In the southeastern part of the Kaoqi Kingdom, in the city of Chengdaville, the capital of Stryer County, a unique building was completed. This place, known as the "Paradise of Life" by later generations, was originally a hospital built by a little girl with her overflowing love and fantasy about the divine world to house the poor.
However, it is a pity that this place is only used as a hospital. This is not only the view of the volunteers, but also the believers of the Goddess of Life, and even the nobles.
On this land covering an area of nearly thirty acres, there are various rare plants planted. These were originally collected by the wandering goddess believers and handed over to Bertina to open up a medicinal garden. , however, the little girl casually threw this task to her fellow magic apprentices.
According to Enleco's usual work habits, he naturally had to use these medicinal materials for cultivation experiments. Of course, a lot of precious medicinal materials were lost during the experiment, but the final gain was huge. Most medicinal materials originally grew on relatively barren land. The climate in Stryer County is humid and rainy. Although it is not suitable for growing food, many plants grow very luxuriantly. Therefore, after using the magic to accelerate growth, Those medicinal materials are growing quite vigorously, and recently, Enleco, who has some free time, has naturally planted various medicinal materials everywhere.
In fact, most of the plants in nature can be used as medicinal materials. Therefore, the hospital was turned into a large nursery by the imperial envoy. For this reason, Dad and Mr. Principal had to constantly modify the original design. Unexpectedly, the hospital built by accident has a special charm. The environment that is fully harmonious with nature leaves a deep impression on everyone who visits this place. This is especially true for those goddess believers. You must know that the goddess of life is also the goddess of the earth. The teachings of the goddess of life include maintaining harmony and unity with nature. As loyal believers of the goddess of life, those religious fanatics naturally believe that this is a blessed place given to them by the goddess.
Therefore, before the hospital was completed, the goddess believers collectively moved to this blessed land.
Goddess believers who pursue natural harmony spontaneously become the defenders of this "blessed land" in their minds. Protecting flowers, trees, repairing houses, and cleaning up scattered garbage has become one of their Rui affairs.
Under the insistence of these goddess believers, Dad placed the buildings that were originally going to be built on the open spaces in a scattered manner. In this way, a novel and beautiful architectural style was formed. In order to highlight this style, Dad put a lot of effort into redesigning those buildings. Therefore, when the hospital is completed, what people see is not just a group of buildings, but a perfect work of art.
As for that fortress, absolutely no one can see its original appearance now.
Most of the thick and cumbersome fortress walls were demolished and used to build other buildings. Only the wall to the west was left. Dad kept it to separate the civilian area from the aristocratic area. Of course, the wall has already been transformed to fit the surrounding environment. The main building complex of the fortress was dismantled layer by layer, all the brick walls were broken through, and each floor was re-divided into large and small rooms. At the same time, many auxiliary structures were built in accordance with the requirements of the nobles. entertainment facilities.
All the decorations in these rooms are designed according to the most popular styles. The only drawback is that the artwork used to decorate each room is of a very low quality. This is not because Dad lacks funds.
According to the custom prevailing in the Kingdom of Kaoqi, when the hospital was about to be completed, the nobles rushed to donate their collected art works, and many even purchased various art and sculpture works from neighboring counties. This is the most popular fashion in the Kaoqi Kingdom.
However, in Dad's opinion, very few of those works of art can be called valuable. Most of them are flashy things. If used as decoration, they will definitely not have a positive impression on the overall style. To be honest, these so-called works of art can easily remind people of the ridiculous long skirt seen in Duke Haguero's house. It seems that the appreciation level of the nobles in this place has only reached this point.
Among all the works of art, the only ones that caught my dad's eye were the ones donated by the County Sheriff and the Chairman of the Magic Association. In addition, it is really rare that dad can keep it as a decoration.
Therefore, when the hospital was completed, there were really few decorations that could be placed. This was the only regrettable thing. Other than that, everything went smoothly.
Moreover, since the development of the "Holy Water of Life Preparation Device", the hospital's efficiency has also been greatly improved. Originally, the goddess believers dismissed this device, but the presence of more and more patients waiting for treatment forced them to use this thing, which the Kaoqi nobles called "life artifacts."
