After deciding to act on the day of the birthday celebration, Fang Yuan's apparent work stopped, and the whole person became leisurely. The transcription of library materials is basically over, and it is the first time he has taken the time to walk around the city, although in the past two weeks, he has almost run up and down almost every place in the city where people gather, but in the case of different mentalities, the feeling is naturally very different.

Unlike Tansnir, which is organized and has the beauty of a well-organized desert port, the ancient king of Istania is more steeped in history.

The glittering white-gold Rock Mountains of Neminia have guarded the chosen land of the Istanians since a certain time.

Two rivers converge here, alluvial into the land of oases above the dunes, and as early as the division between ignorance and civilization, the people of the desert and the people of the plains set foot on this land, and have also been recognized by the elves of the land after the time of Sinsas.

Together, they participated in the great war of the previous era, and grew stronger after this war, and although they finally had a period of blood and fire between each other, they finally reconciled and shook hands. But after thousands of years of desert separation, Istania still has a different culture from Kaulin.

Even as an outsider, Fang Yu could still clearly perceive this.

He didn't tell anyone else about the two-day experience.

And Prince Alepf was busy with his own business, and perhaps did not notice that he had not been to the royal library for the past two days.

Bishop Faris seems to have really let him go unchecked, and as he says, he does not interfere with any of his actions at all. Although he occasionally mentioned to him about the past, miracles, and teachings of the goddess, it was like a narration of a non-believer who had some interest in Maran, and did not involve much religious content.

Those old stories, Fang Yu has actually heard them a long time ago. Of course, in a professional clergyman, it was very different, enriching many details that he did not know before. But seriously, Fang Yu is just like listening to a story, a piece of history, but in fact, he doesn't have much feeling in his heart.

Maybe there will even be some resistance-

As Faris said, the human heart changes over time, and so do the gods that come out of people's beliefs.

Although he will not stand on the height of history to criticize his predecessors for drinking blood, Fang Yuan will not think that the bloody killings in history are really what kind of laurels.

He even thinks that there may have been more than one goddess of Marland in history, after all, the priesthood of killing was discarded after the War of the Giants and disappeared into the long river of history—and since then, the realm of justice and courage has been gained from the priesthood of war.

What followed was the long Reformation, alternating between the old and the new, and endless struggle. It wasn't until the Protestants came to power that a new goddess was born from the ashes, and thus transformed from the god of war of yesteryear into the just lady of today. The gods of Orin have undergone more or less such a metamorphosis since the last divine war, and it is Attaria itself that has changed more deeply than the change.

The old slave kingdom is gone, replaced by new civilizations indoctrinated by the elves—Kaurin-Ishurian, the Osyria and the Rotao, the civilized civilization and the obscurantist past have been misplaced. Nowadays, only in a few places like Istania can you still see the remnants of the barbarism of the past.

But today's civilization may also be the barbarism of the future, and it is in the process of constant replacement that mortals have progressed, as is the case with Aitalia, and the same is true for the earth. It's just that here, there are some more inexplicable things, and the so-called gods of Orin may be exactly like that.

The sky was already hung with heavy twilight, like a fire, and the purple-red glow pierced the dusk of the desert.

Then the sky faded like a change from light blue to deep blue, fading layer by layer, and dyeing the white gold cliffs of Nemenia with a silvery glow, which reflected the color of this quiet sea of sand, this sea of silver sand.

Under the dark and silent sky, the sky bent and descended the stars that shimmered like diamonds, which seemed to fall between the mortal dust and turned into a brighter light, gathering over the sand dunes like a flowing river, the thousands of lights of the city, which was called Questaq, the Istanian word for 'the land of lights'.

For thousands of years, it has been like a lighthouse and has given rise to the culture of the people of the desert.

Fang Yu stood in the courtyard of the temple, quietly watching the sky change hues until the sky was too deep to speculate on, the stars were dotted, the silver moon rose, and the curved vision was like an unfathomable ancient well—it reminded him of the well of the goddess of fate.

Are the stars in this well the heroes of history?

He suddenly didn't know if it was an offense for him to think of another goddess in the kingdom of Lady Marland.

However, there was silence all around, except for the sound of insects, and it seemed that the fair lady did not seem to care about this level of offense. Fang Yu lowered his head, but he still didn't think clearly about what his relationship with the goddess Marlan was, and the tolerance shown by the Marlan Temple made him a little confused.

Did he really not care about Lady Marlan's deity at all, and that her lady's temple didn't care at all? So what is the significance of such religious beliefs, whether they exist or not?

If the goddess could really see something, what did she want him to do?

Is it true that he, the so-called chosen one, only has benefits and no obligations?

Fang Yu never believed that there was such a good thing in this world.

But he couldn't figure it out, so he didn't want to. After all, he is still himself, and he will never do anything against his own heart, and as for whether Lady Marlan cares about him, the chosen one, whether she cares or not, what does it have to do with him?

