VIII

Namen Soleyton had a dream.

In his dream, he stood in front of the city's central boulevard, looking out at the building of the United Parliament of the Republic at the end of the boulevard, with the Central Library and the Federal Museum on either side of it. The former Grand Duke's Mansion is now left with only these two annexes, which welcome citizens from all over the Four Republics on pilgrimage every day.

This is the city of crossed destinies, the capital of the republics, Lenny.

This crossroads, which symbolize the four republics, is known as the "Crossroads of Freedom". It is said that if you stand here all day, you will be able to see an old acquaintance in the crowd that you have not seen for many years.

When he actually saw the old acquaintance, he immediately realized that this was not reality.

"Welcome back, hosts. ”

She said this, wearing a long dress of a water-blue maid dress trimmed with bright silver trim, smiled and nodded slightly, and greeted him with a curtsy. Although Anne Sefir, whom he knew, worked as a maid to open a shop for others, she had never worn such a long dress and made such a standard etiquette. She was a girl who was more suited to tight armor than long skirts. And......

"Anne, uh, Lieutenant Sefir. Clothes aside, what's the name of this 'master'?"

She let go of her hand, lowered the hem of her long skirt, and raised her head: "Isn't this a rule when you hired me to come to this shop, master? ”

"My shop?"

"Yes, master, your shop. ”

Naimon turned around and saw the shop. The store of his dreams.

A simple signboard, simple decoration, but a magic shop with a lot of customers. On the stone slab next to the door are engraved the words "Hero of the Freedom War" and "Holder of the Medal of Distinguished Service to the United Parliament". Anne obediently pushed the door open before him, and Naimon walked into the store.

The store had everything he knew of strange magical goods. Guests from the four republics, guests from the Empire, and elves from the Holy Forest all shuttled through the shop, and the female clerks dressed in maid costumes greeted them with hospitality. In the corner, a Murrayman with a yellow turban haggles in the Intre dialect with a strange tone, and two Orientals in a long shirt are looking at an ancient book.

"Is this really my shop?" he couldn't help but ask again, "this shop looks ...... It's worth a lot of money. ”

Anne nodded, "What's wrong with you today, amnesia? Of course it's your shop, master." The war is over. ”

"Well, the so-called Hero of the Freedom War, do you mean me? I don't remember being awarded the Congressional Medal for Distinguished Service. ”

"Of course. You have done a great job, and you deserve it, master. ”

By this time, Naimon had thoroughly confirmed the nature of this dream. Delusional.

None of this will certainly happen in reality. At the same time, he also realized that he had been given a rare opportunity.

The study of dreams by magicians can be traced back to the First Dynasty of Corman. After liquidating the racist misconception of the Elven Empire that "dreams are oracles", the human mages launched a vigorous debate on the truth. Mainstream mages believe that dreams are the embodiment of beliefs. The school of prophecy and the school of reality are in dire opposition, with the former pointing out that dreams must be some kind of topological variation of future fate, while the latter argues that dreams are nothing more than a sum of past memories and experiences. The mages who advocated the theory of static reality argued that dreams are the sum total of all intelligent beings' knowledge of the world. Space magic experts believe that dreams, like heaven and hell, are separate worlds that exist in reality. There are also many theories that were not developed in Namen's time, such as the idea that dreams are a reaction to mother-love complexes or childhood trauma. But everyone agrees that dreams have their own power that is different from reality. There is a lot of magic that comes from dreams, and a lot of ideas are also inspired by dreams.

When you realize that you are in a dream, you can analyze your own dreams, and there are many examples in history of using dreams to improve the level of magic. Naimon has read some papers and journals in this area, but never imagined that he would have the opportunity to be there.

"So, let's find the key points first. Anne is one, and ......"

He looked around, looking for clues. The store's furnishings are "pure gold" style open vendings, and each magic item comes with an instruction manual or his own handwriting. In the corner, there are rattan chairs and tea tables for guests to rest, and oriental teapots made of white porcelain are placed on them, showing the sincerity of the owner's business. He walked over, poured a cup of tea, and looked at it. The tea is full of aroma, and it is the best fermented black tea, containing the rich flavor unique to the Eastern Empire.

This is indeed his dream store. However, he felt as if something was not quite right.

In all dreams, or in dreams, there are things that are not quite right, but it is very difficult for the dreamer to perceive them.

He was meditating when he saw the door open again. When several maids saw the visit, they immediately bowed and saluted.

