Chapter 121 Ceremony
When he got outside, Chen Chuan saw Luo Kaiyuan also coming out of the dormitory. He and Luo Kaiyuan were both selected to participate in the event from the two rows of dormitories in the first area on the seventh floor.
In terms of ability, Feng Xiaoqi is actually not bad, and he is usually active and very keen on this kind of activity. However, this kind of foreign affairs activity probably has another criterion based on appearance. Feng Xiaoqi looks relatively ordinary and may be a little short, so he was excluded this time.
At this time, Zhuang Zhi and Feng Sheng from the dormitory opposite also came out, but neither of them wanted to talk to each other. After entering the elevator, they did not say a word and kept a distance from each other.
When I came out of the elevator and left the dormitory building, many students had already arrived downstairs.
As time passed, students from other dormitory areas also arrived one after another. They were all in their early twenties. Most of them were freshmen, and a few were senior students. They generally had decent looks and their figures were basically not too outrageous.
And this time, many female students joined in.
Chen Chuan saw Guan Xinyin, someone he knew, among the female students. The latter also saw him, raised her hand and greeted him, and he nodded in response.
At this time, the Maca exchange students also came out of the dormitory building under the leadership of Teacher Duma.
Chen Chuan was away for the past few days, so of course he didn't have much communication with these students. This was the first time he saw all of them.
A fighter could usually get a rough idea of a person's strength from his body shape and gait. He just glanced at most of the Maca students and only paused for a moment on Nali and Shani, but quickly withdrew his gaze.
Chen Chuan thought to himself that these students were still a little worse than those of Wuyi Academy. Considering that the students who came for exchange this time were all elite students from Maca, the fighting level of this country was indeed not high.
Only Teacher Duma, after all, is a teacher, and his foundation cannot be seen, but it is certain that his level must have broken through the first limit.
After waiting for a while, the female students from the Maca people also came over under the guidance of a female teacher named Wu Yi.
Their number was comparable to that of the male students, and they were wearing bright Maka shawls, which were like half-cloaks that hung down to below the knees at a slight angle, with only a section of their muscular and slender calves exposed.
This time, everyone was led by several teachers from the Executive Office. The leading teacher's surname was Han. He was under fifty years old, with a square face, a serious expression and a stern face.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, he took out the roster and called out their names. Those who were called responded one by one. When the roll call was over, two passenger buses drove in and stopped in front of the dormitory building.
Teacher Han briefly explained the rules that needed to be followed and then asked everyone to get on the bus one by one.
The students and teachers of the Maca people rode in one car separately, while the students of Wuyi rode in another. After the car drove out, the leading teacher below reminded them again and again about the matters that needed to be followed later.
The Foreign Affairs Bureau ranks very low among the departments of the Government Affairs Department. After all, it only holds a few business activities throughout the year. This can be seen from its location. It is not near the administrative building in the city center square, but is located a little further south. It takes more than ten minutes by car to travel between the two.
It is also adjacent to an old-fashioned museum, and there is also a large square in front of it, but it is usually not open to the public and is only open for a few days during holidays. Although Chen Chuan is a local, he has not been there many times.
At around 8:30, two cars stopped in the open space in front of the museum square. By then, it could be seen that some staff from the Foreign Affairs Bureau had arrived and had set up the scene with barrier ropes. Some carpets were also laid on the ground symbolically, and balloons and ribbons were hung nearby.
There was also a band waiting there, but they were all playing traditional instruments of the Maka people, mostly leather drums, whistles, flutes, mouth harps and the like.
There were many security personnel from the Foreign Affairs Bureau standing around. They were all carrying pistols and short sticks, but they looked very relaxed. After all, they used to receive exchange personnel from Maca every year, so they were quite familiar with the place.
In addition to officials from the Foreign Affairs Bureau, it is said that a member of the Advisory Council will also be present. After all, the two countries have a long tradition of friendly exchanges, and there is no harm in getting together for something that is not dangerous and can show off.
After the students got off the bus, they were arranged to wait on both sides, with a row of barrier ropes behind them and security personnel outside.
The students from Wuyi College were arranged on the front side, in two horizontal rows, facing the podium.
This time, Chen Chuan was arranged to sit on the far right, relatively close to the Maca students. Coincidentally, the person standing opposite him was the Maca student who called himself Qiu Chengzu last time. After their eyes met, they nodded in greeting, but he noticed that there was a hint of nervousness in the student's eyes.
He didn't think much about it and just thought that the other party was not used to it.
He looked up. The sunlight today was very bright and a bit dazzling. According to the procedure, the ceremony would be scheduled at ten o'clock, which was still some time away.
Teacher Duma and all the Maca students were waiting there in silence. It was clearly a friendly exchange, but the atmosphere seemed a bit serious.
Although it felt a bit dull, no one thought there was anything wrong. They thought that most of these people were coming to Dashun for the first time and were in an unfamiliar environment, so this behavior was normal.
Because there is a highway outside the square, there are a lot of vehicles and people outside. When such a person appears here, it will attract a lot of onlookers.
