After saying that, Barbartan got up and left his throne.

Only then did Fang Ou realize that the old king stood so tall, even taller than the average Istanian. The Sand King was together, and the chatter in the hall was silenced, but the people still whispered, and turned their guesses and surprises to the two young men in the center of the hall, Fang Yu and Alepf.

As soon as Babaltan left his throne, the two courtiers came up to him with great gratitude, draped their robes on the left and right, tied their cloaks, and straightened the fur on their cloaks. Babaltan was patrolling the hall with a steady gaze, and after a moment, he said in a loud voice, "Let's start the ceremony—"

He walked down the steps, and the courtiers on both sides also hurried out one after another, following behind the king in order.

Fang Yu was about to ask Alepf further what had happened, but Babartan had already come to the two of them, and his deep gaze glanced at his eldest son faintly, and he said succinctly: "Alepf, follow me." Alepf hurriedly lowered his head and stroked his chest, and at the same time turned his head and motioned with his eyes for Fang Yu to follow him.

In this way, Fang Yu had to follow in confusion-

The King of Sand was leading the crowd out of the temple, and Alef stood side by side with him, followed by the ministers and other princes. Even Count Nurman was a step behind them, his daughter beside him, and Ravali was looking at them with an incredulous gaze.

At the same level as Count Nurman, there were two others, one of whom was old and dressed in a white robe, and white had its meaning on this occasion, Count Nurman could only wear a brownish robe, while the woman wore a traditional dress with red stripes on a gold background. This makes one wonder about the identity of this old man, who may have been an important minister in the era of the previous King of Sand, no longer in charge of the center, but still in a respected position.

The old man was in his old age, as if he was about to die, his old face was like a bark, crisscrossed by ravines, and his eyelids drooped, but Fang Yu always felt that the other party would throw a glance in his direction from time to time. But this is normal, and now it seems that everyone will cast a glance in his direction—a gaze that contains curiosity and surprise.

It's just that the old man's gaze doesn't seem to be the same.

The other man, also with white eyebrows, was also an old man, but younger, with a cane in his hand, and wore a black-and-gray robe with some patterns on the robe that he couldn't understand—this man looked at himself with a gloomy expression, and did not hide the murderous intent in his eyes. Fang Yu was stunned, and there were still some doubts in his heart, where did he offend this person?

And looking at the identity of this person, it seems that it is no less than the old man and Count Nurman before.

However, Lavalli's father was trusted by the Sand King, and he was the youngest of them. Many princes were even behind the three of them, not to mention a group of courtiers, and behind a group of concubines, Fang Yu couldn't even see that direction clearly when he looked back.

But at this moment, he finally understood what Lavalli meant by the surprised gaze of the others before......

He and Alepf were now behind the King of the Sands, ahead of all the vassals and princes, and it was self-evident what that meant to the Istanians. Although Fang Yu is an earthling, he also understands this - this honor does not mean much to the elector, but to the aborigines present, they can't help but think about it.

Even Fang Yu himself couldn't help but think about it, but what he thought might be a little different from others:

Was it a whim or something else that led to the award for Alepf and him? What was the meaning behind this, he couldn't help but think a lot, of course he wouldn't think that the King of Sand deliberately let himself and Alepf be with him, just because of a tower magic furnace.

The crowd slowly walked forward and walked out of the main hall. The moon-white platform, standing under the night, stretches out to the center of the lake - the square plover looks around, and can't help but secretly sigh at the beauty of the scenery, but in the darkness the night breeze is coming, and the temperature drops suddenly—the night above the sand sea and the day are two extremes.

From the high platform of this place, you can almost overlook half of the royal palace, where there are forests of palm trees, and the light of the fire that shadows them, or some attic or side hall. The bright lights in the direction of the outer city are lit up, like a street market in the sky, falling into the dust, and the street market in the darkness is like a dragon of light, with scales and claws, staggered to depict the breath of Questak's life.

The dark and dreary lake below the high platform reflects the ancient starlight, the deep firmament like the lens, the desolate crescent moon tells the past years of this sea of sand, the lake has been extended into the distance, and the dark and dunes on the edge of the sky are connected, flashing with a cold silver glow, and there is silence.

The crowd reached the end of the high platform.

The courtier brought a chair for Barbaltan and helped the king to sit down.

It was only then that Lavalli found an opportunity to come to Fang Yu's side and said to him with a little surprise: "Your Majesty actually let you and Alepf be the first to be blessed?" ”

"What do you mean?"

"Let Alepf tell you, what do you ask me for?" The count's daughter frowned.

Fang Yu looked in the direction of Alepf, this prince would definitely not be able to leave the side of the King of Sand for a while.

Lavalli sighed, then shook her head. "It's the Ritual of the Stars," she looked at Fang Yu coldly, "You understand?" ”

Fang Yu almost froze for a moment before he reacted.