Another unexpected gain is the appearance of a large number of water magicians. Enleco's magician training program is quite successful. Nearly 20% of the volunteers are already proficient in the use of level 1 water magic. Among them, Xiaoyun and her mother are the most outstanding. They both have quite good magic talents.
However, these water magicians trained in a short period of time are not as good as those noble magicians who have received orthodox magic training.
During the period of following Enleco, all those noble magicians have made great progress. The mastery of magic is becoming increasingly mature, and from Enleco, these magicians have learned a lot of magic knowledge that they originally knew nothing about. Enleco himself is a magician of the fourth department, so under his training, some of the noble magicians gradually mastered magic that did not belong to their own department, which was originally a high-level magician among the upper-level magicians. Those people could possibly do it.
Because of this, Enleco has absolute prestige in the Magic Association, which makes the older magicians with high qualifications deeply angry, but at the same time there is nothing they can do. After all, the gap in strength is the premise that determines everything.
Precisely because Enleco became more and more prestigious in Stryer County, the hospital was able to run smoothly, and even those goddess believers who hated Enleco had to admit this. Of course, there are also some dissonant tunes mixed in with the infinite scenery.
Among them, the series of conflicts between religious believers who found their spiritual sustenance and began to believe in religion are the most conspicuous among these disharmony.
To be honest, those orthodox clergy will never have any disputes with each other, because although the teachings of each god are different, they do not conflict with each other. For example, the teachings of the God of War are also based on cherishing life. , with self-care as the starting point, fighting is just a means to maintain doctrine, not the fundamental purpose. The teachings of the Goddess of Life are different only in the means of spreading and maintaining the teachings, but they are basically the same. Even for a terrifying god like Hades, his existence is also to maintain the effective operation of life and regenerate those aging and lifeless life forms, so that the world always maintains a kind of vitality.
Therefore, loyal believers of Shen Yun's gods will never attack each other, but it is different for half-hearted believers who have a little knowledge of the doctrine and have more than enough faith and enthusiasm. What's more, those believers of the God of War are generally speaking. For those who live a prosperous life and have some property, the God of War's teachings pay great attention to protecting life, property, and home, and can gain the faith of these people.
Most people do not have much property and are often taken care of by believers of the Goddess of Life, so it is natural for them to believe in the Goddess of Life. Those loyal believers who spread the teachings of the Goddess of Life were also quite touched when they saw the teachings of the other two gods being widely spread and popularized rapidly. Therefore, they also relaxed the requirements for believers. In this way, they immediately Got the response from most people.
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While different religious beliefs spread rapidly, disputes and conflicts over doctrines inevitably occurred. Although the teachings of the Goddess of Life emphasize tolerance, ordinary churchgoers are not so strict in abiding by this teaching. What's more, there are many parishioners who hold several faiths at the same time, which is something no religious group would like to see.
Therefore, conflicts between parishioners with different doctrines gradually emerged.
What caused Enleco a headache was that this conflict of beliefs soon spread to other aspects. First, the "Mutual Aid" community was affected by this conflict and split into two groups: "Mutual Aid" and "Mutual Aid". Big camp. Most of the people who join the "mutual aid" societies are craftsmen and small businessmen, while the people who join the "mutual aid" societies are all civilians who have nothing. As the organizer of the "Let's Help Together" society, Xiaoyun has had a really hard time during this time. If it weren't for Enleco and her father's support, she would have been unable to maintain the situation.
What troubled Enleco the most were the poor, the poor who really had nothing. To be fair, the vast majority of these poor people are hardworking and kind-hearted people living at the bottom of society. Most people readily accept the arrangements Enleco makes for them and work very hard. However, there are always people who are lazy and rogue, and these gangsters are even more difficult for Enleco to deal with, because these gangsters think they have nothing to lose, so they are more shameless and despicable than ordinary gangsters. Enleco really has no way to deal with these people.
Of all the problems, what worried Enleco the most was that the nobles gradually reached out to the civilians who had just settled down. First, civil affairs officials promulgated a new land reclamation tax. The promulgation of this decree made Enleco's efforts to find a self-sufficient lifestyle for the poor come to nothing.
