"When my years pass away and my face is gone, will you love me as before?"

"When I have nothing and I am bruised all over my body, will you love me as much as ever?"

"I knew you would, I knew you would......"

As the mournful singing faded into the air, the Insect of Time played with the conch shell containing the song "The Glory of the Season" and asked, "What do you think?" ”

Yelena snorted and asked in disbelief, "Are you asking me?" ”

"Is there anyone else in this room?"

The Worm of Time straightened her monocle - even though she knew it was a doppelganger and not an entity, her hairs stood on end in fright, and she felt more and more sympathy for Zoroaster and Jacob, who had such a top of the same path, and they might have slept with their eyes open.

As if seeing through what she was thinking, the Worm of Time smiled slightly: "Don't be nervous, after all, we have different paths, and I won't eat you—and He told us to get along, didn't he?" ”

But since I was a child, you have always disliked me!

Yelena shouted in her heart, she couldn't say her suffering, she didn't dare to be angry or speak.

In general, the closest people to a child should be both parents, no matter how bad they are, they are also siblings, but for as long as Yelena can remember, the presence that has always been by her side is not Medici as a father, nor a younger sibling, nor a mother who lives only in rumors—but Thoth.

When Yelena was just becoming literate, Thoth would hold her in his arms and read a colourful picture book and tell her the story of the little prince and the fox.

While other aristocratic girls of the same age began to wear corsets, attend etiquette lessons, and walk around with books on their shoulders all day long, Thoth let her go up the trees to pick fruits and go down to the river to fish, but she had to wash her hands frequently afterwards.

While the other girls entered the social world early at the urging of their parents, she wore riding clothes and wore a ponytail to learn martial arts—as long as she said she wanted to learn, Thoth would teach her, but Thoth was not allowed to give up halfway, so teaching her was no less lenient than the etiquette teacher teaching the ladies.

There was a popular joke in the Empire at the time, when a painter saw Thoth carrying Yelena, who was only knee-high, through a meadow with wildflowers, and was so happy that he painted a painting called "The Red Angel on the Frontier".

A nobleman asked, "What kind of place is this?" ”

The painter replied: "This is the outskirts of the imperial capital. ”

"Who is this man?"

"It's the Hidden Sage."

"Who is this kid?" "The eldest daughter of the Red Angel."

The nobleman said angrily: "There is no red angel on this at all, and the name you have chosen is unrealistic!" ”

The painter replied loudly: "Lord Red Angel is in the frontier!" ”

In those years, the frontier of the empire was not peaceful, and there was the shadow of the original witch after several riots, but the military camp was obviously not a suitable place for the little girl to grow up, so Medici threw Yelena, who was still gnawing her fingers, to Thoth, leaving a sentence "Big eyes, this cub is quite fun, I will borrow you for a few years, thank you", and then went out with the "Red of War".

No matter how good Thoth's temper is, he wants to spit out Medici's face with a mouthful of old blood.

"Bastard, let someone help you with the cubs, so you have to use the tone of request!"

"And don't call me big-eyed! Sounds low! ”

But with anger and pet, Yelena grew up healthy and strong under Thoth's care, with only occasional episodes.

For example, when she fills in Sudoku correctly, Thoth rewards her with a few candies, and just as she wants to feast on it, a crow swoops down and takes her favorite green apple flavor in her mouth—something that happened several times, and while Yelena doesn't mind sharing, she wonders why the crow snatches her favorite flavor with unmistakable precision every time.

By the way, the crow has a white circle on its right eye.

For example, on a rainy night when there was a lot of thunder, she was so frightened that she wanted to go to Thoth with a small pillow and a little puppet to ask for sleep, and a housekeeper would suddenly come out and say: "You are already a big child, you should be independent, no one likes to cry because of a little thing." ”

Although she said this with a gentle smile, Yelena could sense the irrefutable meaning, and could only hold back her tears in her eyes and hide in her little bed.

By the way, the housekeeper had a monocle between her right eye socket.

When Medici returned from the frontier, Yelena had no reason to stay any longer, but her relationship with Thoth was not estranged, but she ran to Thoth's side every once in a while, and seven times out of ten she could meet a gentleman who wore monocles and dressed as a wizard.

