A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The wind and sand in the desert rolled up the loess, and people could only see the hazy traces in the distance.

As far as the eyes can see, there is scorched earth, barren land, and when the wind and sand sweep past, there are faintly visible traces of bones emerging from the sand.

The scorching sun was in the sky, exposing the land.

The strong wind howled, and layers of yellow sand were blown up to the sky, and the sky was full of sand.

He stood on this piece of scorched earth with no end in sight, looking around blankly.The hot wind passed over his cheeks, bringing a burning pain.

There was a dead silence all around, and there was no vitality, as if the land had long since died.

It is obviously a strange place, and it is obviously a strange scenery that he has never seen before, but it makes him feel extremely familiar.

When looking at this lifeless land, it seemed as if an invisible hand was tightly grasping the depths of his chest, and an indescribable uncomfortable feeling emerged from the depths of his body.

The huge ruins loomed in the sand, the huge stone pillars rose from the ground, the pillars corroded by the years were incomplete, and the broken pillars collapsed on the sand.

The civilized country that has been passed down for thousands of years has been submerged in this piece of yellow sand, almost losing all traces.

Only the wind and sand that has gone through thousands of years still stands stubbornly on the corner of the stone pillar above the earth, and the traces of carvings that have been eroded to the point where only the outline of a lion can be vaguely discerned are still telling posterity. The existence of the majestic kingdom of...

…………

Garlan was sleeping soundly on the bed, the morning sunlight fell through the skylight and fell on his face.

He breathed evenly.

Then, the rhythm of the breathing changed slightly, the eyelashes moved slightly, and the sleeping boy opened his eyes.

What came into his golden pupils was a familiar room, tall and spacious, supported by round white stone pillars, and patterns carved from green stone were wrapped around it.

In a corner of the bedroom, a wisp of green smoke slowly rises from the incense burner, filling the room with a sweet aroma.

The windows were half open, and the breeze brought in the warmth of the spring day in the courtyard outside.The translucent green gauze in the bedroom flutters gently in the breeze, as thin as smoke.

After silently looking at the familiar scenery in front of him for a while, Garlan closed his eyes again.

Everything he saw in the dream appeared clearly in his mind.

——The huge ruins buried in the yellow sand——

——The future that Aaron Landis follows the trajectory of previous lives——

…………

In the trajectory of the previous life...

More than 100 years of war, the weak and the strong preyed on the land, the people's hearts became more and more sinister, the people were displaced, and there were many bones everywhere... Perhaps because the gods were disappointed by this, they gradually began to give up protecting this land.

As a result, natural disasters continued and turmoil broke out everywhere.

The land became more and more barren, and the desert expanded day by day, spreading to the west little by little. Gradually, even the two rivers that fed Aaron Landis were completely dried up.

In the end, the yellow sand flooded the land of Aaron Landis, and the people of Aaron Landis scattered away. The once magnificent palace was turned into ruins in the long years of wind and sand...

Thousands of years later, only from the half-covered ruins and broken pillars in the yellow sand, can people get a glimpse of the prosperity and magnificence of the disappearing Lion Empire...

…………

Garlan opened his eyes.

As soon as he sat up, the female officer who had been waiting outside noticed his movement, lifted the azure veil and walked in.

Several maids followed Taputi, holding white scarves, gorgeous clothes and accessories, or gold basins filled with hot water. Dewy flowers.

Garlan smiled at his magistrate and maids and got out of bed.

The other maids stood still, only the female officer stepped forward and personally changed Garlan into the costume specially made for today.

It was an extremely gorgeous dress, brand new, as white as snow, as soft as a cloud, holding it in the hand, as light as a swan feather.

The sleeves hung down from Garlan's shoulders like lotus petals, and the tassels with golden threads fell on the white upper arms, interlaced with the golden armbands with the Shamash runes on the upper arms.

The sky blue belt was tied up, more and more outlining the tight waistline of the young man.

The pure gold necklace inlaid with green malachite as fine as starlight hangs on the boy's chest, half covering the slender collarbone.

The bright golden long hair, which was more than gold ornaments, scattered from the young man's graceful neck to his chest, matching the golden necklace, and shining more and more in the morning sun.

With a slight movement of the boy's hand, a dozen or so thin gold rings with different patterns on the white wrist lightly collided with each other, making a crisp crashing sound.

Taputi carefully weaves a silk chain studded with small white pearls the size of rice grains into her little prince's long golden hair.

Then, she brushed away the cloud-like fluffy forehead hair and looked at her prince.

The boy's bright golden eyes also stared at her.

Tapti smiled slightly.

she thinks.

Before he knew it, that little child had grown so big that he was almost as tall as himself.

