Guard the city of fire.

The sun was shining diagonally on the palace promenade, and the projections of the pillars were swayed forward along the promenade like a ladder.

Alpens walked out of the bedroom, a tall figure standing at the door, and the morning sun slowly rose, but Alpens was faintly immersed in twilight.

Many things are not changed by will and failing to admit defeat, and the aging and decadence of the body are irresistible to mortals.

The waiter brought the basin and told Alpens it was time to clean it.

Alpens put his hand in the basin and swept it, then rubbed his face vigorously.

He held the sides of the basin with his hands and looked at himself reflected in the water.

The waves gradually calmed down and their appearance gradually became clear.

"It's really old."

Although his body is still stiff, he is more than one hundred and twenty years old, and wrinkles and brown spots have been spreading on his body.

It is also rare for a snake man to live to his age. He knows that the part of his body that really belongs to him has rotted like a crushed piece of wood, but the blood-red pattern on his back is like Glue forcibly glued this rotten piece of wood together.

"It's time to pay the price."

Facing death a little closer, Alpens laughed instead.

He has nothing to be dissatisfied with, his entire life has been glorious.

What he wants to do, what he can do, he has done everything.

He looked at his reflection in the water, and the self inside seemed to be getting younger a little bit, his gray hair recovered a little bit, his hairline and brown spots receded a little bit, and he became the Alpens of the prime of life. .

that time.

He is a famous warrior in the city, he defeated one famous warrior after another, he became the captain of the guard under the seat of the fire guard.

He has survived the rebellion, he has witnessed the demise of the family of fire protectors, and he went to the mountain of the origin of life to find his belief and future.

In the troubled times, he formed an alliance with one village after another, defending the people who could not resist the raiders of the animal husbandry tribe, and finally established the city-state of Suinhor.

Wherever he goes, as long as he raises his arms, thousands of people will follow him.

The title of hero seems to be specially prepared for him.

Alpens drew closer with cloudy eyes, trying to see more closely.

However, his hand shook, ripples everywhere.

The picture in the water shattered.

Alpens shook his head: "What a glorious life!"

"It's a pity that I couldn't draw a perfect ending."

He asked the waiter to clean up, and he walked towards the palace where the government affairs were handled.

The so-called not drawing a satisfactory full stop naturally refers to the issue of heirs.

His son Smerkel can be said to be an excellent heir in all respects. Unfortunately, he grew up in many places in the court and he was not as good as Alpens who came out of blood and fire, especially his perseverance. aspect.

But Alpens still hoped that Smerkel could realize his own responsibility as the heir to the city-state of Suinhor, and hoped that he could consciously assume this responsibility.

But at this time, Alpens didn't care about anything.

No matter what Smerkel thinks, he must inherit the throne.

He wants to get Smerkel back.

He sat at the table and called his court attendant: "Let the prime minister come over."

The attendant on the side said cautiously: "King."

"The Prime Minister has passed away. You haven't canonized the new Prime Minister yet."

Alpens just remembered that the palace prime minister who had accompanied him for half his life also passed away this year, but he still hadn't gotten used to this companion leaving his side.

Alpens was silent again, and he waved his hand to make the attendant retreat.

The king of the gods leaned back on the chair, thinking quietly about the problem.

At this time, a loud noise suddenly came from outside, interrupting Alpens's thoughts.

Alpens walked out and heard cheers and shouts outside.

"what happened?"

The people around didn't know what was going on. One of the waiters was about to check it out, and someone ran back from the front.

The other party looked excited and said loudly before stopping.

"King."

"His Royal Highness is back."

A touch of relief and joy flooded Alpens's face.

There is only one Highness in the city-state of Suin Hall, and that is Smerkel.

Alpens heard that his son had returned, but did not rush to see Smerkel, but turned around and returned to the palace.

He tidyed up his messy hair, then sat at the table and picked up the wood chips with inscriptions. He tidied all these things, and looked at it with a leather booklet.

