The grand bonfire burned, and melodious bells rang out from the bell tower in the distance. Amidst the fragrance of the death chrysanthemum that filled the city, Saint-Sunil began to be shrouded in a hazy and dreamy smoke, and all over the city The fire seemed to be against the gradually deepening night, creating the brilliance of a city under the starry sky.
This makes people think of the dark age that has become a legend, and the second pioneering that determined the fate of mankind - in the dark and chaotic demonic tide, whether the ancestors have also ignited like today The huge bonfire is like a beacon in the darkness, guiding the compatriots who are lost in the depths of the demonic tide to move closer to themselves?
This may be another hidden meaning behind the necessity of lighting a bonfire on All Souls Day night.
Looking at the flickering firelight in front of him, listening to the ceremonial officer reading the lengthy requiem prayer, Wales Morn remained expressionless and silent. The nominal ruler of Ansu looked like Standing like an outsider in the courtyard in memory of Moen's ancestors, the little sparks rising from the bonfire jumped up and down in front of him, flying into the dark night on the steaming hot wind, gradually blending into the late autumn starry sky. , he could not see the face of Charlie Morn, his distant and unfamiliar blood ancestor.
A gentle sound of footsteps came from behind. The middle-aged crown prince suddenly felt an unreasonable sense of peace and tranquility enveloped his body and mind. He caught a glimpse of something in the air. When the light emerged, he turned his head and saw Veronica Moen in a white dress standing next to her.
On the chest of this holy princess, a small white flower is blooming under the nourishment of the holy light, holy and beautiful.
"Brother, good evening." Veronica said with a calm smile that seemed to never change, bowing slightly.
"Veronica..." Wales Moen looked at his genius sister with some surprise, "Shouldn't you be praying in the cathedral?"
" Today is Remembrance Day, the first Remembrance Day after my father passed away," Veronica said calmly, "The Lord will be forgiving."
This did not sound like an outsider. The "Saint Princess" who was as pious as a textbook could tell it, but Wales Moen knew that her sister had behaved unusually since she was a child. She always had her own ideas and always had countless ingenious reasons. His behavior seemed logical, so he just nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions.
After an embarrassing moment of silence, Wales took the initiative and said: "Duke Victoria came here and she told me something."
"You are about to become the king. ."
Welsh was a little surprised: "How did you know?"
"It's not difficult to guess that the situation is like this, and the Duke Regent has few options, and today happens to be Anling. "It's just right for her to tell you this in front of the ancestors," Veronica said calmly, then bent down slightly, "Brother, congratulations to you. ”
Welsh frowned slightly. This was not what he wanted to hear. He looked into Veronica’s eyes, which had a gentle and trustworthy smile as always. But in his eyes, those eyes were like lifelike fakes carved with precious stones - magnificent, beautiful, but lifeless. It was a look with neither malice nor kindness, which made him couldn't help but turn around awkwardly.
No one seems to have felt the slightest difference in the temperament of this saintly princess. Everyone regards her as a god-given treasure and a symbol of all the beautiful spirits of Ansu, but Wales is maintaining it. When Ronika was very young, she would always feel something strange for no reason when getting along with her sister. Under the pressure of this weirdness, he would try to avoid being alone with Veronica - but today is On All Souls' Day, he had no reason to leave the courtyard early
So he could only stay here and try to change the topic: "I heard about the situation of King ** after the Crusaders went to the battlefield. It's gradually getting better..."
"It's only getting better enough to be able to have a stalemate with the rebels in the east," Veronica replied, "And a large part of the reason for the stalemate is that the weather is getting colder - —Winter operations are unfavorable to both sides. "
"...Yeah, I didn't think of these," Wales smiled self-deprecatingly, "Look, I'm not suitable to be a king, I didn't even think of these. "
"No one is born suitable to be a king, you just left Silver Castle for too long," Veronica said while looking at the bonfire in the courtyard. After a few seconds of pause, She suddenly said something that seemed to have no clue, "...the number of bonfires lit during All Souls Day this year was twice as many as in previous years. "
Welsh was stunned for a moment, and then reacted: "It's probably because of the war. ”
“Dead believers will return to the kingdoms of the gods, while unbelievers will fall into the palace of death. The souls have their own places to go, but people are willing to believe that the departed souls will step on their deathbeds. The petals of the dead chrysanthemum return home to join the living... Brother, do you believe those souls will come back and look at us in the light of the fire? ”
Welsh couldn’t help but look at the fire in the courtyard. Those bright flames were jumping in the night sky. There was actually nothing in the hazy curtain formed by the flames and smoke, but he couldn’t help but think about it. For a moment, the face of Francis II appeared in the shaking curtains. The old king was holding a scepter and looking at him with a calm expression, without any expectation in his eyes.
"I hope. It's good that they can rest in God's kingdom," Wales said, and looked at Veronica beside him, "What about you? As a living saint of the God of Holy Light, can you see our father and ancestors in the firelight? "
Veronica was silent for a moment, then turned and left: "I can't see anything. "
Me too - Wales Morn said in his heart.
Then he raised his head and looked at the smoke rising from the bonfireFloating straight into the night sky, it merged with more smoke at very high and far places. The smoke from countless bonfires merged into a huge smoke cloud, and the stars gradually blurred.
Under the night, a huge bonfire was burning in Pioneer Square, the largest square in Cecil City.
The mechanical clock in the city center chimed eight times, and a huge plastic hand floated over the bonfire, sprinkling the powder mixed with black stone and fire phosphorite into the fire, accompanied by a slight burst of energy. With a bang, the flames of the bonfire suddenly became extremely bright and grand.