The female officer looked at Garlan, the tenderness in her eyes almost overflowed.

Then, she picked up the pen that had been stained with vermilion paint as bright as the morning glow.

With an unprecedented seriousness, she carefully traced the scarlet Shamash rune on Garlan's forehead stroke by stroke.

"'prince'……"

put down the pen, she said,

"This should be the last time I call you that."

Mistress Taputi looked tenderly at the boy she was bringing up with one hand, stepped forward, and gently kissed the crimson mark on the boy's forehead like a blessing.

"My prince," she whispered, "may the glory of the gods be with you forever."

……

When Garlan stepped out of the gate quickly, he raised his eyes and saw several familiar figures.

A blond one-eyed knight.

Priest of tall Shamash.

Chubby little fat man.

They didn't know how long they stood in the courtyard. When Garlan appeared, the little fat man who couldn't stand at all was circling in the courtyard, lap after lap.

As soon as he saw Garlan, Tarleton's eyes lit up, and like a big fat dog, he wagged his tail happily and approached him. He opened his mouth and wanted to say a lot of words, but he was caught by the cold face next to him. The priest glanced at it, and suddenly got stuck, swallowing all the words in his stomach.

He could only look at Garlan with a pair of sparkling eyes, from top to bottom, from head to toe, scanning over and over again, until the stars twinkled in his eyes.

Prince looks good.

So lovely.

Too beautiful--

The fat man, who was poor in language, kept repeating these words in his heart while staring at his incredibly handsome prince.

Shemuer, who glanced coldly at the little fat man, turned his eyes back to Garlan. He stood there, even today, with his usual expressionless expression.

However, the slightly surging emotions in his eyes, as well as the fingers clenched tightly on the scepter, all revealed his uneasy mood at the moment.

"prince……"

Kaihos stepped forward and just said a few words when he suddenly staggered backwards, as if being pulled from behind.

It turned out that the big lion that was rolling in the dense grass rushed over at some point, grabbed his cloak in one bite, and pulled it back hard.

The unsuspecting Sun Knight was dragged away from his prince by Nega with a look of astonishment.

Before everyone came back to their senses, the big lion had already pounced on it.

With a groan, that big fluffy head arched towards Garlan, and while arching, it let out a low grunt from its throat.

Nega, who was arching vigorously, distorted the gold jewelry on Garlan's neck in an instant.

The corner of the priest's mouth twitched.

The knight who was dragged away looked at the big lion wagging its head and tail at Garlan, not knowing whether to laugh or cry for a moment.

The little fat man looked at the big lion enviously.

Garlan laughed. He put his arms around Nega's big head, buried his cheek in the fluffy mane, and rubbed it vigorously.

Nega, who had been rubbed comfortably, gave another low howl, flicked his long tail, and gently pressed the slightly moist tip of his nose against Garlan's cheek.

The young man looked at it softly, and also touched the big lion's forehead with the tip of his nose affectionately.

Then, he raised his eyes and glanced at the three people in the courtyard, and then looked back at the female officer who was standing quietly behind him with a cloak in her hand and was watching him with a smile.

he thinks.

They grow up with themselves.

In the future, I will always walk with myself.

Garlan who was hugging the big lion laughed.

He laughed happily.

As the years passed, only the boy's smile never changed, it was still as bright as the first time he saw it.

When he smiled, it seemed that he was better than all the good things in the world.

"let's go."

Garlan smiled and said to everyone, and took the lead in walking towards the gate of the palace.

The big lion shook its long golden mane and followed him closely.

Everyone looked at each other with understanding eyes, and then followed the steps of their prince together.

…………

........................

This is a special day for the people of Aaron Landis.

Aaron Landis's new king is about to be born.

Plaza of the Gods.

The square in front of the magnificent palace.

The land paved with white stones is almost invisible at a glance.

A sky-high avenue leads to the end of the square, where a huge trapezoidal high platform made of topaz stands.

The long stone steps go up obliquely, as if making this light yellow high platform soar into the sky.

On the top of the platform is a golden throne.

The huge stone statues, the stone statues of the gods of Aaron Landis surrounded and stood behind the high platform.

The gods looked down ahead.

The huge throne made of solid gold shone dazzlingly in the sun.

A throne that only the sons of the gods can sit on.

The sun hung high above the sky, and the white clouds floated slowly in the sky, sometimes blocking a little sunlight.

The lion flag with red background and gold pattern burns endlessly in the sky like a flame.

Garlan raised his head and looked up.

The long topaz steps were right in front of him.

The scarlet carpet embroidered with golden borders spread out obliquely upwards on the stone steps, paving a way to the Supreme Throne.