The noise outside got louder and louder, but when it came to the door, it became quiet again.

Smerkel stepped into the palace and looked at his father.

Alpens, King of the Favored, raised his head and glanced at him, and said: "You are back."

Prince Smerkel nodded: "Father, I'm back."

Alpens beckoned and told him to sit down at the table.

He looked at his son, then couldn't help laughing.

"It looks pretty good."

"It's a lot darker, so I look like a man."

Smerkel replied: "The outside is naturally not as good as the palace."

Alpens also said: "But the beasts will only be born in the jungle, and only the tooth beasts that are used as food will be settled in the animal pen."

Immediately afterwards, he asked Smerkel another question.

He first looked at the big bag that Smerkel was carrying, and Smerkel brought back a lot of things.

"What's brought back from this? Tell me about what happened outside in the past few years."

Smerkel took out the contents in his back basket. Among them were a leather jug ​​with sweet wine, his beloved harp, the cup of the sun given to him by Iva, and a plant called the vine. .

Smerkel took it out in the same way, first of all his harp.

"I bought this violin in Black Swamp City. It was the first city I went to. I was a little confused at the time, and a sacrifice ceremony was being held to the gods in the city, so I took this violin to participate."

"I also wrote a poem, but it was not very good."

Smerkel recounted his mood at the time, and the grand ceremony in the city, the burning flame was more than ten meters high.

Alpens listened quietly, without talking or interrupting, just listening.

Smerkel took out the leather kettle again and asked his father to taste the wine in it. This was the wine made in Maya City, and Smerkel stayed there all year round.

Maya City is the largest city outside the fire-protection city of Suinhor City State. They worship the gods and often hold sacrificial activities.

Even many things in the city will ask the gods and let the gods decide. Of course, the so-called gods decide in the end is just a resignation of divination.

Because of the frequent worship of gods, wine is of course a must, so the wine in Maya City is the best in the city.

Smerkel again talked about the situation in the city of Maya, dismissing their divination, thinking that it was just a trick played by the city lord.

At this time, Smerkel took out the plant called the vine.

At this time, his expression is going to be more serious.

"This is what I found in a village in the swamp near the coast outside of Black Marsh City. The locals call it rope net vines."

"The ropes they make are completely different from the ropes we usually use. They are made up of many densely entangled ropes that are smaller than hair. They also use this kind of thing to make a net for use in rivers. Or fishing in the sea."

"And what they make ropes and nets is this kind of thing called rope net rattan."

The fiber of this plant is easy to separate, and its toughness is also very good. It is very suitable for making cloth and rope nets. Smerkel felt very special after discovering this plant.

Finished.

Smerkel took out the net and rope made by the local people from the back basket, as well as a small piece of cloth made by the local people himself.

It's a bit reluctant to call it cloth, because the holes on it are really big.

Alpens took a look, and it was indeed completely different from what they usually do.

Alpens asked Smerkel: "Do you think it has a big effect?"

Smerkel nodded: "I didn't think of its specific purpose, but I met a person not long ago, a man in very gorgeous clothes..."

Speaking of this, Smerkel suddenly paused.

He felt that the term person might be a blasphemy for the other party.

"After seeing him, I suddenly felt that this kind of thing can be used not only to make ropes and nets, but maybe to make cloth, and then make clothes, quilts, bags and so on."

"It is what we need to change our lives."

Although the snake man was made by Sally, the mother of life, using lizards as the material, the main body of its prototype is a human, or a clan of gods.

Therefore, they are not warm animals, but warm animals.

Now the snake people near the south have basically maintained their original appearance because of the warm climate. If the weather is cold, they will rely on fire and houses to avoid the cold for heating.

Those closer to the north are wearing leather clothes.

Alpens listened a little bit to his son's thoughts. Although Smerkel had been wandering around these years, he did not abandon himself.