Of course, after Enleco threatened to stop the supply of "high-grade holy water", the county governor had to revoke this tax, but Enleco knew that this was not a real solution. Enleco once again felt the powerlessness that once disappeared.
The only thing that makes Enleco happy now is that although the "Holy Water of Life" created with that artifact is equally effective in treating wounds, their effectiveness in restoring aging vitality is far less effective than that created by Bertina. Planting "holy water", and thanks to this, Enleco has the capital to negotiate terms with those nobles. Those nobles are definitely the most concerned about this kind of restoration of illusory youth. Even the county guard cannot withstand the huge pressure of the nobles united.
Whenever Enleco thinks about these helpless problems, the only person he can talk to is Dad Dakto. Only Dad can understand him and provide valuable reference opinions.
However, it is not always possible to find Dad. Now Dad is the busiest person in the entire Chengdaville City. There are a large number of matters waiting for him to deal with every day. Whether it is Bertina, Xiaoyun, or the boss, when encountering a problem, the first thing he thinks of is to find his father to solve the problem.
The most interesting thing is that in the eyes of those goddess believers, church clergy, and even those high-ranking nobles, Dad is far more stable and reliable than Enleco, while Enleco is a blasphemous guy in the eyes of those goddess believers. In the eyes of those in the church, he is a little mage without faith. In the eyes of the nobles, he is a powerful and crazy magician. In the eyes of those noble magicians, he is a wise, profound, and omniscient teacher, but he is not a stable one. Reliable person.
Most people can only say that they are full of awe for Enleco. From this point of view, Enleco is far less successful than Kobe Leo. To be honest, in their group, people's respect for Enleco is not even as high as that of the coachman Kaz. After all, Kaz has the idea of helping others and does a lot of good things for everyone, so he is particularly popular. Well, everyone from the nobles to the poor praised Kaz as a good old man.
As for Dad and Bertina, not to mention, Dad has long replaced Enleco's original position in people's minds, and Bertina is even called a "saint" by the common people.
Whenever I see my father being overwhelmed by a lot of Rui affairs, but with a satisfied expression on his face, whenever I see Bertina surrounded by a large group of believers of various faiths, I see To Bertina's heartfelt smile. Whenever I see Kaz rushing back and forth, people everywhere on the road greet him warmly.
Enleco felt a sense of loneliness, he was not one of them. At this time, he would go to the woods on the west side to rest for a while. That place was the most peaceful and peaceful corner of the hospital. From here, he could see the noisy crowds in the distance and the busy goddess working hard. Believers, see the healed and the sick waiting to be healed.
Through the dense broad leaves and branches, you can see the newly completed semi-garden amphitheater from a distance. This thing is a novel thing that Bertina came up with on a whim. This little girl is obviously very fond of her performance on the Victory Day commemoration day, and has been looking for opportunities to express her acting talent. And those civilians are also very interested in this new and interesting thing. In the Kaoqi Kingdom, apart from listening to the bards singing a few poems that have been handed down from long ago, there was originally no form of entertainment, and the Victory Day performance was originally held just to celebrate that great day. It's just a religious ceremony.
And now, Bertina has actually turned this religious ceremony into a form of entertainment that is loved by the public. This cannot but be said to be an unexpected gain, and the effect of this unexpected gain is extremely significant. , this emerging form of entertainment was not only welcomed by the common people, but also by the nobles. In fact, for nobles, their lives are quite boring. Apart from banquets and dances, they can't find any better way of entertainment. Bertina's spur-of-the-moment invention brought fresh vitality to their boring lives.
Unlike commoners who are busy with life, nobles have plenty of time and leisure. Moreover, many of these people have some artistic talents. The programs arranged and directed by them are far more attractive to the audience than the legends and myths handed down from ancient times.
Of course, as nobles, it is absolutely impossible for them to show up and perform on stage. Therefore, actors must be found among common people. This also adds a means of life for many people. A considerable number of these people are women and children, and this is why Bell Tina didn't expect it. This unexpected harvest made the female magic apprentice apprentice excited for a long time, and the praises of the equally magical "Saint Girl" and the wise "Saint Girl" also followed one after another. All this made Bertina intoxicated for a while.
