In the light and shadow of the fireworks and magic, the airship slowly descended. When it was still some distance from the ground, Hao Ren heard loud cheers coming from below. He looked at the crowd that was like a colorful ocean and could not help but mutter to Morian next to him, "It seems that Veronica has a high reputation among the civilians."
"The civilians may not necessarily know what great achievements the princess has outside," Morian shrugged. "But each of them can get a piece of sweet bread."
Hao Ren was speechless.
After a slight shake, the airship finally docked smoothly on the edge of the rectangular platform built of white stones. The strong Mountain Warriors pushed the heavy gangplank from the platform to the side of the airship and fastened it with a lock. Then the royal honor guard on both sides of the red carpet fired a salute of 22 cannons before Veronica and Morian appeared in front of everyone.
Hao Ren stood on the other side of Veronica, even slightly in front of Morian.
The twenty knights who had gone through life and death with the princess and finally returned triumphantly walked behind the three of them. These knights did not change their attire from the battlefield. They were still wearing the scarred and bloodstained armor, and the longswords on their waists were full of scars after the fierce battle. The twenty knights walked down the gangplank with the momentum of thousands of people, and immediately ignited the enthusiasm of the onlookers. Even louder cheers sounded, and people began to shout the name of the kingdom's Rose of the Battlefield. The cheers were deafening.
Veronica waved to the crowd below the platform. Her eyes paused at certain specific points in the crowd, and she nodded imperceptibly. It seemed that she was not too late.
Hao Ren saw everything. Of course, he could see a few leading points in the cheers around him, and it was only natural that the princess would need some means to maintain her prestige in the royal city and intimidate the noble factions that she ruled. These things did not make him feel disgusted or dissatisfied with Veronica. He was just not interested in all of this. Like any other qualified inspector, he just watched these "passing scenery" with an attitude of a bystander.
He watched from the side as he followed the princess forward. At the end of the red carpet, he saw a dignified middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothing and a group of nobles standing behind him.
This should be the king of Talos, he guessed.
Sure enough, when Veronica came in front of the middle-aged man, she immediately bowed and was ready to pay her respects to her father according to the royal etiquette. But before she could do so, the majestic king took a step forward. For the first time in his life, Rudolph III took the initiative to put aside the cumbersome rules and gave his daughter a hug. "Welcome home, my child."
"Father," Veronica seemed to have expected this hug. She just smiled after she stepped back. "It's really good to see you in good health. I'm back, and I've brought important information. "
"You've crossed the boundary of the Order?" Rudolph III looked at Veronica and the knights behind her, and finally stopped at Hao Ren. Of course, he could see that this was a stranger, but this stranger was standing in such a conspicuous and important place, even more distinguished than Veronica's royal swordsmanship instructor. He could not help but start to guess the origin of this strangely dressed man. "And you have brought a guest."
Veronica immediately turned sideways and solemnly introduced, "Father, this is the ancient guardian we brought from the Cassouin Sacred Mountain. He helped us cross the realm of Chaos and completed all the feats along the way. His name is Hao Ren, and he came from the last millennium."
Rudolph III's expression suddenly became a little stunned.
Out of all the guesses that the king had, this was probably the most unbelievable one.
The vassals standing behind Rudolph III also heard Veronica's words, and they all had different expressions on their faces. These high-ranking bigwigs were not ignorant villagers. Although they had never seen the ancient book about the Cassouin Sacred Mountain that Veronica found, they had heard similar legends and stories. So they naturally understood what an ancient guardian from the ancient holy land meant. This not only meant that a powerful warrior had returned to the world of Order, but also meant that some ancient technology and lost historical fragments could be filled in.
However, such things basically only happened in the stories of bards and bad playwrights.
No one would have thought that they would really encounter such a thing in their lifetime. But when several old ministers saw the dusty knights behind Veronica, they felt a little relieved. If it was the famous knight princess, it would not be too surprising for her to encounter such an adventure.