As time passed, more and more relevant officials arrived, including the member of the Advisory Council. More and more people gathered around, forming several layers inside and outside. However, they were all blocked outside by barrier ropes and security personnel. However, the more this happened, the more people came in.
At around 9:30, three black cars and an armored vehicle drove into the square one after another. Several security personnel got off the armored vehicle first, looked around, and then walked forward to open the door of the middle car.
Director Liu from the Foreign Affairs Bureau walked down from above. He was in his fifties. Although he was overweight, he had a straight nose and a square mouth, and his temperament was very elegant.
Escorted by security personnel, he first shook hands with the Maca officials who came for exchanges and spoke enthusiastically. Then he shook hands with the member of the Advisory Council and some officials from the Government Affairs Office who were present to attend the ceremony. Then he came to the high platform in the middle and delivered a speech, praising the friendship between the two countries and friendly exchanges.
The speaker had a loud voice and clear pronunciation, which was clearly heard by the citizens watching outside. With the cooperation of the foreign affairs bureau staff on both sides, he would occasionally draw applause.
After speaking for about twenty minutes, Director Liu ended his speech with a feeling of being reluctant to leave.
And what follows is the highlight of today.
The door of the museum opened, and the director personally brought out several emcees and presented the gifts that the Maka people had originally given to Dashun and kept in the museum.
The Wu Yi students were also cheered up. After this ceremony, today's activities were almost over.
Although the sun was shining brightly today, no one would find it interesting just standing there as a backdrop, watching officials talking and not allowed to whisper to each other.
Chen Chuan looked at the box in the curator's hand. He learned from Cheng Zitong that the box contained the "eternal oak leaf".
It was originally presented to Dashun by the Maca people as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. It is said that this leaf has the effect of repairing the body and boosting the spirit, but it can only be effective when used with the spices brought by the Maca people and special ceremonies are held.
Every time Wuyi City officials attended an event, they could sense that this thing was indeed somewhat useful. They couldn't quite put their finger on it, but after the ceremony, their spirits were at least somewhat higher than usual, so quite a few people came to take part. Meanwhile, the citizens on the periphery were craning their necks, constantly leaning in to get a better look at the thing.
The curator asked a female host to hold the box while he took out the key, opened it, and slowly took off the lid. What was revealed in front of everyone was an oak leaf with a lapis lazuli color and clear veins. The moment it was opened, a natural and fresh air seemed to spread.
Chen Chuan took a look at it. The thing was about ten centimeters in size. Apart from its special color, there was not much else to see. However, this thing was given to Dashun more than fifty years ago. The fact that it could be stored for such a long time showed that it had something special about it.
Teacher Duma fixed his eyes on the oak leaf and secretly clenched his fists. He was trying to control his excitement, but his students couldn't help it and moved forward one by one. Their purpose of coming to Dashun this time was to get this thing back, even if it meant sacrificing their lives.
Although their reaction was a bit excessive, because this thing was a gift from the Maca people, it has a special meaning in the hearts of the Maca people, and people around them can understand it.
When Director Liu saw the reaction of the Maca people, he was surprised. He waved his hand and generously asked the female host to show the things to everyone for a few times. Then he took two steps back, smiled and gave his seat to the Maca official, and made a gesture of invitation.
The Maca official returned a traditional salute from his country, then reached out and carefully took the sacred object in his hands.
Next was the Maka ceremony, and the Maka officials signaled Teacher Duma and several selected students to come to the front.
Teacher Duma calmed down. He stepped forward, took the oak leaf from the Maca official, turned around, and held it high. At that moment, he was filled with high spirits, as if his entire being had been elevated. The eyes of the Maca students around him also shone with excitement.
Teacher Duma looked ahead firmly, then walked forward step by step, and at the same time a long tune began to come out of his throat. At the same time, the drummers of the Maka people also played music. The tune was vast and ancient, with a primitive and simple style.
The Maca students also began to sing in harmony. They were extremely emotional, with firm eyes and great devotion, as if they were going to complete an important and sacred mission.
Even the crowds on both sides were infected by their emotions and couldn't help but watch intently.
But at this moment, a not very obvious gunshot came out among the drumbeats, and Director Liu on the stage was shaken. The security personnel around him reacted immediately and rushed up to cover him. The second shot followed quickly, but hit the security personnel.
Not far away, the member of the Advisory Council was pulled to the side by the security guard beside him, and a bullet hole appeared where he was standing.
Almost at the same time, several cylindrical objects were thrown into the square, and soon a large amount of black smoke came out of it. Many people began to cough and cry when they smelled the smell.
When Mr. Maka saw Director Liu being hit, his eyes narrowed. Although the local resistance had promised to create an opportunity for them, they hadn't mentioned assassinating the government officials. But now he couldn't care less. Taking advantage of the chaos, he closed the box and rushed out.
The Maca students beside him also rushed out with him. At this time, the Maca students on both sides, regardless of gender, seemed to have received an order and moved at the same time, rushing towards the Wuyi students who were blocking the way in front.
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(End of this chapter)
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