In Enleco's view, the biggest gain from this incident was not that it solved the livelihood problems of some people, but that it brought the distance between the nobles and the common people closer than ever before. There is now only a low wall called the "VIP box" between the nobles watching the performance and the common people. The distance between the two has never been so close. What's more, Enleco also knew that many nobles who were gradually addicted to performances even secretly went on stage to perform. From the rapid increase in the number of repertoires that required wearing masks, it can be seen that there is really a lot of demand for this. Woolen cloth.
However, only her father supports her in this view. Bertina never thinks so. In her opinion, the nobles are competing for the only fun that common people can enjoy, just like the nobles are starting to compete for the hospital that belongs to the common people. That part is the same.
Enleco disagreed with this. In fact, those nobles were increasingly yearning to live in the civilian area like an elven world.
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When the hospital was first built, the fortress was transformed into a palatial palace complex that met the needs of the nobility, while the vast land that extended to the original slums was used to build civilian areas. Regarding the architectural style of the civilian area, Enleco insisted on being frugal and practical, and resolutely rejected Bertina's request to build the civilian area as magnificent as the aristocratic area. For this reason, Bertina was reluctant for a long time. Willing to deal with Enleco.
And when the construction of the civilian area began, Enleco, because of his hard work, planted various plants everywhere on the vast land, completely ignoring the originally designed architectural pattern. Only when he started building the house did he discover that The land used to build the house on the original drawings was already covered with plants. This gave Dad and the principal a headache and had to modify the drawings at any time. Because of this, there were no rules at all for the buildings built. To the west, they are all scattered in the gaps between dense plant jungles. And this pattern has the unexpected effect of being in perfect harmony with nature. Living in this environment is simply like living in an elven jungle.
Of course, those who love this architectural style the most are the goddess believers. They regard this land as a blessed land given by the goddess, and call themselves the guardians of the blessed land. Every day, they work hard and spontaneously to complete the heavy maintenance work.
The nobles originally dismissed this simple architectural style. The rooms on the side of the magnificent palace near the civilian area were not even popular with the upper-class nobles. For them, looking at those civilians is an eyesore.
With the construction of the theater, the area around the theater gradually became lively, and the nobles who gradually came into contact with the common people soon fell in love with the leisurely and harmonious architectural style. In their view, as long as those low bungalows were , renovate and decorate it, and be in that beautiful environment, it can be called a fairyland on earth. This view gradually became popular among the nobles.
For those goddess believers, this is undoubtedly an infringement on their beloved paradise. Although the goddess's teachings do not allow them to take up arms to defend their paradise, the goddess's teachings do not prohibit them from inciting ordinary people who believe in the goddess to take up arms.
From this point of view, those goddess believers have become enlightened and are no longer the stubborn and fanatical believers. Moreover, there are indeed one or two very smart guys among them. These people gradually began to guide the goddess believers. They gave up their original rigid beliefs and began to vigorously promote the belief in the goddess, attracting a large number of believers who are willing to believe in the goddess of life.
However, although these thoughtful goddess believers can understand Enleco's intentions better than other believers, they are absolutely unswerving in their persistence in the "Blessed Land", so they will never tolerate giving up even a piece of land. Yes, and these guys are much more difficult to deal with than those rigid-minded, stubborn fanatical believers of the goddess. They know how to rely on their benevolent "saints" to deal with this blasphemous person who is more abominable than ordinary nobles. , the outcast of this godless god. And they also know how to incite civilians who believe in the goddess to take up arms to protect this goddess' paradise.
Enleco had a huge headache for these people, but what gave him more headaches than that was that Bertina didn't understand herself more and more. Enleco felt that his companion had changed more and more during this time.
The troublesome little girl who had no sense of responsibility for anything, didn't know how to care about others, and thought about herself in everything, gradually transformed into a mature person full of compassion and eager to help others at the beginning of the journey. Female, but even at that time, her companion still relied on her closely, and in recent times, Bertina has gradually become independent and less likely to listen to her own words, which makes her Enleco was helpless.
While Enleco was immersed in trouble, he felt someone really slowly approaching. Enleco turned his head and looked, and the person walking over was Bertina.
"You are so laid-back," Bertina said.
"Why are you free today?" Enleco asked.
"They insisted that I take a day off. They really...actually I didn't want to take a day off," Bertina said.