"You've worked your shopping, sister maître. ”

The woman who walked in handed the satchel to the maid next to her, and as she walked inside, she noticed Anne checking the inventory.

"Ah, Manager Seffir is back. So, has the master come back too?"

The tea in Naimon's mouth squirted out with a "poof". This time I don't have to look for something wrong......

Because the woman who walked in, known as the "foreman sister", was his childhood sweetheart, the current Duchess Danica von Figota. She walked in dressed as a maid and carrying a heavy iron box.

She was dressed differently than the others, a short Figota-style skirt that was more combat-friendly than a long skirt — and of course, sexier, more magical. Soleton knew about the maid army in the Duchy of Figota. When Danika surrendered, her unit caused some disputes, and finally Naimon took into account their individual combat prowess and included the entire unit in the officer corps.

"Dai, Danica, why are you here?"

"That's too much of an outrage, master. The maître d't have time to go shopping, too?" said Danica, tossing the tin box on the table in front of him, "Sometimes they bring back the parcel with them." It seems like a congratulatory gift. ”

"No, that's not the question I'm asking......"

His tongue froze, and the corner of his eye swept to the signature on the packet. Naimon gasped.

It was written "Sid Nasser, Royal Department of Security". Naimon unpacks it, and a card falls out of it.

"I've heard that your shop sells everything and takes any job. If that's your dream, I'll give you this gift to open your store. Sid"

Contrary to convention, the signature is not a seal, but a handwritten signature. Paradoxically, the font looks as neat and emotionless as the standard font in the dictionary.

What does the Minister of Security mean...... Naimon thought about it, but had no clue. He still hadn't figured out what kind of magical items the shop was selling, and he had never thought about it.

The letter, it looked like a mockery.

He took another deep breath and gently opened the heavy black iron box.

There were two bombs in it. The bombs were heavy breakthrough bombs for the Imperial Grenadier, each weighing twelve pounds, with ten pounds of finely sifted refined fire capable of throwing pre-adjusted steel spikes fifty meters away.

As soon as they saw the bomb, the surrounding maids screamed in surprise and fled in all directions. Only Anne and Danika did not escape.

Naimon held his breath. The nails pierced into the flesh and it didn't hurt at all.

"This is it. If there is a test in dreams, it must be this one. ”

Just in the middle of the two bombs was a necklace encrusted with a huge sapphire in the shape of a pear. Unlike the one he'd ever seen, the sapphires on the necklace were mixed with black stains. Black impurities are joined in a line and entrenched like a snake on the surface of the gemstone.

He subconsciously reached for the necklace, but suddenly remembered something and stopped: "Annie, Danica, you should also stay away." I'm going to unpack the bomb. ”

Neither she nor she moved. Since it was a dream, he didn't force it.

"This is my dream," Naymen Soleton said to himself, "it's my dream." Here I can do anything. ”

With a trembling hand, he picked up the black and blue cloudy gem.

"Here is your own dream,"

Self-talk becomes second person. Even if something was wrong, some confusion, he should be able to control it. But the confusion of the dream made him panic.

"This is the future of your own dreams,"

But what kind of future is that? The two incongruous chains on the pendant should be the key. By breaking through this dream mystery, he will be able to obtain even greater magical powers.

"You can do it. ”

Blue and black wings, choose a circuit to cut off.

He made his choice.

Everything calmed down, except for the mechanical impact of the grandfather clock pendulum.

Trample. Trample. Stomp. Stomp and tread.

Why didn't he find out that there were so many alarm clocks in this store as goods?

"What the hell is this shop sell......ing? What the hell do you want to do?"

Is that the right choice? No...... Which color did he choose?

"No, no, it's a dream, I can't confuse—"

Don't want to blink. Don't want to blink. Don't want to blink. He stared at the black and blue Chaos Gem, watching the patterns on it change, merge, and disintegrate.

He finally blinked. Then, the wind blew up, and he closed his eyes in despair.

"I didn't pass the test. ”

When he opened his eyes again, the entire store was reduced to rubble. Accompanied by the screams of customers and clerks, one by one, the magical items exploded in the flames, turning into colorful lights and pungent smells that were powerful enough to sweep away half a block.

All the light sources were blocked behind the slender figure. Anne Sefir's body was immersed in the backlight, and her arms were outstretched, blocking out all threats for Danika and Naimon.