Then, too, speechless, the Star Ceremony is the culmination of this annual celebration - when the Star Ceremony is completed, a deacon will bless the viewers on behalf of Andma. Generally speaking, the first person to be blessed during previous rituals would only be the King of Sand.

There were, of course, exceptions, as the previous King of Sand gave the honour to Barbartan nineteen years ago, and shortly thereafter, the current King of Sand ascended the throne. In fact, this kind of thing has happened repeatedly in countless years, but no matter how it happens, there will only be one person who has been blessed in the Star Ceremony.

When Fang Yu heard the news, his first reaction was that Babaltan was going to pass on his eldest son. Of course, it wasn't long ago that he learned that Aleph was Babaltan's first son.

But the second reaction made him a little confused for a while, because he suddenly remembered that Babartan was the first to be blessed with Alepf.

Although the celebratory gift of the Star Ceremony is only a name, the meaning behind it is not simple at all.

Fang Yu looked at Ravali's somewhat complicated eyes, and suddenly understood.

But of course he didn't think that the King of Sand was also going to pass on the throne to himself, but it was just a thank-you, which was too much anyway. The King of Sands, Babartan, reigned for nearly twenty years, and as the king who had ruled the land of Istania for many years, he certainly did not know the consequences of his actions.

What does this mean?

Fang Yu immediately understood that he had been pushed to the center of the storm by this sand king, but for a while he didn't quite understand the meaning of the other party's move. If it is said to be revenge, it is too child's play, if the other party is a dignified sand king, if he wants to take revenge on his actions in Bein, he still needs to use such means?

Isn't this the one who kills eight hundred enemies and injures oneself a thousand?

He was about to open his mouth to ask again, but Babartan suddenly spoke:

"Alef, you and your friends come over and stand by my side."

When Fang Yu heard this, he couldn't help but look back, only to see that the eyes of the courtiers and princes were red. Of course, he understood what a blessing this was for the Istanians, but unfortunately he was a Chosen One, and such an honor meant nothing to him, and he had to bear the trouble that came with it.

But he had no choice but to go up - although the "Stargate Declaration" did not say that a king's order really had any effect on the elector, but looking at the heavily guarded royal guards around him, Fang Yu felt that if he had normal intelligence, it was better not to disobey this king in public.

Power doesn't have to come from the letter of the law, as long as it can immediately threaten your life.

Fang Yu walked to the edge of the high platform for the first time.

He saw a long staircase separating the dark waters of the lake and leading to the square below. The previous view of this ladder from below was completely different from the feeling from the high platform, because of the appearance of Barbartan, the king of sand, the black crowd in the square, whether it was a nobleman or a commoner, all bent down and prostrate on the ground.

Even the electors and tourists follow the local customs, but they only bend their waists to salute, forming a different scenery at the edge of the square. Some people even saw Fang Yu and Alepf, nobles and commoners did not dare to raise their heads, but the Electors had no scruples, and they even discussed:

"That's the King of Sand."

"Those two young men are his sons, aren't they?"

"I don't think so, one of them is wearing an alchemist's robe."

"yes, it can't be the Chosen One, right?"

"What are you kidding, how can the Chosen be there?"

Naturally, Fang Yu couldn't hear these discussions.

However, he knew that if it hadn't been for the communication system problems this year, this scene would definitely have been filmed by a lot of people and spread to the community. This has been the case every year in previous years. However, this year's unexpected events made him breathe a sigh of relief, and there were already a lot of things that made him anxious at the moment, and he didn't want to have one more.

But looking at the crowd of people crawling on the ground in the square, Fang Yu still inevitably felt a shock in his heart - although he had no sense of power itself, seeing this scene, he still more or less understood why the kings of all dynasties were keen on that cold throne.

And Istania, to put it bluntly, is just a corner of the Cowling continent.

A celebration in this small kingdom is enough to give people a shock.

As if sensing his thoughts at the moment, the Sand King tilted his head and asked:

"How?"

"How's that?" Fang Yu asked unexpectedly.

"How's the view?"

Fang Yu was stunned - thinking to himself that this king's question was so clueless.

But the flickering lights of Cuestak in the darkness were reflected in the depths of his dark eyes, like a candlelight, illuminating the sea of sand. The answer to this question seemed to emerge naturally from his heart, and he pondered for a moment, and blurted out: "It's beautiful." ”

This time it was Babal's turn to take a beat.

But the King of Sand couldn't help but smile dumbly after being stunned: "That's it? Anything else? ”

Fang Yu shook his head.

Babaltan glanced back at him, withdrew his gaze, and slowly replied, "...... It is indeed beautiful, and this sea of sand is the homeland of the Istanians...... We call it the Silver Sand Sea, and our ancestors have already set foot on every inch of this sand sea and have taken root and grown on its vastness. ”

"In the north and south of this sea of sand, there is no more fertile land. But our souls have long been associated with this ancient land, we were born here, and our souls are also returned, and the barren land that the world seems barren has a very special meaning in our eyes. It is not just a superficial beauty, but a poetic beauty. ”

"Poetry is in the distance, at the feet, above the lonely moon, and in the sand."