With this in mind, Fang Yu was a little more thorough, and he no longer thought nonsense.

He put on his coat and prepared to go out.

The festivities begin after half past nine, and the summer evenings in Estanya fall a little later than in the north.

The exit from the temple in Marlan was on the other side of the courtyard, and after that, through the side nave, past the main hall - passing through the hall, Fang Ou saw Bishop Faris directing several new apprentices to clean the altar, clean the statues, and replace the paintings. When the celebration begins, there will also be a celebration in the temple of Marland, where many believers will come.

Bishop Faris turned around and saw him, and suddenly stopped him, "Mr. Eddard." ”

Fang Yu was stunned, couldn't help but stop, looked at the other party and asked:

"What's wrong, Bishop Farris?"

Faris put down the holy weapon in his hand and slowly placed it on the table beside him—he was also old, and it was no longer time for him to be in the prime of life, three years at the shortest, five years at the longest, and the other party would leave the diocese, and when the time came, Lady Marlan would naturally choose a new Divine Chosen to replace him.

Of course, the goddess will not treat his loyal servants with little kindness, and he still has a long time to pursue his faith until he enters the kingdom of God that he has been seeking for a long time. It's just that at that time, Fang Yu thought that he might have left this world and returned to Earth.

"Mr. Ed is going to the celebration?"

This celebration means a lot to the people of Cuestac.

It is not only the birthday of Barbartan, the king of sand, but also the founding day of the Istanians, in the early years when the name of the Penelope royal family was not right, there was no less publicity about this matter, and the subtext naturally means that the Penelope family inherited the sacred and legitimate authority of Istania.

But for an outsider, for a high-ranking clergyman, these things need not be mentioned.

Fang Yu nodded.

Naturally, he didn't participate in this celebration to watch the excitement, although he also likes to join in the fun, but at this time, how can he be in such a mood? Everything tonight was naturally prepared for that plan, and even put into action, if it was possible. But Bishop Farris, as if sensing this, spoke:

"It's still a while before the celebration begins, how about we talk?"

Fang Yu estimated the time, and then nodded. He had lived in the temple for so long, and room and board were free, and out of courtesy, of course, he was not embarrassed to be impatient.

"Are you still running around these days about Princess Celestia?"

When Fang Yu heard this, he couldn't help but be silent for a moment, but in the end, he still chose to say frankly: "...... It's not all, it's actually more for yourself. ”

He had lived in the temple for a long time, and if the other party had the intention to report it, he might not have left Bein in the first place, and since this was not the case, there was nothing to worry about. He told him about his affairs in Tansnir and the affairs of the Seven Seas Brigade - he was only active in the royal capital to ensure the safety of his own people.

Although these words sounded a little impersonal, because Fang Yu always felt that this bishop was acting towards his own moment, that is, the other party seemed to support him to help the eldest princess.

He even suspected at one point that he was free to enter and leave the Marland Temple because of this.

Perhaps this is what Ms. Marlan is aiming for.

Although he didn't know what it was all about, when the old bishop asked, he chose to confess.

Because sometimes making things clear is good for making things simpler.

He also received the favor of the other party when he left Bein, and of course he didn't want the two sides to stiffen the relationship because of a misunderstanding afterwards. Of course, this is mainly because of the character of the old bishop in front of him - if he were in front of someone like the wanderer, Fang Yu would still run the train with his mouth full.

But he thought that Bishop Faris would at least hesitate or frown, but he didn't expect the old man to look as usual, as if he didn't care.

"Then I think you can rest assured." The other party even reassured him: "This matter is not enough to involve the Chosen One, and your companion should be fine." ”

Fang Yu was stunned for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Perhaps," he replied, "but I can't let it go, and as the head of the regiment, I have to do something." ”

"What's more, as your employer, you think you should have some responsibility for her?" The old man asked.

Fang Yu was stunned again, and he didn't realize the meaning of the other party's words for a while.

"What does the archbishop have to say?" Fang Yu asked.

Farris laughed. "I've been in contact with Mr. Ed for a while, and I can still see clearly what kind of person Mr. Ed is, and as a believer in the goddess, I naturally believe in the qualities of the person chosen by the goddess. And this is a private matter of the Penelope royal family, and the Templars have no intention of intervening, so there is no way to talk about it-"

"So ——?"

"The case of the Princess's attack in the past is well known in Istania, and it is not a secret," Faris said again, "I told you about the Sand King last time, so I don't need to repeat it this time, but since Mr. Eddard is interested in this, how about I tell you about the princess?" ”

Fang Yu gradually calmed down.

He looked at the busy crowd in the hall, seemed to have forgotten the celebration for a while, and asked quietly, "Is there anything strange about that princess?" ”

For a moment, he remembered the notebook that Her Royal Highness had given him.

The notebook he had seen once in his uncle's study when he was very young.