"You are a "saint". Of course you need to be protected. They take good care of you." Enleco's words were more or less jealous. After all, the treatment he received was compared with that of his female companion. , that is simply a world of difference.
Bertina obviously heard the sour taste in Enleco's tone. She slowly walked to sit on the grass next to Enleco and said, "I don't want this either. They are really unfair to you." , you did a lot of things, but they all attribute the credit to me."
"..." Enleco was speechless. He was embarrassed to compete with Bertina seriously.
Bertina continued: "Actually, at the beginning, I was really passionate about the feeling of being admired. Since I was a child, I have been envious of the Pope and the archbishops. They are extremely respected by believers. And I, I actually One day, I also have that kind of respect, which really made me intoxicated for a time. ...You must be laughing at me for being naive."
"I don't think so." Enleco quickly defended, although in his heart, he believed it.
"You are the best at understanding others," Bertina said: "However, I am now keen on being with those believers of the Goddess of Life, not because of the feeling of being respected. Of course, being respected still makes me feel quite I’m excited, but I’m even happier to see the happy smiles of those who have been helped by me.”
"To be honest, unlike you, Kate or even Jerry, I don't have any specific goals in my life. Unlike you, I don't bother to work hard to master the essence of magic, and unlike Kate, I don't constantly seek to understand myself. Even Jerry has his own life goal. Although it is just to become a noble, it is indeed a life goal. As for me, I became a magician partly because of my aunt's persuasion, and partly to escape. I originally thought it was extremely difficult to understand God's teachings. I had no goals in life, so there was no effort at all. But all of this changed because of this magic apprentice trial. You probably didn't expect that we are now It’s going to be like this.”
"It's funny to think about it. For the first time in my life, my life goal was to wash a lot of clothes. During those days, hey... don't think about it, but if it wasn't like this, I wouldn't be working so hard. I have to learn a kind of magic. I have always been very lazy. Then, our destiny changed because of our mission. When you faced Mr. Kobe Leo’s forbidden magic in the desert, it was the first time in my life that I fought for someone else. Worry, what happened next made me feel that you were far away from us. You suddenly became so dazzling. Compared with you, I seemed so small. This feeling must have been felt by Kate and Jerry. I also have it. In order to make up for this feeling of loss, I was happy to watch you being embarrassed during that time. To be honest, you were really interesting at that time. It makes me laugh just thinking about it."
Hearing this, Enleco was so angry that he glanced at his female companion.
"Although it's interesting, you really gave me a huge blow. Dressed in women's clothing, you actually look more like a girl, a perfect girl, than me and the princess. This makes me feel a strong sense of failure, and I even doubt it. I'm not even qualified to be a girl." Bertina shook her head and sighed.
"Then, all the other members of the envoy returned to their country, but I was left behind in the Kaoqi Kingdom. To be honest, during those days, I already thought that I had been abandoned by everyone and even the gods I believed in, and When I was selected as your companion and started patrolling Kaoqi, I even thought that I had been completely sacrificed by Her Royal Highness the Princess."
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"But now it seems that all of this is God's arrangement. This trial exam, this trip is all God's arrangement. Enleco, people like you who have no faith in God may not be able to understand."
Hearing what Bertina said, Enleco glanced at her again. He really didn't expect that he was an opponent of the gods even in the eyes of his companions. Bertina didn't think that she was a blasphemous person. She was already very Give yourself face. Thinking of this, Enleco couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Bertina did not notice Enleco's feeling. She continued: "During this journey, I truly found the meaning of life, which originally existed around me, which was once forgotten and abandoned by me. life.
I am still suitable for the work of a clergyman, but I have forgotten my responsibility as a clergyman, which is to bring people closer to God. Bringing God’s blessings to everyone, I never noticed this before. After this trip, I truly found the meaning of my life, the responsibilities of my talents, and my way of life. Although it took a big circle, I returned to the starting point when I started, but this time I will never lose my direction again..." "You may find it quite funny. I can indeed feel the guidance of the God of Wisdom that I believe in. What should the God of Wisdom guide me to do? Sometimes, you can even know clearly what to do. I know what my responsibilities are. "
Enleco stared blankly at his companion. He really didn't expect that this little girl who had caused him a lot of trouble would turn into a person with lofty goals and a strong will. To be honest, Enleco himself has not found the goal of life yet. He is lost in the changes in his status. I don't know how to deal with this strange and confusing change.
