The City of Marronligar

No matter which company takes the lead in organizing it, the style is simple or complicated. The carnival at the Spring Festival every year always makes me feel very poetic. I can’t wait to record what I see and feel for three days and three nights without sleep.It’s just that behind this poetry is a different kind of contradiction I feel: I want to get drunk for free while drinking and eating, but I am afraid that I will miss those beautiful scenery because of my drunken eyes.

Flying skirts, laughter like flowing water, fireworks like shooting stars in heaven—half drunk and half awake, the carnival of Maren Liga is so charming and moving that no one wants to return from this short-lived illusion.When the carnival was over and the sun came up, the poems that flooded into my mind seemed to be washed away by the tide and scattered into the morning mist with the damp spring wind.

——Miscellaneous Notes of Yinwan Tower·Public Festivals

"Hurry up, go faster, or the canoe will be snatched away by others!"

Holding the mask with one hand, the young girl lifted the hem of the skirt with the other, and ran across the arched bridge over the Pearl River like a deer.She stood on the opposite side of the river, stood on tiptoe, and beckoned to her male companion.

The young man's face was burning hot, and he hurriedly put the carefully prepared gift into his arms, walked a few steps, held his girlfriend's hand nervously, and ran towards the pool together.

The sky has not yet turned completely dark, and the sea level is still glowing with a beautiful indigo. The first batch of fireworks has already risen into the sky, together with the torches lit along the river, illuminating Malunliga like daylight, announcing the beginning of the celebration.The sound of fireworks blooming is like distant thunder, but it does not scare people, but it makes everyone excited.

The unnamed water pool connected to the Pearl River was originally a natural pond, but after artificial excavation and expansion, it gradually became a landscape in the city of Malunliga.Many people who want to borrow boats have gathered at the canoe mooring.The impatient young man thought he was walking too slowly, so he picked up the girl whose name he didn't know yet, and trotted all the way, which also attracted good-natured laughter all the way.

The old boatman standing on the shore collecting rent has already witnessed dozens of celebrations, and sent countless canoes from here.Even through the mask, he can tell at a glance which are couples who have been dating for a long time, which are strangers whom they met for the first time, which are frivolous people who are looking for opportunities to hunt for beauty, and which are shady lovers.

People always ask him "what interesting things have I seen this year", or "what big people in disguise have I seen?" The old boatman never answered, but just showed an inscrutable smile, hiding all the secrets that flowed through his eyes. in one's own memory.

Besides the boatman, those who can quickly see through the relationship with the guests are also the flower girls who seize the opportunity to make a lot of money.It's just that they are still young, and although they are articulate, they lack a little life experience after all, and they don't see things thoroughly enough.

They quickly sold all the flowers in their hands, collected the copper coins they earned, and lay down on the stone fence by the river in twos and threes, sending away every canoe that floated past with envious eyes.

"Look, those are fireworks from the Silver Bay Tower!"

The rower raised his head and looked in the direction his companion was pointing. He was distracted for a moment, and accidentally let the oar out of his hand, and could only watch it fall into the water.Seeing this scene, the flower girl on the shore couldn't help laughing.

Every year on this night, and only this night, the invisible high walls in the city of Marenliga will be broken by unrestrained carnival.There is no distinction of family status, no distinction between high and low, only the love and desire flowing into the ocean along the waves.

Of course, on such a night, there are still people who have no time to enjoy themselves because of their duties.

On the brightly lit streets, heavily armed city guards were still doing their familiar jobs.Or stand at an intersection with a wider view, or patrol along the street.Surrounded by floods of laughter and dazzling fireworks above their heads, they couldn't take off the armor on their bodies, so they could only watch the citizens having fun.

"Be careful of the crowd. If there are people who make trouble by drinking, take them away first. Everyone should be more flexible, otherwise the nobles will have to complain non-stop at the meeting." Apart from complaining a few words. "This kind of festival is the most afraid of trouble."

The tense shoulders of the guards relaxed as soon as the officer was gone—they were not like the ascetic chaplains of the temple.After all, this is an annual public festival, and it is understandable to be a little distracted.

"Oh, I want to go canoeing too." A young guard sighed.He moved the sole of the shoe, and put half of his body weight on the halberd propped on the ground.

The comrade standing beside him smiled: "Why, have you prepared your mask?"

"Don't we change the number of people on duty every year? I had a good time last year, and I was lucky enough to meet a beautiful girl. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask her name when I left. I only remember that she was wearing a dark green dress and her hair was braided. There is also a flower on it - a... what kind of flower is it?"

Another group of guards a few steps away also joined in: "I think you have forgotten what she looks like!"

"Hey, I don't even know if this girl is made up or not."

The young guard blushed and argued, "I just don't know what kind of flower that is!"

The slightly older guard laughed a few times, and then said slowly: "I don't expect the officer to grant me a vacation and let me be as happy as these citizens, but it's a pity that I didn't arrange for me to go to the viewing platform in the harbor area go."