Whenever she and Thoth had been talking for more than five minutes, and had a tendency to become more and more eager, the gentleman, though not interrupted directly, would have a smiling expression, and a cold light flashed on the lenses that made it feel unpleasant—each time it flashed, Yelena's little heart chuckled, for she had the illusion that she had become a dish, and that the other party was wondering where it would be better to go with the knife.

To sum up, Angel Shi just dislikes her very much.

Yelena was shocked, Yelena was aggrieved, Yelena dug out every detail of getting along with the Angel of Time from her brain and looked at it with a magnifying glass, making sure that she didn't do anything offensive, so she was a little more confused in addition to being wronged.

Forget it, no matter what happened before, since this highness said that he wanted to "get along well", then I answered truthfully.

Thinking so, Yelena replied earnestly: "This song is elegant and mournful, and it is the genre that ladies and ladies will like, but I don't think it will be suitable for the next concert." ”

"Oh, why?"

"Because the concept of 'aging' is too far away for His Majesty the Emperor and the Grand Dukes, and the 'God of Beauty' to be entertained is the ...... who is famous for his eternal appearance."

Yelena smiled sheepishly, "If he had a sensitive mind, I'm afraid he would have thought this song was cursing him, right?" ”

The Insect of Time smiled with the same sneering smile as the main body, "To this extent, it should be described as 'narrow-minded'. ”

After three taps, another song from the conch came out, and the prelude gave people a treacherous feeling, as if a lonely boat was sailing on the sea in the night, and the kraken was eyeing the reef, and the singing part gave people a high-pitched and passionate feeling, as if the sailor was fighting with the wind and waves, and never stopped.

"The Golden Age is coming!"

"I still remember when I was in high spirits, and the future of Iberia was as bright as the sun."

"She sings in a low voice as she sets sail, and the golden age will eventually return!"

Yelena got goosebumps when she heard this, and she asked, "Is there really a city-state, or country, called Iberia?" ”

"According to Him, this country is a fiction."

"But a fictitious name doesn't detract from the grandeur, it's as inspiring as a military song." Yelena said excitedly, "I think this song is very appropriate for His Majesty the Emperor. ”

"But it also doesn't fit into that concert, you think about the first lyrics."

"The golden age will return...... Yelena realized, "that is, the country is not at its peak, its golden age has come to an end." ”

"There is even a taste of struggling." In a meaningful tone, the doppelganger said, "Well, everybody thinks that Solomon's empire should be immortalized. ”

Yelena's face stiffened slightly, and she didn't dare to figure out the meaning of this sentence.

"Actually, these melodies are beautiful enough." She decided to bring the topic to life first, "If it's just for the sake of crossing, you can play pure music, or find a poet to rewrite the lyrics." ”

The Worm of Time was noncommittal, and said to himself, "If all it is to pick out a beautiful melody is enough, why does He want us to understand these unheard of languages?" ”

"This ......"

He rubbed a conch with his fingertips and placed the blessing of the Hidden Sage, giving them a brief glimpse into prehistoric English.

Great, none of them are in Chinese. He snorted imperceptibly, "Don't you want me to learn your native language?"

"Stingy."

"Son."

Amun, who had just exited from the dream of the true Creator, heard a hoarse voice and looked up to see that the hanged man had opened his scarlet one-eye, staring at him without blinking.

"When did you come to your senses?"

"For the eighth time, when you looked through the memories of my trip to China for exchange and study."

The hanged man sighed, "I really didn't know each other at that time, even if you zoomed in on every passerby in my memory fragment, it would be useless." ”

It is generally a shame to be provoked on the spot, but Amasked said without changing his heart: "Maybe you have passed by, but you don't realize it. ”

The upside-down hangman calculated how much difference he was between his birth date and that of the hidden sage, and then said firmly: "At this time, he should be preparing for the college entrance examination in a certain school, and he is overwhelmed by the heavy examination-oriented education, and there will only be test papers, exercise books, teachers, and classmates as far as his eyes can see, and there will not be an Eastern Slav." ”

"And we didn't have the space to travel back and forth in our time."

He added with the rigor of a researcher.

