Fang Zhao did not see anyone from the Wu family, nor did he return to the core cemetery. His reservation at the public memorial area was about to arrive. If he missed it, he would not be able to line up again. Paying his respects was the main point.
Compared to the core burial area and the scattered burial area, the public worship area was much livelier. There were a few majestic halls in the worship area. They had no fancy decorations and were mainly gray in color. There were reliefs on the outer walls depicting the battles during the Period of Destruction.
The main hall was much taller than the side halls. At the entrance were two 30-meter-tall statues. One was of Yanzhou's most famous character, Wu Yan. The other... was of Fang Zhao.
The statue's base was engraved with the same words as those on the tombstones.
Although Fang Zhao knew he had become one of the guardians of the main hall when he had looked up the Cemetery of Martyrs on the internet, seeing it in person still made him feel complicated.
The statue's appearance was probably based on the later stages of the Period of Destruction, but it had been beautified during the making of the statue. The facial features were angular, muscular, tendons protruding, eyelids not drooping, and cheeks not sunken. Although there were wrinkles and scars on the face, it looked more like a middle-aged man. Wearing a combat uniform, the statue had a majestic and awe-inspiring appearance. His head was slightly raised, as if he was watching the battlefield in the distance.
The face of Wu Yan's statue was a little more relaxed, and it was very similar to the Wu Yan that people had seen in real images that had been passed down. At that time, it was the Founding Era, and Wu Yan was also smiling more often. He gave off a more amiable feeling, and although he wasn't as sharp, he didn't lose the dignity of a leader. This was the great man who had led Yanzhou into the New Era and rebuilt their homeland.
The two statues silently watched the people coming and going in front of the main hall every day.
There were many statues in Qi'an City. Some symbolized taste, some were just for fun. But here, people maintained a kind of respect for the statues in front of the main hall.
Unlike music, the statues had a kind of static appeal and impact, exuding a feeling of immortality.
Nothing was truly immortal. Immortality was just a relative thing.
Every era would produce some immortal figures, and some things would happen that were worth remembering and cherishing for a long time.
Fang Zhao had never imagined that he would be one of them.
After staring at the statues for a while, Fang Zhao walked to the open-air waiting area to the side.
The worship took place in the main hall. The side hall was a place for people to rest. If there were a lot of people who had made reservations, they would book a room in the side hall to rest while waiting.
In the waiting area, a middle-aged couple was sitting beside Fang Zhao. The two were discussing which method they would use to pay their respects this year. From their conversation, Fang Zhao could tell that they were mainly praying for their children, especially their eldest son, who was currently serving in the military.
"Hey, are they still mining now? Do they have a holiday on Memorial Day?" The woman muttered in a low voice, "I haven't received any news for many days. I don't know how he's doing. Is he sick? Is there a holiday for Memorial Day? Did you eat well? "
The man patted his wife's hand and comforted her. "It's only been five days since we last received the video. There are still five more days before we can receive the next video message. Memorial Day is also a holiday, but there aren't as many as here. We might only be able to rest on Memorial Day …"
During his military service, he could not contact his family at any time. He could only send a video message to his family once every ten days. Even if it was Memorial Day, even if there were holidays, he could not return home. He could only wait until his military service was over.
Along the way, Fang Zhao encountered quite a number of people praying for the family members of those serving in the military. There were many such people every year, as there were quite a number of people serving in the military.
Diagonally behind him were a few young students gathered together to discuss which posture they should use to pray this year to ensure that they did not fail their subjects.
People in the New Era could come up with all sorts of ways to pay their respects. Some people even felt that since they had not been able to fulfill their wishes during last year's prayers, they should change the method, the posture, the objects, the setting, and so on. Would that work?
As he was looking around, Fang Zhao's personal terminal notified him that it was his turn.
Following the notification, Fang Zhao collected his ticket and entered the main hall.
The bustling noises outside seemed to have been muted. The main hall was more solemn. There were many reliefs and projected images of the Period of Destruction. Some were pictures of people, others were scenes, and the images of the martyrs had a brief introduction to them.
Fang Zhao also saw his own image. The image was taken during the later stages of the Period of Destruction. He looked older and had many scars on his face. At first glance, he looked a little scary, and this was the result of beautifying the image.
Actually, even if Fang Zhao from the previous generation was standing here, he might not be recognized. Fang Zhao was different from those people after the founding of the New Era. He did not leave many images behind. Even if he did, it was not meticulously arranged. Before the Period of Destruction ended, who would have had the time to pick out clothes to clean up? Whether it was lighting, clothing, background, expression, or anything else, everything was the same as usual.
Fang Zhao looked at the ticket in his hand and headed for the main hall, area A.
The public worship area, area A had smaller worship rooms. Fang Zhao was alone, so he was assigned to area A.
Fang Zhao found the worship room according to the number on his ticket and scanned his ticket on the device at the entrance.
This was Fang Zhao's first time paying his respects in the New Era, and it was a fresh experience. To ensure privacy, there were no surveillance cameras inside, and there were no other people. There was a screen at the side of the door that displayed a few popular ways of paying respects and recommended packages. There were also worship instructions, but Fang Zhao did not look at them. After skimming through them, he chose an altar, a 500-milliliter bottle of wine, and a retro wine bowl.
Different people, different ways of paying respects, different customs, and different items could be selected. This was like a self-service shopping machine, but these items had to be paid for. Worship items, donations, and other such items were the main source of the cemetery's annual maintenance expenses.
