This is the most beautiful day (Part 1)
"Hello, my name is Mason. Are you the knight who is going to see the king?"
Christine nodded. "Yes, that's me."
"Can you take me with you?"
"But why do you want to see the king?"
Mason said seriously, "Because I have to see him."
This sounded very abrupt, but no one raised any objections. The people present were just like he had heard him say that he wanted to go see the scenery. Christine thought about it and readily agreed.
Abner, on the other hand, was a little distressed: "Will this be too much trouble for you?
"There are only two things in the world that cannot be refused. One is a lady's invitation, and the other is someone who needs help." Christine smiled gently. "Since I can help, there is naturally no reason to refuse."
Since Christine had taken the initiative to agree, and his son wanted to go with him, Abner stopped refusing and said, "Ronald and I are going out to clean up the monsters today. I'll leave the child to you."
Abner touched Mason's head and said to Christine. The latter readily agreed, and after talking to Abner for a few words, he turned to Mason and said, "It's almost time, we should go to the palace.
"Remember to come home for lunch. Your mom will definitely make your favorite food."
Abner bent down and kissed his son's forehead. The child happily said "yes" and then followed the knight downstairs. The pure white Pegasus was already waiting at the door. Christine jumped on the horse and brought him up with him.
The sound of horse hooves passed through the streets, and the citizens made way for the knights. The majestic castle was within reach, and with Christine there, no one stopped them from entering.
At the end of the road, the king was waiting for them. He stood on the balcony of the castle, nodding and smiling at the visitors. His red velvet cape was soft, and the jewels on his crown reflected the luxurious light. Anyone could tell his noble status. Only a king could have such majesty and only a king could be so eye-catching.
Is he the king? Yes, he is.
But a voice rang in Mason's heart, silently reminding him, "No, this is not the person I'm looking for."
Mason hid his disappointment. Christine saw what he was thinking: "Why, don't you want to see the king?"
"He is not the one I am looking for. I am looking for the real king."
"He is the king."
“He’s just the man who wears the crown.”
After saying this, Mason felt relieved, and his next words came out very smoothly.
"What I want to find is a king recognized by everyone, not a powerful person holding a scepter and standing on a high place."
"Well... I understand what you mean." Christine thought for a moment and said in a gentle tone to a child, "Wait for me here for a while. I will take you to see His Majesty the King after I finish the audience. Okay?"
Mason nodded, waited obediently outside the castle, and watched Christine walk in.
The heroic female knight came over, squatted down and asked, "Little guy, what are you doing here alone?"
"I'm waiting for Christine."
"Christine...Oh, I see, he is coming today."
She puffed her cheeks. She looked a bit like Ronald, with a lively look in her eyes.
"Then you better stay here and don't run around. If you run into other guards, you might get caught and made into soup."
"You're scaring me again, Lisa."
A faint and ethereal voice came from behind. The astrologer in black robe sighed, revealing a pair of green eyes like new leaves from under his hat. The female knight looked away guiltily: "No, I was just warning him not to run around. Aishana, you must have heard it wrong."
The astrologer shook his head helplessly: "I'm sorry, Lisa didn't mean any harm, she just has a bad taste."
"It's okay, Miss Stargazer."
"Thank you for your understanding." The astrologer leaned over and whispered in the child's ear. "This is a reminder as a token of gratitude. If you want to find the person you want to meet, you must remember where you came from."
After saying that, Aisha stood up, smiled at Mason, and turned to her friend who was waiting for her. The knight stretched his waist and said, "You are so slow, Aisha."
"I'm sorry, that's a child with destiny."
"Eh - it's rare to hear you say that. Anyway, let's go back quickly. My stupid nephew is going to exterminate monsters today. I'm really worried."
The astrologer said helplessly: "Ronald is already 25 years old, Lisa, don't worry too much."
"I'm not overly worried. Even if he's 150 years old, he's still my nephew!"
The two walked away, talking to each other. Mason stared at their backs without blinking until Christine came back and patted his shoulder.
"What are you looking at?"
Mason shook his head. "There were two strange ladies just now."
"That should be the Royal Inquisition Execution Team, a knightly regiment under His Majesty the King. Don't worry too much, let's go."
The two walked out of the palace, Christine led Tianma, and the two walked back slowly.
When they reached the intersection, Mason saw a beautiful flower shop with a small table in front of the shop. The aroma of coffee filled his nose, and the owner of the flower shop looked up and smiled at them.
"Good morning, Mason and Mr. Christine. How come you have time to come out together today?"
"Good morning, Mr. Amira." Christine greeted. "Mason wants to find the king in the city, and I am accompanying him in his search."
"The King?"
Amira thought for a moment and said with a smile, "If you are looking for a story about the king, I actually know one."
"The little king lived in his own kingdom, and was very happy every day. One day, the little king had an idea. He wanted to go out and see the world."