The crowd gathered around the fire let out loud cheers, and with the cheers that shook the city, the large Magic Network terminal set up in the square was activated, and a huge holographic projection appeared in the square. above.
At the same time, there are Magic Network terminals located in several other squares in the city, in several surrounding cities, and in every town square along the cross axis of the Principality of Cecil.
On this night, almost everyone gathered around the bonfire, and almost all large bonfires were located in the squares of various towns.
The Cecil people are no longer unfamiliar with this "miracle of magic". They did not make a fuss or dodge in panic. People just raised their heads curiously and looked at the figure that gradually appeared on the projection.
The figure of Gawain Cecil appeared there.
"Good evening, citizens, I am your lord."
The crowd was a little surprised. After some people reacted, they immediately took off their hats and saluted the holographic image in the square, and Some innocent children shouted happily, and some bold children pointed at the holographic image: "Look! Lord!!"
The reckless children were immediately stopped by the adults, and the Lord's voice Then continued to come from the holographic projection:
"Today is All Souls' Day, a day when we commemorate the deceased. The origin of this festival is to commemorate a nobleman, and today, we use it to In memory of our parents and brothers, in memory of our lost relatives and friends...
In Pioneer Square, Betty looked blankly at the big bonfire in front of her. She listened to the lord's voice from the holographic image behind her. came, silently in a daze
"In the early spring of 375, a disaster struck Old Cecil, and countless people left this world on that day..."
< p>The night wind carrying smoke and dust blew up, waking Betty up from her daze. She watched people around her start throwing branches into the fire, and then she also picked up the small branches that had been prepared and took a few steps forward. A little clumsily, she threw the branch into the fire.The small branch was quickly engulfed in flames. The little maid looked at the bright firelight in a daze. In my mind, every pulse of flame seemed to turn into a face.
"Mrs. Hansen...Mrs. Morris...Uncle Taylor..."
Betty whispered. Reciting, reciting the names that she had spent a lot of effort to finally remember., and then suddenly bent down and bowed vigorously - bowed with his signature momentum, as if he was about to throw himself out.
"I survived!"
A figure crossed Betty, it was Rebecca who was also holding a branch in her hand. The heir to the Cecil family also held a branch in her hand. Throwing it into the fire, the flashing firelight reflected on her face. This girl who was always reckless was rarely quiet at this moment. She stood quietly for a while and then said softly: "We survived eight hundred and eighty-eight years." Ten people...Father, I tried my best."
Hetty came to Rebecca at some point: "Everything is going well now, and Rebecca has grown a lot..."
Behind them, Gawain's holographic projection was still floating over the square. His voice shook the air and spread far and wide: "...To all the civilians who unfortunately died, may your souls Rest in peace, to all the fallen soldiers, I salute you... May the dead rest in peace, rest assured that Cecil will continue to move forward, I promise you all...
"To all the living Good night to those who have died and those who have died. ”
The holographic projection in the square gradually disappeared, and people were quiet in solemnity. In the "studio" of the Magic Network Control Center, Gawain stepped off the platform used to collect holographic images. .
Amber came over from the side, the half-elf had a bad smile on his face: "Are you going against the grain again? It's always the common people who come to commemorate the nobles, this is the first time here. A nobleman went to commemorate the common people, and also 'paid tribute'..."
Gawain exhaled slightly: "From now on, at least in Cecil's land, All Souls' Day will be a A thorough and ordinary anniversary... Even scholars who specialize in history will no longer be obsessed with the original origin and meaning of All Souls' Day. "
"So your purpose is really to hope that everyone will stop celebrating your death anniversary with singing and dancing in the future~~"
Gao Wen looked at it quietly and seemed to be quarreling again. Hu Hu took a look and saw something unnatural in the eyes of this half-elf.
He asked: "Don't you have any relatives to commemorate? "
Hubo turned away: "I don't even know the names of my parents. I'm not even sure if they are really dead. Who should I commemorate?" "
"What about your adoptive father? "
Amber didn't say anything until a few seconds later and whispered: "... He was a thief wanted by the nobles. When he died, he was purified by the Holy Light Priest... On the Day of Peace. There is no place for him in the campfire. "
Gawain looked at Amber's profile. He finally knew why this half-elf was so persistently hostile to all Holy Light priests.
"Your adoptive father... committed a crime. What sin? "
"I was just trying to find a book from the church, but I accidentally knocked over the candle enshrined in the church by the local lord. I have already said that he is a bad little thief..."
RoomZhongyi became quiet for a moment. After a moment of silence, Gawain broke the silence: "I can't reverse the purification, but as the ruler of the South, I can pardon your adoptive father. What's his name?"
Amber looked at Gawain in surprise before reacting: "Sari...his name is Sally Randolph..."
Gawain was a little surprised: "Does he have a last name?"
"Well, he has a surname. I asked him, but he didn't say anything... After that, I also investigated many family genealogies in the south, but I couldn't find this surname."
< p>"That's right..." Gawain breathed out, "Maybe it's a vassal of a declining noble. In short, Surrey Randolph is already innocent."A pardon cannot make him die. People cannot come back to life, let alone the souls that have sunk from the bottom of the Kingdom of the Dead. But many times, what people want is not of any practical significance, but just a sense of relief.
Gawain patted Amber's shoulder gently: "Go while the bonfire is still burning."
The next second, the half-elf figure had disappeared in the air.