"Observation deck? You mean the thing that was temporarily built on the cruise ship? I heard that all the dignitaries in the city will be there. It's much more elegant than the open-air banquet on the pier."

"That's right. Mrs. Bella from the Governor's Mansion, and Mrs. Sophia from the Flying Lion Mansion, they are all first-class beauties from Maren Liga."

"Haha, it turns out that seniors are so kind, they like noble ladies who are already mothers!"

The elder guard shook his head: "Young man, beauties don't know age."

Another guard interjected, "—and gender-neutral."

"Ha, I'm afraid you're not talking about Torreso's patriarch?"

"How can we handle that kind of femme fatale?" The guards who were in awe of Samuel waved their hands repeatedly.

"However, the VIPs are all wearing masks, so they can't see anything even if they look. Besides, we haven't seen these beautiful ladies before, and we don't have to wait until the carnival night to admire their faces."

"That's not the same. Believe me, when the fireworks are set off and the torches shine, even if they are separated by a long distance, even through a mask, the charm on their bodies will stand out and make people dazzled."

Speaking of this, the guards couldn't help sighing again: "Cynthia is really lucky, she was assigned to stand guard near the viewing platform."

"That can't be helped. Considering the ladies and ladies on board, we must send a few female guards to take care of them, otherwise the scene would be so embarrassing. We don't have many women in the garrison."

"All in all, let's not talk about boating, I really want to go to the pier for a drink or two..."

As the guards had hoped, the costumed harbor area was buzzing with joy.

The fireworks rising from various districts of Marunliga wantonly smeared the clear night sky, eclipsing the stars all over the sky, only the half moon rising from the sea can hold the position of "heroine".

The saltiness of the sea breeze has been replaced by the aroma of wine and meat.There were no seats in the noisy open-air banquet, and everyone stood or walked as they wished, lifting the lower edge of their masks, talking and laughing while eating and drinking.The newly filled flagon was quickly swept away, and even the skilled tavern staff felt powerless.

In the middle of the carnival crowd, masked dancers are spinning rapidly to the rhythm of tambourines and lutes.

At this moment, she doesn't need to mind her ordinary appearance or the mud splashed by the soles of her boots, she just needs to dance heartily and conquer the audience around her with her flying skirt and perfect body curve.The faster the drumbeat, the louder the cheers, the faster she spun, as if her dance would never stop, letting the thin linen bottoms be soaked with sweat.

As with dancers, so with singers.

The minstrel sang his new ditties at first, and wanted to take this opportunity to show off his talent in front of everyone.But under the influence of alcohol, he felt more and more that complicated techniques and tunes were so redundant, so he simply responded to the audience's request, let go of his voice freely, and sang the long-spread ballad again .

"Sailor of Marenlica, who loves beautiful girls. He dives to the bottom of the sea to find shells to wear with her clothes. Maiden of Marenlica, she hates the shells that the sailors pick up. When the sailors bring pearls, she is gone. marry someone else."

The citizens of Marunliga are very familiar with this song, and quickly followed the singer's rhythm.I don't care whether I sing well or not, even if the tune goes out of the blue, I just use my heels or palms to beat the bright beat, singing the sad story very lively and cheerful.

The nearby acrobats did not show weakness.Dressed in funny costumes, they walked upside down through the noisy crowd, erected huge porcelain plates above their heads, or tossed and caught lithe girls to the rhythm of tambourines.

"Wow, someone's breathing fire over there!"

Seeing his daughter so excited, the one-eyed owner of the Barque Tavern sighed softly, and held his little daughter firmly on his shoulders so that she could see the miraculous performance more clearly over the heads of the crowd.

At the open-air banquet, the young waiters were already sweating; on the other side, the guys were responsible for setting off the fireworks and stopping the children who wanted to come closer to watch the excitement.The boss is afraid that something will go wrong, so both sides have to pay attention.But he only has one eye, so he really can't take care of it.

And when the well-dressed Sophia and others appeared, the crowd who consciously moved out of the way burst into enthusiastic cheers again, and even the minstrels lost their tune due to distraction.

The hostess of the Flying Lion Mansion wears a long dark red dress with a shawl. The half-section is covered with a porcelain white base, decorated with elegant gilt flow patterns and bird feathers, revealing a well-shaped jaw and bright red full lips. .Her black hair was held back by a gold wire net, and the jeweled hair pins and necklaces piled on her chest reflected the light of the fireworks.

Sophia led her son Darren through the crowd gathered around the open-air banquet, with a reserved and motionless smile on her face.Adrian followed in tuxedo, wearing a metal lion-head mask.

The mask originally belonged to Samuel.Now that Samuel was away, Sophia took it upon herself to lend it to Adrian.