"The whole kingdom was in turmoil because of his idea. The loyal citizens advised the king: "The outside world is too dangerous. Greedy goblins covet your treasures, and the evil dragons are invincible. Why don't you stay in the kingdom? You are our beloved king, and you shouldn't waste your energy on these things."
“No, I must go,” the king said. “I want to see what the outside world is like.”
"At the king's insistence, the people sadly packed his bags for him. The king was able to leave his kingdom and see the scenery he had always longed for. When he felt tired and wanted to return to his country, the location of his country turned into deep mountains and valleys. The king was astonished, and he asked the travelers passing by: [Do you know where the country here has gone?]"
“The traveler replied: [The country here has long been destroyed].”
"It was only at this moment that the king regretted his decision. He left his homeland, a land he could never return to."
At this point, Amira took a sip of coffee and said meaningfully, "Everyone has the right to choose, and when you gain, you will also lose something. In a way, this is actually very interesting, isn't it?"
He looks like a philosopher. The child couldn't help thinking that surprisingly he didn't dislike such a person. Unfortunately, Amira's story was not what he wanted. Mason shook his head regretfully.
The owner of the flower shop said gently, "You can go to the bookstore. Pica's new book has just been released. Maybe you can find inspiration there."
As he said this, his eyes passed Mason and went behind him. Mason turned around and saw a young girl standing at the intersection next to the flower shop, looking hesitantly at the middle-aged man sitting in front of the flower shop.
Seeing Amira looking at her, the girl blushed and walked over slowly.
"Mr. Amira, I made some snacks, I hope they suit your taste."
"Your desserts are always delicious. Is Vera home?"
"Yes, she is tidying up her things at home."
"Thank you for your care."
Amira chatted with the girl and handed a few pieces to Mason and his friend.
"The snacks made by that child are delicious. Please try them."
Mason tried a bite and the sweet taste spread. He thanked the girl generously, and the latter smiled, still looking at Amira.
It was obvious that they had more to say. Mason tugged at the knight's coat, and the knight said goodbye graciously and took him to his next destination.
Several teenage boys walked side by side toward the residential area, happily discussing the latest popular novels.
"Have you read Mr. Pica's new travelogue? The one about the adventure to Dragon Island with Mr. Canaan is really great!"
"Of course I read it. I'm a big fan of the great writer. But the most interesting part is the one about going to the natural forest and having a party with the elves!"
"No, no, no, the most interesting chapter is the one where we sailed through the storm and saw the sirens singing on the rocks. Mr. Canaan is so handsome, he is worthy of being a man that even sirens would fall for!"
Mason couldn't help but take a look. Christine looked at the huge crowds of people in the bookstore and showed a headache. "Although I already knew that Pica's books were very popular, this is too exaggerated."
"If you're interested, there's a bookstore nearby. We can go buy a copy."
The bookstore is easy to find, with the door decorated with flowers and snowflake-shaped crystals. People reading books in the store are excitedly discussing stories, and people waiting to buy books form a long queue.
Mason walked to the counter where the sample book was placed. The first page was already open and there was a message written on it in clumsy handwriting.
[Before this journey began, Master Canaan asked me: Pika, during the time you were with me, were you ever happy about this? ]
【I answered: Of course, every journey I have taken with you is worth remembering for a lifetime. Therefore, I wrote this story.】
[You are someone who has the power and is willing to lend a hand to others, someone who is powerless but still insists on upholding justice, someone who has been threatened by this world but has never changed, someone who saved me from despair. Your story will be passed down forever.]
【This book is dedicated to you, and this is my most sincere gratitude. 】
Mason stared at it for a long time, and something flashed through his mind. It was a dirty green goblin, sitting by the campfire and talking to him.
He involuntarily reached out and turned the pages of the book, carefully reading the contents. This book recorded the legends that Pika and Canaan heard when they traveled in the south. One of the legends was called "The Water Mirror of the Goddess of Beauty".
"It is said that the goddess of beauty once transformed herself into a wandering poet and traveled the earth. She saw the autumn wind dyeing the leaves and flowers all over the mountains red, and the monsters walking with their cubs in the woods. This beautiful scenery was reflected in the water, but it was fleeting and would never return. So she cut off the spring water and treasured that moment of autumn forever in the water mirror. From then on, the years overlapped, time passed, and only the beautiful autumn scenery in the mirror would never disappear."
Regrets, tragedies, and the dead will all remain in the flowing water held up by the gods.
The beautiful gods gazed at their reflections in the water and sighed softly. All the people living in this world were intoxicated by them. When all their regrets were made up in the mirror, they chose to give up reality.
It was more like a fairy tale for children than a travelogue. Mason flipped through the book and saw a simple picture at the end.
The old, short human smiled at the people outside the book, with the endless mountains behind him. The priest with long silver hair only showed half of his delicate face in the picture, with his eyes lowered, staring at the endless stream.
Christine came over and said, "You like this? The title is quite interesting."
Hearing his words, Mason turned the book over and saw only two words printed on the cover.
"today"