Just as the so-called Zhizi Mo Ruo's father, before Amun spoke again, the upside-down hanged man asked sharply: "What do you want to know about Him?" ”

"His Mother Tongue." Amon straightened his monocle, "I hear you trying to teach each other your native language. ”

It's just that before the young angel could hear it more truthfully, he was snatched away by the dutiful red angel.

"Yes, but the loss of the authority of the 'White Tower' has made me forget that part of my knowledge, so you can't ask for help from me." The Hanged Man paused meaningfully, "And are you really willing to get an answer from me?" I have the impression that you have always been very persistent. ”

The effects of the negative emotions had not yet dissipated, and Amon felt a little irritable.

"He won't teach me anyway, so why should I die with Him?"

"You feel like you're doing useless work?"

Amon recounted what he had seen and heard on the side of the clone, about those conch shells, about those songs that were far away.

"Oh, didn't He say what He used to do?" The hanged man laughed and said, "He was a student who studied English and foreign cultures, and later became a teacher of English, a bridge of cultural communication, and he was willing to share the essence of what he discovered while learning foreign cultures, why do you still feel dissatisfied?" ”

"Or do you think he has a bad taste in music?"

"Not really." Amon pursed his light-colored lips, "I'm just...... I don't understand for a long time why you value humanity so much, why you value human experience so much, obviously human nature causes troubles, and life is always short. ”

The hanged man listened quietly.

"But I later realized that it was 'humanity' that shaped you into what I miss the most...... The most unforgettable look. ”

"I'm glad you understand that." The upside-down hanged man gently covered the young son's broad forehead with a shadow, "But the heart needs to be opened slowly, and understanding is not overnight - perhaps thanks to the way, you will always subconsciously look for shortcuts." ”

Shi Angel pursed his lips, "Is there anything wrong with wanting to solve the problem quickly?" ”

"But all problems related to the 'heart' cannot be rushed and solved overnight."

The hanged man sighed, "Do you know how long it took me to be free, dignified, merciful, and brave...... Are these virtues, which are sung a thousand times in the Psalms, implanted in the hearts of men? ”

"First of all, we must provide a stable and prosperous environment, we had a saying at that time called 'material determines consciousness', only when people are well fed and clothed, people will transition from 'survival' to 'life'."

"The second is to set an example, the weak will be unconsciously influenced by the strong - although in our day it is scoffable to put on the crown of the gods, if the image of the gods is conducive to leading people to the right path, then in the name of the gods I enlighten the spirit, dispel ignorance, incubate virtues, and curb evil deeds."

"But the teachings and precepts need to be consistently fulfilled, otherwise they will become nonsense on paper. The arrogance and slackness of the heyday often set the stage for later depravity and decline, and it was necessary to work as hard as pruning and pruning to keep prosperity and order going. ”

There was a hint of nostalgia in the eyes of the hanged man, "I used to talk to Hidden about these things at that time, and we firmly believed that this would make this world of convergence and separation a better place. ”

But the virtues that had been cultivated so hard did not blossom in the hearts of the three traitors, who swallowed and bitten like wild beasts, obeying the instincts of convergence and separation, as if what the Creator had done was nothing but a joke.

Today, erosion and depravity have long been the norm in the upper echelons of Solomon's Empire.

The witch who spreads the plague can linger in the shadow of her clothes and temples under the protection of her lover.

The Demon Family bribes the local officials to turn a blind eye to the bloody sacrifices.

Parents can send their daughters to the bed of strange men for the sake of the so-called "family righteousness...... His doppelgangers scattered around the corners are clearly visible.

"Father."

He looked at the hideous face of the real Creator, "Do you feel like you've done useless work?" ”

"A philosophical question was once asked: If I am destined to die, why should I try to live? Then I can also quote: if the nature of this world is chaos and madness, why try to establish order and cultivate virtue? ”

"Or you can ask yourself, why do you enjoy the peace and joy you had in the first place, if love will eventually lead to resentment and distress?"

As the human side of the Creator, He inherited the gift of emotions from His past self.

"Why?"

The heart of the Worm of Time shrank slightly, and he didn't want to reveal his surprise, so he lowered his voice very softly.

"Because the essence of human nature is self-torture, we do so much 'useless work'."

So said the victim who hung upside down on the cross.