Heartbreaker

The king's chariot stopped in the lower city amidst the noise of the people.

The soldiers obeyed my order and dragged Ellison to the middle of the market in the lower town.A gallows stands on a high brick platform, and the ropes around the heads hang from above.Ellison murmured deliriously, his face was covered with blood, and his thin gray feet stepped on the cold mud bricks.

When the soldiers put the rope around his neck, the old thief trembled, his blurry pupils finally focused, and he cried out, "Your Majesty, please be merciful, Your Majesty..."

There was another indignant curse from below.I stepped down from the steps of the carriage, wrapped in a down jacket indifferently, with my hands behind my back, and walked up to the high platform step by step, and walked to the vicinity of the gallows.The heads of the people followed me like sunflower discs, and a thousand eyes sparkled in the light of the fire.I sneered from the bottom of my heart, and I could feel the suppressed and dormant complex emotions in everyone's eyes.Red is angry, blue is sad, gray is decadent, black is melancholy, all kinds of things are intertwined into a vast ocean of emotions.

Only one gaze is white.I turned my head and saw Barbara in the crowd.She looked at me worriedly, and beside her stood the one-eyed Ior, carved into stone.Seeing the blind man in Vulture City again made me feel happier than I imagined.His dark eyeball was reflected several times by the torch, making it even more difficult to detect the hidden emotions inside.

The old man Ellison was still dying, "Your Majesty... I beg you to see my meager contribution to the old country in the past, please spare my old man's life..."

"Credit?" I said indifferently, circles of hazy flames were like strings of pearls covering the sky, "Is it credit for embezzling the treasury's property? I have shown mercy to you, how can I give those who were stripped of their bones by you?" The confession of the marrowed people?"

He breathed weakly and said, "Then I beg you... Anyway, this old bone of mine won't live for a few years, can you lock me in a prison, at least die safely..."

"No, Ellison." I sneered, "What the hell are you planning? Are you thinking that if the Vulture City is destroyed, maybe it will survive until the day when the Kingslayer comes in. I told You, hang you here to give an explanation to the people you have oppressed, and I will also be open and honest, and tell everyone the truth!"

The crowd reacted to my words by shouting wildly and waving torches in agreement.Fallows stood loyally by my side, pursed his lips, watched the changes around him with piercing eyes, and ordered the soldiers to suppress the restless people and maintain order.

Several entourages ran up the high platform quickly, holding a few account books in their hands.I know these downtown folks are uneducated, but bringing physical evidence is a good way to show sincerity and solemnity.

"Subjects of Wanjiang Empire." I stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said sincerely, "First of all, as your Majesty, I have to admit my fault. I am entangled in state affairs every day, so I hand over the task of collecting taxes to you. To the Chancellor of the Exchequer."

I took an account book at random, opened one of the pages, and said loudly, "This is the task I first assigned to Ellison. It is written on it as the bottom line of the tax collection account. I said, in order to ensure the safety of the northern border. To stabilize, especially the stability of Vulture City, I need to increase the strength of the Winter Ting Legion..."

A lifeless beast below shouted, "Your Majesty, can you torment us if you want to take care of the army?!"

"Oh, your words are a bit extreme." I still maintained a peaceful smile and said, "It's not that I favor and take care of the army. It's that the Twilight Empire in the southern border is now eyeing, and there has been a precedent for invading the Wanjiang territory. Wanjiang If the Xinjiang Empire wants to maintain its integrity and gain more rest time, it must strengthen its armed forces. As for tossing you, you can ask the laborers in charge of forging weapons how I treat them. The heavy taxes you are protesting are not My original intention... this is also the reason why I want to bring this criminal to justice."

That old thief Ellison quickly understood what my purpose was.Seeing that there was no hope of begging for mercy, he coughed a few times and panted, "Your Majesty... I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to put the blame on me alone... I will hand over to you every account that is collected into the treasury." Now, you have personally nodded your approval..."

"That's why I want to punish you." I raised my chin and said, staring at him coldly, "It's you who forged accounts, kept me in the dark, and secretly exploited my people!"