"I said, I'll protect you. Anne's smile was so beautiful that it was hard to imagine the pain that should have been.

An unknown spell gathered on her arm, drawing all the shrapnel and spikes to her. Steel spikes pierced her back and arms, and the sound of brushing could be heard. Blood splattered out and dripped on his face.

"Miss Seffer!"

Naimon took two steps forward against the blood foam. At this moment, I don't know which hidden goods caused the second explosion, and the violent explosion collapsed the entire building. Broken bricks and tiles fell on him, and he fell.

"Annie!!"

The vision was blurred, and everything in front of him seemed very familiar. He felt a pound in his chest, as if someone was sitting on him. The man kicked the rubble off him with swiftness, dragging him out of the rubble like a dead dog.

"Enough is enough. In the smoke of gunfire, Danica's smile was equally dazzling, "I'm sorry, Soleton." It's time for you to wake up. The war is not over yet. ”

Her right hand burned with a cyan glow that pressed straight down on his face.

He'd seen it.

The future is one of emptiness and darkness.

"Hah...... Ha...... Ha ......"

Naymen Soleton gasped violently and sat up sharply.

He remembered it all. Danika and his last scene are not dreams, they are realities that happened not so long ago.

That morning, he chased after Danica, through Jena's teleportation point, back to Lenny.

What awaited him there was a crushing defeat. The soldiers outside the teleportation point were all deceived by Danica, and she actually brought fire and fire sol in those few minutes. Naimon didn't know if there was a credit to the Royal Security Department spies here;

Lennie's teleportation location was reduced to ashes in the storm, and the small building used as shelter collapsed, and the flames swept away all the data on the recording point, and the Naimon that had just been tracked down from the location point was nearly buried inside.

If it weren't for Danica, he would probably have died there.

Danica dragged him out of the rubble, just like in the dream, and then interrupted his consciousness with a stun spell.

And then here he is.

"Where is this? What time is it?"

Soleton muttered to himself, looking out the window.

Outside the window, too, it was dark, with only a few rays of light on the horizon. Brighter than those rays of light were the magic cannon cannonballs that dragged the light. The glow of the magic cannon illuminated the ring city wall in the distance, and the wall was lined with uneven guard towers and small bastions. The city is guarded by five ring walls, and here is Lennie, his hometown.

The war certainly did not end. The familiar sounds of shelling echoed through the sky, and those sounds intertwined like a routine alarm clock every morning.

He could hear the cheerful singing of the six-pounder infantry cannon and the nine-pounder magic cannon, he could make out the gloomy roar of the twenty-four-pounder mountain cannon and the mortar cannon, and he could recall the deafening thunder of the seventy-two-pounder siege cannon. The sound of the Imperial Army's cannons sounded slightly sharper, while the Free Army's cannons sounded more subdued, showing the subtle differences in the cannon-casting techniques of the two sides. He could even hear the characteristic "hissing" of the Imperial Magic Rocket, a weapon that symbolized the Empire's strongest elite troops in Kengler and Jena-Blenheim.

He looked around, and the windows were bright and clean, and the neat white beds and white sheets described the environment. Even in the midst of artillery fire, the sound of hymns can be heard. On the bedside table was his military uniform and calendar.

"Today is August 8th...... I've been in a coma for a day, and luckily, this is Lenny, and it's not too late to set out to chase Danica. She didn't think she could get out of Lenny with a military uniform, did she? How did she get the full set of passwords and passes? No, maybe she'd been caught...... If that's the case, I'll have to figure it out, it's really troublesome. ”

He seemed to be the only patient in the entire ward. A man dressed in a military clergyman's uniform leaned back in a chair by the far door, his head bowed, and he snored slightly.

"Is this the cathedral of the goddess of medicine, Fertila?" asked Naimon, raising his voice slightly.

"Ah, no, it's the Fritira Order of the Headquarters......"

The man yawned and looked up in reply. He then came to his senses, jumped up from his chair like a spring, and put his heels together in a crisp voice: "Uh...... I'm sorry, sir, I'm lazy!"

"It's all right, honorable clergyman...... Hey, hey?"

Before Naimon could finish speaking, the priest had already run into the hallway, and in a panic pushed open another door: "Report to the sir! Captain Soleton is awake!"

"Ahh

"Honor guards, get up!

"Military music! Military music! This scene is going to be broadcast to all Lenny, be in good spirits!"