The Lord of Sand slowly uttered an old Istanian proverb.

Fang Yu didn't expect this Sand King to say such a thing to him, and he really couldn't understand what the other party meant for a while.

However, when he listened to these words and looked at the land, his heart was a little fluttering for a while......

The beauty he spoke of was not, not only in the sleeping dunes, nor in the moonlight, nor in the sand and palm trees, nor in the dark and dreary waters. It was a thousand years of moonlight, shining on this ancient city, and beneath the mottled streets, buried the culture and history of Istania.

It is the sad song of the years, the long poem of history, and the touching of these trickles is the place that is very different from the earth. If it's just an empty continent, why is it worth coming to this place? Every footprint he made in Aitalia is intertwined with the deep history of the land, and even its future and history itself.

The poetry of the Istanians is his distance.

And such beauty, isn't it more moving?

The Lord of Sand looked at the city in the darkness.

Cuestak, with the sea of sand in the distance, his homeland.

He said in a long voice:

"This is the land guarded by the kings of the sand."

"Some of them see it as their own property, some as their homeland to protect all their lives, some as treasures, some as thrones, but in any case, the land is precious. This is the same for the Lord of Sand, and for everyone who lives in this land—"

"But mortal time will come to an end, and the thought that one day, Istania may cease to exist, and be reduced to a ruin in a sea of sand. Just like the elves of a thousand years ago, and like the glorious empire of an earlier era. I sometimes wonder if people could look after this land forever, and the Istanians would not die for generations, and the fire above this sea of sand would continue to be passed on......"

"Unfortunately, that's something that mortals can never do."

Fang Yu glanced at this king with some surprise.

He couldn't help but think of some rumors, but the 'hero' in this rumor didn't believe in eternity?

Or is it just a momentary emotion for him.

But Babaltan changed his words and said slowly: "Do your best to protect it, just because of the things in your heart—such a feeling, presumably a hero—such as Van Rick's dragon alchemist, Dorifin's rescuer, Mr. Eddard, should be understandable, right?" ”

Fang Yu was frightened.

He looked at the Sand King with an uncanny gaze, and on the other side, even Alef looked over.

But Babartan's voice was not high and was not heard by others. He continued: "Don't be nervous, young man. I have asked you here today with no malice, even if I know who you are—Istania is so big that I am sometimes exhausted to manage it. ”

"Do you understand that feeling?" The king tilted his head slightly, just as if to speak. "It's beautiful on the surface, but it's filthy underneath...... In my early years, I thought I could change all that, but in the end I couldn't change anything. Maybe it's changed, but it doesn't mean much. ”

“…… I'm old and I'm going to pass on my place to Alep, and I may no longer see the future of Istania, or even the question of whether it still exists. But in any case, just as my father gave me this position, I will pass it on from generation to generation, just as the lamp on the desert will continue from generation to generation......."

"The origin of my throne was actually helped by some people in the early years. These people come from all over the world, there are Korin people and there are also the Chosen One, and the integration of Istania into Kaulin-Ihurian has become a historical necessity, but many people do not see this, they will only bring the kingdom to ruin......"

"Young man, do you understand?"

Fang Yu obviously didn't understand.

He didn't understand what the Lord of the Sand meant, and all of a sudden, babbling on and about—Babaltan might be reminiscing about the past, but he didn't need to be in front of him.

It's just that he faintly feels that this king is not the same as he remembers. No matter what Faris said, the fact that the other party colluded with the blind followers still left a negative impression in his heart. But he didn't expect that the real King of Sand would be like this.

In any case, he was very different from the Wanderers and Couriers he had seen.

It even made him doubt his own judgment.

He looked at Alep to the side.

The eldest son of the king had obviously not recovered from the previous shock.

Babartan also looked at his son and asked, "What do you think, Alef?" ”

Alepf hesitated for a moment, and even though he had all the thoughts in his heart, he said his first thought first: "I will take good care of this land, father." ”

"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 was like a morning star, rising at this moment, almost at the level of the high platform. The starlight made the reflection of the high platform transparent, making everyone involuntarily look in that direction, and in Fang Yuan's eyes, the bright starlight only seemed to be close at hand.

The Sand King also looked at the light, and his gaze looked at the beneath the high platform, where the deacons had completed their ritual and walked up the long staircase.

Babaltan narrowed his eyes and said, "It's almost time, Alepf, and take your friends to receive the blessing." ”

Alepf glanced at this side and was silent for a moment before nodding earnestly.

But Barbartan called him again:

"Wait," he said, "young man, I'll introduce you to someone and let him take you to complete the blessing." ”

Fang Yu was stunned, but saw the white-robed old man beside Count Nurman, who stepped forward at this moment.

……

Wonderful Book House