I spread out the accounts and explained them to the public in as simple and understandable terms as possible.During this period, Ellison was still quibbling, until I asked someone to move out several large boxes of gold coins in his house, and the old thief shut up amidst the scolding of everyone.Heh, I actually knew that he was embezzling taxes and property, but I didn't stop it in time, instead I let him be happy with luck.I deliberately let him hide it from me, let him relax his vigilance, and let him show his feet.Now it seems that occasionally pretending to be confused really works.

I squinted at the outraged faces of the people. Hunger, ugliness, and anger were mixed together, and that look was really creepy.Storms will always come, and someone has to come out as a shield.

Anyway, that idiot is not King Saul who "thinks about the people".

I said to the people tenderly, "Now, do you have anything else to ask the king? Tonight, King Wanjiang's time belongs to every one of his people."

Everyone whispered, obviously not as strong as before.Someone boldly asked, "Then I would like to ask you, Your Majesty. We are still hungry, what should we do?"

"I will definitely compensate you. As I said, I was at fault, and I will never ambiguous." I said loudly, "From tomorrow onwards, the overtax will be refunded according to the records. I also We will order the finance cabinet to allocate funds to buy food from outside for five days of free relief!"

Cheers suddenly sounded from below, how ferocious everyone's expressions were before, how docile they are now.It's really a group of pigs and sheep who don't bark when they are full.I looked at them with pity, and secretly sneered.

It was a foregone conclusion that the scales of the people had tipped in favor of their king, at least on the surface.Of course, with the five-day relief, there are so many people waiting to be fed, probably the treasury has to be emptied a lot, even with Ellison's years of embezzlement savings to fill the hole, it is not satisfactory.

Now even the king has to save money.It is worth it, as long as it is worth it, it has the value of implementation.Anyway, hunger is my old friend, and I won't die of starvation for a few days.

Ellison no longer struggled needlessly, his face was ashen as a dead man, he shook his head and muttered like a lunatic, "Pretentious...huh, the king...fake...all fake..."

There's no point in delaying it any longer. Just like chefs who pay attention to cooking, you have to control the rhythm to win people's hearts.Finally arrived at my favorite scene.I waved my hand, indicating to the executioner that he could strangle the traitor's trachea.In order not to panic some people who want to surrender to the Goumu Empire, I deliberately did not tell the inside story of Ellison's treason.Tsk, the Minister of Finance of the Wanjiang Empire actually licked the toe of the Kingslayer's boots like a dog, and I feel ashamed to say it.

The noose was looped around Ellison's neck, and a soldier pulled the end of the rope back a few steps. When he pulled hard, the old man went up with a whoosh.The rope was tightened around his neck, his feet kicked wildly for a moment, his face was blue and his eyes were white, he became a dead corpse.

Followed by the applause of the people, the good people of the Wanjiang Empire, it seems that they have long been used to death.I listened indifferently to their voices of relief, thinking, like Jeremy the mouse and the mouse woman, many people are like this. Once they feel that they are in extreme misery, they will not give the slightest bit of sympathy to other people's bleak experience .

Except that fool Luo.

After Ellison was hanged, soldiers dismembered his body and carried him away.The people were whispering to each other underneath, their expressions changed from initial indignation to exhaustion.It is not easy for anyone to make things like this, but fortunately, this kind of life will not last for too long.I moved my sore shoulders, and was about to call Fallows, but I saw that idiot standing in front of the Winter Ting Army, gesticulating for some reason.

"Faros," I called him.The idiot has sharp ears, and when I called him, he immediately jumped over like an obedient puppy, his armor jingling.He looked at me with such deep respect that it gave me goosebumps.

It seems that King Sol's "confession" just now satisfied the Silver Kirin Knight.

Fallows tossed his braids behind his head, and said respectfully, "What is your Majesty's order?"

"Call the soldiers and appeal to the people to follow us to a place." I said, "We will gather under the Great Wall of Human Bats."

When everyone gathered under the Great Wall in a procrastinating manner, it was already an hour later.The chilling night wind from the north blew wantonly from the flat snow field, rolling up a vast expanse of snow, and everyone wrapped their clothes tightly, breathing white in the cold wind.I stood on the snowy ground, feeling the cold, dry and hard soil under the fluffy and soft snow layer. The soles of my boots were damp, as if I was stepping on a shallow puddle.