For Enleco, his biggest specialty is that he can adapt to the situation in any environment, and even survive in extremely harsh environments like the devil world, but this is just an instinct to seek survival, well Lecco did not elevate it to the level of a life goal. For him, just muddle along, that is the motto he has always believed in. I have never thought about such a lofty goal as seeking the essence of magic. After all, with two precedents, Teacher Chris and Kobe Leo, Enleco knew very well how far-reaching and vast the magical world was. In this magic apprentice trainee exam, it is undeniable that he is the best in terms of magic achievements, but Kate, who also has the code of knights, and Jerry, who has the goal of becoming a noble in life, have to find their own life goals. Compared with Bertina, Enleco still doesn't know what kind of life is more suitable for him.
Enleco felt that he was getting further and further away from his original civilian identity. Although he was full of longing for the original lifestyle, Enleco knew that it was impossible for him to return to his original life. Nowadays, both living habits and values are completely different from those of ordinary people.
However, Enleco also did not think that he could adapt to the aristocratic lifestyle.
Enleco once considered finding a quiet place where no one would disturb him like his teacher Chris, and devoting himself to the study of magic, but that was just a thought, and he was not willing to become like Chris. weird guy. In recent times, Police Officer Enleco has found that in some aspects he is becoming more and more like the creepy character.
Perhaps, it was for this reason that people did not dare to approach her, but Bertina was able to get such a welcome.
Thinking of this, Enleco finally discovered that unknowingly, Bertina had fully grown up, understood her own value and the meaning of life, and had a life path of her own. Maybe this This was her biggest gain from this trial student exam.
Looking back at myself, apart from an increasingly aging heart and an increasingly worldly mind, what is left is a lot of immaturity and confusion about life. In this aspect, I am far inferior to her.
With his new understanding of himself and Bertina, Enleco fell into deep distress, a kind of loss of self. Due to his depression, Enleco didn't even know when Bertina left. Anyway, when he came to his senses, there was no one around, only the stars in the sky and the lights in the distance. Accompany yourself.
The theater was still so beautiful at night. From a distance, Enleco couldn't see clearly what play was being performed. However, from the large number of people watching, it was obvious that tonight's play must be quite attractive to the audience. Of course, Enleco has absolutely no interest in seeing what happens. It is clear that it is a world that does not belong to him.
In the most prosperous place in the distance, it is where the goddess believers live. Bertina is the most popular person there. There, she can find the real joy of life.
For Dad, the meaning of life has long gone beyond life and rest. These simple concepts, for Dad who has reached the dusk of life, only burning himself and lighting up others as much as possible is what he wants. Hope's last life. Enleco is full of respect for his father.
The coachman Kaz doesn’t know where he is now, but he can be sure that he has already entered a sweet dreamland. For Kaz, every day is peaceful and fulfilling. He rises at dawn and rests at sunset. He is so ordinary. , couldn’t be simpler, this is his life. A life that I once had, a life that I have lost.
And Xiaoyun must be at home now, staying with her parents, enjoying the warmth of family. This kind of warm and peaceful life has now become something that is beyond her reach. Enleco felt a little lonely.
In the night, the fortress looked glorious. Enleco looked at this luxurious building and guessed that the nobles inside were either wandering around the ballroom and banquet, or spending time on the card table in the magnificently decorated living room. Or under the careful attention of the maid, the treatment that only superficially inhibits aging is carried out. These nobles spent a lot of money to restore their false youth. It is impossible for Enleco to have a common language with these people.
Chengdaville is completely silent at night, except for the occasional chirping of cicadas. The bright moonlight shines brightly on a broad-leaved jungle. Through the dense canopy, the moonlight falls on the ground. Most of the plants are there. Under the hazy moonlight, they are sleeping sweetly. Only those hazy moonflowers that love to chase the moonlight are absorbing the essence of the moonlight.
Enleco lay on his back on the grass in the dense forest. The cool and gentle wind gently blew through the grass, like the gentle caress of the earth goddess. Because the rainy season has just ended, the wind is still slightly moist, mixed with the fragrance of earth. The two mounds left a soft and dim image under the moonlight.
