One, two, three, four...... XXIII, XXIV.

Stepping up the last steps, Earl Charles pulled out his pocket watch and shook his head.

"I arrived a few minutes early!"

He looked up, and the church in the morning light was covered with a faint glow.

......

The ancient Saint-Sorli Church, the totem of Esso, has been standing here since then.

Legend has it that Holder, the god of darkness, punished King Esso by ordering the Dark Knight to burn down the church.

When the fire was burning, the bell of St. Soli rang out of itself, and a great river descended from the sky to extinguish the fire, and then headed north to the Dark Temple.

Since then, the god of darkness has disappeared, and the so-called damnation has been dissolved.

No one understands, is it...... Is there a sky outside the sky?

......

The Count never believed in this, but he still had great reverence for Saint-Saoli. Because he believes that outstanding works must have spirituality in order to win the heavens and the earth.

Claiming to know everything, he never understood why such a simple structure was incomparably accurate.

Maybe it's a thirst for knowledge, maybe it's a fascination for the people who built it, and I can't help but come here at six o'clock every morning.

This habit has been maintained for several years, and the error has never exceeded a minute. In fact, unless there are special circumstances on the road, the error is even calculated in seconds.

No one or nothing in this country could change his pace, including his quasi-brother-in-law, King Sith III.

It's strange that the smartest woman in the kingdom has such a stupid brother. As the head of a country, he hardly does anything serious, with a small banquet for three days and a big banquet for five days.

......

The Count looked up at the Saint-Solly clock, and after a moment's reckoning, he took out his pocket watch...... Close your eyes and wait for the bell to ring at six o'clock.

After five seconds, the expected bell was not heard.

...... Is my table wrong? or ......

Twenty-four seconds later, the bell rang.

The Count was punctual and paranoid and could never be wrong with his watch, the country's most accurate timekeeping tools, and if he had chosen, he would rather trust his pocket watch.

However, the clock of Saint-Soli represents the national time...... Could it be wrong?

This is something that seems innocuous to ordinary people, but it is simply unbearable for the Count.

As the first wise man in this country, how can you allow standard time to go wrong?

"Looks like we're going to have a good talk with that cardinal who is stupider than the king!"

......

On the way home, he would pass by a bazaar, which the Count often walked around when he returned, and he liked to chat with these commoners as a way to get a sense of the reality of the country.

He knew deep down that the country would only have strength if the common people felt happy.

Looking at the smiling faces of the people in the bazaar, the Earl's mood gradually improved.

The bazaar was not full of commoners, but there were also some declining aristocrats who came here to hang out and occasionally meet and chat.

Most of the people in the bazaar did not have pocket watches, and the Count easily asked a few, and they were all twenty or thirty seconds slower than him, and he did not care, after all, it is common for ordinary people's watches to be fast or slow.

After walking for a while, I really met a few acquaintances, and a few people chatted and walked together.

He had the heart to deal with a few people about the right time, thinking that these gentlemen had no concept of time, so he gave up.

During this time, the Count could not help but complain a little more about the delay of the clock in Saint-Saoli.

A few declining aristocrats laughed and persuaded him, but he didn't think so.

As they were walking, a country boy timidly approached them and asked for the time.

One looked at his pocket watch and said, "Half past six."

The earl also took out his pocket watch, and immediately said unhappily: "It's been nearly half a minute, why can't you tell the other party the time accurately."

The man's face turned red and he was a little embarrassed, "My watch is indeed half past six."

The earl also felt a little fussy and apologized: "It's all angry about what happened just now, don't mind, it's your watch that is not accurate."

"No way! Before we met you, we had the right time."

Several others chimed in.

"No, your watch is not right, is it?" said the Earl.

One of them said, "No, I was in charge of the process of the court banquet yesterday, and I checked the time with the king's pocket watch."

"Oh, the king's pocket watch shouldn't be wrong. Well...... This is a bit of a cult, is it really my fault?"

An inexplicable worry rose faintly in the Count's heart.

......

Two months ago, a grand court gathering.

At the king's request, all kinds of celebrities came with their families, and according to Esso's custom, they could live together when they were engaged, and the count and the eldest princess Faslia could not be absent.

During the banquet, all kinds of praises and praises were praised by each other, which made the earl sit on pins and needles. Especially seeing that the king was pretentious and elegant everywhere, but he won a full house, and he could only eat and drink without saying a word.