He stood here three times in total.

Every time, it is a sunny moment.

The brilliance of Shamash shines on the land of Aaron Landis, overlooking everything on the land.

For the first time, he was declared to be the younger brother of King Kamos.

At that time, he was still very young.

Walking on the stone steps, as long as he raised his eyes, he could see the tall figure in front of him.

He followed the figure step by step up.

The second time, he was conferred the crown prince of Aaron Landis.

He walked up alone.

But as long as you raise your head, you can see that reassuring figure sitting firmly on the throne, watching him move forward step by step.

Now, for the third time.

He can only go on alone.

……

A gust of wind roared across the huge square, blowing the white clouds in the sky.

The clouds are all over the sky, letting the sun cast down fall on the earth more or less deeply.

A hand pressed gently on his arm, and the warm touch made Garlan wake up from his trance.

The blond hair on his forehead was blown endlessly by the wind, and even the light shadow of that hair was shaking gently on his forehead.

Garlan didn't look back.

He knew who the man standing behind him was.

He could feel the rough scar on the palm of the hand that was pressing on his arm.

"Go."

The man's low voice came from behind.

The hand on his arm pushed forward slightly.

The force was obviously insignificant, but it seemed to transmit an invisible force.

The moment Garlan stepped forward, he turned his head and looked behind him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the owner of the hand.

Heymos was standing behind him, dressed in pitch-black armor, standing upright like a black pine, in a guarding posture.

The eyes of the two met for a moment.

Just for a moment.

But time seems to have jumped thousands of years at the moment when they looked at each other.

Garlan withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and looked at the long stone steps in front of him.

He stepped up.

When he walked up, the sky-blue cloak spread out behind him, dragging long and large pieces on the fiery red carpet.

Beside him, a golden lion accompanied him.

Garlan walked up step by step.

After walking a few steps, suddenly, a phantom of the corner of a scarlet cloak passed before his eyes.

He froze for a moment.

That might be his illusion.

Or maybe it's just an illusory light and shadow formed by the interlacing of dark or light sunlight falling under the cover of white clouds.

…………

In a blur, vaguely, he seemed to see that familiar tall figure appearing in front of him.

The figure led him forward.

Time seems to have returned to a long, long time ago.

When he was very young, this tall figure led him up the platform step by step.

As now.

He leads him on.

……

The stone steps are very long, but there will be time to finish walking.

When Garlan walked up the last stone step, the phantom melted into the bright sunlight.

'He' has come to an end.

Garlan raised his head and saw the golden throne appearing in front of his eyes.

The priest of Shamash, wearing a crown of green olive leaves, stood on one side of the high platform, and the head of the Royal Knights, Sako, stood beside him holding a disc covered with red brocade.

A crown of lapis lazuli gold rests on a soft brocade.

The rhombus-shaped lapis lazuli was stained with a little blood, just like the blood that just dripped on it, it was about to flow, and it was about to drip.

Sako looked at the lapis lazuli crown in his hand.

No matter how much you wiped and cleaned the crown worn by King Kamos, the blood red on the lapis lazuli seems to have permeated into the gemstone and blended with it, so it couldn't be wiped off.

Someone once suggested that it is better to simply create a new crown for the new king, but Garlan refused.

'I must wear it, and use this bloody crown to warn everyone, never forget the most difficult moment of Aaron Landis. '

At that time, the crown prince said this to everyone.

Shemuer's light cough woke Sage up from his memories.

Looking away from the crown in front of him, he took a deep look at the young crown prince, then bent down, and fell to one knee on the ground.

He raised his head, and slowly lifted the disc containing the lapis lazuli crown.

Shimmer stretched out his hands.

He will hold up the golden crown and put it on the head of the Dauphin standing before him.

But just as Shemuer stretched out his hand, Garlan suddenly took a step forward, stood in front of Shemuer, and pressed his right hand on Shemuer's hand.

The boy looked sideways at his priest.

He didn't say anything, and looked at Ximuer calmly, but Ximuer clearly saw a kind of persistence in the boy's eyes.

Silently staring at Garlan for a few seconds, Shemuer chose to give in under that firm gaze.

He withdrew his hand and took a step back.

Like Sako, he lowered his eyes and bent over to his knees.

The originally spotless white robe fell to the ground as he knelt down.

The male lion accompanying Garlan lowered his head lightly, his huge eyes stared curiously at the golden crown in front of him, his big head lowered, as if he wanted to lean in and take a sniff.

The boy stretched out his hand and patted it on the head, and it squatted down obediently.

Nega looked at Garlan and blinked meekly like a kitten.