In this peaceful and quiet place, Enleco fell into a deep sleep.
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The morning dew and the chirping of birds woke Enleco from his sweet sleep, and the sun shone through the dense branches and leaves. Primroses bloomed into gorgeous flowers in the sunshine, and bees and butterflies shuttled among the flowers, looking for their favorite breakfast. On the bright green leaves of flowers, plants and trees, the morning dew that has not completely receded shimmered with golden light under the sunlight.
Enleco climbed up from the grass and breathed in the extremely fresh air in the morning. The refreshing breath brought endless vitality to Enleco. Enleco now finally understands why those believers of the goddess do not live in the comfortable houses specially built for them, but prefer to spend the night in the open air. They have long regarded it as the blessed place of the goddess. There is indeed some truth to what they do. Of course, for Enleco, it is acceptable to do it occasionally. Like those goddess believers who do it every day, he absolutely cannot do it.
Along the hillside, Enleco walked out of the dense forest. He still had many magic experiments to do.
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Enleco, who walked out of the dense forest, immediately discovered that it was completely different from usual. Today, this place seemed particularly quiet. There was no one around. Usually at this time, the believers of the Goddess of Life were already busy cleaning fallen leaves, pruning branches, etc. It was like those bees that shuttled between the flowers, but today, not only was there no one, not even a sound was heard.
This aroused Enleco's curiosity, and he walked along the avenue. But he didn't meet a single figure along the way, and an ominous premonition crept into Enleco's mind.
Sure enough, when Enleco walked to the clinic chaired by Bertina in the center, he saw a dense crowd of people standing outside the clinic. Although these people were crowded together, they did not make a sound. There was an expression of extreme sadness on his face. Seeing all this, Enleco knew that something important must have happened.
Seeing Enleco approaching, the crowd automatically moved aside.
Enleco slowly walked into the clinic. There was not even a sound in a clinic at Nuovo University. The only sound was the gentle sobbing. There was a big bed placed in front of everyone, and an old man was lying quietly on the big bed. That old man was Father Dakto.
Dad was lying peacefully on his bed, as if he could finally take a good rest after a tiring day.
But Enleco knew that his father would never wake up again.
"The thieves attacked the reclamation team outside the city, and dad happened to be there, so..." Bertina whimpered.
Enleco listened silently to every word Bertina said, his mind went blank. Since the beginning of this journey, Dad has become a very important part of them. For Dad, Enleco regards him as both a trustworthy friend and a respectable teacher. In fact, Enleco had thought more than once that after the trip was over, he would invite his father to return to Vedsk with him and buy him a manor. But now everything has become impossible,
Looking at his father's peaceful face, Enleco had a lot of thoughts. No one could be like his father, who gave him clear guidance when he was confused and gave him huge encouragement when he felt powerless. .
No one can give me spiritual and spiritual guidance with that gentle yet firm tone. Enleco knew that he had lost one of his most reliable mentors and friends, and that from now on he would fight alone in this strange land.
Looking at his father's face that seemed to be in a deep sleep, the scenes when he first met him appeared in Enleco's mind, the conversation in the secret room, the unexpected encounter at the beginning of the journey... it all seemed like It all happened yesterday.
The father lying there was so peaceful, without any pain, sorrow or regret. Seeing this expression, Enleco finally understood what his father often said. He didn't want to leave any regrets in the last days of his life. Maybe Dad had a premonition of all this. Maybe Dad never thought about returning to his hometown to retire. What he was looking for was to burn everything he had in the last days of his life.
"Dad, you can finally have a good rest. You have worked hard all your life and you should have a good rest. I think any god will be willing to accept your noble soul." Enleco said softly.
After hearing what Enleco said, Bertina first couldn't help but burst into tears, while the coachman Kaz, who usually got along with her father the most intimately, couldn't help crying either. Although those goddess believers firmly believed in the goddess' teachings that death was just another form of continuation of life, the scene of separation and death, as well as the steady and kind character of their father, made these goddess believers unable to help but show sad expressions. And those people who had been caressed by Dad on weekdays were already crying.