He is also truly observing every city in Suinhoor city-state and knowing everything about this country.

After hearing this, Alpens said earnestly: "The snake mother Semmos once received the gift of the **** of creation before she was able to put on the silk holy garment."

"You can discover this kind of creation and think of using it to make cloth. It's very good."

"Since you have ideas, you also have capabilities."

"Then you should realize your idea next."

Smerkel looked at his father: "Yes, father."

"I'm going to do this."

A smile appeared on Alpens's face, because it indicated that Smerkel was determined to take over the throne.

"What is this again?"

Alpens had already noticed that special flower. It was a full half a meter long and looked a little stunned.

He was about to go over and take a closer look at this plant that he had never seen before, only to find that the flower came alive all at once, and he almost didn't bite Alpens' nose off.

Although Alpens was old, his instincts and experience were still there, and he immediately avoided conditioned reflex.

The aging King of God's Cup was taken aback, but in a flash, there was a loud laugh that spread both inside and outside.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Alpens was really happy. He didn't expect that the king of his own dignity would be frightened by such a plant.

"What is this? It still bites?"

Smerkel also laughed along with him. Both he and his father are symbiotics of the power of life, and even if the sun cup bites them, it won't hurt.

But then when talking about the origin of the cup of the sun, Smerkel slowly condensed his expression.

"Father."

"The next thing I want to say is the strangest and most incredible story of my journey."

Alpens immediately asked sensitively: "Could it be the man in gorgeous clothes you met just now?"

Alpens felt unusual just after hearing Smerkel talk about it.

A person in gorgeous clothes is hard to see in this era.

Smerkel immediately showed a wry smile: "People?"

He shook his head: "Although He didn't speak bluntly to me, I can feel it."

Smerkel's voice became hoarse and his emotions agitated.

"He is a god."

Smerkel looked at his father, his expression slowly changed, and his eyes returned to the shock of seeing the door of desire, seeing the sea of ​​stars, and seeing the sacred boat.

"One."

"A **** from the kingdom of the Creator God."

Alpens stood up suddenly: "God?"

He didn't expect that his son would also meet a **** after himself, and listening to what he said, that **** was definitely not the Scarlet Witch from the kingdom of blood in the deep sea.

After realizing that his movements were too large, Alpens sat down slowly.

At this time Smerkel continued.

"His name is Iva."

"When I met him, he was in a deserted forest. He was sitting alone by the campfire. I knew his extraordinaryness when I saw him, so I approached him curiously."

Smerkel slowly told the sacred story he encountered in the jungle.

"..."

"He told me."

"When the sky was first wiped out, it was when the sacred boat returned to the kingdom of God. If you want to enter the world that does not belong to the human world, you can only ride on this huge boat that exudes golden light and miracles."

He tells how he stepped on the door of desire, and he and the myth named Iva boarded the sacred boat that shuttled between reality and illusion.

He saw the real kingdom of gods, and he saw the dreams of all things and creatures lined up in the sky.

He told the story of his sleepwalking in the Xinghai Sea. He said that he not only saw the people who died in Moonlight City, but also his former friend Lu Qi.

Listen and listen.

Alpens also opened his mouth.

He knew the kingdom of God of the Creator.

Because there is also a record about it in the myth of the snake man, it is said that the mother of life rides on his car to travel between the two worlds through the Tongtian Tower.

Legend has it that there are all sorts of incredible things, and pious people who believe in gods can get everything they want in that world after they die.

That was the sacred place that Thymoth, the mother of ten thousand snakes, could not step into for countless years.

Alpens also learned the scene after the death of a mortal for the first time, and learned the final destination of the spirit of all things.

He was as shocked as Smerkel. Although he couldn't see the boundless sea of ​​stars, just listening to Smerkel's description could also feel the weight and oppression of the end of all things and the end of civilization.

"It turns out that the destination of ordinary people's death is an endless sea of ​​stars."

