It was a large rushing river, its meandering body squeezing through the rocky canyon with a majestic trilling sound and a flash of icy flames. Then, at the end of the canyon, it greeted the sun that poured out over the vast land, and its silver chest was brilliantly exposed.

The river flowed and tore as if the waves with silver edges were stirring on the boulders that stood in the water, shattering and drifting, shining in the air with five-colored flecks of light.

In this magnificent movement of flowing water, no one notices the insignificance of it—a brilliant golden yellow sparkles in the swirl of the waves, disappearing from time to time. A large, sturdy fish was wrestling with the flowing water, trying its best against the current, trying to get close to the boulder towering in the water.

On the boulder squatted an eagle, its muscular, graceful body shining jet-black, and at this time, with its curved beak, combing its beautiful wings and the front of its breast, which covered its beautiful feathers.

The eagle had obviously noticed the big fish struggling to swim towards him in the water, but that didn't affect its movements, after all, there was nothing to pay attention to in the life and death of a prey that was entirely in his own mind, was there.

The big fish finally approached the boulder, and while trying to maintain its balance, it stuck its head out of the water and said to the eagle, "Dear eagle, can you do me a favor?"

The eagle paused, but instead of looking at the big fish in the water, he replied with a slight sarcasm: "Let me eat you?" I will be happy to help you with this. Then he continued to comb his feathers.

"If you're willing to help me, you can eat me as a thank you. The fish's voice trembled a little, but there was an inexplicable firmness.

The eagle did not reply, but slowly tended to the last few feathers that did not look very satisfying, and then proudly spread its black wings and flapped them elastically twice. When it was satisfied, the eagle lowered its head and stared at the strange big fish in front of him with its amber black-circled eyes, like a natural king looking down on an ant.

"Tell me, what do you need help with before I eat you?" the eagle's cold voice was mixed with a hint of curiosity.

"I want to see the world outside the river, see the mountains and jungles in the distance, see the bright sun, moon and stars, I want to break free from here, this is my lifelong wish, can you help me?"

"Do you know the cost of being taken to the sky by me?"

"I know, but I'm willing, even if it's in exchange for death for everything I want. ”

"As you wish!"

The eagle swooped down on the big fish, and in an instant, the sharp claws pierced the scale armor of the big fish, and the pain of the tide tore at the soul of the big fish, and then the body was light, and the big fish left the river that had inhabited it all its life with a splash. The eagle waved its wings and flew across the water for a while, and then, like a black lightning bolt, rushed into the clear blue sky.

The wish of the big fish came true, and it saw the jungle stretching out into the distance in the dense verdant, the fields undulating in the breeze, the sunset falling into the horizon, and the stars embedded in the sky.

Blood oozed out of the wound and dripped in the sky along the body, the lips of the big fish became weaker and weaker, and the brilliance of life dissipated little by little in its eyes.

"Thank you, respected eagle, thank you......" The big fish had a final sincerity in his faint voice, and finally, in a whisper of satisfaction, life left its body.

The eagle did not reply, but continued to fly, as if it had already looked down on the cause and effect of life and death......

With a suffocating scream, Sirian woke up. The violently undulating chest drove his body to take in a large gulp of air, and the sheets under his body were already wet with cold sweat, and they were wrapped in a difficult way, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Cyrian pressed his hand to his chest, as close to his heart as he could, and he could clearly hear the heart thumping in his chest. And the unreal nightmare seems to have happened to me very well, the life that is gradually fading away in me, the cold that is dying like drowning.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcing himself to relax. Then he sat up, the sting of the wound causing him to frown slightly. It was almost certain that the duel with Soram had caused great trauma to his body, not to mention the blood-colored rune that had struck his chest at the end. In a way, the confusion of the unknown is often more disturbing than the actual enemy.

The charcoal in the stove made a slight "crackling" sound, and orange flames jumped happily on it, and the light of the fire reflected Sirian's shadow on the thick tent. Outside, you can faintly hear the sound of wanton laughter and unrestrained singing and dancing. The war is over, and after a brief period of pain, the living are indeed entitled to celebrate great victories and hard-won survival.

Sirian sighed softly, trying to get up and move. At this time, a middle-aged man dragging a tea tray walked in from outside the tent, about thirty years old, with thick black hair, slightly white skin, a neat mustache, not tall but very straight, and a dark gray shirt was very neatly groomed, without a trace of wrinkles.