In order to show his modesty and approachability, the king began to toast everywhere, and after a while came to the count.

"Dear Charles, on this momentous occasion, as the smartest man in the country, how do you know how to eat and not say something?"

"What! moment, was it an earthquake, or was our country invaded?" said the Count, pretending to be surprised.

The king glared at him.

The Count suddenly realized: "Oh, it is the great king who rejoices with the people! Well, if you want to say two words, you must say a few words." ”

He raised his glass and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, you are very knowledgeable, wise and wise, how can I be as good as you!"

A smile appeared on the king's face: "Charles is too modest, you are recognized as omniscient, compared to you, I am still a little behind." ”

"How so? You're in a hurry, but ...... A wise man thinks a thousand times, and there will be a mistake, and I am at best...... That is, to make a small addition when His Majesty is occasionally negligent!" said the Earl, sincerely.

Hehehe...... The king's smile was even stronger.

"But......," the Count said, "so to speak, Your Majesty and my addition, the things of the world are truly omniscient."

The king's eyes grew brighter.

The Count continued: "It is certain that His Majesty knows everything, only one thing is missing, and I know one thing. ”

"Oh!"

"You're funny!"

Hahahaha......

Immediately the hall burst into laughter, and the king laughed awkwardly a few times, pretending to be a generous Count of Liankua's humor, and walked to the next table.

According to the custom, this kind of large-scale palace banquet is divided into external banquet and internal banquet, and only some heavyweights are eligible to participate in the internal banquet.

After the feast, the Count made an excuse to slip away, and Faslia was about to go with him, but he stopped him.

After ridiculing the king, the two of them ran away when they were full, too much!

Soon, most of them were gone, leaving only members of the royal family and some cronies.

Sith III lost his demeanor in front of many foreign ministers and held his breath. Now they are all close ministers, and they can't pretend anymore.

scolded at Faslya: "This bastard, relying on your face is simply lawless, I'm really angry......! Hang him!"

The king gritted his teeth and sighed for a while: "No, I have been embarrassed so many times, I have to be so angry." Hurry up and find a way for me to make a fool of him. ”

The count has repeatedly embarrassed the king, and Faslia has always been nervous, but she can't afford to provoke them, and she has always been in a dilemma.

It's just that the grudges are accumulating deeper and deeper, although he is his own brother, but after all, the royal power is inviolable, I am afraid that sooner or later it will lead to a catastrophe, and it is also a good thing to take this opportunity to let the king eliminate his grievances.

Thinking of this, she first stated that she would fully cooperate, and she must have given the king this bad breath.

As soon as the princes and ministers took the lead in supporting Silia, they naturally saw that the excitement was not afraid of big things, and they all made suggestions, and tried their best to make the earl out of trouble. But when I thought about it, I thought of the Earl's wisdom and cleverness, and I shook my head again and again like a deflated ball.

Seeing that everyone couldn't think of any good way, Sith III gritted his teeth angrily and said loudly: "I declare in the name of the king: whoever can let me see Charles's jokes once, this pearl of the night in my crown is his."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar, this night pearl is more than enough to change a city-state!

"Under the heavy reward, there will be brave men", so regardless of whether it is feasible or not, they have offered advice and advice.

......

Piaget firmly believes that his pocket watch can never be wrong.

But it is impossible to say that everyone else is wrong. So I carefully sorted out all kinds of possibilities in my heart, but I never got a clue.

Maybe it's just a coincidence, but what about the Saint-Solly clock?......

The next morning, what he feared happened.

The bell still rang twenty-four seconds later.

It seems that his table is wrong.

The Count was not a pedantic and stubborn man, and despite his doubts, he decisively slowed his watch twenty-four seconds down.

On the third day, still.

The Count suddenly felt a wave of dizziness......

Twenty-four seconds, twenty-four seconds, ten days have passed, a few watches have been changed, and it is still the same.

The Count was dumbfounded, and for the first time he felt the sorrow of the wise.

If he can't explain something, who else can?

Lonely.

......

Just when the Count was having a headache about this, another strange thing happened.

Piaget is known for his humor, wisdom and knowledge.

There are often princes and nobles and even dignitaries from neighboring countries who come to visit. Of course, most of them come to him for advice when they encounter problems.

