With one foot off the carriage, Todd looked up at the Liliel signs that could be seen everywhere on the street, and asked the attendant with some confusion: "Why are there signs like this everywhere on this street? Which store is the real one?"
of?"
"Your Majesty, every store you see belongs to Liliel. Almost half of the stores on this street have been rented by Lady Mary."
"Half the street is rented?" Todd was surprised.
"Yes, the Liliel brand has spread to many countries. Whether it is the northern barbarian country, the southern empire, or the eastern holy city, a large number of customers come here every year, riding carriages or carrying ships.
Shopping for clothing.”
Todd shook his head and laughed. Who would have thought that the queen who was in trouble a few years ago could now earn such a huge fortune in Muxi City.
Without prior notice, Todd took the royal attendants and the knights of the guard and found a three-story building in the center of the neighborhood.
This was originally the store where Lilielle started, but it has now been transformed into the brand's office building.
In the lobby on the first floor, a group of young women who were busy checking warehouse receipts and goods suddenly saw many armed men walking in. The timid ones were immediately frightened and screamed.
The accompanying attendant found the store clerk in charge of reception and asked where Lady Mary was.
Before he could get a result from his question, Mary, who was wearing a studio uniform, walked down the stairs, surrounded by shop assistants, and looked at the visitor with confusion.
"Lady Mary, Your Majesty is waiting for you in the gallery of the front hall."
Mary was stunned for a moment, looked down at her clothes where the paint was still wet, and touched her hair that had not yet been taken care of, and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, please wait for ten minutes, no, just five minutes! I need to go up and freshen up.
Fan!"
"Lady Mary, Your Majesty has specifically told me that there is no need to go to a lot of trouble. He only needs to talk to you for a few minutes."
Mary reluctantly agreed to the invitation. She only had time to find a clean handkerchief, wrap up her unmanaged hair, and then followed the attendants out.
The knights guarded the door of the small building tightly, and any visitors who wanted to enter were told to wait outside the door for a while.
Todd, who was walking in the front gallery, stopped in front of a painting called Redemption.
The god in the painting carries a cross that symbolizes human sin, and his body is gradually engulfed by flames, walking step by step towards the depths of hell.
"Your Majesty, Lady Mary is here."
Todd turned around, looked at the woman who seemed to have just walked out of the pile of paint, and said with a smile: "Did I disturb your creation?"
Mary shook her head slightly.
In another world, although they could see each other almost every day, Mary could feel that something in the other person was changing after they met after half a year.
"Are all the paintings here your work?"
"Part of it is, and some of it comes from painters who were influenced by the Renaissance." Mary looked around and said sincerely: "Speaking of which, Your Majesty is the leader of the Renaissance. Most of the inspiration for these paintings
, actually all come from your world."
Todd found a chair and sat down. He was not complacent at all because of the woman's praise: "I am not a leader. Everything you see belongs to this era. Strictly speaking, I can only
Considered a porter."
Mary opened her eyes wide and could only vaguely understand half of these profound words.
Todd looked at Mary's bright face and said softly: "You should have heard about the dinner hosted by the Holy Acropolis envoy."
Mary frowned and finally nodded slightly.
"Do you want to come?"
Mary was startled and asked in an incredible tone: "Are you asking for my consent?"
Todd was a little confused as to why the other party had such a big reaction: "Yes, but there is one thing I must remind you. If you are willing to appear, your identity will only be related to Twilight West City and will have nothing to do with the past...
…”
The original intention of Todd's words was to remind Mary that Duixi City had given her a new life of happiness and independence, and was the only hometown in her life. As for Silver Ring City and Holy Acropolis, they were just her past. In this case
During the dinner, she should keep this in mind and identify herself as a Muxi person.
But Mary misunderstood this sentence...
"Your Majesty, you are an incredible person."
"Unbelievable?"
"You are completely different from those in power I have seen... My father once told me that this world is full of danger and death. Deception, hypocrisy, indifference, and cruelty are the soul that a king should have. But look
In his country, the staff are worried that telling the truth will lead to death.
, so they remained silent; the generals were worried that they would be jealous if they were too powerful, and would rather sit back and watch defeat; the princes were anxious that their father would kill him, so they had to build an army privately and seek power secretly. The entire kingdom, because of the ruthless power and wantonness of the king,
He acted recklessly and fell into endless civil strife..."
Mary walked up to Todd, knelt down quietly on the ground, gently held the other's palm with both hands, tears flashing in her eyes: "The past days, to me, were more like nightmares after falling asleep, and now
For the first time, I feel peaceful and calm around you. As long as you don’t ask me to leave, I am willing to stay by your side..."
