There was nothing superfluous in the empty room. The man's gaze finally rested on the stack of boxes, and took down the picture frame on top, he seemed a little quiet, his bearded chin and the corners of his mouth drooped slightly, and his gaze fell on the photo through the reflection of black-rimmed glasses:

The jubilant teenager in the photo, as he did many years ago, seems to freeze time in that moment, and the image left by ancient technology looks slightly old now. But it's not that long, but seven or eight years ago, it just feels like a century has passed.

The memories of that time are a little blurry-

He gently pulled out the photograph and turned it upside down, with some tiny text written on the back of the photo:

'ZHANG Yu,. D，Flutter_b，Ag，——R。 ’

Looking at each of the names on it, the man's gaze shrank slightly.

Until the sound of urging came from outside. "F, how long do you have left?"

The man put down the photo, and that cynical look appeared on his face again, and he turned back and responded: "Faster than you think." ”

The clean and handsome face appeared outside the door, and smiled slightly:

"As a single dog, it's not good to be so fast."

F also chuckled, looked at the latter and said, "It seems that you are in a good mood, and you have made these old-fashioned jokes, what's the matter, Demon Moon praised you for being a 'good baby' again?" ”

R's brows twitched when he heard this, and he didn't have a good breath to say:

"Speak human words."

F smiled faintly, unfathomable, "You brought this on yourself." ”

"Well, I'm not here to joke with you," R sighed, "How's the preparation?" ”

F shrugged, "Didn't I tell me, it's faster than you think." ”

But R didn't look at him, and looked behind him to the empty wall, which still had a few shelves that should have been filled with all the glory they had received.

But those glories, like the wall so engraved, have long since vanished, and have become things that used to exist only in memory. Even the memory may have faded a little, people may still remember everything after that, but the center of the storm at that time was deliberately downplayed......

He looked back. "But you have to remember that you haven't been there in years, and technology is changing so much that what we knew back then isn't necessarily the most cutting-edge technology anymore. The intensity of the super competition is getting higher and higher, and you should know how good the rising stars are. ”

"But it's still a little worse than me."

R looked at his companion and didn't speak.

"Okay," F shrugged again, "You know, I've always had an eye on the community. You say I'm not doing my job, but I've been doing my job, haven't I? ”

"There is still a gap between what is in the community and what is actually there."

"For some, but have you forgotten that person?" F smiled: "Speaking of which, we are all brought out by him, and you ......"

R couldn't help but remember the man.

But he quickly came to his senses and interrupted, "Well, I see what you mean—I wish us success first, and may the gods of luck favor us." ”

"I remember that you didn't believe in the gods of Aitalia."

"But one has to believe in something once."

F laughed.

"Leave it to me," he pushed his glasses, "I'm afraid some people won't be able to sleep right now." ”

R looked at each other, and it was rare for him not to refute for once.

……

Ye Hua stood on the top of the hill and looked at the corpses scattered all over the place.

The cold moonlight shone on the hill, the surrounding forest had long since disappeared, and he bent down and grabbed a handful of soil on the ground, only to see the soil sand melt at a speed visible to the naked eye in the palm of his hand, and as soon as the wind blew, the sand and gravel passed through his fingertips and disappeared without a trace.

Looking around, the Sand King's guards had already cleaned up the battlefield and left, and he was the only one left here - the night in the desert cooled down quickly, and at this moment, when the night wind blew, it was already slightly cold. The Ranger King let out a light breath, and the water vapor condensed into frost and turned into a faint white mist.

He took a few steps forward, then stopped, turned over one of the corpses, stared fixedly at the black pattern on his neck and shoulders, and said nothing.

Some indescribable feelings linger in my heart.

He paused for a moment, then continued on, repeating the motion, until he had scrutinized each of the hundreds of headless corpses here.

At last he straightened up and stood in the night wind.

Many fragments flashed in my mind for a while.

From the Battle of Byrne thirteen years ago, all the way to later—

He picked up a broken sword from the ground and watched the reflection on the blade reveal his face. After hesitating for a moment, he let go of his hand and threw it away.

The broken blade slashed through a flash of light and fell down the mountain.

Ye Hua clapped his hands, and then slowly walked down the hill.

The young man with the sword had been waiting for him below.

……

After tying the sails, Fang Yu threw away the cable in his hand with some unease, raised his head, and looked at the night sky—the stars in the sky were like countless eyes, but they were silent, only silently watching everything.

After his gaze crossed the lonely sail, he saw that under the dinghy, Ye Hua was carrying a longbow on his back, and Shi Shiran was walking alone.

The Ranger King came under the dinghy and looked up at it before he spoke, "Ed, I have something to say to you." ”

Fang Yu was stunned for a moment and then hurriedly nodded, jumped out of the boat, and clapped his hands, "Great God Ye Hua, what's the matter?" ”

Ye Hua got straight to the point:

"I heard you're planning to go back to Cuestac?"

Fang Yu nodded.