On the carnival night of the Spring Festival celebration, you can put aside the worries that have accumulated in your heart for a while, and enjoy the joy of all beings flowing in Marenlica. Therefore, Adrian followed Sophia’s suggestion and did not carry a weapon (including hidden weapons) on him. dagger in the sleeve), and specially changed a red hair band.

He did not choose the loose tunic popular among the nobles of Marenlica, but more "Torresso style" similar to riding clothes.The snake-shaped pendant is pinned to the front with a gemstone brooch, and the silver patterns on the black background on the short shawl are like clouds in the night sky, which further complements the young man's tall and well-proportioned figure and impeccable appearance and demeanor.

Governor Morgis and his wife Mrs. Bella were also the focus of attention.The festive costumes on the body are luxurious and complicated, and the exquisitely crafted gold-plated mask is radiant, as if the prominent fame and amazing wealth are piled up in front of everyone for viewing.

This is also Adrian's first real meeting with Mrs. Bella.

Through the mask, he couldn't see Bella's face clearly, but judging from the reactions of others, she must be extremely beautiful, but her figure was too slender, even though she was wrapped in layers of fancy clothes, she still showed a bit| Involuntary weakness.

In addition to the rich aroma of wine and the turbid hot air exhaled from people's mouths, the air is also filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke from fireworks, but this smell of gunpowder smoke is not threatening, but instead makes people feel the urge to get drunk.When he crossed the boardwalk and walked up to the viewing platform on the deck of the sailboat, Adrian hadn't had a drink yet, but he was faintly drunk.

The viewing platform erected is at a higher position, with its back facing the ocean and facing the city. It can have a panoramic view of the lively scene of the harbor area, and it is also an excellent place to watch fireworks.

The banquet officially began after Governor Morgis and Sophia delivered a toast.

Different from the open-air banquet on the pier, the feast here is naturally much more regular, and there are city guards standing aside, and even the invited musicians, singers and dancers are dressed in silk clothes.There is less indulgence and uninhibitedness of the citizens in the interlacing of toasting and drinking, but a little more restrained and even old-fashioned.

When raising the silver wine glass, be careful not to splash the cuffs with the wine; even if you are amused by the jokes of other guests, you can't laugh out loud...as long as they are on the watching platform, they With them, you can't break free from the shackles of "noble etiquette" and enjoy this celebration of singing for spring.

Those who watch the drama cannot escape the fate of performing on the stage.

As a result, almost every distinguished guest is waiting for the end of the banquet, so as to temporarily liberate himself from the cage of status.

Adrian had to admit that he thought the same way, so that he didn't eat or drink much, and he didn't listen to the conversation between the guests at the banquet.

"It's a pity that Mr. Samuel is not here. After all, Judge Sauron hasn't seen him for a while."

During the period, Chu De asked a special question, which seemed to be insinuating.

Sophia replied with a smile: "I don't know about that. Maybe the judge is busy working for the religious order. Besides, devout believers like them who pay attention to penance, I'm afraid they don't like this kind of carnival."

After the banquet came to an end, Darren couldn't wait to leave the viewing platform and go to the noisy crowd to watch the excitement.Fireworks, canoes, fire eaters, the simplest parabolic acrobatics... There are so many things he wants to see that he can't count them all at once.

Darren grabbed Sophia's sleeve without saying a word, just looking at his mother helplessly.

Sophia couldn't help laughing, and nodded in agreement.She also obtained the approval of Governor Morgis and invited Mrs. Bella to accompany her—this was also a social means to show the "good relationship" between the Flying Lion Mansion and the Governor's Mansion.

"Ma'am, then I...?" Adrian leaned close to Sophia's ear and asked her what she wanted next in a low voice.

Sophia pondered for a moment, then said softly, "The Governor is keeping a close eye on Mrs. Bella, so it may not be convenient for you to follow us alone. What's more, you must also want to put aside these trivial matters and experience the real carnival, right?"

Adrian was a little embarrassed, and nodded hesitantly.

"Then go quickly." Sophia smiled slyly, and gave Adrian a light push on the shoulder.

After dismissing her nephew, she turned to Mrs. Bella again, took Darren with one hand, and took Bella's forearm affectionately with the other, with a soft voice like a clear spring in the mountains: "Ma'am, let's go this way."

The blooming fireworks devoured all kinds of misery in the world, and responded with pure joy condescendingly.

After bidding farewell to Sophia and Darren, Adrian quickly left the viewing platform, melting into the dizzying crowd of voices, like a drop of water flowing into the ocean.He walked through the steaming noise to the other person who had been waiting for a long time.

The author has something to say: The MustyScentofFreshPate - PercivalSchuttenbach

I don't know how to write such big scenes...

Part of the carnival scene is inspired by the Venetian carnival in Assassin’s Creed 2 (I’ve watched the promotional cg several times, but I still can’t write that feeling), and the banquet attended by The Witcher 3 and Triss