On this day, the Earl was in his study flipping through a book, when suddenly a servant came to report that Meliss, Prince of Tesville, had arrived.

Alas, the prince deigned to visit, and it seemed that he was going to have another problem for me!

He stood up with a wry smile and walked outside the study to greet him.

"Lord Charles, it is an honour to meet you. ”

Although Melisser was the crown prince, he still saluted politely when he saw the earl, but his face was full of reverence, and he couldn't hide the anxiety in the depths of his eyes.

The earl returned the salute, smiling but straight to the point: "If there is anything I can serve, please ask the prince to command directly." ”

"Thank you for your generosity and straightforwardness, and I'll be straightforward......," said Melisser, seeing that the Earl was quick to speak, and that red tape was also avoided.

What haunted Melisser was a recurring dream.

In the dream, he hunted in the primeval forest, encountered twelve huge mosquitoes, and after a desperate struggle, was forced to drink twelve cups of blood, and then watched his body split into twelve parts.

For ten days without stopping, every day he woke up to his own screams, almost breaking down.

Many famous doctors and wise people were helpless, so they had no choice but to consult the earl.

The Earl pondered for a long time, he never believed in fantasy, only in science. Dreams are a reflection of reality, and if you dream the same dream in a row, you should have done the same thing before you fell asleep.

He inquired carefully about Melisser's daily life, the changes before and after the strange dream, and what special things he had encountered, and what stories he had even read and heard.

It's a pity that the answer I got is that life is the same, in recent years, I have just been diligent in political affairs, and every day is an immutable fixed process, and I have never even left the palace.

The Count thought for a moment and asked, "What special food have you eaten for dinner lately?"

"Hmm...... I don't have any special food, but I always have a drink after dinner, which will help me sleep, but I've been using this habit for a few years, so it shouldn't matter, right?"

The Earl lowered his head and pondered for a while and said, "It's a bit strange, so let's go back first and think about it carefully, and I'll make a special trip to visit at the right time to see what abnormalities I can find."

Melisser thanked him again and again, and politely said goodbye and left.

The Count didn't take Melisser too seriously. Although it is a little weird, he has encountered many strange things, no matter how mysterious and mysterious things are, they are all easy to solve in front of him.

What's more, he himself encountered something even more difficult to explain.

After many verifications, the king's pocket watch was still twenty-four seconds faster. So you can be sure that there is no problem with the table, the problem is with yourself.

"Could it be the disturbance of the biological clock, or the sleepwalking speed of the pocket watch around you?, or the cause of some kind of energy field?...... the Count could not help but smile bitterly at his thoughts.

In a trance, a month passed, and he still couldn't figure it out, and he was a little thin. Faslia saw it in her eyes, and she felt pity but helplessness in her heart.

The worries of saints are not solved by ordinary people.

On this day, Faslia suddenly came to the study in a hurry.

"My dear, although I can't help you solve the problem, but at least I can accompany you to distract, let's go on a trip to relax! I remember that you have a regret, you have never been to the East, you have never been to the Mogao Grottoes, you have always been fascinated, it is better to fulfill your wish before the New Year, right?"

Faslia was quick to speak, and seeing that he did not object, she clapped her hands: "It's decided, let's prepare, let's set off on a certain day."

The Count looked at the elated Faslia and understood that she had been depressed all day long, and that she had cherished herself.

So he smiled and said, "I'm very willing to go, but I'm in an important position, I don't know if your precious brother is allowed to leave?" Tomorrow I'll go to the palace to plan for the important matters of the last few months, and see if I can leave." ”

Except for the strange and nasty twenty-four seconds, today went exceptionally well, and even the king must be worried about him. This stupid guy has learned to be humorous.

"Oh, dear Charles, I can't leave you for a second, you must come back early, you can't see enough for three years of vacation! haha......".

The Earl convened a meeting of the inner court attended by all the important departments, carefully planned the affairs of the next three months, and prepared to set out when the arrangements were made.

But the day before his departure, Prince Merisser's messenger suddenly brought an important message. Before his strange dream, he had found a jar of wine in the old cellar of the palace, and he suspected that it had been drunk to cause such a strange thing to happen. And invite Earl Tesville and his party.

However, the earl's itinerary had been set, and the departure was imminent, so he had to reply to Melisser to visit as soon as he returned.

......

The journey of more than a month is boring and long.

In the bumps of the carriage, I experienced the long-lost ease.