Faced with such a situation, the only thing Enleco could do was to comfort those who were crying, especially his female companion. After all, instead of crying, there were more important things to deal with. But comforting a grieving little girl is no easy task.
In fact, Bertina also knew very well that her father left without any regrets, and the God of Wisdom taught people that death is not only the end of life, but also the beginning of life. But God’s teachings are one thing. How can the sentimental Bertina not be devastated when she can no longer see her kind and kind father
Hearing this cry, Enleco wanted to escape from this place as soon as possible, because he was afraid that he would also be unable to bear it. In fact, he was the one who had the closest relationship with his father and received the most care from his father. It's also him. Among all the people, except for Bertina, only Dad knew his other identity, and the reason why Dad chose to leave the capital Vedsk was precisely because of his own reasons, because of his own secret.
"How did it happen?" In order to divert his attention, Enleco asked the three battle priests standing next to him. Only these battle priests who regard death as the natural destiny of life can remain calm here. The believers of the Military God are much more open-minded about how to view death than the believers of other gods.
"Venerable Daktu went to the reclamation team outside the city for the purpose of reclaiming wasteland. He brought some seeds and tools with him. Originally, there had not been a group of thieves near Chengdaville for many years. Chengdaville There is a powerful knighthood stationed in the city, and although there are one or two wealthy people's villas in the suburbs, the businessmen living there have some connection with the thieves' group. If the thieves' group wants to continue to survive, they must rely on these businessmen. , so they would not be targeted. Therefore, over the years, the bandits have moved to several counties further south. Unexpectedly, a band of thieves would suddenly appear, and the reclamation team was attacked, including Dad. Inside, there were more than 20 casualties, and more than 50 people were taken hostage. The bandits ordered us to hand over 500,000 gold coins to redeem the hostages, otherwise, all the hostages will be executed in three days."
Enleco was deeply worried when he heard that the situation had become so serious. It was not that he couldn't get out half a million gold coins, but Enleco was worried whether the thieves would really let him go after receiving the ransom. And with so many casualties all of a sudden, the families of these people also need comfort from others. This is a top priority. Thinking of this, Enleco said quickly: "Please, three of you, please take care of me here. I have to go to the reclamation team."
"Don't worry, old Mr. Dakto is brave and fearless, and he takes death calmly. Although he is not a soldier, he is actually a model warrior. We have great respect for the old man, regard him as a warrior, and respect him. Your Majesty." One of the battle priests said solemnly.
Hearing this answer, Enleco was finally able to feel relieved. He turned and walked out of the clinic and walked towards the hotel. Behind him was the sound of grief and crying. This cry made Enleco feel extremely sad. He felt sad for losing his mentor and friend. And grieving, grieving for dad’s rough and bumpy life.
Back at the hotel, Enleco asked the waiters to call the carriage. The waiters obviously knew what happened. They also had a sad expression. It can be imagined how high the father's status was in people's minds.
The carriage arrived quickly, and the driver of the carriage was obviously a man who had been favored by his father. His first sentence was not to ask where Enleco was going, but to ask: "Is there anything I can do to help with my father's funeral?" Of?"
"Thank you, go to the reclamation group." Enleco doesn't want to think about anything now, because thinking too much will only make him painful.
The carriage drove out of the city in silence.
The reclamation team was really not close to the city of Daville, and the carriage took more than an hour to reach that place.
Enleco stepped out of the carriage and saw devastation in front of him. The wooden house that was originally built had long been reduced to a pile of ashes. Several packets of seeds piled on one side were charred, and there were a row of more than a dozen corpses lying on the ground. Covered tightly with white cloth. Around the body sat or stood some sad and crying people.
Seeing Enleco approaching, some of them cried and said: "Sir, please save my family, please, sir."
Hearing these words, everyone burst into tears.
"No need to beg him, he is the same person as those big men. If it weren't for him, how could this happen? It was all behind him." Suddenly a person shouted loudly.
"Yes, that's him. It's completely his responsibility. Let him hand over the ransom. We want to redeem our relatives. Ask him for the ransom and see if this despicable little noble is willing to give up the money." Another person Yelled.
"We won't let him leave here unless he pays the ransom. We need the ransom to redeem our relatives." Another person said.