Hao Ren did not say a word, watching the reunion of father and daughter and the triumphant return of the knights. He did not intend to take the initiative to speak to this strange kingdom for the time being. But at this moment, he felt a strange gaze falling on him.
In fact, at this moment, many eyes were focused on him, the "ancient guardian" who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. If it were not for his extraordinary perception, he would not have been able to distinguish one or two special gazes.
With his heart throbbing, Hao Ren slightly raised his eyelids and found the source of the gaze. Behind Rudolph III, a thin, pale, middle-aged man was looking at him. The middle-aged man was wearing a lavender robe and was only a few steps away from the king. Obviously, he was a man of high status. The eyes hidden under the high cheekbones were narrow and gloomy, like a pool of cold water, devoid of emotion. Although the man immediately looked away and hid his expression well after noticing Hao Ren's reaction, Hao Ren was still 100% sure that the eyes had just fallen on him.
The eyes were not just ordinary curiosity and exploration, but more of a kind of vigilance and even hostility, unexplainable hostility.
But except for the person involved, no one around noticed this "little episode."
The welcome ceremony soon ended, and when the necessary etiquette to welcome the triumphant knights was over, several gorgeous gold-plated carriages slowly came from the other end of the platform. The king and his close courtiers boarded a few of the carriages, ready to return to the Palace of the Golden Roses. But when they boarded the first carriage, Veronica asked Hao Ren to go with her.
The first carriage was exclusive to the royal family. Except for the royal family members, only the dukes and generals authorized by the king could ride in it, and it had to be under very special circumstances.
So this request surprised Rudolph III. He thought of Hao Ren's identity as an "ancient guardian" and knew that it was a special identity, but he still did not expect that Veronica would attach so much importance to this guardian. He asked his daughter's opinion again with his eyes and got a more affirmative answer.
"Father," Veronica nodded hard. "The guardian led us through all the battles in the land of Chaos and defeated the army of monsters in front of the fortress in the west. His selfless behavior deserves the highest level of respect. And about some of the anomalies that happened in the land of Chaos … I think we need to discuss it with the guardian. "
Rudolph III could tell from Veronica's tone that she was serious. He glanced at Hao Ren, but the latter did not seem to care at all. After a moment of consideration, the king nodded and said, "That's right."
So in the first carriage, in addition to the king and Veronica, there was also an "ancient guardian" Hao Ren. This was not in line with the rules, but on this occasion, no one would question the king's decision.
But before he boarded the carriage, Hao Ren felt the cold gaze again.
He looked up, only to see a tall and thin figure. The kingdom's minister in luxurious clothes had already boarded another carriage.
"Strange …" Hao Ren shook his head. "Did I provoke him?"
Hao Ren did not know how he had offended the kingdom's minister, but he still silently remembered the appearance of the tall and thin man. He was going to find a chance to investigate when he got back. Perhaps the man thought that he had hidden his sight well, but he probably did not expect that Hao Ren's perception was so strong.
When the carriage left the white platform, the noise outside gradually faded away, and the carriage became quiet. Hao Ren sat opposite Veronica and Rudolph III, neither looking around curiously nor restrained. He just slightly squinted as if he was closing his eyes to rest. He was behaving like an "ancient guardian."
Veronica finally could not help but hold the king's hand. "Father, why didn't Ania and Andrew come?"
"They are sick," Rudolph III said with a frown. Apparently, the sudden illness of a pair of children had cast a shadow over this celebratory day. "Especially Ania. She insisted on greeting you, but I am really worried about her physical condition."
"My brother and sister are sick?" Veronica suddenly became nervous. "Is it serious?"
"Don't worry," Rudolph III said with a comforting smile. "They are getting better now. The royal pharmacist has given them a special medicine. Now Andrew can walk around, and Ania only needs to rest for a few days."
Hao Ren, who was "resting" with his eyes closed, suddenly heard something.
He heard something strange in Rudolph III's tone. The situation of the prince and princess was probably not as simple as being sick.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
