Chapter 25 Chapter 5 The Emperor's Son

The complaints from the people outside the Crystal Cathedral rushed from the street, forming a sea of ​​noisy people.The tumbling waves hit the transparent crystal glass wall, and everything happening outside can be clearly heard in the church. Bishop Vanya stood beside the chair, looking out at the hundreds of people gathered in the dark, rain-soaked street, and in a futile rage, he clenched his right hand.Originally, he would also hold his left hand tightly, but it could only hang limply by his side, unable to move.Van Ya sullenly massaged his limp and disobedient left hand, staring at the crowd below, getting more and more angry.

"What do they want from me?" He turned his eyes to the cardinal and asked, who flinched from the sudden and inexplicable stare. "What do they want me to do?" "Maybe talk to them, say a few words... let them know that Emin is with them." The cardinal suggested in a calming tone. Bishop Fanya snorted.The people on the street vented violently and made noise, which surprised the bishop who was already trembling with nervousness and fear.Fan Ya was about to tell the cardinal his views on this kind of thing, when suddenly, there was silence below, and their attention could not help being attracted.

"What's the matter now?" Bishop Vanya muttered, turned to look out through the glass wall, and the cardinal hurriedly followed him. "See?" Van Ya snorted. "Did I tell you?" Prince Jarod had appeared above the crowd, riding a black swan, accompanied by Joram.As soon as people saw this young man in a white robe, there was a ripple of excitement in the crowd.Bishop Fanya leaned against the crystal wall and could hear them talking loudly. "Angel of death!" he groaned repeatedly in pain.He looked at the trembling priest who was looking back at him, and said, "You want me to tell them that Emin is with them, my lord? Ha! They are being led by the Prince of the Demon Artisan, an avatar of the devil even with a Union of the living dead! He is leading them to their doomed destruction! And these two will not be content to have the people follow like sheep, but make them rush and throw themselves off the precipice."

The cardinal pursed his lips angrily, then turned around to look at the scenery outside the wall. Prince Jarod dismounted from the swan and walked to a marble dais floating above the crowd.He lowered the hood of his cloak, stood uncovered in the rain, and raised his hand to signal the people to be quiet.Joram followed slowly.He stood trembling slightly on the marble podium high above the ground. The surface of the podium was wet and slippery, and he seemed a little uneasy about it. "Citizens of Simharon, listen to me!" cried Prince Jarod. The uproar ceased, but the silence that replaced it was an angry one, louder than the uproar.

"I know." Jarod spoke to Quiet. "I am your enemy. It should be said that I was your enemy before, because I will no longer be!" Hearing this, Van Ya cursed. "Your Excellency?" the cardinal asked, but he didn't understand. The bishop, who was listening intently to the prince, was almost inaudible through the crystal wall, and gestured angrily to silence his cardinal. "You have all heard the rumors of war," said the Prince. "You have heard of the steel monster with flaming eyes that can kill with just one look, and you have also heard of the silver-skinned monster holding the god of death in his hand." The silence was still unbroken, but someone in the crowd turned their heads and Make a rustling sound.Everyone looks at the people around them and nods in confirmation.

"It's all true," continued the prince in a low, serious voice.Though his voice was deep, he was heard clearly by the silent crowd, and by the archbishop standing above them in his office, and his cardinals, quite clearly. "It's true!" Jarod raised his voice. "It is also true that Emperor Xavier is dead." At this moment, the silence was finally broken, and the crowd shouted angrily, frowning, shaking their heads, and occasionally shaking their fists. "If you don't believe me," Prince Jarod yelled. "Please look up there, and you will see the truth!" He pointed with his finger, not at the sky as some people guessed, but at Bishop Vanya.

The archbishop stood beside the transparent wall, illuminated by the light in the room, so that he could be clearly seen.He wanted to go away, but it was too late for him to go.Although his left leg is not as paralyzed as his arm, it is very weak, and he no longer has the strength to move his bulky body like he once did.So, there was nothing he could do but stand still and look down at the crowd.His face was contorted in an effort to appear calm on the surface, as he struggled with rage inside.From the pale skin under the double chin, the elongated face, and the mouth distorted by pain, it can be seen that there is absolutely no distortion of the truth.Rainwater trickled down the walls, making the Archbishop look like he was melting.The people looked at each other, cursed, and then turned to listen to the prince, not the archbishop.