The knights of the guard winked at each other, and everyone turned around tacitly, facing the wall, leaving their backs to the two people in the room.
Todd looked at the woman in front of him, then at the knights around him, with a confused look on his face. He thought to himself, something seemed wrong...
"I will attend the banquet tomorrow night on time." Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Mary stood up and said firmly to Todd: "Even if the envoy from the Holy Acropolis brought a personal letter from my father, I will not
Will stay with you!"
Looking at the dozen or so heads poking out from the end of the corridor, some were chirping excitedly, some were so moved that they wiped the corners of their eyes, and alarm bells rang in Todd's mind.
It seems like something is really wrong!
——————————————
The eastern suburbs of Muxi City, the immigration area.
"How long until tomorrow's dinner?"
Gordon, the head of the Holy Acropolis Mission, was lying on the haystack of the shack, looking up at the leaks in the roof, and said weakly.
Knight Harry glanced at the setting sun outside the window and said softly: "There are about 24 hours left..."
The trainee knight Nerge, who was lying next to Harry, pressed his abdomen with his hands and said weakly: "I haven't eaten anything for a day, and my stomach feels like it's on fire!"
"Be patient! Think about it, by this time tomorrow night, we can have a big meal that we will never have the chance to eat again in this life!" Harry turned his body sideways and drew a grilled pattern on the ground with his fingers.
The outline of a chicken, the saliva flowing down the corner of the mouth formed a stream.
The door of the shack was suddenly opened, and two people rushed in. They were shocked by the corpses on the ground.
One of them shouted loudly: "Lord Gordon! Harry, and Nerge! What's wrong with you?! Has an enemy come?!"
Gordon glanced sideways at the door and said softly: "It's Kaponodas and Dizzy, where did you go?"
Kaponodas stared at the three half-dead people on the ground and said hesitantly: "Yesterday, the two of us planned to make some money by performing sword skills at the city gate, but those Muxi people would rather spend twenty bronze stars.
I wouldn’t want to spend a Bronze Star to watch a real sword fight after listening to a drama.”
"Later, we met a fellow from Saint Acropolis in a nearby village. He was willing to take us to a restaurant where we could eat for free and get paid. We thought that we should come back quickly and bring everyone in the group, first
Go fill your stomach... Speaking of which, why are you all lying on the ground in broad daylight?"
Harry snorted twice: "Tomorrow night, King Muxi will hold a grand dinner for the Holy Acropolis envoy. In the past two days, everyone should try not to move around without eating. Tomorrow we will spend a few days with just one meal.
Make up the amount!"
Nerjie pressed his abdomen and shouted loudly: "Tomorrow night, I will eat a whole roasted lamb!"
Team leader Gordon said to everyone: "The key is that we can save the food money for these two days and use it as travel expenses back to the city. So, from now on, you should try to talk less and rest more to save your energy!"
Kaponodas and Dizzy, who had just entered the door, looked at each other, shrugged, and sat down against the corner.
Nerjie, who was lying on the ground, struggled to crawl to the two of them, turned around and glanced at the group leader who had his eyes closed to rest, and whispered to them: "Hey! The one you just mentioned, you can eat for free and get money.
What is going on?"
Kaponodas patted his belly and looked proud: "My fellow countryman told me that there is a group of guys in the city who opened an all-you-can-eat bar in the immigration area, which provides free food."
"Is there such a good thing?!"
"Of course, although the food is just beans fed to horses, unpalatable wheat bran, and similar worthless things. But the key is that the shopkeeper there promises that you can eat as much as you want, and you will be satisfied!"
Kaponoda paused and then said: "However, the shop owner also has conditions. After eating, he must relieve himself in the toilet of the shop before leaving."
Hearing such strange conditions, Nerjie couldn't recover for a long time: "After finishing the meal, you still require the guests to defecate in the restaurant?! What kind of hotel is this?!"
Kaponodas sat up and said, "Listen to what I have to say. After you finish, the shopkeeper will not treat you badly. Everyone can receive three bronze stars."
After taking a look at the sky outside the window, Kaponodas lowered his voice and said to Nerjie: "Since the dinner is tomorrow night, Dizzy and I plan to go there and have something to eat tonight."
"But Lord Gordon has given an order to have dinner together tomorrow..."
Kaponodas put his arms around Nerjie's neck and whispered to him: "You haven't eaten for a day and you are so hungry. If another day comes, do you think you still have the strength to walk? Listen to my advice.
, come with us to have something to eat tonight, so as to satisfy your stomach."
Intense hunger is like a wave, hitting the fragile nerves.
Nerge finally succumbed to his appetite and tightly grasped Kaponodas' hand.