His name is Carl Resdor, and he is the senior governor of Cillian, and the Resdo family has been serving the Duke of Junhe for hundreds of years, and it is the seventh generation to pass on to Carl. Loyalty and competence are the proud capital of the Restort family, and of course, the successive Dukes of Junhe have not forgotten to bestow the greatest glory on this loyal family.

"Your Excellency, are you awake, how are your injuries?" said Karl as he placed the tray on his desk, then picked up a cloak and turned to support Sirian, who had just risen.

Cyrion's movements froze, obviously remembering the fallen figure and the words before he died.

"No, it's not that serious. How long did I sleep? Sirian stopped Carl's support with a wave of his hand, took the cloak and draped it over his body, and walked over to the desk. Although the war is over, there is still a lot of work to be done, and the tedious aftermath is even more of a headache than the war itself.

"It's been a while, when you're asleep, Lord Count Tandra has come to visit you twice, do you need me to inform you that you're awake?" Karl lit the torches in the tent and the candlestick on the desk, and soon, the otherwise dimly lit environment suddenly brightened.

Then he expertly pulled out his chair to make Sirian sit more comfortably, and poured a cup of mulled milk wine from the silver pot on the tray. Soon, the rich smell of milk mixed with the smell of honey filled the tent.

A sip of milk wine poured into his stomach, and the rushing heat spread out along his chest, and Sirian's body finally felt a little warmer. "Not for the time being, but I'll write a letter to His Majesty the King, and I'll send it out with the clerk's writing later. He continued, "By the way, get me something to eat first, this feeling of weakness is too uncomfortable. ”

"Yes, sir. Carl smiled and bowed, ready to turn away. Nothing was more important to Carl than the Duke's health.

At this moment, the herald's voice sounded softly outside the tent. "Mr. Karl, there's a letter in Oak City. ”

Karl was stunned for a moment, then walked out of the tent quickly, and when he came back, he had a small black woodpipe in his hand. When he saw the black woodpipe in Carl's hand, Cyrian's expression was more solemn than ever.

Because this black woodpipe is a special means of communication between Sirian and His Royal Highness Prince Eden Konderbach, the current crown prince of the Kingdom of Orem, it can only be used in the most urgent occasions. Unlike ordinary letters, this secret letter even used extremely precious carrier pigeons to deliver it.

Karl placed the woodpole on his desk and quietly stepped out.

Sirian carefully inspected the seal of the woodpipe, and after confirming that it was correct, he picked out the fire paint. With a slight knock, a rolled note fell on his hand, and when he unfolded it, he found that there was not a word on it, and his brow furrowed even tighter.

Sirian took out a green potion from the drawer and carefully dripped it on the note, and soon, a set of four motifs appeared in the center of the note, which was the elemental emblem that symbolized Gafrel, the god of wisdom. He was slightly stunned, then picked up the note and handed it to the candlestick on the desk.

Purple flames enveloped the note, quickly burning it to ashes, and the twisted smoke in the air formed a clear series of unexplained numbers, and it didn't take long for the smoke to disappear.

This is the unique secret pattern letter paper of the Elemental City of Santhran, which is used to convey the most important messages, and many times, even if you have money, you may not be able to get even one, let alone actually use it to write letters.

Cilian silently wrote down the string of numbers, took out the codebook agreed with His Highness Aiden, and compared it page by page. Soon, a line of text was clearly displayed in front of Sirian's eyes.

But just as Sirian fixed his gaze on this line of writing, the Duke of Junhe suddenly stood up, and even knocked over the wine glass on the table.

His body trembled slightly, his muscles tightened together, the gauze used to wrap the wound oozed a blinding red, and his blood-paled face turned pale in the shaking firelight. Unconsciously, a mist rose in his eyes, and tears flowed uncontrollably, running down his cheeks and dripping onto the paper on which the lines were written.

Sirian had long forgotten the last time he had been so sad, and even when his second son died in infancy, he persevered, not shedding a single tear.

And it was such a note from Oak City that announced to him a heartbreaking fact: the monarch of the Kingdom of Orem, His Majesty King Mahes Kanderbach, whom he loved most and whom he regarded as his father, had died.