"Then there is an enemy outside." Prince Garrod said without hesitation, his voice overwhelming the increasingly disturbed voices in the crowd. "This enemy is more terrifying than you imagined. This enemy has crossed the border. It comes from the realm of the afterlife, from the kingdom of death! This enemy is trying to bring death to our world!" The crowd was in an uproar, drowning out the voice of the prince. . Bishop Fan Ya shook his head with a sneer on the corner of his mouth. "Among the descendants of the royal family, there will be a person who has no magic power but can survive. When he faces death again and survives and returns, he will hold the end of the world in his hands." Fan Ya repeated his thoughts gently with. "Go with him, you fools, go with him..."

"We must unite and stand together against the enemy!" Jarod shouted, and the crowd cheered in unison. "I have been negotiating with the nobles of your city, and they agree with my proposal. Are you willing to unite against the enemy?" "Agreed. But who will lead us?" The voice came from the front row of the crowd, a serf mage wearing shabby civilian clothes.He flew forward hesitantly, as if being pushed up from behind.He took off his battered hat, held it awkwardly in his hand, and stood before the prince.At first he seemed awkward.However, as soon as he hovered in mid-air in front of the podium, he straightened his waist and looked straight at the prince and the young man in a white robe who looked extremely dignified in the silence.

At this moment, a young man sitting on the back of a black swan, who had been quiet and unobtrusive, flew into the air and slowly floated to the side of the serf mage. "Prince Garrod," said the young man. "Allow me to introduce my father." "I am honored, sir," said the Prince, bowing gracefully to him. "Your son performed bravely in the process of fighting the enemy with me yesterday." The serf mage blushed with joy when he heard the praise of his son, but it did not make him forget his purpose.He cleared his throat in embarrassment, looked around at his followers, and continued:

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. You said that you are no longer our enemy. You said that there are stronger enemies out there than we imagined. I think we all know that is true. We have all learned from my Son, and those who have fought with you outside the city have heard these stories. We are willing to fight the enemy, whoever the enemy may be, and wherever he may come from." Shouts of support. "But," the serf mage continued, smoothing the hat nervously with his callused, hard-working hands. "No matter how honorable and noble you may be, Prince Jarod. And I admit, I have heard many good things about you, but you are still a stranger to us. I think I am here Speak, not only for those of us who work in the fields, but also for those who work in this city." Shouts of approval erupted from the crowd. "That said, we'd feel better if we went into battle and it was led by someone among us; someone we trusted and who really saw us as his people rather than as beings Livestock for slaughter." Joram stepped forward and walked carefully across the smooth podium. "I know you, Jacobs, and you know me, as hard as it may be for you to believe. I swear to you—" He stretched out his arms, looking at the crowd. "I swear to you all," he said aloud. "You can give your lives to this man, Prince Jarod, we just came from the Albanara Gathering and they have chosen Prince Jarod as their leader. I pledged my support to him, In the meantime, I beg you—” "No, no! We're not going with the Saracens!" "One of our own!" Mosiah, blushing with embarrassment, was arguing with his father.Jarod glanced at Joram as if to say, "I told you so." Joram averted his gaze and was about to speak so loudly that everyone could hear when suddenly a voice came from the crowd. It was far louder than the crowd's noise. "Lead them, my son!" The crowd fell silent immediately.This voice is so familiar, although those words were spoken softly, they were filled with pride and deep sadness, therefore.The echo of these words in the heart is more shocking than yelling. "Who said that?" The people hovering in the air looked at their feet, because the voice seemed to be coming from below. "He said it! That old man! Stand aside and let him talk!" Several people floating above the old man pointed at him.The people took a few steps back and surrounded the old man in a wide circle.The old man was still standing on the ground, he did not rise into the air with the others.There are no catalyst saints, no friends, no family members around him, and the clothes he wears are so ragged that they are almost pieces of rags hanging on him.He was hunched over, so hunched that it was difficult for him to look up at the podium above.Occasionally, raindrops fell in his eyes, making him blink. Some curious people descended to see what happened, and then suddenly flew back into the crowd.And so the murmurs of awe spread. "Emperor! Old Emperor!" The circle around the old man got bigger, and everyone stretched out their heads to look.Bishop Fanya recognized him, his face flushed red, and then turned white angrily, and the voice of the cardinal taking a deep breath was clearly discernible. Prince Jarod cast a quick glance at Joram for his reaction.But Qiao Lang was indifferent, and only looked at the old man quietly, without any expression.The prince beckoned to Dukexis, and the dais on which they stood was slowly lowered to the ground, and the people whirled around it like leaves in a whirlwind. After the podium stopped on the cobbled road, Jarod gestured to the old man who was hesitatingly walking forward. Prince Garrod stared intently at the old man's face for a while, then bowed to him, and called softly: "Your Majesty." In front of Lang.The old man reached out and stroked him, but Joram's face was expressionless, his eyes fixed on the sky above his father's head, and he took a step back.The emperor smiled bitterly, nodded, and slowly withdrew his hand. "I don't blame you." He said softly. "Many years ago, I abandoned you, and they led you to death." He glanced up at Joram, and although he was as flat as his son stood, his bent body forced him to twist. Only when he turned his head could he see the face of the tall man standing on the podium. "This is the fifth time I see you, my child. My child..." the emperor said slowly. "Gamariel. This is the name you should have been called in the past. It is an ancient word that means 'a gift from the gods'. You were originally a gift from the God Lord to us, your mother's, and mine." The emperor sighed deeply. "However, that mad woman is going to name you Joram: 'God's Chosen One'. It's a fitting name, and we're both proud and terrified, so we abandon you. The poor mad woman suddenly grabs you , to pour out all the sorrows of this world on you." The emperor watched his son's face, but he still did not look at his father. "I remember the day they took you away from me, I remember the tears your mother shed, the crystal tears hitting you, the blood running down your skin. I turned away from you and they took you Go to hell. Are you saying it's my fault, or the order's fault?" The emperor suddenly straightened up, floated into the air at a height of one person, and looked around with a stern expression.In an instant, his pale face showed a solemn look again, and the stooped old man became a proud and noble ruler. "Is it my fault?" the emperor asked aloud. "If you knew that a child from the underworld was destined to rule you, what would you do, people of Merilon?" Everyone stepped back from him and looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes. The words "he's crazy" spread quietly among the crowd, and many people nodded in agreement, but no one dared to meet the old man's gaze. Involuntarily, Joram pressed his chest on his chest, as if something ached there. "Yes, my child." The emperor noticed his movement. "They told me you had scars from your mother's tears, and they said those scars would help identify you. I recognized you before that, and I didn't have to look at the scars on your chest, I see It was your wound. Do you remember? The day, at Lord Samuels' house, I went to rescue that fool Simkin from his latest foolishness. I saw your lovely face, bathed in the bright sun, and your hair." The emperor's eyes moved to his shiny black hair, which was shimmering in the rain. "I knew then that my son from eighteen years ago was still alive! But, I didn't do anything, I didn't say anything. I was afraid, worried about myself, but more worried about you, my child! Can you believe it?" Joram pursed his lips tightly, and the hand on his chest trembled violently. This was his only reaction after