Fang Zhao did not even ask for a cushion to kneel on. He held a glass of wine in one hand and a bowl in the other. He did not change the mode of the worship room, going straight to the default mode. The holographic image was of a miniature core cemetery. The huge gravestone was only about two meters tall after it had been shrunk. Behind the huge gravestone was a cluster of smaller gravestones that glowed like a vast sea of stars.
Standing in front of the gravestone image, Fang Zhao knew that the direction he was facing was where the huge gravestone in the core cemetery area was. He stood there in a daze for two minutes, watching the miniature gravestone image, then glancing at the cluster of gravestones behind the gravestone. Fang Zhao poured the wine.
For the first bowl, Fang Zhao poured it directly into the altar.
To all those who had died in that era.
For the second bowl, Fang Zhao drank half and poured the remaining half into the altar.
To those old comrades whom he would never see again.
For the third bowl, Fang Zhao drank it all without leaving a drop.
To himself!
After finishing three bowls, Fang Zhao put down the wine bottle and bowl, took one last look at the gravestone image, and turned to leave. Before leaving, he donated one million dollars. He did not purchase those virtual worship items, choosing to donate money directly. Simple and direct.
Other than the worship room, Fang Zhao did not look at the other furnishings in the hall. Instead, he left the main hall and crossed the plaza.
There were many people walking around in the plaza. Under the sunlight, there were children laughing and running. There were also a few temporary shopping areas in the plaza, lined up with shops. People stopped in front of those small shops to buy some souvenirs.
"More than 500 years have passed!"
Once again, Fang Zhao clearly recognized this fact.
He was no longer the Fang Zhao of the end of days, but a person of the New Era. He should not be so fixated on the past. This was a rare opportunity that others could not even beg for. He should look forward and take a good look at this new and prosperous world.
Looking at the situation in the plaza, Fang Zhao could not help but smile. He had not seen the day when the New Era was founded, but he had transcended more than 500 years and lived in the prosperous New Era.
"Hey, brother, would you like two commemorative paintings?"
The voice of a nearby vendor brought Fang Zhao back to his senses. He looked to the side.
This temporary shop had many paintings of all sizes on display. It was a small stall that specialized in selling paintings. The vendors at these stalls were employees in charge of cleaning and maintenance in the cemetery. Every year at this time, they would turn into small vendors and sell their wares in the designated area of the cemetery plaza.
People of the New Era mostly only had one faith, and that was the heroes who had created the New Era.
They did not believe in God, but it was unknown whether it was formed spontaneously among the people or whether it was driven by merchants who saw the benefits, but the people had developed a habit of pasting two paintings on their doors on Memorial Day. It was a way to remember and to pray for blessings.
What were they pasting?
Of course, it was the portraits of the heroes of the Cemetery of Martyrs!
Seeing that Fang Zhao seemed interested in the commemorative paintings, the vendor smiled even more eagerly. "Come, take a look. This year's new model was designed by a famous designer. It's a new waterproof, stain resistant material. We are the only place in the entire world that has this new model. You can buy it and paste it on your office or home. Even if you don't use it yourself, you can give it to your friends and family!"
The vendor rambled on and on about his wares. Fang Zhao was a little stunned. He pointed to the two paintings in the vendor's hands. "Who are these two?"
"You don't recognize them?" The vendor still felt that Fang Zhao's eyesight was not good enough. He opened his mouth in an exaggerated manner, then put on an eager smile and pointed to the two paintings in his hands. He then pointed to the pile beside him. "The two statues in front of the main hall are the same heroes. General Wu Yan and Commander Fang Zhao!"
Fang Zhao: "…" He felt like he was choking on a glutinous rice ball.
Unlike most people, the employees of the Cemetery of Martyrs were very familiar with the information of the martyrs buried in the cemetery. They could recite hundreds of names with their eyes closed, not to mention those who had left a deep mark in the history of the Cemetery of Martyrs. This was a compulsory exam for the Cemetery of Martyrs every year. You don't even know the martyrs of the Cemetery of Martyrs, and you still want to work in the Cemetery of Martyrs?
The vendor's mouth could not stop. Not only did he introduce the "same heroes in the main hall," he also introduced other heroes. He illustrated the glorious achievements of those people recorded in the history books and spoke passionately and forcefully. It was as if buying a painting would invite a war god back.
Fang Zhao looked at the other paintings on the vendor's display with a wooden face. Yes, the artistic commemorative paintings might be a little exaggerated, but they also revealed the characteristics of many people. For example, some people had big beards, some people had bald heads, some people had moles, and so on. They could still match people.
For example, Fang Zhao's painting had all the scars on his face. It was just that after the art was done, it was less ferocious. Fang Zhao really admired the artist who could draw the scars like a tattoo and add a sense of fashion.
But …
What the hell is that red cape? When did I ever wear that?!
Seeing Fang Zhao staring at one of the paintings, the vendor said, "This year, there are a few new paintings of the same heroes in the main hall. Many people buy them. Even if they don't stick them in their own homes, it's good to keep them as souvenirs. Oh, there are others. They are all famous heroes from our continent, from the Period of Destruction and the New Era. They are also new commemorative paintings released this year. If you have a descendant of a martyr in your family, you can choose."
Fang Zhao raised his hand and gestured from one end of the stall to the other. "These commemorative paintings of heroes, regardless of the style, give me one of them. Fang Zhao's … give me ten of them."
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