At this moment, the square of the gods was very quiet.

There are countless people under the high platform, and the soldiers of Aaron Landis, who are holding silver guns and wearing dark armor, stand upright on the ground.

In the distance, countless people surrounded the square, watching here.

Looking around, it was so dark that there was no end in sight.

However, this piece of land where countless people are standing is extremely quiet.

Everyone stood quietly, their eyes fixed on the high platform motionlessly, like countless sculptures standing on the ground.

Garlan looked at the golden crown that was enshrined in front of him. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked the drop of blood on the lapis lazuli with his fingertips.

Those who lead him on have come to an end.

entrust the throne in his hands.

And he, will sit on the throne, succeed that person and move on.

He will succeed that man and guard the land of Aaron Landis.

……

The wind whizzed past the high platform, lifting the young man's long golden hair into the air like a cluster of golden clouds.

Garlan raised his hand and put the lapis lazuli crown on his blond hair.

The drop of blood on the lapis lazuli was as red as the crimson Shamash rune on his forehead.

The stone statues of the gods surrounding the high platform were bathed in sunlight, with their heads slightly lowered, looking down at the throne.

It seemed that the gods of Aaron Landis were watching this scene with their own eyes.

All eyes.

Gods witness.

The young king personally crowned himself.

…………

The wind whizzed past, across thousands of miles of land, and came to the distant high mountain of Tweilur.

The majestic waterfall poured down, splashed down on the cliff, and scattered fine drops of water.

Layers of clouds and mist linger between the valleys, accompanied by the huge roar of the waterfall when it falls.

A snow-white deer stands at the top of the waterfall.

Water rushes past its hooves.

It stood there quietly, looking up into the distance.

Its eyes, as clear as water, seemed to have traveled thousands of miles, staring at the scene where the young king crowned himself.

………………

A huge throne stands on a high platform.

The boy king wearing a crown stands before the throne.

A golden lion stands beside the throne.

On the endless land under the high platform, the black crowd knelt down on the ground, bowing their heads reverently to their young new king.

Floating clouds floated in the sky, and the sun appeared and disappeared in the clouds, making the sunlight falling on the earth fluctuate in depth and light.

Garlan looked down at the land in front of him, and the countless Aaron Landis people kneeling at his feet.

Aaron Landis.

The country he guards.

Wherever the sun reaches, it is the land of Aaron Landis.

He will never let this majestic country decline and decline a little bit like in his dream, and finally disappear forever in the desert in the long years.

Aaron Landis will live forever.

The young king sat down on the golden throne.

And the moment Garlan sat on the throne—

Suddenly, the golden lion that had been squatting quietly beside the throne let out a roar.

The roar seemed to tear through the sky.

The sky seemed to be frightened by this lion's roar, and the floating clouds in the sky suddenly stopped, and then, the large white clouds melted away in an instant like white snow under the sun.

Thousands of miles of clear sky, no more clouds.

The sun's radiance poured down like a waterfall.

It was as if countless beams of light fell from the sky in an instant and landed on the land of Aaron Landis.

The sun was unprecedentedly bright, as if melting all the darkness on the earth.

At the moment when the young king sat on the throne, the brilliance fell, and the entire Aaron Landis was filled with the brilliance that was extremely bright.

Everything in the world is bathed in golden light at this moment.

Like a miracle.

The whole earth was silent.

The people bathed in the radiance almost held their breath and looked up at the miraculous scene.

——Youth will eventually be king——

…………

..............................

Garland.

Aaron Landis' King of ZTE.

Aaron Landis No.30 Six Kings.

His brother, Kamos, died in the war with the invaders Gastad. He ascended to the throne at a young age, inherited his brother's behest, and expelled the Gastade from the country.

After that, he launched several expeditions to Kanal under the control of the Gastads, and finally drove the Gastads back to the extreme north.

...and, according to the unofficial history and the description of the ballads that have been handed down, the beauty of this young king has attracted the attention of the world, and no one can compare it.

Taking the opportunity of the war against the Gastadians, he took back the power scattered in the hands of the local lords, gradually disintegrated the local forces, and established the centralization of the king's political and military power.

That was the first time in the history of Aaron Landis that the prototype of centralization was formed.

At the same time, during the war, he liberated a large number of slaves in the name of enhancing national power, which had a great impact on the mainstream slavery at that time.

Therefore, Aaron Landis surpassed other countries on the continent and abolished slavery first.

……

King Garlan.

He is famous for his justice and wisdom.

Everyone is convinced by it.

He is deeply supported and loved by the people of Aaron Landis because of his compassion and love for the people.

Later generations honored him as [Wise King].

The beginning of the end of the third saga