The bones on the outer wall of the Great Wall were blowing in the wind, and there were still traces of white snow on the dark and dilapidated body bags.These people and the dignity of the old country have been destroyed long ago, but I still stare at them, just like staring at the last dignity of the Wanjiang Empire.Their souls still linger around the city walls, immersed in the muddy river of hatred and pain, unable to rest in peace.

If so, please help me.

Fallows used his shield to block the cold wind for me, and asked with difficulty amidst the howling sound in the sky, "Your Majesty, what are you..."

"Wait a little longer..." I squinted my eyes, and the cold wind mixed with the coolness of snow brushed against the bottom of my fur, "After a while, you will know."

****

He didn't keep me waiting.

In just a moment, the chilling howling sound gradually weakened, followed by a quiet and ethereal singing voice that slowly climbed up in the lonely sky.The light and melodious melody dances on the floating snow flakes, floats under the gentle moonlight, pushes away the dark clouds, and the milky light overflows from the velvet gap, covering the cold earth.

The ethereal voice is too mysterious, like ice cubes that are about to dry up in the sun.Many people shrank their bodies, and when they heard the soft tune, they raised their heads in surprise, looking for the source of the singing in a daze.

I exhaled a mouthful of hazy water vapor, and looked calmly at a certain silvery wall above the Great Wall of Human Bats.From there came the singing, and Ro, cloaked and hooded, sat in the shadows, as if one with the night.The moon was like a great silver disk behind him, and his voice was more beautiful than anything I've ever heard.

He is my ghost, and tonight, the silver moon and the stars are his.

I stared at his insignificant figure, listened to the music he sang, and suddenly had an idea to hug a lyre and pluck the strings according to his melody.

……

"Can the undead sing and hypnotize the undead?"

I was holding the "Secret of the Dead", leaning against the head of the bed, pointing to a string of notes on it.Luo's eyes moved to the yellowed pages, and he frowned slightly.

He thought, "It should be possible. As long as the undead is willing, it can use various forms of media to manipulate the mind of the undead. Sound, smell, light, whatever."

I sneered, "In this case, those dead souls dare to provoke you?"

He smiled sadly, "They were killed by the undead before, so I don't want to hurt them anymore."

I said, "How do you call 'injury'?"

He said, "The singing of the undead is actually very provocative to the undead, and it is likely to evoke some grief and mourning emotions in the undead, thus making them miserable."

"Then you don't have to worry, Luo." I closed the book and said to him, "I believe that your singing will not harm any dead souls."

"Do you believe in yourself, Ro?"

****

I made him sing the song of the dead.

The song originally flowed quietly like a long river at dusk, but suddenly the melody leaped lightly, like a fish jumping out of a stream, splashing pearl-like water.Luo told me that the tunes sung by each undead can not only guide the actions of the undead, but also create a mysterious connection between the undead and humans.

I asked him what the connection was, and he said that the singing voices of different undead are very different, and what connects souls and people may be warmth and happiness, or sorrow and hatred.He hadn't tried it, and he didn't know what kind of bond his singing would create.

And I'm just saying, sing it out, lo.

My soul, you will bring love and happiness to others.

My thoughts were floating in his singing, and suddenly I heard Fallows gritted his teeth fiercely, "Could it be...the undead..."

He jerked his sword out of its sheath, looking wary.The bones hanging on the Great Wall suddenly started to move. Although it was very faint, I could clearly see those shaking bones. They were writhing in the body bag, like silkworm chrysalis wriggling.The night wind swirling around the sky seemed to bring their weak whimpers to the edge of the earth, they struggled and wept, and watched the people below the city sadly through the eye holes that belonged only to skeletons.

At this time, panicked noises came from below the city, and those boiling voices filled the quiet moonlit night like bubbles.People suddenly stretched out their hands, weeping and groping in the void, embracing the transparent and cold air, and heartbrokenly calling out the names of their former relatives and lovers.

It seemed that the singing of the dead had worked on them.