hearing his father's words. "The second time I saw you was in the Crystal Palace, on the night of the anniversary of your death. Gamaliel, God's gift to me! Your name burns my heart, and I watched you go to see your mother. Your mother—a corpse, the force of life flowed in vain through her veins, and you, though alive, are undead, but you are a gift from God to me." Joram turned his face away, and a low, stifled moan escaped from his throat: "Take him away!" Duke Xisi glanced at Prince Jarod, who shook his head.Jarod put a hand on his friend's shoulder, but Joram twisted away.He gestured angrily to say something, but choked up, and the emperor looked at him imploringly. "The last time I saw you was the punishment of transformation." His voice was as light as rain falling quietly. "I saw the hope in your eyes when you recognized me, and I know what you're thinking—" "You could have acknowledged me!" Joram looked at his father, directly for the first time, with the fire of the furnace burning in his eyes. "Vanya wouldn't have pushed me to a living death if you had acknowledged me as your child! You could have saved me!" "No, my child." The emperor explained softly. "How can I save you when I can't even save myself?" He lowered his head, his body bent again, and he turned back into the weak old man in ragged clothes. "I can't stay here anymore, I can't...breathe!" Joram clutched his chest, panting heavily, and turned away from the podium. "My child!" The old man stretched out a trembling hand. "My child! Gamaliel!" cried the Emperor. "I cannot ask you to forgive me." He looked at Joram's back. "But you may be able to forgive them, they need you now...you will be a gift from God to them..." "Stop talking!" Qiao Lang was about to leave again, but unfortunately it was too late, the crowd had already swarmed up, asking questions around him, begging for answers, pushing the old man aside, even the last few words of the emperor could not be heard. All drowned in the shouts of the crowd. "This old bastard." Archbishop Van Ya roared from above. "Emperor Xavier was right, we should have let him die sooner—" The cardinal gave a surprised reprimand. Bishop Vanya shook his head on top of the layers of fat in his stomach, and fixed his eyes on his priest contemptuously. "Don't pretend to be devoutly babbling in my presence, you know very well what you have done in Emin's holy name. You can close your eyes in prayer, and open them quickly in my absence, Take those rewards." The archbishop turned to look at the crowd outside, so he didn't notice the look of disgust and hatred his loyal cardinal gave him. It was getting dark.At night, under the urging of the storm, he closed his fingers on the city of Malilong.Warlocks lit their magic lamps here and there in the crowd, and in the light of the flames of all colors, Mosiah's father—now apparently the unofficial spokesman—took a step forward. "Is what he said true, Your Highness?" the serf mage asked the prince. "It's true." Prince Jarod asked.He repeated, raising his voice so that all could hear: "Yes, what you have heard is true. This is not only a disgrace to Merilon, but a disgrace to all of us in Simharon. It is our cowardice." And fear makes this man—" He put his hand on Joram's shoulder. "Sentenced to death, once when he was a boy, and once when he was young. Joram was the son of Merilon's former emperor and queen. Xavier, his uncle, knew he was alive, and wanted to destroy him, in this In this matter, he conspired with Bishop Vanya." All eyes were on the main classroom of the cathedral.Van Ya stared at all of them, quickly stretched out his healthy hand, yanked the rope, and lowered the hangings covering the crystal wall. He can block people's sight, but he can't block people's voice. "Emin, send Joran back to us when we need it!" This was Jarod's voice. "This proves that Emin is with us! Are you willing to fight with Joram—your emperor, the rightful ruler of Merilon—?" There was a strong and confident reply from the crowd. Bishop Vanya peeped through a crack in the hangings, and saw that Joram did not turn his face to face the people, but kept his back to them, with his head bowed, his face averted from the crowd. Jarod leaned forward to speak earnestly to him, and at last Joram raised his head, and slowly turned his face to the crowd, his white robes glistening in the light of the magic lamp. The people cheered and swarmed forward, surrounding their new emperor, wanting to touch him and beseech his blessing.Duke Xisi immediately assembled a team to protect Joran's surroundings. Prince Jarod cast a spell to lift the podium into the air, and the crowd also circled up, applauding and cheering. The old man had no magical powers to join them, and was forgotten on the ground, alone in the drizzle. "Prophecy!" Van Ya muttered helplessly. "The prophecy is coming upon us, and there is no escape!" The terror was evident in the large drops of sweat that rose from his brow, and dripped down his neck, which was covered with the dignified archbishop's robes.He staggered back and, assisted by the Cardinal, sank into his chair. "My God! No way out? What an attitude of failure! You might say it's a sad reunion, don't you, sir? I'm drowning in my tears, and in the rain! "The voice came from behind His Excellency the archbishop, which surprised him, and he squirmed around in his chair, trying to see who broke into his private office without reporting or being invited. The cardinal was asking vaguely, hurriedly, "What does this trespassing mean?" A young man—with a soft, trim beard covering his chin and upper lip—sauntered out of the portal.He was wearing a bright red brocade dressing gown trimmed with black fur. The red shoes on his feet had long and pointed toes turned up and rolled up to the inside. The orange silk scarf wrapped around him like a flame Hands fluttering. "Stop me, you big fat pig," said the young man with the moustache, striding across the carpet on his pointed, curved shoes, toward the Archbishop. "You don't look well at all! Hey, that's standing over there—" This was addressed to the stunned cardinal. "A brandy. You look very lively, thank you." The young man raised his glass and said, "To your health, sir." He drank it down. "Thank you!" The young man handed the cardinal the glass. "I want another drink." "Ah, Archbishop," he said cheerfully. "You seem better already. Another drink and you'll look human. Who am I? You know me, Vanya dear. My name is Simkin. Why did I come here? Because, oh , chubby flabby fellow, I have two new friends who are very eager to meet you, I think you will find them interesting, they are - in fact - from out of this world."