"Go back and save your own people?"

"And ......"

"And to grant the request of the Sand King Barbartan to intervene in this war between the Istanians and the Sand Pirates?"

Fang Yu was slightly stunned, and then he heard the implicit opposition in the other party's words.

He looked at the Ranger King with some bewilderment. Ye Hua looked at him silently, his expression was a little unusually serious.

"Pull your hand, Ed," Ye Hua said slowly, "while it's still too late to pull out." ”

"Wait," Fang Yu was taken aback. Why pull their hands, not to mention that nearly half of the members of the Seven Seas Brigade remained in Cuestac, Sylved was also there, and more importantly, as the Chosen One, how could they watch the Sand Pirates attack a precarious city without helping?

Isn't that what the Stargate Declaration promotes?

He couldn't believe that this could be what the Ranger King in front of him could say, and in his memory, the other party was known for his unruly and fighting spirit, as evidenced by the recent meeting in the South. The resounding 'dissolution order' is still talked about by people today.

"So you want to travel to Cuestac and save the city from the sand pirates...... Ed, do you think that this makes you a hero? ”

Ye Hua looked at him and suddenly asked steadily.

"That's not ...... either"

Fang Yu's face was slightly red, and he said incorrectly.

But who doesn't have a little dream, and who would come here if they didn't pursue the dream of becoming a hero and a knight?

Let alone......

Ye Hua finally smiled, "I understand, in fact, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. ”

"But more than that, it's because of responsibility...... For various reasons, decisions have been made and promises have been made, and they must be fulfilled. And when these things become responsibilities, and you carry them one by one, naturally, you become what people call heroes......"

He couldn't help but think of himself.

When he took over the Southern Alliance from the previous president, how could he have imagined that it would come to this day?

Fang Yuan asked in a daze, "What's wrong with this?" ”

"There's nothing wrong with this," Ye Hua shook his head: "It's just that there are some responsibilities that you can afford right now, but there are some responsibilities that will only crush you." ”

The Ranger King paused for a moment before saying, "Ed, if you want to save someone, I can help you do it." You'd better not show up in Cuestac, because it's only going to get you in endless trouble—"

Fang Yu was completely confused: "Why? ”

This question made Ye Hua silent for a while before he spoke: "Ed, in fact, I don't recommend that you get involved in the contradiction between these two parties so early-"

"The contradiction between the two sides?"

Is the Sand Pirates and the Kingdom of Istania? Or the Blind Followers and the King of Sand?

Or the Descendants of Flor and the Rainbow Alliance?

But he quickly reacted and realized the identity of the other party: "Great God Ye Hua, you mean, between the Super Athletic Alliance and the Free Elector"

Ye Hua bowed his head slightly.

Fang Yu couldn't help but be stunned, he didn't understand too much about the current war between the Istanians and the Sand Pirates, and what was the relationship with the Super Athletic Alliance? However, he felt that the other party meant something, and after thinking for a while, he smiled bitterly: "Great God Ye Hua, did you say that it was a little late." They've been eyeing me for a long time, and I've turned down their offer in Tansnir—"

"'They'?" Ye Hua asked rhetorically: "Does it mean BBK?" ”

Fang Yu also nodded.

Ye Hua pondered for a moment, but said: "I know that you have some minor conflicts with the Super Athletic Alliance, and even you messed up their plan in Van Rik, which made BBK's tens of millions of investments go down the drain." But it's nothing, they will even give you an olive branch - and even if you reject their kindness, they will only use some small tricks to disgust you, which is not what I mean......"

Fang Yu didn't expect the other party to say this, so he couldn't help but quiet down.

Ye Hua continued:

“…… Ed, the conflict between the Free Elector and the Super Athletic Alliance has been going on for a long time, but for both sides, this is actually just a battle within the rules, and even the 'war' between the Southern Alliance and the Super Athletic Alliance at the moment is nothing more than that. And the Super Athletic League itself understands this, because within this rule, they actually have the advantage, so no matter how fierce we are, in the end it is just a means to pull the two sides back to the negotiating table. ”

"The Super Athletic League understands that it will not be possible to eliminate the Free Drafters in a short period of time. Of course, we also understand that there is no possibility of truly overthrowing the 'domination' of the Super Athletic League, so everything we do is really to try to preserve the right of the free electors to survive with the smallest regression......"

He paused.

"I am aware of what you and the Knights of Tapolis are secretly working on, and your thinking is somewhat similar to that of the Loofahs. However, if you just turn into a shadow and try to survive in the cracks, it will only make the living space of the free elect smaller and smaller. Of course, this is an option, but a formal alliance of free electors is just as necessary for its existence, because it means the endorsement of the Stargate Declaration—"

"Because it means that the free elect has a formal identity, not just a state of disgrace."

Ye Hua turned his head to look at him: "Do you think it sounds like a fantasy?" ”

Fang Yu shook his head.

It's simple, because there is more than one voice in this world after all.