Naimon listened in amazement as he watched the chaos in the hallway, and probably guessed what they were preparing. Five minutes later, all the voices outside the door fell silent at the same time - and the melodious voice of the trumpet rang out.

A middle-aged man with the rank of major general neatly pushed open the door and walked into the room with military steps, and more honor guards rushed in after him.

"Captain Namen Soleton. ”

"The subordinates are here. Naimon straightened up and held himself to the edge of the bed, trying to stand up. He knew this was not the time to ask, "What's going on."

"You don't have to stand up, hero. The Major General stretched out his hand and pressed him, "I am the commander of the 7th 'Greatsword' National Guard Division, General McCash, the head of defense of Lennie's Central Defense District yesterday. Your heroic performance yesterday saved Lennie's waypoint, saved me, saved my troops, saved the Free Army, saved Lennie, and saved the Republics. Before the formal ceremony begins, let me express my personal gratitude. ”

The major general, though only a major general of the National Guard, bowed respectfully to him, the captain. Naimon tightened the nerves in his face, so as not to let the stunned in his heart be reflected.

What's going on? He has no memory at all. No matter how he recalls, there were only a few minutes of completely defeated battles before he passed out: the blasted Lenny teleportation point, the dilemma of being completely defeated by Danica, and even the helplessness of being rescued by the enemy. In contrast, the illogical dream was a little clearer.

The major general raised his head and waved his hand vigorously: "Military band, play music!"

The sound of the national anthem echoed. The Major General cleared his throat, pulled out a piece of paper, and began to read the words on it.

"We all know that this war for freedom has reached its most critical juncture. In Jena, in Blenheim, we both had brilliant victories. In order to turn the tide of the war, the Emperor's minions have no choice but to attack our great capital, Lennie, with all their might. If they can't take Lenny, then the entire Imperial Army will become history here. ”

A magical officer set up several magical items beside him, preparing to record and transfer the ritual. The uneasiness in Naimon's heart grew heavier: the ceremony seemed too formal. He thought it was just a consolation prize that went through the motions.

"However, we issued an urgent call-up order, and all the free-for-air officers and soldiers on leave, on shifts, in reserve, after ex-service, and even the volunteer militiamen, came to the walls, and they did not have any chance. In such a situation, the emperor's servants can only turn the tide of desperate battles through the most insidious conspiracy, the most daring adventures. ”

While he was unconscious, an emergency call had already been made, and it seemed that Lennie's battle was much more intense than in the previous two months.

"Just yesterday, on the morning of August 7, 1666, a group of filthy and cunning Imperial agents infiltrated our Inner City Teleporter in an attempt to obtain the coordinates and passwords of the Inner City Teleport. They assassinated our guards, captured our waypoints, and obtained the teleportation passwords and coordinates. Just as their plot looks set to succeed, the Imperial Guard will rush through the teleportation circle—"

What did the Major General say? Naimon was sure that Denica would never have gotten the full set of stats for Lennie's location. It's one thing to get to Lenny from a Jergya mobile waypoint with the distance, bearing, and coordinates already adjusted, but it's quite another thing to teleport to Lennie from a location in all of the Empire's domains. The difference in difficulty between the two is as great as the difference between lighting the starting wire of an artillery gun and directing the artillery to hit a moving target three hundred meters away. If the Imperial spies could get their hands on the entire set of location data scattered among the five people, they would have done so long ago, and there would be no need to engage in any insidious intrigues and daring adventures. Being able to blow up Lenny's location is already the limit of the Royal Security Department agents. Espionage is by no means omnipotent.

"Lady Luck is on our side. Our brave heroes, Captain Soleton and his lieutenant passed the waypoint at this critical moment and returned from Jena to Lenny. ”

General McCash continued to read the passage with affection, not forgetting to pause occasionally to whet the appetite of the audience. Naimon tried to tighten his lips, thinking about what he had done. No matter how you recall, the answer seems to be "I didn't do anything".

In the face of the ferocious attack of the Royal Security Department agents, the captain did not lose his composure. He organized the surviving guards, fended off the enemy's frenzied attacks, and collected fires and pyrosols for emergency moments in the middle of the battle. In the brutal battle, the people around him fell one by one, and in the end only he and his lieutenant were left. The captain knew that the time had come. In order to protect the important teleportation location, he ignited the lead of the zha medicine. Everyone knew that this choice was tantamount to suicide, but he chose it anyway. ”

Naimon pinched himself hard. It hurts. If this is not a dream, it is that he has lost his memory. No matter how much I remember, all I remember is the fiasco, the fire, and Danica's friendly but chilling smile. He had never done anything like "blocking the enemy's crazy attacks".