The princess, who has collected such a strange notebook, thinks that there will be some stories on her, and he actually felt this way at that time. It's just that there are too few clues, and of course Her Royal Highness the princess and the princess's family will not let him investigate, so in the end, it will not be done. But at this moment, the archbishop's words suddenly evoked memories in his heart.

"There is something peculiar about that princess."

Farris replied slowly: "This is not a royal secret, these so-called gossip are widely circulated in Questak, some are true and some are false, but some are too absurd to rarely leave this ancient city. But it is true that the biological mother of the eldest princess is not low-born, and has a prominent surname, but she herself is about an outlier among the nobles of Istanya, and in the eyes of the Istanyans, it is not entirely wrong to say that she is deviant-"

"She had traveled to Cowling in her early years, and had met some adventurers, as well as the Chosen One. There were even rumors that she had joined an adventure party - the latter was not very credible, of course, because no matter how deviant she was, she still had to care about her family's opinion. ”

"But it is probably because of such a noble girl that the Penelope family, which is also deviant in the eyes of the world, you must know that in the era when Princess Rupert's grandfather was alive, those high-ranking old princes and nobles did not necessarily look down on this new king."

"There are many stories about the princess and the king of sand, some of which are quite romantic, and it is rumored that the princess's family originally planned to marry her sister to Babaltan, but then the two met because of an unexpected coincidence, and it was not until they fell in love that all the stories that followed."

"However, when the princess was alive, she did have a deep relationship with the King of Sand, and the two had two daughters successively, that is, today's Royal Highness the eldest princess and her younger sister."

Fang Yu couldn't help but think of the two Afifa.

Is that really just a coincidence?

However, he had heard these stories from the eldest princess once, but in the bishop's previous narration, the deviant girl, the aristocratic daughter who yearned for adventure, surprised him a little. But yes, if it weren't for that, how could the other party have such a strange notebook?

But what does it mean that Bishop Faris suddenly talked to himself about this?

He couldn't help but look at the other party, and the old man's gaze was dark but a little deep:

"Ten years ago, the princess died suddenly, and this incident caused an uproar in Istania......"

"Babaltan, the king of sand, took this as an opportunity to uproot several ancient families and establish the authority of the new king......"

"But the blind followers who are directly involved in it have not been completely eradicated...... Mr. Ed, remember when you first came here and I told you about it? ”

Fang Yu was slightly stunned, and immediately recalled that incident.

The art of creation of the elves.

The Secret of Eternal Life.

"Bishop Farris, you mean," he paused slightly, "the Lord of Sand intends to use the Blind Followers to bring about the almost impossible method of resurrecting the dead...... But it's really impossible, not even a 'miracle', it's just a lie......"

“…… On the surface, alchemy does have a bearing on the surface with the eternal secrets pursued by the Blind Followers, especially the creation method of the Numerin Elves, both of which are almost on the same path. ”

"But ......"

Fang Yu himself had studied ancient alchemy, and had also comprehended the use of the art of creation, and he had a deep understanding of this. But he also knows that the two are only superficially similar, but in fact they are diametrically opposed and opposite.

The creation of alchemy is not created out of nothing, but it is just a change in the way of existence of matter in this world, and the ether involved in it is the price that must be paid - the so-called equivalent exchange, no less.

In Aitalia, when one of them dies, the starlight immediately dissipates, and the souls that have existed will return to the original nature of this world. From the endless starlight, we want to reorganize the 'person' that once existed, and the 'life' that has been shaped is really still the original soul?

He was horrified when he heard the news.

But what kind of things the blind followers do is probably not surprising.

And after a few days of calming, there was only a faint sense of absurdity left in his mind, perhaps this is why Babaltan 'cooperated' with those blind followers. It sounded like a reasonable explanation for everything he had seen before, but this kind of 'reasonableness' was even a little ridiculous in Fang Yuan's eyes.

As if he hadn't seen his expression, Faris slowly spoke:

"It's almost an open secret, the mystics want to use the Sand King to return to the center of power, and Nurman is just a fool......"

"But I know that the King of Sand himself should be quite sober and not too deep in this matter, and he is using those people with a glimmer of hope......"

"But when it's time for revenge, he won't be relentless."

Fang Yu looked at the other party: "This is the reason why the temple did not intervene?" ”

"Of course not," Faris replied, "the Templars have been investigating the whereabouts of the Blind Followers, but with the Sand King under their cover, it is difficult to catch them. ”

Fang Yu suddenly reacted: "This is the purpose of the goddess?" ”

However, what he didn't expect was that Faris shook his head: "This is the responsibility of the believers of Marland, how can it be pushed on the heads of others?" ”

Fang Yu paused for a moment: "Then the bishop told me that these are these?" ”

Farris glanced at him, but asked a question that Fang Yu didn't expect: "Mr. Ed, for what purpose did you promise the eldest princess to investigate the matter of the princess?" ”

……

Wonderful Book House