On the one hand, governments need the Super Athletic Alliance to maintain their interests after the Star Gate Port, especially as a small and weak country, they do not have the ability to independently develop the Star Gate, and the birth of the Super Athletic Alliance and the signing of the "Star Gate Declaration" are actually equivalent to giving them a free ticket.

But on the other hand, for the sake of their independence, these small countries have to guard against super-competitive leagues, because the essence of any alliance must represent the voice of the rule-makers.

This attitude of both cooperation and prevention is the true meaning of the existence of free electors.

The free elector, because of its natural antagonistic attitude towards the Super Athletic League, is the best point for small countries and weak countries to compete with the Super Athletic League.

China, on the other hand, because of its own particularity, has almost the same stance as the vast number of third world countries in the face of the Anglo-American alliance and the capital groups behind it.

Because Fang Yu knew the position of the military himself, as soon as he heard this, he understood the reason for this.

And Ye Hua was a little surprised to see him understand so quickly, and couldn't help but praise: "Ed, you are smarter than I imagined." ”

But Fang Yu only felt a little annoyed when he heard this.

"What do you mean to be smarter than you think?"

Do you look stupid?

However, the Ranger King apparently did not notice his slip of the tongue and continued: "...... Ed, but what I told you before meant 'within the rules'. Once you step out of that 'rule' and let them perceive the real threat, neither the Super Athletic League itself nor the forces behind it will do anything to deal with you......"

A slight glint flashed in Fang Yu's eyes.

Since working with the military, the status of the Super Athletic League has long since plummeted in his eyes. In his opinion, the Super Athletic Alliance has not been completely defeated at the moment, just because he has not caught the handle of the other party for a while.

And at this moment, when he heard this, he suddenly thought of those 'alchemists' - the other party's bizarre outfits and strange ways of appearing, could it be related to the Super Athletic Alliance?

He looked at the other and asked:

"Great God Ye Hua, do you know anything?"

But Ye Hua only shook his head. "Ed, you should know the origin of the Battle of Byrne thirteen years ago and the Prohibition of Seven."

Fang Yu blinked, thinking to himself why it was about the Battle of Byrne again, how many times he had heard this name. From the head of the Quelod regiment, it seems that everything related to the Chosen One has a source in the shadows, pointing to this war of thirteen years ago.

But what happened at that time, he never knew what happened.

He knew about the great war between the Aborigines, but he didn't know what role the Electors played in it.

Ye Hua looked at his expression, and he roughly understood what he was thinking:

"Back then, there was a great war, and the dragon worshippers behind it made waves, and even affected our world for a time, and it was from that time that people knew the depth of the penetration of dark believers into our world. As a result, the protests were loud and bloody, and finally countries had to amend the regulations of the Stargate Declaration to add Prohibition No. 7—"

"The tourists I see now are also derived from this, in fact, in the final analysis, it is just to further increase the control of the Star Gate."

He looked at Fang Yu silently: "You should have been young at the time, you probably didn't know how much turmoil it caused at that time, and the past you later learned from the community was just the tip of the iceberg." It's fair to say that the Battle of Byrne has completely changed the landscape of today's stargates and beyond, and has reshaped the relationship between the Electors and the Aborigines. ”

And what is behind the tragedy at that time, in exchange for today? Finally, the investigation into the 'Elect' who sparked all of this, the attack on the Imperial legations, remains a mystery to this day. The relevant responsible persons are all gone, and it is only at home that the alliance has triggered a purge from top to bottom, just like what you did in Van Rik not long ago......"

But it was also the same that caused a lot of controversy at the time. On a large scale, the Super Athletic League not only did not suffer any damage, but instead blamed the free electors, and it was from that era that the freedom of the pioneers was hit hard, resulting in the following pattern. ”

"The investigation into the Battle of Byrne has not been interrupted for ten years, especially at home, but it has never yielded any results." Ye Hua looked at him and asked, "Do you know why?" ”

Fang Yu shook his head slightly.

Ye Hua pondered for a moment again before he said: "Because there is a force behind me that has been pressing this matter, I don't know if the military has intervened in the investigation, maybe there is, but it is of little significance, because the resistance from the outside world is too great......"

"It's like three ......"

But when he said this, he suddenly came to his senses, closed his mouth keenly, and looked at Fang Yuan. "All in all, Ed, the most important thing for you right now is to grow your strength. You and Loofah will surely be the banner of the Free Elect in the future, just as we are in this time-"

"But not now, do you know what I mean—"

Fang Yu listened silently.

But what Ye Hua didn't know, he always knew that the military had always intervened in the investigation of the Super Sports League, and even cooperated with him. It's just that he realized that as early as thirteen years ago, the military had been eyeing everything behind it.

But in the past ten years, there has been no progress in the investigation, and he seems to vaguely see the huge shadow behind what the other party described. But is it really such a super competitive league?

It may be an international organization, but it is ultimately only built on the Star Gate.

……

Wonderful Book House