"When every mortal arrives at the end, he will go through God's judgment, a contest between good and evil, and it is up to everyone to decide their final outcome."

"This kind of trial."

"It is not for God to judge mortals, but mortals to judge themselves."

"Everyone must face their own life, face their sins and kindness, face their own merits and demerits."

I don't know why, Alpens felt that such a trial cannot be done by the mother of life in the myth. It is more like another god's will.

Smerkel told Alpens: "The **** I met He told me that the origin of all this is from a sacred spirit called a fairy. The most powerful fairy in the world is also the lord of dreams, Sheila. ."

"He is in control of all dreams, and the star sea is born because of his power."

"He once blessed all creatures, hoping that all the lives that have existed and lived in the world can leave their marks and become stars forever to accompany the Creator.

"And this cup of the sun is the symbol and mark of the sacred spirit of the goblin."

"He told me."

"As long as a person with a pure heart promises the origin of this flower, it will be effective and be blessed by the fairies of the kingdom of God."

Alpens only then figured out why he felt that this way of judgment was a bit incompatible with the image of the mother of life in the myth.

"It turned out to be a test set by such a beautiful and pure sacred spirit, no wonder it is so."

He once again read the sentence Smerkel said, the sentence that made him feel extremely beautiful.

"He hopes that all the lives that have existed and lived in the world can leave their own traces and turn into stars forever to accompany the Creator."

"If every life could end in this way, it would have such a beautiful destination."

"real……"

"It's great."

They didn't know that the creator Iva was talking about was not the mother of life. The creator of the dream master Sheila hopes that the spirit of all things will turn into a star accompanied by the creator is called Insai.

The judgment of the dream of life comes from his will.

------------

After Smerkel returned, Alpens began to hand over power to him little by little.

Smerkel identified a young and courageous middle-aged man to become the prime minister of the court and assisted him in handling government affairs.

Smerkel, who used to wander around graciously, became extremely busy, and even had no time to play his harp.

Many of the things his father Alpens could handle with ease, but Smerkel felt that it was extremely tricky, it took a lot of time, and he had to negotiate with his courtiers again and again.

But he is also constantly growing.

this day.

Alpens, the old king of the gods, was lying on the bed. He felt his thoughts sinking, and an ethereal and long call came from his ears.

The call seemed to come from another world, penetrating the distance of the space directly into my mind.

"Alpens!"

"Alpens!"

"Time is up."

"It's...it's...it's..."

The sound of that voice echoed in an extremely empty space, with the faint tidal sound of the sea.

Alpens, King of the Favored, woke up, he opened his eyes suddenly.

He lay still, but he knew what was going to happen in his heart.

That voice was the **** calling him.

After a long time, he stood up and got up.

He walked out of the palace a little bit and came outside.

Alpens saw a little mist spreading out of the entire palace, and a cup of blood mist appeared on the ground. The blood-colored fascinating flowers swayed in the mist, exuding the brilliance of death and life.

The thick fog covered this world, and the entire palace seemed to be isolated from this world.

At this time other people in the palace also came out, including Prince Smerkel.

"Fog? Where did the fog come from?" The prince was also very puzzled. There is still a long time before dawn, and it's not time for the fog?

"Look over there, the king is awake." Someone saw the fog slowly turning, and the center of everything was King Alpens.

"Why is this fog weird?" At the end of the fog, there is endless darkness.

"Listen, there seems to be a sound?"

In that darkness, there is a looming lighthouse, emitting a crimson light.

Gradually, they could hear countless people singing in a strange and special tone.

That's not the sound that snake people can make, and the language is completely different from that of snake people, but they can understand the meaning of the words.

"The ruler of the kingdom of blood in the deep sea, the great ancestor of blood, the king of the oldest race."

"Life... the origin of life, servant of the mother god..."

"Everything will be... hundreds of millions of years ago."

That is the name of God, it is the title of God.

Suddenly, Prince Smerkel understood what it was.

