Do you understand this feeling?" The king tilted his head slightly, just as if he was telling the story. "It looks beautiful on the surface, but secretly it is dirty... I was very high-spirited in the early years and thought I could change everything, but in the end
But nothing has changed. Maybe it has changed a little, but it doesn’t mean much.”
"...I am old and plan to pass my position to Aleph. I may no longer be able to see the future of Istania. It is even doubtful whether it will still exist in the future. But no matter what, it is like my father.
Just as the king has entrusted this position to me, I will pass it on, just like the light on the desert continues from generation to generation..."
"The origin of my throne was actually helped by some people in the early years. These people came from all over the world, including the Kaolin people and the Chosen Ones. Istania has been integrated into Kaolin-Ithurion and has become history.
It is inevitable, but many people cannot see this, and they will only bring this kingdom into ruin..."
"Young man, do you understand?"
Fang Plover obviously didn't understand.
He didn't understand the meaning of the Sand King's sudden babble - Babartan might be reminiscing about the past, but there was no need to do it in front of him.
But he had a vague feeling that this king was different from his impression. No matter what Farris said, the fact that the other party colluded with the blind followers still left a negative impression in his mind. But he did not expect that the real
The King of Sand turns out to be like this.
In any case, he was very different from the people he had seen such as wanderers and messengers.
This even made him doubt his own judgment.
He looked at Aleph aside.
The eldest son of the king has obviously not recovered from the previous shock.
Babartan also looked at his son and asked, "Aleph, what do you think?"
Aleph hesitated for a moment, and even though he had all kinds of thoughts in his mind, he said his first thought first: "I will take good care of this land, father."
"The guards are not enough..."
The Sand King shook his head, but didn't say much.
Below the high platform, the light rising from the bonfire in the square is like a morning star. At this moment, it is rising slowly, almost to the level of the high platform. The starlight reflects the high platform transparently, making everyone involuntarily look towards that
Looking in the opposite direction, in Fang Yu's eyes, the bright starlight seemed to be very close at hand.
The King of Sand also looked at this group of light. His eyes looked under the high platform. The ceremony leader had completed the ceremony and walked up the long stairs step by step.
Babartan narrowed his eyes and said, "The time is almost up, Aleph, take your friends to receive the blessing."
Aleph glanced here, was silent for a moment, and then nodded seriously.
But Babartan stopped him again:
"Wait," he turned around and said, "Young man, I will introduce you to a person and ask him to take you to complete the blessing."
Fang Yu was startled, but then he saw the old man in white robe next to Count Nuerman, taking a step forward.