Fallows waved his sword furiously, "Damn undead! How dare you confuse the people..." He muttered ferociously, stepping on the snow aggressively to make a series of footprints, just about to rush up the city wall——

I stepped forward slowly, putting my hands behind my back in front of him.

Fallows' expression suddenly changed, "Your Majesty!"

I didn't speak, just stood in front of him coldly, blocking his way, staring at the changing colors in his pupils.Fallows gritted his teeth and lowered his head, muffled, "You shouldn't have done this, Your Majesty..."

【Fallows...】

The Silver Scale Knight clenched the hilt tightly, suddenly, an old and familiar voice sounded from behind him.Fallows was taken aback, his arms holding the sword trembled.He twisted his neck stiffly, and through the mask, he saw the phantom-like ghost floating in mid-air with a faint golden light all over his body.

【Fallows...】

The loving voice called him again.Fallows widened his eyes in disbelief, looking at the dead soul that seemed to be stripped from the transparent mid-air, the tip of his nose twitched, and he felt the moisture condensed into balls, rolling in the hot eye sockets.

"Dad..." He choked up, looking at the pale golden figure of the dead soul, and said, "Dad..."

【Fallows...】

The dead soul opened its arms towards the young knight, Fallows cried out, and rushed towards it regardless, passing through the transparent body of the dead soul, and fell headfirst into the snow.His hair was covered with snow flakes, and Fallows wiped his eyes vigorously with his hands, but the hot tears couldn't stop, melting circular marks on the white snow layer.

"Dad...Dad..." He sat in the snow and cried bitterly, saying intermittently, "I'm sorry...Dad...I've always wanted to apologize to you...I killed you...I'm guilty...I'm sorry... ..."

【It's okay, Fallows... I don't blame you, and you are not guilty...】

The dead soul moved slowly in the field of vision that only belonged to the young knight, and floated to the side of the crying knight, reaching out to hug him, 【I just want to tell you...you did a good job, Faros, father is proud of you... ...]

I stared at the crying and laughing figure of the idiot, and felt that he was probably also caught in the singing of the undead.I turned my head to look at the people around me who were also crying tears of joy, and suddenly felt a little unhappiness.

Why does his singing resonate so much, but I can't feel anything.

interesting.

Looking at the idiot's appearance, he should have seen his father's ghost.I looked at the sparse stars with my hands behind my back, and felt an inexplicable emptiness in my heart.I lowered my head and stared at the white snowflakes without blinking, identifying each delicate petal.what should i thinkWhat can Luo's singing bring?I looked up at the sky, at Luo in front of the silver moon, but no one gave me a definite answer.The faces of my so-called "relatives" flashed through my mind one by one. Ai Rong's face was disgusting, parents' faces were annoying, and Yang Tao's face was only indifferent.

I close my eyes, trying to calm my tired brain...

At that moment, a bright picture suddenly flashed in front of me, like an unrolled scroll, brushing off the dust on the scroll.I saw the three disabled brothers, Chichikov, Barbara, and Popolo sitting in the carriage chanting scriptures, and Luo floating on the treetops in the forest.We were driving an old open carriage, bobbing our heads and bouncing along the rough mountain roads, laughing a lot.Chichikov was tinkering with his little gadgets, and the crippled Reig was fast asleep in the carriage.I pulled one side of the rein, crossed my legs lazily, and leaned against the car door, singing something.

And the broken arm Emu pulled the rein on the other side, and wailed and howled with me to destroy everyone's eardrums.Barbara scoffed at our poor rhythm, the little dwarf still on my back.

I zoomed in on the picture scroll in my mind, and finally heard the ballad I sang loudly.

[The teeth of the dragon chewed me,

The dragon's saliva sets me on fire,

The scales of the dragon tore me apart,

The dragon said, I will bite you, burn you, hurt you,

Why are you still alive...]

I saw Luo's ghostly figure shuttling through the thick branches, watching me tenderly singing with my mouth open.Meanwhile, Eyre leaned on the other side, his one eye turned slightly to give me a brief silent glance.

The mottled sunlight passing through the forest is like diamonds falling from the sky, covering our ruts, the traces we have walked in this world.And amidst the noisy noise, the carriage jolted into the vast distance.