Smerkel suddenly ran forward and came under the stairs of the bedroom.

He raised his head and shouted at his father.

"Father."

Alpens looked at his son, his face showed the same hearty smile as before.

"When the wind rises, I am the protagonist of the times."

"And now, the wind has stopped."

"My time is over, and I have lived my glorious life."

"Smerkel."

"From now on, it should be you."

Under everyone's gaze, Alpens stepped into the swaying mist of the Cup of Blood Mist.

He went to the kingdom of blood in the deep sea, which was the destined destination of his body and the contract he signed with the gods.

Smerkel watched the fog slowly dissipate, and watched his father disappear into the darkness, standing for a long time.

He felt that his heart was empty, and he felt that the darkness of the world and the coldness of the night breeze were constantly eroding himself.

But soon, the sun on the horizon rose.

The morning sun shone on him, and the darkness and coldness will eventually recede.

Everyone ushered in a new day.

It is difficult for everyone to adapt to loss, but everyone is constantly accustomed to losing. Every time we lose the old things, new things will be ushered in.

------------

Smerkel became the second-generation king of the gods of Suinhall.

He asked people to gather people from the village outside Black Marsh City, let them cultivate rope and vines, learn their methods and techniques, and he promoted farmers to grow this plant in large quantities.

He summoned the craftsmen of the city to protect the fire, and asked them to turn the original method into a faster and more effective method to spin the material into cloth.

He continued to carry forward the advantages of planting in the city-state of Suinhor, and put mortals in clothes.

This kind of cloth has gradually become the most common item in the daily life of snake people.

He introduced the three currencies of gold, silver and copper. He changed the way of trading in exchange for goods in the past. Although it could not completely replace the exchange of goods, it gave a new mode of trading.

As a result, more merchants appeared, and the city-state of Suinhor became more prosperous.

Smerkel's series of actions have given Suinhoor city-state a new change.

This year.

Under the secret promotion of Smerkel, the city of Seins, which had endured for many years, finally broke out in a rebellion.

Smerkel personally took the soldiers to quell the chaos, returned with no surprises, and dealt with the biggest hidden danger inside.

When he returned, he drove the chariot across the street.

A scholar in the middle of the street was waiting for him, holding the latest book of cloth scrolls in his hands.

Compared with the animal skin book before.

Lighter and easier to carry.

The scholar walked under the chariot and saluted Smerkel respectfully.

"King of the Favored."

"This is our poem for you."

The name of the poem is: "Holy Blessing."

The melody of the harp sounded.

The poem is very long, telling the story of Smerkel.

The most important of these is the legendary story of Smerkel's journey to the kingdom of gods. He walked through the sea of ​​stars where the dreams of life converged. He got on the sacred boat that traveled between dreams and reality.

There are kings and gods in the story.

There are also discussions about the fate of all creatures, with the best blessings in the world.

In the melody of the harp, everyone couldn't help but be fascinated by that dreamy journey.

Smerkel also recalled that memory.

And when he came back to his senses, he found that this scene was exactly the same as when his father, King Alpens, returned.

Smerkel also laughed, learning from his father's tone.

"I like it~lightnovelpub.net~ put it..."

He wanted to say, carve it into a stele.

But then he changed his mind and said: "Compile these poems into a book, and then send it to every city in the city-state of Suinhor, so that everyone in the city-state will know it."

Poems spread all over the world, and people learned about the existence of fairies and the secrets of death and destiny from the poem titled "Holy Blessing".

That sentence: "He hopes that all the lives that have existed and lived in the world can leave their marks, and become stars forever to accompany the Creator."

It became the best prayer and blessing they had ever heard.

It is also the greatest blessing in the world.

The name of the **** of Sheila, the ruler of dreams, began to spread throughout the world, and stories about prayers and fairies gradually became known.

Iva didn't think of a random conversation with someone he met accidentally, but it pushed the first step of his mission.