"He succeeded. My troops and I sensed the explosion and rushed over. It was a little late, but we were able to wipe out all the Imperial invaders. But I won't say that we have anything to deserve credit – what we did would not have meant anything without the bloody struggle and sacrifice of Captain Soleton. ”

Major General McCash doesn't look like he's acting, and his touches do seem to be genuine. However, Naimon asked himself, did he really do these things, and when did he do them?

"When we were cleaning up the wreckage of the anchor point, we miraculously found the captain and his lieutenant still alive under the rubble. At that moment, I really felt that the gods were indeed bless us and all the valiant people. In this world, there are always things that make us feel their grace. ”

Looking at the moving expressions of the major general and the soldiers around him, Naimen did not dare to raise objections. The siege of Lenny has reached its most critical moment, and the morale of the defenders is the key among the keys. The Free Army will not allow anyone to question their hero, not even the hero himself.

"The Free Army thank you for your valiant fighting and outstanding performance, Captain. It was your efforts and self-sacrifice that thwarted the Empire's conspiracy and saved Lennie. You've wisely blown up the teleportation circle that has already been leaked, completely eliminating the possibility of further invasion by the Imperial Army through this teleportation location. ”

The Major General rolled up the roll of paper and put it back in the box. Naimon glanced at the box and stood up in fright: there was a large medal in the box.

A medal that is too big to be true. The surface of the pure gold is inlaid with dozens of colorful gemstones, which are connected by a magic circuit of bright silver and purplish tinsel. Could it be-

"In the name of the United Council of Lenny, which is authorized by the Republics, and as the representative of the Free Army-Free Navy established with the permission of the United Council, I present this medal of distinguished service to you, Captain Namen Soleton. ”

Wait, wait, wait—Naimon would love to say that. Things came too quickly, too directly, too flashy, and he didn't know what was wrong. Is it another dream? Medal for Outstanding Contribution? This joke is a bit too big.

That was the highest honor of the Free Army. Four out of every five Badges of Honor for Excellence are given to the dead. With the magic effect attached to it alone, it may not be possible to imitate it with 200,000 gold pounds.

"—I can't accept this ......"

"Stand up straight, Captain!" the Major General snapped, interrupting him, "all of them!"

All the honor guards stood straight.

"Salute to Lennie's Savior!"

A bold song rang out, blocking all of Naimon's words. The sound of the national anthem echoed over Lenny through a loud circle.

"Long live, our free motherland, built on the hands of the people! May the gods bless them with unity and freedom, and may the four-color cross flag fly for a long time!"

The Major General personally hung the medal, which was bigger than a slap, on Namen's chest. In this way, the ceremony is over, and there is no change in the matter.

Naimon gently stroked the surface of the medallion. There's nothing realistic about it. Receiving a medal for something he didn't remember doing was nothing touching to speak of.

"Your heroic deeds have been reported to the entire Free Army. As long as everyone fights as hard as you do, the Emperor will not stand a chance, he is at the end of his life! I am sure that after the war is over, you will get everything you deserve, Captain. Say, what else do you want? Marshal Fox has authorized me to meet any of your requests. ”

I have questions, but you can't answer them, Naimon thought.

"I'd like to ask, my adjutant-"

The Major General nodded: "I was about to tell you too." Lieutenant Anne Seiffel suffered only minor wounds, she had already received the Medal of Freedom and went on leave. By the time the vacation is over, the war will be almost over. ”

This reply was like a lightning bolt, cutting through all the doubts in Naymen Soleton's mind.

All mysteries are solved. He hadn't lost his memory, and it wasn't a dream. He burst out laughing, and the people around him thought he was glad to hear the news that his comrades were safe.

"It is really the greatest luck of my life to have such a shrewd and cunning girl as my companion. ”

The war is coming to an end. Yes.

"So, I want to take a vacation home too, okay? I'm from Lenny. ”

The major general showed the kind of smile that only men understand: "I think that girl is good." Hurry up, Captain. ”

"I will. ”

Let's fight it out.

Captain Naimon Soleton, winner of the Order of Merit, put on his uniform, got his pass, asked for today's password, and walked out of the headquarters of the Free Army in the early hours of the morning.

It's been a long time since he's been home, he thought.

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